AllMovie

The footage becomes a little sparser as time goes on in this account of the dismemberment of the German military machine and the crushing of the nation -- not only does the visual material become fewer and farther between, as it obviously served no purpose to shoot footage that, so far as the Hitler government was concerned, couldn't ever be shown to the people or ever be acknowledged, but the proper shooting, processing, and preservation of such footage declined in importance next to such matters as staying alive. As unbalanced as the rest of the series, this last volume in the three-part overview of the German role in World War II, as seen from inside Germany, is still fascinating, if only for the increasingly desperate (and empty) appeals to patriotism that ring out from the government, and the ever more haggard look on the part of all concerned. The film provides a rare look at a defeated side in a major war based on footage shot by that side -- of a military calamity encroaching from every side -- and is worth taking in within the larger context of understanding the war. But, as with other volumes in this series, there is a distinct lack of mention of the concentration camps, moral culpability, and all of the other questions that beg to be answered concerning the Hitler regime and its fall. As with most malefactors driven by pathology or their own self-interest, the minds and the government behind this footage regarded themselves as blameless. Take it in, certainly, but with a grain of salt and enough knowledge so that the material that's not mentioned here isn't forgotten.