Mixed feelings - Hollywood Movie with demonization of the German soldiers

Rating: 4/10 (27 January 2015)

Servus from Germany,
have seen the strip and can say that, due to the previously read reviews here in Germany I had expected a really worse movie. Sure, the film is a typical Hollywood concoction with a good dose Ami basic patriotism, technical detail-war film fans will not be disappointed. Detailed and mostly original weapons, uniforms and vehicles. A real treat is the well-known and roadworthy original Tiger I. Overall, a remarkable piece of work, although mainly in the end the realistic depiction of smooth drifting towards 0. Here then comes the real intention of the film in the foreground - the usual Heldenglorifizierung of the American "liberators". Here are some notable timestamps ...
SPOILER 00:32:30 Nonsense: Either our hero "Wardaddy" with his slogan "That's a 8.8" has no idea of his trade or the makers of this film lacks the historical base. What slams here is a PAK 40 7.5.
00:40:30 and 00:50:20 Correct: The winners, as they too often really were - war crimes under the guise of liberators. This approach, contrary to the Hague Regulations, or the Geneva Prisoner of War Convention was quite common, and culminated in the intentionally caused mass destruction hundreds of thousands of German prisoners of war after surrender and capture by withdrawing POW status (Prisoners of War) - Keyword Rheinwiesenlager.
00:49:30 Nonsense: Even if the filmmakers obviously wants was to achieve a dramatically exaggerated representation of the criminal acts of the Nazi regime, of course, no little girls were conscripted to fight in uniform service at the Volkssturm. Bad enough that 16 years Pimpfe were burned at the home defense.
00:50:50 Bullshit: Fully trivializing depiction of rape. What woman would make wide her legs following a battle action and "reward of chocolate," volunteered for one, let alone several smelly enemy soldiers ? 01:00:30 Dito 00:51:00 Bullshit: Colored soldiers were not used inside a white fighting unit. They played at the Anglo-American forces only as a logistical forces involved. Only at the end of WW2 own black fighting units were formed - but the officers were also always white Befehlsgeber. After their return home, they were inevitably with reality - faced in the US - the strict racial segregation. Many were from '45 dear occupation soldiers in the "free" Germany. So much for equality between ethnic groups in the US do-gooders.
01:18:50 Correct: Nearly realistic tank battle with one of the few preserved and running Tiger Panzerkampfwagen VI. While the final maneuvers before starting the "one on one battle" very happy for the M4. The shells of the Sherman can't penetrate the armor of the Tiger, by beating himself up close and from any side. Most tigers weren't lost by enemy action, but by defect or task and self-destruction due to lack of fuel. Official military studies assumed that for the destruction of a tiger about 8 to 10 Shermans got lost.
01:42:00 Bullshit: From here its really ridiculous. 5 American heroes in their all-purpose armored vehicle mow down 2 companies of the Waffen SS. In reality, "at most" 5 to 10 German soldiers died in combat situation like this and the battle had not lasted more than 10 minutes. After the first shot of the Sherman M4 infantrymen would have gone to both sides in coverage and would set the tank with one or two Panzerfaust /Panzerschreck hits or sticky bombs from behind or the side out of action. But as the German soldiers run into the night in a circle - preferably coming from the front and always beautiful boarding-looking machine guns - to the M4 and play the journey to Jerusalem to the Exodus.
Greetings Oli