Multimedia Collection
The Battle of Britain
(Why We Fight series)
VHS
52 minutes
D743.23 .W491 1984 no.4
The fourth film in Frank Capra's acclaimed series produced for the War Department, this superb documentary vividly portrays Britain's courageous stand against the Nazis throughout 1940, when that tiny island nation was the lone defender of freedom on the entire planet! Hitler had taken over much of Europe, and thought it would be simple to knock out Britain, the one remaining obstacle between him and world conquest. Vastly out-numbered in ships, planes, weapons and fighting forces, the British nevertheless had an indomitable spirit. Despite continuous bombardments - including the infamous blitz on London and the worst firebombings in history - and tens of thousands of casualties, Britain survived, destroying over 2000 Luffwaffe planes and even going on the offensive against targets inside Germany! Britain had decisively demolished the myth of German invincibility, and had won for the world a year of precious time. Capra and his staff expertly interweave newsreel footage (including the most dramatic dogfights and aerial views you'll ever see), staged scenes, animation (produced by the Disney studio), speeches, narration and stirring music. Winston Churchill said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, " to describe Britain's triumph - a triumph powerfully conveyed in one of the finest war documentaries ever made!
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