Former Italian Prisoners of War who were held in exile in Yugoslavia are liberated on Italian soil. Former Italian soldier prisoners on the ship Gorica as it arrives at the Port of Ancona for their repatriation. Soldiers stand on deck and wave. Former prisoners disembark the ship. The wounded prisoners brought down by fellow prisoners. A man kisses a woman. The prisoners disembark the ship. Crowd gathered at the sea port to welcome them. Having been indoctrinated with Communist ideology, they sing communist songs and carry large portraits of Josip Broz Tito (Marshal Tito), the Yugoslav statesman, as well as small flags with the hammer and sickle communist symbol. Italian man kisses a woman on the dock.
In Calabria, poor Italian people gather in a town square to receive land in a random drawing. The land is being redistributed after years of feudal ownership. Land in Calabria that has become dry and barren through neglect is shown.
Rain washes away topsoil on lands that have been neglected in Calabria. Views of the poor in Calabria, including children. Italian boy feeds pigs. Woman stand in the doorways of their houses. Peasant people view postings and newspaper articles announcing land reform. A surveyor maps out sections of large pieces of land that are to be redistributed to the poor. Machinery clears the land to make it ready for farming.
Women and girls sit and work at numerous tables where they crack nuts and shell almonds for meager wages. They sing sad songs as they work. A group of men with farm tools pass by a hill side. An accordion player leads the group. They are itinerant farm laborers of the region.
British and troop patrols converge on the road to Rome, in the beginning of this film. Soldiers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and 5th Canadian Armored Division are seen next, mopping up after breaching the Hitler Line, on 24 May 1944. They are seen leaving the area to advance further. Brief view of soldiers tending to a tank and marching past an abandoned anti-aircraft gun. Captured German prisoners march rearward along a road as a camouflaged (with foliage) Canadian M4 Sherman tank advances along a road. It carries many infantrymen riding along atop it. (Narrator states they are en route to Pontecarvo.) Allied artillery pounds the ruined streets of the city. Canadian troops are seen next,entering the destroyed town of Aquino. British Hawker fighter planes flying over water in trail formation, behind the camera plane. Allied patrol from the Anzio front engages a German strong point, using bazookas and small arms. Glimpse of burning German armored vehicle. Polish troops are seen entering the village of Piedimonte. They pull a German from his hideout in a trench. German prisoners marching under guard. Stretcher bearers carry wounded to an open field where they are being tended. Polish forces hold a ceremonial parade where British General Sir Harold Alexander decorates a Polish soldier. Brief closeup of General Alexander. June 4, 1944, American troops enter Rome. German Sturmpanzer (panzer) IV "Grizzly Bear" tank abandoned on the street. U.S. troops walking about in the city and in area of Piazza Venezia. Altar of the Fatherland in background. Local inhabitants cheering the Americans. Italians mob the local fascist controlled radio studio and force occupants to leave the building, abusing some as they depart. Views of happy crowds. Some showing newspapers announcing the arrival of the Allies.
Rome fire department tests new type of fire hydrant for the city. Fire fighters spray water from a hose as Interior Under Secretary Guido Buffarini looks on. (World War II period).
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