The War Amps - Military Heritage - The Canadian Army Newsreels

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The Canadian Army Newsreels

Six DVD Set ($30.00) • Order DVD
Released: 2010 • Read Newsreel Descriptions (PDF)

Canadian Army Film Unit Vignette
The CAFU were soldiers first as they followed the infantry into battles to capture the action with their 35 millimeter movie cameras.42.6 - Dieppe
Footage taken by Germans in 1942 at Dieppe shows dead Allied soldiers on the beach and prisoners of war; the 2nd Canadian Division parades through Dieppe preceded by a pipe band in 1944; General H.D.G. Crerar taking the salute.23.3 - Target-Berlin
The first Canadian-built Lancaster bomber, "Queenie" is put into service; bombing run by a Lancaster squadron; aerial short of bombs being dropped.48.4 - Lancasters Sink Tirpitz
Twenty-nine RAF Bomber Command Lancasters fly to Tromso fjord to attack the German battleship Tirpitz on November 12, 1944; battle scenes from the air; the ship sinks.68.1 - Services Commemorate Vimy Day
The Canadian Ex-Servicemen's Association of Great Britain observes the 28th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Epsom, Surrey, England. 75.1 - D-Day Anniversary
A service is held on Normandy Beach by Canadian servicemen, followed by a flashback to 3rd Division's landing at Berniès-sur-Mer on D-Day. 14.2 - Sicily
Canadians capture Osoro and move into the ruins of Leonforte; engineers work on damaged equipment, and preparations are made for Agira. 33.1 - Crusade for Liberation
June 6th: D-Day preparations in England; Normandy invasion; ships are loaded with men and equipment and the invasion begins at sea. 72.2 - V.E. Day Celebrated
Huge crowds gather in London while Winston Churchill announces the impending surrender. Dutch crowds rejoice as celebrations continue. 85.3 - Canada Welcomes Tilston, VC
Major Fred Tilston returns to Canada where there is a parade in his honour, along with a ceremony, speeches and presentation of a plaque

Featuring more than 20 hours of footage, this six DVD set contains 106 newsreels filmed and produced by the Canadian Army Film Unit during the Second World War.

The front-line cameramen were soldiers first. In addition to camera instruction, they received infantry training and took guns into battle along with their 35 mm movie cameras to record the Canadian infantry in action. Their heroic efforts enabled them to scoop their British and American allies on the major events in Europe including the invasion of Sicily and the top story of the century – D-Day.

The newsreels, popular in home front movie theatres, also feature the daily routines of the soldiers behind the lines, life on the home front in Canada and historic footage of politicians and generals from the Allied and Axis countries.

The War Amps, in cooperation with the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and veterans of the Canadian Army Film Unit, is making this complete set of Canadian Army Newsreels available to the public for the first time, as part of its Military Heritage Series. This collection holds an important place in Canada's history.

The Canadian Army Newsreels are held in the vaults of the Library and Archives Canada. Those wishing to obtain newsreel footage for purposes other than research or private study may request permission from the Library and Archives Canada.

Veterans of the Canadian Army Film Unit – the late Charles N. (Chuck) Ross (L) and Norman C. Quick (R). The War Amps extends special thanks and appreciation for their invaluable support and expertise in helping to make The Canadian Army Newsreels project possible.

For more information, please visit:

www.collectionscanada.gc.ca

www.canadianfilmandphotounit.ca

Testimonials:

"I have had mine for a couple of weeks; well worth the money and almost as good as a book."

– Viewer

"I just ordered the set. $30.00 well spent and for a good cause.";

– Viewer

"Just purchased The Canadian Army Newsreels and my wife and I watched a number of them last night – outstanding and long overdue to be made available to the public. I applaud The War Amps. Well done!"

– Viewer

"What a deprived and poorer country we'd be without The War Amps to keep the past alive! And what a precious legacy is tucked away in the archives, now available to the public…"

Larry Updike, CJOB Radio,
– Peter Worthington, Toronto Sun.