Posted on 04/10/2011 1:39:15 PM PDT by kronos77
"- This fortress, fortress here, we keep the defense, - This fortress, fortress here, we keep the defense..."
This film is perhaps the best, but certainly one of the best war films made in the past 20 years in Europe. Talking about the legend of the Second World War, the epic Brest fortress that was first attacked by the Nazi hordes, the first day of the war with the USSR 22nd June 1941.
The story tells of a young boy who is a trumpeter in the orchestra in Brest fortress and all the time movie battle through hell trying to find a girlfriend who is lost in the war. During his quest he survives the horrors of the battle in which he actively participate.
The film is full of scenes of war, desperate efforts of the Russian soldiers who defended the fort, during the most certainly futile struggle. While it is a fortress under siege, the German army has penetrated far beyond the fortress that is doomed to fail, but even when they find out, Russian soldiers decided to fight to the end. Excellent film directed complemented by the strong acting and perfect music. Scenes of war are almost epic, presented with the harsh reality.
Brest Fortress is something similar like the American fort Alamo, just became much larger and more powerful symbol of the perseverance of Russian troops, tragedies, and ultimate victory.
The film certainly has to be seen, and the quality of acting, directing and scenes of war, beyond almost all the western movies so far recorded.
The film shows the people and the destiny woven through this historical epic about the Brest fortress. Avoided, and quite nice, skilled and successful, politics and ideology, and instead of great political speeches film shows pure heroism, struggle, and an iron will, not only from the military fortress of the crew, but also the entire Soviet people to defend the country from the fascist hordes .
Ordinary people, cooks, musicians, soldiers, doctors, civilians become suddenly, on that fateful morning of the 22nd June 1941, heroes, they want it or not, they like it or not. The film shows the harsh reality. Absolute lack of preparation and complete negligence of the Soviet army before the dawn of war, a total neglect of the defense of the nation from German aggression. Shows the persistent struggle of the army commander, Major Gavrilov and warning of impending war.
And Germans come as a shock bolt from the blue. The collapse of the Soviet military is obvious. Mass deaths, the collapse front, panic and chaos. From such chaos and terror, the rise of the heroic figures of defense fortress. Major Gavrilov, political commissar of Fomin and many others that his example of heroism, defiance and leadership endured ten times stronger against the German enemy, to the last drop of blood, the last bullet, the last drop of water ...
Long after the movie, in your ears will ring a continuous repetition of words spoken бѕ radio operator from the fortress:
"- This fortress, fortress here, we keep the defense, - This fortress, fortress here, we keep the defense..."
Also check out The 9th Company, its a Russian film about Afghanistan..pretty good flick.
A war of survival for many involved.
Fittingly, the climactic scene featured a couple of mushroom clouds. All in all, a proper ending to an existential war.
Hmmm.
Lets negotiate, would you accept as a close second, “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young?
You are correct about infantry tactics.
But, part of the horde treatment must also result from the atrocities they committed against civilians in both WW1 and WW2.
Vas like Alamo, only Patriotic Fatherland Patriots make better movie.
Yeah, Ok. Whatever.
I do like your mini giraffe though.
Just finished watching, Kronos. Thanks for posting this. I saved it after I sent it to my email list.
I have that one, on DVD. Good film. It does touch on historical reality- a VDV (Airborne) unit was tasked with maintaining a hilltop position overlooking an important supply route. The position got hit- really hit, by a huge Muj unit, that attacked standing up and marching uphill into the Soviet fire. Parts of the position were overrun.
Then there was the Lend/Lease program, of which the U.S. supplied virtually all the material.
Big wars are won by logistics.
"The USSR was highly dependent on rail transportation, but the war practically shut down rail equipment production: only about 92 locomotives were produced. 2,000 locomotives and 11,000 railcars were supplied under Lend-Lease. Likewise, the Soviet air force received 18,700 aircraft, which amounted to about 14% of Soviet aircraft production (19% for military aircraft)".
"Although most Red Army tank units were equipped with Soviet-built tanks, their logistical support was provided by hundreds of thousands of U.S.-made trucks. Indeed by 1945 nearly two-thirds of the truck strength of the Red Army was U.S.-built. Trucks such as the Dodge 3/4 ton and Studebaker 2½ ton, were easily the best trucks available in their class on either side on the Eastern Front. American shipments of telephone cable, aluminium, canned rations, and clothing were also critical."
I know. The Russians used human-wave assaults throughout the war, the Germans not so much. The enormous disparity in casualties bears this out.
I don’t think Eastern Europe felt “saved” from 1945 to 1989; they were enslaved. Under Nazism most could leave if they wanted to, most could practice their religion, and own property.
Hitler was evil; Stalin was worse. Ask the Poles, Ukrainians, and others that lived under him; we can’t ask the millions who died under him. Stalin certainly didn’t help us in return for the weapons we sent him; he didn’t fight the Japanese until the final weeks of the war (while all those Americans died in the Pacific at their hands).
The Soviets invaded Poland with the Germans in 1939, but France & Britain apparently didn’t feel strongly committed enough to their treaty to declare war on Russia along with Germany. I’m sure when the Soviets killed all of those Poles in Katyn they knew there would be no repercussions (and there haven’t been).
Because of military restrictions imposed by Versailles, the Soviets trained many German pilots in the 1930s until Hitler’s “coming out” party; they were birds of a feather (national socialism & international socialism). All that was in question was who got to rule what; that was the cause of their antagonism.
“He mentioned that the Germans did nothing noble on the Eastern front then he detailed it.”
Many minorities in the Soviet Union (especially Ukrainians) greeted the Axis as liberators; Russia admitted in the last five years that they deliberately sent troops behind the lines to stir up the Germans, causing retaliations against the Soviet civilians to drive them back into the Soviet fold (and it worked).
Doesn’t work for me?
It looks typically Russian. The rock has a concrete appearance.
Plus Partisans of Vilna for the documentary version.
The Nazis had the Slavs in their crosshairs, even if they were blue eyed blonds with nearly 100% Swedish background.
I really don't think anything the Germans did in WWII is defensible ~ NOT ONE THING.
Bump it for later
Bump it for later
Glad Patton did not get his war! My dad was ready to fight the Russians while with Patton's Army. He even had the opportunity to give Patton his excuse for war in an altercation with a Russian officer.
The people who lived in that part of the world will judge the merits of Nazism and Bolshevism; the first half of the 20th century indicates they preferred the former, usually as a defense against the latter.
The example of the Ukrainian women is great; how many Ukrainians DIED as unpaid slave laborers in the 1930s and 1950s? There was a reason why they preferred Hitler to Stalin; they knew Stalin wasn’t the cuddly “Uncle Joe” our lying government sold to us, and they didn’t yet know just how bad Hitler really was.
If WWII was really between the Nazis and the Bolsheviks, the US had no reason to fight in it. If Japan attacked us, we could destroy them while avoiding Europe (as Stalin did, fighting in Europe while avoiding the Far East). There was no reason to choose sides when Satan battled Lucifer; the only losers were the people in that part of the world.
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