Allied forces enter Rome after liberation from Nazi Germany during World War II. Roman men and women welcome United States soldiers on moving tanks. Allied soldiers enter Rome through the Porta Maggiore, also known as the Porta Prenestina (Piazza di Porta Maggiore, 00182 Roma RM, Italy). Aerial view of United States tank and soldiers entering Rome. Italian men and women cheer and welcome Allied soldiers outside the Colosseum (Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy). Soldiers marching on the Via di S. Giovanni in Laterano towards the Colosseum. A regiment of the British Army plays bagpipes outside the Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria), also known as the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (Piazza Venezia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy), near the Capitoline Hill. Adoring Italian women reach out to soldiers on a jeep. Crowds gathered to watch Allied military vehicles drive on Via dei Fori Imperiali towards Piazza Venezia. Italians watch the entrance of Allied trucks into the Saint Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City) of the Vatican City.
The U.S. Fifth Army in Italy during World War 2. Heavy rains slow advance of American forces. Soldier rides on hood of a jeep as Army vehicles make their way along flooded roads in Italy. A truck pulls a jeep back onto the road after it slid into a gully. Views of rivers that have become roaring torrrents. A pontoon bridge being destroyed by heavy currents. American troops assisting one who was injured in the floods. Infantrymen digging mud without much success until they get help from a construction caterpillar tractor with a large blade. A Red Cross worker struggles through the mud to carry a box filled with donuts for the troops. A carries the box, for her as she struggles to continue slogging through the muddy field. Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Commander of the Fifth Army, is seen eating one of the donuts, while standing in front of a tent, as the Red Cross worker also hands one to a Captain standing nearby. Red Cross worker passes donuts to other soldiers. Glimpse of a Roman Catholic mass being conducted by an Army Chaplain. Nearby, a camouflaged 155mm long tom gun fires at German positions on Mount Camino. American soldiers loading the gun. Other American soldiers watching the gun firing, from a somewhat sheltered position. Explosion is seen in distance from direct hit atop Mount Camino. American forces moving about during their own artillery barrages and firing mortars and bazookas. American wounded being brought on stretchers to a field hospital set up near the battle front. Doctors and medical corpsmen attend to patients in tent treatment areas. One carries supplies of blood plasma. A patient being given a transfusion. Women drawing water from a well in sight of the hospital. American infantry advancing through a gulley. A Truck carries American troops cautiously into an Italian village. German prisoners of war, under guard by American soldiers, wade through a stream on their way to the rear. Ambulances and jeeps gather near a medical reception area in a village, where wounded soldiers are brought on litters. Glimpse of local Italian civilians mingling with American soldiers.
Allied forces in Rome, Italy during World War II. Allied troops and civilians crowd in front of Trajan’s Column, Church of Saint Mary of Loreto and the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Forum of Trajan (Piazza della Madonna di Loreto, 26, 00187 Roma RM, Italy) in the center of Rome. Some people marching to Piazza Venezia, in front of the Altare della Patria. Civilians fraternize with the troops. “Assicurazioni Generali” (Generali Insurance) building on Piazza Venezia. Red Cross soldiers smoking. Crowds of Italians holding flags on Via del Corso. A soldier holds a baby. A young woman kisses a soldier. Soldiers talk to priests on St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City) in Vatican City. A smiling soldier shake hands with a group of Catholic priests. The Italian flag is waved above the crowd. Medical soldiers with crosses on their helmets are seen. Civilian children celebrate with everyone. A boy searching, looking far away. A sign reading 'Radio Televisione' is seen on a building that is being ransacked.
U.S. Army General Mark Wayne Clark and General Lucian Truscott in a Jeep, following the liberation of Rome by the American 5th Army during World War 2. American soldier salutes to arriving vehicles near a gate. Allied military officials exit a door, followed by Papal Swiss Guards (wearing the distinctive renaissance-style full dress uniform) with halberds. General Clark and General Truscott visit the Vatican City. A cardinal accompanies the two U.S. generals. General Clark salutes and talks to the civilians. U.S. soldiers speak with a Swiss Guard (in regular duty service dress uniform). Crowds of Italian civilians seen smiling and cheering in Via del Corso, near the Victor Emmanuel II Monument (Altare della Patria Piazza Venezia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy). Man walking up to Piazza del Campidoglio, the Senatorial Palace (Piazza del Campidoglio, 00186 Roma RM, Italy) is seen. Close-up views of smiling Italian men, women, and children.
United States 92nd Infantry Division consisting of African American soldiers in Italy during World War II. General Mark W. Clark awards badges to several African American soldiers of 370th Regimental Combat Division of 92nd Infantry in Italy. He presents soldiers with Combat Infantryman Badges, during World War 2. Troops lined up in formation behind those being recognized. Atop a hill, in the background, the Village of Peccioli (Pisa) can be seen.
Opening scene displays map of Italy, Sardinia, and Corsica. A German soldier at the front in the area of Monte Cassino, reads military news entitled, "South Front" which contains news about the battle of Monte Cassino, in Italy during World War 2. The high hill known as Monte Cassino and the Monastery located there are seen in the background. German troops are seen hidden among foliage at the base of the hill. One is hunkered down behind an M-42 machine gun equipped with a tripod. Glimpse of troops in trench, conversing. Next, American aircraft (too far away to see) begin bombing the Monte Cassino hilltop and Monastery. Numerous explosions are seen and heard as the bombs explode. A German soldier jumps over a stone wall to find better protection. German soldier observes through binoculars. At a campsite, where some clothes are drying in the background, Several German officers consult maps and discuss their plans. German infantry move into new positions at the base of the hill. One fires short bursts from an M-42 machine gun. Others fire their rifles. One uses a Schiessbecher to fire a rocket propelled grenade with his rifle. As they advance further, they come upon the bodies of several dead American soldiers. They capture an American soldier and disarm him. They capture several more American soldiers and march them back from the front. German officers interrogate the captured soldiers. Finger points at a location on an area map. German artillery then fires at that position. Artillery officers use periscopic binoculars to monitor the targeting. German artillery shells burst in a valley below the Monte Cassino hill.