Reel 2 of BEACHHEAD TO BERLIN, a 16mm colour documentary made by Warner Brothers in 1945 about the participation of the US Coast Guard in the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 featuring actuality footage - especially dramatic coverage of the landings on OMAHA Beach - and narration by actor Charles Linton Tedford who plays the part of a serving US CG officer recovering from wounds he suffered in combat.
01:00:50 Dramatic, quickly-cut scenes showing the preliminary naval bombardment starting just before dawn on D Day with night gun flashes (the faces of US Navy personnel illuminated by gun flashes are obvious studio cutaways), the shelling continuing as light breaks (5-inch US gun crews (the cascading tracers shots starting at 01:01:06 belong to a night barrage against German bombers after the initial D Day landings were over), invasion craft off the invasion beaches, US warships - notably the USS Meredith (sunk by a German mine and air attack off OMAHA Beach on D plus Two) and the heavy cruiser USS Augusta in action off OMAHA Beach and the cruiser USS Quincy (in a distinctive camouflage scheme) in action off UTAH Beach - and shells from German shore batteries bursting in the sea.
01:01:48 Single shot filmed on D plus One of the fast Royal Navy minelayer HMS Apollo steaming at high speed left to right past the camera.
01:01:53 More dramatic action shots of US Navy crewmen and a German shell landing very close to the destroyer USS Meredith.
01:01:58 Dramatic footage showing infantry assault craft heading towards an invasion beach (probably OMAHA Beach) at dawn: a formation of Allied bombers (probably B-26 Marauders) in flight overhead: assault craft heading shoreward
01:02:13 Dramatic scenes showing big clouds of smoke and fire as landing craft fitted with rows of rockets bombard enemy shore defences around 0600 hours and US CG-manned LCVPs approach OMAHA Beach (probably EASY RED Beach) at 0730 hours as the rising tide obscures the German beach obstacles at the high tide line - as filmed from a infantry landing craft (LCI).
01:02:37 Filmed during a pre D Day exercise back in England, the bow ramp of an LCM is dropped into the surf as it hits the beach and GIs on board prepare to disembark into the shallows.
01:02:46 Circa 0730 hours: looking right from the cameraman’s LCI, GIs of 16th RCT charge up the beach on EASY RED, a Sherman tank from 741st Tank Battalion fitted with waterproof trunking for its engine air intake and exhaust visible on the right of the frame, bodies floating in the water and dead or wounded GIs lying at the water’s edge as the rising tide swallows up the wooden beach obstacles at the high tide line.
01:02:49 A formation of B-26 Marauders in flight overhead.
01:02:52 Circa 0730 hours: from the cameraman’s LCI, three LCVPs on his port side head past floating bodies and half submerged beach obstacles to disembark another wave of assault infantry into the rising tide, with smoke and mist obscuring the bluffs overlooking this part of OMAHA Beach.
01:02:55 Circa 0730 hours: a view of EASY RED shrouded in mist and smoke on the starboard bow of the cameraman’s LCI, with bodies floating in the rising tide which has covered mist of the anti invasion obstacles on the high tide line and a disabled M4 Sherman tank fitted with trunking for its air intake, figures scattered across the narrow band of sand and shingle and heading for the cover of the sea wall: the crew of an LCVP busy baling water out of its part-flooded troop compartment as it reverses out to sea after landing its human cargo: two other LCVPs quickly turn away from the beach after landing their complement of GIs into the rising tide: the high tide almost covering the whole of EASY RED with mist and smoke obscuring almost all of the beach above the tide line.
01:03:11 Formations of B-26 Marauders flying overhead.
01:03:14 Circa 0730 hours: a view of several LCVPs on the cameraman’s LCI’s port bow barging through a gao in the beach obstacles on the high tide line to land assault troops onto EASY RED Beach, a disabled M4 Sherman tank on the right of the frame, with lots of bodies floating in the sea.
01:03:16 The view on the starboard bow quarter as the cameraman’s LCI is carried by the high tide over beach obstacles, lots of bodies floating in the water, drowned equipment, including a disabled M4 Sherman tank about to be overtaken by rising water, smoke and mist obscuring the whole beach.
01:03:20 LCI-87 moving right to left towards OMAHA Beach past several LCMs mixing about in the background: on board an LCI heading away from the shore past LCVPs.
01:03:25 Circa 0730 hours: POV looking over the 20mm Oerlikon gun bow position on the cameraman’s LCI as it approaches EASY RED Beach overlooked by the Roman villa, a disabled tank visible on the rising tide line: looking towards the GIs in relatively small numbers advance across a wide stretch of beach towards the sea wall, a disabled M4 tank on the left of the frame.
01:03:32 A Royal Navy-manned LCI crowded with troops underway.
01:03:36 Panning over a sunken LCVP and German beach obstacles covered by the high tide, a mass of figures scattered along the remaining strip of beach below the sea wall.
01:03:40 A pair of Spitfires fliez overhead: two RN tank landing craft at sea.
01:03:48 POV along the port side of an LCI as GIs line up to disembark into the rising tide, several bodies floating in the sea close to the LCI, GIs disembarking from an LCVP on the left of the frame quite near a disabled M4 tank.
01:03:57 Pre D Day exercise: GIs land from an LCI onto Slapton Sands
01:04:03 A US CG rescue cutter off OMAHA Beach: a body floating in the water: a US Navy battle flag flying with a US CG cutter in the background: US CG men perform first aid on a battle casualty: a US CG cutter reverses towards a floating corpse
01:04:24
01:04:34 Post D-Day scenes showing troop reinforcements and vehicles disembarking from landing craft and barged onto OMAHA Beach and the evacuation by sea of large numbers of battle casualties and the arrival of reinforcements in a variety of invasion craft, small and large, and the use of DUKW amphibious trucks to bring supplies ashore from ships out to sea.
01:06:07 Nazi flag lowered and replaced with US Stars and Stripes. Invasion forces and military vehicles moving inland.
01:06:29 French children looking at invasion forces. Fraternisation. Gag sequence where US soldier is trying to get light for cigarette. Allied troops moving inland. German POWs out of truck. Old Merchant ships which had been scuttled to protect breakwaters.
01:07:40 Gale force winds - rough seas - crashing waves. Debris left after storm - sunken ships - clearing up operations. Coast Guard cutter Flying Angel - destroyed by storm.
01:08:50 Dead on stretchers lowered into transport ship. Chaplain in office typing letter to bereaved parents. Chaplain gets up from desk and walks away on crutches. Purple Heart medal on desk.
01:10:05 END
D-Day; WW2; 1944; WWII;
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Reel 2 of BEACHHEAD TO BERLIN, a 16mm colour documentary made by Warner Brothers in 1945 about the participation of the US Coast Guard in the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 featuring actuality footage - especially dramatic coverage of the landings on OMAHA Beach - and narration by actor Charles Linton Tedford who plays the part of a serving US CG officer recovering from wounds he suffered in combat. 01:00:50 Dramatic, quickly-cut scenes showing the preliminary naval bombardment starting just before dawn on D Day with night gun flashes (the faces of US Navy personnel illuminated by gun flashes are obvious studio cutaways), the shelling continuing as light breaks (5-inch US gun crews (the cascading tracers shots starting at 01:01:06 belong to a night barrage against German bombers after the initial D Day landings were over), invasion craft off the invasion beaches, US warships - notably the USS Meredith (sunk by a German mine and air attack off OMAHA Beach on D plus Two) and the heavy cruiser USS Augusta in action off OMAHA Beach and the cruiser USS Quincy (in a distinctive camouflage scheme) in action off UTAH Beach - and shells from German shore batteries bursting in the sea. 01:01:48 Single shot filmed on D plus One of the fast Royal Navy minelayer HMS Apollo steaming at high speed left to right past the camera. 01:01:53 More dramatic action shots of US Navy crewmen and a German shell landing very close to the destroyer USS Meredith. 01:01:58 Dramatic footage showing infantry assault craft heading towards an invasion beach (probably OMAHA Beach) at dawn: a formation of Allied bombers (probably B-26 Marauders) in flight overhead: assault craft heading shoreward 01:02:13 Dramatic scenes showing big clouds of smoke and fire as landing craft fitted with rows of rockets bombard enemy shore defences around 0600 hours and US CG-manned LCVPs approach OMAHA Beach (probably EASY RED Beach) at 0730 hours as the rising tide obscures the German beach obstacles at the high tide line - as filmed from a infantry landing craft (LCI). 01:02:37 Filmed during a pre D Day exercise back in England, the bow ramp of an LCM is dropped into the surf as it hits the beach and GIs on board prepare to disembark into the shallows. 01:02:46 Circa 0730 hours: looking right from the cameraman’s LCI, GIs of 16th RCT charge up the beach on EASY RED, a Sherman tank from 741st Tank Battalion fitted with waterproof trunking for its engine air intake and exhaust visible on the right of the frame, bodies floating in the water and dead or wounded GIs lying at the water’s edge as the rising tide swallows up the wooden beach obstacles at the high tide line. 01:02:49 A formation of B-26 Marauders in flight overhead. 01:02:52 Circa 0730 hours: from the cameraman’s LCI, three LCVPs on his port side head past floating bodies and half submerged beach obstacles to disembark another wave of assault infantry into the rising tide, with smoke and mist obscuring the bluffs overlooking this part of OMAHA Beach. 01:02:55 Circa 0730 hours: a view of EASY RED shrouded in mist and smoke on the starboard bow of the cameraman’s LCI, with bodies floating in the rising tide which has covered mist of the anti invasion obstacles on the high tide line and a disabled M4 Sherman tank fitted with trunking for its air intake, figures scattered across the narrow band of sand and shingle and heading for the cover of the sea wall: the crew of an LCVP busy baling water out of its part-flooded troop compartment as it reverses out to sea after landing its human cargo: two other LCVPs quickly turn away from the beach after landing their complement of GIs into the rising tide: the high tide almost covering the whole of EASY RED with mist and smoke obscuring almost all of the beach above the tide line. 01:03:11 Formations of B-26 Marauders flying overhead. 01:03:14 Circa 0730 hours: a view of several LCVPs on the cameraman’s LCI’s port bow barging through a gao in the beach obstacles on the high tide line to land assault troops onto EASY RED Beach, a disabled M4 Sherman tank on the right of the frame, with lots of bodies floating in the sea. 01:03:16 The view on the starboard bow quarter as the cameraman’s LCI is carried by the high tide over beach obstacles, lots of bodies floating in the water, drowned equipment, including a disabled M4 Sherman tank about to be overtaken by rising water, smoke and mist obscuring the whole beach. 01:03:20 LCI-87 moving right to left towards OMAHA Beach past several LCMs mixing about in the background: on board an LCI heading away from the shore past LCVPs. 01:03:25 Circa 0730 hours: POV looking over the 20mm Oerlikon gun bow position on the cameraman’s LCI as it approaches EASY RED Beach overlooked by the Roman villa, a disabled tank visible on the rising tide line: looking towards the GIs in relatively small numbers advance across a wide stretch of beach towards the sea wall, a disabled M4 tank on the left of the frame. 01:03:32 A Royal Navy-manned LCI crowded with troops underway. 01:03:36 Panning over a sunken LCVP and German beach obstacles covered by the high tide, a mass of figures scattered along the remaining strip of beach below the sea wall. 01:03:40 A pair of Spitfires fliez overhead: two RN tank landing craft at sea. 01:03:48 POV along the port side of an LCI as GIs line up to disembark into the rising tide, several bodies floating in the sea close to the LCI, GIs disembarking from an LCVP on the left of the frame quite near a disabled M4 tank. 01:03:57 Pre D Day exercise: GIs land from an LCI onto Slapton Sands 01:04:03 A US CG rescue cutter off OMAHA Beach: a body floating in the water: a US Navy battle flag flying with a US CG cutter in the background: US CG men perform first aid on a battle casualty: a US CG cutter reverses towards a floating corpse 01:04:24 01:04:34 Post D-Day scenes showing troop reinforcements and vehicles disembarking from landing craft and barged onto OMAHA Beach and the evacuation by sea of large numbers of battle casualties and the arrival of reinforcements in a variety of invasion craft, small and large, and the use of DUKW amphibious trucks to bring supplies ashore from ships out to sea. 01:06:07 Nazi flag lowered and replaced with US Stars and Stripes. Invasion forces and military vehicles moving inland. 01:06:29 French children looking at invasion forces. Fraternisation. Gag sequence where US soldier is trying to get light for cigarette. Allied troops moving inland. German POWs out of truck. Old Merchant ships which had been scuttled to protect breakwaters. 01:07:40 Gale force winds - rough seas - crashing waves. Debris left after storm - sunken ships - clearing up operations. Coast Guard cutter Flying Angel - destroyed by storm. 01:08:50 Dead on stretchers lowered into transport ship. Chaplain in office typing letter to bereaved parents. Chaplain gets up from desk and walks away on crutches. Purple Heart medal on desk. 01:10:05 END D-Day; WW2; 1944; WWII;