Arthur Mainzer (1923-) was a cameraman in the 4th Combat Camera Unit of the 9th Air Force. The Combat Camera Unit was tasked with creating Air Force training films at Hal Roach Studios. After completing training at the Air Force Photo Technical School in Denver, CO and the First Motion Picture Unit in Culver, City, CA, Mainzer was deployed to Europe. He was filming bomb damage by the Allied Air Forces with Captain Ellis Carter when they heard about Buchenwald and drove there by jeep on April 13, 1945. Mainzer and Carter filmed conditions at the camp on Kodak color film stock using two handheld 16mm film cameras. The footage was then sent to headquarters in London for processing.
VE Day in Wiesbaden, Germany (April 19, 1945). MCUs, long line of Russian displaced persons, marching and carrying Stalin's picture and red flags (with inscription in Russian). Speeches in courtyard (slates indicated date of February 24, 1945), women marching. Bomb damage, town streets, ruins, civilians & military, US military jeeps passing by. Fast aerial shot of road crowded with German prisoners and surrendering Germans, trucks. Railroad damage. 01:06:37 VE Day in Paris. Waving US, British and French flags. MCUs, huge crowd greeting de Gaulle, marching. Aerial shots, strafing in forest. Change of guard at Eternal Light at Tomb of Unknown (repeated later). Crowd on streets of Paris, low-flying airplane, raising flags, women with huge wreath of flowers. 01:10:40 Good shots of the crowd, excited about VE Day, marching for victory. Limo entering Hotel du Ministre de la Guerre. People at Avenue des Champs Elysee. CU, eternal flame. Aerial view of large fire, smoke. German civilians frantically removing belongings, animals, and farm equipment from burning house. Putting out fire. CU sign,"Nothing in hell can stop the Timberwolf Divisio". American officers and Russian officers. Men salute, pinning decoration on Russian officer.
DPs; German prisoners; VE Day in Paris; German civilians