Operation Teutonic Sword

Directed by Andrew Thorndike

Unternehmen Teutonenschwert (Operation Teutonic Sword) (1958) is an East German documentary directed by Andrew and Annelie Thorndike. The film investigates the alleged involvement of NATO General Hans Speidel in the 1934 assassination of Yugoslav King Alexander I and French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou. Using archival footage and documents, it presents a critical examination of Speidel’s past and his post-war military career. Produced by DEFA, the film was controversial and banned in West Germany. It received the First Prize at the 1958 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Heinrich Greif Prize, 1st Class, in East Germany.