| Still frame from Feldzug in Polen (“The Campaign in Poland”) a 1940 documentary directed by SS-Hauptsturmführer Fritz Hippler (August 17, 1909 – May 22, 2002). The narration intones, “On September 1, 1939, German troops launched a counterattack across the German-Polish border. From their assembly areas, the individual units of all branches of service marched, spearheaded by the fast-moving troops. The cavalry units and border guards made contact with the enemy and prepared for the attack.” Visible in the frame are Panzerkampfwagen IIs, Panzerkampfwagen IVs, Panzerkampfwagen Is, Horch 901s, Opel Blitz lorries, and a Leichter geländegängiger Lastkraftwagen (“Light off-road capable Lorry/truck”). Horsemounted soldiers are visible around the armored fighting vehicles. Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reich Chancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) saw the 1st cut of Feldzug in Polen and demanded changes. Hitler had taken exception to the fact that, on a map, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was distinguished by a different color from the rest of the Reich. Clearly, any unintended implication that the Protectorate was under other than Nazi control was to be avoided. initial version of Campaign in Poland only covered the period up to September 20, 1939, ending with Hitler’s entry into Danzig. The 2nd version concluded with Hitler’s triumphant entry into Warsaw on October 5, 1939. Hitler’s intervention ensured that Campaign in Poland became a Nazi film monument to the total crushing of Poland. When the film went on general release in February 1940, some viewers still complained it was in essence a concatenation of old newsreel clips. But Goebbels hailed it as “a huge success.” Security Service reports tell of spontaneous applause in some cinemas, and the film was frequently sold out. Even if it was no longer current news, Campaign in Poland served to disseminate the view of reality Hitler liked to project: that Germany, surrounded by enemies bent on annihilating the Reich, had no option but to respond to aggression by taking up weapons. According to the film, Hitler wanted peace, not war, and the Wehrmacht only marched into Poland to rescue persecuted Germans and liberate Danzig from Polish “terror.” The film ended with a map of “Greater Germany,” now including western Poland, as if the war had solely been about restoring German borders. In effect, Campaign in Poland was a filmed version of Hitler’s September 19, 1939, speech in Danzig; it reproduced every 1 of his defensive arguments for invading Poland. That the film did not reach German cinemas till February 1940 had the advantage that its portrayal of the West, and above all Britain, as hypocritical and bellicose helped prepare the Germans for the attack on Western Europe. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0760.jpg |
| Image Size | 468.44 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1568 x 1174 |
| Photographer | Fritz Hippler |
| Photographer Title | Feldzug in Polen |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 1, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | Poland |
| Archive | Bundesarchiv |
| Record Number | 22333 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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