Featured 15,000 to 20,000 actual German troops in the battle scenes, even as Germany's eastern and western fronts were collapsing. The director tried to make the shooting longer to save them from being sent to the front.
The film was first shown to German troops in Occupied France (La Rochelle).
Under orders from Reichs-Propagandaminister Josef Goebbels, Wolfgang Liebeneiner had to cut several very expensive battle scenes, without director Veit Harlan's consent.