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Underground Report

A successful invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe depended on intelligence from behind enemy lines. This gripping March of Time film uses footage captured from the Axis powers to to tell the story.

Documentary 1944 20 mins

Overview

A mixture of dramatised reconstructions, captured Axis film and footage shot by the French Resistance, reveal life in Nazi-occupied Europe, just as the tide was turning in the Allies’ favour. Using reconstructed scenes from Allied Military Intelligence HQ in London to add extra drama, the film shows the horrors inflicted on the people of Europe since 1940 and ends with film of Soviet tanks surging towards Germany and Russian soldiers ripping up Swastika flags.

A title card informs audiences that this March of Time film is made up mainly of Axis footage captured by the Allies or resistance films smuggled out of Europe by the Norwegian and Fighting French Underground forces. Deftly edited together, and given a dramatic structure by the reconstructed scenes set in the underground headquarters of Allied Military Intelligence, the issue begins with a roll call of shame featuring the leaders who collaborated with Hitler and goes on to document four years of Nazi rule in Europe. Released in a month before D-Day in the USA, but not shown in the UK until July 1944 - almost a month after the Normandy landings - the film depicts the Nazis as being on the brink of defeat.

Original title

The March of Time 9th Year No. 12

Genres

Documentary and War

Country

USA

Language

English

Subjects

Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945) Finland Bulgaria Belgium Europe Croatia Boxing Intelligence Liberation theology France World War II Norway War crimes Anti-Fascism

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