Russian Resistance and America’s Arsenal of Democracy
About This Footage
Reel 7 of The World at War (1942) highlights the resilience of Russia and America’s mobilization for global conflict. It begins with Hitler preparing the invasion of Russia and Joseph Stalin urging resistance as the nation adopts a Scorched Earth Policy. Civilians destroy resources, build defenses, relocate industries to the east, and fight back fiercely, leading to the capture of German POWs. The reel then shifts to the Pacific, showing the bombing of Manila and General Douglas MacArthur’s leadership in the Philippines and later in Australia. The narrative concludes with the United States’ transformation into the “arsenal of democracy” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act. Scenes of American factories, assembly lines, and training camps illustrate the shift from peacetime production to total war.