George Tressler was drafted into the German army during World War II and served on the Russian Front.
In the immediated post-war period Tressler was employed making films to help his Austrian compatriots better understand how to benefit from US Marshall Plan aid.
[1] According to Maria Fritsche, author of "The American Marshall Plan Film Campaign and the Europeans: A Captivated Audience?"
Tressler took special efforts to find ways to convince his audience accepting US aid was of genuine benefit to them.
He directed nearly 80 movies during his lifetime, including The Death Ship (1959) with Horst Buchholz and Mario Adorf.