Hitler's war on Russia is graphically portrayed in 11 original German wartime newsreels. The northern sector of the Germans' eastern front, where ferocious battles were fought in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland, is featured. Four additional international documentaries--including one produced by the Soviets in 1944--present a well-rounded picture of the tragic plight of the Baltic peoples during World War II. Here is the story of the captive nations--whose lands became a killing ground for one of history's most brutal wars.
Special care has been taken by International Historic Films to assemble this monumental documentary, which tells the story of what is left for a people after its land has been ravaged by war. Situated between the powerful antagonists Germany and the Soviet Union, the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia bore witness to some of the most ferocious land battles of the Second World War.
Every film and film sequence included in this unique compilation is the result of years of painstaking research by International Historic Films. The American, German, Latvian, and Soviet films which compose the program have all been selected both for their historical contributions to the theme of The Baltic Tragedy and for the exceptionally high visual quality of the original negatives from which most of these sequences were reproduced. The segments are chronologically arranged, and introduced with brief explanatory titles.