Part of Complete Film: The World at War (1942) – U.S. Government WWII Film
WWII Footage: Main Category Page
Reel 7 of the landmark 1942 U.S. government production The World at War captures two pivotal fronts: Soviet Russia’s desperate scorched-earth resistance against Hitler’s invasion and America’s rapid transformation into the “arsenal of democracy.” From Stalin’s fiery speech and civilians burning their own villages to German soldiers marching as prisoners, then shifting to the fall of Manila, General MacArthur’s retreat and famous vow, and finally President Roosevelt signing Lend-Lease while American factories roar to life—this reel is packed with iconic wartime imagery.
• Hitler and high command prepare Operation Barbarossa
• Joseph Stalin addresses the nation after the German invasion
• Russian civilians adopt scorched-earth policy: burning crops, villages, bridges
• Factories dismantled and moved east beyond the Urals
• Soviet troops and partisans fight in forests and cities
• Captured German prisoners of war marched through Moscow
• Japanese bombing of Manila, December 1941
• General Douglas MacArthur commanding in the Philippines
• MacArthur evacuated to Australia; “I shall return” declaration
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act
• American factories convert to war production: tanks, planes, ships
• Launching of new battleships and massive industrial output
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