Shot in August, 1940 — less than two months after the French government surrendered to Germany — this incredible home movie (?) shows some of the German staff in Occupied Paris. It’s not precisely clear who shot this film or for what purpose, although almost certainly the original cinematographer was German. The fact that it has title cards in English, German and French however, suggests that the film may have been “liberated” after the war. The film starts at :22 with shots of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées with very little traffic, one suspects the city at that time was still under a lockdown. At :29 the exterior of the residence section of the Carlton Hotel is visible, with a sign hanging from the garage entrance (“NS-Gemeinschaft Kraft durch Freude, Künstlerheim “) indicating it is now a German headquarters. Indeed, during the summer of 1940, the Luftwaffe set up their headquarters at the Ritz, with their chief Hermann Göring in residence. The Brasserie Hungaria is also visible. At :38, a closer shot of the sign is shown, it apparently translates to “Nazi community, strength through joy.” The word “Künstlerheim” literally means “artist home”.

At :40, German soldiers stand by outside the Claridge Restaurant, also on the Champs-Élysées. At :56 after a title card says “We stand in line” is a shot of Rue Galilee sign, followed by a crowd of people. At 1:21, two women in what appear to be German uniforms speak to two men. Various shots of traffic and pedestrians near the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile follow, with a title card noting this is the French shrine to the unknown soldier. At 2:45, the changing of the guard is shown and the Germans proceed to march. The card at 3:31 literally means “the gating” and refers to the temporary subordination of one or more soldiers during guard duty to a guard superior. At 6:02 a German command car is seen. The sign behind it reads “Luftwaffen Lazarett” or “Luftwaffe Military Hospital”. At 6:06 a group of German vehicles drives down the boulevard including a BMW military motorcycle with sidecar. At 6:45, a French civilian observes the movement of German troops and vehicles.

At 6:52, the film shows October of 1940 and once again, the Arc de Triomphe / Arch of Triumph. At 7:03 is a sign on Avenue Kleber for the Hotel Majestic indicating “Headquarters of military administration of France”. At 7:09 men who appear to be in the uniforms of French gendarmes stand guard near a secure area, the sign at 7:25 indicates “attention — restricted passage”. At 7:40 a placard with rules for access to the Hotel Majestic is visible. The only visitors allowed are German military personnel and German civilians with official business. At 8:10, a closer shot of the headquarters building, the Hotel Majestic. At 8;14, a sign with the Nazi eagle and swastika is visible, marked “Ch M V F”. The MVF stands for “Militärverwaltung in Frankreich” and the Ch likely indicates “Chef”. At 8:29, apparently shot inside the Majestic, the sign reads “Head of Economic Department” and below that “Registration”. At 8:48 an office door marked “Dr. Michel” is seen, and then shots of office staff and the German flag flying outside the open window. In a title card at 10:07 this is revealed to be “K.V. Chef Dr. Michel, mit seinen adj. K.V.R. Lehmann.” Research indicates this is Dr. Elmar Michel, who was in charge of the German economics office in France. (The first name of his aide, Lehmann, is not yet known to us.) Michel served as civil administrator in Occupied France and played a key role in the “de-Jewification” of the French economy during World War II. He survived the war and was interned by the Allies and testified as a witness at the Nuremberg trials, at which time he was released. Although later put on trial for the financial pillage of France, Michel was acquitted and ended up serving in a post for the Adenauer government of West Germany. Before he died in 1977 he was interviewed for the landmark documentary “The Sorrow and the Pity”. At 11:27, the film shows the group leader of the commercial economy, Dr. Burandt. This is Dr. Wilhelm Burandt of the Reich Ministry of Economics. He also survived the war and died in 1984.

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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