This WWII newsreel shows activities in the wake of D-Day, as Field Marshall Montgomery and General Marshall’s forces push into Normandy and move to the east and south. On June 26, the British thrust towards Caen and the Americans towards St. Lo. At 1:28, infantry and tanks engage the German Wehrmacht including some of Rommel’s best panzer divisions. Allied aircraft bomb German positions at low levee at 2:30, and the British push forward. George S. Patton’s tanks move towards Brest and St. Nazaire at 3:40. British Typhoons make low-level attacks at 4:00. Spectacular gun camera footage here including strafing a German transport aircraft in flight. At 5:18, August 9, 1944 is seen in Paris as the Allied armies approach. German tanks are seen roving the streets. On August 15, a general uprising occurs and the French Forces of the Interior FFI activates its forces. Preparations for the battle of Paris are seen at the 6 minute mark. The battle for the city then begins, with spectacular footage of the battle for the city. Finally on August 24, Free French forces sweep through the city (8 minute mark). Tanks arrive inside the city at the 8:30 mark and wild celebrations begin — under sniper fire. At 9:15, Gen. Charles DeGaulle is seen visiting the Arc De Triomphe in liberated Paris. Scenes of celebration are seen at the 10:00 mark.
The Liberation of Paris (also known as the Battle for Paris) was a military combat that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been ruled by Nazi Germany since the signing of the Second Compiègne Armistice on 22 June 1940, after which the Wehrmacht occupied northern and western France.
The liberation began when the French Forces of the Interior—the military structure of the French Resistance—staged an uprising against the German garrison upon the approach of the US Third Army, led by General George Patton. On the night of 24 August, elements of General Philippe Leclerc’s 2nd French Armoured Division (the Régiment de marche du Tchad, a mechanised infantry unit led by Captain Raymond Dronne and composed primarily of exiled Spanish republicans), made its way into Paris and arrived at the Hôtel de Ville shortly before midnight. The next morning, 25 August, the bulk of the 2nd Armored Division and US 4th Infantry Division entered the city. Dietrich von Choltitz, commander of the German garrison and the military governor of Paris, surrendered to the French at the Hôtel Meurice, the newly established French headquarters, while General Charles de Gaulle arrived to assume control of the city as head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
