HISTORIANS
Colonel Kevin W. Farrell
Colonel Kevin Farrell is West Point’s lead historian regarding the Eastern Front of World War II. He also holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in modern British history. He has experienced armored warfare personally while commanding units in three major conflicts. He is a holder of the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Combat Action Badge.
David M. Glantz
A US Army Colonel (ret.) who served during Vietnam is a world-renown expert and author of the Eastern Front of World War 2. Glantz brings decades of research on the subject to the screen. He is currently writing a 3-volume book on the battle of Stalingrad. He is also chief editor of The Journal of Slavic Military Studies and one of the first U.S. members of the Soviet (now Russian) Academy of Natural Sciences. He has written more than one hundred books on the Soviet (Red) Army and the Soviet-German War, 1941-1945.
PARTICIPANTS
Dr. Walter Guenther
Dr. Walter Guenther grew up in Berlin and watched Adolf Hitler come and go through the streets of Berlin as a child. He was eventually drafted and took part in the invasion of France, Greece and the Soviet Union. He was with the German 6th Army just outside of Stalingrad where he was hit by a mortar round. Eventually wounded 3 times, including being shot in the face, he was evacuated from the battlefield by helicopter to a hospital in Dresden where he witnessed the firebombing of the city. After the war Guenther immigrated to the US where he resides to this day.
Sergei Khrushchev
The son of Nikita Khrushchev, Sergei Khrushchev has been a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute at Brown University since 1996. From 1968 – 1991, he served at the Control Computer Institute in Moscow. Prior to that, he was an engineer in charge of guidance systems for missiles and space design. His father was the political officer in charge of the Red Army in the crucial battles of Kiev, Stalingrad and Kursk just to name a few. He was also part of Stalin’s inner circle. Khrushchev edited his father’s memoirs. He was a child during the battle of Stalingrad.
Anatoly Merezhko
Anatoly Merezhko was a soldier fighting for the famous 62nd Army during the battle of Stalingrad. He fought briefly at the siege of Sevastopol and was one of the last to escape before the Germans seized the city. He then deployed in Southern Russia and fought daily actions against the German advance in the summer of 1942. He eventually became a liaison officer to General Vasily Chuikov of the Soviet 62nd Army. Merezhko became Deputy Commander of the Warsaw Pact after the war.
Dr. Wigand Wuster
Dr. Wigand Wuster was drafted into the German Army right before the invasion of Poland. He fought in the Polish, French and Russian campaigns. He belonged to the German 6th Army that was eventually tasked to seize the Russian city of Stalingrad. He surrendered inside the city in February 1943. He remained in a POW camp until 1949. Today he resides in Munich, Germany.
PRODUCTION
Jared Lipworth, executive producer
As director of science programs, Jared Lipworth is responsible for commissioning and executive producing all science programs produced by THIRTEEN’s Science, Natural History and Features department. Current projects in production or development include Secrets of the Dead IX, Ground War, Curious II and The Human Spark, which is currently a finalist at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival for Presenter-Led programming. Recently completed projects include Curious, Warplane, Secrets of the Dead VII-VIII (with one program, Doping for Gold, up for a 2009 Emmy) and The Mysterious Human Heart, which won the 2008 Emmy for Science, Technology, and Nature programming.
Prior to becoming executive producer and then director of science programs, Lipworth was the series producer for the department’s technology series, Innovation. He also served as series producer for the Emmy-nominated Secrets of the Dead III and coordinating producer for many of the department’s projects, including Warrior Challenge, Secrets of the Pharaohs, the Emmy Award-winning Frontier House and The Secret Life of the Brain, Warship, Taxi Dreams, Echoes From the White House and Savage Planet. In 2003, Lipworth was nominated for a writing Emmy for Secrets of the Dead: Mystery of the Black Death. Additional credits at THIRTEEN include post-production producer for The American President and 1900 House and production assistant for Savage Seas, On The Trail of Mark Twain, The Great Balloon Race and Stories of Lupus.
Before arriving at THIRTEEN, Lipworth produced, directed and edited In the Footsteps of the Black Rhino for the BBC’s Animal Zone. He received his master’s degree in broadcast journalism from New York University, where he won the award for academic excellence, and he received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Cornell University.
Jim Hayden
Jim Hayden is president of Planet Pictures, founded in 1986. Programs and series created and produced by Hayden have won virtually every major award for excellence including the National Emmy, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards (3), the RTNDA Murrow Award (3) and the George Foster Peabody. Hayden has served in a wide variety of management and production capacities over some 25 years in television. He has been General Manager of News and Information Programs with New York syndicator All American Television, and a project development consultant for such organizations as Group W and Turner Broadcasting. On behalf of Group W, Hayden created USA Update, the first prime-time news headline service offered on cable. For TBS, Hayden developed and served as Executive Producer of Earthbeat, the first weekly solutions-oriented environmental magazine (Earthbeat was renamed Network Earth and had a successful six year run every Sunday in primetime, proceeding National Geographic Explorer). Following that, Hayden created and executive produced an original series commissioned by Ch4 (UK) called California Offbeat, a series of thirteen half-hours looking at the offbeat and quirky side of California. Hayden also wrote, directed and produced the PBS documentary Assignment Earth which led to a series option on Discovery for a half-hour science format titled Future Perfect. In addition, Hayden co-created and piloted the cooking phenomenon The Urban Peasant which became a hit on the CBC (Canada) where it had a ten year run, garnering consistent “9” and “10” ratings. The series also had successful runs on TLC (US), BSKYB (UK), STAR (Asia), XYZ Lifestyle Channel (Australia), UHF 25 Net (Philippines). Hayden also created and executive produced the documentary magazine series What A World which ran on TLC (US) and was co-produced with S4C and UFA Nonfiction. More recently, Hayden created and is executive producing the lifestyle series Auction Adventure for The Fine Living Network (FLN).
In 1982, Hayden created the Local Program Network (LPN), a division of CBS’s WCCO Television, Minneapolis. LPN grew to become a consortium of 45 major-market TV stations which pooled programming by satellite. In 1984, Hayden launched One-on-One Exclusive, a pioneering service which, based in Washington DC, connected local stations’ anchors with major national newsmakers for interviews by satellite. LPN was represented in domestic syndication by Fox Lorber Associates and All American Television. Hayden managed LPN until directing its successful sale in 1987.
Throughout the 1970s, Hayden produced, directed, and executive produced a variety of documentaries, specials, and series ranging from PM Magazine to Bill Moyers’ Journal (PBS). Hayden was the creator of the acclaimed Moore Report documentary series for WCCO-TV.
In addition to his production work, Hayden has also been active in channel packaging. In 1997, Hayden co-developed and launched QuesTV, the adventure documentary channel carried across Europe by way of the Astra satellite system and in Japan on DirecTV. Planet also is a program supplier to VOD services such as IP System Cinemanow, Rainbow’s MagRack, Akimbo, and Google Video. Planet is also actively involved in the development and pre-launch of additional channels, through its sister company, Nichecast Media.
Brian J. McDonnell
Brian J. McDonnell has been in the television industry for almost 10 years operating as a free-lancer in New York City. In 2003 he created Timeline Productions, building it into a production facility that handles all industry formats. Working with Barataria Productions he has been responsible for post-production budgets, schedules, and finishing work. He is also an award-winning editor with almost 100 broadcast programs to his credit. Highlights include the World War 2 documentary Silent Wings (2007), based on the experiences of U.S. glider pilots, the feature film Homeland (2008), A&E’s Biography (2007-08), Fine Living’s Auction Adventure (2004-06), Here TV’s Here at the Movies (2006), CNBC’s Dlife (2007-08), FOX Sports’ Boost Mobile Surf (2006), FUSE (2005), and many more.
Michael L. McKimmey
Michael L. McKimmey is a New York City freelancer and has over ten years of shooting experience that has taken him all over the world. With Original Ventures, McKimmey shot Aerial, High-Resolution Photo and HD Video from helicopter that took him high over Rose Hall Jamaica, Manaos in the Amazon, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. For Here! TV, McKimmey shot and produced for over two years and is responsible for over 100 News and Life Style pieces. His camera work can also be seen in the hit series, Auction Adventure. Recently, Michael McKimmey was also commissioned by the Fine Living Network to shoot the pilot, Stop, You’re Paying Too Much. McKimmey’s adept command of the captured image also includes shooting for the “GMHC Honors”, and the “Boost Mobile Pro Surf Championships” in Southern California. His camera credits also include philanthropic work which has taken him to locations around the world including the Rain Forest Preservation in Brazil and the Terra Preservation in Jamaica. McKimmey is also an award-winning editor with four years of experience in broadcast programming to his credit.
Michael Eldridge
Michael Eldridge is an award-winning director, writer, and producer with years of experience and over 300 programs to his credit. He worked as a supervising producer for Towers Productions in Chicago. During his tenure with the company, he co-created, wrote, and supervised the History Channel series, True Crime Authors, and was the supervising producer of the launch of A&E’s Minute By Minute, a series that received an Emmy nomination for the episode “Attack on the Pentagon.” He also wrote and supervised Investigative Reports (A&E). In addition, he was the head writer for Towers’ Productions’ launch of the popular Weather Channel series, Storm Stories. Other notable projects during his tenure were The History of Unconventional Warfare (writer/supervising producer), Times Millennium Capsule (writer), and he wrote numerous episodes for A&E’s The Unexplained, American Justice, and Biography. He also worked as a producer and writer of various documentaries, including National Geographic’s Interpol Investigates. His work appeared on PBS (Best Friend Forgotten—2005 Genesis Award Winner), WNET in New York (Innovations—Building to Extremes), and CBS (various sports documentaries). In the summer of 2004, he started his production company, Barataria Productions and produced Auction Adventure, a lifestyle series on the Fine Living Channel. Eldridge is the series producer, host, and head writer of the Telly Award-winning series. In the fall of 2006, he partnered with writer/producer Brad Rothschild to direct the feature film Homeland. He is also developing screenplays. He co-wrote a feature film for Emerging Productions in NY, Beauty Remains, directed by Ann Hu (Shadow Magic), which debuted in New York in October 2007. He is currently writing her next feature, Made in China.
For the producers and editors of “Deadliest Battle” Eastern front of WWII.
We watched with interest your documentary and narrative of the “Deadliest Battle”. It is always refreshing to find out new facts about the sad history of WWII. However, it is very disturbing to us to listen to the repeated usage of the word “Nazis” when referring to German soldiers of WWII. These soldiers were no “Nazis” as you must know. German soldiers could not be in the military and be in the Nazi party at the same time. Using a derogatory word for a German soldier really is offensive to us. We have had seven close family members die during WWII. All of these men were honorable persons and loved ones who we miss. The youngest one was nineteen at the time of his draft and death. Its an insult to us to have their memory smeared by the word “Nazi” in your narrative. It should not be necessary to use cliche words like “Nazi” for propaganda purposes when referring to German soldiers of WWII. Enough is Enough! Sincerely, J and B Thoenes
Wonderful series and great historians!
I certainaly agree with J and B Thoenes regarding the distorted and malicious use of the Nazi label. It is equally disturbing that cowardly post-war German governments permit this slanter of their own WW II relatives in order to curry favor with their “occupying” masters. Furthermore Ms. Hanna may think it was “wonderful” but then what bais of comparison does she poses to determine if it was the truth? The other disturbing element of this Stalingrad propaganda and others similar is the constant shielding of Jewish guilt. There was a great deal more involvement by Jews in the Bolsheviks and the USSR than Trotsky. Indeed it was the Jew Karl Marx who was the founder of Communism. ALL of the original Bolshevik Politburo members,including Lenin, were Jews. Their “foot soldiers” were the hundreds of thousands of members of the Jewish Labor Movement and their financiers were prominent western Jewish bankers. Lening repeatedly proclaimed that the conquest of Germany was the key to the Communist conquest of Europe. “Jews dominated the Politburo and Ministries” prior and during WWII according to Foreign Minister Molotov, who,incidentally, was married to a Jew. Jews were in the forefront in attempting to overthrow the Weimar Republic. It was Russian Jews who were the founders of the American Communist Party. Hitler knew what he was up against. It is high time that “historians” stop shielding the Jew’s prominent role in Communism and the USSR.
to J & B Thones …you mention German soldiers but you apparently were half-drunk or asleep during the documentary as you would know they were members of & more correct to say the 19 yr old lad you speak of, was a member of the Germany Wehrmacht, but it was Hitlers’ army & often Hitler would encourage the German soldier to fight on with the real zest of a true Nazi . Of course most in the Wehrmacht (as in the Luftwaffe) were not officially members of the party but they were, nevertheless, disciplined to die for the cause & the programs of the Nazi party, which included the extermination of all European Jews…although Himmler’s Einstazgruppen-SS, which was technically seperate from the Wehrmacht, were the main killers of Jews, in the beginning,many Wehrmacht officiers & soldiers stood by & did nothing or were even allowed to volunteer if they wished to join in the Nazi killing system or free to brutally treat people under Wehrmacht control.. But evern if not members, practically all Germans adhered to the Nazi creed, following their Fuhrer blindly, many to the very end. You also make such a stupid statement, that Geramns could not be in the military and member of the Nazi party at the same time…Hiter was certainly a member of the party, and he was German military’s supreme commander. But whether members or not, Germans in the Third Reich knew they were supporting Naziism, whether as a civilian or in the military, and most Germans condoned the anti-Semitic Nazi programs in Germany during the l1930s which evenutally led to the Holocaust….altho, i do not about your seven family members which were obviously not Nazi members as you say, and undoubtedly thye did think they were fighting for an honorable patriotic calling , but i hope that you realize now , they died fighting in behalf an evil system which undoubtedly were not aware of at the time… as for Karl Kettler, he approves ; by the way, what branch of the American Nazi party do you belong…?… as y are well aware, yur comments come right off of the pages of Hitler’s Mein Kampf..
.. the Secrets of the Dead ’s Battle of Stalingrad was an exceptionally-made & historically accurate documentary, that (Thones please note if you were awake at the time) included i honorable Wehrmacht veterans interviewed in good standing & not made to look any longer to be Nazi butchers, whether that was the case or not when they fought for their Fuhrer…!
Thoenes is indeed a modern day Nazi, defending the actions of the German army, which was the iron hand behind Hitler’s enslavement, and murder of hundreds of millions of innocents in his quest for world German domination. I have a Japanese acquaintance who constantly complains of the U.S.’ actions during the war, in complete denial of the arrogant actions of his and the German people. He also bad-mouths the U.S., yet has lived here for more than 20 years and does not even consider returning to Japan because he cannot get the generous unemployment benefits there that he receives here. Thoenes, like my acquaintance denies any wrong-doing on his or his family’s parts, and instead engages in form of self-victimization in sympathy of his family, some who died in the war. I think that the Jews and the hundreds of millions of people who suffered and died under Germany’s aggression were the only victims in this war, certainly not those who fought in Hitler’s or the Japanese army. Unfortunately, the U.S. is the modern-day aggressor, and in that sense, I do understand how the German people found themselves in a situation that was too late to change. Yet, they enabled it by electing their leaders, just as we have elected ours and will pay the price for it.
To Thoenes,
The German Army as a whole fully supported Nazism (the ideology and the practice), and is called Nazi Army. What else could every single German soldier be called other than a Nazi solder? Of course every solider had his own thoughts and experience, and some committed less crime than others — but in the end he was still a soldier following orders and fighting for the Nazi Party, willingly or not.
It is natural trying to find ways to defend one’s ancestors and relatives. It is hard to believe the people you know well could do certain very bad things (and under extreme conditions acted as a different person). How long did it take for the mainstream Americans to recognize that the Native Americans were not “savage barbarians” at the time when they were conquered by “the civilized European race”? In fact, when it comes to treat (”civilizing”) the Native Americans, the “civilized” ancestors of the current mainstream Americans acted no better than any real “savage tribes”. In Japan, Class-A war criminals were (stubbornly) kept in the Yasukuni Shrine, receiving the same respects paid by common people and politicians to the other over two million war dead.
It is the same story everywhere. If you can find more examples in others, look at yourself.
dear j and b,
your family fought tooth and nail for the nazis.
sincerely,
the obvious
As part of the production team on “Stalingrad,” I’d like to raise my hand, so to speak, and say that while it is technically correct that the proper name for the unified armed forces of Germany in WWII was the Wehrmacht, its operations were most certainly under the immediate control of Adolph Hitler and a high command that included many Nazi party members. Also, included among the Wehrmacht’s officers were members of the elite SS, a body consisting entirely of Nazi party members. But alas, nothing is simple! Many names we hold synonymous with Nazism were neither party members nor believers in the Nazi cause itself. It is a perennial debate, for example, whether Erwin Rommel himself was ever a Nazi and it is an established fact that he questioned many of Hitler’s ideas and principles.
Having said this, I believe it is truthful to say the Wehrmacht were “Nazi forces.” If not then what WERE those forces that were employed by the Nazis to accomplish the party’s objectives? Did all of those forces agree with those objectives? Most certainly not–we know this for a fact.
To J. Hayden’s comments about Nazis and the Wehrmacht. One subtlety that escapes many is the meaning of Wehrmacht. Mr. Hayden is entirely correct in identifying it as “the unified armed forces…” To repeat: Wehrmacht equals ARMED FORCES. Many people still identify Wehrmacht as equaling the German Army, which is an error (Heer equals Army). Thus, members of the Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Kriegsmarine (Navy) as BRANCHES of the Wehrmacht are, by definition, members of the Wehrmacht. By late 1942 early 1943 the SS had become a de facto fourth branch of the Wehrmacht.
Stating that “German soldiers could not be in the military and be in the Nazi Party at the same time” is a huge error. It suggests someone having nefarious ideas on rewriting history to suit their agenda. Taking things in historical context look up the German/Nazi views on “Weltanschauung” and “Gleichschultung.” You will find that ordinary Germans were in complete agreement with the Nazi Party…
The technical accuracy of the producers are to be congratulated, overall. If they don’t mind a bit of nit picking (consider it constructive criticism), pictures of KV-I tanks were used while talking about the T-34/76 tank. See the following for the differences:
http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints/tanks/tanks-k-l/21374/view/kv-1/
http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints/tanks/tanks-r/22601/view/russian_tank_t-34_76_model_1941_%28cast_turret%29/
Note the differences in turret structure and in the road-wheels.
Another technical glitch is using “Panzer, mark 3″ in the narrative. This is British nomenclature applied to German equipment incorrectly. The German nomenclature is Panzer III Ausf. J (the specific letter is the “mark” or “model” designator and, in this case, an educated guess or S.W.A.G. [PG-13 rated meaning]). Also, Panzer IVs were shown while discussing Panzer IIIs. Note the number of road-wheels: Pz. III has six, Pz. IV has eight.
As to the overall superiority of the T-34. An argument can be made that lack of radios and intercoms in the vast majority of T-34 tanks plus, their inferior optics and poor crew training rendered them less effective on the battlefield.
Finally, I own many books by David M. Glantz and have even briefly corresponded with him about Kursk-Ponyri (1943). It is a pleasure to see him get the recognition he richly deserves. However, there is disagreement on whether Stalingrad, 1942 or Kursk, 1943 was more pivotal in defeating Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front…
A militarily powerful country invades a very much larger country to seize territory. The invader has had an almost unbroken string of impressive victories and the larger country seems unable to fend off the invader. The most powerful units of the invader are now tasked with cutting the larger country’s most important north-south transport route which is a waterway. A town on the banks of that waterway is the target set for the invader’s elite combat units to capture. Capturing the town would enable the invader to menace the enemy capital and force it to surrender.
The invading units attack separately on a north-south axis converging on the town. The invading units fail to join but despite that, one large powerful elite unit lunges forward into the town. It becomes mired in street fighting in which the invader’s superior firepower is nullified. The invader’s artillery, tanks and aircraft are ineffectual because the defenders are “hugging the enemy” and resorting to hand-to-hand fighting and night attacks. The invader’s vaunted tanks are not only ineffectual but also vulnerable in the confined spaces of the town. The invader is very severely mauled in capturing 80% or 90% of the town. The defenders fight tenaciously to cling desperately to the last 10% or 20% of the town because therein is the only means of supply and reinforcement from across the waterway.
Victory for the invader seems certain. Defeat for the defenders seems imminent.
Suddenly, the invaders are horrified to realize they have been surrounded by powerful fresh forces, cut off, and are under attack from all sides. The besiegers are now besieged.
Supply by air is attempted in vain.
A powerful rescue column fails too.
Against all expectations, the most powerful among the elite of the invader’s forces suffers a resounding and humiliating defeat. The world is shocked and the invader’s invincibility is shattered. After more years of combat, the invaded country emerges victorious as one the principal Allied Powers of WW2.
Those familiar with the Battle of Stalingrad, USSR, in 1942/43 – will recognize those events as the Battle of Stalingrad.
Very few are aware that all those events had happened 4 or 5 years earlier in the Battle of Taierzhuang, China, in 1938!
See 2 page Preview — http://numistamp.com/Taierzhuang-1938—-Stalingrad-1942-%28Page-1%29.php
Hinein dem Metrik, hinsichtlich der Drüsenkörper umherwandern mit den Jahren rückbildet und die Haut an Straffheit nachlässt, entwickelt umherwandern eine schlaffe, schwere Brust, bei der zigeunern der Drüsenkörper im Tiefpunkt der Brust befindet.