This multiple award-winning film is a first-person documentary about former German platoon leader, Peter Ertel, 95 at the time of filming, who tells how he survived both the Eastern Front and the Battle of Normandy, was recruited by the State Department to assist in the postwar democratization of Germany, and, after immigrating to America, forged a 25-year career with a small company owned by Orthodox Jews. This is an extraordinary true story about how an honorable man retained his humanity amid a universe of hatred, destruction, and death.?Featuring rare archival film and photographs from German, Russian, and British sources—much of which has never been shown before—this documentary illuminates with unprecedented insight and candor the under-told perspective of a former foot soldier forced to serve in history’s most infamous army.? 

Students will watch the film over two class periods. The filmmaker will join us remotely on Zoom for the last 15 minutes of each class period to answer any questions. 

Subject: film, history 

Joseph Cahn has been producing, writing, and editing broadcast and non-broadcast film and video productions for nearly 30 years. Before starting Victory Films in 2004, he was a producer-editor for several Cleveland-area multimedia firms. Prior to that, he was a producer with NFL Films where he wrote and edited highlight films and segments for HBO, ESPN, and home videos.