This wonderful silent home movie was shot by a U.S. serviceman during WWII. The exact location is unknown and hopefully someone in the Youtube community can help us identify it. One possibility is Kent, Ohio (based on the “Ray’s Place” liquor at 1:20) but it really might be anywhere — please help!
The film begins with some good natured goofing around and then at :30, you will see military brass gathered for a parade. The parade includes a 1-star general. At 1:40, brass reviews troops at attention. At 2:00, aircraft perform a fly over, including a P-51 Mustang. At 2:34, the General (with Airborne patch on his shoulder) is seen on foot. At 2:49 the parade continues with armor including tanks, armored personnel carriers and half tracks moving past the Sears Farm Store.
At 4:30, you will see troops and tankers on maneuvers. At 5:30 tanks are fueled in the field. At 6:18, a tank is seen that has slid into a ditch, being retrieved by a second tank using a cable. One tank has “Amazon Lucy” written on the side.
At 7:20, some r&r in the form of swimming on a large lake.
At 8:00, some wonderful footage of tankers posing in front of their tank which is marked “Monroe, Michigan” on the side. At 8:57 a pet mouse is seen.
At 9:48, a large scale presentation of force begins with overflights of reconnaissance aircraft, followed by jeeps, Sherman tanks, and infantry. At 10:40 the flag is lowered and the entire division appears en masse for what might be a graduation ceremony.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
