Troops meet at Torgau; Buchenwald, German civilians; German planes destroyed; rations
Creator(s)
- Arthur J. Mainzer (Camera Operator)
- United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Motion Picture Reference
- United States. Army Air Forces. (Producer)
- Luzena (Camera Operator)
Biographical History
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.
Scope and Content
Aerial shots. 08:03:21 Torgau, Germany. High military personnel, generals. Soviet and American soldiers seated outside at banquet, chatting, talking, dancing with each other (accordion player). Soviet flag. Big group of men. Three soldiers in front of "East Meets West" sign. CU, three soldiers. Street scene, red and white banner in Russian and English "Long Live The Victory of...." Alliance with America, British, and Soviet flag. Pan of soldiers. CU, soldiers in street with two women, chatting and flirting. Soldiers milling around field. Shell. MS, LS river, soldiers rowing boats. "East Meets West" sign, two soldiers grasping hand. Camera slate: "Mainzer (cameraman) / SFP 186 / Buchenwald / Roll MM-10 / 4-16-1945". At Buchenwald concentration camp, German civilians and MP leaving building. Closeup of crowd (backs to camera), standing, then milling about. Three soldiers arm in arm, different angle, shaking hands. 08:09:50 The soldier in the center with helmet and glasses is combat cameraman Captain Ellis Carter. Soldiers with women. Jeeps crossing bridge. Civilians. Wreckage of German plane and hangar. CU on plane. Jeeps crossing wrecked area (various shots). Aerial of planes. Wrecked plane. Soldiers in long coats receiving rations. LS, line formations. CU, line.
Note(s)
Mainzer 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.
USHMM replaced the online streaming video with a new, higher resolution digital file produced for the VHH project. The 16mm film source from NARA was scanned by the Austrian Filmmuseum in 2021.
Subjects
- DANCING
- BRIDGES
- RHINE RIVER
- SOLDIERS/MILITARY (SOVIET)
- MILITARY OFFICERS
- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
- CROWDS
- AIRPLANES
- FLAGS
- BUCHENWALD
- ELBE RIVER
- WOMEN
- CIVILIANS
- BANNERS
- SOLDIERS/MILITARY (BRITISH)
- LUFTWAFFE (GERMAN AIR FORCE)
- BARBED WIRE
- POWS (GERMAN)
- GERMANY
Places
- Elbe River, Germany
- Buchenwald, Germany
- Torgau, Germany
Genre
- Unedited.
- Film