Two escaped U.S. Army Air Force aircraft pilots, shot down in enemy territory in December 1943 during World War II, speak with U.S. officers after their rescue in 1944. Both pilots are dressed in civilian clothing, and one wears improvised shoes. (Footage shot around the time of the Battle of Cisterna).
German paratroopers engaged in heavy artillery shelling against allied forces at Anzio Beachhead. Distant views of shelling and bombing at key locations. German Nashorn Panzerjaeger tank destroyer and artillery guns in action. German soldiers load fresh shells into artillery guns,1944. (World War II period).
The United States 5th Army enter Rome, Italy during World War II. Italians fill the streets and cheer for the Americans. Italians gather in front of the Porta San Giovanni (00185 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy) near the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Crowds of Italians cheering in front of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Soldiers on military vehicles, M4 Sherman tanks, trucks and jeeps proceed into the center of Rome, past the Colosseum (Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy) and other ancient structures and landmarks including the Vittoriano and Capidoglio on Capitoline Hill. United States soldiers in truck near the Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo, Via del Circo Massimo, 00186 Roma RM, Italy). Crowds gathered in front of the Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria, Piazza Venezia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy). Men carrying the Italian flag on top of a truck driving in Via del Corso. The American, British and Italian flags hang in front of the Campidoglio. Façade of the Campidoglio (Piazza del Campidoglio, 00186 Roma RM, Italy). Young Italian men and women wave at the camera while marching. Italians hitch a ride with soldiers on a Jeep in front of the Saint Peter’s Basilica (Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City). Some Italian civilians ride with U.S. soldiers on their trucks. U.S. Lieutenant General Mark Clark consults with two U.S. Major Generals.
Air Force airplanes of the Fascist Republic of Italy return from a raid on Gibraltar during World War II. The airplanes in flight. Airmen and officials greet Italian pilots, in the service of Germany, as they deplane.They are decorated for their service. Torpedo bomber aces Marino Marini (with jumpsuit) and Carlo Faggioni (with white beret) are visible.
A film titled 'Thunderbolt' about the aftermath of Allied air attacks in Italy during World War 2 . A U.S. Army Air Force pilot seated in the cockpit of an aircraft. Cameras fixed up in different parts of the aircraft. The cameras attached to wings, a wheel well and the instrument panel. Actor James Stewart (Jimmy Stewart), seated in a chair, reads a telegram by Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Forces Major General Carl Spaatz. Damaged buildings in Italy after Allied air attacks during World War II. Men guide a pack of mules down a road. Damaged buildings as a horse drawn cart moves past them. Displaced Italians on a road. An Italian civilian woman with a crying child. Two young Italian children children walk past damaged buildings and step cautiously avoiding a decomposed dead body amidst debris. Aerial views of mountains in Italian Alps and rugged terrain in Italy. Bomb craters on the ground leaving some areas of Italy as only rubble. A waterfall tumbling down a rocky hillside. Aerial views of buildings and a river in a town. Scenes of demolished railroad marshaling yards from Allied bombing campaigns.
Soldiers patrol the streets of Buonconvento,Italy with wrecked buildings due to heavy allied bombings during World War II. A jeep moves through the street as debris lies in the background. Pictures on wall of a destroyed building. French soldiers listen to an old fashioned phonograph.