"Clemens Forell is a German Wehrmacht soldier who was captured by the Soviets in 1945. Forell is sentenced to 25 years hard labour for "crimes against the partisans" and sent as part of a large group of prisoners to a Gulag labour camp in the Siberian region of the Soviet Union. After a huge cross-continent railway journey on starvation rations, and a long-cross-country trek by foot into the bleak wilderness, they arrive at the gulag. This is run by a cruel commander, Lieutenant Kamenev. After one unsuccessful attempt, Forell ultimately does escape with the aid of the camp doctor, Dr. Stauffer.
Stauffer had planned to escape
himself, but is terminally ill with cancer, so he gives Forell warm
clothes and a loaded pistol, and explains where he has hidden supplies
for a long journey. Forell promises to visit the doctor's wife in
Magdeburg and tell her that he is already dead. Forell heads north to
avoid the guards, who would expect him to go west. When the supplies
given to him by Dr. Stauffer run out, he kills a seal for food.
Over the winter, he wanders across northern Siberia, until he meets
Anastas and Semyon, two gold prospectors. Although initially suspicious
of them, Forell eventually joins them. After Semyon falls in a river and
Forell rescues him, Semyon kills Anastas when he suspects him of
stealing his gold. Semyon and Forell then continue their journey.
When
Semyon can no longer continue, Forell offers to carry his pack for him,
but a suspicious Semyon throws him down a slope, thinking he too will
try to steal his gold. Beset by wolves, Forell is rescued by nomadic
Chukchi herders, one of whom, named Irina, falls in love with him.
After he makes a successful recovery, the Chukchi find out the Soviets
are looking for Forell. Much to Irina's chagrin, Forell leaves, with the
dog the Chukchi give him for companionship. When he runs into a logging
operation, Forell is sent on the train with the freight as a brakeman.
Betrayed, he is nearly captured by the Soviets, led by Kamenev. Although
Forell manages to escape, his dog is shot and killed when he attacks
and mauls Kamenev, leaving him permanently scarred.
Over the next year, Forell makes his way to Central Asia. A Polish
Jewish man helps him acquire a passport despite the fact that Forell is
German, and Forell makes his way to the Iranian border. As he is walking
to freedom, he sees Kamenev walking towards him from the Iranian side.
Petrified, Forell stares at Kamenev and a showdown looms. However,
Kamenev steps aside and lets Forell pass, declaring that "the victory is
mine". Once on the Iranian side, Forell is believed to be a Soviet spy
and taken prisoner. His uncle who works in Ankara, Turkey, however, is
brought to identify him, and Forell is freed. Arriving in West Germany
at Christmas, Forell sees his family leave for church. He then arrives
at the church, where he is reunited with his family."
-Wikipedia
Based on the true story of Cornelius Rost, with the audio of the movie
in its original language (German) with English subtitles.
Looks like a good movie, and interesting subject.
ReplyDeleteIt would've been brutal being shipped east and worked for years.
Read some accounts of pow's in Soviet Russia. Whew!
Read some accounts of pow's in Soviet Russia. Whew!
DeleteI couldn't have taken it. Thanks.
I just finished the movie, wow! The strength of the human spirit coupled with God's grace. The only question I was left with did the Soviet Lt. track him with such a vengeance to the Iranian border?
ReplyDeleteGood question and I'll check more into it. Thanks.
DeleteI'm starting the one with English subtitles. Is that the one you watched? I always enjoy the Vietnamese movies with subtitles more.
DeleteI had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Siegfried Knappe some years ago. He was a WW2 German artillery officer who was involved in some very significant historical events at the close of the war (he was the liaison between the German commander defending Berlin and Adolf Hitler personally). He was captured by the Russians after the fall of Berlin and spent six years in captivity. After he was released he eventually moved to the United States and wrote his memoirs title "Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier 1936-1949". In my opinion, the best part of the book is after he was captured.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Knappe
Thanks and wonder why he was released that early? By the way, where did you meet him, an reenactment?
DeleteI'm not sure why he was released that early. He was an artillery officer from before the war. The book talks about horse drawn artillery and how it was used early in the taking of France. He won a medal for bravery there (maybe Iron Cross 2nd Class). He was a very interesting guy. I met him at my unit's 30th Anniversary event in Ohio (2005 I believe). It was held on a Boy Scout reservation and at that time it was just our members. Some of the guys in my outfit do an alternate impression as Soviets (Rote Hund) and we held a small tactical battle there. I remember each time someone dressed as a Russian soldier passed by Mr. Knappe looked at them with contempt. He actually wore his gray riding breeches he had worn during his Russian captivity. Several guys chipped in and bought him a field blouse complete with is rank insignia and medals he had won. Of course, he had on riding boots, pistol and belt and a schrimbutze (hat). He was reserved, but frank. He wasn't boisterous at all. One story I remember was he told me that when he first started going to the fuhrerbunker he was searched and his sidearm taken from him before entering. About the fourth day the guards no longer checked him and he was allowed to keep his pistol. He said he actually thought about killing Hitler and could have done it, but did not see how this late in the war Hitler's death and his suicide would have made much difference. He kept thinking Berlin would fall and the end would come anytime, but it drug on for another week or so. I remember sitting and talking with him that I was experiencing what very few people ever had the opportunity to do so. Here was a walking-talking real piece of history that had been present while the fate of Europe was being finalized. I also remember wondering what he thought of us. He had not seen that many men in his country's uniform since the war and here we were out in the woods with a very authentic looking campsite complete with headquarters tents, tons of weapons, equipment, a WW2 horsedrawn field kitchen, and period food stuff with a few pretty Hilferin (nurses) in the background and one of them playing an accordion.
ReplyDeleteVery, very interesting. Have you had contact with him since the event?
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