Turning Points: The Day the War Changed is a documentary short by Michael A. Dorosh that takes us to the Summer of 1944 when three campaigns were fought simultaneously to change the tide of the war. The first campaign was along the Russian front from the East. The second was D-Day and the invasion of Normandy from the west. The third and little-known (at least to me) campaign was from the South and the battle of Anzio, which marked the liberation of Rome from Mussolini.
Turning Points takes us right into the Battle of Enzio. The documentary opens with a brief introduction about the campaign and archival news clips. We then look at the battle from the perspectives of Axis and Allied forces. We follow the Infanterie Divison 65 (Hand Grenade Division) on the German side. This division specialized in hand grenades. They knew it was only a matter of time before Enzio fell to the Allies. They have been decimated, and combined with what’s left of divisions, they are the final line of defense in the South.
“The third and little-known campaign was from the South and the battle of Anzio, which marked the liberation of Rome from Mussolini.”
On the other hand, the First Special Service Force (“Devil’s Brigade”) moved northward from the Mediterranean and confidently advanced in a race to liberate Rome. Yet, it’s never a good idea to be overly confident in war, especially against a grenade team.
Turning Points tries to cross several hurdles in the realm of historical documentary. Reading from letters from both sides, director Michael A. Dorosh recreates what life was like for the men in the Battle of Enzio. The Germans remained in a defensive posture, taking moments to find peace between the fighting. The Allies are on the move and, at one point, face a German grenade.
Dorosh blends together archival footage with WWII re-enactments from his actors. Only the tiny production budget gives away these transitions. Parts of the narration include actors dressed in authentic uniforms and armed with gear from that time. You can tell that all involved love the stories of heroism and defeat as an increasing number of these small stories are coming to light and captured in short films like this for posterity’s sake. The short is mainly narrated and features actors interacting during the quiet moments and in a few actual battle scenes shot up close.
Turning Points: The Day the War Changed feels like the historical films they showed at schools. It tells the story of the crucial moment in World War II when the tide shifted. The storyline focuses on what it was like for soldiers on both sides as they followed orders and coped with the violence and trauma they faced on the battlefield. Both sides knew that they would eventually have to learn to live with one another once the war ended.
"…the narration include actors dressed in authentic uniforms and armed with gear from that time."
