"German newsreel - Normandy 1944" Topic

Fascinating German footage from both the Commonwealth and U.S. fronts in Normandy. Panthers and Mark IVs unloading, a 105mm battery and some Luftwaffe camera film which suggests that the Luftwaffe was more active than it really was.

Panzer Grenadiers on the move and a 120mm mortar battery is seen in action.

YouTube link

Also seen are French civilians abusing U.S. prisoners of war in a city (Paris?), odd given that just a few months later the same French were dancing in the streets and giving the same nationality's soldiers kisses, bread and wine!

Michael Wittman is caught on film while some clips look like the UK 7th Armoured at Villers Bocage.

Barry

Good stuff!

Good Stuff. Remember, German newsreels were known to take film from early in the war and use it later in the war. They would mix in training films with early war films and later war films.

Very interesting. As has been said, there is a bit of a mix here. The details of the equipment and uniforms suggest scenes from 1943 perhaps in Russia as well as 1944 in France. The abusive French civilians are interesting. Set up perhaps? Or a reaction to Allied bombing?

@gamershs:
Good point, I will swear that I saw an exploding T-34 at one point which suggests that a little Ost Front footage was worked in to the combat sequences.

Barry

I wouldn't be surprised if this Parisian crowd would be actually made of Jacques Doriot's PPF (Parti Populaire Français) members gathered here for the occasion. The PPF was a kind of French Nazi Party, and despite it was never a mass party, it could gather several thousand of people mainly in Paris and Marseille.

The civilians hitting whomever in ill fitting allied uniforms was clearly staged and the refugees looked rather more German than French.

That short scene is fascinating. I did at first wonder if this was after Dieppe or St Nazaire, but no. Playing it over and over I see British or Commonwealth soldiers making up the bulk of the captives. They wear the awful beret of 1943-5 and battledress blouses. A distant shot does I think show US infantry.

The rest is great filming. The Luftwaffe over Normandy? Oh sure, even in this film you see the badlads staring upwards the whole time. I see a few knocked out British/Commonwealth M4A4s but need to check the markings (they may yet prove to be Poles!)

Great find and posting. Up to Tango standards!

Some very good footage, some propaganda at its best.

Now my German is very rusty (took it 40 years ago) but from what I was able to tell, one clip was showing gun camera footage of Luftwaffe attacks upon Allied positions in ……. Normandy?!?

I think it might have been called that because if we show film of airstrikes and SAY it is from Normandy, then maybe our guys IN Normandy won't get down hearted by never seeing a German plane.

Also, made it look like the Germans were doing just great in July, '44. Nothing to worry about, we got this invasion thing taken care of.

Good propaganda.

Nice to see the French haven't changed….

Interesting stuff.

I have just finished reading Normandy ‘44 by James Holland.

This film seems to be a montage of film from the Eastern as well as the Normandy campaign.

The Allied interdiction campaign made daylight movement extremely hazardous and indeed it seems the French railway system was effectively incapacitated.

This is born out by the later pictures of heavily camouflaged vehicles.

Panzer Lehr reported 84 half tracks,130 trucks and 5 tanks destroyed on 7th June by air attack BEFORE it went into action.

Hardly the triumph described by our commentator.

Best wishes,

Chris