War in the Arctic-Krieg in der Arktis (2007)

Directed by: Ralf Daubitz, Jens Becker | 100 minutes | war, documentary, history

‘War in the Arctic’ (original title ‘Krieg in der Arktis’) is a two-part documentary on which the makers Ralf Daubitz and Jens Becker worked for over two years. Daubitz and Becker have set themselves the goal of examining the hitherto relatively unexplored share of the Northern European countries Norway and Finland in the Second World War. They are helped by an impressive amount of historical material, both photos and film recordings, but also written evidence, such as correspondence between Albert Speer (Hitler’s architect) and Josef Terboven. They also tracked down both German and Scandinavian eyewitnesses who were then given the opportunity to speak extensively – but not too much. Many of the footage comes from a German propaganda film entitled ‘Kampf um Norwegen’ by Martin Rikli, which was thought to be lost, but resurfaced in an internet auction in 2005.

In the first part, “Storm in the North” (“Sturm im Norden”), we see how Hitler succeeds in conquering Norway in 1940. Operation Weserübung is a fact. The lead on the field was given to General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst. It will start in Denmark, but that was hardly a challenge: the country fell within a day. Subsequently, the German army, led by Von Falkenhorst, turned to Norway. The small town of Narvik, one of the most northerly towns in the world, is taken as a starting point: this was an important strategic point because a lot of iron ore from Sweden was imported via this port. The Allies had also set their sights on Narvik, but the town nevertheless fell into German hands, after which the invasion of other important strategic places such as Trondheim followed.

In the second part, “Scorched Earth” (“Verbrannte Erde”), a striking number of female eyewitnesses report their experiences. They are Finnish women, who caught the attention of German soldiers in the 1940s and often even got married. Like “Lottas”, the Finnish girls looked after the sick, provided food and clothing. The aim of the Germans is the capture of the Russian port city of Murmansk and the railway connecting the city with Leningrad. However, the German forces, led by General Dietl, remain stuck in the icy cold tundra and four months after the attack they were only 15 miles (15 miles) advanced. Also interesting is the story of Hans Robert Knöspel. Since the beginning of the war, Germany had no longer had access to the weather forecasts in Europe. Without this important information, it was difficult to conduct certain military operations. Germany had therefore set its sights on managing its own weather station on Spitsbergen, and meteorologist Knöspel was appointed for that. He died there and was buried there, according to his express wish.

The recordings of contemporary Norway and Finland in combination with the unique archive footage and the fascinating interviews make ‘War in the Arctic’ worthwhile. The documentary is very accessible, which is not to say that it is superficial, and nowhere dull or monotonous. Definitely recommended for people interested in history and the Second World War.