Movie:Why We Fight - Capra

Frank Capra's classic War series from the 1940s -propaganda filled pro American view points.

1 Why We Fight: Prelude to War

"Prelude to War," Chapter I of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series,
describes World War II as a battle between the "slave world" of fascism
and the "free world" of American liberty. In the "slave world," the
entire populations of Germany, Italy and Japan have been hoodwinked by
madmen, opportunists who capitalized on their people's desperation and
weakness to rise to power. These demagogues promised revenge for past
losses, and in the process convinced their people to give up their
rights and accept dictatorship. In the "free world," the principles of
equality, freedom, and liberty characterize the greatest leaders,
embodied in the works and words of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.
This freedom is a threat to the fascist dictators of the Axis powers,
who claim that democracy is weak and must be eradicated. The film
claims that the ultimate goal of the Axis powers is to enslave the
nations of the "free world," a desire made manifest in the Japanese
invasion of Manchuria and Mussolini's destruction of Ethiopia.
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2 Why We Fight: The Nazi Strike

"The Nazis Strike," Chapter II of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series,
summarizes Adolph Hitler's plan for world conquest and Germany's full
scale preparation in pursuit of this end. While the Nazis plead poverty
and pacifism, they spend incredible amounts of money to prepare a war
machine of unparalleled strength and destructive capability. While
Hitler assures the other leaders of the world he has no interest in
promoting National Socialism, he begins "softening up" future target
nations by sponsoring local Nazi organizations in other countries. The
film explains that the key to Germany's world conquest is the occupation
of central Russia, a heartland rich in natural resources. Hitler begins
his march in this direction by annexing Austria and part of
Czechoslovakia. With these new territories, he now possesses a massive
front against Poland, which he invades and conquers within three weeks.
After the invasion of Poland, Britain and France declare war on Germany,
which then signs a non-aggression pact with the Soviets so Hitler can re-focus his
energy against his enemies to the west.
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3 Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer

"Divide and Conquer," Chapter III of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, begins with Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany
after Hitler's invasion of Poland. The film covers the Nazi capture of
Denmark and Norway, steps necessary to mount a future attack on Britain,
then describes in detail Hitler's strategy as he conquers Luxembourg,
Belgium and the Netherlands. Special attention is paid to Nazi
atrocities. Dead and injured children are shown en masse and the film
explains how the bombing of Rotterdam leads to "thirty thousand men,
women and children killed in ninety minutes." The narrator tells how
the Luftwaffe bombs small villages so that refugees clog the highways,
and how it uses precision machine gun fire to herd the survivors toward
the allied armies, who find their progress severely constrained as a
result. An American military officer details the Nazi plan for an
invasion of France, which Hitler conquers in just over a month. The
Germans bludgeon the French armies into surrender, then "enslave" much
of the local population to service the German military regime.
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4 Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain

"The Battle of Britain," Chapter IV of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, begins after Hitler's conquest of Western Europe. Once firmly
in control of the parts of France and Norway closest to Great Britain,
the Nazis commence their massive air assault on the British isles.
Outnumbered six to one, the fighters of the Royal Air Force defend their
skies against the Luftwaffe for close to four months. Capra embellishes
the British successes, for example the film claims the RAF fought 200
dogfights in the first thirty minutes of the battle alone, and that by
the end of the first month they had destroyed 900 German planes. (In
truth, the number is closer to 260). However, the success of the
British defenses forced the Germans to change strategies, switching to
more frightening night raids that terrorized London. But the British
resolve won the day, in grand fashion. The film claims total German
losses of more than 2,700. The real number is closer to 1,600. The number of downed British planes equaled approximately half that of Germany.
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5a Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia Part I

"The Battle of Russia," Chapter V of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, follows the beginning of the end for Adolph Hitler. Part One
shows how the Nazi regime, frustrated by the tenacity of British
resistance, sets its sights on the Soviet Union instead. As it follows
the Nazi march into Russian territory, the film provides a brief summary
of the attempts of foreign powers to invade Russia over the past seven
hundred years. It explains why the country is such a hot prize and why
no army in history ever succeeded in conquering it. Hitler is portrayed
as a fool, his hubris blinding him to the evidence of history. The
film illustrates how the Red Army's method of fighting -- a
scorched-earth strategy and a reliance on guerilla and urban warfare --
was bound to defeat the Nazis as it had defeated every invader before
them. Capra's favorable portrait of the Russians is notable. Released
two years before the start of the Cold War, the film portrays the
Soviets as a diverse and freedom-loving people, in many ways similar to
their then-allies, the people of the United States.
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5 b Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia Part II

"The Battle of Russia," Chapter V of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, follows the beginning of the end for Adolph Hitler. In Part
Two, the German army falls victim to the Soviet scorched-earth strategy.
The Russian forces flee from the start, retreating deep into their
homeland, drawing the Nazis farther and farther away from the German
border. As the Red Army falls back, it destroys infrastructure and
natural resources, making it difficult for the Nazi army to live off the
land. Once the famed Russian winter sets in, Germany is doomed. The
film focuses on the stalwart defense of Leningrad. After the Nazis
surround the Soviet metropolis in an attempt to starve out its
residents, the Russians outsmart them by constructing a fully
operational railroad across a frozen lake to get supplies to the
beleaguered citizens. The Battle of Russia ends up as a disaster for the
Germans, who lose more than 800,000 men.
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6 Why We Fight: The Battle of China

"The Battle of China," Chapter VI of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, explains why the Empire of Japan possessed such a strong
interest in ruling the disparate lands of China. In an attempt to break
the will of the Chinese people in one massive assault, Japan invades
Nanking and massacres forty thousand civilians. The attack results in
an opposite effect, galvanizing the Chinese resistance and unifying the
separate lands into a single Chinese identity. While the Japanese take
control of all Chinese ports, hoping to cut off all resources from its
victim, China's allies effectuate an engineering miracle. They
construct the seven hundred mile long Burma Road over the mountains of
Myanmar, and set up a constant caravan of trucks to ship food and
materiel to the Chinese armies, keeping them alive. Frustrated by their
inability to conquer China, the Japanese turn their attention to the
islands of the Pacific, and the United States.
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7 Why We Fight: War Comes to America

"War Comes to America," Chapter VII of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"
series, begins by celebrating the American values of liberty and freedom
that are threatened by the aggressive forces of Germany and Japan. The
early years of the war are seen from the perspective of the United
States, with particular focus on the reluctance of the American people
to get involved in a European or Asian conflict. As the German army
rolls across Europe, Nazi organizations spring up across the United
States. The film attributes the rise of such groups to Hitler's policy
of softening up future targets with political sympathizers, and shows
one surreal Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden, where paintings of
George Washington hang alongside the swastika. Eventually the American
government realizes that war is inevitable and cranks up the production
of weapons and drafts the largest army in its history. The film ends
with the war's beginning for the United States, the surprise attack by
the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
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