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Downfall
Downfall (2004) , (the original German language/International title is Der Untergang ) is a visceral, dark and disturbing account of the last days of the Third Reich, most notably the story of Traudl Junge, the young and pretty secretary for Adolf Hitler in his last days in the bunker. The movie chronicles the varied responses of the German military and civilian populations to the invasion of Berlin as Hitler insanely believes the war can still be won. The remaining fanatical Nazis collapse into violence as they try to stave off the Red Army and are caught in a fate of their own making, while other Germans try to survive the insanity and fruitlessly try to convince Hitler that the war is over and further loss of life is pointless. Being a German in Berlin in the spring of 1945 is about as close to Hell on Earth as one can imagine...
The following guns were used in Downfall:
Pistols
Walther PP
Walther PPK
Walther P38
Submachine Guns
MP38
PPSh-41 Submachine Gun
- Seen throughout the movie, but seen in massive amounts at the end. At first I figured that the Red Army would not have so many PPSh-41 submachine guns in so many hands (nearly everyone has one), but after talking to a World War Two historian on that very note, I discovered that the Red Army, upon entering Berlin, had issued nearly every soldier with PPSh-41s in anticipation of the street fighting that ensued. So this abundance of PPSh-41s is in fact, historically correct.
Rifles
Karabiner 98k
- The standard battle weapon of the German Army during WW2, the Karabiner 98k (98K) is rarely seen. It is seen most during an interior scene where weapons are being handed out (however the vast majority of weapons in the scene are StG-44 assault rifles) and at the end of the film, where surrendering German soldiers are smashing their pristine Karabiner 98k rifles against the ground prior to the arrival of the Red Army (albeit a scene which made me wince at the thought of all those beautiful guns destroyed...yeow!.)
Sturmgewehr 44
- Arguably the most Sturmgewehr 44s ever seen in one movie. The StG-44 is more seen than all other German weapons. As confirmed by a WW2 Historian, the German army held back issuing their StG-44s to elite units, but towards the end of the war, starting handing them out in large numbers, figuring that they were running out of troops to arm.
The Sturmgewehr 44 is still being manufactured in Germany. A German firearms company is re-making the StG-44 as a new gun and selling it to civilians and collectors world wide, except for America, where the BATFE has banned its' import. That same German company also makes a new version of the classic MP40 for sale as well.
Mosin Nagant M38 Carbine
- A lot of M38 Carbines are seen in the hands of Red Army soldiers, but not that many full sized M91/30 rifles, which is rather odd, since the Mosin Nagant M91/30 was the most common weapon in any Red Army Infantry unit. But after talking to a World War Two Historian, I learned that the M91/30 full sized rifle was rare for any of the armies pushing into Berlin. Other than Submachine guns, the M38 Carbine was issued to truck drivers and secondary members of crew served weapons. So the mix of PPSh-41s and M38s is historically correct.
Tokarev SVT-40 Rifle
- Seen in the distance, near the beginning of the film, Soviet soldiers fire semiautomatic shots from their long rifles. Though seen quickly they are SVT-40 Rifles. Some folks have opined that they could be the first model of the Simonov Type 45 (the SKS) which made their first appearance in the Red Army's assault on Berlin, but the muzzle flash from the rifles shows a muzzle brake pattern that indicates an SVT-40, rather than the SKS which had no muzzle brake.
