Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike - U.S. Propaganda WW2 Documentary Film (1943)

DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005B1XB/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=d...

http://thefilmarchive.org/

The Nazis Strike was the second film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series. It introduces Germany as a nation whose aggressive ambitions began in 1863 with Otto von Bismarck and with the Nazis as their latest incarnation.

Hitler's plan for world domination is described in terms of Halford John Mackinder's Heartland Theory.

The next focus of the film is the "softening-up" of the Western democracies using fascist organizations such as the Belgian Rexists, the Sudeten German National Socialist Party of Konrad Henlein, the British Union of Fascists and the German-American Bund. Meanwhile, within Germany the Nazis are beginning an enormous process of rearmament.

Germany then begins its territorial expansion with the first target being Austria, Hitler's "full-scale invasion test". He then uses his Sudeten "stooges" under Konrad Henlein to "soften up" Czechoslovakia and annex the Sudetenland with the help of a Britain and France desperate to avoid war. Hitler's use of the concept of self-determination as a justification for these annexations is ridiculed by reference to prominent German Americans thoroughly loyal to the Allied cause, including Admiral Chester Nimitz, Henry J. Kaiser, Wendell Willkie and Senator Robert Wagner.

The film concludes with the Invasion of Poland, which is depicted with many inaccuracies.

The extreme disparity between the two sides is emphasized - the Nazis have 5000 modern tanks against Poland's 600 obsolete models, while the Luftwaffe had 6000 modern monoplanes opposed by the less than 1000 aircraft of the Polish Air Force, many of which are outdated biplanes. Animations are also used to graphically show how Polish army units were encircled and destroyed. The film suggests that most of the Polish air force was destroyed on the ground, and that the Polish Army relied heavily on mounted cavalry -- suggesting that its makers learned the details of the Polish campaign largely from Nazi propaganda, where both claims were often made. The stubborn resistance of Polish forces in the Hel peninsula is recognized, as are the widespread Nazi atrocities following the Polish defeat. Overall, the movie gives the false impression that Polish army was ineffective, pathetic even, and did no damage to the Germans. The film also alleged that there was widespread collaboration (although doesn't specify from whom) with the invading Germans.

The Nazis are forced to stop at the Bug River when they meet the advancing Red Army. The film misrepresents the Nazi-Soviet alliance, claiming that the pact was signed only after West has turned down Soviet requests to ally themselves against the Germans, and that overall "it didn't make any sense." As the film was made when the Soviets were allied to the Western democracies against the Nazis, the film justifies this occupation by the Soviet need to obtain a buffer zone against a further Nazi advance to the east, and implies that the Soviets entered Poland to stop Hitler, this time repeating Soviet propaganda. The movie makes no mentions of the Soviet invasion and their battles with the Polish border forces, or that the Soviets broke their non-aggression pact with Poland. Soviet atrocities against the local population are omitted as well.

The film ends with a note that Hitler now turns west to finish off Britain and France, which have declared war on Nazi Germany, rather than risk a two-front war, leading to the third part of the installment, which deals with the German invasion of Western Europe.

Polish-American historian Mieczysław B. Biskupski gives a harsh review of the movie, calling it "a conglomeration of patriotic exhortation, crackpot geopolitical theorizing, and historical mischief making." He notes that the film was more than inaccurate, that it was an intentional attempt to falsify certain facts about the war, in particular, through its misportrayal of the Soviets. The film casts Poles into the role of failure, and Soviets, into the role of guiltless saviors, thus saving a clear ideological role of justifying the Western Allies alliance with the Soviet Union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nazis_Strike

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[lazarus921]

I know it's maybe not the time and place but I just hate seeing that kind of propaganda films creating wrong ideas. Polish troops attacking German tanks on horses with sabres-kind of shit. Or Polish pilots flying biplanes yet somehow they had the best shot down scores in RAF flying the latest tech Spitfires. I'm fed up with an image of a brave Americans created by Hollywood. When there's so many stories of bravery among British, French, Polish etc troops.

[lazarus921]

It's based on german propaganda. A bit false.Polish planes were only 3-4 y older than german .Most of them monoplanes. Poles were using same tanks as brits and french. (improved english Vickers E. , french renault R-35). Germans destroyed only practise planes on the ground. Rest was operational for the next 2 weeks until Russians attacked on the other side.Every army in europe at the time was inferior to german army with outdated equipment. Germans and Russians used Horse Cavalry not only Poles.

[BatmanbinSuperman12]

@SeekTruthinLight Hawaii didn't belong to US in the first place.

[BatmanbinSuperman12]

Mongolians weren't Barbarians.

[williambasilone]

ok everybody lets face it this propaganda does say things that are untrue, but I think most of us can agree that hitler was the enemy

[SeekTruthinLight]

Is it not true, Japan invaded Manchuria, Shanghai, and eastern China? Is it not True Italy invaded Somalia? Is it not true Hitler invaded Czech, then the rest of Europe Until they were stopped by the Allies? If Hawaii wasn't a US State it would it not be Japanese, or something else? Do you not think Germany"s pride wasn't hurt and they vow not to complete a Fourth Right? Do you still not believe there are not forces at work; plans in play to rule the World? "Man is covetous, and envious." Jesus

[dinorapter1]

Fuck man I dont care

[J52192]

BULLSHIT!

Fight between free and slave world? Mussolini invaded Ethiopia? Japan invaded Manchuria? Germany had a sausage factory at Tanganika?

COME ON! UK and France enslaved half the planet before WW1 and kept them oppressed after WW2, when USA invaded Hawaii? Rebellions against the slaver UK and France? Sipoi rebellion, Boxer rebellion, Mahdi rebellion? Bloody sunday in Ireland?

And this bullshit propaganda film suddenly shows how socially sensitive they are? Hypocrites!

[BigMek456]

Bismarck never said this.

[USMCplusMETAL]

@lazarus921 thats because 90% of war movies are made in the U.S. most people want to write a movie about how great their country is, you know?? but i still here what you are saying

[URAGR8M8]

@lazarus921 Yeah Poland held out for what, a whole day or something? Clearly there were the best fighters EVA!!!!!!111!!!