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  • Short Summary

    Parade of people in German area of Poland proclaiming their German-ness.

  • Description

    Full title reads: "Gleiwitz, Germany. After 11 Years Separation tens of thousands still acclaim their allegiance to the Fatherland."

    Gleiwitz, Germany.

    Man stands in front of large crowd (mainly comprised of children). He appears to be conducting them. Pan across crowd (more adults are now featuring in crowd). Some of the people are holding up small banners.

    C/U row of banners lowered (as if for prayer). Many of the men carrying the banners are in military or quasi-military uniform. Pan across to man standing on chair conducting brass band. Pan continues further across crowd.

    Brass band march through street, in the background is a banner on a bridge which reads 'Deutsche ver gesst es nie!" (We think this may mean something about German togetherness is now). Troops wearing hats with feathers in hat march down street.

    Sound Track Missing

    (Without commentary and detailed knowledge of German politics of the 1930s it is difficult to know what exactly is going on here - any suggestions welcome- it appears that Gleiwitz is in what is now South West Poland but was once part of the Austrian empire - hence the people's allegiance to the Fatherland).

  • Tags

  • Data

    Film ID:
    667.20
    Media URN:
    4887
    Group:
    Pathe newsreels
    Archive:
    British Pathé
    Issue Date:
    31/03/1932
    Sound:
    Mute
    HD Format:
    Available on request
    Stock:
    Black & White
    Duration:
    00:01:24:00
    Time in/Out:
    01:37:19:00 / 01:38:43:00
    Canister:
    32/26

Comments (3)

  1. Unknown user says

    Hello, The foretitle indicates that the film shows a manifestation by Germans living in Poland, and that the time should be 11 years after the Plebiscite held arond 1920. But if so, the film doesn´t make sense. The town of Gleiwitz (today Polish Gliwice) in Upper Silesia , was a border town on the German side in the years between the wars. Incidentally, this was where Hitler started WWII, staging a "Polish" attack on a German radio station in Gleiwitz. Concentration camp prisoners were dressed in Polish unforms, then shot dead after a German mock attack on the station, and left behind as "proof" of a Polish aggression . Everything in the film indicates that it was taken on German soil. To start with , Polish authorities would never have allowed a German demonstration like this. And the mounted policemen are clearly in German uniforms. So are the soldiers seen in the picture. A puzzling feature is that it looks like they are wearing the pattern of steel helmet worn in WWII, introduced…

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  2. Unknown user says

    Hello again. The men parading in feathered hats are miners in traditional ceremonial costume that is still worn in both Germany and Poland on festive occasions.

    Mats Laurin, Sweden laurin.mats @gmail.com

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  3. MMImedia says

    The "11 years" is a bit confusing as this is likely the 10th anniversary of the 1921 plebiscite that resulted in Gleiwitz being allotted to Germany. These were German Silesians celebrating the occasion.

    "Deutsche vergeßt nie!" = Germans never forget!

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