Films

The Allied Rhine crossings between Rees and Dinslaken and the airborne operation near at Wesel were large-scale and impressive military actions. The attack across the Rhine was also of huge symbolic value - with the successful crossing, victory over Hitler's Germany was finally within reach. Not surprisingly, many newsreels and films at the time featured the achievements of the Allied armies.

Preparations for Operation “Varsity”

This is footage showing men of US 17th Airborne Division and US Army Air Force personnel in March 1945. At airfields in France, they are preparing for the airborne operation near Wesel.

The first shot shows a glider crew removing the wooden benches from a Waco glider and medics loading the aircraft with a jeep. The next scene has an officer explaining to troopers of a glider-borne artillery unit what is expected of them in the upcoming operation. This is followed by a sequence showing airborne soldiers taking a coffee break. The subsequent footage was filmed at another airfield: Crews are preparing their C-47 transport aircraft for the flight to Wesel. The side door is removed so that paratroopers can quickly exit the plane over the drop zone. This is followed by scenes showing Air Force personnel enjoying donuts and coffee. The film then shows airborne soldiers attaching so-called "parapacks" to the belly of a C-47. These bundles containing supplies and heavy weapon parts can be automatically released during operations. Next, C-47s are lined up on airfield A-40 near Chartes. The serial number of one aircraft (293755) indicates that they belong to the "1st Pathfinder Group" of IX Troop Carrier Command. This particular group is tasked with dropping troopers of 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment near the village of Flüren on DZ “W”. The scene of a crew boarding a C-47 is staged for the camera. The footage of C-47 aircraft in flight, however, actually shows the approach to the Rhine on March 24th, 1945.

USAAF film crews shot colour footage on 16mm film for the Air Force’s "Special Film Project" on many fronts during the war. It should be noted that no sound was recorded. The material created for the "Special Film Project" is now held by the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and is classified as “public domain”. The film shown here is labelled 18-SFP-9246. It was edited into a coherent sequence for this website and contains all the shots relating to the airborne operation near Wesel.

"Memories of World War II": British Rhine Crossing near Xanten 1945 (colour film)

This excerpt from a silent 16mm colour film shows British military activities on the Rhine near Xanten and Bislich on March 24th, 1945, such as the construction of a pontoon bridge and the use of amphibious Buffalo armoured personnel carriers. This is followed by images of the glider landing zones near Hamminkeln, taken on March 25th or 26th. The footage was filmed by  U.S. Army Colonel Kirke B. Lawton, who was in command of the U.S. Army Pictorial Services in 1945. Today, his film is part of the collection of the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri (film signature: Motion Picture MP 59-2).

British Film: Airborne Landing/Hamminkeln (IWM A70 278-5)

Unedited and silent film, from the collection of the British Imperial War Museum in London, showing soldiers of the 12th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment flying in a Horsa glider on their way to the Rhine, scenes in the glider cockpit, airborne soldiers after landing near Hamminkeln, American paratroopers in the background, scenes with British and American troops on the landing zone, British gliders landing and burning, and the flyover of "Liberator" bombers over Hamminkeln. Starting at minute 5:25, there are scenes in the village of Hamminkeln, civilians and prisoners of war in Hamminkeln, scenes at the Hamminkeln train station, and scenes shot on the Issel river near Hamminkeln, including a wrecked glider with dead bodies. Shot by British Army cameraman E. L. Oakes on March 24th, 1945.

British Film: Airborne Landing/Bergerfurth (IWM A70 278-6)

This film, from the collection of the British Imperial War Museum in London, is unedited and silent. It shows British paratroopers after landing in the Ellern area near Bergerfurth, the landing of Horsa gliders, the encounter between paratroopers and Scottish infantry at Bergerfurth, scenes of the evacuation of wounded at Bergerfurth, German prisoners at Bergerfurth, and British paratroopers in the Diersfordt Wood. Shot by British Army cameraman William F. Lawrie on March 24th, 1945.

British Film: German Prisoners and Wounded (IWM A70 278-2)

This film, from the collection of the British Imperial War Museum in London, is unedited and silent. The footage shows wounded soldiers arriving on the western bank of the Rhine near Xanten, followed by German prisoners being taken to the western bank in a boat. Starting at minute 1:06, we see wounded German soldiers being transported to the dressing station in Bergerfurth under British guard, followed by German prisoners marching along the street through Bergerfurth. Shot by British Army cameraman Albert Blakeley on March 24th, 1945.

British Film: Allied Soldiers in Wesel (IWM A70 278-4)

This film, from the collection of the British Imperial War Museum in London, is unedited and silent. It shows Liberator bombers flying over Wesel after the supply drop for the airborne troops. This indicates that time of filming was approximately 1:30 PM on March 24th. In the ruins of Wesel, US airborne soldiers and British Commando soldiers are shown after the battle. Shot by British Army cameraman Ian James Grant on March 24th, 1945 - the date given by the IWM (March 25th, 1945) is incorrect.

Film: "Combat Bulletin" No. 48, sound and narration

In World War Two, “Combat Bulletins" informed American soldiers about the latest developments. The narration was relatively factual, the musical score typical of the time is omitted while the sound effects are elaborate and realistic. This film was probably released in early April 1945. It shows Allied preparations before the Rhine crossing, the attack by American troops between Wesel and Dinslaken, as well as images of operation Varsity on March 24th, 1945. This is followed by scenes from the Remagen area, and finally, the advance of the 3rd US Army in the Oppenheim and Worms area.

(330-DVIC-20311 from the U.S. National Archives/NARA, Washington, D.C.)

Film: "Combat Bulletin" No. 49, with sound and narration

This "Combat Bulletin" shows airraids in the Wesel and Bocholt area. This is followed by images of operation „Varsity“, with U.S. 17th Airborne Division and British 6th Airborne Division going into action near Wesel and Hamminkeln.

(330-DVIC-20312 from the U.S. National Archives/NARA, Washington, D.C.)

Film: "Canadian Army Newsreel" No. 67, with sound and narration

This newsreel was produced by the Canadian Army for its soldiers serving abroad. It focuses on the Rhine crossing near Rees and the actions of Canadian paratroopers on drop zone "A" near Bergerfurth and Mehrhoog. The narration clearly has a propaganda ring. 

(ISN 33253 / Library and Archives Canada)

Unedited material: American gliders landing near Hamminkeln, silent

This footage is without sound and unedited, some scenes were later used in newsreels . The head slate at the beginning reads: 17th Airborne Division, invasion of Germany, date: March 24, location: west of Brünen. The footage was actually shot in the Mühlenrott and Heiderott areas near Hamminkeln. At minute 1:45, a map marked  with the letter "N" os shown. US landing zone „N“ was located in the Heiderott area. 

(111 ADC 3641 / US-Nationalarchiv/NARA, Washington, D.C.)