(01)Why We Fight: "The Battle of Russia" PART 1 1/4

SUBSCRIBE TO EXCELLENT WORLD WAR II ERA VIDEOS
UPDATED WEEKLY

The Battle of Russia was the fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series. It is the longest film of the series, beginning with an overview of previous failed attempts to conquer Russia: by the Teutonic Knights in 1212 (footage from Sergei Eisenstein's film Alexander Nevsky is used here), by Charles XII of Sweden in 1704, by Napoleon I in 1812 and by Imperial Germany in World War I.
The vast natural resources of the Soviet Union are then described, showing why the land is such a hot prize for conquerors. To give a positive impression of the Soviet Union to the American audience, the country's ethnic diversity is covered in detail. Later on, elements of Russian culture familiar to Americans, including the musical compositions of Tchaikovsky and Leo Tolstoy's book War and Peace are also mentioned. Communism is never mentioned at any point in the film. The start of the film also includes a quote from U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who commended the Russian people's defense of their nation as one of the most courageous feats in military history.
The film then covers the Nazi conquests in the Balkans, described as a preliminary to close off possible Allied counter-invasion routes, before the war against Russia was launched on June 22, 1941. The narration describes the German "keil und kessel" tactics for offensive warfare, and the Soviet "defense in depth" used to counter this. The scorched earth Soviet tactics, the room-to-room urban warfare in Soviet cities, and the guerilla warfare behind enemy lines are also used to underline the Soviet resolve for victory against the Nazis.
One powerful scene shows Russians swearing their oath:
For the burned cities and villages
For the deaths of our children and our mothers
For the torture and humiliation of our people
I swear revenge upon the enemy
I swear that I would rather die in battle with the enemy
Than surrender myself my people and my country to the Fascist invaders
Blood for Blood!
Death for Death!
The Siege of Leningrad and the Battle of Stalingrad conclude the film.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Soviet
• Union
• Russia
• Stalingrad
• Leningrad
• German
• Why
• We
• Fight
• Nazis
• Allied
• Communism
• Germany
• Balkins

[kvarsh]

long live sacred russia!

[VisitingBoss]

russia lost more people in one battle than what america lost in the whole war FACT

[Bwkjam]

Russia is unconquerable litterly the man power, supplies and weapons it would require to occupy the whole nation is to much for any one nation. Plus the winters will slow down as well as kill many invaders so you better reach moskow quickly.

[ender140]

Long live Red Army for invading Poland on 17th september 1939, for soldiers raping our grandmothers, for Katyn, for gulags, for deportation to Syberia and Kazachstan. Hundreds of thousands civilians and prisoners were murdered by them. That was the punishment for opposing ang rescuing Europe from bolshevism in 1919-20. Some say that Soviet occupation during ww2 was more horrifying than Germans...

[dmacid]

@cortezawwris Actually, he brings up a good point. Being free doesnt count for much if you are being constantly manipulated and taken advantage of. Here in US we have 2 choices, left or right and no matter which way we vote we end up getting screwed in some way, shape or form. And while we argue over gay marriage, abortion and other irrelevant crap the rich take our money away by jacking up gas prices, taking away our homes after our money paid for their bailouts and causing inflation.

[iRuss1an]

we-Russians, do not fear of war, do not fear death.

but we fear the death of their loved ones.

the worst thing is when parents bury their children.

[Javier63309]

@hollebKN

The Dulles' plan or the Dulles Doctrine is the central document of a conspiracy theory, according to which the CIA chief Allen Dulles had developed a plan for United States to destroy the Soviet Union during the Cold war by secretly corrupting the cultural heritage and moral values of the Soviet nation.

[Netherw1nd]

Too bad the komies survived

[turbobrain]

it amazes me how Austria and Czech were taken without war...and how gullible Russia and others were that Hitler wouldn't attack...surely intelligence had to completely understand that Hilter was mounting a large army to attack its neighbors...oh and democracies wouldn't want to fight? it is the democracies that now export war under the guise of spreading democracy, hmm

[Mark123USA]

@Seifer8Realm Humanity does not need an alien invasion to live in peace. We just need to realize that we are all the same and have the same ancestors, we are all one and the same.