On the German Western Front in World War II a group of German troops bury the two-person crew of a French airplane that was shot down on September 11, 1939. The funeral, which takes place in Saarbrücken, is conducted with full military honors. The two French pilots were Lieutenant Jean Sueur and Captain Jacques Rosignol of 2 Escadrille de Reconnaissance 551. Each headstone is shown with the airman's hat on top. German soldiers place wreathes on the caskets and lower them into the ground. A large group of German soldiers, including a German military chaplain, are shown saluting the dead Frenchmen.
During the German invasion of Poland in World War II, a German flying squadron is shown preparing to practice shooting behind the front lines. Their Messerschmitt Bf 109 planes are shown, as well as German troops sitting on the ground preparing. Two soldiers without their jackets are shown talking in front of a practice target on the ground. They appear to be repainting the target. The airmen's planes are shown flying and shooting the ground near the square practice target. An airman with no shirt stands on top of a truck looking at the planes through binoculars while other fully uniformed soldiers watch while seated nearby. From a distance, a plane can once again be seen flying and shooting at the targets.
Long shot aerial view from a low-flying airplane shows airport in Bromberg (Bydgoszcz), Poland. View of many German Air Force planes, as well as various outbuildings. Narrator describes that after the German invasion of Poland during World War II, the Germans took over the airfield to use for their own military aircraft and operations. Bomb craters on ground from German bombing on September 1st, 1939. View from inside a hangar looking outward on destroyed aircraft debris. More shots of debris on the airfield. Several Polish aircraft are shown in various states of ruin. German soldier approaches a Polish biplane with gun damage to the skin of the fuselage.
During the German invasion of Poland in World War II, Polish military prisoners are marched to German operated prison camps. Countless prisoners walk along a road, most still wearing their Polish army uniforms and carrying bags. German soldiers guard the prisoners from atop an embankment on the side of the road. Large German trucks drive past on the road, while others are parked. German officers watch the parade of prisoners from outside the vehicles. A close-up shot shows the Polish soldiers' feet as they march, including one man with no shoes. In a large square surrounded by buildings, lines of Polish men wait to be taken inside. They are moved around by German military personnel. Several young Polish soldiers, including one in a large coat, entering one of the camp buildings. Four Polish prisoners lean out of the upper windows of one of the buildings.
Two escaped U.S. Army Air Force aircraft pilots, shot down in enemy territory in December 1943 during World War II, speak with U.S. officers after their rescue in 1944. Both pilots are dressed in civilian clothing, and one wears improvised shoes. (Footage shot around the time of the Battle of Cisterna).
During the German invasion of Poland during World War II, German army forces cross new temporarily built bridges. The troops are composed primarily of soldiers on foot, with horse-drawn supply wagons and some mounted cavalry. German troops crossing on a low and simply-made bridge with no guardrails. Debris in the water near the bridge. Horse-drawn wagons entering a different bridge. View of crooked rails on hastily-made bridges. A soldier on a bicycle rides up a muddy road beside a horse-drawn supply wagon. Another wagon ahead contains another bicycle. A third bridge is crossed. On the opposite bank, a wagon pulled by two horses speeds off the bridge, kicking up dust. A soldier runs behind. Horses run to pull wagons up a hill, and then slow at the top. The troops walk along a road.
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