Crusade in Europe (1949)
← Back to main
Hermann Göring as Self (archive footage)
Episodes 5
Prelude to War
The surrender at Reims ended the major phase of the European Theater of WWII. The film dissolves from the surrender to Hitler in his early years of power, follows the rise of Nazism through the Munich Pact, the attack on Poland, the fall of France, and the Battle of Britain.
Read MoreAmerica's Unpreparedness
The draft law of 1940 is passed and American men are inducted into the Army. Large-scale maneuvers are held in 1941. Pearl Harbor is bombed and Franklin Roosevelt asks Congress for a declaration of war.
Read MorePlatform for Invasion
Americans arrive in Britain, try to get along with British civilians, and are made ready physically and mentally to fight the Germans. The Eighth Air Force begins its bombing offensive, and the decision is made to invade French North Africa.
Read MoreAmerican Military Government
The post-war government of Germany is shown. The U.S. in Cologne puts things in order. The Potsdam Conference and Nuremberg War Crimes Trials are shown.
Read MoreReview
This final installment is a review of the whole series. Highlights deal with the rise of Nazism, finishing with the Battle of Britain, FDR's speech asking for a declaration of war from Congress, the invasion of French North Africa, Sicily and Italy, the planning for the invasion of France, the landings in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, crossing of the Rhine and the meeting with the Russians at the Elbe.
Read More