The Battle of Britain
Brief Synopsis
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After taking much of Western Europe, the Germans next turn their sights toward England. To that end the "slaves" of the occupied territories are used in an effort to defeat Britain. The Germans begin a three-phase plan: to defeat Britain; take control of the seas; and conquer America. Britain's ar...
Cast & Crew
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Walter Huston
Narrator
John B. Hughes
Narrator
Lt. Col. Frank Capra
Producer
Sgt. Jack Dunning
Assistant Editor
Leo F. Forbstein
Supervisor of Music Department
Konrad Jackson
Original comp
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
War
Release Date
Jan
1943
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
U.S. War Department
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
52m
Film Length
4,740ft
(6 reels)
Synopsis
After taking much of Western Europe, the Germans next turn their sights toward England. To that end the "slaves" of the occupied territories are used in an effort to defeat Britain. The Germans begin a three-phase plan: to defeat Britain; take control of the seas; and conquer America. Britain's army, having abandoned fighting equipment after the battle at Dunkirk, now is greatly weakened. Their navy is scattered, and their air force outnumbered by that of the Germans. So, the people of Britain form a "home army," with women also helping out. Meanwhile, workers in Britain ready for the battle. The battle for Britain begins on 8 August 1940. When over-water attacks on the Royal Air Force (RAF) fail, the Germans switch their attack to fighter airfields, but the British planes are hidden, and the Germans lose more planes than the British. After the Nazi blitz program is stalled by the RAF, Hitler orders attacks on the British airdrome and factories on 30 August. The Germans are again held back by the British. In response, the Nazis decide to destroy London and break British morale During the attack on the coast, which begins in September, some German bombers break through and reach the city. However, over one-third of the attacking German planes are shot down on the first day, and over the next several weeks, the Nazis suffer great defeats. In October, the Germans begin night attacks, when the RAF can be of little help. Coventry, in particular, is badly bombed, but the British defend and even counterattack with the few available bombers. Just after Christmas 1940, the Germans attack London again, causing great fires and the almost complete loss of water pressure throughout the city. However, the British are still able to defeat the Germans. The year of the German attacks on Britain leads to death and destruction, but the British emerge victorious, and the Germans are forced to turn their attention again to the East.
Crew
Lt. Col. Frank Capra
Producer
Sgt. Jack Dunning
Assistant Editor
Leo F. Forbstein
Supervisor of Music Department
Konrad Jackson
Original comp
Maj. Eric Knight
Writer
S. K. Lauren
Writer
William Lava
Original comp
Edgar Peterson
Associate Producer
Dimitri Tiomkin
Music Director
Capt. Anthony Veiller
Writer
Lt. Merrill White
Editing
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
War
Release Date
Jan
1943
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
U.S. War Department
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
52m
Film Length
4,740ft
(6 reels)
Articles
The Battle of Britain
Great Britain stands against the Nazi war machine.
The Battle of Britain
Great Britain stands against the Nazi war machine.
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film was subtitled "Project 6003; Information Film #4." According to government documents at NARS, work began on the scenario of this film on April 1, 1942, and the first answer print was submitted for approval on January 30, 1943. Most of the footage was taken from British films provided by the British Ministry of Information. Other sources of footage included American newsreels, German newsreels and film seized and held in Washington, film provided by the Canadian National Film Board and Australian Film Board, Alexander Korda's The Lion Has Wings, M-G-M's Mrs. Miniver, Twentieth Century-Fox's A Yank in the RAF and their "Magic Carpet" series, Warner Bros.'s Christmas Under Fire, London Can Take It and Target for Tonight, Paramount's The Avengers, footage shot for the production for Consolidated Film Industries and animated maps produced by Walt Disney Productions.
In addition to music composed by William Lava and Konrad Jackson, the score included passages from "The R.A.F. March Past," "There'll Always Be an England," "Beer Barrel Polka" and "Onward Christian Soldiers." All work on the film involving music composing, arranging, scoring, dubbing, sound effects and sound effects cutting was done at Warner Bros. under the supervision of Leo Forbstein, who oversaw the selection of composers and arrangers and the type of music to be used. A Chinese-language version of this film was also produced.
According to Variety, this film was first shown privately to the press in New York on the day Italy surrendered. Variety noted this as an indication of the film's datedness, a factor contributing to the film's lack of commercial value, as, they said, was the case with the preceding two films of the Why We Fight series, The Nazis Strike and Divide and Conquer. Variety also stated that the film's earlier success during its London exhibition led U.S. correspondents in England to appeal for American distribution. According to modern sources, the film was shown in Great Britain with a special prologue by Winston Churchill. While highly praised by Churchill, some American servicemen complained that the picture was one-sided.
