Feldgrau.net

The Hess episode screened last night was, in my opinion, by far the best out of the three programmes.

I knew Hess was slightly out of touch with reality, but I didn’t realize quite how deranged he was.

phylo_roadking wrote:3/"dumbed down" the BBC's history output; so they retaliated with more "docudramas" but they have to have a populist element to them. Like the ambitious - but cr@p - "Dunkirk" series.

Dunkirk was very poor..... did anyone else see the Soviet IL 2, ground attack aircraft attacking the Dunkirk beaches, in one of the black and white 'actual' combat footage sequences

All, the BBC if you can reach it or BSkyB are showing the original "Dunkirk" movie version in SEVEN minutes time at 1.05 PM GMT

Hi,

Cott, I totally agree with your sentiments. I knew Hess was a bit messed up, but he sounded absolutely insane in the program, and I presume the actor spoke word for word what Hess actually said.

So it wasn't Hitlers fault, the Jews hypnotised him into making concentration camps, and then while there, they hypnotised the guards into gassing them! Riiiight then.

To be honest, after hearing all that, Im pretty surprised he didn't get the death penalty - was there issues over passing the death sentance on him because of his mental state, or was it purely because he left the fold in '41? I think it was the latter. Strange though, that his comments didn't win him a date with the noose.

Cheers,

Hess' condition at the trial is part of the whole Rudolf Hess conspiracy theory thing. As well as rambling, he apparently showed signs of prolojged drug use - though no blood tests were permitted. He didn't recognise various witnesses brought to confirm his identity (usually a formality) and his recorded statements when compared with records of speeches show elements of phraseology and regional German accent different from before 1941. All part of the idea nowadays that he was a "stunt double" LOL

Hi Phylo,

........and all of it speculative twaddle.........

Cheers,

Sid.

ah but has anyone ever seen Hess and Morrissey in the same room eh?!

Twaddle til as usual proven otherwise. There's been too much really odd stuff either proved or proved in an entirely different direction in my lifetime to be entirely comfortable with anything there's an official questionmark over any more......all, see my new thread....

Hi Rolf,

Interesting, given that "Morrissey" and "Smiths" are almostish an anagram of "'Tis Hess is my mirror"!

Cheers,

Sid.

Going back to the excellent TimeWatch series the “Through Hell For Hitler” episode stands out as a particularly good one. This programme follows A Panzer Veterans exploits into Russia and also how he grew up surrounded by National Socialism. The sections in which the panzer veteran (Henry Metelmann) narrates and explains his actions and reflects on them is truly fantastic.

I found my self warming to him despite some of the things he had done and his ability to admit cowardice in certain situations took real guts. Highly recommended

Hi FSJ,

The show was based on Metelmann's book of the same name.

He has since written another book on his time in the Hitler Youth.

Cheers,

Sid.

Fallschirmjager ! wrote:Going back to the excellent TimeWatch series the “Through Hell For Hitler” episode stands out as a particularly good one. This programme follows A Panzer Veterans exploits into Russia and also how he grew up surrounded by National Socialism. The sections in which the panzer veteran (Henry Metelmann) narrates and explains his actions and reflects on them is truly fantastic.

I found my self warming to him despite some of the things he had done and his ability to admit cowardice in certain situations took real guts. Highly recommended

I didn't get to see that one unfortunately. I have read Metelmann's book though (Through Hell for Hitler) many years ago and found it very interesting indeed. I would like to read his new book also.

phylo_roadking wrote: He didn't recognise various witnesses brought to confirm his identity (usually a formality)

According to the program, Hess admitted to faking his apparent amnesia and pretending to not recognise certain individuals (including Goering and his own personal secretaries).

For anyone who can get it, the new three-part "Dunkirk" docudrama started rolling round on UKTVHisotry on BSkyB today. and the BBC2 showed the original feature film last week.

No contest.

It has just struck me why the BBC "Dunkirk" three-parter is SO unmitigated rubbish....

Something was bugging me about it ever since catching it again the other week, and thankfully I had the third episode on VHS to go back to....

There's ONE thing buried away at the very heart of each of the programmes that makes it VERY hard to watch - a sensory cue that seemed to set my hair standing on end, a bit like cold trifle custard hitting the back of my throat LMAO

Its the SOUND TRACK - or rather - the sound EFFECTS track. Check out the programme yourself...why on earth is the whole thing, apart from the dialogue, set against a low-speed "wocka-wocka" noise like a HELICOPTER'S ROTOR BLADES???

A bit like the very first ten seconds on Apocalypse Now....

It seems to be THIS entirely out of place anachronism that got my hackles up! Yet is so invasive I didn't notice it the first couple of times I saw the programmes. Why on earth did the BBC do this???