Liberation of Athens Greece during World War 2: Animated map of Athens, Greece. German forces end more than 3 years of occupation by withdrawing from the capital of Athens at end of October 1944, as British Allied forces near the city. Scenes of a ceremony by German troops before leaving, and then German army forces in trucks and armored vehicles leaving the city. Celebration: Greek boys ring bells and smile on departure of German forces. British troops dock in Greece and march into Athens. They are joined by partisan greek soldiers such as those from the ELAS and EAM. Close-up view of ELAS and EAM (National Liberation Front) Greek soldiers in uniform. Workers carry boxes of water. Narrator states that half of Greeks are for victims of malaria or tuberculosis. Boxes of water displayed. Shows the return of Prime Minister George Papandreou on October 18, 1944. Large crowd welcomes and cheers the Prime Minister George Papandreou and display banners for liberating their country. Prime Minister Papandreou puts the wreath on grave of unknown soldiers. British Lt. General Ronald Scobie salutes. General Scobie and Prime Minister Papandreou honor the two unknown soldiers. British Armored unit receive enthusiastic welcome. Sign of 'The Greek People Welcome EAM', and 'Welcome Great Allies KKE'. Greek people welcome the National Liberation Front (EAM) and Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Citizens buy food with inflated currency. Inflation causes citizens to hand over large amounts of currency for small purchases like bread and basic produce.
Various landscapes showing rugged mountain terrain, Ancient Greek ruins and fortifications in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Iran. Iranian students, including one woman, measure chemicals inside laboratory. A professor teaches anatomy using a 4d model during a lecture. Professor points to lungs of model. A Muslim woman in medical consultation with a young female doctor and nurse. Donkeys carry bales of hay in Greece. A farmer leads donkeys to side of the road as a transport truck drives near. View of rural road in a mountainous village in Greece as seen from driver’s seat. Cars and pedestrian crossing new bridge. View of a small mountain village in Greece.
Italy invades Greece during the Greco-Italian War of 1940-1941, also during World War II. Two Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero aircraft in formation flight and dropping bombs over Greece. Bombs impact and smoke rises up. Italian tanks roll and troops advance. A military truck. Italian Army soldiers load shells in an artillery and fire it. Greek Premier Ioannis Metaxas reviews an honor guard in Greece. Greek soldiers march in review. Scottish soldiers in skirts also march at the parade. Italian soldiers in Sidi Barrani, Egypt. Soldiers fight and advance across a field.
Film starts showing United Press wire service receiver with report in it. "Tokyo" is superimposed on the image. A huge gathering of Japanese people is seen, most holding umbrellas on a rainy day. Camera view from behind some of the crowd, with the National Diet (Legislative) building in the background. Groups of men rush through the crowd creating disturbance. They protest the Treaty of San Francisco on April 28, 1952, which ended U.S. occupation, but levied heavy penalties on Japan including confiscation of all assets owned by the Japanese government, firms, organization and private citizens, in all colonized or occupied countries. Closeups of some surrounding a uniformed policemen and roughing him up. Views inside the House of representatives chamber, where members are in a state of turmoil. Member are dragging one legislator. Closeup of him sitting on the floor and of another legislator waving a fan to cool off. A cadre of uniformed officers enters the assembly room and forcibly removes several struggling legislators. Following that, a group of legislators forces another to the Chairman's position in the chamber. (Note: Political conflicts, between supporters of politician Hatoyama Ichiro and those of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida resulted in the Prime Minister declaring an “Out of the blue” dissolution of the House of Representatives in August, 1952.)
Major catastophe events of the year 1952. Views of destruction on the ground in Elizabeth, New Jersey, after American Airlines flight 6780, a Convair 240, crashed into a house at Williamson and South Streets on January 22, 1952. Burned wreckage and devastation seen at the crash site in Elizabeth following the crash and subsequent explosions damaging or destroying multipole houses in the 600 block of Williamson Street. In the first few seconds of the clip, the Battin High School for Girls is seen in the background. The school was adjacent to the crash but not hit. Narrator also describes the crash of an Army transport plane in California which killed 86 soldiers, but no images of that crash are shown. Next scenes shift to England, on September 6, 1952, as a de Havilland DH.110 jet aircraft, piloted by John Derry, explodes in midair after achieving Mach 1 and then beginning a left bank and climb at 450 knots during the 1952 Farnborough Airshow. Spectators at the British air show are seen on the ground in the area below the explosion and where debris rained down on the crowd causing deaths and injuries. Engines from the blown-up DH.110 plane (prototype, ID WG236) are seen hurtling through the sky toward Observation Hill immediately after the mid-air explosion. Scenes show crowd working to tend to the wounded and shocked families and children crying.
King George II of Greece, the Duke and the Duchess of Kent and others attend the marriage ceremony of the Duke of Spoleto and Princess Irene of Greece in Florence, Italy. Dignitaries and guests stand at a balcony of a building. King George II of Greece arrives in a car. Princess Irene and Duke of Spoleto walk out of a church and pose.