Film begins showing map of the Baltic sea and cities of Reval (Tallinn), Riga, Tilsit, Mariompole (Marienburg) ,Warschau (Warsaw) and Krakau. German naval warships and troop carriers are seen in a convoy evacuating German forces from the Baltics in World War 2. The German Navy ships fire their guns. View of the German Cruiser, Admiral Scheer. Troop ships and barges arrive with German soldiers at a dock in Germany. Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner (wearing Knights Cross of Iron Cross with oak leaves, crosses and diamonds) is the first to step ashore. He is Commander of Heeresgruppe Nord which is a unit being evacuated. He is greeted by a German General. They converse and shake hands. Closeups of Marshal Schoerner interacting with German soldiers. Some troops manually move an artillery piece along the dock. Views of German soldiers eating snacks and seeming quite happy. Marshal Schörner decorates some German soldiers on the spot. Later, he is seen shaking hands with two newly decorated soldiers at a ceremony in an open field. Closeup of one soldier and an iron cross award pinned on a German uniform.
French civilians gather to watch a parade celebrating the awarding of the Cross of Liberation (Croix de la Libération) to Paris after liberation of France from Nazi Germany during World War II. French women clapping. United States soldiers marching out of the Place de la Concorde (Place de la Concorde 75008 Paris, France) into Rue Royale. A French civilian holding a camera as spectators cheer. Women's Army Corps (WAC) officers marching toward the L'église de la Madeleine (Place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France). French troops marching toward the L'église de la Madeleine. French children clapping as they watch the military parade. Three women watching and clapping among the crowd. French troops march and carry the French tricolor in Rue Royale. A marching band playing. A goat mascot accompanies marching troops.
Paris parade celebrating the awarding of the Cross of Liberation (Croix de la Libération) after liberation from Nazi Germany during World War II. Parade takes place on Rue Royale, Place de la Madeleine, and other streets in Paris. French troops stand up and salute. Close view of a French soldier saluting outside the L'église de la Madeleine (Place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France). United States soldiers use cameras to record the event. French troops carrying a flag (with words) marching on Rue Royale. General Charles de Gaulle and other official stand on stage in the Place de la Concorde (Place de la Concorde 75008 Paris, France). General Charles de Gaulle salutes. An M5 half-track leaves the Place de la Concorde. Two soldiers with a French tricolor flag on top of a moving Free French 2nd Armored Division M4 Sherman tank in Rue Royale, followed by a smaller tank. Two Free French M4 tanks side by side. Several French tricolor flags on flagpoles near crowds of civilians. French troops stand and march with flags in Place de la Concorde. Soldiers with guns marching in Place de la Concorde. A distant observation airplane flying above soldiers standing near the Seine river, with the view of the Eiffel Tower behind. General De Gaulle and important officials sitting on chairs onstage. A cavalry regiment during the parade in Rue Royale. Cheering crowds watching the parade on Rue Royale.
General Charles de Gaulle presents the French Cross of Liberation (Croix de la Libération) to the city of Paris after liberation from Nazi Germany in World War 2. At the entrance of the Paris City Hall (Paris Hôtel de Ville Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, 75004 Paris, France), soldiers, Republican Guards, and civilians gather to witness the ceremony. Representatives from the United States Army stands beside the United States flag. A Military Policeman salutes. As the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Liberation, General Charles de Gaulle delivers a speech beside the Paris coat of arms. French politician André le Troquer holds the Paris coat of arms as General de Gaulle talks. Allied generals watch the ceremony. A giant Cross of Liberation, illuminated by spotlights, is unveiled on the pediment of the Hôtel de Ville. Troops salute and sing “la marseillaise”. Major General Jacques Philippe Leclerc smiling during the ceremony. General Charles de Gaulle, with the Paris City Committee, important French politicians such as André le Troquer and Admiral Georges Thierry d’Argenlieu (also known as Father Louis of the Trinity, O.C.D.), the chancellor of the Ordre de la Libération, pose in front of the Hôtel de Ville.
Warsaw is liberated by Soviet troops during World War II. Soviet artillery fire victory salvo to celebrate the liberation of Warsaw in Moscow at night. Aerial view of Warsaw, Poland after its liberation. Smoke rises from destroyed buildings and structures. Shows Hitler and German troops in Poland in 1939 and the final surrender to Germany. Stalin and Russian generals. German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler and his generals in Warsaw during its 1939 siege. Warsaw sign in Polish stands in front of Hitler and his group. German infantry troops firing in prone position. Buildings engulfed in flames as Warsaw held out for 18 days. Civilian refugees panic on the street. Polish garrison, commanded under General Walerian Czuma, officially capitulated to the Germans. German General der Infanterie Johannes Blaskowitz and Generalmajor Bruno Bieler in a meeting inside a bus for signing of surrender. Polish colonel Aleksander Praglowski seen at window of bus during signing. Polish women watch as captured Polish Army soldiers are led to captivity. Polish prisoners of war (POW) gather on a field. The Red Army fight German Wehrmacht troops in Russia. Red Army tank move across the battlefield. Pillars of smoke rises far from the tanks. Howitzers and Katyusha rocket launcher firing at night. Soviet tanks on fire. Rear view of soldiers advancing in smoky battlefield. Scenes of devastation and rubble of bombed buildings in Warsaw after its liberation by Soviet forces. Polish civilians in bombed streets, some holding newspapers. Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov uses a compass on a map. Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky of the 2nd Belorussian Front talks to military officers. Marshal Ivan Konev of the 1st Ukrainian Front smokes a long cigarette. View of the Kremlin. Josef Stalin smiles in the Kremlin.
Newspaper headline declares Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Countess Sophie's assassination by a Bosnian youth in Sarajevo. The Archduke's bullet ridden uniform. The caskets carrying the bodies of the Archduke and his wife are taken to Vienna. The caskets wrapped in the Austrian flag at the port. Officers and soldiers salute in their honor. Priests lead the funeral procession followed by the caskets brought in horse carriages. Various New York newspaper headlines depicting beginning of World War I: Austria declares war on Serbia, Russia mobilizes against Austria, Germany declares war on Russia, France and England declare war on the Central Powers. Berlin: A large crowd gathered on the streets of Berlin. Mobilized German troops and band march on the streets. Crowd greets the German soldiers.
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