Archives of War, Vol. 3 - World War II: The Battles

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Overview

The third installment in a series of videos that chronicle wars of the 20th century focuses on battles of World War II, using newsreel footage, much of it shot by Britain's Pathé News, to show how the war news was relayed to the home front. This video doesn't feature an overarching narrative, but the many segments, with titles such as "Latest from the Solomons," have an immediacy that is underlined by the dramatic and at times nearly breathless narrations. Included are films shot in the North African desert showing the campaign waged against Rommel's Afrika Corps, unusual footage of a joint U.S and Chinese force training in India, film shot by Soviet cameramen illustrating the brutal end of the Nazi siege of Stalingrad, and footage of U.S. Army nurses training and wading ashore at Pacific outposts. Considerable footage of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the pre-invasion bombing raids, and the hard-fought battles across Europe, most notably the Battle of the Bulge.