What the End of WWII Actually Looked Like (Rare 1944-1945, Color Film) | Footage Farm

What did the final months of World War II actually look like in Europe? This historic archival footage is an excerpt from Jack Lieb’s private WWII collection, capturing the monumental transition from the euphoria of the Liberation of Paris to the stark devastation of Berlin. Filmed in authentic color, this footage offers a rare, unedited look at the closing chapters of the war in Europe, accompanied by the filmmaker's historical narration recorded three decades later. Witness the massive crowds along the Champs-Élysées, General de Gaulle amidst sniper fire, Allied troops marching past the Eiffel Tower, the heavy concrete defenses of the Siegfried Line, captured German miracle weapons like the V2 Rocket and Me-262 jet, and the final ruins of Berlin. If you enjoy preserved historical archives, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment below to help support the channel. #WWII #History #ArchivalFootage #LiberationOfParis #Berlin1945 #WW2inColor ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS: 00:12 - Narration starts in Black in order to synch film. 00:19 - Jack Lieb with Eiffel Tower seen far away in the background 00:23 - Arc de Triomphe - First day of liberation (Aug 26, 1944) 00:28 - Crowds on the Champs-Elysées & Arc de Triomphe 00:37 - Charles De Gaulle saluting and receiving flowers 01:08 - American Troops parade, Arc de Triomphe 01:11 - Charles de Gaulle, Snipers (people seeking cover) & German POWs 02:26 - American Troops Marching in Paris & Eiffel Tower 03:06 - Opera house 03:24 - Eiffel Tower, various shots. POV from the Tower going up and views of the city from the Tower. 04:50 - Auteuil Racecourse - Horse races, well dressed women. 05:28 - Peace & Culture: & Street Artists - Old Quarter of Paris 05:50 - Advancing Through the Ardennes Forest 06:24 - General Collins, General Maurice Rose commander of the 3rd Armored Division 06:50 - Units of the 3rd Armored Division 07:15 - White Flag 07:20 - Children on way to school at the Siegfried Line 07:30 - Shots of "Dragon's teeth" at the Siegfried Line. Two American soldiers walking through them. 08:10 - Crossing into Germany: Aachen Rothe Erde. City in Ruins and still under fire. 08:44 - Reserve troops waiting behind the front line. 09:00 - POV of clouds from plane. 09:07 - War Graves on the Normandy Beaches 09:14 - The Devastated Ruins of Berlin 09:50 - General Eisenhower in Kansas City 10:01 - Open house to display the captured aircraft to the public (Both Freeman Field and Wright Field hosted them). The captured German "Wonder Weapons" include: a V-2 Rocket 10:15 - Rare footage of the captured Junkers Ju 388 high-altitude night fighter 10:30 - Me-262 Jet 10:46 - CU "This Pilot's record: 1 P47, 1-P51, 5-B17 & 42 Russian planes. 10:52 - Japanese Ohka Kamikaze suicide bomb. 11:12 - Ju 290A-4 W.Nr. 110165 - "Alles Kaputt" featuring nose art. (Plane brought to America on 31JUL45. She was flown by Colonel Harold E. Watson, the C.O. of “Watson’s Whizzers”, and had just completed a record-setting trans-Atlantic flight, shaving a full hour off the previous record) 11:28 - Los Alamos (New Mexico) Atomic test (Probably the Trinity test) 12:10 - The End 12:31 - Final Comments to audience (Audio Only) about some technical specs about the color film used. For broadcast quality material of this clip or to know more about our Public Domain collection, contact us at [email protected]