Danish-German Movie: Under Sandet (Land of Mine)

[Lutfen]

I've just seen the trailer to what looks like a very good (and very tense!) movie about German POWs forced to clear mines in Denmark immediately after the war. Supposedly out in the UK in February.

https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/sea...t-clonque-7423

Have any Danish forum members seen it?

Michael

[kaiserwilhelm2]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3841424/?ref_=tt_rec_tt

[Simon O.]

Looks like there are plenty of clips on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cngj...A#t=309.474994

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3jbFIygRm0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kao3t0NBMU


Seems like a pretty good and i think important film.

Of relevance to WAF are the mine clearing EK's awarded in Norway for this highly dangerous job that i've written about previously.

http://wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/s...=mine+clearing

[compressore]

Hi,

I saw it in the cinema here in Abu Dhabi and a second time just last week in TV.
This is a very well made movie which leaves deep thoughts and helps to understand both sides..

Regards
Christian

[Lutfen]

Unfortunately it seemed to have had limited cinema release in the UK and I can't find it on DVD. At least it's good to hear that it was a thoughtful depiction of events.

I live in hope of tracking it down!

Regards,
Michael

[Hans Kristian]

In 1998 a book was published in Denmark, written by a man (a lawyer) named Helge Hagemann, he is the son of a danish officer who had been liason-officer to SHAEF.

The book is called "Under tvang" in danish which means something like Forcibly or under orders..difficult to translate directly.

Anyway, this book is about the same as the film, maybe the film is inspired by the book, I don´t know. But the theme is the same, the illigal use of german POW´s to pick up the mines. Clearly against all rules of war, and yes, ofc I know the germans broke the rules many times, but here we are talking of a very embarrasing moment in danish history in my opinion.

The leaders of the teams was the above mentioned danish officer. P.C. Florian-Larsen and an english officer Major Stanley Holland.

500 young medn from a "Pionier-schule" in Hrsens, denmark lost there lives in this process and MANY became invalids.
A really dark chapter in the danish post-war history.

Hans Kristian

[waffen211]

Land of mine

I saw the movie, really done very well. I hope you see many, especially in Denmark.

Waffen211

[Simon O.]

One of the ways the allies got around the problem of legality was to not declare them as POWs. On the other hand, the job had to be done and they after all had laid them. The job was given to the pionier units as that was their job anyway and they could include volunteers from other units. The main problems occurred during the first months. I have read reports for example from the German high command in Norway complaining about the way the allies demanded a cleared minefield should be tested, which caused a good few casualties. The men made to walk across the cleared area shoulder to shoulder.

[Lutfen]

Thanks Simon. I hadn't heard of that approach to testing the quality of the mine clearing. Frightening. I see that Ralle84 has just sold a SB/WP set for a Pionier who was used to clear mines in Holland. I'm going to scan my Pionier documents to see if I have any with the relevant entries. I had seen another document sold recently where the soldier had been killed in the process of clearing mines. The situation ion the Continent immediately post-war was both dangerous and chaotic for many people.

Cheers,
Michael

[Marcel Banziger]

I have this one on DVD and I really enjoyed the movie. It is one of those lesser known stories of WW2. Very well filmed and acted. Recommendable movie!!!

[Lutfen]

Hi Marcel

Does your DVD have English subtitles? None of the ones I've seen advertised on-line have an English option!

Michael

I have this one on DVD and I really enjoyed the movie. It is one of those lesser known stories of WW2. Very well filmed and acted. Recommendable movie!!!

[Marcel Banziger]

Hello Michael, I just checked and it is spoken in Danish and German and subtitles only in Dutch and French.

[Jean-Loup]

"The job was given to the pionier units as that was their job anyway and they could include volunteers from other units."

I dont think this is correct for southern France. A couple of the guys I spoke to who had done this job were not trained at all. I still remember one of them saying that in a group of ten, 5 had been killed on the first day.

JL

[Lutfen]

Thanks to Marcel I was able to get a copy from Canada. Excellent film but very tense - almost unwatchable at the point when the German prisoners are training on live mines. Highly recommended.

Michael

[stonemint]

The movie is now out on Netflix here in the US--it is in German & Danish (primarily the former), with english subtitles.

The premise is as stated--2000 German POWs were put to work (actually slave labor) clearing 2.5 million mines on the Danish coast. They were treated brutally, with little to no food or medical care. In the movie, the squad of POWs are very young (ie, 17-18) who just want to get home to their parents.

The Danish actor who played the Sergeant overseeing them did a phenomenal job portraying a soldier who despised the germans with every fiber of his being, and (over time) came to empathize with the boys.

Very well acted, and it was filmed on the actual beaches were mines were cleared during WW2.

I gave it an 8/10.