U.S. Army soldiers; surgery; hospital; Gen. Patton; liberated villagers

Colonel Alexander Zabin, MD was an American soldier from Malverne, Long Island, New York. As part of General Patton's 3rd Army, he served with the 4th Auxiliary Surgical Group. He landed on Normandy Beach on D-Day plus 1 and worked in the first US Army field hospital set up in France. He was with the 3rd Army through the campaigns in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Dr. Zabin returned to New York in October 1945. CU of an open wound, the camera pulls back and pans the body, the wound is on a man's inner thigh, it is a large, open wound that penetrates several layers of muscle. The doctor lifts up the man's penis and cleans around the wound, prepping for surgery. The man is covered by a blanket from the waist up. CU of another wounded man with a small bandage on his head. He takes the bandage off and blood begins to stream down his forehead. The top of the man's head is out of frame, he continues to look directly at the camera, he is wearing a torn T-shirt. He reaches to put the bandage back on his head as the blood begins to trickle down to his nose. The soldier holds his helmet with a bullet hole in front of him, he illustrates how and where the bullet hit him. He smiles. MCU, a man and a woman smile as they fold and sort laundry: sheets, blankets, and hospital gowns. MCU, woman at a sewing machine. CU, another woman, wearing a scarf on her head, folds laundry and sorts surgical instruments. Table of surgical instruments. CU of another wounded body part, tendons and ligaments are exposed, more CUs. END MCU, doctor performs field surgery, stitches a patient. VS, surgery, the doctor seems to be tying off intestines, but it is very difficult to discern since the patient is completely covered in a sheet. Reel ends and another reel begins, continuing where the first left off in surgery. CU, Dr. Zabin holds a piece of the organ in clamps. END MLS, buildings (barracks?) in unidentified location, they are damaged, only wooden beams remain for the roof. Soldiers mill about in BG, some hold rifles. MCU, an American soldier frisking an enemy soldier who has surrendered. Several U.S. soldiers and military vehicles milling about in BG. END MLS, several U.S. Army medics with white armbands and a red cross set up a field hospital. They are driving in stakes for tents, putting up large white tents, etc. CU three officers, they smile for the camera. END Color footage. Liberation of an unidentified town. U.S. soldiers and locals who seem to be soldiers carry fur coats and animal hides (mostly shearlings) from a building. They wear the coats and carry others on their backs. Local with a large base drum. Soldiers take out more and more coats, some stop to look at the camera. Large building in BG, parts are damaged. More soldiers emerge from the storehouse, carrying brass instruments, one pretends to play a French horn, they laugh, some also carry suitcases. One local with fur coat and trombone smiles for the camera, another man with a tuba over his arm poses for the camera. Women appear in the fur coat, join the U.S. soldiers and local men, and 'loot' the storehouse. A woman in a bright red shirt and a long blue apron, smiles for the camera as she rushes into the building. MS, a U.S. soldier and another man on horseback. VS, U.S. soldiers and Russian(?) soldiers getting water from a well in a liberated town. Many men mill about, some look awkwardly at the camera. They may be soldiers, or they may be locals who have confiscated uniforms. END Color footage. Field Hospital, MCU, two soldiers lying on stretchers in a grassy clearing. CU, one soldier lying on a stretcher. MCU, several soldiers in blue uniforms (Russian?). A group of U.S. and Russian soldiers recline on the grass. In BG, a woman in unidentified uniform takes still photos of the group of men in the FG. A U.S. Army medic examines wounded soldiers in the field, one man pulls down his pants so the medic can look at his bandaged leg. The camera pans the group, focuses on a few other wounded soldiers. MCU, Col. Zabin with a wounded soldier with his arm in a cast, both smile awkwardly for the camera. MS white army medical trucks. MCU, wounded Russian(?) soldiers climbing into the back of a truck. More CUs of wounded men on stretchers. CU, American soldier holding up a swastika from the central portion of a Nazi flag, the camera pans to rows and rows of wounded men on stretchers lying in the field. END Black and white footage. MS General Patton talking to someone off camera. Various angles and pans of Patton, he walks back to his trailer and goes inside. CU, man's forearm with a swastika tattoo. Camera pans up to his face, the young man looks at the camera, talks to the cameraman, and smiles. EXT MLS, camera pans a long line of people, a mix of men and women, soldiers and civilians, they are most likely liberated villagers. U.S. Army medical unit truck in BG, U.S. Army men are interviewing people. END Color footage. MLS large building, ground and the rooftop covered with snow. Camera pans a row of U.S. Army medical trucks parked outside the building. VS, bombed out buildings and rubble, snow covered buildings and ruins. Pan of more destroyed buildings, signs in French indicate a bakery was once housed in one of these buildings. U.S. Army convoy moves through the town. END