Stalingrad

Stalingrad is a 1993 German anti-war film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. It follows a platoon of German Army soldiers transferred to the Eastern Front of World War II, where they find themselves fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad. The film is the second German movie to portray the Battle of Stalingrad. It was predated by the 1959 Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben (Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?). Plot In August 1942, German soldiers enjoy leave in Cervo, Liguria, Italy, after fighting at the First Battle of El Alamein, where Unteroffizier Manfred "Rollo" Rohleder and Obergefreiter Fritz Reiser are introduced to Leutnant Hans von Witzland, their new platoon commander. Their unit is promptly sent to the Eastern Front to fight in the Battle of Stalingrad. Witzland's platoon joins a company commanded by Hauptmann Hermann Musk. Musk leads an assault on a factory, which results in heavy casualties. Later, Witzland requests a ceasefire with the Soviets so both sides can collect their wounded, which they agree to. Midway through, Müller (called "HGM" to distinguish him from other Müllers) breaks the ceasefire, and in the ensuing chaos a Russian child that the Soviets sent gets caught into the ranks of Witzland and Reiser as they run back towards their company. Witzland angrily assaults Müller as he returns and they get into an argument. There's a few moments of bonding as the Russian child tries to speak with the soldiers with what little German he knows, he introduces himself as Kolya.