The Third Reich In Colour | Part 3: The Liberation of France | Free Documentary History

[Music] thank you [Music] summer 1944 somewhere in Nazi Germany cameraman Gail Kopp took this footage of members of the Hitler Youth and the Federation of German girls helping to bring in the Harvest as part of their land service cop was a so-called Color Film reporter but the Deutsche wachenshall a weekly newsreel shown in German Cinemas he had been commissioned to provide emotive pictures for the Panorama project in Berlin at roughly the same time cameraman Heinz zussa and his assistant Carl Friedrich foka were filming the morning dance performances by girls at middle gymnastics College such scenes were only to be shown abroad to neutral countries they suggest that in no way did the Third Reich regard the war as lost many Cinema goers in Germany would probably have sneered at such pictures because the precarious situation at the front and the devastating destruction caused by Allied bombing raids could no longer be kept secret svina Munda on the Baltic manned by recruits German motor torpedo boats are setting out on an exercise with its warships now barely operational and unable to be deployed in the North Sea or the English Channel the German Navy was relying mainly on these powerful flotillas they were used to attack Coastal shipping off the British Isles as the son of a film producer from Keel cameraman Gerhart goms was in his element garms was fully aware that his pictures had nothing to do with reality [Music] [Music] London May 1944 Springtime Calm before the storm these pictures were taken with its amateur camera by American war reporter jacly foreign the decision had been taken in a few weeks time the Allies would attempt a landing in Normandy all that remained was for the precise date to be set church services and Westminster Abbey were also attended by American troops on this warm Sunday in May many londoners were relaxing in Hyde Park they no longer had to fear German bombing raids and as yet they had no idea of the existence of Hitler's Wonder Weapons the V1 and the B2 Jack leep's task was to provide black and white material for U.S weekly newsreel news of the day but he also had a small amateur film camera with him and 16 millimeter material which he used to take pictures for his family in 1944 a host of American war correspondents headed to the south of England to report on the biggest amphibian Landing operation in history selected journalists press photographers and Camera teams would be present on decision day they were only allowed to take along what they could carry on their backs everything of course had to be kept top secret the enemy had to be kept totally in the dark also present was star journalist Ernie Pyle a Pulitzer Prize winner on May the 31st Pyle wrote in his notebook so I now know the secret the whole world has waited years to hear and once you have heard it you become permanently a part of it now you were committed it was too late to back out now even if your heart failed you at this point more than 3 million troops were on standby on the south coast of England ready to drive the Nazis out of France a third the U.S war correspondents were waiting in Weymouth where part of the Allied Armada was lying at anchor Ernie Pyle wrote and did more pensive moments we also conjectured on our chances of coming through alive we felt our chances were not very good and we were not happy about it military commanders expected losses to be high some put the chance of establishing a Bridgehead at just 50 percent in his diary British Field Marshal Alan Brooke had this to say about the forthcoming Invasion at the best it will come very far short of the expectations of the bulk of the people namely all those who know nothing about its difficulties at its worst it may well be the most ghastly disaster of the whole War the plans for Operation Overlord involved five divisions going ashore in Normandy the aim was for The Invasion Force to reach the San and Lua Rivers within 90 days driving the Germans back eastwards the Allies would then liberate Paris the Americans had been allocated two sectors on the west of the invasion front Utah Beach and Omaha Beach June the 6th 1944 D-Day now only professionals were allowed on the scene several weeks earlier Hollywood director John Ford had already been given the most important task of his career he was to record the massive event on film with as many camera teams as possible [Music] Field Marshal Evan rommel's task was to prevent The Landings his orders were clear the technically most difficult point the moment when troops make for the beach and boats should be used for defense with every means possible free beach obstacles Beach mines and concentrated fire from all weapons as the enemy comes ashore should increase the problem of this maneuver many times over machine Gunners on Omaha Beach fired at anything that moved thousands of American soldiers were killed or seriously wounded in an interview 20 years later John Ford remembered once I was on the beach I ran forward and started placing some of my men behind things so they'd have a chance to shoot their film all I could think was that for the most part everything was all so well coordinated fitted perfectly went beautifully to my mind though seasick kids were Heroes I saw very few dead and wounded men later I could see one dead floating in the sea on HMS Belfast one of the Royal Navy's flagships Hollywood director George Stevens experienced D-Day off Juno Beach he was taking part in The Landing with an army film team to document the Allies historic achievement for people back home but in black and white this color footage was only found in his estate many years later just before the men went ashore the captain recited the saint crispin's day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V and crisp and crispy and shall near go by from this day to the ending of the world but we in it shall be remembered we few we happy few we Bend of Brothers for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother [Music] on the late Stevens and his men also went ashore Juno Beach was in Allied hands the teen started to film the German Defenders had left Bernier in a hurry now supplies were coming ashore [Music] f a bar had been open since 9am in front of it a French resistance fighter holding his nation's flag posed for the camera a tank from a mine sweeping unit apparently disabled by a landmine [Music] when Adolf Hitler learned of the Allied Landings he was in high spirits the news couldn't be better as long as they were in England they were Out Of Reach now at last we have got them where we can defeat them afternoon of June the 6th the American war correspondence landed on Utah Beach Jack leap took these pictures with his amateur camera by Chance the U.S forces landing on this northernmost sector of the invasion front had had a surprisingly easy time of it the tide had swept their landing craft to a more southerly point which was virtually undefended some GIS were disappointed that the operation had not been tougher one eyewitness remembered later that there was little trace of the Elation that had been expected on the other hand there was no major confusion either the city of kung which was being fanatically defended by the Germans a color film reporter took these pictures which were used in a panorama weekly newsreel the Germans 21st Armored Division was stationed in the town the Allies became engaged in vicious Street to street fighting and suffered heavy losses it was not until July the 19th that German resistance in Khan was finally broken George Stevens and his men followed the advancing American troops westwards into the bokage a region of fields and hedgerows where there was fierce fighting the Hollywood director was worried about his team because the almost impenetrable buckage was perfect to Reign for ambushes and booby traps time and again the Germans registered successes against a superior Force on June the 30th star reporter Ernie Pyle wrote to a friend this hatch to hatch stuff is a form of warfare we haven't had to cope with before and I've seen more debt Germans than ever in my life Americans as well but not so many as Germans one day I'll think I'm getting hardened to dead people dead young people in vast numbers and then next day I'll notice I'm not and never could be I have continually to fight a kind of inner depression over the ghastliness of it all on July the 7th 1944 British commander-in-chief field Marshal Bernard law Montgomery decorated American soldiers for their courage on D-Day George Stevens and his team filmed the ceremony also present was U.S General George S Patton who had only arrived in Normandy the day before the old war horse had had to spend a whole month in England basically kicking his heels in his diary Patton wrote it is held to be on the sight lines and see all the glory eluding me on his arrival at the Omaha Beach sector Patton had inspired his troops with a fiery speech I'm proud to be here to fight beside you now let's cut the guts out of those crowds and get the hell on to Berlin and when we get to Berlin I'm going to personally shoot that paper hanging goddamn son of a [ __ ] just like I would a snake foreign 1944 War correspondent Jack leap traveled with General Joseph Collins's Entourage to the northern tip of Normandy around 21 000 German troops had dug in around the port of charbon and were putting up solid resistance but on July the 26th the Germans finally surrendered to a superior Force an American officer noted that some of my boys couldn't understand why the Germans surrendered so quickly [Music] Collins celebrated the victory together with the mayor of shabor and some of its citizens the general was known affectionately to his men as Lightning Joe [Music] Hitler is said to have been as enraged at the fall of sherbour as he was when Field Marshal paulus surrendered at Stalingrad [Music] the small town of barfleur Lies roughly 30 kilometers east of sherbu its Port had been fortified by the Germans and the Allies now plan to use it for bringing in supplies together with his colleagues Jack defenses that had been installed on the beaches and the bunkers the Germans had built to assess the situation in and around barfleur one of Hitler's field Marshals had paid a personal visit to the area as late as May 1944 but as it turned out barfleur was never one of the targets of the first wave of the invasion hommel was impressed by the enemy operation in Normandy technically and strategically The Landings and Normandy were an outstanding achievement foreign s withdrew from San Lo the town was in Ruins George Stevens and his team filmed in San law in early August it was here that the Allies made the decisive breakthrough in the battle for Normandy a bridge hurriedly repaired by U.S sappers secured the supply line to the West sanlos served the Germans as an important traffic Junction for the redeployment of troops so the town had been bombed and shelled time and again at a home a German Lance corporal wrote today I spoke to someone who had fought on the Eastern Front he said things had also been tough in the East but never as tough as they are here if a German soldier deserts to the enemy his family doesn't get any support and if we were to win the war he would have to be handed over to be dealt with week after week passed with the Allies making only slow progress but in the end the Americans achieved the decisive breakthrough on July the 26 1944 they took the small town of Marini shelling and strafing had reduced many buildings to Rubble George Stevens and his team filmed the destruction thank you the fighting morale of the German troops declined rapidly on July the 26th the paramedic noted this remark by a soldier who had been wounded I'll tell you one thing medic here in Normandy it's not war anymore the enemy is Superior in both men and material without adequate weapons we are simply being sent to our deaths our military leaders are doing nothing whatsoever to help us for me the war's over most demo is a dead one the vaffin SS were particularly hated because of the repeated reports of wounded GIS being murdered the black uniforms it seems were coveted trophies in the major offensive in July 40 000 American servicemen had been killed or wounded the troops who had survived were exhausted from weeks of fighting thank you George Stevens had received instructions from the highest level that first of all he was to follow General Patton's troops as they Advance towards Brittany the men in his unit respected the Hollywood director yet Stevens who always seemed to be grumpy remains something of an enigma to them one of his colleagues remarked later that he was uncommunicative and looked serious even when he was making a joke on August 15 1944 an armada of nearly 900 ships approached the coast of Southern France on board one vessel where American film director William Wyler and his camera teens the operation was only about half the size of the invasion of Normandy three American divisions went ashore on the first day alone the BBC informed the French Resistance about the imminent launching of this second invasion by broadcasting coded messages garby is sleeping in the grass Nancy has got a stiff neck and the hunter is hungry prisoners of War had to help unload the ships in contrast to D-Day in the coastal town of San Tropez the gis met with hardly any resistance there was one brief fire fight which cost less than a hundred American lives afterwards supplies could be brought ashore unimpeded the Nazi leadership displayed a lethargic reaction to the news from the south of France in his diary Joseph Goebbels remarked laconically that the enemy claims that the contingent that has now landed is more powerful than the one that came ashore in Normandy but they're only saying that to scare us it will of course take us a few days to implement our countermeasures because obviously we can't position adequate numbers of troops at every place on the coast to repel an enemy Landing operation yeah even after the Normandy Landings The Dangers for the civilian population still existed the Germans had mined many towns and villages to impede the advancing Allied troops George Stevens and his camera team were filming in the town of kutongs when a German landmine suddenly exploded the gis took cover just in case there might be other blasts [Music] U.S paramedics were on the spot immediately because one soldier had obviously been wounded in coutons U.S Shoppers had made most of the roads possible again the Americans had assembled fifteen thousand men in the area to open up supply routes blocked by wrecked German vehicles [Music] countless houses had been destroyed in the fighting most French people were relieved to be liberated by the Allies by now they were no longer afraid that The Invasion might fail and the Germans would return but many wondered about the immediate future would the Americans ensure a supply of food to the population and who would be in control in Normandy in the future the occupying forces or the French themselves under the leadership of Charles de Gaulle foreign [Music] Stevens had been given permission to film a German prisoner of war camp this was the Hollywood director's first encounter with the defeated enemy a foe who had put up such Fierce resistance over the last few weeks the few possessions the soldiers had with them were carefully inspected by now most of the German prisoners were glad that for them the war was over the fighting had demoralized them according to a U.S report many Germans created a lethargic impression large numbers of those taken prisoner were exhausted [Music] the Americans found that young soldiers in particular had believed Nazi propaganda in fact one prisoner set to a GI there's not much of New York left standing is there what are you talking about the G I asked well the German replied it was bombed by the Luft battle wasn't here [Music] captured German soldiers were transported away from the front and later put on ships thousands were sent to prisoner of war camps in Britain or the United States where they remained until the war was over [Music] filmed American Star photographer Robert Capper who had documented the horrors of the landing on Omaha Beach on the morning of June the 6th the American war reporters had gone on an outing to the medieval Island Fortress [Music] foreign [Music] was author Ernest Hemingway who was famous for his ability to hold his drink Hemingway had come close to being killed by a German shell here it seems he has liberated a bar later Robert Capper said Hemingway had accused him of not having helped him when the author sought cover from the shell in a ditch that Hemingway claimed was because Kappa wanted to take the first picture of the celebrated writer's corpse [Music] meanwhile to the north the Allies had achieved a decisive breakthrough but even so many German units had managed to escape East Paris was now within range but a bizarre argument took place about the next steps to be taken the talk was of an imminent Uprising in the French Capital which might then be suppressed by the Germans with Extreme Measures [Music] General Sean the goal told the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces who actually wanted to bypass the French capital we must March into Paris so on August the 22nd 1944 Dwight D Eisenhower gave the order for the French second Armored Division to take Paris the French were to liberate their Capital themselves [Music] [Applause] the final stage of the advance through the suburbs of Paris was a Victory Parade George Stevens and his cameraman were allowed to be present when French forces entered the capital on August the 24th later he told his son that it had been the greatest day of his life [Music] here Stevens and his team are waiting at montparnas railway station for a delegation from the Vermont the city's commandant had been ordered to defend Paris to the last man and then blow up the most important buildings but after a meeting with Hitler General Dietrich Von coltitz was certain that he was showing loyalty to a Madman so he had decided to surrender the city without a fight the surrender document was signed inside the railway station where it was actually too dark to film in the meantime General de Gaulle had also arrived he had organized French Resistance from Britain now the day of his triumph over the hated Nazi occupiers had come in order to capture the historic Moment On Film George Stevens wanted those involved in the ceremony to repeat it outside when cortis hesitated The Tipsy director is said to have remarked [Music] the gold strategy had paid off sitting in every Ministry were people of his choice the provisional government of the French Republic had assumed power and not the Americans then it was time to celebrate later Steven's assistant British screenwriter Ivan Moffat remembered one knew at the time it was going to be the most exhilarating day I mean it couldn't help but be particularly as we thought that the war was pretty much over and that the Germans were in headlong Retreat the atmosphere was intoxicating exhilarating with these thousands and thousands of people embracing us embracing each other under an absolutely brilliant Sky Paris looking absolutely marvelous not at all shabby an atmosphere almost like a bull fight [Music] at the request of U.S General Omar Bradley on August 26 1944 de goal took part in a parade of the U.S 28th Infantry Division on the Champs Elise reporter Ernie Pyle had experienced the boundless joy of the French on the day of their Liberation now he was disappointed as usual those Americans most deserving of seeing Paris will be the last ones to see it if they ever do by that I mean the fighting soldiers only one Infantry Regiment and one reconnaissance outfit of Americans actually came into Paris and they passed on through the city quickly and went on with their War the first ones in the city to stay were such non-fighters as the psychological warfare and civil Affairs people public relationsmen and correspondents I hurt more than one rear echoline soldiers say he felt a little ashamed to be getting all the Grateful chairs and kisses for the liberation of Paris when the guys who broke the German Army and opened the way for Paris to be free were still out there fighting without the benefit of kisses or Applause well that's the way things are in this world like many of his colleagues George Stevens also took time out to sleep in a real bed and to write to his family the days and nights all ran over themselves and became pretty much one thing struggled to get to Paris the doing and the two weeks before were the most exciting the most unbelievable time of my life I do hope you and Georgie have seen the newsreels that carried our film at the same time Steven's Hollywood colleague William Wyler and his camera teams were filming in the south of France where remnants of the wehrmacht were still trying to hold Marseille while French troops were combating the last pockets of resistance the resistance had already occupied strategic positions in the City Center Street after Street was searched to check for German snipers thank you the next day the Germans surrendered after Liberation the search began for those who had collaborated with the hated enemy the suspect's mother says goodbye to her son who is then taken away by resistance Fighters power in Marseille passed into the hands of left-wing forces of the resistance movement the Americans were tolerated but as far as possible were expected to stay out of the city and to push further north concerned that his country might become divided General de Gaulle diffused the situation with a trick the paramilitary groups were quickly integrated into the French army southern France on August the 17th 1944 nearly three hundred thousand German troops were able to pull back the wounded were left behind in field hospitals to be captured and were taken to prisoner of war camps the Allies successes had had a demoralizing effect on the enemy many simply gave up their attitude now was it's all over so buggered them now we're going to surrender as Hitler's Blitzkrieg Warriors in 1940 they had overrun France in just a few weeks now the sad remnants were being taken prisoner in the summer of 1944 the Vermont lost nearly 240 000 men killed or wounded two hundred thousand German troops were first interned in provisional detention camps foreign [Music] success with Memphis Belle William Wyler wanted to make a documentary film about the American fighter aircraft who were attacking German units or convoys behind the front but his teams never succeeded in showing U.S Thunderbolts in action his camera teams were only able to capture the results of their attacks in the opinion of cameraman Carl maslovsky Wyler used far too many rolls of Color Film without Rhyme or Reason in my whole career I have never seen such a disgraceful waste of precious film material [Music] but sometimes there were exceptions near Leong a squadron of thunderbolts had destroyed of their marked bus while as teen photographed the enemy dead a second team followed the advancing Americans towards the Swiss Border in the Euro mountains in eastern France the village of La charm had been almost completely destroyed by U.S fighter aircraft its inhabitants gave their liberators a somewhat lukewarm reception but in other places it was a different story foreign this German Lance corporal is lucky he has even been given a glass of red wine virtually the whole of France was free again only in Alsace and Lorraine the two regions annexed by the vermacht in 1940 where the Americans still facing Fierce resistance William Wyler ended his filming his sole AIM now was to get to mulus the town where he was born and where his parents ran a haberdashery business before emigrating to America thank you the color film reporters with the Panorama weekly newsreel were still filming in the Autumn of 1944. here cameraman Karl zontark is out on the Baltic with some of the German Navy's net laying ships 18 net laying vessels had been tasked with blocking Harbor entrances or important shipping routes to prevent submarines Torpedoes or frockman getting through scenes like these were intended to make Cinema goers in neutral countries think that Hitler and the Vermont had taken every measure to prevent the Allies from achieving further successes replacing its faith in entertainment cameraman Karl falca was sent to Breslau in Silesia to film a performance by the bush circus Master ulman with his 12 Arab stallions and tightrope Walker dolinda delighted the audience but also contained SS and regular army soldiers around this time journalist root Andreas Friedrich noted in her diary that we are making an effort with thoughts and wishes with hopes aspirations and expectations hardly a day passes without us talking about final Victory our final Victory will we see it this year or will we have to wait until next year on the Western Front they seem to be taking a breather [Applause] foreign with a massive array of men and material the Western allies had liberated France and reached the borders of the Raj their biggest problem now was not the Vermont but supplies because of the speed of their advance in August and September the Allies had to wait for fresh trips arms and ammunition to be transported to the front from ports and Normandy and the province thank you [Music] to the disappointment of the British the final decision on further action rested with the Allies American commander-in-chief Montgomery in the meantime promoted to field Marshall wanted to make a quick thrust into the Rua industrial region but General Eisenhower continued to place his faith in the superior strength of his forces [Music] George Stevens and his team also had to wait midway between Paris and France they halted for a while in Chateau tieri on the river man [Music] high above the small town stands a huge Monument commemorating the dead of the first world war in May 1918 the area saw months of fierce fighting between German troops and units of the American expeditionary Force which had been sent to the front in support of the hard-pressed French army [Music] thank you [Music] Stevens and his men were well aware that the second world war still wasn't over pessimists reckoned that the fighting could last into 1946 and cost many more American lives [Music] next to the graves from July 1918 there were now New Wooden Crosses for GIS who had only recently lost their lives foreign [Music] reporter Jack Leep and his colleagues travel to the Aden to meet up once again with General Lightning Joe Collins the headquarters of the U.S first Infantry Division was located in huffalis in Belgium Collins and his team were preparing to advance across the border into the German of Ash the civilian population had no idea that the Germans would return during the Arden offensive of December 1944 and that Allied bombers would reduce their town to Rubble but for now everything was going to plan and American troops were given the order to attack the Imperial City of aachen friedline Jack leap filmed these children symbols of innocence in a time of Horror desired and Germany's unconditional surrender was still eight months away eight months in which millions of soldiers civilians and concentration camp inmates would become further victims of the dictator's crimes against humanity foreign

Channel: Free Documentary - History

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Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full Documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), History, History Documentaries, Free Documentary History, History Documentary, The Third Reich in Colour, Third Reich Documentary, Adolf Hitler Documentary, Nazi Germany Documentary, German History, German History Documentary, World War 2, WWII, WWII Documentary, Second World War, World War 2 Documentary, 20th Century

Id: HMxjUn4nCn0

Length: 45min 21sec (2721 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 25 2023