I have got two amateur 8mm recordings taken in the Netherlands, after the Rotterdam bombardment. Two large reels with what appear to be mostly a school trip to the country side. At the start of one reel you can see ruins and rubble at Rotterdam. I wish to know if this footage was taken during or shortly after the war. Eventually these recordings will be published on YouTube in full. But prior to that I prefer to know an approximate date. Several stills below:
I've asked a facebook group concerned with Occupied Rotterdam, and after talking and reading we've narrowed this film down to have been shot in occupied Rotterdam and likely Netherlands. The rubble seen in the film was cleared rather quickly, within 1940. So it was likely shot within the first months if not weeks after bombardment. Making these uncanny snapshots.
I wonder if these are Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging in Nederland. The footage has that almost Kraft durch Freude about it.
Reel 2. 5:55 to 6:05 would appear to show Jews at prayer. It looks as if the man on the left is wearing a tefillin (prayer box) on his forehead and is certainly wearing a tasselled prayer shawl. Intriguing.
Especially given that even in the early days of occupation Jews were forbidden to ride bicycles and there are plenty of those shown in reel 2.
