Aerial view of Avranches, France on August 6, 1944 (World War 2). Aerial view of the city center of Avranches. The Basilica of Saint-Gervais of Avranche is seen (Basilique Saint-Gervais d’Avranche Place Saint-Gervais, 50300 Avranches, France). Surrounding countryside shows craters formed from aerial bombing.
A group of American tourists touring Rome, Italy. Tourists ride on horse buggies in Piazza Navona (Piazza Navona, 00186 Roma RM, Italy). A woman from a horse buggy view the Fiumi Fountain in Piazza Navona. Tourists looking at Roman sights from the window inside a tour bus. Tourists alight from tour buses in front of the Saint Peter’s Basilica (Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City). Tourists take pictures using their Kodak cameras in Saint Peter’s Square. A tourist bus leaves the Saint Peter’s Square. The Arch of Constantine (Via di San Gregorio, 00186 Roma RM, Italy) in front of the Roman Colosseum. Young girls smiling. A pair of Italian Carabinieri (gendarmerie) assist tourists in front of the Colosseum (Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy). A young couple holding a baby leave after viewing the Colosseum. A family with a car prepares to visit the Colosseum. Tourists in the Roman Forum (Via della Salara Vecchia, 5/6, 00186 Roma RM, Italy). A man painting ancient ruins at the Roman Forum. Ruins of a Roman building with only Corinthian-style columns remain. View of Rome skyline at sunset.
Americans listen to a chamber string quartet playing music on stage. Vintage views of various famous American cities in the 1950s. Sweeping wide views of American wilderness with mountains in distant background. Elevated view of a river in America. A railroad marshaling yard with skyline of Chicago Illinois in the distance. Close view of two railroad trains passing in opposite directions in downtown Chicago with skyscraper in background. A city street in downtown Detroit Michigan with 1950s cars on the road. View of the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis Minnesota and the city skyline in background. View of Saint Paul Minnesota with river, bridge, and some nearby factories. View of Saint Louis Missouri as seen from an anchored position on the Mississippi River. The city skyline of New Orleans from a distance. View of Pittsburgh skyline with the West End Bridge over the Ohio River in the foreground. People walk on the grounds of Liberty Island in New York, with the Statue of Liberty seen towering above. Aerial view of New York city's skyline, skyscrapers and New York harbor. Camera view panning from ground to top of Empire State Building in Manhattan. Aerial view of Washington DC and Potomac River. Ground view of Jefferson Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol seen together. Steps of Lincoln Memorial and view of statue of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln inside the memorial. An eastern American mountain view, witha lake or river in the foreground. View of Half Dome peak in Yosemite National Park seen from a moving vehicle. Elevated view of a dense forest in the western United States. Pacific coast scene of surf washing onto rocks in a rocky area with nearby cliffs and mountains.
\View of a busy streets of New York City in 1905. Horse drawn carriages ride by. Pedestrians walking. Streetcars or trolleys pass at the upcoming intersection. Brief cut to 1940s aerial view of the Catholic Saint Patrick’s Cathedral (5th Ave, New York, NY 10022, United States). 5th Avenue Street view in front of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Then return to 1905 footage. Women and men in Turn of the Century clothing, early 20th century fashions. Variety of different hats, top hats, derby hats, ornate hats on wealthy women in late gilded age period. Overcoats, suits, and long dresses.
As film begins, elements of the U.S, ("Essex Troop") are seen passing under an overpass. The first is an M3 Half-track. Then several armored vehicles are seen from behind as they cross a pontoon bridge from Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry, to Seine Port, France, en route to Paris during World War 2. Soldiers, directing traffic across the bridge, stand beside it on grassy slope. Closeup of an M7 tank crossing the bridge. More views from the Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry side of the bridge as armored vehicles casually move across toward Seine Port. Front view of an M3 half-track heading toward the camera, crossing the bridge.
Pope Paul VI is installed as the Bishop of Rome. Pope Paul VI is carried into the Roman Catholic Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, or Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, to formally take possession of the Church. Nuns, priests, and people outside the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano, 4, 00184 Roma RM, Italy). Interiors of the Papal Archbasilica of Saint John (in) Lateran. As the Pontiff, Pope Paul VI is also Bishop of Rome, and he intends to make periodic visits to his flock.