Air Force Helper (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Air Force Aid |
| Country of production | Federal Republic of Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1980 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Volker Vogeler |
| script | Claus Hubalek |
| production | Windrose Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH Hamburg |
| camera | Gero Erhardt |
| occupation | |
| |
The television film Luftwaffenhelfer is a German anti-war film from 1980 by Volker Vogeler . Claus Hubalek wrote the script. The shooting took place in 1979, the first broadcast was on June 2, 1980 on ZDF .
action
1943 - Allied bomber forces' aerial warfare over Germany approaches its climax. A group of young high school students between 15 and 17 years of age from different school classes are called in by Lieutenant von Bern to the Air Force to serve as Air Force helper in the 154th heavy flak battery in Berlin-Lübar near their home town. One of them, Claus Gottheimer, is not allowed to take part because of his Jewish descent, but accompanies his schoolmates to the bar. The boys are enthusiastically moving to the flak position and are happy not to have to go to school for the time being. In return, they like to do without the usual comfort of home. They also do not mind the strict military drill and various harassments, especially by Sergeant Naumann and Lieutenant von Bern. Some of them are intellectually superior to the older soldiers, which the boys cleverly exploit. After the four-week infantry basic training, there are also time-limited school lessons , the teachers come to the position three times a week. The practical training on the anti-aircraft guns of light and heavy caliber is fun for them and they quickly learn to use it, they feel like full soldiers. They get along well with the Russian prisoners of war, also high school pupils and students, which the superiors like less. All of them grew up with the war and learned basic military skills in the young people and in the Hitler Youth . They want hostile attacks in order to be able to prove their courage, also to escape the unpopular school lessons. Luftwaffe helper Georg Suhr triggers an air-raid alarm once during class (Suhr was just on duty in the exchange), although there is no enemy aircraft over the Reich territory because several class tests were scheduled. This results in hard "punishing exercises" for the students, which they "still get better than class work" (film quote). Some of the older soldiers fear that they will soon be replaced by the dedicated boys and that they will have to move to the Eastern Front .
The atmosphere was first marred somewhat when the physically smallest among them, who always humorous Theo Litt, son of a minister during the day at leisure through by a British, so-called "Störflugzeug" (a Mosquito in timber construction) dropped bomb is hit and falls. Berlin is becoming an increasingly common target day and night by US and British bomber units. One of the boys of the "Bunker Anton", Karl Pfeiffer, shoots down a low-flying American aircraft with a 2 cm cannon during a daytime attack and receives the Iron Cross II. Class from the battery boss, Captain Kuhn , for "proven bravery before the enemy ”. This event is celebrated in the evening in the canteen barrack.
During a large night attack, the position was hit by several direct bombs and it was completely destroyed - only one of the boys, air force helper Kurt Carow and an older soldier from the canteen barracks survived the inferno. Carow stands crying in front of the destroyed bunker barracks with a bowl full of "special rations" (sweets that were given after each combat mission) and misses his fallen comrades. The film ends with the words: "It was November 24, 1943 - the Second World War lasted 531 days."
Remarks
The scenes of the attack by the aviation associations and the burning Berlin are partly original recordings from the Second World War. The film was shot in black and white on 16 mm film material that was still used in TV productions at the time .
The film score includes the song Lili Marleen , which is used on the occasion of a performance by the boys. In some fight scenes, original tracks by Glenn Miller and his big band are recorded. You can also hear the song of the Hitler Youth , with the closing line “The flag is more than death” underlaid the last scene of the film.
The rank of "Hauptwachtmeister" did not exist with the Flak of the Wehrmacht , it should correctly be called " Oberwachtmeister ".
This film brought the young actor Till Topf greater public attention for the first time. He plays the leading role among the boys as "Luftwaffe helper Karl Pfeiffer".
The filming location for the exterior shots of the barracks and anti-aircraft guns was on the premises of the Federal Armed Forces Service Meppen (WTD 91) at the level of the village of Haren- Emmeln, Gut Kellerberg. The anti-aircraft guns available there were in their original condition. One was fired with practice ammunition during filming, but detonated remotely for safety reasons. The opening scenes in the school were filmed at the Nordhorn high school ( Grafschaft Bentheim ).
Web links
- Luftwaffenhelfer in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Portrait of the WTD 91st Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement, April 22, 2008, accessed on October 25, 2019 .