Another odd WW2 story- When Americans and Germans fought together

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...en-americans-and-germans-fought-together.html

Read the entire link but here is a taste

Days after Hitler’s suicide a group of American soldiers, French prisoners, and, yes, German soldiers defended an Austrian castle against an SS division—the only time Germans and Allies fought together in World War II. Andrew Roberts on a story so wild that it has to be made into a movie.
The most extraordinary things about Stephen Harding's The Last Battle, a truly incredible tale of World War II, are that it hasn’t been told before in English, and that it hasn’t already been made into a blockbuster Hollywood movie. Here are the basic facts: on 5 May 1945—five days after Hitler’s suicide—three Sherman tanks from the 23rd Tank Battalion of the U.S. 12th Armored Division under the command of Capt. John C. ‘Jack’ Lee Jr., liberated an Austrian castle called Schloss Itter in the Tyrol, a special prison that housed various French VIPs, including the ex-prime ministers Paul Reynaud and Eduard Daladier and former commanders-in-chief Generals Maxime Weygand and Paul Gamelin, amongst several others. Yet when the units of the veteran 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division arrived to recapture the castle and execute the prisoners, Lee’s beleaguered and outnumbered men were joined by anti-Nazi German soldiers of the Wehrmacht, as well as some of the extremely feisty wives and girlfriends of the (needless-to-say hitherto bickering) French VIPs, and together they fought off some of the best crack troops of the Third Reich. Steven Spielberg, how did you miss this story?

The battle for the fairytale, 13th century Castle Itter was the only time in WWII that American and German troops joined forces in combat, and it was also the only time in American history that U.S. troops defended a medieval castle against sustained attack by enemy forces. To make it even more film worthy, two of the women imprisoned at Schloss Itter—Augusta Bruchlen, who was the mistress of the labour leader Leon Jouhaux, and Madame Weygand, the wife General Maxime Weygand—were there because they chose to stand by their men. They, along with Paul Reynaud’s mistress Christiane Mabire, were incredibly strong, capable, and determined women made for portrayal on the silver screen.

 

Thanks for the post! VERY interesting and would make a spectacular movie!
....if they leave out any corny stuff....

 

Thanks I am going to have to chase that book down - Fascinating story

 

This has Johny Depp and Disney written all over it.

 

I don't see why an idiot like Spielberg should make a film of it.

Let the Germans or Austrians do it. That, I think, would be worth seeing. Like the films Stalingrad and Das Boot.

 

Idiot? "Saving Private Ryan" was a brilliant film- both entertaining and a visceral film about how ugly war is- and how brave men can be. Not sure what you object to about Lincoln or Schindler's List either. The man you call an 'idiot' also produced a movie for the United States World War 2 Museum, and funded the film and video archive of the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

Not that I think that Spielberg should necessarily make a film about this event- that was from the article I quoted- but if Spielberg did, it would likely be seen by millions more worldwide than ever saw "Das Boot"(a great war film) or Stalingrad(which I have heard is great, but haven't seen).

 

That movie was stupid. It didn't smack of reality at all.

Shindler's List and Lincoln are little more than propaganda pieces as well.

Check out Stalingrad. The Germans know how to make a good WWII film. Spielberg does not.

 

Well I- and millions of people who will never even hear of "Das Boot" disagree.

Eventually I will see Stalingrad. Of course Stalingrad was made by a Russian

Fedor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (Russian: Фёдор Серге́евич Бондарчу́к [bəndʌrˈtʂuk]; born May 9, 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer

I guess I will have to wait for the German version of Stalingrad- I imagine it will be somewhat different.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108211/

And if you haven't even heard of Das Boot, well, it might be time to broaden your horizons just a tad.

 

I saw "Das Boot" years ago- still one of the most evocative war films I have ever seen- there is no other film which makes me feel like I have some insight into what it was like to be in a submarine in WW2 like "Das Boot" and I always include it amongst my top war films about WW2.

And probably 1% of the people who saw "Saving Private Ryan" have even ever heard of "Das Boot".

Very different style films- both very good.

 

Just looked at your linke- so there was a 1993 German film called Stalingrad too? LOL

I 'assumed'- again my fault- that you were speaking about the Stalingrad that was released last year, which I haven't had a chance to see yet.

My bad.

LOL

 

Yes the 1993 film was definitely German, and made from the German perspective. The 1963 version I believe is actually a British production (Though I have not seen it) One to avoid is Enemy At The Gate, not much to recommended that unfortunately. If you have not viewed it I would highly recommend the extended German print of Das Boot