THE ARM BEHIND THE ARMY

Year Published: 1942

Format: 16mm

Description: The Arm Behind the Army is a sensational propaganda film produced by the US Army Signal Corps in 1942 to encourage the home front to participate in war production -- the "Arm Behind the Army". The film uses stock footage of both Japan and Germany, along with driving score and urgent narration, to promote "outproducing the Axis". This type of appeal was especially important in this era, as there was worry that labor unrest and strikes could torpedo the war effort. The film begins with a short outline of American military history, noting that each war has advanced military technology a little further, from the muskets of the Revolutionary War in 1776, to Thaddeus Lowe's observation ballon in the Civil War, the gatling gun, and the tanks and airplanes of the First World War. The various arms of the US Army are introduced: infantry, artillery, air corps, signal corps. These are Uncle Sam's fist, the narrator notes, and behind it is American labor "Uncle Sam's muscle" the arm behind the army. The narrator notes "Behind the desks, behind the drawing board, behind the benches, on the assembly lines, American industry is making the greatest production effort in history to supply our armed forces with the weapons of war." (Great assembly line footage in airplane factories at the 3:15 mark onward). The film briefly explains how dissention among Austrian and Czech management and labor led to the ruin of both, and how French factories were left idle while France fell. It noted the terrible working conditions in Axis-occupied territory, the coerced labor, the ending of old-age benefits, unions and "all the advances that labor every made." The film ends with a picture of a soldier and a picture of an industrial worker superimposed on a battlefield, noting that wherever the soldier is, the worker is there too. The Skoda works is shown at the 4:10 mark, after Hitler entered Czechoslovakia, followed by the Nazi occupation of Poland at 4:40. The film shows Polish prisoners and underscores that they are being used as force labor, and contains footage in which a Polish officer is denounced by a German collaborator. In images that were unusual in this era, before the Holocaust was widely known, the film shows stacks of naked bodies in a mass grave (5:09). "The success of the Army on the firing line depends upon the success of labor and industry on the production line. And the security of American industry and labor depends upon the success of the American Army. An Axis victory means the enslavement of both labor and industry. The film shows what happened in Vienna, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Holland, and France: cities destroyed, industry taken over by the Nazis, labor conscripted, men, women, and children subjected to terror and starvation. The Axis has tremendous resources, but so have the Allies -- they have the mills of Krupp, we have the mills of Birmingham; they have the Rumanian oil, we have the oil of Oklahoma, Texas, and California. This war is industry's war, labor's war to outproduce the Axis. From the production line to the firing line must come tanks and planes and guns for victory."" School Management gave the film this review during the war: "This is one of the best films on the war effort, as it makes a positive appeal for unity, both between management and labor, and between civilian war workers and the armed forces. There is an artistic quality in the rhythm and contrasts of the images. Suitable for a variety of applications in school and community."

Complete Record:

Transcription

once again America watches its ramparts from what made the Gundam and the battlewagons wait the sky patrols are on the alert and once again fighting men stand ready to carry on America's oldest military tradition to attack to attack the forces of quickness with all the men and all the equipment we can hold against them that has always been our prime strategic principle to attack the enemy whenever and wherever we find him in all our wars no matter how heavy the odds against them American soldier destruct often and struck hard each era has seen them fight with new weapons but always with an uncountable spirit which in the end achieved victory in 1776 we won the right to be a nation with shot powder flintlock and guts as America grew the weapons of war became less primitive more difficult to make an operation in 1848 switch striking cavalry units gave our on a power and mobility the more effective it became the more a dependent on supply is hauled from shops and factories far behind the front during the Civil War we put steel of our engines on land and sea we took to the air in 1898 we perfected the use of the repeating machine gun then in 1918 war came of age day the American soldier is part of a vast complex organization composed of many ARMs the infantry the cavalry Field Artillery Coast artillery air core engineers Signal Corps armored forces and many services this is your army Uncle Sam's fists swinging that fist with prior driving force is the arm behind the army until Sam's muscle American industry responsible for mobilizing its vast resources for the needs of the army or Under Secretary of War Robert Edison and Lieutenant General Brianne B Somerville chief of the service of supply behind the desk behind the drawing boards behind the benches on the assembly lines American industry is making the greatest production effort in history to supply our army with ever increasing quantities of the weapons of war soldier for soldier our fighting men can match anything the axis tends against them and worker for workers American industry is determined to meet the axis challenge in the production plants management and labor alike stand solidly behind us they know their stake in this conflict they know the grim fate of free enterprise and free labor and the plant of axis conquest Vienna the world-famous workers tenements symbol of NASA inspired this tension between Austrian working men and Austrian industrialists soon after Czechoslovakia symbol of Nazi inspire dissension between allies sworn to defend it the Skoda munitions works symbol of Industry compelled to forge the means of its own enslavement soon after labor permit the Nazis exercise complete control over who works and who starves labor restrictions the Nazis degrade working men because they know that free labor working in free industry can never be shackled to the axis dream of world conquest Poland labor and industry know that the Nazi occupation of Poland means economic ruin it means labor gangs it means slavery for hundreds of thousands of poles kidnapped by that Congress to work in shops and factories but a four and a half million fallen workers in Germany today were forced to produce weapons to fight the nations that seek to liberate them it means terror starvation justice not save justice Holland this was once the heart of Rotterdam's business section France while German tanks thundered across its fields much of French industry lay idle unaware of a mortal danger to its institutions with the French army fell the railroad car Chunkin negotiations for surrender negotiations which might never have taken place if France had been United and prepared now French industry works for the axis Old Age Pensions group insurance workman's compensation for all the benefits that labor has one in every decent highly industrialized nation none of these benefits ever belong to the workers of Germany's new henchmen Japan Japan where living standards are pitifully low but where millions are poured into modern factories to carry on the policy of their treacherous warlords Japan over 10 years has ravaged and pillaged the Galant people of China Japan pride peace the brunt of the cowardly blow struck at Pearl Harbor was borne by the Army and Navy but all over the United States men and women in American industry knew it with a blow aimed at their lives their liberties therefore suit of happiness they accepted the challenge they are tackling the biggest robbing history to out produce the axis can they economists say the natural resources of the United Nations are greater but the capacity of the axis to turn what resources they have in the weapons of war is tremendous they are thematic cook munitions works we have Birmingham they have scored we have Delaware they are factories like this in occupied France England has Biggers they seized the steel mills of Luxembourg we have Pittsburgh they have great factories to turn our titles meshes Madonna's we turn out Flying Fortresses p38 P forties arrow Cobras tomahawks many others Romanian oil drives their planes and tanks oil from the peels of Oklahoma Texas and California will drive our planes and tanks fall down the production line plant for plants the axis and the United Nations ten locked in battle it will be the sweat of workers that tips the beam the sweat of American workers who will give you men tanks and planes and guns to fight for our free and democratic world again every 26 minutes a tank every 12 minutes a plane every nine minutes competing against men who often work at the point of a gun who must produce or else three American industries based itself to deliver those tanks and planes and guns on time ahead of time this war is industry's war it is Labour's war they realize that defeat means the unconditional and feminist surrender of all they are or hope to be no sacrifice now will be too great for them before sacrifice now will ensure final victory ours and theirs when we win they win a telegram from the Army the message from the fight for the factory seven dive bombers is quoted by fighter planes swarmed down an enemy [ __ ] seriously damaged jet Cruiser 24 this operation must be shared by you men and women who made these planes sign love it Assistant Secretary wore fur hair last Japanese convoy escorted by jet destroyers hurled bite by american-made big guns their power and deadly accuracy or a testimonial to the skill and effort of you workers congratulations Sian Simpson Secretary of War performance of American 28-ton tanks enthusiastically cheered by our allies keep up the good work Sian Madison undersecretary war wherever American soldiers fight the arm behind the army fights with them we will win our battles on the firing line because they will win their battles on the production line they are fighting beside us now together we will smash ahead to victory

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