What Hitler’s Pilot Filmed in France in 1940 – Exceptional Color Footage

This exceptional color footage was filmed in France in 1940 by Hans Baur, Adolf Hitler’s personal pilot. Unlike the carefully staged images familiar from German newsreels, these scenes were recorded from within Hitler’s immediate entourage and offer an unusual visual record of the German campaign in France.
The film takes us to military airfields in the aftermath of the fighting. Wrecked French aircraft, burned-out buildings and destroyed hangars testify to the destruction of the campaign. Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft can be seen on the airfield, while severely wounded German soldiers are carried from one of the planes on stretchers and transferred to ambulances.
Hitler subsequently arrives by car and approaches some of the wounded soldiers. Other scenes show him surrounded by Luftwaffe officers and generals and meeting Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe. Wilhelm Keitel, head of the Armed Forces High Command, can also be seen among Hitler’s entourage.
Particularly striking are the informal moments captured by Baur’s camera: officers studying a map and laughing together, Hitler and Göring talking apart from their entourages, Hitler and officers eating while standing at a field kitchen, soldiers gathering around his open car, and the constant movement between aircraft, vehicles and improvised military facilities.
Hans Baur (1897–1993) had served as Hitler’s personal pilot since 1933 and belonged to his immediate circle. His position gave him extraordinary access. As an amateur filmmaker, Baur recorded scenes that differed considerably from the official imagery produced for Nazi propaganda. His private color films therefore constitute a remarkable visual source on the everyday surroundings of the Nazi leadership.
The footage was made during the German campaign in the West in May and June 1940. Beginning on May 10, German forces invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Within six weeks, France was militarily defeated. Paris was occupied by German troops on June 14, and the Franco-German armistice was signed on June 22, taking effect on June 25, 1940.
The images of wounded German soldiers are particularly noteworthy. The Nazi regime’s official visual presentation of the campaign concentrated overwhelmingly on military success and victory. Baur’s private camera also captured some of the human consequences of the fighting that were much less prominent in contemporary German propaganda.
This video does not promote or endorse the ideology depicted. The footage is presented for documentary, educational, and historical purposes.

Chapters:
▷ 00:00 – Wounded German Soldiers Arrive in a Ju 52
▷ 00:16 – Severely Wounded Soldiers Are Carried to Ambulances
▷ 02:01 – Hitler Arrives at the Airfield
▷ 02:15 – Hitler Speaks with Wounded Soldiers
▷ 02:46 – Soldiers Gather Around Hitler’s Car
▷ 03:00 – Hitler and Hermann Göring with Luftwaffe Officers
▷ 04:03 – Hitler Boards a Ju 52
▷ 04:21 – Hitler and Soldiers at a Field Airstrip
▷ 04:39 – Hitler and Officers Eat at a Field Kitchen
▷ 05:34 – Soldiers Surround Hitler’s Open Car, Fi 156 Storch in the background
▷ 06:05 – Hitler Arrives with Wilhelm Keitel
▷ 06:53 – Hitler and Göring Meet at the Airfield
▷ 07:30 – Soldiers Wait Beside a Ju 52
▷ 07:40 – Airfield and Ju 52 Transport Aircraft
▷ 08:05 – Wrecked French Aircraft
▷ 09:28 – Large Aircraft Wreck (AW27 Ensign)and Luftwaffe Officers
▷ 10:03 – More Wrecked French Aircraft
▷ 10:34 – Luftwaffe Officers Study a Map
▷ 10:45 – Le Bourget airport in Paris
▷ 10:53 – French Aircraft Wrecks on the Airfield
▷ 11:42 – Destroyed Hangars and Buildings

1940 © Visual archive footage licensed by Xerxes