1. Hunde, wollt ihr ewig
leben
Icon: Stalingrad
Richard McKenzie
10 May 2012 © University of Reading 2006 www.reading.ac.uk

2. Stalingrad
Stalingrad
2

3. Background – Stalingrad
• Battle Sept 1942-Jan 1943
• Strategically and politically
important city
– Name
– Industry
– Controlled Volga
• Paulus’ 6th Army, comprising
German, Rumanian, Spanish
and Italian troops
• Germans occupied 90% of city,
and then trapped in a pincer
movement
• Street fighting in civilians remain http://www.historyofwar.org/Maps/maps_stalingrad10.html
in city
3

4. Background – Stalingrad
• 1,000,000 deaths
• 146,000 German
soldiers killed
• 91,000 German POWs
• Approx 6,000 POWs
returned to Germany
• Last POWs returned in
1955
• First battle lost by
Reich
4

5. Background – Stalingrad
• British Pathe
– http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=12121 accessed
21/2/11
• Times Archive
– http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/Stalingrad_/
accessed 21/2/11
• National Archives – Map of war in East
– http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/worldwar2/theat
res-of-war/eastern-europe/1939/ accessed 21/2/11
• Wochenschau archiv
– http://www.wochenschau-archiv.de/ log in and search under
Stalingrad
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6. Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben
• 1959
• West German
• Frank Wisbar (1899 -
1967)
• “Stalingrad Generation”
• “Clean Wehrmacht”
• Abgrenzung from
E Germany
• Discussion of
rearmament
• Part of cinema of
amnesia 6

7. 1950’s W Germany
• Wirtschaftswunder
• Bundeswehr and
Rearmement
– Films for
– Films against
• Division Sohttp://www.ena.lu/urce
Beuth, "McCloy: Keine Wehrmacht, aber Selbstverteidigung", dans
• W Germany on frontline Hamburger Abendblatt. 24.07.1950, No 170; 3. Jg, pp. 2.
Copyright
© Hamburger Abendblatt
of Cold War
• Return of last POWs
1955
7

8. “Stalingrad Generation”
• “die Bösen Nazis und
ihre guten Soldaten”
(Baier, 1980, 39)
• Brave men at the front,
cultured, ordinary,
betrayed and
destroyed by Nazis
• Wasted lives
• Men coming to terms
with defeat
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9. “Clean” Wehrmacht
• Wisse has friendship
with Katja
• Fight bravely and
honestly
• Not involved in
Holocaust & war
crimes
• It is the Nazis and
High Command that
is responsible
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10. Abgrenzung
• Kriegspfarrer Busch
• Establishes FRG as
“Christian” country in
opposition to GDR
• Establishes church
as part of resistance
• Church stands with
suffering Germans
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11. Rearmament Debate
• 1956 formation of
Bundeswehr
• Marching
Wehrmacht begins
and ends film
• But disarmed
Germany is
defenceless
11

12. Elements Summed up
• These elements summed up in last scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd2WrmHlOaA
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13. Victims
• Who are identified as the victims in the film?
• Does the Holocaust fit in with this discourse?
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14. Conclusion
• Film part of rearmament debate
• Represents experience of “Stalingrad generation”
• Perpetuates myth of “clean” Wehrmacht
• FRG a “Christian” country, GDR a “godless”
Communist country
• Fears the effects of rearmament
• NS victims identified as German soldier
• Does not address Holocaust
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