Overview
- Description
- Building that is serving as hospital (German military hospital). Patients in yard. German ambulances with Red Cross symbol. German officer in uniform walking down street with white band on left arm. Shot of street, old man, horse drawn cart. Gene Solow (war correspondent) and GIs walking down the street. LS of street with horse drawn cart and civilians pulling wagon. Street sign unreadable indicating direction to neighboring towns. Shot of street and woman and other civilians, giving it the feel of a 'normal' town. Top sign reads: "Arolsan 43 kms" beneath it sign reads: "Ederze 13 kms." Grey building, letters engraved on wall "Gewerdebank." Pan to civilians and children walking in streets as well as older man. Shot of town square, GIs with young German girl looking on. Two German military walk guarded by American soldier. Bill Hamilton smoking pipe on street.
*In handwritten annotations to LoC cataloger's notes the town described above is listed as possibly being Wanzleben, Germany. - Duration
- 00:03:17
- Date
-
Event:
1945
Production: 1945
- Locale
-
Duben,
Germany
Germany
- Credit
- Accessed at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Library of Congress
- Contributor
-
Director:
George C. Stevens
Producer: Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU)
- Biography
-
George Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. During World War II, Stevens joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946 under General Eisenhower. His unit shot footage documenting D-Day — including the only Allied European Front color film of the war — the liberation of Paris and the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River, as well as horrific scenes from the Duben labor camp and the Dachau concentration camp. Stevens also helped prepare the Duben and Dachau footage and other material for presentation during the Nuremberg Trials. In 2008, his footage was entered into the U.S. National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress as an "essential visual record" of World War II.
The Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU) was placed under the control of the Supreme Headquarters' Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). The SPECOU consists of 45 people: writers like Ivan Moffat, William Saroyan and Irwin Shaw; cameramen like Dick Hoar, Ken Marthey, William Mellor, Jack Muth; sound operators as Bill Hamilton, who comes from Columbia, assistant directors, as Holly Morse, who has worked with Hal Roach.
Physical Details
- Language
- Silent
- Genre/Form
- Unedited.
- B&W / Color
- Color
- Image Quality
- Good
- Time Code
- 00:02:54:23 to 00:06:12:15
- Film Format
- Master
Master 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Master 962 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Master 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Master 962 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Master 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Master 962 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Master 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Master 962 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD- Preservation
Preservation 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Preservation 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Preservation 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Preservation 962 Video: Betacam SP - color - NTSC - small
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
- Copyright
- Stevens, George Jr.
- Conditions on Use
- George Stevens, Jr. owns the copyright to this film. Researchers must contact the Library of Congress at mpref@loc.gov for permission to reproduce and use this film material.
- Copyright Holder
- Stevens, George Jr.
Keywords & Subjects
- Personal Name
- Stevens, George, 1904-1975.
- Corporate Name
- United States. Army. Signal Corps. Special Coverage Unit
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection - not accessioned
- Film Provenance
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased film copies of the George Stevens Collection on videotape from the Library of Congress in October 1994.
- Copied From
- 16mm color reversal film
- Film Source
- Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)
- File Number
- Legacy Database File: 2988
Source Archive Number: Video Reel #4; Film Reel #14 - Special Collection
-
Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive
- Record last modified:
- 2024-02-21 07:59:01
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn1002244
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Also in George Stevens World War II Color Film Collection
During World War II, George Stevens joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946 under General Eisenhower. His unit shot 16mm color film documenting D-Day, the liberation of Paris, and the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River, as well as horrific scenes from the Duben labor camp and the Dachau concentration camp. Stevens helped prepare the Duben and Dachau footage and other material for presentation during the Nuremberg Trials. In 2008, this footage was entered into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as an "essential visual record" of World War II.
First film documentary of the events of D-day
Film
A compilation of the first four days of the D-Day assault prepared by SHAEF [Supreme Headquarter Allied Expeditionary Forces] Public Relations Division for the civilian and military leadership. This film report was compiled within days of the invasion on June 11, 1944. Both John Ford's Field Photographic Branch (OSS) and George Steven's Special Coverage Unit were assigned to filming this combat camera footage of the invasion.
Liberation at Duben
Film
American GIs and cameramen encounter labor camp at Duben, probably a subcamp of Buchenwald. CU stretchers, emaciated corpse with name "Orlich" and number written on body. Stevens and Moffat talk to survivor in striped shirt through window. MS of other former prisoners sitting in windows. Survivor in striped shirt and camp standing outside talking to Stevens and others, woods in BG. Panning shot of barracks and camp. MLS of sign "Holzverwertung." Survivor with Red Cross armband (French POW) walks past with two soldiers. Ambulances and Red Cross tents. Men taken by stretcher to ambulance (not sure who men in stretchers are or if related to prior camp footage). Looks to be at airfield. LS Pan shot with camp? at foot of mountainside. CU and MS of unidentified troops in truck. MS of camera team approaching tunnel in mountain. MLS of jeeps coming out from camouflaged tunnel in mountain. Front jeep has two stars. General and men with him who all have red shoulder patches with white insignia get out and walk around then drive off. Two men coming out of barrack toward entrance to enclosure, appear to be in German uniform. LS of lowslung brick building. MS survivor cleaning off blanket outside. LS of front of brick building, covered corpses on stretchers, cameraman shooting scene, CU of corpses. MP in FG, pan across barracks and grounds of camp. Survivors laying out in sun next to barrack, CUs. Former prisoners seated in line outside barracks. Prisoners (Belgian, Dutch, Czech or Greek) had been working on V2 rockets. CU of two emaciated men siting by window, man filing something on chair seat, MS of survivor now dressed as civilian preparing to leave. Car in FG, stretcher bearers carry victim past "Holzverwertung" sign. Woman in coat with two men walks up toward enclosure following stretcher. MLS loaves of bread being carried by stretcher. MLS bandaged inmate carrying bucket, great pile of something up against building in BG. MS of skull and crossbones "Gefahren Zone" sign. CU of set of metallic hourglass shaped containers (related to gas chambers or perhaps something to do with rocket engines). LS of cylindrical tubes, rocket parts, members of camera team lean against them. Stockpile of rocket parks and round cannonball objects.
Liberation at Dachau
Film
MCU Stevens and GI in parkas stand in front of Toluca jeep. US Army comes across railcars filled with dead prisoners in Dachau and assists survivors. LS along row of boxcars on railroad siding, GIs in distance, snow on ground. GI walks into FG looking at cars. MS corpse of inmate in striped uniform lies on gravel beside track, CU. Snow-covered corpse curled in corner of boxcar. MS from behind, GIs looking down at dead SS man, CU battered face, other dead SS. Frozen bodies of dead prisoners covered in snow in boxcar, CU of haunting face, pile of bodies in doorway of boxcar, GI photographs, CU of bodies. MCU of dead prisoner in striped uniform curled beside railroad track. Another pile of bodies covered by snow, bare feet. LS Dachau courtyard, Red Cross marked trucks in front of large long building which had been part of camp. CU of SS marking on side of building, LS of former SS barracks, people walking across courtyard. Survivors stand and squat eating and smoking around small fire stoves inside the camp, gate in BG. Good CUs of men around stoves. CU of bowl of cereal and can of heating powdered milk. MS former inmates in civilian dress standing around on sidewalk next to barrack, pan left to rows of laid out corpses covered by blankets. Pile of prison uniforms in BG. CU of their faces in a row. CU of emaciated uncovered corpses. LS wagon piled high with loaves of bread being unloaded and lined up on tables by inmates, prisoner wearing French armband, others with Xs or 2 parallel strips on coats. Young boy in cap scraping bottom of barrel. MCU as group of survivors carry wrapped up body by on mattress, the person may still be alive, CU of mattress, head appears to move. Men line up and are deloused. Good shots. Two young survivors in caps and uniforms walk through Dachau. LS to CU as men pull large wagon of soup kettles toward camera. LS GIs walking past pile of what turn out to be bodies in front of crematorium. Flame visible. Shot kennels and piles of clothing, MS of clothing hung up off ground next to barrack, huge mound of clothing. Stacked naked corpses outside crematorium. MCU pan of the dead. CU of the bodies which include a prosthesis for a leg. MS, pile of dead SS men lined up along fence, CU of SS insignia on coat. CUs of dead. Survivors wrapped in blankets sitting on back of flatbed truck, CUs, MS group in striped uniforms stands next to truck. Pan to naked corpse on litter in FG. Crowd of survivors swarm around truck, may be striking at someone. Germans with hands up as survivors walk around, GIs observing, perhaps trying to determine if some men in prison uniforms are Germans trying to mix into the camp population. CU of Germans with hands up, one with a bandaged eye. Survivors going down line trying to identify former captors along with a GI in a cap with a striking profile. Former prisoners talk to men with hands up. CU of young German prisoners talking to same GI. LS of line of men filing into building, GI guard at door and GIs come out. LS ceremony in courtyard, men gathered around podium, flags waving including American and one with the Dachau symbol in center. Good CUs of many flags. British, Russian and US flags flying from roof of camp building. LS podium, cameraman filming, pan to men and flags waiting. Good MCU of survivors, many still in striped uniforms, looking into camera. Speaker at podium. MLS of US Army chaplain and Rabbi David Max Eichhorn conducting religious service - reaction shot as the audience looks up at him. This was the first Jewish religious service honoring the Jews who died as a result of Nazi persecution in Dachau.
Liberation in France; French collaborator
Film
(INV1452) Various shots of large crowds waving to camera. 00:30 Some French soldiers try to clear the crowd to make a path on the road. 00:36 A man holds up a piece of paper. 00:43 Wider shot of crowd. 00:52 American Army car drives through the crowds. 00:54 CU on two female onlookers and then the rest of the crowd. 01:06 Very wide shot, view of the crowd filling the road. 01:08 Civilians approach soldiers sitting and standing around a car and shake their hands. 01:14 MS of the two soldiers sitting in the car. One is smoking a cigarette, the other one is facing away from the camera. 01:17 A soldier shakes hands with a young boy. 01:27 A man and woman in crowd kiss, people around them laugh and cheer. 01:31 A man in the crowd drinks wine from a glass cup. 01:51 Wine bottle on the left. 02:12 A soldier stands in front of a landmark tower. Army vehicles drive away from that area; camera follows the car circling around it. 02:53 A man standing on the military car mouths something. 02:56 A woman (French collaborator) has a swastika painted on her chest, forehead, and cheek. Her hair is being shaved off. Crowd of young men behind her smiling and cheering, holding up (perhaps) pieces of her hair. A gun is held up to her right temple. 03:06 A hand forcibly moves her head up to fully reveal it to the camera. 03:10 Army cars driving down a crowded street. 03:13 Woman and three girls running across the street. A man runs across the street. Shot of the empty street with an Army car. 03:27 A soldier crouching with a gun behind a car, another soldier joins him. 04:02 Civilians running across the street corner. 04:23 Various shots of soldiers and some civilians advancing across the street either running or hiding. 05:07 American Army tank labeled "S/L D'Arcangues" 05:17 A soldier using a camera. 05:32 Army cars driving down street and crowds wave.
US soldiers resting at campsite
Film
Underexposed sequence of men with mess kits, standing around waiting. Cleaning mess kits, various CUs. Campsite activity continues. Lieutenant passing out lifesavers, cigarettes, opening mail, etc. Men digging hole or trench, clowning around. Jeep has sign that reads: "Messenger - do not delay." Hands something to people in tent and drives off. Various shots of camp. Moffat and others cooking on fire and eating. Shot from INT of truck and reverse angle of men loading in. VS of men walking around and eating from mess kits. VS of muddy ground. Dark haired GI with round, steel-rimmed glasses. VS, some establishing shots, of tent area. Sign on tail of jeep reads: "SPECOU 3." Shot of supplies under canvas. Soldiers cleaning/bathing at camp. VS of bare-chested soldiers walking around camp. An officer is passing out cigars until the box is empty. CU of empty cigar box and soldier smoking a cigar.
Town square; monument & signs
Film
Sign: "Rn 3 Chateau Thierry Aisne." Stevens and man walk across town square to monument. CU of flowers on monument. "Maison de L'amitie Franco-Americaine." Pan from Stevens and Bill Hamilton to bridge with vehicles crossing it. Shot of horse drawn carriage crossing bridge. Rectangular monument/building with two statues on side. Sign reads: "This monument has been erected by the United States of America to commemorate services of her troops and those of France who fought in this region during the World War. It stands as a lasting symbol of the friendship and cooperation of the French and American armies." Stevens and others inspect monument. Pan from town to valley. Sign "time will not dim the glory of their deeds." CU, "1st Division, 2nd Division, 3rd Division," etc. carved in stone. Over men's shoulders shooting toward town in valley beyond monument. "Of the 310,000 American soldiers who fought 67,000 were casualties." Pan of town with river in BG. Insert sign "Bellau." Sign in English pointing left "Marne River 9 miles (to left), Reims 45 miles (to right)."
Survivors at Dachau; service
Film
(LIB 6520) Male survivor attempts to hold up a deceased man to the camera. 00:15 They move his body across the room. Other survivors lying down, looking. 00:41 Male survivors lying on the floor, filling the barrack, with blankets, looking at the camera. 00:54 CUs of five different men silently looking at the camera, not moving. 01:29 Cleaning process: Men stand in the BG in line for washing. Man with an amputated leg leans on a walking stick, zips up his pants. 01:43 Men washing each other with the hose. 01:53 CU of the water hose reel. 01:58 A soldier puts powdered soap from buckets in a dispenser that is then linked to the hose. 02:13 Survivor attempts to lift and hold another unconscious inmate for the camera. Appears to be a corpse. Survivors lying down to his right and left look at camera. 02:59 Courtyard. Various shots of piles of clothes and inmate uniforms. 03:34 Clothes hung up in rows. Light snow. 04:00 Danger sign. 04:05 Naked men washing. Some sitting and some standing. 04:48 Men in hats and suits look at a room with a pile of dead bodies. 05:34 A soldier leads two men outside.05:39 CU on the suited men huddled up and speaking. 05:50 Various shots of fence, barbed wire. 06:55 Two men pulling a wooden cart with men covered in blankets sitting on it. Three men push the cart from the back. Men walking back and forth carrying boxes. 07:10 Men and uniformed soldiers hold waving flags (service at Dachau?). Flags with the Star of David. French tricolor flag. Flags with sickle and hammer. American flag. British flag. All men look in the same direction, some crying or wiping tears.
American entry into Paris
Film
(INV 1481) Slate reading "Marthey - 3 Paris" 00:04 Back view of three soldiers wearing helmets watching Army vehicles drive. Cars driving in street with some civilians. 00:20 American soldier, officer, and French soldier leaning over to examine documents (map?). Some civilians attempt to look also. 00:32 Red Cross workers speak to soldier in jeep. Soldier smoking cigarette. Street with Army vehicle driving through. A man across the street stands under a "photo" store sign waves to soldiers driving by. A British flag on the upper left corner. Street scene. 00:50 Army vehicle with a soldier holding an American flag driving down the street (US Forces enter Paris). Onlookers wave. 01:09 Slate reads "Special Coverage Unit, 8/25, R-9, K. Marthey SPXF" HAS of a crowd gathering around two cars. Eiffel Tower. Writing on a building reads "Suyon Tailleur". 01:20 Smoke coming from the third or fourth floor of a building. Sign reads "Dumesnil". Soldiers shooting across the street. 01:40 German military governor of Paris, Dietrich von Choltitz, meets with and surrenders to French resistance (25 August 1944). Dietrich von Choltitz steps out of vehicle and walks down the street. Dietrich von Choltitz sits down at an outdoor table at which Lt Gen Jacques Leclerc stands. They wait as other soldiers talk amongst themselves. von Choltitz walks away from the table. 02:14 Slate in handwriting "Marthey R-5 Paris" and in stencil "Tire Pressure 35 Lbs." Soldiers driving down the street through cheering crowds. 02:25 French flag waving. 02:31 Soldiers replacing a tire on general's jeep while civilians watch. Soldiers drive away down the street. One soldier in the car is holding a map. 02:59 CU on one soldier sitting in the car and waving to the crowds, holding up two fingers. 03:18 Army vehicle with an American flag spread on its rear driving down the street. 03:21 Eiffel Tower. Soldiers driving down the street, this time holding up the American flag. 03:35 Various shots of Eiffel Tower, from top to bottom. Some people gathered around an American Army car. An American flag waving. Larger crowd forms; cheering. 04:22 Handwriting in white on a shoe: "Marthey R2" Wide shot of street. Dark car slowly drives left to right. Two soldiers driving in a car on the pontoon bridge into Paris. 05:07 Slate reads "Special Coverage Unit, 8/23, R-3, K. Marthey SPXF" A few parked army cars. Civilians slowly walking around. 05:19 American Army car driving down the street to cheering crowds. Painted on bumper: "ASC Z" and "SPECOU 5". Many French flags waving from buildings or held up by onlookers. 05:41 Two women coming from the left and right side hug and kiss soldiers sitting in a parked car. Another woman approaches to kiss the soldier on the cheek and pats him on the back before he drives away. Soldier shows "V" peace sign with two fingers.
Fall of Paris, 1944
Film
(INV 1457) Hand-held slate reading "SPX-F 8-17 Paris Capt Morse Jensen" 00:06 Shot of bridge (across Seine?), with a person crossing it. Smoke rising behind a building in the BG. 00:12 Large crowds in street cheering, smiling, clapping, and waving at the camera. 00:16 Camera moves left to scan view of the crowds. 00:24 Wider shot of crowds, again moving left, coming back a full circle. 00:44 Soldiers and civilians standing on a military vehicle above crowds. A Red Cross station is across the street. 00:50 Wider shot of soldiers standing on a tank near a metro station. 01:05 French tricolor flag hanging above Le Massena (café?). An older civilian climbs the tank. 01:18 Suspected collaborators and German POWs marched down the street in the midst of a crowd of French people. Shop signs in BG. 01:24 different angle. Soldiers in a car. 01:44 Soldiers in tank driving in street. 01:49 People hugging and kissing the soldiers. French tricolor flag in BG. 01:58 Passing Le Massena again. 02:07, Very quick scan of street stores. 02:10 Close up on a crowd as German POWS or collaborators are marched through the street. Angry faces, mouthing words and spitting, waving an American flag. 02:25 Camera follows the POWs being marched down. POWs with their arms in the air or on their head. 03:15 POWs marched down street, crowds. 03:30 POWS marched down the street as the crowds look on. A van drives opposite them with a passenger waving a Red Cross flag 03:45 Closer shot of crowd and POWs. 04:02 Empty street (no crowds). Soldiers waving as they are driven in an army vehicle. 04:06 High angle shot of a courtyard near a parking lot. French General Duttler arrives. 04:19 Military vehicle with soldiers in uniform, a motorcycle, and a French police car with the Free French Force's Cross of Lorraine painted on it. 04:26 Two men standing, perhaps on a balcony. Street and crowds in the BG. 04:32 A photo hangs on the main gun of a tank. CU of a picture of Hitler, with the word "merde" written across his face, handheld by more than one person. Other illegible writing on the picture. Soldiers ride tank with the Free French Forces' logo through the crowds. 04:48 Men looking out from window. 9 French flags waving out the window. 04:53 Soldier holding a slate which reads "SPX-F-8-24 Paris Capt Morse Jensen" 05:00 French civilians loot German trucks of food and pilfer luggage. Food or other objects are being thrown/distributed to the crowd. 05:14 Crowd lifts a canvas to reach the objects beneath it. A few men and women hand out bags to the crowd. Some pushing and shoving. 05:40 HAS of the distributing scene. 05:52 POWs marched down the street. Tuileries Metro Station in BG. 06:07 Crowd of onlookers. A child waves the French flag. 06:14 A car with French flag and flowers drives down street. A few people playing woodwind instruments behind. 06:21 CU of crowd. 06:27 Soldiers, civilians, and children on a tank. Sign in BG reads "Centre du Prisonnieres de Guerre". 06:31 A row of police officers. 06:39 The back of a man and woman looking at smoke rising across river from behind a building in the BG. A person stands next to his bicycle looking on. 06:49 Very crowded street. German POWs marched into a building. 07:05 Soldiers triumphantly leading POWs down the street. 07:12 A broken tank in a street letting off smoke. 07:18 A parked car burning. It is labeled "Seine" and "6521-RN2" 07:26 Soldiers in rows with suitcases and luggage. 07:38 Soldiers behind Army vehicle driving away.
Liberation of Paris, France
Film
(INV1485) Wide shot of street filled with ruins on the ground or some kind of small blockade constructed from ruins. 00:07 American Army cars driving down the street. Civilians approach the car to shake hands with soldiers. 00:23 MS of civilians approaching soldiers. Crowds looking and waving at the camera. 00:29 Larger crowds. 00:35 Two boys approach and kiss soldier 00:52 CU of soldier speaking next to a young boy. 00:57 Crowds advancing quickly down the street 01:05 (INV1484) Armed soldiers (French resistance) walk around Shell gas station. 01:21 Tank with Free French Forces symbol. 01:26 American Army vehicles driving down the street. 01:49 Crowds cheering around Army car. Waving US, Free French Forces, and USSR hammer and sickle flags. 02:00 Store window labeled "Honneur aux Allies" with Free French Forces symbol surrounded by American, British, French, and Russian flags. 02:08 French resistance car driving down street. Motorcycle to its left. 02:12 Slate reading "...SPX-F 8/24/44..." 02:14 Military car driving behind a Red Cross car. 02:28 Various shots of an American Red Cross car crossing pontoon bridge over Seine. 02:58 Two men swimming in the Seine? A third man is naked and standing outside, washing himself. View of cars driving on bridge in the BG. 03:29 Man standing in front of store looking around. He notices the camera and kneels down outside of the shot. 03:37 American tank driving. 03:47 French Resistance (FFI fight snipers) (some in uniform, some in civilian clothes) running away from the Shell gas station. 03:56 The men squat behind a fence, looking and pointing beyond it. 04:10 An older man points beyond the fence to a soldier aiming a gun. A soldier in the back loads his gun. 04:16 The soldier shoots his gun. 04:29 French Resistance cars driving down the street; soldiers firing their guns in the air. 04:36 Cars driving down the street with cheering crowds. 04:47 Slate with illegible text. 04:50 Various shots of soldiers hiding behind cars and trees. 05:02 Three men, probably French Resistance, in street, holding out their ammunition. 05:03 American soldiers and young women gather up in front of an Army vehicle near a Dupont shop for a photograph. American flag hangs from the store. 05:20 Car driving down the street between cheering crowds. 05:36 Man on the right kneels down and uses a camera. Army vehicles parking. 06:30 Bulldozer flattens the ground. Sign on the floor. 06:55 Two soldiers (one is French resistance) hammer into pontoon bridge a stencil sign reading "Passerelle Pour Civil" (Passage for Civilians). An American tractor drives away. Sequence of shots repeats one more time.
Dutch civilians; ferry boats
Film
Sign reads: "Monnikendam 7.2, Amsterdam 21." Dutchman in wooden shoes and black bloused pants walks toward camera. Two young Dutch girls in aprons pose for camera. Other Dutch civilians in native costumes are photographed sitting at side of street. Men in black cloaks and black caps. Jeep Toluca pulling weapons carrier on green country road. Jeep on what appears to be a ferry boat, sign reads: "Rikswaterstat." DC3 flies over. VS of Red Cross vehicles on a ferry boat, bombed out bridge in BG. VS of bridge from ferry boat.
Berchtesgaden; GIs relaxing at campsite
Film
EXT, shot from INT, Stevens and another man silhouetted with Alps in BG. Long panning shot of valley. VS on balcony of a building in Berchtesgaden appear to be Stevens and Moffat, then pan to valley below. Stevens walking up hill from Berchtesgaden. Stevens and Moffat looking over river, appears to be different climate and a different place than the previous shots of the valley. Horse carriage on side of road. German soldiers walking along road. Campsite near river. men bathing by campsite near blue lake, motorboat in lake. American soldiers hamming it up for the camera- one bather turns and faces his buttocks to camera. Stevens walking down a mountain with a package in his hands. Underexposed INT shots, possibly Berchtesgaden.
Dutch harbor and GIs with cameras
Film
VS of port, Stevens standing on dock. Large ship with name "Wilhelmhaven." VS of harbor activity. Two GIs with still cameras. Large ship on its side in harbor. Another shot with American army sedan in FG, wrecked ship in BG.
Dutch civilians and GIs
Film
VS, in town of well-dressed civilians walking and riding bikes. CU of a blond woman on street corner, VS of street activity. Civilians riding bicycles down tree-lined streets, coming towards camera. One or two trucks driving down streets of town. Most civilians are wearing heavy coats, there is evidence that it is a windy day (hair, coats, etc. blowing in the wind). VS of five GIs and five local girls standing in front of a building. Hamilton is on left. Girls waving good-bye to GI friends as jeep drives off with GIs.
War destruction in the Netherlands
Film
EXT, Grand Hotel. Red flag with white cross on it, jeep Toluca and khaki sedan stopped on roadside by ESSO gas station. Toluca with weapons carrier behind drives through a bombed out part of town. Shot of harbor from street, trolley wires overhead. VS of harbor, street corner with building that had been destroyed by bombs. VS of the city, street full of rubble, more bombed out buildings, spire of church in BG. Civilians and two German soldiers walking down street. Pan of part of town that is nearly leveled. Shot of jeep driving past store with sign that reads: "F. Woolworth Company." Army sedan driving down street with rubble along either side. Sedan driving under large metal tunnel bridge and then on to open two-lane highway. CU, Stevens driving sedan on highway. VS of jeeps in FG and bombed out buildings on hill with church spire in BG. Bridge over wide river. Stone signs on street read: "Numegen 15" and "Arnhem." Shot of bombed out metal bridge, half of bridge has fallen in the river. Sidewalk cafe, men seated, drinking beer. Ivan Moffat facing camera in BG. Stevens in FG. Blond haired man in glasses who appears often in the Stevens footage is at Stevens's right.
Clearing rubble in Berlin; GIs
Film
German women passing buckets, cleaning up rubble. Women in black walking through Berlin. Underexposed shots of men in uniform, unidentified location in Berlin. Three officers taking pictures at a race track.
At leisure
Film
Stevens and others leaning against rail, camera pans to show bathers at sea. Sign in German and Russian reads: "Americans are forbidden." Another sign reads: "Beach Club" with a picture of two GIs and an Army insignia with the number 2 on it ("Hell on Wheels"). Two men pitching golf balls on a putting green.
GIs; German landscape
Film
Underexposed INT shot of American soldiers. Aerial shot of river running between mountains. VS, aerial views of mountains with wing of military plane in FG of shot.
Sphinx; battle in desert; bazaar; fighter plane
Film
This story is a compilation of a number of small reels shot in the deserts of Egypt/North Africa. Fire truck with men in black uniforms, shot of the Sphinx. Stevens and Bill Mellor in summer uniforms standing in front of a station wagon, pan to Sphinx. VS of Sphinx with pyramid in BG. Stevens walks to FG, Mellor and Stevens in front of Sphinx. VS of tank battle in desert (Sahara) with dust, smoke, tanks advancing. Men on foot behind firing tanks, dust and smoke blowing in strong wind. VS of scrub brush in desert. Soldiers running with weapons, large explosion screen right, FG, more views of men running. VS of palm trees and tents near an unidentified body of water. American flag on a boat with a felucca in the BG. Slightly out of focus shot of troops marching in the desert. They are wearing desert helmets. Another shot, in focus, of the troops marching by the camera. Sedan with a red flag with a star in the center of it- unable to determine whether star is white or yellow (this flag appears in other shots in the Stevens's North African footage- it could possibly be the Libyan, Tunisian, Turkish or Moroccan flag.) Band marching by. VS of rural area in North Africa. Men with donkeys, children playing in the sand, VS of a local market/bazaar. Very colorful footage. Stevens and Mellor with a pilot of a single-engine American fighter plane, the pilot is a captain. They talk, the plane takes off from unidentified location.
Traveling through the Alps
Film
Sign pointing to left "Franzenfest 35 kms, Bozen 82 kms, Meran 111 kms." Pointing to right "Steinhach 12 kms, Matrei 16 kms, Innsbruck 38 kms." Stevens and Hamilton by sign that reads: "Brennero Pass" and a marble pillar marked "Italia" and "Bernardo Brennero." A mountainside shot of a bombed out building in the Alps. There are shots of bombed out Brenner railroad station. Panning shot of town below. Jeep Toluca, panning left to town. Sign reads: "Innsbruck" VS of town. Two vehicles driven by Germans pass through town. Four Americans talking with German soldier with his arm in a sling. Small sign on steps of building they are standing in front of reads: "German First Army" in English. MS, Berchtesgaden post office with jeep Toluca in front of the main entrance, American soldiers are in the jeep. Low angle shot through trees to what may be the town of Berchtesgaden.
Liberation of French town; civilians; church
Film
Stevens digging foxhole with another man. Men eating dinner on camp tables with tin cups. VS of unidentified men in the camp. Gag shot: Sign reads: "Bridge ahead under fire." Stevens seated in jeep turns toward camera and motions forward. Jeep and trucks drive off. Shot of vehicle coming toward camera in late afternoon light with bombed buildings on either side of country road and troops on foot. French civilians walking. Jeep follows. Reverse angle with Red Cross truck and severely bombed village. Shot on dusty road. Shot of jeep at waterfront area, most likely Cherbourg, France. Pan of church, Stevens and Captain Mellor walking out of church. Crowd in front of building with French flag flying. CU of camera crew. Camera crew setting up on balcony behind US flag. Sign reads: "Caen 18kms, Paris 240 kms." Stevens and others walking down street with young French boy, Captain Bill Mellor also present. Officers are discussing something in front of an obelisk, French civilian planting flowers in BG.
RAF airfield; US military advances
Film
Stevens and Moffat walking toward camera and then to what is apparently RAF airfield being briefed by British or Canadian officer next to fighter plane. Stevens climbs into cockpit of fighter (Hawker Sea Fury), officer explaining it. Panning shot of bombed out hangars and other buildings, smoke in distance. Shot of four men at jeep, bombs to side, jeep drives off. Stevens and others in helmets with weapons filming troops advancing in trucks. VS of camouflage tanks coming toward camera and passing (according to handwritten notes in the LOC original cataloger's notes, this depicts the beginning of the mass attack on St. Lo). Stevens and Irwin Shaw opening cans of rations and talking, standing by jeep, eating from can, small pack of Camel brand cigarettes are also visible in shot. Shot from rear of jeep, over Stevens to truckload of GIs, jeep moves out. Camera jeep advancing on country road. Shot of dead horse and over turned wagon on roadside.
Destroyed town in France; dead German soldiers; campsite
Film
Jeep coming through severely bombed town. Stevens gets out. Camera on jeep. Good coverage and panning shot of a number of vehicles in front of small building called "Hotel D'Lion." Sign reads: "Carantilly 4 kms, Cerisy-La Salle 10 kms." Trucks with soldiers passing through town (very well shot). Stevens and Sergeant Hamilton inspecting a gun casing, walking through rubble of large bombed out building, church steeple still visible. Stevens looking at stretcher containing what is apparently a dead German soldier. CU of dead German soldier. VS of dead German soldiers, including CUs. Tracking shot past wounded being treated. Stevens and others with three GIs (Americans) dressed in Pansar Grenadier SS uniforms. Campsite footage. Sign on fence reads: "Special Coverage Unit." Shot of campsite area of camera unit. Tents huddled along tree at side of clearing. Camouflage netting. Sign on posts reads: "Officers Only." Men sitting around in fatigues listening to radio. Camp with post with separate signs pointing to London, Paris, New York, Berlin and Shirley. Sign reads: "Enlisted Men's (E.M.) Lounge." LS of soldier resting outside, sitting on mound of dirt near tent at camp.
Generals and medal ceremony; GIs resting at campsite
Film
Shot of bombed out cathedral. Twilight shot panning down from bombed out cathedral across bombed out village. Men from camera unit in FG. Shot in bivouac area. General Bernard Montgomery walks into CU. Two-star general reading something from paper. Men walk up, salute Montgomery and medal is pinned on, shakes hands. Another name is called out, another man walks up. Underlit shot of three star general and other officers, two of whom are wearing khaki peaked caps with red band. Two three-star generals talking to Montgomery, one in center appears to be Omar Bradley in helmet. Gen. George Patton wearing pearl-handled pistol, laughing and talking with officers in hats and red bands. Montgomery also in shot. Camera crew photographing this action. Pan from Montgomery to Stevens and others. Pan from Montgomery to Bradley talking to one of men, pan continues to camera crew and Stevens. Still photographer with flash gun pans from him to two-star general reading citation, Montgomery standing by 35mm Mitchell camera on tripod. VS of this including Ivan Moffat standing next to Stevens watching Montgomery. CU of GIs at campsite receiving packages including cigarettes and candy. Men in formation in camp area. First Lt. lining them up. Shot of seven or eight men in ranks who could most likely be identified as members of SPECOU. Men at rest standing around talking, smoking. Stevens looking at sky with binoculars for aircraft. First Lt. looking through binoculars, appears to be Holly Morse. Major with helmet looking through binoculars at sky. Stevens and others coming out of tent with mess kits and piling into truck and driving off, early morning. Three men inspecting a bomb crate in clearing. Men jump out of truck with mess kits. Some underexposed shots of men with mess kits standing around waiting, cleaning mess kits, including CUs.
Fishing boats; African woman
Film
Pan of land along canal, young children and men fishing- all are dressed in white with scarves/head wraps. Locals on fishing boats and at dock/shipyard. Palm trees are visible. MCU of a North African woman, scantily clad and wearing heavy face makeup and large earrings. She is seated by herself on a chair, near a doorway and speaking to the person behind the camera. Possibly a prostitute.
Dachau at liberation; Stevens
Film
Jeep in front of what appears to be a garage building with a swastika over it, sign reads: "Quarantine Typhus, This concentration camp is off limits to all civilian and military personnel by order of General Patch, C.G. 7th Army." The jeep Toluca in front of a yellow sign that reads: "Dachau." A building is marked: "Burger Brau-Keller." Stevens on bridge, opening a pack of cigarettes.
Foreign troops
Film
Officers inspecting troops on parade ground, deep red flag with single white star. (Could be Morocco or Tunisia or Turkey) Senior officer (Bradley?) addresses troops. Officers of country with red flag in white tunics with red band on caps. Foreign officer in white uniform speaks briefly. CU of color guard and officer in charge of troops. Bespectacled General (Bradley) presenting medals to two men in front of color guard.
Tanks in combat in seaside town
Film
Contemporary town, bombed buildings, American jeeps, civilians wandering through ruins. Bombed out pharmacy (Pharmacie-French language sign). Local men doing cleanup. Several explosions going off in BG. Men firing mortars. Shot of three tanks crossing scrubbed brush field with troops following. Tanks are firing. More shots of men going through green brush with tanks firing. Armor firing, considerable smoke. Stevens, William Mellor and two other men swimming in ocean. Stevens swims ashore and walks toward camera. Combat shots of tanks clearing frame to reveal troops with rifles running behind other tanks in BG. More shots of men following tanks. Firing. VS of tanks with big explosions and billowing smoke and dust. Pan of seaside city with ocean and fort in BG. Bill Mellor and two other men with Stevens on balcony overlooking seaside. Stevens filming with tanks, explosions and troops moving in slow motion in BG. Shots of enclosed street and harbor.
At sea, ships & landing craft
Film
Tents in a clearing, France. Stevens, three other men in uniform by train, sign reads: "London (Euston)- Glasgow (Center)." At sea, Stevens, two other men on deck of destroyer, panning shot, cloudy morning, choppy sea. Roughly 50 men looking out to sea. Long panning shot of fleet, barrage balloons overhead. MS, Stevens holds Eyemo camera to eye, ships in BG. CU of Stevens. LS of sea and flashes of firing in distance. LS of ships in choppy sea. Ships' guns firing, large orange puffs of smoke. Pan to landing craft. Passing ships, possibly landing craft.
Still photographer shoots Stevens & camera crew on board ship
Film
Helmeted officer shooting still photos toward Stevens and his camera crew. Men at stations. Man with Red Cross arm band, heavy white gloves and canvas hood peering through binoculars behind camera. VS of sailors, guns and empty shell casings. Pan of eight ships with barrage balloons overhead. Shot over shoulders of officers on bow of ship. HAS of deck. VS of Stevens looking through 35mm camera on tripod. Shot of aircraft overhead.
Landing craft; cameramen; on beach
Film
MS and CU of Stevens wearing helmet and life vest on landing craft. Building on shore, sign reads: "Bernieres." This is the train station in Bernières-sur-Mer, France. Over Stevens' shoulder shooting out to landing craft. Good coverage of men on the beach, landing crafts, bombed out house, etc. Sign reads: "Route Interdit Vers s'Aubin." Stevens with camera unit setting up, shooting tank with what appear to be Australian or Canadian troops. Sign in German reads: "Danger Mine Field." Cameraman labeling film roll and getting film out of camera box. Two men talking in front of movie poster. Stevens and camera crew with tripods walking through streets. VS of men shooting film on the beach.
Wounded soldier; US ships at dock
Film
On board ship, flags flying in wind. Profile shot of troops looking toward shore. Overhead shot of wounded soldier in stretcher being loaded aboard. Men at side of ship watching this process. Choppy seas makes this difficult. VS covering this action. Six men and officers walking alongside railroad cars. Spectacular shot of massed ships at dock with American flags flying. VS of men, one identified as Capt. Holly Morse. Enlisted men and officers- MS, and CUs of them talking and looking out to sea. *According to LOC original cataloger's notes this footage may be prior to D-Day at embarkation point.
Touring Berlin, postwar
Film
Five men in uniform, including Stevens entering large German building with columns, this is apparently postwar as they are not in combat uniform. One-legged civilian on cane walking down street, pan across devastated part of Berlin. Shot of famous columned gate: the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, sign reads: "British Sector", civilians and others are walking about. (Berlin was divided into Soviet, American, British and French sectors. The Brandenburg Gate was the demarcation line between the Soviet and British sectors of the city. In the BG there are the remains of the Unter den Linden, one of the most fashionable streets in pre-war Berlin.) Series of signs in Russian. VS of other buildings, including one with horseman on top. VS inside courtyard of heavily bombed building. Bicyclists and jeep coming down bombed street, German civilians cleaning up, including line of about 20 women passing buckets. (An all-women workforce was conscripted to clear up the rubble of Berlin once the war was over, their menfolk being either dead or prisoners of war.) Shot of the Reichstag, Russian soldiers having their picture taken in front of this building. Traveling shot, down railroad track, train coming toward (and under) camera. Statue of a horseman with man standing next to it. Stevens and others inside the Olympic Stadium. Camera pans to plaque reading: "16 August 1936 in Olympic Stadium in Berlin" with reference to Adolf Hitler. Pan of stadium area, VS of diving board and Olympic swimming pools. GIs taking pictures around the stadium. Shot of Capt. Holly Morse, shot of Sgt. Bill Hamilton. Scene shifts to a beach area with bathers (possibly at a lake or the sea.) Brief scene of someone putting on a golf course. Pan of building, a Russian sign in front of it, several other Russian signs, presumably in the Eastern Sector. Additional shots of destroyed buildings with single walls standing. Jeep with Hamilton and Holly Morse driving in front of German building, insert of a Russian sign, CU of identity card with Russian, American and British flags on the cover. Three German women and two children wheeling and old man down the street. Woman, possibly Russian, directing traffic with yellow and red flags. A group of Russian soldiers walking leisurely down the street in formation. Another platoon of Russian soldiers walking past a building, marching towards camera, two civilian women with child and baby carriage, a man and two women carrying belongings on back walking down the highway. VS of civilians moving along with their personal possessions.
Driving tour of postwar divided Berlin; Russian women
Film
Blue sign indicates: "Berlin" straight ahead, "Potsdam" to the right, another sign reads: "Entering US Berlin District." Shot of newly constructed monument with tank on top. (The Soviets were quick to build monuments to remind their fellow Allies and the conquered Germans that Soviet troops were the first to enter Berlin. The first Soviet tank to advance through the city was placed on this memorial plinth, seen in this footage, still under construction.) VS of a parade area, with pictures of Truman, Stalin, Eisenhower, traffic moving along in FG. Stevens stops jeep in front of large mural of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin at Yalta. Shot, moving toward Brandenburg gate reads: "You are leaving British Sector." Large picture of Stalin, in center of Road, under red star, sign reads: "Dlon Hotel," The building is damaged and marked with soot. Stevens drives jeep through gate and up to camera. Shot of Russian platoon with a woman among them. Tracking shot of platoon of Russian women, smiling, in various different colored uniforms. These women are leading a platoon of men. Camera focuses on their smiles and their faces. Young woman and man pulling cart with their belongings, another older woman is pushing from behind. Smoke rising from what appears to be exploding building. Many buildings that were beyond repair were demolished during the clean up of the Berlin post war.
Ship at sea
Film
Shot of felucca at sea. George Stevens and two others in outboard motorboat. CU of military police badge on someone's sleeve. Old wooden sailing ship. Loading supplies, tires, etc. on dock, people in summer uniforms, apparently North Africans.
GIs visit pyramids; ships
Film
Trucks carrying supplies up hilly road. Soldier with green, white and orange flag. Stevens wearing pith helmet, another officer and three Egyptian men in uniform. The pyramids, Stevens, Capt. William C. Mellor (?) and local in front of pyramids. (Shot is partially obstructed by something in front of lens.) Other shots including Stevens arm in arm with man in native garb in front of pyramids. More shots of dock area, cranes and equipment, tires being loaded on the dock. Egyptian feluccas with sails on the sea and other large wooden sailing ships. About 30 Egyptians in summer uniforms carrying equipment. CU of leaders, long panning shot of low complex of what appears to be ruins.
American military parade; seaside town; GIs swimming
Film
Military parade, men in summer uniforms with pith helmets. Band marching, apparently American troops. There is color guard with five American flags and a reviewing stand. Egyptian buildings with turrets, a mosque. Stevens walks from Fortress toward camera. Roadside shot- Stevens in summer helmet with local boys. Seaside shots of town, beautiful ruins on seaside. Hillside caves. Stevens and officer in FG in front of old buildings. Underexposed shot of Stevens, Mellor and two other men in bathing suits swimming.
US military inspecting weapons
Film
Sequence: VS of men in uniform around jeep in clearing inspecting some kind of artillery shells. Men working on their artillery weapons on trailers. A lake or a river in the BG. Men in uniform cleaning up and clearing off of field, packing up gear to move camp.
St. Lo in ruins; German prisoners
Film
Opens with shot of sign that reads: "St. Lo." LS of city in ruins. Series of shots of remnants of buildings. GI directing traffic at sight of Ortslazarett Red Cross. Sign reads: "St. Lo Bridge repaired by 148th Engineer Battalion 4th August 1944. Equipment furnished by 631st Engineer Light Equipment Company." Remnants of cathedral at St. Lo. Army vehicles including Red Cross trucks driving down road in front of bombed out buildings. Water filled craters in FG. Jeep goes by named "Hocus Pocus Focus." Men around their pup tents in a soccer field surrounded by barbed wire. Shot of machine gun guarding the area with the gateway "Arc de Sports de la Falaise." Men, presumably prisoners, in underwear around pup tents. Bombed out train station at St. Lo. Bivouac area near some trees, leisure activities of camera unit. Camouflage tents, a GI sleeping, card game, GI writing letter. GI reading book called "The Bar 20 Rides Again." Shoulder patch reads: "Official US war photographer" being sewn on young GI wearing steel-rimmed glasses. Stevens supervising haircut. GI's doing laundry and reading LIFE magazine (appears to be Eisenhower or Marshall on cover in front of US flag). Dramatic sunset shots. Captain smoking pipe. VS of GIs preparing camera, tripod, equipment, etc. Jeep pulls out onto road. Sign reads: "Coutances 5 kms." and "Pierers 25 kms." Roadway, convoy of German prisoners in dozens of open trucks with some of the trucks going in opposite direction. The convoy stretches on, trucks may number in the hundreds, all full of German prisoners. LS of Mount St. Michel. Stevens and another man looking toward St. Michel. VS of young female civilians. Crew and women on hillside: Stevens and camera crew. Stevens and crew setting up shot of Mt. St. Michel, low tide so vehicles can drive up to it. Stevens reading book to young boy on terrace of Mt. St. Michel. Bivouac area. A grisly Bill Hamilton coming out of his tent. Stevens going into his pup tent with weapon. Making camp, unfolding bed rolls, etc. INT of jeep with sandbags for protection against road mines. Group of approximately 100 German prisoners behind barbed wire in small clearing in trees. Many angles on this. GI guarding prisoners with machine gun. Young German prisoner being searched. CUs of German prisoners walking past camera before being loaded into truck. CU of blue and yellow "Rangers" shoulder patch. Stevens observing inspection and search of German prisoners. CUs of prisoners' personal effects, money, dog tags, wallets, etc. Tracking shot past knocked out tank. Photograph of sign: "Coutances" with indication below it: "Periers 16 kms," "Carentan 34 kms," "Route #171." Excellent shot shooting down road then panning to left revealing camera crew photographing down fork of another road. Vehicles driving by creating dust. Shell exploded in BG, everyone takes cover. Sign reads: "St. Sauveur- Lendelin 8.1 kms, Carentan 32 kms." Pans to Red Cross ambulance backing up apparently picking someone up from where shell went off. Medics treating wounded soldier in pain. VS of Stevens and another soldier walking with rifles down bombed out street. A civilian gives flowers to Stevens and the other GI, as well as another American.
Victory in St. Lo; rubble; US military parade; German prisoners
Film
Long line of troops, camera mounted on jeep. Civilians wheeling belongings in wheel barrel. Excellent shot of cameraman shooting on tripod on jeep covering. Tanks through crowd down road. MPs walking with French civilians. Tracking shot, civilians waving. Hamilton, Stevens toasting with French civilians. Americans drinking with French civilians sitting on jeep. Stevens gives "V" sign. Stevens and other Americans by sea. A flurry of activity near hedgerow. Ambulance truck has overturned. Bill Hamilton trying to unbend a crushed helmet. Moving shot down bombed out road, many overturned trucks including hospital trucks. Shot of Bill Mellor. Shot of sign pointing in direction "St. Malo." French women in front of cafe "A' la haute Becassiere, Rouault- De Pouez Cafe." Rubble and bombed out street (St. Malo). Buildings are still on fire. Shot of what might be a town hall and other scenes of bombed streets. Two GIs drinking wine by the roadside. CU of bottle, the vineyard is "Johnston." Civilian trying to sell Hamilton a bottle. Town square, a larger less damaged town. Considerable civilian activity, bicycles, etc. French flags, British and American flags on Buildings. CUs of GIs drinking from wine bottle. Sign reads: "Rue de L'Hermine." An African soldier. Sign pointing to "Rennes 13 kms" to right, "Antrain 32 kms" to left. "N776" Jeeps pull out of bivouac with weapons carriers attached. Mobile half track artillery unit firing over water apparently toward island in distance. Explosions over sea. Planes in air. Chateau with formal gardens, French flag. Two GIs boxing in courtyard of chateau. Shot through window of chateau to town in BG. Large crowd of civilians gathered around jeep. Group of 50 waving to camera. Stevens sitting on jeep talking to young children. Shot of truckloads of German prisoners coming through town. GIs riding shotgun on fenders. American Lt. Colonel standing on back of truck typing. Shots of civilian activity in town. French band marching through town past cathedral. Free French forces, some civilians carrying weapons and marching through town, apparently these are French nurses. Pans up to statue of nurse. VS of French military, including a woman in a helmet. Stevens and Captain Holly Morse talking with French. Shots of tanks with GIs and other vehicles coming through town, flags in windows, including tanks. Women throwing flowers to GIs on tank as it passes through town. Civilians waving. Shot of chateau through iron gate. Americans exit. Stevens, Moffat and others in jeep in active street. Studying map. Pan up to cathedral spires. Sign reads: "Prefecture." Ten German prisoners being marched through town, VS. Traveling shot, large sign reads: "Paris --->." A road sign reads: "Versailles 41 kms, Paris 57 kms, N12." Gene Solow, war correspondent, screenwriter. Tracking shot showing jeeps and panning over to river. Bridge across river, Stevens jeep crosses it. Sign says: "Bridge is prohibited for civilian traffic." LS of cathedral with bombed out buildings in FG. Stevens looking through binoculars down river. River barge, named "Charles" in shot. Signs, point to "Sureux 47 kms," "Rouen 81 kms," to right, "Houdon 26 kms" to left. Apparently the place is "Sein-et-oise." Ambulance going across pontoon bridge. Stevens's jeep as it crosses bridge. LS from rear of single jeep crossing bridge.
US Army liberates Paris
Film
Jeeps coming across pontoon bridge towards camera. VS of numerous French tanks and other vehicles coming around curve of cobblestone road. Underlit shot of Leicester Hemingway in hotel room. Stevens and officer, possibly British, walking down French street, enter restaurant. Two-part sign reads: "Route N10 Versailles 32, Paris 52." Top of sign: "Seine-et-oise" right and "Route N306 Cernay La Ville 12, Chevreuse 19." Pan of jeeps, civilians, and soldiers in street. Two military men with red caps. Shot of Stevens smoking pipe with several other officers, including a heavy set older man. Ivan Moffat in scene with the men studying the maps. Moffat with notebook talks to Stevens. Stevens and three other Americans approach Frenchman. Stevens salutes, shakes hands and shows him the map, presumably requesting permission to go into Paris. Shooting from the rear as jeep goes down French street. Discusses route with policeman. French women come up and kiss men in jeep. VS as three SPECOU vehicles move down the road. There are more and more people gathered and waving the farther they go down the road. American flag visible on jeep. They pass other vehicles stopped on the left. Pan of street, rifle fire in BG, followed by more firing. Civilians are also in the street. Tanks moving up street. French tanks with weapons carriers with pink clothes on the back move past, men huddled behind civilian car, French flags apparent on street. French woman in short blue skirt, red hair, carrying rifle. Insert of single silver star on red plaque pans up to reveal jeep. Tracking shot following jeep with single star, reverse angle as trucks approach camera, crowds waving to camera. VS, very good quality, very emotive, of crowds waving to camera, as they lean in. Patrol plane, in air, blue and white sign reads: "Paris, Orleans." Sequence begins of various men crouched, firing at sniper. VS of Gene Solow, Stevens and Bill Hamilton. VS of men reacting to sniper. Stevens with helmet off, holding rifle. On top of Gare Montparnasse. Stevens with pipe holding rifle. French general exits vehicle, German General (presumably Von Choltitz) behind him. Underexposed shot of German general, INT. Black French vehicle with "Police" painted on it. German officers, about a dozen, exit. One with shaved head is hit by an onlooker. Germans are lead into train station. Two more Germans enter. Two GIs drive off with German officer, another hits him on the head with helmet. High angle shot of FFI vehicle arriving, people milling in streets. French officers tying white flag onto jeep, Ivan Moffat and German soldier observe. Stevens leads the way as French officer and high ranking German come outdoors. Shot of Bill Hamilton. General De Gaulle exits vehicle, salutes, makes his way toward station. Another German officer is brought in. De Gaulle, and, presumably, General Le Clerc, CU of De Gaulle talking with a French civilian and a French officer. Another CU of De Gaulle. More CUs of German officers. German officer seated in jeep as American driver studies map. (This was a process of Germans going out with white flags in jeeps with German-speaking Allied troops to pass the word of the surrender.) VS of French civilians.
US Army kissing French girls; parade
Film
Stevens and Moffat in crowd of French civilians, French girls talking, Stevens signing autographs. Solow, Stevens and others in front of Scribe Hotel, crowds in streets, blue and white sign: "M.L.N." in window of Scribe. American GI taking picture with speed graphic. Shot of weapons carrier and jeep with camera set on tripod. Hamilton holding and kissing two girls. Shot of several Americans and French girls driving past in jeep. Large numbers of civilians walking past, American jeep "Flash Gordon." Six or seven men crouched behind jeep firing at sniper in window. Stevens puts rifle on shoulder. Walks past jeep. More sniper activity, people evacuate jeep. American GI takes rifle from jeep, some action in distance, VS of building where sniper is and shots of street which is now empty. Men prepared to fire at building from seated position, women running down streets. Large black truck with many flags. CU of blonde French civilian. Men passing out champagne. Series of green staff cars drive up to reviewing stand. This begins reviewing stand sequence. There are many generals evident in this sequence, including Bradley. They turn and salute toward camera. Reviewing stand as Bradley and De Gaulle mount the steps, apparent in front row of the reviewing stand is General Montgomery and another American three-star general. Vehicles coming toward reviewing stand with Arc d'Triumph in the BG, members of the camera crew standing beneath reviewing stand. Shot of De Gaulle and Bradley. Stevens with troops in BG. All on reviewing stand salute, followed by shots of armed jeeps passing reviewing stand, tanks passing, American flags visible. Stevens salutes. More tanks passing, crowd waving as jeeps pass, both sides of the street are lined with people. Vehicles driving toward Place de Concorde. Trucks towing large field guns, last trucks come by with bicyclists behind. De Gaulle leaves reviewing stand. Bradley salutes De Gaulle, who enters his car, car drives off with Cross Lorraine on the side. VS of Paris at what seems to be a different time of the year. Camera crew sets up on top of jeep, French guards in silver helmets and black and red uniforms arrive, tanks lined to the side. Many bicyclists passing by, two-engine, high-winged plane flies by. Gene Solow, Stevens and two other officers. Gen. Eisenhower leads group of dignitaries to Tomb of Unknown Soldier, all salute, band leader starts band music. Pan to Eisenhower. aide presents Eisenhower with wreath which he puts on tomb. Eisenhower walks to microphone and speaks. Shot of camera crew covering speech, pan to Eisenhower speaking. Onlooker, including four-star general. Band leader conducting band, panning shot of Allied officers, entire group exits. Pan of band and drummers drumming with camera crew above them in BG. Stevens and possibly French officer holding film camera, Gene Solow in shot. Series of shots of tanks moving out. Stevens and French girls (This footage appears to be from Liberation of Paris that according to logs was shot two days earlier). Pan to Ivan Moffat, Bill Hamilton kissing French girl, CU of French girl, vehicles moving down the Champs Elysees with British flag. People toasting, pigeon on jeep, CU of French woman. Stevens and Hamilton talking to French civilians. Pan of Eiffel Tower, people carrying umbrellas, rainbow in BG. Stevens, Solow and other officer in front row of Eiffel Tower. Solow taking shots of Stevens. Crowd gathered at large stone building, panning from Eiffel Tower down to crowd with military band playing. Seine River. Sailboat coming through under bridge. Men fishing along side of Seine near bridge. Shot of Notre Dame Cathedral. Boys choir, in blue suits, short pants, and white socks singing. A series of shots covering this, including the chorus leader. VS of street, across Seine with Eiffel Tower in BG. Winter scenes around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, snow on ground. Champs Elysees with slush/snow on ground. Vehicles and people walking around, CU on sign that reads: "Champs Elysees." French girls walking up Champs Elysees in snow. VS of sidewalk cafes and French civilians, vehicles moving on snowy streets, men shoveling snow.
Makeshift military airport
Film
Men moving off in twilight silhouetted against sunset. Group of men kneeling in twilight. Officer in combat gear reading orders. American flag on left shoulder, men in this unit appear to be paratroopers. Planes have names such as "Windy City," "Bobbie Ellen 3," "Dinky," "Philadelphia Express." This is a portable metal runway. VS of men under wings of plane. LS, pan of plane landing. Jeep towing small artillery pieces. LS of many planes and/or gliders in BG of very flat area. DC3 taxiing for takeoff, towing glider, apparently with paratroopers. Series of shots of DC3s pulling gliders into air. Shot of paratrooper with knife in his boot, GI shaving at mirror of jeep. VS of two-star general (may be General Gavin). Glider "Olga 3" being loaded. "Old Couchez Avec is back again, C.C. Capt. J. A. Finley" written on glider. VS of men climbing into gliders. One ties on yellow scarf. Detail shots of gliders with tow ropes, DC3s lined up. Paratrooper colonel CU. Man signaling takeoff of gliders being towed by DC3s.
Destroyed town in Belgium
Film
Jeep driving through muddy street of severely bombed out town. Civilian digging through rubble with crowbar. Women in winter coats in FG walking down street. Signs reads: "Bastgone." GIs give gift to little girl. Stevens in front of jeep Toluca gives present to little girl (There is a reference that Stevens made in a letter home about giving a Christmas present to a Belgian girl in March, long after Christmas had passed.) Truck pulls into muddy road, in a town that has been devastated by bombs. No buildings are left standing. Sign reads: "keep rollin' Malmady N23, Vielsalm." Pan of flattened area. Good coverage of destruction and rubble. HAS showing cathedral and frozen river. High shot panning across destroyed town at night. MPs carrying wounded man in white sheet, loaded into truck, truck drives off, Stevens in FG.
War destruction in Belgium
Film
Jeep Toluca struggling through muddy road. Shots of vapor trails in the sky. A low contrast scene, seems to be corpses, there is a sign that reads: "Bastogne, Houffalize, N23, N27, information." Bombed out building in BG, Stevens in winter coat and helmet.
Airplane takes off; destroyed German plane
Film
Hamilton and other GI in uniforms with service caps. A silver B26 taxis on a dirt runway and takes off. Jeep alongside DC3. Destroyed German plane, MS and CU. CU of German markings on plane. Aerial shots from interior of DC3.
Airplanes
Film
Aerial shots, shooting from interior of DC3. Men unloading camera boxes and supplies from DC3: slates, film cans, etc. P38 flies overhead. Hot landing of black twin-engine fighter bomber, taxis to stop. Name of the plane is "Little Audrey."
US soldiers in uniform
Film
Men in uniforms with Eisenhower jackets, ties and SHAEF insignias, working with 35mm Mitchell camera. One officer is Capt. William C. Mellor. Man in FG with moustache is a Major. Young, two-star general with khaki shirt and tie greets the other two officers. CU of general (notes indicate that the general may be Gen. Gavin or Gen. Terry Allen). The general appears to be the same man who arrived in the black airplane in the previous story (RG-60.2704).
Bomb destroyed Europe
Film
Aerial shot from airplane with bomb craters very apparent. VS from lower altitude of bomb craters. Bill Mellor in plane, underexposed shot of another unidentified man in the plane. Aerial views of unidentified town and river.
Americans meet Russians
Film
Sign reads: "Nothing in hell can stop the Timber Wolf Division" at Gen. Terry Allen's headquarters at Torgau. He was the leader of the Timber Wolf Division. Shot of troops with American flag and red flag on a jeep and whole series of jeeps driving through town. It is a meeting of Russian and American officers. American two-star General Terry Allen walks up and salutes a Russian officer. They all turn in a three shot and salute a new arrival as the band plays. Sequence of shots of officers listening to band music. American general appears to be pinning a medal on a Russian general. They shake hands, smiling, cut away to Stevens and other members of camera unit including two cameramen (one is Dick Hoar) holding cameras in FG. Everyone is smiling, very happy.
GIs swimming; Brenner Pass
Film
VS of Stevens and others in unit dressed in German hats. Shots on bridge over river. Old chateau or apartment building bombed out. Appears to be mausoleum with caskets with swastikas on them. GIs swimming in cold river. Men sitting by campfire. Stevens and others swimming. Stevens and others by jeep overlooking lake. This may be Berchtesgaden. VS of lake. Small two-engine German fighter in field. Village square with sign that reads: "Brenner Pass." Shot of main street of town, CU of sign that reads: "Brenner." Men of unit in street. Barricade reads: "All vehicles stop here." Sign with snow-capped mountain in BG reads "Entering S49 area."
German planes
Film
Cameraman on wing of German plane setting up shot. Stevens sitting on edge of plane. Traffic in BG. Camouflage hanging on planes. These shots are at an abandoned German airfield. Single engine German plane, also small reconnaissance plane, twin-engine plane as well. Still photographer on ground taking pictures. Stevens pointing to symbols on tail of German plane indicating that pilot had shot down eight British planes and one Russian. VS of planes, including detail. Bill Hamilton, Stevens and Moffat standing in front of plane talking, lighting cigarettes, inspecting damage of riddled German plane.
Damaged German planes
Film
Cameraman sets tripod on airfield. Hamilton inspects damaged plane. Shots at damaged bridge on river side. Stevens and Moffat in front of sign that reads: "Captured intact March 7, 1945 by the 9th Armored Division, III Corp." LS, men get into jeep Toluca. Panning shots of planes at abandoned airfield, and various CUs.
Captured German troops and GIs; airfield
Film
Stevens standing in front of sign that reads: "Frankenburg." Pan to several hundreds, possibly a thousand, captured Germans. German troops (excellent pan of German soldiers) captured filing into trucks. Pan to remainder of troops. Troops loading onto open trucks. CUs of German soldiers. Stevens, Moffat and others standing with the Germans. American GI climbs on truck with stick, reaching into soldiers with stick. GI sending soldiers up the hill. They run to the truck. German officer in front of truck. Cameraman shooting CU of young German soldier. Sign reads: "Frankenau/Kreis Frankenberg/Reo Bez Kassel." Camouflage trucks containing prisoners pull out. Short shot of roadster convertible. Germans in trucks wave to comrades left behind. LS of red roofed village in BG with truck pulling out, pans across to German encampment. Twin-engine plane taking off from grass field. Same shot, second plane takes off. Cut to panning shot of airfield with numerous planes in distance. Twin-engine plane takes off (appears to be a DC3). Shot of airfield, camouflaged DC3 taxiing past other DC3s.
Liberation of Nordhausen; Red Cross; V2 rockets
Film
Shot of stretchers containing emaciated corpses, name "Orlich" and number written on body. Stevens and Moffat talking through window to inmate in striped coat. Inmates in striped coats talking to Stevens and others. Panning shot of camp buildings - Dora in Nordhausen. Bare trees in BG. VS of camp. Small sign reads: "Holzverwertung." Inmate in striped uniform with red cross walks past sign. CU of ambulances and Red Cross tent. Series of Red Cross tents at side of an airfield by ambulances (LoC cataloger's handwritten annotations indicate that this footage is not from Nordhausen, but from another site, and that the prisoner is a French POW). LS, pan of what seems to be a concentration camp in the distance. Shot of unidentified troops in truck, intercut with shots of the camera crew (notes indicate that footage is of Nordhausen again). Shot of jeeps coming from under some kind of camouflage that was built into the side of a mountain. Front jeep has two stars on it. Officers in battle jackets dismount. Two-star general gets in jeep, drives off. General and men have red shoulder patches with white insignia. More shots of camp. Inmate dusting off blanket. GIs, cameramen filming. Corpses covered with blankets on stretchers, pan of concentration camp, MP in FG. Inmates sitting outside of cell block in sun. CU, emaciated inmates in civilian clothes and some striped uniforms. Inmate leaving camp. Olive drab military sedan in FG, stretcher bearers carrying victims past "Holzverwertung" sign. Loaves of bread being carried on stretcher. Elderly bandaged inmate carrying bucket. Sign reads: "Gefahren Zone!" with skull and crossbones. Large metal containers which appear to be connected to gas chambers. Large tubular objects with screens at one end, possibly gas canisters. Pile of tubular objects in CU. Possibly rockets. NOTE: Stevens talked of going to a place where V2s (rocket engines/jet engines) were produced in the Hartz Mountains. These objects are not officially identified. This is followed by a sequence of underexposed shots that are also unidentifiable.
GIs firing mortars; German prisoners and weapons
Film
Sign reads: "Berlin 137 kms, Duben 3 kms" on right. Pan left to another sign that reads: "Leipzig 32 kms" on left. GIs firing mortars, situation clearly genuine action. They are in a field behind some houses. LS of what apparently is the target in the distance. VS through an aperture of some sort viewing across a green field. More shots of GIs firing mortars. Another angle of mortar firing. CUs, three American GIs. GIs sweeping up shells in street next to armored vehicle. Group of GIs by tank. Pan of men walking across a narrow pontoon bridge over a river, continues pan to reveal German soldiers guarded by GIs. GI searching and checking identification of German prisoners. Germans with their equipment walking toward camera up hill from river with destroyed bridge in BG. German officers sitting on grassy hillside with hundreds of enlisted men behind. Stevens and two Lt. Colonels standing by bridge (excellent CUs). Street of unidentified village, GIs in FG and captured Germans walking directly toward camera. Pile of captured German weapons. German officers supervising the loading of a cart. German motor pool and captured German vehicles, Stevens walks to captured German Mercedes, takes something from front seat.
Refugees; captured Germans; bombed towns; GIs; marching into Paris
Film
Civilians with rucksacks walking down street with belongings. Some wheeling bicycles. Refugees. These are twilight shots, autumn leaves in the pictures. Red Cross truck followed by jeep coming down street. More shots of refugees. Some of the men are dressed in suits and ties, roads are wet and muddy. Woman wheeling a pushcart with belongings. Two people embrace. Stevens walks toward camera. Empty wet street. Tank coming through town past Hotel Caspiel Hindenburg. Men running, including cameraman, some men firing mortars, others small light weapons. Members of camera crew visible in frame. Pan to top of bombed Hotel Caspiel Hindenburg. VS of shells and shell casings. Slightly underexposed shots of men walking through a clearing, dead body in FG. Establishing shots of town at twilight, camera crew running across the street. Sign: "Geschaftbefindet Sichwebenburgers 19W Joris." American soldier leading captured Germans (about 15) through town. Town is badly bombed. Pan of German prisoners huddled among trees alongside wall (about 100). German officer in long coat walks with cane toward troops. Americans show Germans out of walled area. Germans climbing into open truck. Stevens and others standing under sign that reads: "Hindenburg Strasse." Rubble in streets, strange skeleton on side of wall. Fire in distance, smoke, jeep going through bombed out town. Stevens watches jeep with men on stretchers (unclear if they are Germans) and Red Cross aide drives through devastation. Underexposed footage not discernable at this point. Captured Germans lined up in the street. They march off, following an American. Stevens is walking in front of them, jeep moving out. GIs walking down wooded road, man trailing has guitar over his shoulder. LS of explosions in the distance. Coverage of German soldiers packing their belongings. CU of jeep "Toluca", pans away to German prisoner marching down street following two armed GIs. VS of bombed out building, appear to be German soldiers sitting in back of jeep. Men from camera unit, Stevens walking through bombed out archway. Very thorough documentation of the destruction in this town. Men cooking, then decorating Christmas tree in street. Sign: "Lamersdorff Duren Langerwehe 70." Men putting ornaments on tree, including hand grenade. Jeep Toluca, Stevens and others in front of building which has been reduced to a pile of rubble. They are opening Christmas packages. The following footage is out of sequence and belongs with the liberation of Paris. Tanks and troops marching into Paris, Eiffel tower in BG. US flag in FG. Overhead shots of the jeep "Toluca" going through the city. Stevens with 'eyemo' camera filming airplane in the sky. Underexposed, panning shot of exterior. Stevens fishing in stream on small farm. slightly soft focus. Stevens in wool winter hat pulls small fish out of bag, displays it. Hamilton catches fish, takes hook out of mouth, displays it. Pan from large building. Underexposed shots of what appears to be a van. Blue street sign on wall reads: "Grand Place Groote Market." People walking home from work. Trolley car crosses square (underexposed). Men looking at map around the jeep Toluca. Yellow sign in BG reads: "Koln to Dusseldorf ^ ,Trier --->." Men eating by jeep. Sign reads: "Haaren." Tranquil shot of lake with winter leaves. Hamilton fishing, smoking pipe. Series of shots of planes in sky leaving vapor trail. Sign says "Stolberg" pointing left; "Werth", "Hastenrath" and "Echweiler" all to the right. Another sign "Duren 18 km", pans down road. Stevens bundled up in winter coat wearing side arm outside jeep Toluca opening K-rations with enlisted man.
Brussels garrison
Film
CU of map, finger demonstrating route, which is inserted from earlier footage shot by Stevens and crew. Sign says "HQ Brussels Garrison." Men in winter uniforms.
Military vehicles; Christmas; devastated town
Film
EXT. Sign: "Maastricht Centrum 2.1, Tongeren 20." There is light snow on the ground. Vehicles passing jeep Toluca. CU of Stevens, smiles, points. Guard checking passing truck. Rooftops with vapor trails of planes in the BG. Street scene, a check point with a GI and a civilian. Christmas sequence. CU boxes of 105mm Howitzer shells, pan to Stevens sitting on jeep. He writes "Merry Christmas" with his finger in snow on the jeep. Stevens, bareheaded, crewcut, opening Christmas present. Shows package with card: "To Dad from _____and George." Opens package, it is a shaving kit. Shaving kit is filled with candy, card says "To Dad," pans up to Stevens smiling, longer shot of him reading small card with writing from George Stevens Jr. Plane flies overhead firing. They get into the jeep and move out very fast. Bombed out buildings with storm clouds in BG. Pan of devastated street, jeep Toluca in FG. Sign: "Duren, Eschweiler ---->, to super highway autobahn." More devastated buildings. Burned out German tanks on side of country road.
Russians meet Americans at Torgau; refugees
Film
Color film coverage of Americans linking up with Russians on the Elbe River in April 1945. Jeep passing another on country road. Road sign reads: "Torgau." Stevens and others at Bahnhof Drogerie. Parked jeeps on road in town. Group of Russian soldiers and a woman. Pan to Russian soldiers and brief shot of Ivan Moffat. Stevens with goggles on, pan to group of soldiers. CU of Russian soldier holding a machine gun. More CUs of Russian soldiers. Stevens with helmet and goggles and Russian soldiers, cameramen kneeling taking a shot of the scene. Stevens in FG, bombed out bridge in BG. Lieutenant shakes hands with two Russian soldiers. American soldier flirting with young woman. Russian soldier laughs. Refugees with carts. Stevens and other soldiers with river in BG. Refugees loading onto ferry raft. Shooting across fast flowing river and to green field on other side. Motorboat with troops coming across the river toward the camera. Old vehicles with refugees going through the streets of the village followed by bicycles passing through the town. The following sequence is part of the Berlin footage. Camera mounted in back seat of jeep going along highway. Troop trucks passing in the opposite direction. Over shoulder shot of Stevens in jeep, pans over to road marker with signs: "Berlin" straight ahead, "Halle, Leipzig" to the right. Jeep turns to right in front of sign showing "Leipzig" to left and "Berlin" to right. Returns to scenes along the Elbe River. Shots of barge activity with civilians on Elbe at Torgau. Shots in field, refugees in FG, soldiers chasing after someone and firing at them (possibly Russian soldiers joking around with each other, shooting playfully at comrades - as indicated by Library of Congress catalogers in 1983). A dozen soldiers set across the river with bombed out bridge in BG in what appears to be a racing shell. Sign board with poster reads: "East meets West", Russian soldier shaking hands with American soldier standing on swastika. British soldier comes ashore and talks with Stevens and the Russians. Strange, clownish man in black top hat drunkenly carrying a dead rabbit, he shows it to the GIs. Cameraman photographs him, he falls. MCU of young woman in a kerchief reacting to the drunken man falling.
Stevens & Moffat at Elbe River
Film
Stevens walking in front of destroyed metal bridge. GI (probably Moffat) going down to river's edge and returning from river's edge. Army Engineers sign reads: "In memoriam to our comrades who fell with the bridge?" then list of names. Shots of destroyed bridge and river. Stevens walking into tunnel. Boys walking along railroad track, river's edge, bombed out buildings. Stevens and Moffat talking. They walk along barbed wire pathway. Stevens in jeep Toluca and weapons carrier behind crossing pontoon bridge and driving past anti-aircraft gun, along riverside and past fortifications. Stevens, Moffat and one other man on balcony overlooking river with reverse angles, including one panning the river. Several shots of Moffat.
German civilians; German troops; Elbe River bridge
Film
Five civilians with child and dog. Stevens carrying machine gun preceded group of civilians pushing cart with belongings. Pan of camouflaged objects, not clear what the objects are. Stevens and other members of unit talking with a German with white hat with "Berlin" written on band. Women seated nearby sewing, eating and drinking. These appear to be German civilians. Activity in city street, demolished buildings on either side. Stevens with goggles and Moffat. Civilians sitting on side of bombed out road. CUs of civilians. Their belongings are stacked in bags alongside of them. Groups include small children. Many shots of civilians and rubble in the streets. Moffat talking with a man in a gray sweater near airfield, what appear to be British troops with the Americans. Planes landing in BG. Possibly could be Australian unit and African troops. Camera captures shots, shooting from under the plane's wing to a large number of troops being loaded onto the plane. LS of 15 DC3s in line loading troops, some wearing burgundy berets. Troops (not Americans) waiting for planes, seated on grass beside runway. VS of troops waiting to board planes. Squadron of planes fly overhead. Pan down to men sitting on ground. DC3s taking off. N.M. on front fuselage and US insignia on rear. Other planes in BG. VS of railroad yard with steam, smoke and flames in BG. German soldiers in black uniforms walk toward camera on main street in Halle, Germany. Stevens talking to German soldier in black uniform, white shoulder patch. Stevens giving instructions. Two Germans carry heavy objects across street toward rail yards. The Germans in black uniforms appear to be firefighting troops plugging in hoses. Ambulance truck in BG. Platoon of German troops marching through narrow street in town, gray uniforms. Sign reads: "Berlin 168 kms." Stevens talking to people in jeep next to his jeep Toluca at side of small river. Jeeps going across pontoon bridge away from camera. Sign next to bridge reads: "Do not shift gears." Group of American men, including Stevens and Moffat standing on cobblestone street in village. CU of Stevens and unidentified American in helmet. Camera crew with cameras on tripods under trees. They discuss work. Someone holding microphone boom. Camera slate says something regarding Russians. Sign reads: "Truman Bridge gateway to Berlin over the Elba courtesy 83rd Thunderbolt Division constructed by the 295 Engr Bn 992 Bridge Co." VS of jeeps and other vehicles crossing the bridge. GIs, in rowboat going out in river. Stevens walks toward camera. Hamilton and Stevens by sign. Single engine reconnaissance plane flies overhead.
US liberates French towns
Film
Shots of WWI cannon. Stevens in overcoat walks out of woods to vehicles. They talk with French civilian. Hamilton in shallow trench. Pan of graveyard with sea of white crosses. "Here rests in honor, glory, and American soldier known but to God" (sign on cross). American flag flying over cemetery. Fresh cross says "James D. Brokow." Another cross says "Helmut W. Fesoa." These are recently dug graves with soil on top. Another cross "Jim Shaw." Stevens and two men with still cameras exit from church holding book, apparently register of Americans buried there. Book open, with swastika in front, handwritten "Heil Hitler." Pages turned. Long shots of firing in distance (This is the beginning of a reel, and the film is out of register, causing a ghosted image on the film.), men in fields. Young man holding a crow. Civilians standing around watching. Appears to be large bomb crater with hot remnants of bomb. Long shot of town. GI brings four foot bottle of Pommier champagne and pretends to drink it. Hamilton drinking four foot bottle of champagne. Clowning shots with the champagne. Stevens and others in foreground, cathedral, in distance. Loading jeeps with boxes. Sign "Metz" to right. "357." Shot of building "Sainte Menehould Poste." Children in street. Shot of strange looking cement building with huge tower opposite cemetery. Planes fly by over men in jeep and pass tower. Three star general gets into camouflage sedan (foregoing was isolated shot slightly underexposed). Stevens in jeep, signals forward. Camera pans jeep trailing weapons carrier down road. Camera unit, Stevens, etc. in bombed out main street of town, apparently Metz. Street signs in German "Befehisstelle der ortichen Luft Schupleitung." Pan of valley, fall leaves showing. Tracking shot through town on streetcar tracks. Stevens in front of the Hotel Brasseur. Sign in window reads; "Stadtsparkasse Luxemburg Zweigstelle Stadtmitte." Three formations of planes in blue sky. Sheet with orange and red flags on buildings. Tracking shot from jeep of large train yard. Sign "Achtung 5 km Uberhoden Verboten." Stevens and other men get out of truck with small dog. Men cleaning artillery piece. CU, yellow canvas sign: "Liege." Pan of town (Grand Hotel Britainique) square, civilians walking. Streetcar in BG. Shot of stream with cathedral in BG.
Refugees crossing bridge
Film
Refugees carrying their children and belongings across a bridge. Stevens, in shorts holding machine gun, firing gun into river. Caravan of soldiers and refugees, seven abreast, walking across bridge carrying belongings followed by women and other refugees. Sign in Russian, with date reads: "May 30, 1945." Underneath Russian sign there is a sign that reads: "Friendship Bridge constructed by 250 Engineer Combat BN 1146 Engineer Combat Gp, US Army."
Liberation of Czechoslovakia; refugees
Film
Red Cross workers on roadside with civilians. Shot of city from high angle. Sign, in English and Russian reads: "Welcome the American Heroic Army." Another part of the sign reads: "Welcome the Soviet Army." Pan to jeep Toluca. Sign in Czech reads: "Vplzni...Skodovy Zavody." LS from balcony to train station. Sign reads: "You are entering Pilsen by courtesy of CCB 16th Armd. Div." Another sign reads: "What you see on the street don't blame on the pigeons." VS of truckload of women and children holding red flags with hammer and sickle on them. They drive off and what appears to be a Russian officer waves to them. Slavic women in red scarves and white scarves. Numerous shots of Russians. Pan of bombed out bridges to FG, city in BG. HAS and other coverage of caravan of people in trucks drawn across a bridge. Red flag and platoon of men carrying what appears to be all their belongings. CU of officers. VS of refugees taking their children and belongings through town and across the bridge (returning home?).
Russians meet Americans at Torgau; dancing
Film
Color film coverage of Americans linking up with Russians on the Elbe River in April 1945. Boat comes toward shore, lands. Foreign officer (possibly French Naval officer) in dark blue uniform is greeted. Mounted Russian soldiers with sabers. Horses loaded on pontoon ferry boat. Women seated on tractors. Stevens and Captain walk to the river, meet Russians. Shot of Stevens, on Russian side of river. Russian officer walking with a cane. Stevens, cameraman holding tripod talking with Russians. CUs of Russian army officers and soldiers. Americans and Russians looking at money. Stevens and Russians standing around camera. Sgt. Bill Hamilton looks through Russian camera on tripod. Hamilton shows Russian how to use eyemo camera. Two-star and one-star generals arrive. (Handwritten annotation by LoC catalogers indicates that this footage was shot on the first day that the Russians and Americans met at the Elbe River.) Russian taking picture of general with hand-cranked camera. Posed shot of officers in front of British, American and Russian flags. Large group of men walking across field behind flag, appears to be photo session of Russians, Americans and British linking up. Flags visible. Cameramen rushing toward Stevens' camera. Officers and flags follow. The center of attention are the high-ranking officers of the three countries. They enter a compound. The Russian one-star commander with medals talks with two-star American general. Stevens walks toward camera amidst the group. Three Russian women military. Bill Hamilton with a dozen Russian soldiers, pans to American with glasses (Dickie Hoar - one of Stevens crew). Stevens and Bill Hamilton with group of Russian soldiers. Stevens offers hand, Russian shakes it reluctantly. Good shot of Stevens talking with the Russians. Stevens seated with a group (Pat Ashworth on far left), Russian comes up and shakes his hand. Russians wearing medals. CU of medals on Russian soldier's chest. Russian armored vehicle with soldiers on top. CUs of small groups of Russians and Americans, including Dick Hoar. Group of soldiers and women ride off in horse-drawn carriage. Sign board reads: "Frankfurt 150 kms, Marzberg 24 kms, Liebenwerte 33 kms." Russian soldier dancing in front of trucks. Stevens takes off helmet, Russian soldier still dancing. Two Russian soldiers playing drum and accordion. Another Russian soldier dancing, pan to musicians. CU, sign reads: "Herzberg 27 kms." Open truck with many GIs. Stevens and Russian officer working with machine gun. Red Cross man standing by. Russian shows Stevens how to shoot. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Sign on tree in Russian reads: "Torgau." LS of damaged bridge down river. Trees, explosion in BG, white smoke. Red flag. Two men in town of Torgau, fighting. Cameraman filming Torgau sign. Stevens walks up with Ivan Moffat and looks at it. CU of sign reads: "Torgau, Kreis Torgau."
GIs; battered corpses; Dachau camp victims
Film
Campfire burning. Hamilton, Stevens and others on ground cooking, drinking coffee. Change of scene, jeep Toluca covered with snow. Stevens in front of jeep Toluca shakes hands with crewcut American (Major Dick Cahoot). CUs, they are smoking, dressed in winter parkas (handwritten annotation to LoC cataloger's notes indicates that this footage was shot in Belgium). At Dachau, by a railroad track, empty boxcars, some snow on ground. Frozen corpse lying in coal beside track. Gruesome CU of snow covered huddled corpse by boxcar. Several gruesome shots of battered corpses of German SS. Frozen bodies covered by snow in boxcar. Stacks of concentration camp victims in boxcar being photographed by member of camera unit. There follows a series of photographed documentation of corpses.
Dachau at liberation; delousing; identifying German captors; religious ceremony
Film
Courtyard with series of buildings, Dachau concentration camp. One building has SS sign on it (possibly SS barracks). VS of camp at Dachau, including inmates sitting by fires cooking. Steam in FG. Shot of liberated inmates pans to bodies, stacked like cork wood. A sequence of shots of corpses. Inmates in striped uniforms unloading bread from truck. Cleaning out large cabin. Carrying corpse. VS of liberated inmates being deloused. Considerable coverage of this activity. Two young inmates in striped suits strolling through camp. Inmates pulling food truck. Shot of crematorium, flame is visible. Clothing stacked in piles. VS of stacked, naked corpses. Corpses of murdered SS guards. Followed by a sequence of moving shots of inmates huddled in blankets being loaded onto flatbed truck. Corpse is visible in FG. Germans standing with hands up in front of armed GIs. It appears they are trying to determine whether some people in inmates uniforms might be German soldiers in disguise. One inmate going down line of people, seems to be identifying his captors. American major prominent in these shots. CUs of Germans in striped uniforms with their hands up. One has been beaten and is bandaged. Survivors talking to Germans with their hands raised. May 6, 1945. Ceremony at camp with many flags in concentration camp courtyard. Blue and white flags blowing in the wind. Flag that reads: "Espanol" and French flag. Shot of three flags on top of camp blowing in the wind--Russian, British, American. Ceremony taking place in camp courtyard. Cameras are evident. VS of inmates. American chaplain of the 10th corps performing service, followed by an American Jewish army man, Rabbi David Max Eichhorn, wearing prayer shawl and yarmulke (skull cap). This was the first Jewish religious service honoring the Jews who died as a result of Nazi persecution in Dachau.