Colour of War: The American Story

Almost all our recollections of the Second World War are in black and white. But years of research have unearthed hours of previously unseen colour film offering a completely new portrait of the war. The result is Colour Of War - a remarkable insight into the event that has shaped our modern world. Dramatic colour footage from as early as 1933 shows home movies of Adolf Hitler and his cohorts, the devastation wrought by the Blitz, life on the home front, D-Day and the Allied Invasion of France, British bombers defying German fighters, the horror of the Holocaust that greeted troops as they entered Germany and the jubilation of VE Day. With John Thaw's narration and spoken accounts from the letters and diaries of those who fought, those who survived, and those the war claimed as victims, this three part documentary is an extraordinary remembrance.

Almost all our recollections of the Second World War are in black and white. But years of research have unearthed hours of previously unseen colour film offering a completely new portrait of the war. The result is Colour Of War - a remarkable insight into the event that has shaped our modern world. Dramatic colour footage from as early as 1933 shows home movies of Adolf Hitler and his cohorts, the devastation wrought by the Blitz, life on the home front, D-Day and the Allied Invasion of France, British bombers defying German fighters, the horror of the Holocaust that greeted troops as they entered Germany and the jubilation of VE Day. With John Thaw's narration and spoken accounts from the letters and diaries of those who fought, those who survived, and those the war claimed as victims, this three part documentary is an extraordinary remembrance.

Almost all our recollections of the Second World War are in black and white. But years of research have unearthed hours of previously unseen colour film offering a completely new portrait of the war. The result is Colour Of War - a remarkable insight into the event that has shaped our modern world. Dramatic colour footage from as early as 1933 shows home movies of Adolf Hitler and his cohorts, the devastation wrought by the Blitz, life on the home front, D-Day and the Allied Invasion of France, British bombers defying German fighters, the horror of the Holocaust that greeted troops as they entered Germany and the jubilation of VE Day. With John Thaw's narration and spoken accounts from the letters and diaries of those who fought, those who survived, and those the war claimed as victims, this three part documentary is an extraordinary remembrance.

The first half of our century, both world wars, the parades in Nuremberg and Moscow, the appearance of Roosevelt and Churchill an the scene - all captured in the memory of generations in classic black and white. Other hitherto little-known film material, however, has remained extant in film archives and in private collections. Hitler's mistress Eva Braun, his pilot Hans Bauer, Roosevelt's son-in-law and several German army cameramen had a common interest: They filmed history in color, whether to private purposes or to document historic events. SPIEGEL TV has partial exclusive access to this unique film material and has produced this documentary for the expiry of the 20th century on the cameramen and their color films, covering the 12 year period. Some of the spectacular shots can be viewed for the first time in this documentary series. Hitler's abrupt visit to occupied Paris in 1940, his meeting with Moussolini in Berlin and Rome, his first major debut at the "Day of Potsdam" in 1933. Color films of concentration camp-prisoners at forced labor, of the executions of partisans in occupied Jugoslavia, of secret experiments with the legendary V2 - all document the crimes and fanatical madness of the Nazis. Color films of the invasion of Normandy and of Roosevelt's political discussions bear witness to the victorious battle against barbarity.

JAPAN’S WAR IN COLOUR dispels the myth that no color footage existed in Japan until the victorious United States forces arrived in 1945. This two-part series uses never-before-seen footage, providing a remarkable color record of Japan from as early as 1931 when it began transforming into Asia's biggest power. Almost all the material has been recently discovered and ranges from Imperial Japanese troops in Manchuria in 1931, to domestic scenes of Japan in the 1930s; from preparations for war in 1939 to images of occupation troops in Shanghai in 1940. Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, as well as Japan’s ultimate surrender are vividly traced. As Japan continued to prosper and expand, so did its ambition to become the World’s greatest power. With the alliance of Hitler’s Nazi Germany and their motivation to dominate Asia, Japan began a military presence in China. Inevitably, this presence led to war. However, the Japanese, whom never knew defeat in over 2,600 years, had no idea that this projected one-month victory would last them over eight years to fight and would be alter known as the deadliest of World Wars. Japan used war tactics that had never been attempted before in their best efforts to be victorious. However, with their victories came great revenge.

Telling the story of World War II from the Japanese viewpoint, this documentary uses never-before-seen colour footage plus extracts from diaries and letters. The Americans take over the Marianas and the Japanese sense defeat. As Americans troops try to convince the Japanese soldiers and citizens, (made up of mostly women and children) to surrender, mass suicides occur. Though mislead by propaganda in the newspapers for over seven years, the Japanese come to realize that their battles have not been as victorious as reported. In 1945, allied leaders meet to discuss the end of the war, leaving Japan with two options: unconditional surrender, or complete destruction. Since there was no answer from Japan, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It was not until six days after the bombs were dropped that the Emperor of Japan spoke to his people finally calling for grand peace.

The series concludes by covering America's efforts to win the war in the Pacific. Among the many scenes captured by color footage are U.S. troops staging a dawn landing on tiny but strategically important Tarawa; the U.S. attack on Iwo Jima and the raising of the American flag on Mount Surabachi; the desperate fight to save the U.S.S. Franklin after the aircraft carrier is hit and set on fire by armor-piercing bombs 50 miles from Japan; U.S. aircraft carriers under attack by kamikaze pilots during the battle for Okinawa; the funeral procession for President Roosevelt following his sudden death in April 1945; the devastation wrought on Hiroshima by the atomic bomb; the Japanese surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri; and celebrations in the streets of New York marking the end of the war.

Opening with some of the earliest color motion picture images ever filmed-of a victory parade in Paris at the end of World War I-this episode takes viewers from the years leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War, through the Nazi invasion of Poland that triggered Britain's and France's declaration of war on Germany, to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. Among the many scenes captured by color footage are life in Depression-era America; huge Nazi rallies in pre-war Germany; the sinking of a British merchant ship six weeks into the war and the rescue effort mounted by a passing American vessel; civilian refugees streaming along the roads of occupied France; the devastation at Pearl Harbor as photographed by a Navy film unit working for Hollywood director John Ford; and the U.S. victory over the Japanese at Midway—the decisive sea battle of the Pacific war.

The second episode focuses on the years 1942 to 1944, from the massive buildup of America's military and industrial capabilities to preparations for D-Day. Among the many images captured in color are the mobilization of women and African Americans on the industrial home front and in the military; the internment of Japanese Americans; American troops landing in North Africa, and tank battles in the North African desert; training of African-American aviators at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute; the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto; activity behind Nazi lines in Yugoslavia, and Yugoslavian resistance fighters helping downed U.S. airmen; and the boarding of troops onto landing craft bound for Normandy, scene of what was to be the largest amphibious invasion in history.

The third episode focuses on the European theater during the months between D-Day, in June 1944, and V-E Day, in May 1945. Among the many scenes captured by color footage are the seizure, two days before D-Day, of a German U-boat carrying Enigma code machines; the massive Allied assault on the beaches at Normandy; the jubilant welcome received by G.I.s after the liberation of Paris; freed American POWs burning their prison; Red Cross "doughnut girls"; the first Jewish Sabbath service conducted at the just-liberated Dachau concentration camp; and V-E Day celebrations following Germany's surrender.

It's 1936, and a group of Canadian veterans of the Great War have traveled to France for the inauguration of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Part of this delegation includes amateur film-maker Wilfred Prissick, who records the proceedings with his 16mm camera and several rolls of colour film. At his side is his wife Ruby, who notes her thoughts in her diary, and who is overcome by the site of so many on "that blood soaked ground." So begins Rumours of War, the first episode of Canada's War in Colour. In this first episode, Marion Walwyn, a travel agent from Bluevale, Ontario, films the rise of Nazism in Germany, while on a tour there in the late 1930s. Her camera captures an eerie scene: several SS officers marching in full uniform. Once war is declared, Walwyn, who volunteered in the First World War, returns to London, England, to work at Canada House, where she tends to Canadian servicemen, and camera in hand, captures the devastation of the Blitz. Percy Jacobson, a businessman from Montreal, decides to keep a diary throughout the war years, recording his thoughts and impressions. His diary becomes increasingly poignant, as his own son, Joe, and his nephew, Moe, both enlist. Through colour film footage and letters and diaries, we see Canadians enlisting, training at bases across the country, and leaving for war. Previously unseen footage of the 48th Highlanders shows these men, known as the "glamour boys" as they pass the time on board ship, playing impromptu games on deck, seemingly unaware of what they'll face once overseas. Colour film footage culled from European archives also shows German troops in action; poignant film shows the devastation of the Battle of Dunkerque. star of david One haunting scene in Rumours of War is of German soldiers in a town square in Poland, taking stock of Jewish boys, each of whom is wearing a white armband with a blue Star of David. Back home in Canada, families open their doors to youngsters from England, known as th

A steady stream of ships leaves a bustling Halifax Harbour, transporting everything from food, munitions, tanks, and of course, men and women to duty overseas. The shipments are often at peril, escorted by convoys who do their best to protect this precious cargo. But as colour film footage shows, German U-boats prowl the seas, ready to strike at any time. Call to Duty focuses on the efforts of Canadians both at home and overseas. From Brantford, Ontario, the Dufferin-Haldimand Rifles travel across the country to Nanaimo, British Columbia to train and to protect the country from a possible Japanese attack. One of the members of this regiment has a home movie camera, and captures on film not only official drills and maneuvers but also more candid moments of young soldiers taking a moment or two to horse around between exercises. Also in BC, Japanese Canadians are made to leave their homes and businesses, and are placed in remotely located detention camps, as shown in a film produced at the time called "Of Japanese Descent." Meanwhile, Americans prepare for possible attack by constructing the Alaska Highway, slashing through deep forest in unbelievably harsh conditions. In Montana, American and Canadian boys team together to train in the First Special Service Force, later known as the "Devil's Brigade". These men would play a part in the battle for Kiska, and later, in the Italian Campaign. Call to Duty also encompasses the work of the Quakers, a group of conscientious objectors who travel to China to work in hospitals. The Canada's War research team found rare home movie footage of the Quakers at work, as well as letters written home to family in Canada. women working Thousands of women take jobs in war factories. At home in Canada, Call to Duty refers to the thousands of Canadians who go to work in war-time factories, making everything from airplanes, bombs, uniforms, and Spork (Canada's answer to Spam). The work force has changed, with women taking on

In downtown Ottawa, behind an unassuming brick building, Canadian firefighters from across the country have come together for a special mission, to serve in war-town England. Once over there, Senior Fireman Denis Posten writes home, describing a "horrible night on duty". Victory and Beyond, the third and final episode of Canada's War in Colour, celebrates the role of Canadians in the eventual defeat of the Nazis. Colour film footage shows Canadians in the Italian campaign, punctuated by letters home from none other than author Farley Mowat, who offers his first-hand observations of battle. Also featured is home movie footage shot by nursing sister Maxine Slemon, of a field hospital in Italy. Percy Jacobson, a Montreal businessman whose observations have been included throughout Canada's War in Colour. Percy's son Joe becomes an airman, who participates in the bombing raids over Germany. Colour film footage shows what it was like to partake in the air raids, and the devastation that followed, eventually leading to the defeat of the Nazis. Back home, many Canadians continue to do their part, buying War Savings Stamps and holding fundraisers. In Whitby and Oshawa, society ladies gather for a picnic to raise funds for the war, and to listen to the musical styling of the local RCAF band. In "cottage country" across Canada, POWs are whisked away into hidden camps that will remain throughout the war. A handful of German prisoners will escape – never to be found. On June 6, 1944, the Allies head towards France's Normandy Coast. It is D-Day. Amazingly, colour film footage of the operation exists – and shows Canadians in action. Percy Jacobson notes in his diary, "I wonder if I am dreaming", as the Allies defeat the Germans in this pivotal battle. Two months later, Paris is liberated, then Holland, in April 1945. Canadian troops make their way into Germany, and find that not much is left of the Third Reich. Horrific colour film footage shows not only the

The producers of the internationally acclaimed and award-winning In Colour DVD series now bring Hitler in Colour, a telling story of the rise and fall of a man who devastated the lives of countless numbers of people around the world. For 12 years, Hitler's overpowering personality dominated the German nation. He led his people from economic ruin in European conquest and to the brink of creating a New World Order. In his wake, he brought a reign of terror that caused death to millions. Drawing from recently discovered German film collections that comprise hours of previously unseen color footage, and woven with eyewitness testimony, Hitler in Colour tells the astonishing and disturbing story as never before. Narrated by Emmy Award winning British actor Brian Cox.