Final Weeks Before Berlin – Rare Color Footage from the Oder Front (1945)

This rare footage shows German forces on the Oder Front in early 1945, approximately 60 km east of Berlin, in the final phase of the war on the Eastern Front. The scenes were filmed in the region of Alt-Cüstrinchen and Niederwutzen (today western Poland), directly along the Oder River – the last major natural defensive line before Berlin. Road signs visible in the footage confirm the proximity: Berlin lies only about 63 km to the west.
The material was most likely recorded between February and March 1945, after the Soviet advance had reached the Oder in late January and the front temporarily stabilized. During this period, German forces held defensive positions along the river, awaiting the final Soviet offensive.
On April 16, 1945, that offensive began with the Battle of the Seelow Heights, leading to the collapse of German defenses and the rapid advance toward Berlin.
This footage captures that exact moment: a tense and static frontline phase just weeks before the breakthrough. Visible are elements of the 1st Marine Infantry Division, artillery crews, Sturmgeschütz units, and increasingly young and inexperienced soldiers deployed in defensive roles. The scenes show trench systems, field communications, anti-tank weapons, and improvised frontline life under constant threat.
Unlike heavily staged propaganda films, these sequences provide a direct glimpse into the reality of the collapsing Eastern Front in its final weeks.
The footage is among the last known frontline recordings of German forces before the Battle of Berlin.

▷ 00:00 – Opening / Oder River and Alt-Cüstrinchen
▷ 00:20 – Views across the Oder
▷ 00:39 – Soldiers in trench positions / bunker activity
▷ 01:03 – Panzerfaust operator
▷ 01:05 – Machine gun crew / observation
▷ 01:25 – Aircraft overhead
▷ 01:30 – Observation post / field telephone
▷ 01:49 – Soldier with gramophone in trench
▷ 02:06 – Pak gun and marching infantry
▷ 02:26 – Artillery firing sequence
▷ 02:51 – Trench positions under fire
▷ 03:09 – Young soldier at artillery sight
▷ 03:12 – Gun crew in action
▷ 03:26 – Rangefinder position
▷ 03:32 – Niederwutzen / road signs toward Berlin
▷ 03:37 – Anti-tank gun firing
▷ 03:58 – Cellulose factory
▷ 04:01 – Church at the Oder / swans
▷ 04:25 – Pan across eastern riverbank
▷ 04:44 – Captured Soviet machine gun
▷ 04:53 – Sturmgeschütz units (camouflage)
▷ 04:59 – Sturmgeschütz moving across field
▷ 05:16 – Commander with scissor periscope
▷ 05:21 – Radio operators on assault gun
▷ 05:24 – Combined fire: assault gun & artillery
▷ 05:35 – Sturmgeschütz advancing
▷ 05:47 – Soldiers in trench

1945 © Visual archive footage licensed by Xerxes