“ PRELUDE TO WAR ” 1942 FRANK CAPRA WWII WAR DEPARTMENT FILM (FULL FILM) 51244

One of seven “Why We Fight“ series films, “Prelude to War“ was (:15) produced by Frank Capra for the War Department (:29). Narrated by John Huston. Pearl Harbor (2:07) on Dec. 7th, 1941. Germany attacked Britain & France in 1940 (2:16). Eiffel Tower (2:34) and Arc de (2:39) Triomphe. Japan invaded China in 1937 (2:46). Czechoslovakia (2:54). Norway (2:59). The Ju 34 Kurierflugzeug over Greece (3:28). Soviet T-34 tank (3:50). The US war industry (4:13). George Washington statue (5:50). Thomas Jefferson (5:53). Lafayette Square, Washington (5:55). The Liberty Bell, Washington monument and the White House (6:45). The Axis spread across Europe (7:06). Following WWI the Italians were faced with unrest and unemployment (7:29). Mussolini (7:49). Hitler was moves through crowds (8:10). The German Army (8:45). Hitler sought to overthrow the Weimar Republic (9:12). Emperor Hirohito and Tojo gained support in Japan (9:29). The Italian black shirts (10:22) and the Wehrmacht brownshirts (10:25). Hirohito (11:23). Hitler delivers speech during the Election of 1938 (11:52). Hirohito prior to the Manchurian Incident (12:13). The Reichstag (12:24). The Palazzo Montecitorio, house of government in Rome (12:31). The Diet is pictured in Tokyo (12:34). Beginning of the end of the freedom of the press in Germany (13:00). Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist (13:08). Labor unions abolished (13:23) and forced labor camp set up. The SS (13:53). Adolf’s Mein Kempf was extremely influential in swaying public opinion (14:01). A fascist Italian army, the 13th legion in Turin, Italy (14:12). Hitler executes anti-Nazi leaders headline (14:49). Socialist leaders executed in Italy (15:05). Viscount Saito was assassinated (15:20). The Nazis turned on the church (16:16). Dr. Alfred Rosenberg was one of the early members of the Nazi party (16:22). The Catholic and Protestant cross replaced by the swastika (16:45). The courthouse in Bremen, Germany (16:52). Protestant youth organizations disband (17:07). Priests and pastors targeted including Pastor Niemoeller (17:18). Julius Streicher (17:40) delivers a speech. Nazi salute in class (17:56). Students salute Mussolini (18:32). The Imperial flag (19:02). Italian Army in front of the Victor Emmanuel Monument (19:42). Hitler Youth march (19:53). The Japanese Imperial army mobilized students (20:09). 1921 Disarmament conference (22:56). The Kellogg-Briand Pact 1929 (23:20). Warships scrapped (23:50) American opinion against joining the war (24:16). FDR (25:33). Hoover Dam (26:00). New York Times headline about League of Nations (26:20). President Taft (26:35) and candidate Dewey (26:37). Hitler poster (26:44) and stacks of ballots for the dictator (26:51). Nazi book burning (27:01). American youth at a roller skating rink (28:46). German youth load guns (29:00). The Japanese Imperial Army child soldiers (29:02). Italian soldiers strap on gas masks (29:19). Hitler smiles at his army (29:48). Nazi officials including Rudolf Hess (30:41), Goering (30:42), Goebbels (30:54), Dietrich (30:59) and Reinhardt (5:04). A map notes how the Axis powers planned to divvy up European countries (31:55). Baron Tanaka Giichi (31:50) and Japan’s dream of world domination. Admiral Yamamoto (32:32). The White House (32:58). Propaganda campaign (33:26). Master race theory explored (36:27). Babies in nursery (36:38). Mussolini(37:03). The German military budget increased (37:17). Panzer divisions (11:38). Motorized divisions (37:47), the infantry (37:45) and the Luftwaffe (37:46). Roosevelt’s military spending (38:09). Japan increases garrison in Manchuria (39:07). False flag operation in Manchuria (39:36).Japanese Army moving across the Korean border (40:07). “Manchuko” declared (40:25). Emperor Puyi of the Qing dynasty (40:27). Secretary of State Stimson (40:42) and UN members General Frank McCoy and Lord Lytton (40:52). Japanese leave League of Nations (41:13).Homes burn in Manchuria (41:54). Japanese gunboats near Shanghai (42:25). Bodies line the streets (43:10). Strong resistance in Shanghai (44:20). Chiang Kai-Shek (44:36) is pictured. Mussolini appears before the Coliseum (46:00). The Ethiopian Army stands without machine gun or tank (46:31). A one plane air force (46:35). The Italian Air Force takes to the sky (46:41). The Welwel settlement was the target (46:52). In October of 1935, Mussolini’s army moved through the Suez Canal (47:11). Emperor Halle Selassie (47:17). Selassie (47:58). Tanks and weaponry of the Italian Army (48:17). 13th battalion (48:27). FDR asks for the declaration for war (49:03) Ethiopia conquered by Italy. The End (50:50). This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit