Great overview of the eastern front

Sam Peckinpah did a great job of summarizing the war on the eastern front, look at the way he portrayed the Russian attacks. The first attack was a conventional bombardment / infantry assault where some of the soldiers had the famous Russian ppsh submachine gun. The second attack added the Russian T-34 to the assault and the last attack added ground attack airplanes.

This is a pretty accurate depiction of the eastern front. While the Germans always remained a deadly fighting force they were getting worn down. The Russians on the other hand got better and better equipped and just kept going at the Germans who could not replace their losses. The Germans w/skill were able to repel the first attack but they lose an officer like Lt. Meyer.

Also, Peckinpah did depict some of the legendary weapons of WW2, the German MG-42 machine gun, the German 88 calibre gun taking out a T-34, and the German's use of mortars that had such a great reputation. On the Russian side they showed the ppsh submachine gun and especially what the T-34 meant to the Russians. While the T-34 was not invincible it gave the Russians much more mobility and effectiveness.

I only mention this because I believe that great film makers are capable of communicating themes in a subtle and efficient manner. Perhaps this is merely consistent with the novel but it was well done.