Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Very little. There is some footage on Youtube that was supposedly shot by Germans on D-Day, but most of it doesn't appear authentic. There are brief clips of what could very well be Allied landing craft at what I suspect is Sword or Juno, but most of it is obviously stock footage from German propaganda films. Some of it is actually filmed from ships at sea, which would be remarkable given that there were no German warships at Normandy.
The problem is, the Germans didn't know ahead of time that there was going to be an event there that day that needed to be filmed. And once it started, most Germans had much more important things to do than whip out the Ipod and take selfies.
There was a BUNCH of American film taken that morning but the major in charge gathered it up and dropped it into the channel while climbing back onto the ship.
How many times have we seen that ONE clip of that poor GI going down on the beach?
Watch the six episodes of Apocalypse WWII. Lots of films from other countries.
There are some good books that recount the German experience on D-Day. It's a perspective that rarely gets much play in the US. The one I read had chapters which were separate interviews with German survivors and their experiences. These interviews were conducted in the 1950s, while memories were still fresh. They mostly went something like this:
Pre-invasion, they felt that their defenses were solid and impregnable; that the Allies would be crazy to attack because they'd never get beyond the water's edge.
On D-day, they were amazed at the naval armada facing them. They mostly had to duck and cover in their bunkers to avoid the heavy bombardment. Once it lifted, the allied air power keep blasting them mercilessly and they felt trapped, because moving back from the beaches left them open to attack by fighter-bombers. The Luftwaffe was entirely absent.
Those who were captured and led back to the beaches for transfer to camps in Britain expressed surprise that they didn't see horses, since the Wehrmacht used lots of horses for moving supply wagons. The allies were entirely mechanized.
The general overall impression was that their situation was hopeless and they were simply being overwhelmed in every aspect.
There are some good books that recount the German experience on D-Day. It's a perspective that rarely gets much play in the US. The one I read had chapters which were separate interviews with German survivors and their experiences. These interviews were conducted in the 1950s, while memories were still fresh. They mostly went something like this:
Pre-invasion, they felt that their defenses were solid and impregnable; that the Allies would be crazy to attack because they'd never get beyond the water's edge.
On D-day, they were amazed at the naval armada facing them. They mostly had to duck and cover in their bunkers to avoid the heavy bombardment. Once it lifted, the allied air power keep blasting them mercilessly and they felt trapped, because moving back from the beaches left them open to attack by fighter-bombers. The Luftwaffe was entirely absent.
Those who were captured and led back to the beaches for transfer to camps in Britain expressed surprise that they didn't see horses, since the Wehrmacht used lots of horses for moving supply wagons. The allies were entirely mechanized.
The general overall impression was that their situation was hopeless and they were simply being overwhelmed in every aspect.
It's worth mentioning that Normandy wasn't the expected invasion site, either - it's a longer crossing, and there are no seaports. The German general staff had fortified the Calais area to a much higher extent than they had Normandy. (Neatly outlining the problem with static defenses, incidentally.) So the German troops in Normandy were not the highest-rate and they confidently expected that their comrades elsewhere were going to take the brunt of the first attack.
The German resistance was actually stiffer than expected - none of the Allied first-day objectives were met.
AND.......The British spy network convinced the krauts that the main attack would be Calais and that Normandy was merely a diversion. Thank goodness because that is why the Panzer units were held at Calais allowing the allies to get a foothold.
Very little (if any) of that is actual German footage of D-Day. Much if it is just footage from propaganda reels, some of it is clearly filmed in different parts of Europe than Normandy, and some of it is footage shot by the Allies. I'm not sure that any of that is actually footage from German photographers in Normandy on June 6.
Yes, I had a 16mm film of the German forces during the landing through the German cameras. I sold them a long time ago but the German side through German cameras exist.
Yes, I had a 16mm film of the German forces during the landing through the German cameras. I sold them a long time ago but the German side through German cameras exist.
Whoa! I would have loved to have seen that! I wish i knew where to get ahold of a copy. Do you recall which beach it was shot at?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
