Posted on 06/22/2006 11:09:25 AM PDT by Kurt_Hectic
A bit of random luck secured the unknown German documentary film "Kampf um Norwegen" (Struggle for Norway).
Associate Professor Jostein Saakvitne at Bergen University College stumbled over the film by accident at a German Internet auction. Now film archivist Ragnar Løvberg at the Norwegian Film Institute is responsible for the digital transfer of the five reels of delicate nitrate film from 1940.
"The film contains both known footage, but longer than we have previously seen, and a range of new scenes that have probably never been made public before. Among other things we see dramatic scenes from close range fighting between German and Norwegian forces, and a great deal of the film is devoted to the battle of Narvik ("Der Heldenkampf um Narvik")," Saakvitne said.
"Kampf um Norwegen", an 80-minute long documentary of the invasion of Norway in 1940 was commissioned by the German Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command). Dr. Martin Rikli and Dr. Werner Buhne directed the film, and the credits list 29 photographers who worked on the documentary, from preparations in Germany to the battle in Narvik.
Saakvitne, who is project leader for war history web sites nordiki.no and digitalokkupasjon.no, found the film during a random search for material at a German web auction.
"I don't think the person who sold the film knew how valuable it was. We don't know who the seller was, but we believe it was a private individual. We also don't know where the film came from, but there is reason to believe that it had lain forgotten in a loft or cellar," Saakvitne said.
Not only is the film a hitherto unknown revelation to Norwegian film and history experts, they have yet to find other copies or further information about the documentary in Germany.
Bergen University College expects a high-resolution digital copy from the Norwegian Film Institute, and the NFI hopes to have the original film restored. The original will be stored in the National Library's archives in Mo i Rana.
Saakvitne believes that the costly propaganda film was likely aimed at German cinema audiences.
"The story is based on German forces coming and freeing Norway from an Allied threat of invasion. It is strange that we have not known about this film earlier. No one we have contacted knows it," Saakvitne said.
"This must be due to only a few copies being made and it being destroyed during the war. Germany had trouble towards the end of the war and many film archives were burned, and that makes it difficult to get an overview of what documentary films were made during this period," Saakvitne said.
Starrring Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Quisling ?........
Whoops, they left that out of my history books at school.
Gee, you can't get nothing past this guy.
Then your history booke were incomplete. Britain and France invaded Norway at the same time Germany did. Look it up.
It's Bush's fault...
"Invaded???" As I remember it. A few Norwegen politicians sold the people out and tried to hand over the country to the Germans.
German combat photographers and film makers were tough guys that got right up front. The History Channel has some of the eastern front footage that is amazing.
Not surprising. The story of British plans for Norway and Sweden aren't exactly politically correct.
APRIL 1940 .....3rd - The first German troop transports sail for Norway.
Thanks. For later reading.
Thanks for the follow up to my answer. I was time constrained this afternoon, and had planned to get back to the thread tonight to provide more detail, but you got it covered.
Interesting story. I'm going to have to read up on Norway during the War.
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