Battle of Britain Reel 1 (1943): Hitler’s Operation Sea Lion & Dunkirk Aftermath

Reel 1 of *Battle of Britain* (1943), directed by Frank Capra as part of the *Why We Fight* series, opens with Nazi triumph in Paris: German troops march under the Arc de Triomphe, Hitler visits the Eiffel Tower and gazes across the Channel toward England. Animated maps trace the rapid conquest of Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France by June 1940. Hitler and his generals plan *Operation Sea Lion*—the invasion of Britain—stockpiling barges, troops, and supplies for a three-phase assault. The reel shifts to Dunkirk’s aftermath: beaches littered with abandoned British tanks, trucks, and artillery. In response, Britain mobilizes its civilians—women launch barrage balloons, operate anti-aircraft guns, drive trains, ferry aircraft, and work in war factories. This powerful propaganda reel captures the existential threat of 1940 and the defiant spirit of a nation preparing for invasion.

• German troops march through Paris under the Arc de Triomphe
• Hitler and staff at the Eiffel Tower, looking toward Britain
• Animated map of Nazi conquests: Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, France
• Hitler and generals planning Operation Sea Lion around war map
• German invasion preparations: barges, troops, supplies
• Dunkirk aftermath: abandoned British tanks, artillery, equipment on beaches
• British civilian mobilization: women launching barrage balloons
• Women operating anti-aircraft guns and driving trains
• Women ferrying aircraft and working in war factories
• British home front resilience against Luftwaffe threat