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.
US airborne troops preparing for Operation Varsity
This colour film, showing soldiers of the US 17th Airborne Division, was shot in March 1945. The footage features troopers of the 155th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion. The Commanding Officer of the 17th Airborne Division, Lieutenant General William M. Miley, is seen talking to the soldiers. On the morning of March 24th, 1945, the men are making their way across the airfield. C-47 transport planes and Waco glider are seen at take-off. Their destination is a landing zone codenamed „N“, located southwest of Hamminkeln.
The footage was shot by Hollywood director George Stevens (1904-1975). He served as an officer in the US Army since 1943 and was commissioned by General Eisenhower to cover the D-Day landings and the subsequent operations in Northwest Europe on colour film.
Archival film from the collections of the Library of Congress, titled "Destruction in Bastogne; Aerial footage; Paratroopers take off in planes". LC number: 2531054-5-1
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).