United States Army Brigadier General Benjamin Davis and troops in Rennes, France during World War II. Brigadier General Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. speaks to correspondents. Brigadier General Davis Sr. smiles. Military trucks drive past French nuns and children on the road to Rennes. A crowd of nuns and children cheer for the soldiers as they pass through Rennes. United States Army soldiers in vehicles enter Rennes, heading towards the Palais du Commerce (Place de la République, 35000 Rennes, France) on Rue Jules Simon. French men and women cheering for the arrival of United States Army soldiers. Two soldiers who had been captured by the Germans. The soldiers talk to the civilians gathered. A woman kisses a soldier. French resistance fighters escort French women collaborators (with the Nazi forces). A French woman collaborationist, with a shaved head and face covered in iodine, being taunted by a mob as she is being led away by resistance fighters.
United States General Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower and other French officials at Arc de Triomphe (Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France) in Paris, France during World War 2. General Eisenhower and British General Bernard Law Montgomery (wearing civilian clothing) walk along a field. Eisenhower and Montgomery both study a map. General Eisenhower watches military trucks move along the road. Eisenhower points to German wreckage. Remains of a burned German tank outside Paris. General Eisenhower takes a photograph of the German tank using a subminiature camera. Two British soldiers meet and shake hands with General Eisenhower, who is holding a subminiature camera (probably a Riga Minox subminiature camera). General Eisenhower, United States General Omar Nelson Bradley and French officers pose for a photograph at Arc de Triomphe. The crowd gathered waves and cheers. General Bradley and General Eisenhower in car. French civilians applaud and welcome the officials.
Execution of a spy in Toul, France, during World War 2. A slate reads Graham (presumbly cameraman) Execution. Military Policemen (MPs) lead a single spy, Josef Wende, to the execution location in the farmyard of a farmhouse in Toul, France. A Catholic Priest in black accompanies the MPs. At the execution point, a Lieutenant Colonel and two other officers stand with the Priest as he speaks with the prisoner. The Priest offers prayers for the German spy, who was a Pole drafted in the German Army and caught behind American lines posing as a Polish slave laborer. The face of Wende is covered using a cloth. The MPs tie the legs of the spy. The firing squad fires at Wende from a distance. The body of Wende leans forward and falls to the ground after it is hit. Afterwards The Lieutenant Colonel returns with a medical corpsman who checks bullet wounds on prisoner's chest and checks for a pulse. MPs pick up the dead body of the spy, cover it with a white sheet and carry it on a stretcher. The Priest prays as MPs pass carrying the body. (Note: Reportedly, Lt. Col. Elbert L. Nelson, Headquarters Third Army, was assigned to head a contingent of several soldiers to witness this and another execution at Toul, on November 11, 1944. He is likely the Lieutenant Colonel seen in this sequence.)
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler with architect Albert Speer in Paris, France during World War 2. Officials joining them include Munich architect Hermann Giessler and sculptor Arno Breker. They walk up the steps of the Church La Madeleine (Pl. de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France). French police salute as the motorcade continues on the street. The motorcade circles the Arc de Triomphe. The Obelisque at Place de la Condcorde. Hitler with other officials visit The Trocadero and look at the Eiffel Tower.
Liberation day parade in Paris , France, marking one year since the liberation of France in World War 2. French soldiers march on the streets of Paris. The Arc de Triomphe. Soldiers march under the Arc de Triomphe. People cheer to celebrate their liberation. French General Charles De Gaulle reviews the parade. Aircraft fly overhead as they pass in review. The aircraft in flight. They leave behind vapor trails.
Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe General Dwight D. Eisenhower in Cherbourg, France during World War II. General Eisenhower steps off a railroad train in Cherbourg, France, and salutes. He gets into a car. General Eisenhower boards the U.S. Army Hospital Ship, Jarrett M. Huddleston, docked at Cherbourg harbor. At the conclusion of his visit, he walks off the ship, accompanied by Major General Henry Aurand. They walk across the dock and look at ships on the other side. They walk past large artillery shell stacked up on the dock.
CRITICALPAST.COM: About Us | Contact Us | FAQs - How to Order | License Agreement | My Account | My Lightboxes | Shopping Cart | Advanced Search | Featured Collections | Website Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy ©2026 CriticalPast LLC.
License Agreement |
Terms & Conditions |
Privacy Policy
©2026 CriticalPast LLC.