Watch Restored Footage of Air Raids Over Germany During WWII
Daylight Bombing Over Berlin
In this restored World War II footage, the United States Army Air Forces are seen flying toward Berlin during a major air raid. The weather conditions were harsh, with crews facing headwinds of 70 miles per hour and temperatures reaching 58 degrees below zero. Despite the extreme cold and heavy defenses, the bombers reached the German capital and released their bombs on key targets.
On the way back, one of the engines on a B-17 was knocked out, and the crew had to push through severe conditions to return to base. Fourteen bombers were lost during this mission. As the planes returned across the English Channel, flares were used to signal that wounded crew members were aboard. Medical teams on the ground stood ready to give immediate aid as soon as the bombers landed.
First American Flag Over Berlin
After the raid, members of the Eighth Air Force shared their experiences. A pilot named Lieutenant Brown and his crew had flown on the lead aircraft. He expressed relief at making it back safely and spoke with pride about being part of the operation. A waist gunner on the mission described how the raid happened to fall on his birthday, calling it a difficult but meaningful way to spend the day.
This raid marked one of the first times American forces had struck Berlin in broad daylight. It showed how the Allies were beginning to take the air war deeper into German territory.
German POWs in the U.S.
At a prisoner of war camp in northern Michigan, captured German soldiers carried out timber work to help with the labor shortage. These men were paid 80 cents a day, which they could spend at the camp canteen or save. Meals provided to them matched the standard U.S. Army rations, and many appeared to adjust to the routine.
Some of the prisoners were skilled shoemakers and used their abilities to assist with local needs. While it was still imprisonment, these men were treated according to wartime standards, and the footage shows them performing daily work under supervision in a controlled but humane setting.
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