It’s been a while since my last update on the status of the Subject Finding Aid Project. An update for Batches 6 and 7 was promised as “on the horizon” in my previous blog, and it’s finally time to deliver the goods. In Batches 6 and 7, we’ve been able to add 4,356 new descriptions … Continue reading Subject Finding Aid Project (Update 3)
Tag: Germany
VE Day in Color
Still from 18-SFP-9148 Meeting at Torgau The Germany city of Torgau is located on the banks of the Elbe River just 100 miles from the county's capital of Berlin. It is there that American and Soviet forces met on April 25, 1945 marking the end of World War II in Germany. Twelve days later, on … Continue reading VE Day in Color
The Berlin Wall: 30 Years After The Fall
This Saturday, November 9th, marks 30 years since the government of East Germany lifted restrictions regarding travel between East and West Germany. Since 1961, the Berlin Wall had cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, including East Berlin, and its opening reflected the weakening state of the Soviet Union. The following film clips document … Continue reading The Berlin Wall: 30 Years After The Fall
Recently Opened Series: German World War II Maps
One of the most interesting ways of seeing World War II military operations from the point of view of the Axis powers is by looking in the National Archives' materials held in Record Group 242: National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized. This record group includes documents, films, photographs and maps that were seized from the Axis … Continue reading Recently Opened Series: German World War II Maps
Aftermath of Disaster: RMS Lusitania in Photographs
In the early afternoon of May 7, 1915, the RMS Lusitania made her way towards Liverpool, England. Six days earlier she’d left New York City on her 202nd transatlantic voyage, carrying 1,265 passengers and 694 crew members from all over the world, including nearly 150 Americans. The mood aboard Lusitania during the voyage was one … Continue reading Aftermath of Disaster: RMS Lusitania in Photographs
Photos from the Nazi Archives
Please Note: This post contains images of sensitive content The National Archives has a large collection of seized foreign records. Within the Still Photos Branch, the vast majority of these records pertain to Nazi Germany. Notable series include photographs taken by Heinrich Hoffman, Hitler’s official photographer, and a number of albums from Eva Braun, Hitler’s … Continue reading Photos from the Nazi Archives
Two Down, One to Go: Preparing Soldiers for More War
After the Allied victory was declared against Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945 (a date known to history as V-E Day), US military officials presented troops with Two Down, One to Go (Local Identifier: 111-EF-1), a film that serves as both Q+A session and pep talk to prepare them to shift their attention to Japan. https://youtu.be/do1-nBjYjdY … Continue reading Two Down, One to Go: Preparing Soldiers for More War
The Fury of Hell on Wheels: Tank Warfare, April 1945
This post was written by Criss Kovac. Criss is the supervisor of the National Archives Motion Picture Preservation Lab. Ten months after the D-Day invasion, Allied forces were sweeping through western Europe. Germany in April 1945 is often depicted as the Allies capturing scattered Axis soldiers and liberating citizens from the clutches of the Third Reich. Small … Continue reading The Fury of Hell on Wheels: Tank Warfare, April 1945
Looking to the Future: Space Culture on Film
The launch of Sputnik and the space race led to an era of optimism which influenced pop-culture in America and overseas. We imagined where we might live, the clothes we might wear and the cars we might drive. Words and phrases such as astro and space age entered our vocabulary as a way to describe … Continue reading Looking to the Future: Space Culture on Film
A Newsreel Cameraman’s View of D-Day
Jack Lieb went to Europe in 1943 with two movie cameras: He brought his 35mm black and white camera to film war coverage for Hearst's News of the Day newsreels and his 16mm home movie camera to shoot color film to show to his family back home. After the war, Lieb edited the color footage … Continue reading A Newsreel Cameraman’s View of D-Day