view of a building in Annecy, France, during World War 2. Flags of Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and Poland displayed together. A busy street with many bicyclists. A truck driving on a road carrying a group of American flyers who have escaped internment in Switzerland. The flyers, in civilian clothes, smile and wave at the camera from the back of the truck. Change of scene to front view of the truck arriving at Annecy airfield. some flyers are riding on the fenders and running boards of the truck. view of German prisoners of war clearing stones from a field near the airfield runway. A C-47 transport aircraft landing on the field, in background. The German POWs pose for the camera. Cyclists on a dirt road near the airfield, pause to watch a C-47 taking off. Children on bicycles wave to the camera. View again, of German prisoners clearing stones from the field. Local children looking to the sky for airplanes.
French Forces of the Interior (FFI) fighters and Free French 2nd Armored Division soldiers’ parade after liberation of Paris in World War 2. Crowds of French citizens gather on the sidewalk to watch victory parade. French people holding banners reading “Vive De Gaulle” and “Libération” (“Long live De Gaulle” and “Liberation” in English). French people cheering. Soldiers marching with the French tricolor flag along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The Arc de Triomphe (Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France) is seen on the background. Soldiers marching in front of a building displaying flags of Allied nations- the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom and France. FFI fighters (men and women) marching, some with rifles and banners, down a road. Banner reads “FFI”. Another Free French placard reads “2e. Section Libération”. FFI men and women in casual clothing marching along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. FFI fighters march with rifles on their shoulders along Boulevard du Montparnasse, passing by Le Sélect brasserie, a notable meeting place for French intelligentsia. Staff car and a group of half-tracks along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Soldiers with a gun sit on top of a tank during a parade. Soldiers and FFI fighters celebrate their victory by raising the “Victory Sign” on top of a moving military vehicle during the parade. French 2nd Armored Division M4 Sherman tank “St. Anne d’ Auray” moves during the parade. Soldiers on top of a moving vehicle. Crowds running along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. French people running on the sidewalk of Place de la Madeleine, near the Madelios menswear department store.
Film opens showing devastated snow-covered remains of Peterhof Palace and its fountains, in Leningrad, after the Russians ended the siege of that city in January, 1944 of World War II. The next scenes show crowds gathered on 25 August, 1946, to celebrate the newly restored fountains, which are seen spraying water again. (Narrator notes that Russians now call the place Petrodvorets, meaning Peter's Palace.) An official speaks, at the ceremony, about the architecture of Petrodvorets and its cultural masterpieces still to be restored. Glimpse of statuary and array of fountains. Closeup of several young women holding flowers. Another shot of the fountains spraying along both sides of a central pond, with spectators crowded along the extreme sides near lines of trees.
German forces operating in Russia during World War II. Film opens with map showing Northern sector of Eastern Front, highlighting city of Luga, the Luga river, Nowgorad (Novgorad) , the Woldhow river (Volkhov River), Schlosselburg (Shlisselburg), the Ladoga-see (Lake Ladoga), and Leningrad. Next, German forces in army trucks and some in horse-drawn wagons, are seen taking up new positions (retreating) in a snowy landscape, during World War 2. They move through a town, and are seen using vehicles to drag aerial and other bombs into position on a bridge , for use as demolitions to make pursuit by Russian forces more difficult. The bridges are destroyed as the last German troops pass over them. View of fires raging in wake of retreating German forces. Closeup of German Army engineers setting charges and detonating them, creating a large explosion. Numerous explosions as demolitions continue in the midst of burning areas. Closeup of a German soldier in a white helmet, smoking a pipe. Others are seen sharing sandwiches and bottled drinks. One passes a bottle to a soldier wearing the Iron Cross First Class medal. German soldiers dig new foxholes and defenses in the snow. Close front view of a German Panzer IV tank and others moving along a road in the distance. German forces exchanging fire with Soviet forces. Artillery shells bursting along the battle front.
German forces defending against Soviet attacks on the Eastern Front in WW2. German officers in the field confer over maps. German infantry walking through mist in a forest. German halftrack Camouflaged with foliage, pulling camouflaged artillery field piece. A halftrack pulling an 88mm Flak gun. Closeup of German soldier smoking a cigarette. German Stug IVs moving through forest. Infantry walking along a dirt road interspersed with Stug IV tank destroyers camouflaged with foliage.German soldiers carrying MG 42 machine guns. German tank camouflaged in branches and foliage. Tank destroyers and infantry armed with panzerfaust, to combat Soviet armor. A Soviet tank hit and smoking across a field, and two more burning on a dirt road. An MG34 machine gun. German infantry hunkered down in woods. A lone Soviet tank speeding along a dirt road, as a German soldier, armed with panzerfaust, watches while lying in grass. Explosion as tank is ostensibly hit by panzerfaust. Shell striking Soviet tank. Closeups of several knocked out Soviet tanks. German soldiers examine wrecked Soviet T-34 tank and SU-100 tank destroyer. German Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-87 dive bomber aircraft flying low overhead and then bombing a building near Warsaw. Close up views of Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers in flight during dives. Spectacular explosion following a strike by Stuka.
Germans retake Kaunas, Lithuania. A Nazi flag being raised on a building and war heroes being decorated. A German officer pins up medal on the uniform of the soldiers. The German troops stand in a squad and being decorated. The soldiers smile.