Hitler's Death Army: Das Reich

"Hitler's Death Army: Das Reich" is a historical documentary in which we watch the notorious 2nd SS Panzer Division, known as "Das Reich." This division played a key role in the atrocities committed during World War II, particularly in France, where they were responsible for the horrific massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane.

I liked this documentary because of its comprehensive approach to both the military operations and the human impact of the division's actions. Through rare archival footage, interviews, and expert commentary, the film effectively portrays the brutality and destructive power of Das Reich. The documentary is informative and well-researched, but occasionally becomes overwhelming due to the sheer amount of detail presented. Some segments feel slow, and the heavy focus on military strategies sometimes distracts from the emotional weight of the stories of the victims. However, it did an admirable job of balancing historical facts with the realities of war. In conclusion, I have to say that "Hitler's Death Army: Das Reich" is a compelling and insightful documentary that is perfect for history enthusiasts, though it may feel a bit dense for casual viewers and it is certainly a valuable resource for understanding the atrocities of WWII.

In June 1944 the Allies invade German-occupied France in Normandy. The infamous, veteran 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich heads towards Normandy to shore up the defences and counter-attack. On its way to the battle it commits all manner of atrocities on the French civilian population.

Reasonably interesting. Covers some heinous events in history not often shown in documentaries (The World at War did cover the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre though). Also shows the aftermath and repercussions of these actions.

Not particularly edifying though. If you have any knowledge of WW2 you know of the brutality of the SS and other elements within the German regime. The assumption with this documentary is that you don't know how bad the Nazis were and need to be told over and over again that they were, and to what degree. Feels very patronising, very quickly.

I have no idea who thought that a documentary about one of the most horrific parts of human history can be done in such a lazy and disrespectful way. Half of the documentary is about a recruitment of one person to SS, 20% about few French villages and the village Lidice and the rest is about few resistance fighters? Seriously? Death Squads massacred population in Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and later Russia. France or other European countries didn't see even a sliver of terror that was rained on Jews and Slavic population in the Eastern Europe. And yet, this so called documentary forgets all about these atrocities and focuses on absolutely useless and irrelevant things. Where is information on mass shootings, command of the squads, what groups they were operating in, number of victims, mass graves, recruitment of local population to conduct the killings, gas vans, establishment of death camps, because the holocaust by the bullets took too much strain on the German troops, digging out the mass graves and burning the bodies to hide evidence? Where is the story of Podolec Kamienski, Ponary Forest, Babi Yar? What an absolute waste of time to create something that doesn't give any insight into something so horrible, that it should always be remembered.