Why We Fight (1942-1945) U.S. War Department

The Battle of China (1944)

ARC Identifier 36072 / Local Identifier 111-OF-6 - Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer. (09/18/1947 - 02/28/1964) - 1944 - This motion picture film explores Japanese aggression. In Reel 1, Japanese planes bomb Shanghai; citizens flee. Describes Chinese development of the compass, printing, astronomy, gunpowder, and porcelain. The reel shows views of the Gobi Desert, sampans, and types of architecture and statuary. Japanese artillery fires and cavalry advances. The reel also describes Japanese plans for world conquest; contrasts Japanese unity with Chinese disunity. Footage also shows Emperor Hirohito. Reel 2 shows Sun Yat-sen and uprisings against the Manchu dynasty. Students go abroad. Hospitals, highways, schools, and factories are constructed. Children play at school. Emperor Hirohito reviews Japanese troops; tanks roll down a street. The reel shows a Japanese munitions factory, a Japanese fleet at sea, troops marching, the Army occupying Manchuria, views of the League of Nations as the action is condemned, the Great Wall of China, the puppet premier Pu-Yi, Japanese attacking Chinese at Marco Polo Bridge in 1937, and Chiang Kai-shek. Reel 3 shows street and harbor scenes in Shanghai, the bombing and naval bombardment of the city, street fighting, and the city's capture by Japanese units. Japanese troops advance toward Nanking. The gunboat Panay is bombed in the Yangtze. The reel also shows fighting in and around Nanking. In Reel 4, the battle continues. Footage describes Japanese atrocities during the rape of Nanking and shows dead and injured civilians. Chinese demonstrate against Japan. Chiang Kai-shek speaks. Hordes of Chinese emigrate to the West carrying their belongings with them. Reel 5 shows the establishment of the new Chinese capitol at Chungking. Air raid shelters are dug; the city is bombed. The reel shows an underground factory, fires being fought, recruits for the Chinese Army, the "Flying Tigers" taking off, and Japanese units occupying the Chinese coast. In Reel 6, coolies repair and expand the Burma Road by hand; trucks move over it. Dikes on the Yellow River are blown up to stem a Japanese offensive on Chengchow. Guerrillas ambush a Japanese patrol. Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor. Footage shows the Japanese high command. In Reel 7, Japanese units advance against Changsha, their supply lines are cut forcing their withdrawal, and the Chinese infantry advances. Footage shows Generals Douglas MacArthur and Joseph Stilwell. Madame Chiang Kai-shek addresses the U.S. Congress. The Ledo Road is constructed; transport planes fly over "the Hump." The "Flying Tigers" bomb Japanese airfields in China.

Why We Fight is a series  of seven propaganda films commissioned by the United States government during World War II to demonstrate to American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S. public to persuade them to support American involvement in the war. Most of the films were directed by Frank Capra, who was daunted yet also impressed and challenged by Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph of the Will and who worked in direct response to it. The series faced a tough challenge: convincing an only recently isolationist nation of the need to become involved in the war and ally with the Soviets, among other things. In many of the films, Capra and other directors spliced in Axis powers propaganda footage - recontextualizing it so it promoted the cause of the Allies instead.

Why We Fight was edited primarily by William Hornbeck and is among the best examples of stock-footage montage ever produced, although some parts were re-enacted "under War Department supervision" if there was no relevant footage available. The animated portions of the films were produced by the Disney studios – with the animated maps following a convention of depicting Axis-occupied territory in black.

The films were narrated by Academy Award winning actor Walter Huston. This narration, though factual for the most part, is replete with nationalist and racist rhetoric describing implacably warlike Germans and "blood-crazed Japs." Conversely, it lionizes the courage and sacrifice of the British, Soviets, and Chinese. Realistic sound effects and soaring symphonic music complement the dramatic scenes. At the end of each film, the quotation from Army Chief of Staff George Marshall that "...the victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan." is shown on screen, followed by a ringing Liberty Bell over which is superimposed a large letter "V" zooming into the screen, accompanied by patriotic or military music on the soundtrack.

Made from 1942 to 1945, the seven films range from 40 to 76 minutes in length, and all are available on DVD or online.

Episodes:
   1. Prelude to War (1942) (51:35) (Academy award as Documentary Feature) - this examines the difference between democratic and fascist states, and covers the Japanese conquest of Manchuria and the Italian conquest of Ethiopia.
   2. The Nazis Strike (1943) (40:20) - covers Nazi geopolitics and the conquest of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland.
   3. Divide and Conquer (1943) (56:00)  - about the campaign in Benelux and the Fall of France
   4. The Battle of Britain (1943) (51:30)  - depicts Britain's victory against the Luftwaffe
   5. The Battle of Russia (1943) (76:07) part 1, part 2 - shows a history of Russian defense and Russia's battle against Germany
   6. The Battle of China (1944) (62:16)  - shows Japanese aggression such as the Nanking Massacre and Chinese efforts such as the construction of the Burma Road and the Battle of Changsha
   7. War Comes to America (1945) (64:20) - shows how the pattern of Axis aggression turned the American people against isolationism.