Currently Watching (Documentaries)

[MeltingMan]

Its from a french film from 1928, 'Verdun, Visions d'histoire".  Filmed on the battlefieds with veterans as actors.  A lot of the footage is now passed off as original. Its on here in full, search the title. Well worth a watch.

[Ulrich]

Been watching a repeat of this on "Kabel 1 Doku" and it's as fascinating as it was first time round!

[MeltingMan]

P-47 Thunderbolt Upscaled Documentary (48:48)

I thought I knew everything about the "Jug" but seeing them take off from aircraft carriers in the Pacific really surprised me. Worth seeing... not the usual endless shooting around. 

[MeltingMan]

More impressive than some Hollywood productions. The ending inspired me to listen to Nirvana's Come As You Are.

[MeltingMan]

Deutsche Bahn: is it really that difficult to be on time? | ZDF zoom

We can't compare ourselves to Switzerland?! If we did, we would indeed have to hide. We're just pretending to reinvent the wheel.   Learning from Swiss Railways means becoming more humble instead of greed and megalomania; thinking instead of ideological re-education/paternalism. Last but not least, it means respect for the customer, rather than disapproval of those who don't own a car.

[MeltingMan]

This is what the future of high-speed rail in Europe will (hopefully) look like! | Railway in Ö D CH

After my experience with the NJ401/402 last year, there is still a long way to go before you can actually say that you saved a night in a hotel. The travelers in second carriage class are almost to be pitied and for first carriage class I would want to go back to the classic 6 compartment. That means dimmable lights, heating and ventilation that can be controlled separately, curtains for more privacy, and upholstered seats that can be adjusted to allow a reclining position. I would be willing to pay more for this convenience. For the summer I could imagine a connection between Berlin and St. Petersburg, but that presupposes a peace with Kiev. And another comment on flying: I don't want airplanes to disappear completely at some point. On the other hand, if you drive your motorhome to Scandinavia or the Iberian Peninsula, you may do even more damage to the environment. So the DB has to offer its customers something, otherwise they will stay away.

[MeltingMan]

[MeltingMan]

Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest airborne operation in history to be conducted on a single day and in one location.

[MeltingMan]

🔥Inferno aboard the USS Forrestal - NG Germany

There are already older documentaries, but this German-language one is still fresh on yt. When there are many refueled and ammunition-loaded aircraft on deck, this is a critical moment. What would have happened if the six A4 Skyhawks hadn't been there? The rocket would have flown out to sea. As a pilot, I would have had a queasy feeling walking around my machine when the weapons/missiles were already unlocked. The fact that the carrier only narrowly escaped sinking by itself has to be attributed to the crew. Respect.

[MeltingMan]

Death Trap Haute Route – Reconstruction of a Drama | DOK | SRF

Exciting documentary of a tragedy that has not yet been conclusively clarified. Mario knew that his group was too big for him alone. Theoretically, two groups with seven participants each could have been formed by the morning of April 28th at the latest. There were some concerns about the upcoming weather, but only one participant was willing to talk to Mario about it, albeit in private. In this case, the mountain guide explained that he would turn back(!). We can no longer ask him or his partner. The fact that a reservation in a mountain hut expires without particularly noticing it may be true for 'fair weather', but not for weather where it is advisable not to go out the door. Especially since the sentence "These are not my customers." was expressed or did the first group assume that the other fourteen would take a day off? What speaks against it? So there is certainly still a need for clarification.

[MeltingMan]

Schade, daß Beton nicht brennt (Kreuzberg Doku 1981) 

Along with Neukölln, Friedrichshain, Gesundbrunnen and Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg is one of the very densely populated districts of Berlin. This is explained by the building principle of the greatest possible building density with a front building, side wings and adjoining - up to four - rear buildings, which has been followed since the Wilhelminian era. Even today, up to 150 tenants live in these buildings in houses that have an eaves height of 22 meters. Due to frequent changes of tenants, the oddity has now arisen that sometimes less rent is paid for the long-term apartments in the front building than for the apartments in the back building.[1]

[Ulrich]

Fascinating documentary (sorry, no idea about an English version): it's all in there from King Arthur to Siegfried the dragonslayer, from archeology to medieaval writings...

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/107794-000-A/der-drachenritter-einer-legende-auf-der-spur/

Der Mittelalterforscher Emanuele Arioli entdeckt im Jahr 2010 in einer Pariser Bibliothek ein altes Manuskript, das Fragment einer Erzählung. Es handelt sich dabei um die Abenteuer eines Ritters vom Hofe von König Artus, eines Ritters namens Ségurant, der von der bösen Fee Morgan verdammt wurde, einen imaginären Drachen zu jagen. Woher stammt der Text? Handelt es sich um Teile eines Romans, der auf der Artussage basiert?
Emanuele Arioli begibt sich auf die Suche nach den Spuren des Drachenritters. Zehn Jahre nimmt er Manuskripte in Bibliotheken auf der ganzen Welt unter die Lupe und forscht an den Schauplätzen des Mythos, um die Geschichte von König Artus und seinen Rittern, die bekannteste Legende des Mittelalters, zu ergänzen und den gesamten Roman zu rekonstruieren.

Der Film führt in die Artussage ein, berichtet von den ersten dunklen keltischen Legenden, die sich in Deutschland, Großbritannien und Island verbreiteten, und schildert die Blütezeit der Artusliteratur in Frankreich und Italien. Mit der Zeit vermischten sich die keltischen Legenden auf faszinierende Weise mit den nordischen Mythen und Wikingersagen, denen die Figur des Drachenjägers entstammt.