In downtown Ottawa, behind an unassuming brick building, Canadian firefighters from across the country have come together for a special mission, to serve in war-town England. Once over there, Senior Fireman Denis Posten writes home, describing a "horrible night on duty".
Victory and Beyond, the third and final episode of Canada's War in Colour, celebrates the role of Canadians in the eventual defeat of the Nazis. Colour film footage shows Canadians in the Italian campaign, punctuated by letters home from none other than author Farley Mowat, who offers his first-hand observations of battle. Also featured is home movie footage shot by nursing sister Maxine Slemon, of a field hospital in Italy.
Percy Jacobson, a Montreal businessman whose observations have been included throughout Canada's War in Colour. Percy's son Joe becomes an airman, who participates in the bombing raids over Germany. Colour film footage shows what it was like to partake in the air raids, and the devastation that followed, eventually leading to the defeat of the Nazis.
Back home, many Canadians continue to do their part, buying War Savings Stamps and holding fundraisers. In Whitby and Oshawa, society ladies gather for a picnic to raise funds for the war, and to listen to the musical styling of the local RCAF band.
In "cottage country" across Canada, POWs are whisked away into hidden camps that will remain throughout the war. A handful of German prisoners will escape – never to be found.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies head towards France's Normandy Coast. It is D-Day. Amazingly, colour film footage of the operation exists – and shows Canadians in action. Percy Jacobson notes in his diary, "I wonder if I am dreaming", as the Allies defeat the Germans in this pivotal battle.
Two months later, Paris is liberated, then Holland, in April 1945. Canadian troops make their way into Germany, and find that not much is left of the Third Reich. Horrific colour film footage shows not only the devastation of Germany, but the inconceivable -- the concentration camps created specifically for the "Final Solution".
On May 8 th, 1945, the news the world had hoped for comes – Victory in Europe. VE Day is celebrated everywhere; in Toronto, a young woman takes her 8mm camera to capture the festivities. In Halifax, the party turns ugly, when soldiers brawl in the streets. With victory comes the realization that the end of the war will not be without its difficulties.
By mid- August, the war is truly over. Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been destroyed. Some 110,000 Japanese have been killed; 130,000 injured. Japan surrenders. It is VJ day. Canadian POWs held in Japanese camps are released. Captain Harry White, one of those prisoners, writes, "We all realized more than ever before, the meaning of freedom."
Home movie footage shows men and women returning home to families and loved ones. For some, there are parties and celebrations; for others, the battle will be uphill, as young men once strong have to deal with disabilities caused by the war.
Home movie footage shows Lt. Donald Morden Choate Shaw, as he once was, strong, agile, playing in the backyard before leaving for duty. Lt. Shaw returned home from the war with one leg gone, and for his son Hedley, born after the war, these few seconds of colour film will forever allow him to see his father walk.
In towns and cities around the country, memorials are held for the loved and the lost, for those who fought to bring the world to Victory and Beyond.
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