Refugees; captured Germans; bombed towns; GIs; marching into Paris

George Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. During World War II, Stevens joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946 under General Eisenhower. His unit shot footage documenting D-Day — including the only Allied European Front color film of the war — the liberation of Paris and the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River, as well as horrific scenes from the Duben labor camp and the Dachau concentration camp. Stevens also helped prepare the Duben and Dachau footage and other material for presentation during the Nuremberg Trials. In 2008, his footage was entered into the U.S. National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress as an "essential visual record" of World War II. The Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU) was placed under the control of the Supreme Headquarters' Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). The SPECOU consists of 45 people: writers like Ivan Moffat, William Saroyan and Irwin Shaw; cameramen like Dick Hoar, Ken Marthey, William Mellor, Jack Muth; sound operators as Bill Hamilton, who comes from Columbia, assistant directors, as Holly Morse, who has worked with Hal Roach. Civilians with rucksacks walking down street with belongings. Some wheeling bicycles. Refugees. These are twilight shots, autumn leaves in the pictures. Red Cross truck followed by jeep coming down street. More shots of refugees. Some of the men are dressed in suits and ties, roads are wet and muddy. Woman wheeling a pushcart with belongings. Two people embrace. Stevens walks toward camera. Empty wet street. Tank coming through town past Hotel Caspiel Hindenburg. Men running, including cameraman, some men firing mortars, others small light weapons. Members of camera crew visible in frame. Pan to top of bombed Hotel Caspiel Hindenburg. VS of shells and shell casings. Slightly underexposed shots of men walking through a clearing, dead body in FG. Establishing shots of town at twilight, camera crew running across the street. Sign: "Geschaftbefindet Sichwebenburgers 19W Joris." American soldier leading captured Germans (about 15) through town. Town is badly bombed. Pan of German prisoners huddled among trees alongside wall (about 100). German officer in long coat walks with cane toward troops. Americans show Germans out of walled area. Germans climbing into open truck. Stevens and others standing under sign that reads: "Hindenburg Strasse." Rubble in streets, strange skeleton on side of wall. Fire in distance, smoke, jeep going through bombed out town. Stevens watches jeep with men on stretchers (unclear if they are Germans) and Red Cross aide drives through devastation. Underexposed footage not discernable at this point. Captured Germans lined up in the street. They march off, following an American. Stevens is walking in front of them, jeep moving out. GIs walking down wooded road, man trailing has guitar over his shoulder. LS of explosions in the distance. Coverage of German soldiers packing their belongings. CU of jeep "Toluca", pans away to German prisoner marching down street following two armed GIs. VS of bombed out building, appear to be German soldiers sitting in back of jeep. Men from camera unit, Stevens walking through bombed out archway. Very thorough documentation of the destruction in this town. Men cooking, then decorating Christmas tree in street. Sign: "Lamersdorff Duren Langerwehe 70." Men putting ornaments on tree, including hand grenade. Jeep Toluca, Stevens and others in front of building which has been reduced to a pile of rubble. They are opening Christmas packages. The following footage is out of sequence and belongs with the liberation of Paris. Tanks and troops marching into Paris, Eiffel tower in BG. US flag in FG. Overhead shots of the jeep "Toluca" going through the city. Stevens with 'eyemo' camera filming airplane in the sky. Underexposed, panning shot of exterior. Stevens fishing in stream on small farm. slightly soft focus. Stevens in wool winter hat pulls small fish out of bag, displays it. Hamilton catches fish, takes hook out of mouth, displays it. Pan from large building. Underexposed shots of what appears to be a van. Blue street sign on wall reads: "Grand Place Groote Market." People walking home from work. Trolley car crosses square (underexposed). Men looking at map around the jeep Toluca. Yellow sign in BG reads: "Koln to Dusseldorf ^ ,Trier --->." Men eating by jeep. Sign reads: "Haaren." Tranquil shot of lake with winter leaves. Hamilton fishing, smoking pipe. Series of shots of planes in sky leaving vapor trail. Sign says "Stolberg" pointing left; "Werth", "Hastenrath" and "Echweiler" all to the right. Another sign "Duren 18 km", pans down road. Stevens bundled up in winter coat wearing side arm outside jeep Toluca opening K-rations with enlisted man.