War Department Report

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Movie
Original title War Department Report
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1943
length 45-47 minutes
Rod
Director Oliver Lundquist
script David Zablodowsky
production Carl Marzani
music Jack G. Eisenberg
cut Richard Lyford
occupation

War Department Report is a 1943 American documentary film directed by Oliver Lundquist, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

content

Propaganda poster: "Avenge Pearl Harbor"

At the beginning of the film, newsreel footage of a meeting between the German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini is shown, at which Mussolini's son Vittorio is also present. The strength of the enemy armies in Asia and Europe is discussed. There is also talk of the dangers of a two-front war .

This is followed by footage of a Japanese cameraman who recorded the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Japanese efforts to expand their national territory to Southeast Asia in the direction of Burma, Java and Indochina are discussed. An extension is analyzed from a strategic point of view.

The efforts of the Germans, America's enemy in the east, to expand their influence and to further strengthen their battle-tested army are viewed with concern. In addition - also with a view to the expansion of the area - the necessary resources are available to manufacture more weapons.

Subsequently, the US Army under the command of General is Dwight D. Eisenhower demonstrated and their allies in Europe and to the Lend-Lease Act ( Lend-Lease Act referred), which allows war important material such as weapons, ammunition, To deliver vehicles, fuel, food, airplanes etc. to the countries fighting against the Axis powers ( Hitler's Germany , Italy , Japan ).

The film makes considerations about the tactical force of the American Air Force, which also serves to support those fighting on the ground. This happens while the Air Force tries to weaken the enemy by attacking factories and of course trying to break the soldiers' morale. German production facilities are selected for the Allied attacks and it is reported that more than a million tons of bombs have hit such targets.

In contrast to the situation in Europe, America's ally, China, is unable to support the war machine because that would require appropriate industrialization, so the situation requires that appropriate materials are brought there from the United States. The Operation Avalanche , a code name for the Allied landings in the Gulf of Salerno on September 9, 1943 as part of the Allied invasion of Italy comes up, the aim of which is primarily in assuming the port of Naples to allow the to secure its own supply routes while at the same time splitting up the German armed forces and pushing them to southern Italy. The then Vice Secretary of War (Under Secretary of War) of the USA Robert P. Patterson explains the background of the operation carried out.

After reporting on the American troops as a whole, the prisoners of war captured by Japanese soldiers and held on the island of Corregidor, part of the Philippines , recordings of the Moscow conference are shown, which then closes the film.

Production and Background

The film was created by the United States Office of Strategic Services Field Photographic Bureau and first released on December 7, 1943.

According to a December 1943 article in the PM Journal, the World War II documentary commissioned by the US War Department includes American newsreel footage and footage of enemy films, and is also based on a report by Major General George V. Strong, Assistant to the Chief of Staff. The article stated that it was the first time in history that a War Department report had been included in a film in this way. According to PM Journal, the film was made at the insistence of workers' leaders who were convinced that the topic would interest a larger audience. An article in the Los Angeles Times of December 1943 indicates that the film was ultimately only made available to a limited audience and could be viewed on December 20, 1943 at the Ambassador Theater in Los Angeles. However, it was primarily intended for the war factory workers.

Award

The film received an Oscar nomination in the category "Best Documentary" at the Academy Awards in 1944 , but had to admit defeat to the film Desert Victory , which thematized the First and Second Battles of El Alamein .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ War Department Report Notes at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  2. ↑ The 16th Academy Awards | 1944 at oscars.org. (English)