Most documentaries for WW II usually concentrates on Europe, Russia, Japan and the US, but this documentary really shows what was happening in China during WW II. The first five parts are from a single source and the last part five suddenly ended so another source is used. Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tOtVQ7cNWY&feature=related Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxFOHHUlNgw&feature=related Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krOFpw5O7Pc&feature=related Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63LDD-HqxCc&feature=related Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULIjjVQFEFE&feature=related (Part 7 is mostly a repeat of Part 5 except for the last 2 minutes which are new) Part 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BYTuGNjbdM&feature=related Part 8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3tDZ0Pntbk&feature=related Part 9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt0GkxHFguE&feature=related Part 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIf9pdTjaVg&feature=related
Noted director Frank Capra was already a celebrated luminary when he was enlisted into the US Army Signal Corps during WW2. The above is one of seven propaganda films, entitled Why We Fight that he made for the US military between 1942-1945, to provide American soldiers with a moral reason as to why they should participate in war. Why we fight: The Battle Of China ...made in 1944, was supposed to inspire American boys to die for one yellow race, while hating and killing another; not an easy task. The objective of the film was to make US soldiers feel sympathy towards Chinese and moral repugnance or hatred towards the Japanese. After nearly a century of anti-Asian sentiments at home that culminated in the exclusion of especially Chinese from immigration, the US government suddenly found itself in the unenviable position of having to backtrack on years of discrimination and, at the least, to morally embrace China and Chinese people. Nonetheless, it launched a massive effort into distinguishing the differences between Chinese and Japanese, and posters (like the ones above) for the first time, portrayed Chinese people to be a honorable and courageous people, similar to Americans. The intent was to make Americans say, " Why, they're... just like us." It's important to remember that the political will of a nation can often decide where it ranks different races and cultures. The Capra propaganda films were a classic in the war effort for winning public support towards what was then perceived as essentially a foreign problem. I sincerely thank you for posting this film. ***Sidebar*** In part 3 of the above movie, at 4:06 minutes, you can get a three second glimpse of the setting up of the famous Life Magazine Wong Baby shot. Source: http://www16.atwiki.jp/pipopipo555jp/m/pages/1885.html?guid=on http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=152408
