Germans in Crimea; Farming; Dancing; Military exercises

The amateur films shot by German infantryman Corporal Eugen Biedenbach of 419 Infantry Regiment record his training and active service in the German campaigns against Yugoslavia and on the southern sector of the Eastern Front. The films also containg pre- and post-war scenes of Biedenbach family life in Stuttgart (where the family of Eugen's wife owned a clothes store) as well as recreational activities. Reel 17: Crimea: Ukrainian girl harvests grapes, assisted by bare-torsoed German soldiers including Eugen, in late summer 1942. Eugen washes his hands outside single story Ukrainian house. Horse-drawn cart bearing German soldiers and a smiling Ukrainian couple passes by. Ukrainian boys polish boots of German soldiers. 01:30 (original film in color, but this is b&w) German soldiers practice galloping on horses. Field kitchen. Extended sequence of soldiers practising jumping a fence on sun-parched field outside Ukrainian village. 04:10 (original black and white) Large gathering of well-dressed young Ukrainians outside, accompanied by elderly male trio playing large drum and two clarinets, girls dancing. Girls hold currency notes in their hands, collected by Crimean men wearing skullcaps. 06:00 (original faded color, but this is b&w): Extended riding sequence. Mule turns irrigation water wheel. Infantry practice attack exercise in open field outside village. Mechanical thresher is refuelled, then wheat is milled and the straw removed by strong women. Horse cart filled with grain is emptied. Women prepare hay stacks with new straw, while boys thresh it.