[4k, 50fps,colorized] (1939) WWII begins: Siege of Warsaw.

these were the only pictures made in the city during the siege barricades were being thrown up throughout the town everyone had to help the newspapers and radio were giving reports of army victories to keep up civilian morale of the progress of the war outside the city we received only false reports but suddenly we knew the truth on the tenth day soldiers started flooding back retreating warsaw was almost surrounded the bridges over the vistula were the main military objectives of the air raiders planes dive low over the city as they attacked polish anti-aircraft batteries actually made many direct hits about 50 german planes all told were brought down while i was in warsaw seven women had been machine gun from the air while digging potatoes beside one mother's body a stunned child waited for what might happen next [Music] they knew that if they dug they might be machine gun but if they didn't that they would surely starve and huge craters were blasted in the streets sometimes almost at my feet they huddled together perhaps drawing some courage from contact with their fellow sufferers it was pitiful or in groups like this a bomb could rub out scores of lives between three and four hundred enemy planes a day were overhead by the twelfth day it was absurd even to sound alarms for there was always an air raid stores had kept open so long as there was anything to sell then the city established bread lines where more than half the population lined up for their daily rations people were constantly moving sometimes saving the least useful but most prized possessions from the debris of their homes demoralized they shifted about the city seeking safety they were lucky who owned a horse and wagon because the entire family even to the house pets could be moved together with enough necessities by this time the german air force which had outnumbered the polish planes by twenty to one had left not a defending ship in the sky a new type bomb appeared 500 pounders it was almost impossible to put the fire out the water mains had been blown up at night i roamed through the city photographing blocks of closely packed apartments which were inflamed blackouts were completely ineffectual and the fires lighted up the city for miles around by 25 or more misses i made these scenes on a sunday afternoon the church had been struck during mass that morning [Music] this hospital was hit five times the day before i photographed it wounded civilian victims of earlier air raids in the city had occupied these beds when this raid came it was like a grim avenger relentlessly determined that they should not escape in the operating room largest maternity hospital holding their newborn infants on their laps four days old and already a casualty of war here were youngsters with life just starting being hidden away from death one woman explained that the planes flew low just above the treetops spraying the fleeing women with machine gun bullets still another told of nine who were killed by shell fire when they learned that i was an american photographer somehow they seemed to believe that i'd come all the way from the united states to help them but i could do no more than capture the record written in their faces dazed angry magnificent many of the middle aged were sullen and angry youngsters were half resentful half resigned while their elders turned to prayer these are the faces of a nation besieged these helpless civilians were the real victims and the unhappy heroes of the war of siege [Music] may god have mercy on them

Channel: Nineteenth century videos. Back to life.

Views: 3,869,791

Keywords: 4k, time travel, time portal, time machine, colorized, dain, upscaled, ai, neural networks, topaz, restored, cinema, old, movies, 50 fps, 60 fps, wwii, poland, warsaw, war

Id: 65Nzii7tRc0

Length: 4min 56sec (296 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 13 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/Spidersight]

I really enjoy these colorized and improved versions of old films.

The old grainy, black and white footage just never feels real. The people don't feel real. You know it happened, but there is just some kind of disconnect.

A simple video like this does so much more for me personally in conveying how terrible and evil war is and the suffering of the ordinary people caught in the crossfire.

Wonder what happened to the people. Almost all are probably dead now. Hope things got better for some.

[u/JohnDivney]

Hitler was a dick

[u/kbarney345]

These videos are always humbling, they remind me of how lucky I and many others are. Here in the states we truly know nothing of how awful life was from the past to today for many overseas.

The past were wars of unimaginable horror and today it's endless conflict. The middle east no different to this video. We fight and argue over petty frivolous things, we act as if our lives are destroyed by masks, different languages and social/political opinions.

We don't know real suffering or misery, hardships or pain, we know greed and selfishness, intolerance and hate. We act burdened and as if our very lives are crumbling while sitting at home in pure excess and comfort.

So many here are disgustingly ignorant and abhorrent, intolerant and blind, they are inconvenienced by nothing yet act like the world is against their every breath.

It's disgusting

[u/bruheboo]

I'm shredding tears while watching every second of this video. It's unbelievable that this happened....

[u/MagisAMDG]

Who was the narrator? How did he make it out of Poland?

[u/[deleted]]

Those faces at the end.

[u/badream]

4:48, "may god have mercy on them" dude i don't think god was anywhere near that fucking city