Possibly the most famous of Hitler’s SS panzer divisions was the Leibstandarte; it bore his name and shared his fanaticism. The Leibstandarte had proved itself to be highly effective in battle and had fought in virtually all of Germany’s campaigns since 1939, justifiably earning the label ‘elite’. However, constantly called back to the front to stem the advance of the Red Army on the Eastern Front, the division was much reduced in power through loss of manpower and a paucity of equipment.In the spring of 1944 the Leibstandarte was again refitting in Belgium, a process that was still under way when the Allies stormed ashore in Normandy. The effectiveness of Allied deception measures, however, kept them fixed awaiting the landing of Patton’s phantom army in the Pas de Calais area. Consequently it wasn’t until the second half of June 44 that the Division began its nightmare march to Normandy, harried all the way by fighter bombers.Arriving at the front, elements of the division were thrown into the battle piecemeal to prop up the crumbling German Army, as Montgomery launched blow after blow on them. The Leibstandarte’s first battle was to choke off Operation Epsom, fighting the Scots and the West Countrymen of the Wessex Division in the dense hedgerow country of the Odon Valley. But perhaps their greatest achievement was halting the Great British armored advance, Operation Goodwood; a battle that has been characterized as ‘The death ride of the British armored divisions’.As the Allied breakout gained momentum on the US flank, Hitler ordered the Mortain Counter Attack, against the advice of his Generals, and the Leibstandarte marched west to cut the vulnerable American advance. Under cover of mist the battle started well for the Germans and desperate fighting with isolated GIs resulted but, as the weather cleared, the fighter bombers lashed the panzers who were forced back.The exhausted German Army fought its way back towards Falaise and seeming destruction by the encircling Allies. Forcing their way through the Corridor of Death a much higher proportion of the Leibstandarte escaped and the Division lived to fight another day.Production notes:The elite Leibstandarte is the subject of considerable fascination and study. This film, written and presented by established historians and battlefield tour guides, will strip away layers of myth and take the viewers to the places where the SS fought the British, Americans and Canadians in one of the most costly battles of the Second World War.
L**E
Tim Sanders a awesome WW2 guide and you can tell him from me ...
Tim Sanders a awesome WW2 guide and you can tell him from me I would love to meet him and have a tour in person of the World War Two battle fields . I have purchased almost all of his Speicalty done interviews . Very touching . LARRY USMC US ARMY RETIRED MYSELF
O**R
Add this to your WWII collection
A very nice all inclusive look at what the Leibstandarte did and when and where it did it in the west. Highly recommended!
I**E
Five Stars
very good!!
E**Z
Very nice! Enjoyed this video.
I liked this video a lot. Too many re-enactor images, but good to see the actual areas of operation, particularly in the Normandy campaign.
P**H
interesting DVD
great DVD arrived on time.......Freezes with about 10 mins left on story ruins DVD slightly
R**K
Good amount of old WW2 film
OK documentary. Good amount of old WW2 film, maps, pictures and battle location visits. The narration was alright and to the point but over complicated words were sometimes used.
W**H
Pure Militärhistorie
Wieder kommt aus einem Land, das mit dem 3. Reich im Krieg lag, eine echte, objektive und anschauliche Dokumentation über eine Truppengattung, die hierzulande in dieser medialen Form gar nicht, und wenn, dann nur einseitig als düstere Prügel- und Verbrecherbande beschrieben wird. Diese Dokumentation beschreibt kurz die Entwicklung der Leibstandarte, ihre wichtigsten Führungsoffiziere bis hinunter zur Regimentsebene und fokussiert die Ereignisse im Kampfraum der Normandie 1944. Bemerkenswert ist ein kurzes Interview mit dem ehemaligen und fast 100-jährigen Obersturmbannführer Hubert Meyer (nicht zu verwechseln mit Kurt Meyer, dem "Panzermeyer", der die HJ-Division damals führte), der knapp berichtet warum er zu der Einheit ging...nicht aus Gewaltlust und Hitlerliebe, sondern weil er statt Chemiker, Soldat werden wollte und zwar anfangs bei der Reichswehr, was aber nicht ging, wenn man keine Beziehungen hatte...also suchte man sich Alternativen.Mehrere Militärhistoriker erklären die damaligen Umstände, den Kriegsverlauf, welche Gegner sich wo gegenüber lagen und wie alles ablief. Man zeigt vor Ort bei den damaligen Schlachtfeldern, wo was passiert ist. Untermalt wird das Ganze von szenischen Einspielungen relativ gut (tarnklamottenmäßig etwas zu übertrieben) ausgerüsteter Reenactor mit beachtlichem Fuhrpark (Sdkfz 250 mit 3,7-Pak, Panzer IV H, Panther und Ex-T55-Tiger I-Nachbau sowie diverses anderes größeres Gerät). Qualitätsmäßig eher schlechte Originalaufnahmen ergänzen die Story, die von den Machern hier präsentiert wird.Die ganze Sache bleibt sehr neutral und bezieht sich vorwiegend auf die kämpferischen und waffentechnischen Aspekte beider Seiten, was hier in Deutschland undenkbar wäre. Die etwaigen Verbrechen kennt man hierzulande langsam auswendig, deshalb ist so eine objektive Herangehensweise mal mehr als erfreulich, wenn man militärhistorisch geballte Infos will und nicht ständig beschulmeistert wird, dass man ja aufpasst vom Anblick eines Hakenkreuzes oder einer SS-Rune nicht infiziert zu werden und sich sofort einer rechtsradikalen Pseudo-Nazitruppe anschließt, um Flüchtlingen und Asylanten das Leben schwer zu machen, wie so manche Hirnis, die aber in der Regel keine Ahnung von, und ernsthaftes Interesse an Militärhistorie haben. DANKE "Pen & Sword Military"!Ein Punkt Abzug, weil es keine deutschen Untertitel gibt, aber man „packt“ in Deutschland wohl so ein Werk erst gar nicht an, wie ich denke...
M**B
In Depth documentary made by enthusiastic historians
This is one of a "new generation DVDs" by Battlefield History TV ,the presentersvisit actual locations were historical battles took place and use a combination of archivalfilm and color reenactments to explain the battles in depth.Both presenters served in theBritish Army and are true historical enthusiasts on the battles for Normandy and this comes across in the production.I gained a much better understanding on the Battles theLeibstandarte fought in Normandy and hope that the "21st Panzer" is on their short list.
R**N
Mixed emotions
Hmm, I'm having very mixed emotions about this DVD.Historically it is very well done, following the 1st Leidstandarte's birth, battles and ending.Re-enacting soldiers mixed with original filming from the war works okay, but the scale on the tv screen doesn't fit.I'm normally running 16:9 on my tv, the still pictures doesn't fit, so the text for a picture is missing some letters and it doesn't help if I change the scale on my tv to 14:9 or 4:3.
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