*Spoiler/plot- 1943, A documentary showing the condition and context of the world that allowed the world's aggressors to take a stronghold and keep it until world war arrived to change that injustice.*Special Stars- Director: Frank Capra *Theme- National Socialism or Natzis are not to be trusted.*Trivia/location/goofs- The second film in Frank Capra's 'Why We fight" series.*Emotion- An enjoyable documentary made up of live action combat or newsreel footage. However, there are the unpleasant shots of injured Americans and killed Germans. But it is extremely educational and does what a narrative simulated war film can do.

It's a roughly accurate account of Hitler's build up of Germany's armed forces, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the first world war, and how Hitler used threats, diplomacy, and military might to acquire the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.Until his invasion of Poland, the rest of the Allied countries allowed him to wheedle and lie his way across an awful lot of territory without firing a shot. Daladier and Neville Chamberlain accepted Hitler's written promise that, after Czechoslovakia, he wanted to more territory. Most of us have seen poor humiliated Chamberlain waving the Munich treaty and proclaiming "peace in our time." In some ways, the Munich accords were the worst thing that happened during that lead up to the war because, since then, no country has EVER initiated a conflict against an adversary without invoking Chamberlain and Munich.What were Chamberlain's and Daladier's options? Could we have avoided World War if Chamberlain, instead of signing the Munich agreement, had immediately declared war on Germany? In gambling on Hitler's willingness to keep his word, and losing, Chamberlain provided the rest of us with an unshakable historic argument against "appeasement," which has managed to contaminate the concept of negotiations ever since. When offended, never appease, just attack.You can make documentary movies that aren't slanted. I've seen training films on the assembly and maintenance of the M-1 rifle. But propaganda movies are an interesting genre in their own right, blending as they do entertainment with slanted information.This example isn't particularly artful. It's not Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will." But, with graphics provided by the Walt Disney Studio, it can hardly go wrong. You can watch the black blot of Germany in central Europe spread its tentacles over the rest of the continent, gobbling it up like an octopus.The film has the usual proletarian propaganda techniques. A voice over with an abominable German accent says, "Vot do vee care about dzah rest of dzah worlt? Ve vant all off it!" Short, simple, out-of-context quotes are taken from speeches by Nazi officials and from "Mein Kampf." And every parade has the Nazis goose stepping.But that's all expectable. The enemy is demonized and called names like "thugs" and "butchers." What's more interesting in propaganda is what's left out.Example: After demolishing Poland's horse cavalry and the city of Warsaw, Germany occupied all of western Poland. (No mention ever of the Warsaw uprising.) Then the Soviet Union waltzed in and took over the EASTERN half of Poland, promptly signing a non-aggression pact with the Germans. How did that come to pass? Well, it's all very simple, according to this film. Hitler HAD to stop because he didn't want to open a second front against Russia, and Stalin agreed because he needed time to build up his armed forces. Easy to grasp, but it doesn't tell us why the Soviet Union occupied eastern Poland in the first place. The Poles, by the way, lacked nothing in elan. Many who escaped fought bravely as units of the RAF, and it was Polish troops who finally managed to occupy Monte Casino in Italy after all the Allies had suffered massive casualties.Also missing is any mention of military tactics. That the Germans outnumbered in men and equipment all of the enemies they fought is established early on. But of course that's not the whole answer. I don't think the word "Blitzkrieg" is used but that subject may be saved for Part 2.But that's the problem with all propaganda. It's like a witness in court who tells nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth. It can provide an effective pep talk but, in its selective presentation of facts, it can also be extremely dangerous.

The second of the Why We Fight Series concentrates on Hitler's grab of the Sudetanland and beyond as he makes a chump out of Neville Chamberlain and embarks on his conquest of Europe. Clearly meant as propaganda in its day this series over the test of time has become an informative documentary as well with most of the "Allied bias" turning out to be historical fact. The Fuhrer hoists himself on his own petard with smug pronouncements before his people and the world as he says one thing and does another as his army moves East. The Czechs and Austrians quickly capitulate but the Poles put up an heroic struggle against overwhelming odds. The disparity between Hitler's military might and Chamberlain waving the Munich treaty like a white flag, declaring "Peace in our time" to this day has durable propaganda qualities. Here in its original context it resonates even more powerfully as the darkness of World War ll sets in on Europe leaving the American viewer with two options, freedom or slavery. In 1943 there was no evading this simple truth and The Nazis Strike makes its point effectively.

This great film is composed mostly of documentary footage is currently contained on a DVD along with Prelude to War. The great American filmmaker and story teller Frank Capra made these films which simply and clearly call attention to the main points that caused World War II and Hitler's rise.Every school child, nay, every American should watch these films today because they are so apropos. History has been repeating itself over and over again! The Lord Chamberlains are still alive and kicking; the tactics used by the Nazis of infiltrating countries through sympathizers and then the Communists and now by Muslim terrorist groups, are still working to these evil group's advantage.By sitting back and letting Hitler as early as 1935 be aggressive - France, America and England caused over 50 million people's deaths. Americans, French and British today would happily let Hitler do exactly the same thing despite the fact that we should have learned from history what happens when you let dictators break treaties.These great films may be too simplistic for World War II history buffs. They don't tell the horrors that the Soviet Union caused simply because at the time America was teamed up with them, fighting Hitler. This film does tell the plain facts and motives that led to the terrible war.