1938/39 color footage of the German Reich

Eerie color footage from different German cities, dated 1938 and 1939.

We are shown a training camp of the BdM (Bund deutscher Mädel = League of German Girls, part of the Hitler youth), a party meeting of old fighters of the Nazi movement, and a military parade in the Ruhrgebiet in 1938, which just two years before was a demilitarized territory under the Versailles treaty.

Next up is some footage of the visit of David Llyod George, English politician, convinced that Hitler could be persuaded to peace. After some footage from the Spanish civil war, in which the Franco regime was aided by the Nazis, we see some images from the so-called "Gausporttage" (District Sport Festival), including the performances of the Motor-HJ, showcasing the early military education of the youth.

After some shoots of Berlin city life just before the outbreak of the war (also showing the newly built Reichskanzlei, see earlier post), switch to a briefing on an airfield of the Luftwaffe. The new Messerschmitt planes shown here were used in the raid on Poland in 1939.

Another queer event shown here are recordings of the Polizeimeisterschaften (Police Athletics Championship) 1939 in the town of Frankfurt (Oder), one of the disciplines being "hand grenade throwing". The winner threw to nearly 80 meters. The police corps were directly subordinate to the chief of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, and are said to have perpetrated some of the most grueling crimes and massacres against Jews and civilians during the war.