Wounded soldiers of U.S. and British troops at 42nd field hospital in Saint Mere Eglise France near Normandy after D-Day. Large number of wounded soldiers lie on litters. Field hospital tents can be seen around. Wounded on litters are lifted into a DUKW by group of medics. (World War II period).
View of a United States military tank crossing a pontoon bridge from Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry, to Seine Port, France, during World War 2. . An American Sherman tank equipped with hedge cutter front attachment. Closeup of the attachment and of the tank rolling on its tread while crossing over steel panels on the bridge. Closeup of another Sherman crossing. Soldiers have chalked their names on the side of this one. Another hedge cutter-equipped Sherman crosses the bridge followed by a jeep with red crosses on it. Closeup of gunner in open turret of a Sherman tank, manning a Browning M2HB heavy machine gun. A tank arriving on the muddy opposite shore, and passing other parked military vehicles. Soldiers work with driver of small closed cab artillery tractor pulling a heavy two-wheeled caisson across the bridge. French farmers watch as more tanks cross from Saint-Fargeau.
U.S. Army 'Red Ball Convoy' moves through village of Courville-sur-Eure (Chartres, Eure-et-Loir) France, in World War 2. A sign reads " Red Ball Convoys only-All others keep out." A soldier wearing an arm band, holds a clip board and accounts for the trucks as they pass. A military policeman stands at a traffic control point. He signals the convoy of supply trucks to turn in the village. The convoy of trucks pass along the road. The trucks carry gasoline, ammunition and rations. They are also seen traveling along route nationale 23 (N23) on outskirts of the town. Spires of a church can be seen in the distance.
Film opens with map showing lower France and Mediterranean areas. However, it shows images covering primarily the French Riviera (or Côte d'Azur) under German occupation during World War II, in 1943 or 1944. German infantry march along a road. A flight of German FW-190 Fighter airplanes flies inland from the Mediterranean Sea and crosses low above a harbor. Change of scene shows a single fighter plane buzzing the Marseille Port. (It looks like a P-47 with invasion stripes. But It does not draw any anti-aircraft fire.) Camera tracks it from vantage point at the Marseille Basilica, high above the harbor. Brief view of the Basilica as the aircraft passes. A glimpse of the Marseille Port below from the Basilica. View of the Marseille Transporter Bridge designed by Ferdinand Arnodin and built in 1905. (It was destroyed after these films were made, in 1944.) A German soldier peering through binoculars in front of a 2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling, quad anti-aircraft gun position. Another one is seen in the background. Several more views of German anti-aircraft and other gun emplacements protecting the Marseille Port, including 88mm guns, heavy machine guns, and Atlantic Wall coastal defense guns. Scene shifts to German soldiers marching near the French Riviera beach and palm trees. Italian cavalry are seen riding in formation, ostensibly from Nice. Italian soldiers in trucks are being transported along the Riviera waterfront. A road sign points toward Toulon at 6.3 kilometers away. (So this location is probably near Sanary-sur-Mer.) View of the Toulon harbor, where the French battleship Provence, scuttled in 1942, is seen settled low in the water at a pier.
United States 80th Infantry Division in Chalons-sur-Marne, France during World War II. A water-filled field. A U.S. soldier stands along with the Mayor of Chalons-sur-Marne. The soldier stands with a United States flag in hand. He presents the flag to the Mayor. The flag is raised to the peak and is not lowered for the day. United States soldiers gather for the flag raising ceremony. French civilians gather. A band of musicians play instruments.
U.S. 9th Division memorial service in Sainte-Mère-Église, France during World War II. Crosses in a cemetery. Troops stand in formation in the background. Commanding General 9th Division Major General Manton Sprague Eddy speaks to the soldiers. The soldiers fire guns in honor of the dead soldiers. A bugler blows a bugle. The soldiers examine grave markers in search of their buddies. A band plays.
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