War Department Report (1943, sound)

[Music] you are Partners in the Army's mission for the first time in its history war department is making an official report on the military situation directly to the war workers of America this is not a propaganda film it is not a sermon or a pep talk it is an official report by your general staff how strong is the enemy today how hard is the job [Music] ahead on September 12th 1943 at 2:00 of a Sunday afternoon in an isolated spot in the mountains of Eastern Italy known as the grand Sasso there suddenly appeared a group of German paratroopers P men of the gastao elite guards of the SS their purpose was a jailbreak and they succeeded this is a German film of their own exploit du conqueror of Ethiopian natives Victor over Spanish women and [Music] children Hitler had to rescue musolini to save his own face to bolster up Nazi prestige in conquered Europe [Music] for years the Peace of Europe trembled when they saw a Caesar R now stuffed in a little plane heading for the nearest airport from there by larger plane to Hitler's headquarters [Music] as Adolf greets the DU he must see his own future in this broken heart of man but who will rescue Hitler when his turn comes that's Victorio musolini his son tagging along forign Minister ribbon makes it an official [Music] conference in out the briefest access conference on record [Music] [Music] the first fashist the weakest AIS partner is gone there is still Germany there is still Japan they don't consider themselves [Applause] beat [Applause] why how strong are they first Japan an old handed aggression Korea Manchuria China and then they struck at [Music] us the Japanese task force on the approaches to Pearl Harbor including two aircraft carriers December 7 1941 Pilots are briefed at the last moment they learned their objective these captured pictures were taken by Japanese Navy cameraman [Music] for English-speaking Asia they put on English [Music] headlines following Pearl Harbor Japan extended her Empire with startling swiftness over the Far East Burma Java Indochina the newly conquered outer zone is incredibly rich in resources and slave labor most of the world's rubber a large part of the world's tin a good share of the world's oil have been seized Japan manua North China are the inner Zone self-sufficient in basic industrial needs power Iron Coal Japan's food supply is ample she grows enough rice to meet her needs and a surplus comes from Manchuria soy beans potatoes and fish are plentiful strongest of Japanese resources is Manpower at home and in conquered lands in 1931 when she began the rape of China Japan alone had a population of 75 Millions with 1 and2 million men under ARs and 3 million producing weapons today the armed forces have doubled the war workers have tripled now the Japanese dominate a subject population of 385 million hardworking cheap labor that can be used in war [Music] production although the Japanese have suffered severe losses in aircraft they have more firstline planes now than when they attacked at Pearl Harbor faster better armed more maneuverable Japan's greatest military strength is her strategic position she has spun around herself a web of powerful bases and major strongholds every base is supported by the others if we destroy planes and rabal a few hours later more planes come from neighboring bases whereas our losses in New Guinea and atou cannot be made up from Midway this is the great strength of Japan this is what is meant by interlocking bases and interior lines of Supply at any one point we attack we come up against the whole system so far we have only dented these defenses this system is defended to the death the task of destroying these fanatical Warriors was not easy it has just [Music] begun the destruction of Germany is further along the myth of the German Army's invincibility is forever shattered [Music] but make no mistake that Army today is still a powerful fighting machine well equipped highly trained battle [Music] hardened Germany has three times the combat division it had at the beginning of the war each division comprises 15,000 men today there are some 300 divisions you have heard how the Germans lost about 25 divisions at Stalingrad Tunisia and Sicily and more on the neeper and the Crimean front Army intelligence reports that the Germans have meanwhile created or reformed 60 new divisions each of these divisions was given more and better weapons than the divisions [Music] destroyed all this equipment was produced by increasing the number of War workers 50% largely imported foreign lab this does not include the millions in conquered countries who have to work like it or not for their Nazi Master some quizzing like it here is a labor rally Nazi style Nazi stus High dictator of Labor Robert leay they have come from 19 European countries to receive their orders they will go back to try to offset American production workers must eat Germany today is better fed than she was in 1918 heavy workers and soldiers actually eat better today than at the start of the war other civilians get enough to keep healthy the people who are starving in Europe are those who can't or won't work for the Nazi the natural wealth of Europe is being loosed Germany suffers no dangerous shortages in any basic War material whether coal steel oil or rubber with Nazi ruthlessness and German Fess Europe has been made into a naal of fascism [Music] the enemy is exploiting to the Limit the most densely industrialized continent in the [Music] world to keep Pace with the changing War the Germans have had to stop some production and increas each other as often and as drastically as we have but these problems are common to all war economies the Germans have taken them in their stride their films boast of their industrial strength they are making good their boast [Music] they are building many new subes they are increasing their locomotive [Music] [Applause] [Music] production the conclusive proof of German strength is the quality of her weapons the new 60 ton Tiger tank is a good example it is in mass [Music] production it is appearing on all [Music] fronts plane production is up after the LOF draer was forced on the defensive it made fewer bombers but this made it possible to produce more fighter blades deadly ful wols deadly mmith every new model is better than the [Music] last workers in the rure in the arsenals of France and Czechoslovakia are forging huge Coastal [Music] up slave labor builds their imp placements gigantic concrete structures it is ironical to see the experts of lightning Warfare feverishly building ainal line the masters of the blitz CRI worry about the coming Allied blits [Music] la they do not scorn to use such Orthodox weapons on the other hand they know the need for mobility and Firepower they have developed this rocket gun with a Firepower equal to six heavy [Music] hous its barrage is [Music] devasta the enemy is strong but your army is determined to accomplish its Mission this report is concerned with what it takes to get at the enemy and to destroy him this is the attack on Renova a small operation on one front only one of 10 fronts we are supporting at the ends of 56,000 miles of supply lines which must be protected by our Navy Logistics is the military science of getting the right numbers of men to the right places with the right equipment at the right time for every man a division takes overseas 7 and 1 12 ship tons of supplies and equipment are needed this is only initial equipment everything from locomotives to Signal keys from bombers to shoes over 700,000 different kinds of items for the Infantry or the artillery or the many specialized branches of the army each item requires in enormous quantities that must be procured produced transported stored and distributed a staggering intricate task of [Music] organization for specific operations more of certain items are needed just before his attack on Sicily General Eisenhower radioed for great quantities of additional material while waterproofing kits for trucks and tanks tons of asbest leas more Ducks more Communications and Signal equipment more radio sets walkie-talkies telephone switchboards mine detectors miles of new wire new engineering items for building peers roads Bridges air drones railroads for opening up damaged ports [Music] back from a mission it's landing gear Dage this item of initial equipment must be made good the Army word is replacement replacement in Assan replacement in Sicily this tank in the baluno river must be replaced so must six out of every 10 rifles every year and eight out of 10 machine guns [Music] every month Replacements food and maintenance for each man require another ton of shipping for half a million men this means 1 half a million tons 50 Liberty ships a month miles of storage [Music] space initial Equipment Plus Replacements is not the whole story the Army must have big strategic reserves to be prepared for emergencies part of this strategic Reserve is used to arm liberated people fighting on our side for the French we have already equipped 11 divisions then there is land leas our earliest reel and still an important part of our military plan land leas is United Warfare our contribution to Great fighting allies England China Russia now supplied by way of [Music] Iran 6,500 American planes have joined the Russian Air Force with a little paint a white star becomes a red star finally a considerable part of our production is always in motion to the front regulating the smooth flow of these Goods is the part of logistics known as distribution so that weapons will be where they are wanted when they are want the pipeline of distribution must be full and flowing even Under Fire it's a never ending [Music] battle we still lose ships and their precious caros but on all sees the Navy is winning great logistical [Music] [Music] campaigns in the Pacific there are no local sources of Supply there are few ports so supplies have to be unloaded across the beach the men must battle jungle conditions heat rain and malaria to move in Supply dumps defend the beach heads and Advance their positions while Engineers behind the lines build the ports the roads the bases that are the springboards for heavier [Music] offenses in face of these Supply difficulties the Army has often turned to its air arm for a solution but though heroic Feats have been performed big offensives cannot be sustained by Air Supply alone to supply our 14th Air Force in China the plane that delivers 4 tons of gasoline uses Up 3 and 1/2 tons for itself 20,000 gas coupons every trip suppose we wish to tr transport 100,000 tons of cargo every month from San Francisco to Australia by sea it would take 44 ships with Crews of 3,200 men burning 165,000 barrels of fuel by air the same job would take over 10,000 4 engine transports with Crews of 120,000 men they would use up about 9 million barrels of gasoline fuel which must be supplied and Route by tankers 85 tankers 41 more bottoms than are needed for ship Supply alone air supply must be tied to surface Supply there is no permanent substitute for the combination of ship Railroad and truck the main job of the Air Forces is fighting air superiority is essential to all operations [Music] air support of ground fighting is the job of the Tactical Air Force [Music] the Strategic Air Force operates against the enemy's interior according to a long range plan [Music] strategic bombing is aimed at the heart of the enemy laying waste his factories attacking his morale from England our eth air force is bombing Germany systematically but we will never have enough planes and bombs to wipe out so big an industrial nation however by carefully selecting key points we can cut down German war produ production we've attacked aircraft plants at Reagan birg Maran BG brayman beer nistad and a dozen others we've attacked the oil plants at poesy we also smash such vital though little known industrial bottlenecks as the all bearing plants at Vine for we lost 60 heavy bombers they lost half an industry for months but bomb plants are repaired we must hit them again and again we and our allies have already dropped over a million tons of bombs on Nazi Europe we need millions of tons more billions of bullets thousands of [Music] planes strategic bombing means a sustain constantly increasing effort not only against her Industries but also against her [Music] defenses Germany is fighting back with increased Firepower anti-aircraft barges fill the sky with steel and show a defensive strength hither to [Music] unknown from Nazi flag bats signals are sent over an intricate warning system clearing through elaborate plotting rooms and fighter planes are quickly concentrated at the danger point our Gunners face vicious [Music] opposition a is [Music] hit another of our ples will not [Music] return in the outskirts of Berlin is this graveyard of smashed American bombers we must replace this equipment these men can never be [Music] [Applause] [Music] replaced in attacking Japan we Face an entirely different situation our air bases closest to Japan are far from home and far from Japan from San Fran Frisco to at is some 3500 miles New Guinea is more than twice that distance double that for China on this route we go through the back door India by Air to China these far away bases are themselves a long way from our objective in no other theater of war does space dictate our strategy so decisively in the Illusions the nature of the terrain severely limits the size a number of our airplanes flying operations are handicapped by year round bad [Music] weather planes designed for strategic bonding could be used only for small rids from these rugged storm ridden Islands our Pilots flew their liberators against ATU and Kiser on successful tactical missions but strategic bombings of Japan from here is not feasible in New Guinea the jungle hinders All Transport except air to start an Airfield a landing strip must be cleared in the jungle grass a plane arrives with light construction equipment then more planes with heavier [Music] equipment finally supplies are landed and troops for action against the enemy as our lines move forward a new base is laid by the same painful method the old one often discard in this slow Advance we capture larger bases only then can we make punishing raids such as this one destination we [Music] went on this raid 120 planes were destroyed on the ground some Heroes managed to take off against us but they might as well have stayed on the ground even these larger bases are only stepping stones in our Island Advance they are not bases for strategic bombing against Japan our bases nearest to Japan are in China but China does not have the factories the materials or the industrial skills capable of maintaining our planes and building our [Music] bases Engineers equipment and supplies must come from America 13,000 M by sea to Kolkata V Overland to Eastern India through 500 mil of Primitive Country no modern roads few railroads a country scourged by malaria on the last leg of the journey everything must be flown into China through the 177,000 foot passes of the Himalayas the most treacherous skyways in the world gas oil Munitions spare parts all must come by air this supply line cannot sustain large scale [Music] fighting what about the use of Siberian bases for bombing Japan blad ofast is at the end of a long exposed Supply Route which is particularly vulnerable from Karas down along the Route the Japanese have deployed a half a million troops if we or the Russians used these air bases Japan would immediately attack Russia would be involved in a two-front war the Soviets are engaging the main Nazi strength a two front War for Russia would ease the pressure on the worried Nazis and endanger American plans for coming operations [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is no one easy solution to our air attack against Japan in Europe the maximum range for efficient heavy bombing is about 600 miles even if all the planes used against Germany were suddenly available in China the fundamental problems would remain bases Supply and greater range in aircraft even the new super bomber b29 can't solve all the problems but we will overcome the difficulties the difficulties of logistics the difficulties of establishing air bases we are softening up the Enemy by air attack to pave the way for the final assault but for our Ground Forces to meet the enemy they must cross large bodies of water and take the enemy's beaches whether in the Solomons or on the Fortified coast of Europe amphibious assault Bridges the gap between our bases and enime Shores it takes a lot of logistical preparation [Music] it takes many craft specially built tank Landing ships troop transport infantry barges Ducks it takes all kinds of equipment which must be combat loaded loaded to come off in efficient order ready for action this takes more space a 10,000 ton Liberty ship may carry only 2,000 tons when combat loaded the ships are under the protection of the Navy which covers the assault we've made Landings in many parts of the world Moran Lata rova Munda Salerno bugville everywhere amphibious assault follows a similar pattern [Music] oh [Music] [Music] while assault troops Engage The Enemy Engineers prepare the way for heavy equipment removing landmines laying mats for wheel Vehicles where sandbars blocked the way as of Lata pons were assembled to serve as temporary docks heavy equipment is needed at cero equally needed in rova all kinds all places scores of Jeeps trucks guns Armored Cars bulldozers unloading stores and ammunition takes a lot of [Music] Manpower the sea takes its toll in every amphibious operation drowned Vehicles swamp boats fighting equipment corroded material of all kinds litters the beaches this is the heavy price paid to tide wind shs and surf this is the price paid to the [Music] [Music] enemy this was the 10 ,000 ton Liberty ship Robert Rome loaded with Munitions for the second Armored Division in Sicily this Landing ship was hit at Jaya a flaming Deck full of half tracks personnel carriers that will never carry a man and here's a tank Landing ship off guad Canal victim of Japanese fire these are some of the extra costs of successful amphibious assault the great loss [Music] equipment the loss of [Music] lives as under Secretary of War my job is the same as yours getting out the stuff I am glad that the general staff has made this report because it tells us not only what we have to do but why we have to do it Japan is determined Germany is powerful we must Max that strength and we must do more Sicily serves as an example of what it will take in preparation for the attack on Sicily vast stores of supplies were built up for 6 months our Air Forces made 50,000 sorties over Sicily the initial assault used 3,200 vessels facing our troops were 15 1/2 divisions there were 12 unwilling Italian divisions and three and A2 German divisions Allied casualties in Sicily were 31,000 killed wounded and missing the size of the job ahead becomes clear when we realize that Sicily was only an outpost ahead are the heavily fortified coastlines of axis Europe the powerful industry behind them 300 German divisions the bulk of them on the Eastern Front Beyond Europe are the defenses of axis Asia Japan and the countries she has conquered we have come to the year of decision the blows struck in 1944 will determine the outcome of the war we are ready for the test of our strength and of our spirit the year will be one of hard work and tribulation for many of us a year of personal tragedy a tragedy that reached our people after gradually covering the rest of the Earth on corgador Americans were captured photographed as prisoners by Japanese [Music] cameramen other Americans and Filipinos paid an even higher price war was not our choice Pearl Harbor was struck while at peace we Americans can never forgive their treachery we can never forgive their brutality to helpless civilians we can never forget the examples of Nazi culture in Russia the acts that go beyond even wanting killing and torture the blowing up of the Naples post office with a time bomb these are not acts of War these are crimes cowardly crimes against defenseless people they are typical of A's mentality axe's standards and acts as ideas the most vicious instincts of common murders have been erected into a system of government the enemy has a deep hatred for things which make us free men and women a deep contempt for all human ity Humanity's answer is the Pledge of the Moscow conference to exterminate This Vermin to bring the criminals to trial for every crime in every country the people's armies of the United Nations have pledged their lives to the unconditional defeat of the axis aggressors [Music] whether in uniform or out so pledge we all [Applause] oh [Music] [Music]