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german sixth army So far this year, I've watched two very different and powerful World War Two films that impressed me. The first was a German film called Stalingrad that depicted the horrible conditions that both the Germans and Russians endured in the battle of the same name that took place in the winter of 1942 - 1943. People often cite the brutality of what happened at D-Day, but for me that pales in comparison to what these two armies endured during those months. Neither side was willing to admit defeat and both suffered for it. I must confess that I don't remember this battle being discussed at all in any history classes that I took in my educational career. Then again with the absence of Americans in said battle, it probably didn't seem as important to the average history instructor. I could be wrong of course. Maybe it was mentioned and I just forgot about it over the years. The second film called When Trumpets Fade focused on another battle that was new to me. It dealt with the American push into German territory after Paris was liberated. We the viewer get to see how a small squad of American soldiers saw the advance into Hurtgen Forest. As with Stalingrad, the loss of life was shocking, but for different reasons. Instead of winter being the unexpected obstacle, it was the forest itself that brought down the American army and saved the Germans. |