Catalog Search Results
Language
English
Description
The fall of France essentially gave the Nazis control over the European mainland during World War II. The German army invaded France in May 1940, cutting the French army off from its British allies. After capturing Paris, the Nazis sent a procession of tanks down the Champs-elysees, and filmed Nazi troops ascending the Eiffel Tower. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
Language
English
Description
This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. Cargo is dropped by parachute. 2. Roxas is elected President of the Philippines. 3. The queen of the Washington Apple Blossom Festival. 4. Army divers retrieve Japanese silver. 5. Joe Louis and Billy Conn weigh in for their boxing match. 6. A 3,000-pound iron ball is used to demolish New York slums. 7. The Kentucky Derby. (10 minutes)
Language
English
Description
When the United States declared war on Germany, the U.S. army totaled 128,000 soldiers. General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), estimated that three million soldiers were needed to wage a successful campaign. The only way to create such a large army in such a short amount of time was through mandatory military conscription. With the passage of the Selective Service Act of 1917, all men between the ages of 21 and...
Language
English
Description
During Word War I, British commanders developed a new tactic: preceding infantry attacks with massive focused artillery bombardments on the opposing lines. On July 1, 1916, after seven days of bombardment French and British armies launched a dual attack on entrenched German positions in the Somme region of France. The Battle of the Somme resulted in one million casualties overall, including 60,000 British casualties on the first day of attack. Copyright...
110) Early Aviation, 1906
Language
English
Description
Early aviation (1906) effort by Danish aviation pioneer Jacob Christian Ellehammer who made the first powered flight in Europe. Shots of strange 3-tiered plane attempting to fly, 3 men help to guide/control it as it flops around. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
Language
English
Description
In 1917 the Communist Bolsheviks ascended to power in an almost bloodless coup in Petrograd. Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Bolshevik Party and leader of the 1917 revolution, became the de facto head of state after the overthrow of Aleksander Kerensky's socialist government. Copyright The WPA Film Library.