Opening scene shows ambulatory wounded of the British Expeditionary Force being processed as they board a ship for evacuation from the port of Boulogne, during the Battle of France in World War 2. As ambulatory soldiers board, they are tagged. View of some boarding who are not necessarily wounded, including two women in uniform wearing steel helmets. Wounded on stretcher being carried along a gangplank. Closeup of some who are bandaged. Ambulances park beside the ship, and troops help carry wounded aboard. Soldiers wearing white armbands remove identification tags from wounded soldiers as they are carried or walk aboard.
Soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) marching informally, on the cobblestone streets of a town on the Belgian—French border during the so-called "Phoney War," at start of World War 2, in 1939. Some local residents watch and wave to the troops. Some children are seen, including a small girl held in her mother's arms. Soldier on bicycle and a canvas-covered utility vehicle are seen along with the marching infantry. The atmosphere is relaxed with no hint of hostilities.
Director of Alsace Ecclesiastical Matters looks into the matter of the removal of the religious objects from churches in evacuated villages in Alsace, France, early in World War 2. A Catholic church in a village. A French catholic priest removes religious objects from the church to protect them from theft and war. He is accompanied by men of Garde Mobile and a civilian from the Office of Worship, Marcel Schneider. They spread a sheet on which various objects like altar cloths are kept. Relics, goblets, and other objects are loaded in a truck. The priest stands at the hood of the truck, examining a map together with Marcel Schneider (who assisted in safe removal of objects from regional synagogues and churches), a Jewish Rabbi named Chaplain Justin Schuhl (wearing glasses), and an unidentified chaplain.
Selective Service, Delaware County Board in Indiana during World War 2. The draftees come out of a door. Several men stand out of the room. A man stands with a paper in his hand. The military recruitment draftees board a bus for military induction at Indianapolis. The bus of the "ABC Coach Lines Inc" leaves with the draftees. Sign on window reads 'Selective Service System, Delaware County Board. West Main Street"
A man fits a hidden camera into the basket of his bicycle, in England. Several other men stand near him. A man hands him bottles and groceries which he uses to cover the hide the camera in the basket. The men ride cycles along a road. Shops in the street. Pedestrians, cars and other cyclists in the background. The man pulls on a small string to make the camera take pictures while he rides. (Showing a method of surveillance and reconnaissance during World War 2)
The Arno River in Italy during World War 2. People cross the river by a weir. Destroyed bridges across Arno River. Ruins near Ponte Vecchio (Ponte Vecchio, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy). Several people stand near the river. Tuscan Hills in the far background. People climb improvised stairs from the weir. People walk through the streets in Florence. A curfew sign in the background reads “Curfew for all troops 2100 hours”.
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