This 4K restoration presents original colour footage from Special Film Project 186, a massive Allied effort led by the Army Air Forces to document the effects of aerial bombardment across Europe.
Captured in June television show and July 1945, this reel provides an unvarnished look at the destruction of Berlin as the Allied occupation began to take shape.
Part 1:
00:02 Aerial Survey:
The first half of this video features extensive low-altitude aerials over the bomb-devastated city, capturing the sheer scale of the ruins from the Tiergarten to the Reichstag.
Visible:
00:25 New Synagogue (Neue Synagoge) visible
00:32 Aerials above the Spree River. The shot captures the extreme devastation along the riverbanks.The buildings on the left and right are likely to be part of the central district that was heavily bombed during the war.
00:56 Tiergarten (The Strasse des 17. Juni)
01:00 The Brandenburg llamas ruiz Gate
02:00 Cameraman holding the "S.F.P. 186" slate in the foreground with C-47 in the back. Possibly at Tempelhof Airdrome.
04:40 Possibly the Gasometer Fichtestraße (Anhalter Güterbahnhof gasometer) or one of the similar industrial gas holders near the rail yards.
05:51 Railway Station (Possibly Anhalter Bahnhof)
06:47 Railway Station (Possibly Stettiner Bahnhof)
07:37 Slate: BERLIN S.F.P. 186 McCord XA-44
07:39 Ground shots of destroyed buildings and streets.
08:00 "S" Symbol for the S-Bahn (Stadtschnellbahn), Berlin's rapid transit railway system. Station Potsdamer Platz
08:46 Wall with REICHS KANZLEI for the Reichskanzlei (Reich Chancellery). Above the text is the Reichsadler (the eagle) clutching a swastika. You can see the stone is heavily pitted with bullet holes and shrapnel scars. To the right and bottom of the carved letters, you can see Cyrillic graffiti. These are probably names and messages left by Soviet soldiers who captured the building in May 1945
Part 2: Ground Observations:
The second half moves to the ground, focusing heavily on the Tempelhof Airdrome, where American and British flags now fly over wrecked German hangars and captured aircraft. It also shows the Human Cost: Contemplative close-ups of German civilians, women, and children navigating a city of rubble. Daily Survival: Long lines for rationed food, civilians clearing debris, and the first post-war newspapers being sold. Civil Infrastructure: Repairs to the canal bridge and the clearing of streets by soldiers and "rubble women".
Shot List
08:50 Slate: rory mcilroy Lt. C. E. NERPEL. S.P. 186. BERLIN
08:52 Tempelhof Operations: Allied C-47s and P-47s operating amidst the wreckage of
10:52 German fighter planes and hangars.
11:30 The "U" Sign at the entrance to the U-Bahn (subway), specifically the station serving the airport (probably U-Bahn Platz der Luftbrücke, formerly Flughafen). English Sign reads "AIR PORT TEMPELHOF".
13:11 Series of MCUs of people being interviewed (Silent).
17:28 Statue of Friedrich III
Source: US Army Air Forces - Special Film Project 186
Restoration: 4K Colour
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