January 1945: The 1st Byelorussian Front begins its offensive on the Vistula River outside of Warsaw. The goal is to reach Berlin and finish the Second World War. In its path, and later between the frontlines, is a helpless population at the mercy of both the Soviet Army, filled with hatred and a desire for revenge, and the German leadership, incapable of protecting its own people. Based on the book by Anthony Beevor, director Sven Ihden uses both film archive sources and personal interviews to explore the mental state of both the fighting men on the two opposing sides and the civilian population caught between the two of them.

Das Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Die Zivilbevölkerung gerät zwischen die Fronten und ist den Rache- und Hassgefühlen der sowjetischen Armee einerseits und der Unfähigkeit der deutschen Führung zu Schutzmaßnahmen andererseits hilflos ausgeliefert. Von Antony Beevors Buch ausgehend untersucht Sven Ihden in seiner Dokumentation die seelische Verfassung zweier Armeen und die daraus resultierenden dramatischen Auswirkungen für die Zivilbevölkerung.

DVD-r is in Russian and German with switchable English subtitles. Approx. 86 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!