Usage : Public Domain<br />Contributor : Eric Spiegelman<br /><br />"The Battle of Russia," Chapter V of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"<br />series, follows the beginning of the end for Adolph Hitler. Part One<br />shows how the Nazi regime, frustrated by the tenacity of British<br />resistance, sets its sights on the Soviet Union instead. As it follows<br />the Nazi march into Russian territory, the film provides a brief summary<br />of the attempts of foreign powers to invade Russia over the past seven<br />hundred years. It explains why the country is such a hot prize and why<br />no army in history ever succeeded in conquering it. Hitler is portrayed<br />as a fool, his hubris blinding him to the evidence of history. The<br />film illustrates how the Red Army's method of fighting -- a<br />scorched-earth strategy and a reliance on guerilla and urban warfare --<br />was bound to defeat the Nazis as it had defeated every invader before<br />them. Capra's favorable portrait of the Russians is notable. Released<br />two years before the start of the Cold War, the film portrays the<br />Soviets as a diverse and freedom-loving people, in many ways similar to<br />their then-allies, the people of the United States.<br /><br />Addeddate : 2005-08-31 12:04:24<br />Color : color<br />Identifier : BattleOfRussiaI<br />Sound : sound
