From the Air War Over Germany to the Liberation of Europe
About This Footage
The Smashing of the Reich (1945) is a comprehensive visual chronicle of the final years of World War II, documenting Allied air raids, the D-Day invasion, the liberation of Paris, and the collapse of Nazi Germany. The film captures the relentless bombing campaigns of the U.S. 8th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers, as they pound Germany’s industrial centers, oil refineries, and transportation networks. Fighter escort footage features P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts engaging the Luftwaffe, ensuring the success of daylight bombing raids over occupied Europe. The film follows the Allied advance through France, including the D-Day landings at Normandy, Patton’s 3rd Army breakthrough at Saint-Lô, and the destruction of the German 7th Army at the Falaise Pocket. The tide of war turns as the Battle of the Bulge fails, and American and Soviet forces push into Germany. Stunning footage depicts the last desperate German offensives, V-2 rocket attacks on London, and the siege of Berlin by Soviet troops. The war ends with the meeting of U.S. and Soviet forces at the Elbe River and the complete devastation of Nazi Germany. The documentary concludes with harrowing images of liberated concentration camps, tattooed prisoners, and the return of soldiers home. A powerful testament to the determination, sacrifice, and destruction that defined the final chapter of WWII.