By Pierre Kosmidis

Photos © ECPAD

One of the richest audiovisual archives in the world, is hosted at Ivry-sur-Seine, Paris.

This is the Defense Communication and Audiovisual Production Establishment (ECPAD).

The archive’s scope includes more than 15 million photos and 94,000 hours of film, from 1842 to the present day.

L’ Établissement de Communication et de Production Audiovisuelle de la Défense (ECPAD): Un trésor culturel accessible à tous

The richness of the archives of the Defense Communication and Audiovisual Production Establishment (ECPAD) is comparable, if not superior, to the State archives of other countries, which are more widely known to researchers, historians, but also of those interested in history, through original sources.

www.ww2wrecks.com had the privilege of visiting ECPAD and studying the archives concerning Greece.

The difficult task of documenting, researching and recording the material was undertaken diligently and professionally by ECPAD staff.

It is a daunting task, as each photograph and each film must be studied in such a way as to reveal places, dates, people and events.

Το Ίδρυμα Επικοινωνίας και Οπτικοακουστικής Παραγωγής της Άμυνας (ECPAD), ένας πολιτιστικός θησαυρός προσβάσιμος σε όλους

We turned to Nicolas Férard, documentalist since 2000 at the Defense Communication and Audiovisual Production Establishment (ECPAD), to explain to us the role of the Establishment, but also the process of studying the archive.

Mr. Férard works more specifically on the Propagandakompanien of the Wehrmacht collection.

 What is the role of ECPAD and how to search for the different resources, digital or not?

The Defense Communication and Audiovisual Production Establishment (ECPAD) is a leading archives and audiovisual production centre. As such, it keeps exceptional collections of audiovisual and photographic archives on all contemporary conflicts in which the French army has been engaged since 1915, i.e. 15 million photos and 94,000 hours of film.

These archives are constantly enriched by the production of military reporters, payments from Defense organizations and donations from individuals.

Installed on the edge of Paris at the Fort d’Ivry-sur-Seine since 1948, the ECPAD is a real-time witness to the commitment of the French armed forces in all theaters of operations with its reporting teams trained in the conditions of operational filming.

A true cultural actor, the ECPAD promotes its funds through the co-production of films, the co-publishing of books, the production of exhibitions and the participation in cultural events.

The establishment is also an actor in education and research with schoolchildren, students and teachers, and a training center thanks to its School of Image Trades (EMI).

There are several ways to carry out research in the ECPAD collections: on the ImagesDéfense  [1] website, first of all, the Internet user has two types of resources, online images on the one hand, but also the catalogue of collections, that is to say all the titles of films and photographic reports available, even if their content is not yet published online.

The researcher can carry out his research on the site, either by the search engine, or by the three thematic routes presented, read the content and consult the images when they are online. He can also request a reproduction if he wishes.

When the researcher is able to travel to Ivry-sur-Seine, he can consult almost all of the collections in the media library, with the exception of certain non-digital films.

Otherwise, if the researcher cannot go to the media library, a correspondence search can be carried out by the librarians. Received by email, these requests are generally processed within a week and invoiced to the user.

The latter receives a slip accompanied by visuals when it comes to photographs or screenshots when the search relates to videos.

Subsequently, the researcher can obtain the selected images in high definition subject to the payment of technical costs and possibly the assignment of intellectual property rights.

What are the missions of the documentary enrichment department in which ECPAD librarians work? Have these missions changed following the opening of the ImagesDéfense platform?

The documentary enrichment department has around ten librarians whose mission is to caption, describe and index the photographs and films kept by the establishment and to make them accessible in the documentary database.

The librarians base their work on the information from the production department and the captions provided by the cameramen and photographers, when they exist. The goal is to make these images easily accessible by searching or browsing the site, both for the general public and for professionals.

Each librarian is responsible for a documentary collection, for which he is the referent.

The “German collection” is made up, at ECPAD, only of uncaptioned negatives.

The reports written by the reporters of the Propagandakompanien (abbreviated Pk) which accompany the reports have been separated or destroyed. But avenues of research exist: inventories and digitizations carried out in other institutions make it possible to discover elements of the answer.

Being precise and fair in document enrichment is a challenge made time-consuming by this absence of original elements.

The expertise held by each documentalist of the ECPAD allows to have a privileged interlocutor during research at the media library of Fort d’Ivry or by correspondence.

For example, Mrs. Nefeli Liontou, Greek researcher and doctoral student in history at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, spoke to present the “evidence images” of the deportation of the Jewish population of Thessaloniki. By working with her, we were able to identify numerous reports on her research theme and clarify elements that remained unknown.

The relationship with users therefore allows us to improve our knowledge of our collections. We are very attentive to the remarks and suggestions for corrections of our interlocutors. You are not at the end of your surprises, other unpublished images await you.

How to search for the different resources:

For a little over a year, ECPAD has been highlighting its archives on the ImagesDéfense site through focus, articles or simply in the context of thematic or memorial publications.

The resources related to Greece are mainly divided into two distinct periods: First World War and Second World War.

A few words about the resources relating to Greece:

The ECPAD preserves many photographic reports and films relating to the First World War. Widely available on the site, these excellent quality reports combined with unparalleled captions from the period make the SPCA images an essential collection for researchers interested in Greece [2].

The resources put online in connection with the Second World War are mainly divided between two documentary collections:

French images on the one hand and German images on the other.

The French images are produced by reporters from the Armed Forces Cinematographic Service (SCA). The German images, for their part, entered by extraordinary means into the establishment, are grouped under the name “German collection”.

The ECPAD keeps 414,000 photographs taken by German propaganda companies (Propagandakompanien). For the cinematographic part, the establishment provides weekly German news (die deutsche Wochenschau) in the original version but above all numerous instructional films or documentaries made in the 1930s and during the war.

 How to identify them on the Images Défense site:

Two search methods make it possible to find these documents, a simplified search already makes it possible to identify the photographs relating to the Great War or to the German collection. By indicating “Greece” and using the filters, you can already access the documents you are looking for. But the “Advanced Search” tab allows you to go further to obtain a finer result.

Currently, on the ImagesDéfense site, 4,783 photographs on Greece are available for consultation (2,810 on the First World War and 1,978 from the German collection relating to the Second World War).

While the images produced by the photographic and cinematographic section of the armed forces (SPCA[3]) benefit from captions of incomparable precision, the German images require very special attention because of the disappearance of the original captions.

Finally, a researcher who wishes to have an exhaustive view of the collections can also go to the ECPAD media library by reserving their place. Consultation is free and all consulted images are at least reproducible for private use.

It should be noted that the number of online documents on the site changes regularly and that the entire collection will be accessible online at the end of 2023.

 Please tell us about yourself, your training, your goals and your incentives to carry out such research projects.

I am not a historian and even less an archivist/documentalist by training, but I became one thanks to the internships and training offered over the years by the establishment.

As part of my military service, I was able to join the ECPAD teams in 1998 as a graphic designer DTP (desktop publishing). After spending two years in uniform, in January 2000 I became a librarian in the documentary enrichment department. Since that date, I have been the referent of the German fund.

My current objectives focus on a corpus of images that remain unknown to researchers.

My main motivation this year will be to bring appropriate captions to photographic reports that are not yet studied, or even unknown.

Following the publications of images from the German collection, interactions with researchers are numerous and always fascinating.

These exchanges are necessary for the enrichment of the fund and mutual knowledge.

 My daily work resembles that of an investigator who sometimes, but not automatically, identifies the images by providing minimal information on the places, dates and operations presented.

These precisions are only possible thanks to a network of enthusiasts, historians, model makers or archaeologists who echo throughout the world the richness of the collections of the ECPAD and in particular of the German collection.

Finally, there are other parts of this documentary collection which complement those kept at the establishment.

Most of it is centralized in Germany, at the various centers of the Bundesarchiv (Berlin, Koblenz and Freiburg) but also at the American archives of NARA in Washington and finally, in England at the Imperial War Museum in London.

By comparing the various elements and by associating the original caption fragments found here and there, the indexing progresses and makes it easier to find the images.

The German collection is like a giant puzzle whose scattered pieces must be put together.

Tell us about your current project on photos of the islands of Leros and Samos during WWII in Greece.

The images relating to Greece recently posted online are the result of an investigation into the production of several photographers but also several propaganda companies of the Nazi regime. After having identified the authors of the images, it was necessary to identify the places, the date, the units, the materials.

The propaganda units in which these photographers are incorporated are military entities.

Logs exist when they have not been destroyed. By reading them, we are able to restrict the scope of action of our reporters but also to specify a date.

On the other hand, sources on Leros and Samos are lacking, whether iconographic (produced by Axis or Allied reporters) or printed through publications.

British veterans have spoken of their battles on Leros, but German sources are still lacking.

Thanks to the unpublished images presented by the ECPAD, the researcher can, eighty years after the battle, cross the eyes of the propaganda of each belligerent to reconstruct the history of a battle or an event.

What do you find interesting during this period?

The Second World War does not captivate me more than the other conflicts.

My interest is more in the investigation to locate and date, and finally integrate this information into the documentary base.

Informing the researcher or the Internet user, whether amateur or professional, provides me with fascinating interactions.

Can you tell us about the documentation and research process for your project?

The indexing work of the German archives is special, having only the negatives and positive prints made well after the war by the ECPAD, but no original captions.

The reader who is interested in the German archives must be careful, aware of these important shortcomings, and must cross various sources before drawing his conclusions.

Like an investigator, I follow leads but I do not conclude anything before having three proofs of my theory. After identifying these three elements that prove where and when the report(s) take place, I index the images. Often, the same clues put me on the track.

The first step is to identify the photographer when possible or, failing that, the propaganda unit from which the report was ordered.

To cover each event, a reporter has at least two cameras. German reporters generally have Leica III cameras equipped with AGFA 24×36 format film, 125 ASA (ISO), black and white[4].

Thus, a subject can be covered in 72 photos if the photographer uses two films of 36 exposures or less if he uses films of 24 or 12 exposures.

Even if the framings are different, there are similarities on the films which are as many chances to identify clues. A close portrait may be insufficient to identify a soldier while a full-length portrait provides additional detail;

With two photographic films, I have a potentially better chance of identifying events.

But the German reporters are governed or framed by shooting instructions that the Ministry of Propaganda, directed by Joseph Goebbels, took care to write.

The photographer knows what he can or cannot do if he wants his images to appear in the press. Among these instructions, photographer must avoid photographing the architectural elements as well as all the clues likely to identify the images.

The goal is to control the image of the army, but also to make photographs that can be used repeatedly. If they are too easily located, the department loses the possibility of later reuse.

An image representing the guard of honor in front of the presidential palace in Athens can only be used once and for a single message. In contrast, a close shot of a German sentry, with no background elements, can be repeatedly published to illustrate various subjects.

We note however that the reporters are not always very obedient, military authority does not please them. Their artistic sensitivity and their search for image composition sometimes play tricks on them: thus, a signpost, a kilometer post, but also the vegetation sometimes come to reveal what the reporter has tried in vain to hide.

Here are some examples that help identify a report:

In the case of Leros, the Italian Navy Hospital (DAT 734 L09, reporter Ottahal, Karl[5]) the port of Agia Marina (DAT 734 L13, reporter Ottahal, Karl) and the port of Lakki (LWEK F6220 L33, Ottahal, Karl) are the elements which make it possible to locate the photographic reports. The portrait of Commander (Major) von Saldern, commander of II./Infanterie Regiment 65, decorated with the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz) allows us to date the report after the invasion of Leros. Finally, Commander von Saldern photographed driving a captured English jeep was the determining factor. The name of the officer was indicated on the sheet metal of the vehicle (LWEK F6230 L14, reporter Ottahal, Karl).

Identifying the German occupying forces in Samos was not so simple.

The presence of Commander von Saldern made it possible to establish a date and a unit.

The officer’s biography may have helped determine the locations of his headquarters. It remained to find archaeological “hooks” (church, town hall, villas) or in the relief of the island (mountains, beaches). Photo LWEK F6229 L24 allowed two identifications, that of the barge of the German navy in the foreground, on which we note a number.

Thanks to the data identified on the internet, I quickly knew that this barge had been used in Samos. Finally, in the same photo, the top of the mountain allowed me to identify the port of Karlovassi, located in the northwest of the island of Samos.

In the digital archives of ECPAD, one can find photos of exceptional clarity and sharpness, among which thousands of unpublished or never seen for 80 years. How do you feel when you see for the first time, after all these years, such a photo?

With the German fund, it is advisable to take a distance with the aesthetic character of the photos. This “window dressing” made it possible at the time and unfortunately still today, to seduce a certain public while conveying a political message.

On the other hand, identifying a place and/or a battle remains a satisfaction that must be known. Sometimes an image can be a unique element of a place destroyed by fighting. This is the case of a photo of the Abbey of Cassino, identified in a general work on the Italian campaign. Even if the abbey has since been rebuilt, nothing can make it as beautiful as before the fighting (LFT2 F1501 L04, reporter Lützow).

What satisfies you as a researcher and historian?

Without being any of them, I like to work in contact with historians.

Despite their knowledge, they do not have the keys to solve all the puzzles. It is by working together that we discover more.

The German archive is the best example to demonstrate that working together is much more beneficial and fruitful than working alone.

Participatory indexing is the future and the key to finer and faster indexing.

Job satisfaction remains a determining factor in my daily life.

Illuminating the unfolding of a battle with never-before-seen footage is another. Knowing that a discovery may be of interest to a researcher or a historian must remain a central objective in public service missions.

In the end, why is history so important and what can we learn from the past, especially from the ECPAD archives?

History and images are important if we know how to decipher them. The importance of social networks, so concerned about the image, shows us on a daily basis how much an image badly captioned or isolated from its original caption, can take on another meaning, or even the exact opposite.

 

[1] https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/

[2] https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/catalogsearch/result/index/?avec_visuel=1&periode_filter=705&q=Gr%C3%A8ce&type_filter=694

[3] SPCA is one of the former names of Ecpad.

[4] Each photographic box has a specific lens, allowing the reporter to get closer or further away from the subject. By having two cameras and two lenses, the reporter does not waste time changing his lenses and does not introduce dust that could damage them.

[5] The photographs mentioned are already published on the platform.