This silent 16mm film footage are from the “home movies” of Eva Braun. Braun was notorious dictator Adolf Hitler’s most trusted confidant and his longtime partner. Hitler and Braun married shortly before their death by suicide. In 1945, 28 movie film reels were found and seized by the U.S. Army. These were patched together into eight reels in no chronological or thematic order. Reels are intermittent with b&w and color footage captured between 1940-44. This particular reel primarily features Eva Braun and companions on a vacation traveling by plane and ship to Hamburg, Germany and Iceland. It begins at the Berghof, Hitler and Braun’s home. Footage captures the Alps, the old port city of Hamburg dripping in fascist flags prior to reconstruction, the town center of Reykjavik, Iceland and Icelandic fumaroles. Ships and military crafts feature the liner SS Milwaukee, RAU IX whaling ship, Mercedes Benz W143, Focke-Wulf FW 200 Condor and the Junkers Ju 52. The conclusion tours the Icelandic countryside with personal shots of very obviously Aryan youth and a shipboard Neptune ceremony.

The film begins with images of the ornate decorations of the Berghof residence (:19) including decorative plates and dangling chandeliers (:13). Shots sweep the patio area (:22). A woman leans on a telephone poll (:31) near residential homes banked by the Bavarian Alps in Obersalzberg, Germany (:33). Boats cart the group for the German transatlantic luxury passenger ship, the SS Milwaukee of the Hamburg-America Line (1:11). Color footage follows a woman down city sidewalks for the Hamburg-America travel agency (1:55). Hamburg-America, developed by prominent German citizens in 1847, was a successful transatlantic shipping enterprise. Established in 1847 in Hamburg, at it’s peak it was the largest shipping company in the world. She enters a hat salon (2:20) as a Mercedes-Benz W143 pulls up. This Benz was known for carting German military personnel. They board a swastika stamped Focke-Wulf FW 200 Condor (2:39). The FW 200, initially designed as a long range commercial airliner would be used for maritime reconnaissance and as a bomber and transport aircraft. Close images feature Nazi soldiers (2:56), Eva Braun (3:01) and companions (3:07) boarding with luggage. Aboard the plane shots show the wing, the customs office known as Zoll (3:19) and a Junkers Ju-52 (3:28). Eva wears a trench coat (3:45). The SS Milwaukee (4:10) and RAUX IX whaling ship follow (4:21). It was built in 1939 at Seebeck Shipyard in Wesermunde as the 9th vessel of the Walter Rau Whaling Fleet supplying whale oil for margarine production. Footage shows Eva entering a vehicle (4:40), boarding the SS Milwaukee (5:06), cargo loaded at the docks (5:23), the Hamburg-Amerika gangway (5:48) and old town Hamburg (5:52). Sailors play brass (6:08) instruments and snares (6:12). Locals (6:43) and Nazi flags wave from the port (7:02). Eva waves back (7:09) with the Kehrwieder Tower in the background. The Elbbrucke bridge (7:23) and the MV Robert Ley follow (7:34). Robert Ley, later sunk by the RAF, was named after the head of the Nazi labor organization. It was used for peacetime cruises and as a WW2 troop transport. Guests wade a pool aboard the liner (8:25). Eva and friends lounge on deck chairs (8:40). A Schiffstelegraph follows (10:04). Small boats are prepped for travel to the shore (10:13). In Iceland, close images capture footage of noticeably Aryan locals (12:35) including a blonde gripping a dead bird (12:54). The residential (13:16) and harbor area follow (14:21). Close footage begins to capture Braun and companions watching a fumarole (15:29) slowly panning outward to include the swarm of locals joining to bear witness (15:37). The Reykjavik, Iceland Town Center (16:59) and Stjornarraoio; the Cabinet of Iceland (17:07) follow. They return the gangway of the SS Milwaukee (17:49). Braun and friends pluck flowers (18:36). The finale features a play or Neptune ceremony on the ship’s deck (18:52). Note: S.S. Milwaukee was built for the Hamburg-American Line in Hamburg, Germany by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard. It was named MILWAUKEE as a goodwill gesture due to the American city’s large German population.

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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 and 2k/4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com