In July, the American camera teams are also allowed to film in Berlin. They manage to get unique color shots of the destroyed capital and its inhabitants. While George Stevens does not get permission to film the Potsdam Conference, Major Lawton is at least allowed to be present at the first meeting of the new US President Harry Truman with Kremlin ruler Josef Stalin. Seeing the footage of an absolutely destroyed Berlin, one cannot imagine it will ever be reborn. What a feat.
The destuction of Dresden, Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Hanover, Nuremberg, Chemnitz were overdone. I AM NOT CONDONING THE LONDON ATTACKS. But GOD DAMN IT. THE RAF TOOK AWAY INNOCENT CITIZEN LIVES WAY MORE! AND VICTORY WAS INEVITABLE. AND THE BRITISH KNEW IT
If you pay attention to this documentary, you realize that it wasn't just the axis powers that were fascists. Its obvious from the way the allied forces treated the losing sides people after the war because thats still happening in places like the middle east to this day, and its not just the US that us guilty of this, its actually a global issue. To this day fascism is still alive and well because the people in power, most of whom are warmongers and dictators, love fascism....
Incredible film! I still cannot comprehend how Berlin, Germany was rebuilt so quickly. I have never found a documentary to show how reconstruction took place.
the Marshall Plan, named for Secretary of State George Marshall, who in 1947 proposed that the United States provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe.
@@jasonwiley798 yes, I sm fully aware of where the money came from. But what I am getting at is I would Ike to see exactly how that money was put to use. When you see these videos, you can see just how massive the destruction is. But within a few years most seems repaired and Germany is economically dominating Europe. It is almost beyond belief.
My father was US Army we lived in Munich. We lived in German housing from 1958-1963. I grew up with German kids and most of the moms worked bc they had very few dads. Food,even then, was not abundant for the Germans. Many times my German buddies would stay for supper. We played(cowboys and Indians was big),went to school and it was a good time being a kid. The German moms treated me like one of their own , but it was still a rough time for them even after 15 years.
After all those brutalities, that german invaiders made in USA, after all those burned american villages and german conz camps on american soil this US soldier is able to forgive them, what a sweety!...Oh, wait a minute....
The ”stay at home mom” thing isn’t big in Europe to this day. We have very cheap/free kindergartens so as a standard moms choose to work instead of staying home. And the general consensus is that it is also what they want to do.
It takes a German production firm, Spiegal TV, to find footage shot by American Film Crew #186 and turn it into an absolute masterpiece. Then again, Spiegal had access to German military reports from the cities that fell to American forces without a fight. Combined with newspaper reports and diary entries from day to day events, they are able to tell the story behind what this crew found and documented through five rather incredible episodes. I enjoyed each one immensely. Thank you Spiegal TV.
My grandfather was in the 82nd airborne and liberated 2 concentration camps. He saw things no one I mean no one should ever see or go through. He came back with a German pistol (they let them come back with a few things not looting by any means) he was shot twice and had a hand grenade explode near him. He wouldn’t talk about his time there but he said if he had to He would do it all over again to save people and stop the monsters doing horrible things. RIP grandpa Bill
Welp if only our grandparents had only seen what would've come of this world today, they wouldn't have set foot out of those landing crafts onto the beach.
@@seizuresalad91 You cannot think that way. History is not linear, it is cyclical and exponential. The horrible things we see today could have happened even if the Axis had won the war. At least we in the west have had 60-70 years of relative peace and prosperity since WWII. We should all live today while sacrificing in moderation for tomorrow.
@@electrominded8372 not saying it is linear but we ultimately took the side of communism and Marxian philosophy. The Frankfurt School philosophers ended up in the US and else where and now we get to dance again. This time it's at a much larger level and yes it is complex now. Look at what happened to Eastern Europe as a result of the war's end and today they still feel the ramifications of such a parasitic ideology.
@@RebeccaTurner-ny1xxGeneral Patton made the famous remark that we defeated the wrong enemy. Stalin was far worse than Adolf, more prejudice and more heartless with his mind on more and more conquered expanse at the expense of millions of innocents. It would have been best to simply let them destroy each other.
Please avoid researching the bombing of Dresden and other civilian targets, avoid finding more about the plight of German civilians on the Soviet side, avoid any books on the starvation of 1.5 million unarmed German soldiers after the war by pres Eisen.... Avoid doing an account of the losses inflicted on the German population, avoid looking into why and who started the war, avoid looking into the myth of German villany and absolutely avoid asking who carried out the crimes against humanity. Remember, ignorance is bliss and asking questions can only harm you.
@@oopsmonkeyWhat do you mean? You are talking about the bombing of Dresden but what about the German bombings of Rotterdam and Warsaw in 1939/1940 (and durring the Spanish civil war?). If you bomb people dont expect them to sit idle, they are going to shoot back.
Unfortunately politicians in Europe, the US and elsewhere are in war mode again. It's always "Never again", 80 years later it's "All over again". "Elites" seem to need war at some point.
I wish my dad could have seen this. He was part of the occupation forces and would spend 3 years in Berlin. I have some photos he took of the different sectors, and the British, French, and Russian soldiers there. He told me of recieving a care package from his mom, and sharing some treats with some Russian soldiers. This was before the Berlin Wall went up, and some interaction with the Soviet troops was allowed. My dad loved his time in Germany and made some good friends there. He almost married a German woman, and I wonder if she is in any of the footage seen here. My dad passed away in 2000.
You comment is pretty much identical to my Dad's experience. He, too, made lots of friends while stationed over there and met the love of his life... He was shipped back though - never to see her again but, in some twist of fate.... Furthermore, he managed to name two of his children after her, my Sister Pauline and me... Paul Ian... He had a twisted sense of humour! lol
Why couldn't they take these women with them? Something like when US soldiers were stationed in Ireland for a time being and some of them took local wifes there and brought them to States with them. Thanks for liberating us and may God give long peace to your forefathers - my hometown of 10 000 in Moravia Czech Republic used to have hooked crosses everywhere. People were hanged here, life was tough under Germans for my family. Pavel from Prague.
Почему вы армию освободителей называете оккупационными силами? Разве СССР напал на Германию? Разве Великобритания напала на Германию? Разве США напала на Германию? Разве Польша напала на Германию? Разве эти страны возвели в абсолют идею превосходства их расы над другими? Разве эти страны называли свою нацию богоизбранной? Вам следует изучить эти вопросы, прочитать большой объем информации и документов, чтобы не делать в будущем такие ошибки. Да да, именно ошибки!
@@OCDadalтакже как и всегда, в брак сложно вступать с человеком с клеймом несчастья. Проще уехать и найти женщину более счастливую у себя дома. Это разрушило и разрушает многие жизни. Сейчас также на международных сайтах знакомств видно, как мужчины несмотря на войну в Украине и России ищут среди женщин веселых, жизнерадостных, незатронутых горем. Эти мужчины отрицают, что невозможно нормальному человеку в этих условиях играть в счастье. Такова жизнь.
Its crazy that my great grandma would be born 17 years after the making of this film. She died 2 years ago. I feel truly blessed. This is closest we will get to time travel during our lifetime.
Interesting sidenote: The Kaiserhof hotel, shown at 8:38, was never reopened like the Hotel Adlon was, that was shown earlier. Instead, it is now the *_North Korean Embassy._* There's an amusing circularity of that, from one brutal dictator to another.
I once worked for man that was a top turret gunner in a B-24 that bombed Cologne several times. He went there after the war ended and bought some post cards from an old man selling those on a road bridge. The old guy pointed out where the structures in the post card photos once were since everything had been turned to rubble. He showed me the post cards one day and remarked that he felt bad about helping to blow up such a pretty city.
My grandfather was a prison of war was one of the many British army who stayed fighting to let the rest of the the British and French army to be saved to fight another day at Dunkirk my grandfather was in prison off war in Poland in till 1945. Rip grandad you was a real hero and all the rest of the army, navy, royal air force who fought in the second world war.
@2:15 Young Lady in Black (top of pic) making funny faces at the Camera. She shows great spirit , Her Home is rubble, The Streets are rubble, Very little food & Water, No Clean Bath, Smelly toilet, And Month' & Month's of Hard Physical work clearing the City & helping everybody and She can still be cheerful, The relief & emotion of the War being ended conquered all other emotions.
She isn't being respectful,she is mocking at the cameraman.These are the people filled with hatred who killed or supported the killing of Jews.They can't be appreciated.
Colorization and video enhancemnt really has got 100 times better than 20 years ago.... Used to be so, so bad. You can actually see people's expressions, depth and texture now.
They would handle it just like any other generation. WW1 generation said the same thing about ww2 generation. Humans adapt very quickly. Before ww2 started, almost all countries were against bombing cities. How long did that last again? Everyone going to war has a hard time killing people. By the end, it's no different than hunting an animal.
One of the reasons West Germany was able to recover quickly, was the fact that many German POWs in US POW camps took English lessons from qualified teachers. Many received proficiency certificates in English from American Universities. Armed with knowledge of English they returned home and were able to get jobs in Allied Gov't agencies which made reconstruction easier.
Found out after my grandmother died we had a German grandfather from Hambruch and his last name was Hambruch.. My great grandmother also was married to a Goddard. They moved to the United States in the 20’s.
Seeing how there hasn't been a war even remotely close to the scale of either world wars, I would say we're doing good. Everyone thought ww3 between the Soviets and Americans was inevitable, too, but that never happened.
Morality. The last few sentences and that quote about morality are noteworthy after we consider the most recent wars along with the morals displayed by the losing/ trying to lose side.
My mom made potato soup with steak in it. It was what my grandma made for my grandpa when he returned home from the war. Even had a glass of milk which my grandpa loved. It’s like I stepped back in time.
I was in Berlin in 1977. Some things I recognize and some I don't. We could drive the tour bus past the Soviet War memorial but could not stop. We waved to the guards. The tour guide said she got one return wave in some years. The zoo was great. I was surprised how much Dutch art was in the museums. We could not use the S Bon, but could use the U Bon as the S Bon was run by the East Germans. The wall was still up.
My father was born in 1939 in the North. They spent most of their time at his grandparents farm when the bombing started in the cities. They saw no fighting up there and had food. They were lucky. My Opa was well into his 30’s and sent to the front lines on the Eastern Front. Once the war was over the soldiers had to make their way back home on their own. He was lucky and made it. The unlucky ones that were captured by the Russians were sent to the gulags.
Несчастных? 23 миллиона населения ссср погибло в той войне. На месте наших дедушек после увиденного в концлагерях замучил бы каждого немца в мире долгой и мучительной смертью.
@@vladoshka9014 сейчас страдают только соевые релоканты и покаянцы. Нормальные люди историю свою помнят, а не как те же т.н. "украинцы", которые обмазали танки балкенкройцами и зиги кидают.
The party on the left is now the party on the right And the beards have all grown longer overnight And the men who spurred us on. Sit in judgement Of our wrong They decide and The shotgun sings its song I tip my hat to the new constitution Take a vow for the new revolution Then i get on my knees and pray We don t get fooled again Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss
after all those bloodshed and years of war. these innocent people looks happy showing smiles even though the city if completely destroyed is just pure sadness. Bless them 😢
I visited berlin in 2005 when my hubby worked in netherland..he took me to visit his heritage from his mom side, who was born in berlin..i love germany and i visited some interesting city..my hubby took me to where his omi and opi were living in berlin..berlin so fantastic and more traditional compares with other cities like munchen, Frankfurt or others.
We have your hubby’s antisemitic family to thank for the genocide of over 6 million Jews, Catholics, Roma, LGBTQ, and others during world war 2. Thanks Hubby ! I get why you gave hubby a cute nickname like hubby. It makes it easier to ignore hubby’s antisemitic roots when he has a silly nickname .
My Lolo Francisco Aguilar was a young child in the Philippines during WWII when the country was invaded and occupied by the Japanese Empire and years later, it was liberated when General Douglas Arthur Macarthur returned in full force and not alone with US military might.
I’ve done a bit of genealogy. I know several ancestors moved back to Berlin ~1938. I’ve always wondered what happened to them. I have a few postcards with generic msgs, but I don’t think they fared well. (No, it’s NOT “faired well”!)
Какие красивые немки, как хорошо они одеты не смотря на то что весь город разрушен. Нет камня на камне и они в будущем смогли восстановить красивейший город Европы Берлин.
@@Solid_Snake99 что, не нравится правда жизни??? Давали, давали эти немки, за шоколадку, за банку тушенки, или булку хлеба. Даже за пачку сигарет)) И русским, и амерам, и англичанам)) Поэтому и одели самые лучшие вещички! Так себя они подороже продавали!
I was in Berlin a few years go. It had been completely rebuilt and is a beautiful and thoroughly modern city. It's hard to believe the way it was just after the war as shown in the video.
Как печально видеть, как только что воюющие на одной стороне державы стали врагами... Почему нельзя жить просто в мире, развиваться вместе, думать о глобальных проблемах... Почему люди такие глупые
Потому что люди ничего не решают! Это войны за интересы правящих кругов! притом капиталисты создают фашизм чтобы социализм не поднялся! В СССР была угроза их способу существования на разграблении других, поэтому банкиры запада создали коллективного Гитлера, чтобы не дать СССР подняться! Что что происходит сейчас на Украине это одно и то же! Просто Путин более медленно ведет Россию во внешнеполитическом поле страстей и Запад не может консолидироваться! Сталин же сильно резко решил уйти из под влияния западного зверя, поэтому они все и накинулись! Цель была всегда одна - они бояться что Россия поднимется! Но Россию уже не остановить!
Post-war, my mother "cleaned" bricks from bombed buildings in her German City. This was mandatory, and she had to do it for x number of weeks before she could apply for a job. When the time came, she was hired by the British Occupation staff, because she had learned English in the German equivalent of High School.
@@bold58 Germany was invading everyone and the average German relaxing in Berlin in 1938 thought Germany was invincible. Fast forward to 1946 and Germany was in ruins. America is no different. It’s the modern day Germany.
Army units from other countries were stationed within the British occupation zone. The Belgians were allocated a territory which was garrisoned by their troops. The zone formed a 200 kilometres (120 mi) strip from the Belgian-German border at the south of the British zone, and include the important cities of Cologne and Aachen. Polish units mainly from 1st Armoured Division were stationed in the northern area of the district of Emsland as well as in the areas of Oldenburg and Leer. In 1946, the Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany had 4,000 soldiers in Hanover, amongst whom was future Chancellor Willy Brandt (then a Norwegian citizen) as press attache. In 1947 (during summer), a Danish Brigade in Germany of 4,000 men, under British command, occupied Oldenburg, after an agreement, signed at Copenhagen in April 1947, between Denmark and United Kingdom. The London conference of 23 April 1949, during the Six-Power Conference, give to the Netherlands some less far-reaching border modifications, after the failure of Bakker-Schut Plan.
Unfortunately, today's American teenagers are as far removed from WW2 as their WW2 counterparts were from the Civil War. A short page now in what passes for history courses in American schools. Most of them get their history from Hollywood.
I was there in '08. We walked through a cemetery in Mitte where there were still bullet holes on the tombstones. The irony was striking - memorials to the dead, protecting the living who were trying to kill others. _Nie wieder!_
My parents were born northern England at the end of the war, so their parents, my grandparents, were obviously in the thick of it, and tales abound here if the Germans bombing us. However, my parents went to Dresden on holiday a few years back, and whilst there they saw photographs at a market of victims of the RAF. My Mother was still visibly distressed when a few days after getting home.
My uncle was one of the first victims of WWII He lived in Szymankowo, village straight before strategic bridge on the Wisła river. He's worked at rails. Germans troopers 15km before, has stolen polish train and goes to capture bridge. They stopped in Szymankowo station to clear area for their incoming panzer train. Squad jumped out and start sh00ting to surprised railway workers. One of hit was my uncle.
I remember my grandmother (now my spirit guide) had a tattoo on her wrist from Auschwitz, she was a young child and survived. My granduncle was taken to Majdanek camp and disappeared without trace. Horrific things humans do to each other to this day.
My grandmother’s sister, as a teenager, dug anti-tank ditches near Stalingrad. They were waiting for the arrival of “civilized and enlightened” Europeans.
I'm glad the narration was done by an English man and woman very factual and to the point I think an American speaker would have completely ruined it with his over dramatisation and non factual bs best stick to patriotic voiceovers for big corporative adverts have a nice day y'all
wow that flyover in the ruins of berlin was haunting and inspiring. the fact that ti was so broken so ruined that they thought it can never be rebuilt and yet today it is thriving.
@@RDd188It put the UK into massive debt with war loans still being paid off well over 50 years after the end of the war. Rationing lasted well into the 1950s.
My father was stationed at Ramstein Air base on 1960. I remember playing with the German children in bombed out buildings much to the horror of my mother. She was afraid we would set of an unexploded bomb or hand grenade.
Well, it seems that UK and USA kept knowledge of how conquered lands should be managed (humanly, economically, politically). Soviets didn't, as they don't know even now. Marshall plan came late after this difference was made. And yes, that mattered to German rebuilt. Thanks to all for this astonishing video and for comments. History MUST NOT be forgotten.
СССР сама востанавливалась из руин , восстанавливала из руин польшу и другие страны, а в этой войне потеряла 28 миллионов человек, из них половина - это мирное население. "Цивилизованные и просвящённые" немцы вели в СССР войну на уничтожение. .и почему же немцы не восстановили и 10 процентов разрушений? ... Ни один город в США не бомбили немецие самолеты, в США не сожгли ни одной деревни вместо с жителями. А США это главный выгодоприобретатель по итогам второй мировой войны. США вывезли из Германии всё золото, награбленное 3 рейхом на оккупированных территориях, сша вывезли из Германии 3000 патентов на изобретения, немецких инженеров, ученых, и весь уран из Франции. А доллар стал для всего мира как колониальный франк для Африки.
Шольцу и бербок показать надо. И всей западно европейской верхушке. Вот к чему может привести не дружелюбная политика с Россией. Только разрушения по жеще могут быть и востанавливать некому будет.
@@stepanpetrenko357как там Соледар и Бахмут, еще держат свиньи??? 🤡😉 Сколько деревень взяли за весь "контрнахрюк"? Да так "взяли" что необходим новый набор свиней на фарш. Старый уже под желто-блакитной тряпкой
How do I find parts 1 2 3 and 4 please? I'm half English half German living in England and heard so much from my mother and her family and love your films 🎥 thank you
Dear Humans, someone once said that those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it, and I hope there shall be MUST be no 3rd World War. Why? Because we all know what the consequences would be. Let's hope for the best because we have great Global leaders with tremendous commonsense, but we have to do our part as citizens. Spread love and kindness by always saying hi or hello when walking pass a stranger. _A great documentary indeed. Asanteni sana.
This was fascinating. The rebuilding of Germany an amazing feat. I can’t imagine Gaza ever having the ability to do the same (due to the backwardness, culture and corruption of it leadership Hamas. What a difference a western heritage and a hardworking determination can make rather than endless violence and revenge. The transformation has been astounding. I’ve been to Germany many times it’s a stellar place.
Yes, surely different times nowadays. Powers like Germany and Japan became industrial and technology might after the war. You would think Afghans, Gazans would start manufacturing and investing something in the future.
