In Berlin, at the end of World War 2, in Europe, a large group of ordinary people gather at a hill of debris where a building once stood. Men and Women use shovels to dig dirt from sidewalk and place it in buckets, that others pass up the hill, in a bucket brigade. Closeup of people filling the buckets at the base of the pile of debris. The bucket brigade consists mostly of women. They transfer the filled buckets up the hill and empty ones down via a separate group of volunteers. The buckets are emptied at the top of the heap. Some women transfer large fragments of concrete to one another. The entire project seems intended to clear more space in the sidewalks and streets. View from a high point reveals skeletons of tall buildings and other groups doing similar work to clear rubble from the city walks and roads.
At the end of World War 2, in Europe, citizens of Berlin (mostly women) cooperate in a bucket brigade to clear rubble from their walks and streets. Lacking any machinery, they use shovels to fill buckets and pass them up the hill of debris at the base of bombed out buildings. A train passes below damaged roadway where camera is located. Camera pans to the cleanup site, where dozens of people are occupied. Closup of a man using a mason's hammer to break concrete slabs so they can be moved by hand. Women inside the walls of a demolished building, where they empty the buckets and throw the concrete slabs.
Opening scene shows Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov and officers of his staff walking across a field in Russia, during World War 2. Soviet SU-100 (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 100) tank destroyers armed with a 100 mm anti-tank guns, rush past the camera. Next, Marshal Zhukov is seen surrounded by senior Soviet officers as he speaks on a field telephone. A formation of Soviet warplanes flies over the advancing tank destroyers. Marshal Zhukov and staff observe field operations from an established trench covered by a camouflage netting. Closeup of Zhukov examining a map. Soviet armor moving under fire from German shells exploding near them. Glimpse of Zhukov and staff in another observation point. Soviet armor and infantry enduring explosions from German gunfire and moving forward in smoke. Animated map shows gradual Soviet advances beginning at the River Oder and pressing toward and beginning to encircle Berlin.
Opening scene shows Soviet soldiers, carrying PPSh sub machine guns with drum magazines, enter burning building in Berlin during World War 2. One is seen dragging a German soldier from a cellar. The German soldier immediately falls to the ground and the Soviet soldier does too, to avoid gunfire. View from inside a burning shop as Soviet soldiers enter. Others climb stairs inside an elaborate building and throw throw down a suit of armor. A tank fires its gun. Heavy white smoke rising obscures everything behind the Brandenburg Gate. View of the Quadriga statue atop the Brandenburg Gate. Flashback glimpse of German troops marching through the Brandenburg Gate much earlier in World War 2. View of that same area now a scene of destruction and fire. Soviet troops fire a heavy gun in a street. Its shell strikes causing a large explosion and raising heavy smoke. Soviet soldiers loading rockets into a Katyusha launcher. The rockets being fired and striking buildings and creating fires. Shells being picked up to load a heavy gun. A Soviet 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) firing in the street. Other artillery firing in the streets. Brief closeup of two Soviet gunners. Smoke rising everywhere as Soviet troops carrying a Red flag rush toward the Reichstag building. They clamber up the steps of the badly damaged building, and enter it. Next, accompanied by several others, a soldier ties a Red flag to the Statue of Germania atop the Reichstag Building. Group of Soviet soldiers pose and wave tor their photographer. Another glimpse of the Red Flag waving vigorously in a strong wind on the Germania statue. More views of posing Soviet troops. View from the ground of the Red Flag on the Germania statue.
Decoration of a technical sergeant of U.S. Army in Darmstadt, Olm Area soon after end of World War II in Europe. Commanding-General of 7th U.S. Army General Wade Haislip shakes hands with T/Sgt (Technical Sergeant) Charles H. Coolidge of Signal Mountain, Tennessee before awarding Congressional Medal of Honor. U.S. soldiers and band parade along field. The officers salute.
Decoration of a technical sergeant of U.S. Army in Darmstadt, Olm Area soon after end of World War II in Europe. Soldiers lined up. An aircraft taxiing on a field. Commanding-General of 7th U.S. Army General Wade Haislip presents Congressional Medal of Honor to T/Sgt (Technical Sergeant) Charles H. Coolidge of Signal Mountain, Tennessee for outstanding duty with 141st Infantry, 36th Division the "Lost Battalion" in October 1944. Troops and Honor Guard parade along field.