Using original wartime film from German sources this DVD gives an insight into the ordinary fighting units and their weapons. The German war machine continued to function and factories produced tanks and artillery despite Allied bombing on a massive scale and this film explains how this was possible. Life on the German home front is rarely touched on in documentaries but this film does that along with home defence which are included in the bonus features. The fact that Germany was able to continue fighting a ‘total war’ for so long in the face of such adversity still amazed historians today and now doubt will do so for a long time to come.

Gun Mart, March 2012

Our final DVD offering from Pen and Sword this month is a documentary featuring archive black and white footage that traces some of the highlights of the war from the German military perspective, looking at the Allied bombing of the German mainland and the various attacks. As with the other titles various bonus galleries are included on the DVD.

Military Machines International

The real value is in the footage with sparse commentary, much of which is original and a Nazi propaganda presentation. In this DVD there is interesting colour footage of pre-1939 Germany and a selection of footage showing how women took over an increasing number of jobs to free men to fight in battle. The film and the stills gallery provides a view of civilian life in Germany under continuous aerial bombardment. In addition to showing the civilian population working to support the military the air defence system if covered. The main target market for this DVD series is undoubtedly the military enthusiast, but the DVDs are affordable for a much wider range of viewers and should sell well.

Firetrench