YESTERDAY'S NEWSREEL - BATTLE OF BRITAIN 1940-41 DANCING THE CHARLESTON TRAIN WRECK

Television highlights of the news of yestery year. It's 1940 and over fallen soil of France, Adolf Hitler walks in triumph. And from safety of Nazi fortification on continental side of English Channel, he scans his next objective, the towering white cliffs of Dover. In England, they know the blow will come. Just when they cannot guess, but they know it will come soon. Now that France has fallen. An air raid shelter appears in yard of Buckingham Palace. Cold steel and concrete reminder that all of England will soon be under siege. Even children are not immune to horrors of total war. London's youngsters are evacuated and total war draws no line between the rich and the poor. Men of all walks of life are ready home guard recruits preparing if necessary to fight in the streets and backyards of London. Even women join the ranks of civilian legions here preparing to defend their homeland to the last. Trained by Tommies of First World War, men and women of civilian defense units handle anti-aircraft and coastal guns. Hair Hitler may capture Britain from her foggy southern shores to the highland glenns of Scotland, but the invading Nazis will pay dearly for their leader lust for power. England will fight back. Then it is the 8th of August 1940. Enemy planes are reported winging over the lowlands of Europe, heading toward the narrow strip of water called the English Channel. This is what the people of England have waited for and credited. [Music] And here's the giant air armada Hitler hurls at England. Here's the powerladen fleet of bombers that blasted France to destruction, ruin, and defeat. First to feel sting of exploding Nazi steel is Britain's highly vaunted and important merchant fleet. [Applause] Hitler will destroy Britain's bridges to the world, cut England off, and then crush her with repeated blows. This is one of Adolf Hitler's happiest hours. This is the first of Great Britain's darkest days. Here begins England's long threatened ordeal by fire. Her long- feared period of toil, sweat, and tears. [Music] Up to meet the vast armadas of the enemy go England's small flights of tiny fighter planes. Outnumbered 10 to1, they climbed swiftly into the English skies to outclass and outfight the invading enemy. Said Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Never have so many owed so much to so few. And fewer still survive these first fierce days of dog fights in the English air. But some Spitfires made certain that scores of Nazi bombers never got back to Berlin to boast of blasting Britain with her load of bombs. [Music] Here are two Royal Air Force pilots being sure one Nazi marauder will never make it home again. [Music] A direct hit and there are no victorious high Hitlers in the choppy waters of the English Channel. The German raiders swept over England in wave after wave. And with each warning of approaching aircraft, all England stopped work and went bravely and confidently to battle stations. These are air raid wardens, home guardians of Great Britain's besieged people and bomb blasted property. Enemy planes are near. Here's their bombing run, and subway stations serve as shelter during the reign of death. Is this it, or will this hit be direct? There was a time, it seemed, that all of London was in flames. And where the bombs crashed down, buildings burst and crumbled and people died. Not soldiers, but men and women and sometimes a child or two who didn't make it to the safety of the country. But even as the city burned, the British fought. Even as the Nazi bombs were falling, they fought back. And when the planes were gone for a little while, the survivors surveyed these scars of total war. It was all out again as soon as the all clear sounded, and London stirred again with people on their way to work through streets strewn with shattered windows. England was not broken, though, and Adolf Hitler never climbed the cliffs of Dober. It's 5th of May 1926 in nation's capital and this is first public appearance of young graduates of Kitty's Dancing School. This web-footed little fellow does more than waddle. All school dancing students get to dance the Charleston. And this is dancing it. Remember when you used to do this? If you weren't a kid in school, what was your excuse? This youngster contorted her way to the head of the class. Yes, she's a Charleston champion. At meeting of industrial leaders in Washington, here's Julius Rosenwald. It's 21st of November, 1929. and well-known merchant has added to his fame by supplying money for Rosenwald fund to promote and further the well-being of mankind. Julius Rosenwald. [Music] It's 11th of December 1928 and this charming young woman is none other than Grace Moore of Jelico, Tennessee and the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York. Tragedy was a long way off. Here in Washington, it's the 17th of October, 1927, and oil man Harry Sinclair is going on trial. Here's prosecutor for the United States, Owen D. Roberts, as one of the nation's leading lawyers gets set to try an important case. It's early 20s and here near Montasano in the state of Washington, a heavily laden logging train has leaped its tracks and dumped its cargo of tall timber into the ditch. There's no damage done to logs. They'll just be delayed in getting to the mill. [Applause] Real tragedy of accident is fact that when runaway train took its flyer six members of its crew were killed. [Music] It's 1925 and on top of this tall building in the heart of Chicago's loop, there's still another edifice and today it opens its door to its waiting congregation. Yes, it's a church in the sky, high over the windy cities, noisy and crowded streets, high over the tops of most Lakeshore skyscrapers themselves. It's the new home of the First Methodist Congregation of Chicago, a haven of hope close to heaven. It's early 30s as at North Beach, New York. Plane boasting device for self- landing gets a thorough onceover. And it gets an airring, too, as brave pilot takes it on test hop. If inventor Merrill knows what he's talking about, his new plane will land without help from the pilot. Watch closely in these and later shots, and maybe you'll see that the pilot's hands are held a lot. He doesn't touch the controls. A second try doesn't look any more promising than the first at first, but down she comes all by herself. Here with pilot is inventor Mel left. Bold pioneer of aviation in early 30s. [Music] The well-dressed of Washington. The time 1920. The November elections are over. And here's Mrs. Warren Harding on the right with Mrs. Vice President Marshall. The outgoing vice president's wife is giving a reception to the incoming first lady of America. [Music] And you'll notice they're dressed in fashion's fanciest. Mrs. Edward Mlan joins Mrs. Marshall. And then the nation's leading ladies relax at lunchon as best as their clumsy clothing will allow. It's 10th of July, 1926, and at Cesu Stadium, Philadelphia, women athletes compete in America's National Championships. Here's the ever popular 100yard dash. And cutting the tape ahead of the rest was this young lady from Toronto, Fleetfooted Rosa Gross. Dividing her talent among discus and two other events, individual highscorer of meat was Miss Lillian Copelan. Navy's day. It's 1925 as seven of the nation's leading crews get set to race before crowd of 75,000 persons at Pipsy. At start of race, eights from Washington, Navy, and Pennsylvania leap into the lead. And it looks as if it's going to be record-breaking pace. From train on Banks of Hudson, hundreds see the three early leaders still showing the way. It's one of most thrilling crew races of Pikipsy meet. And all seven crews are bunched as the finish line is neared. But Navy pulls ahead. Racing to keep up with these colossal crews. Train observers see Navy win over Washington by only half a length. Next in order come Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Cornell, Syracuse, and Colombia. The coxin of the victorious crew stands up for joy as the pace that Navy set stood up for victory. [Music]