Valkyrie and Accuracy

World War II - Multimedia WWII Movies & Video Clips
#1

Last night I was flipping channels and saw a few minutes of History Channel quazi-promo of Valkyrie. The segment I saw was touting what care the producers went to in regards to authenticity. In a companion movie clip, they showed Cruise as Col. von Stauffenberg walking around in trousers bearing a broad red strip on the seam.

I’m not a uniform junkie, but wasn’t the red stripe reserved for generals?

Anyway, right or wrong, I thought somebody was sooner or later going to start a thread on this film and it’s accuracy, so I thought, what the heck…why not get it over with? :rolleyes:

PS - Perhaps I should have posted this in the “Movie” section, but I decided to do it here because it will (I hope) focus on the actual historical accuracy of the German forces portrayed. If I erred, feel free to re-locate… :slight_smile:

#2

I’m pretty sure that the Red Stripes were for Officers, not only Generals, but I could be wrong…

#3

Ardee I think your right… red stripe was reserved for Generals and Field Marshals.

#4

I dunno, could it be the Red Stripe was for position as well as rank?

I think he was higher up than his status as a colonel would indicate. Wasn’t he the adjutant of the Reserve Army?

As far as vehicles and equipment, the short North Africa sequence looked pretty authentic with a large spread of half tracks, what looked to be a Panzer Mark IV (possibly a mocked up one though), some armored cars and Kübelwagens --other than the fact that the vehicles were grouped too closely together made obvious by what takes place in that scene-- it did look at least superficially authentic. But I guess they wanted to get as much proverbially “in the shot” as they could.

One thing I did notice was that most, if not all, of the officers had Walther PPK sidearms. I would guess that the P-38 would have been more prevalent, but I’m far from up on that sort of thing…

Also, the sequences of the Reserve Army battalion looked good and even authentic in a general sort of way. But I wonder if the uniforms seemed a bit dated with the tighter fitting early WWII designs, but since they were primarily garrison troops, this may well be correct. They also had the typical Mauser rifles and MP-40 submachine guns, but I would also think that at least a few of the other numerous weapon designs might have filtered down by the middle of 1944 and it may have looked a bit more hodgepodge with the situation beginning to deteriorate? Then again, I recently saw “Downfall” for the first time and a lot of the Heer/SS soldiers (almost a majority) carried the MP-44 in it, in fact maybe it was just a little more prevalent than I would think it actually was…

#5

The red stripes on the trousers are worn by generals and general staff members.

#6

The red stripes on the trousers are worn by generals and general staff members.

Dont forget the cossacks hilfwillingers, they used red striped pants too :mrgreen:

#7

So was Col. von Stauffenberg a memeber of the General staff in his role as Adj to the Resevre Army?

#8

Actually he was the chief of staff.

#9

So he could quite correctly wear the red stripe on his trousers.

Thanks FTG

#10

Well i happened to go and see taht movie and i noticed the whole thing with all the officers carrying Walther PPKs or a weapon similar but i always read in books officers would carry lugers or P38s . if anyone could give me anything on this it would be appreciated.:slight_smile:

#11

This should indeed have been the Walther PP or PPK. It was quiet popular with staff officers or officers not to serve on the front line. Actually these pistols were purchased privately by the officers.
Front officers usually used the Pistole 08 (or “Luger” as it’s called internationally), less frequently the P38.

#12

Just for the sake of completeness. German General Staff officer’s uniform (Lieutenant Colonel):

#13

Nothings ever complete :smiley:

The top junior officers, usually senior captains, were chosen to attend the General Staff school. Selection to attend and completion of that school was extremly prestigious & those officers went to the key staff jobs at corps and army level. They came to dominate the Generals ranks as well.

#14

Well, there’s the hat missing. So much for completion…:wink:

:mrgreen:

#15

Interesting feedback! And thanks for the explanation, FTG. I haven’t seen the movie yet. I am having a little trouble envisioning Tom Cruise playing the lead. Does it carry it off? Opps – guessing I’m getting off my original theme of accuracy there.:oops:

#16

In this photo (Hitler at the Wolfschanze, July 15, 1944, Stauffenberg -left- Field Marshal Kietel -right) from The Unmaking Of Aldolf Hitler ~ Eugene Davidison, Stauffenberg looks a lot like Cruise.

I saw Valkyrie last Thursday. Not sure what references the screen writers used but it was right out of William L Shirer’s The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich except for four unimportant scenes that I noticed.

  1. When Stauffenberg armed the bomb it was in the anteroom of Keitel’s quarters after returning there to retrieve his hat and belt while heading to the fateful meeting. Not while changing his shirt in meeting building.

  2. In the scene where Beck shoots himself after the conspirators were rounded up by Fromm he actually only wounded himself and failed again after a second attempt and the coup de grace was administered by a sergeant.

  3. It wasn’t von Tresckow whom went to retrieve the failed bomb from Brandt, it was an officer from his staff, Schlabrendorff.

  4. I’m thinking…I know there was one more.

Something to think about: It was Brandt whom Tresckow got to carry the failed bomb onto the plane and Brandt, again, whom moved Stauffenberg’s briefcase to the other side of the large oak table leg after Stauffenberg asked him to watch it while he pretended to take a phone call. It was the moving of the briefcase to the other side of the table leg that saved Hitler from the blast and killed Brandt.

It is estimated that almost 5000 people were arrested after the July 20 plot. And it was piano wire and meat hooks that dispatched most of them.

#17

Graduates of the General Staff College were allowed to wear the red stripes once they made major. You could still be a graduate and serve as a GSO but had to wait until becoming a major to put them on. Was looked on as a matter of pride to wear them.

#18

i saw it last week and most everything seemed accurate some scences were off but only minor stuff

#19

Somebody mentioned this on another forum and its a purple stripe on the trousers…and I can’t remember the explanation but it is accurate apparently.

#20

Found the explanation:
General staff officers were entitled to pants with purple stripes. Stauffenburg was appointed chief of staff Home army and wore those striped trousers as a Colonel, which identified his position (a Commanding Senior officer attached to the General staff)