War Languages

Propaganda films and speeches in WW2

Vesa Matteo Piludu

University of Helsinki

Department of Art Research

World War 2. German propaganda: Anti-Semitic

BBC Document from WW2. Jews are not wanted here. / "Juden! Sind hier unerwuenscht.“

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGNyc_LlJhs&feature=related

Heinrich Himmler Speech - Jewish Extermination Orders (secret speech for the SS) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_XS3Xra0Xs&feature=related

Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler's speech to the SS officers responsible for carrying out the wholesale extermination of the European Jews. Delivered in Poznan, Poland on October 4, 1943.

The text of the speech scrolls in both the original German and its English Translation.

Mussolini: a Pro-American speech in 1929and a typical fascist mass propaganda speech in 1939

Mussolini's Speech in English (1929 Fox Movietone Newsreel) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTXhez2mNmM

Mussolini says (Roughly transcribed):

"I am very glad to be able to express my feelings to the American nation. Friendship which Italy looks to millions of citizens who from..... from Pacific to Atlantic..... United States is very deeply rooted in our hearts.

This feeling created by mutual interest in preparation of an even brighter era in the life of both nations. I agree - the wonderful energy of the American people and I feel....... my fellow citizens who are working to make America great.

I salute the great American people, I salute the Italians of America who unite in the love

of the nation."

MUSSOLINI SPEECH REGGIO CALABRIA 1939, Istituto Luce http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bezn89c-Geg

Capra’s Prelude to War

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II.World War II is introduced in black and white terms, with Henry Wallace's quote "This is a fight between a free world and a slave world" pictorialized with the "free world" of the Allies as a brightly-illuminated planet and the "slave world" of the Axis Powers as a planet deep in shadow.It examines the differences between democratic and fascist states, using footage from Axis propaganda films including Triumph of the Will, but with different narration designed to support the Allied cause.It is mentioned that after the Nazis smashed opposing political parties and labor unions, they turned their attention to persecution of Christians - in one scene a stained glass window is shattered by a brick to reveal a "Heil Hitler!" poster behind

Prelude to war

The Axis aim of total world conquest, as shown in Prelude to War.The Axis is depicted as seeking total world conquest. An animated map first shows Mussolini's ambition to re-create the Roman Empire, complete with the Mediterranean as "Our (the Italians') Sea", then Japan's ambition - described in the Tanaka Memorial (Its authenticity is still a matter of dispute) - to conquer Manchuria, China, Indochina, Siam, Burma, the East Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand and Russia east of Lake Baikal, before moving east to crush the United States. The Nazis are shown as first claiming Europe, then moving east through Iraq and Iran into India, then south to conquer Africa. Once this is accomplished, the Nazis would cross the Atlantic Ocean from Dakar to Brazil - meeting up with the Japanese who have crossed the South Pacific. Simultaneously, the Nazis would cross the North Atlantic Ocean from Scandinavia into Canada, meeting the Japanese forces (pejoratively referred to as Germany's "buck-toothed pals") crossing from Siberia. The combined Axis armies then overrun the United States.

Prelude to War

Isoroku Yamamoto, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy is shown making a speech which is deliberately mistranslated (as in other US World WaWhen war comes between Japan and the United States, I shall not be content to merely occupying Guam, the Philippines, Hawaii, and San Francisco. I look forward to dictating the peace to the United States in the White House at Washingtonr II propaganda) as "." - this is followed by a scene showing the "conquering Jap army" marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, as the narration alludes to Japanese atrocities in Nanking, Hong Kong and Manila.

Prelude to war

It also points out that while they claimed to lack raw materials, they were able to build enormous war machines. The Nazi Wehrmacht is mentioned to have "30 Panzer divisions, 70 motorized divisions and 140 infantry divisions".

The film notably takes the position that the war started on September 18, 1931 with Japan's invasion of Manchuria, which is covered towards the end of the film along with Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia.

The animation showing a Japanese dagger plunging into Manchuria is re-used in The Battle of Russia, The Battle of China and War Comes To America.

Prelude to War won the 1942 Academy Award for Documentary Feature

Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" World War II Propaganda Series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBUKRAE2O9c

A document on Capra’s Propaganda’s documents

This is a short, but favorable, presentation discussing Frank Capra's World War II propaganda series entitled "Why We Fight." This series of films was funded by the United States government and used to condition the American military and public to accept the war.

The majority of Americans wanted no part of another European conflict. Behind the scenes though the Roosevelt administration was steering the country towards war.

Why We Fight

Why We Fight: "Prelude to War" (ca. 1943) 1/6 10 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrwT2K3SwGk&feature=PlayList&p=E1FF98DF99AF

CBA6&index=0

Why We Fight: "Prelude to War" (ca. 1943) 2/6 10 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDulUKcmYvI&feature=PlayList&p=E1FF98DF99AF

CBA6&index=1

(03) Why We Fight: "Prelude to War" (ca. 1943) 3/6 10 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-

ZqjG2RdMg&feature=PlayList&p=E1FF98DF99AFCBA6&index=2

(04) Why We Fight: "Prelude to War" (ca. 1943) 4/6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=PyYG3ryqfc4&feature=PlayList&p=E1FF98DF99AFCBA6&index=3

(05) Why We Fight: "Prelude to War" (ca. 1943) 5/6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzXK-

SxsIYo&feature=PlayList&p=E1FF98DF99AFCBA6&index=4

(06) Why We Fight: "Prelude to War" (ca. 1943) 6/6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=SuhtljNOdO0&feature=PlayList&p=E1FF98DF99AFCBA6&index=5