Red Fog: Cinema of Occupation, ZFO Films, Baltic Resistance to Bolshevism (1942–1944) - 2 DVD Set

Recently discovered newsreels and propaganda films provide an eye-opening look into the Nazi regime's highly professional cinematic efforts to win the hearts and minds of the peoples in the Baltic States, Ukraine, and other occupied Soviet territories. Created for populations that had initially welcomed the Wehrmacht as liberators from Soviet oppression, these films reveal how the Nazis sought to manipulate public sentiment, foster cooperation, and present a vision of a "New Order" under German rule. Directed by Alfred Rosenberg’s Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, the "Zentralfilmgesellschaft Ost" (ZFO) aimed to promote collaboration with the Reich. However, these efforts were ultimately undermined by the SS's brutal racial policies, which branded these same populations as "Untermensch," alienating the very people the Nazis hoped to win over. This extraordinary collection offers a rare glimpse into the intersection of ideology, occupation, and visual persuasion during wartime.

An invaluable resource for scholars of film, history, and propaganda, "Red Fog and The Cinema of Occupation" offers a unique visual archive from one of the darkest frontiers of the 20th century.

This 2-DVD set includes 12 propaganda films and newsreels with an additional historical background bonus video essay.

All films are presented in their original language with English subtitles.

Disc 1

RIGA, AFTER ITS CAPTURE BY GERMAN TROOPS
This German Army High Command film documents the capture of Riga in July 1941 during the early weeks of Operation Barbarossa. It depicts the jubilant welcome extended to the Wehrmacht by Latvians following the brutal Soviet occupation, the aftermath of intense street fighting, and the solemn burials of German soldiers who perished in battle.

RED FOG (Latvian version)
Released in August 1942, this Latvian production exposes the brutal Soviet takeover of Latvia in the summer of 1940 and the ensuing reign of terror. The film depicts mass arrests, executions, GPU prisons, and deportations to Siberia—culminating with the arrival of the "liberating" German Wehrmacht.

RED FOG (Lithuanian version)
Released in late 1943, this expanded version broadens the narrative to include all three Baltic states under Soviet rule in 1940–41, explicitly linking Bolshevism with Judaism. Considered so inflammatory that Lithuanian archivists were later forbidden to view it, this is one of the rarest surviving versions.

RED FOG (Flemish version)
Following the success of the Baltic versions, Ostland Film prepared international releases in up to twenty languages. Only a few were completed, including this Flemish edition, which warns that the fate of the Baltics could soon befall Western Europe. The film intercuts local landmarks with a call to join Flemish SS volunteers in the fight against Stalin.

OSTLAND WOCHE COMPILATION (Latvian and Lithuanian)
This 27-minute compilation of rare 1942–1944 Latvian and Lithuanian newsreels, produced under Nazi occupation, reveals wartime propaganda and Baltic life on the home and battlefronts.

Disc 2

THE FÜHRER AND HIS PEOPLE (Ukrainian)
Produced in the first year of the Russian Campaign, this film follows a Russian forestry worker who recounts his experiences in the Reich, witnessing the devotion of the German people to Hitler. Newsreel footage is interwoven with the narrative, highlighting national unity between leader and people.

WE TRAVEL TO GERMANY (Russian)
Produced by *Ukraine Film GmbH* in 1942–43, this recruitment film invites Ukrainian volunteers to work in German factories. A train journey from Kyiv reveals a prosperous, orderly Reich with clean workplaces, ample food, and leisure opportunities.

WE LIVE IN GERMANY (German)
This 1943 ZFO sequel to *We Travel to Germany* features a reporter visiting a labor camp where Europeans and Eastern workers live and work "in harmony" for German victory. It offers a sanitized portrayal of wartime labor life in the Reich.

WE CREATE IN GERMANY (Latvian)
The final 1943 film in the trilogy shows Eastern volunteers helping to build the "New Order," contrasting scenes of Soviet oppression (borrowed from *Red Fog*) with idyllic depictions of factory work, housing, shopping, recreation, and home leave—culminating in an image of a confident, prosperous Reich.

YOUTH, YOUR COUNTRY IS CALLING! (Latvian)
This short film depicts enthusiastic Latvian youth training in aviation, serving as Flak helpers, and engaging in military drills—portrayed as "future pilots" defending their homeland from Soviet aggression.

COSSACK SONG (Ukrainian)
A surviving fragment of a 1944 ZFO production showcasing Cossack horsemen training to fight the Soviet Union. A comic score and sound effects accompany their sabre attacks on effigies of Bolshevik leaders.

WE ANSWER MOSCOW! (Latvian)
A 1943/44 Riga Film production responding to the Moscow Conference of October 1943. This urgent propaganda short warns that a Soviet victory would mean the subjugation of the Baltics. One of the most outspoken films from the ZFO.

THE PARTICIPATION OF THE LATVIAN PEOPLE IN THE GREAT STRUGGLE AGAINST BOLSHEVISM (Latvian)
Premiering in November 1942, this Ostland Film release depicts Latvia’s collective mobilization—youth joining the Wehrmacht, homefront labor, and harvest drives. Compiled from Ostland newsreels, it aims to inspire unity and perseverance toward a "New Order" free from Bolshevism.

Germany, 1940s, B&W, 228 minutes. 2-DVD Set, containing 12 newsreels. Item Number 33171

DVD BONUS FEATURES:
- MY LATVIA
- Historical Background Video Essay
- Original Ostland Newspaper Article with English Translation.

Contextual Advisory: This program contains Nazi propaganda with antisemitic content linking Jewish identity to Bolshevism. It is presented solely for historical and educational purposes to show how film was used to incite hatred and manipulate audiences. International Historic Films, Inc. condemns these ideologies and provides this material only to help illuminate a tragic chapter of recent history.

Sales are prohibited to the European Union (EU), UK,

NTSC Region 0 encoding (Entire World)

See also Baltic Tragedy DVD

Libraries and Institutions Please Note: Educational Editions with PUBLIC PERFORMANCE RIGHTS and DIGITAL SITE LICENSES are available.