My research has been pretty Berlin-specific lately, so I was thrilled to find a relatively new video uploaded to You Tube. When the Allies Settled in Berlin (1945) is one of the most high quality pieces of footage I’ve ever seen of the period. And since it’s in color, allied Berlin is truly brought to life. This is footage without commentary. It’s mostly slice of life imagery.

So if you want to see Russian troops, men and women, marching down a wide street (smiling!), or British troops swimming at the Olympia Stadium, or German women joking around with the cameraman while they clean up the ruins, give this 12-minute film a look.

One of my favorite parts of this video are the images of the different armies/troops getting along in close proximity. No Cold War yet….

And if you know German, or just want to see the footage and narrative from the German side, try the long documentary Berlin unter den Allierten (1945-1949).