George Stevens and the Special Coverage
Unit

"The Hollywood irregulars"

In February 1943, George Stevens joined the Signal Corps, the communication service of the army and army. He covers the North African countryside, then goes to London, where the general Eisenhower gives him the order to gather a team of 45 people and to prepare the filming of the barge in Normandy. The Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU) will be placed under the control of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).

The SPECOU includes 45 people: critics like Ivan Moffat, William Saroyan and Irwin Shaw; cameramen like Dick Hoar, Ken Marthey, William Mellor, Jack Muth; sound recorders like Bill Hamilton, who comes from Columbia; assistant directors, like Holly Morse, who had worked with Hal Roach.
Passeport militaire de George Stevens, 1943
Passeport militaire de George Stevens, 1943
Military passport of George Stevens,
1943 Margaret Herrick Library,
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, California		 World War II Color Footage
George Stevens, USA,
1944 1945 Footage courtesy
of the George Stevens Collection
at the Library of Congress, Washington

A very precise specifications

With a view to the boarding in Normandy and the progression towards Germany, the OSS operators receive very clear instructions on what they must do if they happen to cover "evidence of war crimes and atrocities"

The procedure followed to record the evidence of the atrocities committed explicitly sees the possible qualification as proof, in court, of the testimonies collected, whether they are written, oral, or filmed.
Stevens et son �quipe en tournage en France, s.d.
Stevens et son �quipe de tournage en France, s.d. 		Stevens and his team filming in France, s.d. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, California