The Second World War - British Pathé

The Second World War

British Pathé holds one of the finest and most comprehensive Second World War archives in the world. This collection presents just a few of them, selected in order to provide a taste of the wealth of material available. There's footage of D-Day, Dunkirk, the Blitz, the Battle of Britain, Battle of the Atlantic, as well as VE Day, among others.

: D-Day Greatest Combined Operation In World's History (1944); Allied armies invade Normandy coast of France - D-day landings.

: Nazi Bombers Beaten Off (1940); Dive bombers attack ships in the Channel. They have to face anti-aircraft guns and Spitfires.

: Knights Of The Air (1940); Film appealing for funds towards the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

: Home Guard Shoot Down A Bomber (1940); Good shots of anti-aircraft teams at work against German bombers.

: Air Drama Off The Coast (1940); German dive bombers attack a British Convoy off the Kent coast.

: Beaten Back (1940); German pilots are fought off over Dover by Spitfires and Hurricanes of the RAF.

: After The Bismarck (1941); Last pictures of Bismark just before sinking, great shots of sailors celebrating.

: Our Life Line Across The Atlantic AKA Lifeline (1941); Convoy of cargo ships is escorted to Gibraltar by Royal Navy warships.

: Naval Intelligence (1940); Various items covering the activities of the Royal Navy - both at sea and on the land.

: Navy Sinks Three U-Boats (1942); Amateur footage of British warships blasting U-boats in the Atlantic.

: An End To Murder (1945); The end of Belsen concentration camp, Germany.

: Belsen (1945); More bodies are buried at the concentration camp, British troops burn barrack huts to ground.

: German Atrocities (1945); Germany's crimes are no longer a secret.

: Hamburg Hammered (1943); British and American day and night air raids of Hamburg, Germany.

: Dresden Bombed To Atoms (1945); Night and day bombing raids on Dresden by British and American air force.

: R.A.F. Thunderbolt Raids - Special (1943); Royal Air Force bombs Cologne in Thunderbolt raids.

: Cologne Captured (1945); Allied troops enter Cologne, Germany.

: D-Day Fliers Decorated (1944); Two carrier pigeons who flew on D-Day receive medals for gallantry.

: Invasion - Pictorial Reports From France (1944); After D-day landing on Normandy beaches, allied troops press on into rural France.

: Further And Further Into Libya (1941); British and Australian troops move further into Libya, taking Tobruk and more Italian POWs.

: Evacuation Of The BEF (1940); The classic Newsreel story of the rescue of British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk.

: Rommel On The Run (1942); Stirring item shows the Axis troops in retreat across the desert as the 8th Army advances.

: El Alamein Desert Advance - 1942 (1942); El Alamein desert advance of British troops.

: How Germany Saw It (1943); Captured Nazi propaganda film showing German army and air force in action.

: 1945 - You Were There When History Was Made (1945); Review of the year 1945.

: The War In The South Pacific (1942); Good footage before, during and after the US attack on the Solomon Islands.

: 16th October 1946 - The End Of The Nazis (1946); In wake of Nazi war criminal hangings, Pathe asks should we screen official film of executions.

: Nuremberg Trials - Verdicts (1946); Verdict being given at the Nuremberg trial in Germany.

: Prime Minister Visits Defences (1940); Winston Churchill visits Coastal defences in the South and East of England.

: King And Queen Visit A Bombed Hospital (1940); The King and Queen pay a visit to a London hospital damaged in a bombing raid.

: Coventry The Martyred City (1940); Shots of Coventry - destroyed by terrible bombing raid by Germans. The King pays a visit.

: The Spirit Of The People (1940); Great interview with London woman who is staying put despite the Blitz.

: London's Biggest Blitz (1941); Night shots of massive fires + clearing up and rescue work the next morning.

: Buckingham Palace Bombed (1940); Damage to Buckingham Palace after a German bombing raid.

: Murder From The Skies (1940); Fires and devastation in London caused by German bombing - King George inspects damage.

: Vj-Day London Celebrations (1945); Celebrations of VJ-Day in London.

: The Day Japan Lost Face (1945); Japanese delegates sign surrender documents onboard US ship 'Missouri'.

: VE Day London (1945); Winston Churchill gives speech thanking Allies and announcing surrender of Germans.

: Churchill And Royal Family On Balcony (1945); The royal family and Winston Churchill on balcony of Buckingham palace, V.E. day. London.

: V.E. Celebrations (1945); Crowds gather to celebrate V.E. day. London.

: Victory Celebrations - King Speaks (1945); VE Day celebrations in London & King's speech.