List of Allied propaganda films of World War II

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James Stewart in Winning Your Wings (1942)

During World War II and immediately after it, in addition to the many private films created to help the war effort, many Allied countries had governmental or semi-governmental agencies commission propaganda and training films for home and foreign consumption. Animated films are not included here.

British Empire and Commonwealth[]

United Kingdom[]

1939[]

Title Director Notes
The Lion Has Wings Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Michael Powell, Alexander Korda (uncredited)

1940[]

Title Director Notes
The Call for Arms Brian Desmond Hurst
Mary Field
London Can Take It! Humphrey Jennings and Harry Watt
Men of the Lightship David MacDonald
Miss Grant Goes to the Door Brian Desmond Hurst
Len Lye

1941[]

Title Director Notes
An Airman's Letter to His Mother Michael Powell
A film about the Auxiliary Territorial Service, a women's formation
The Battle of London
Christmas Under Fire Charles Hasse and Harry Watt Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Ferry Pilot Pat Jackson
Stanley Russell
Ralph Keene
Humphrey Jennings
produced by Verity Films
Target for Tonight
Words for Battle Humphrey Jennings

1942[]

Title Director Notes
Coastal Command J. B. Holmes
Dover
Listen to Britain Humphrey Jennings Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
In Which We Serve Noel Coward and David Lean
The Next of Kin
(aka Next of Kin)
Thorold Dickinson Originally a British War Office services training film by Ealing Studios based on the wartime security axiom that "Loose lips sink ships" / "Careless talk cost lives", it was also distributed commercially as its propaganda was of general strategic importance thus applicable to all citizens.
One of Our Aircraft is Missing Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Went the Day Well? Alberto Cavalcanti
We Serve Carol Reed
Winning Your Wings Nominated for Academy Award for Best Documentary

1943[]

Title Director Notes
Jiří Weiss
Jack Lee
Desert Victory Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Mary Field
Fires Were Started Humphrey Jennings
Alfred Travers
Leslie Fenton
Michael Hankinson
Ralph Keene
The Silent Village Humphrey Jennings The Nazi massacre at Lidice recreated in a Welsh village
Target for Today William Keighley
Alberto Cavalcanti
The Volunteer Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

1944[]

Title Director Notes
Aventure malgache Alfred Hitchcock
Henry V Laurence Olivier
Jungle Patrol
Liberation of Rome
Tunisian Victory Frank Capra Co-production with US
Western Approaches

1945[]

Title Director Notes
Burma Victory Roy Boulting
A Diary for Timothy Humphrey Jennings
The True Glory Carol Reed Shows the final invasion and victory in Europe; won Academy Award for Documentary Feature

Australia[]

In Australia the Australian News and Information Bureau, under the Department of Information, produced the following

Year Title Director Notes
1941 Frank Hurley
1942 Kokoda Front Line! Ken G. Hall Won Academy Award for Documentary Feature
1942 Men of Timor Damien Parer
1942 Moresby Under the Blitz Ken G. Hall
1942 Soldiers Without Uniform Charles Chauvel
1943 Assault on Salamaua
1943 The Bismarck Convoy Smashed
1945 Frank Hurley

Canada[]

In Canada, the National Film Board of Canada either distributed or produced the following as part of its Canada Carries On and The World in Action series.

1940[]

Title Director Notes
Atlantic Patrol Stuart Legg
Stanley Hawes
Front of Steel Narrated by Lorne Greene
Watch online
Home Front Stanley Hawes Watch online
Letter from Aldershot Stanley Hawes
Letter from Camp Borden
Ross McLean Re-edited version of
On Guard for Thee Stanley Hawes
Squadron 992
Wings of Youth Narrated by Lorne Greene

1941[]

Title Director Notes
Peter Baylis French title: Défense contre avions
Stanley Hawes
Churchill's Island Stuart Legg Won Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject. First NFB Oscar winner.
Stuart Legg
Guards of the North
Heroes of the Atlantic Watch online
The People's War
Soldiers All Stuart Legg
Combination of A Call for Volunteers (above) and Ottawa, Wartime Capital
Warclouds in the Pacific Stuart Legg Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Judith Crawley
Wings of a Continent

1942[]

Title Director Notes
Stuart Legg
Stanley Jackson
Contains footage of Nazi film
Everywhere in the World Stuart Legg Stresses Commonwealth and American solidarity
Centenary of the Geological Survey of Canada. Contains war related information.
Ferry Pilot Stuart Legg
Stanley Hawes
Stuart Legg
Inside Fighting Canada Jane Marsh Watch online
Inside Fighting China Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Inside Fighting Russia
Voice of Action James Beveridge Watch online

1943[]

Title Director Notes
Nicholas Read
Joris Ivens
Training children about what to do in an air raid
Banshees Over Canada[1] James Beveridge
Stuart Legg
Bombing the Nazis
Joris Ivens
Co-produced with
Fighting Norway Sydney Newman
The Gates of Italy Stuart Legg and Tom Daly Watch online
Concerns Victory gardens
Proudly She Marches Jane Marsh Watch online
The War for Men's Minds Stuart Legg Watch online

1944[]

Title Director Notes
Dallas Jones
Air Cadets Jane Marsh
Back to Normal George Dunning Concerns life of war amputees
Stuart Legg
Stuart Legg, Tom Daly
Break-through James Beveridge Watch online
Don Baker,
Norman McLaren Narrated by Lorne Greene
(unconfirmed)
Stuart Legg
Road to the Reich Tom Daly
Ernest Borneman
Train Busters
Trans-Canada Express Stanley Hawes Watch online
Zero Hour Stuart Legg

1945[]

Title Director Notes
Stuart Legg
Headline Hunters

India[]

Year Title Director Notes
1940
1940
1941
1941 Ezra Mir
1941 Road to Victory Ezra Mir
1941
1942
1943

United States[]

The United States had the largest film industry of any of the Allied powers, and its use for propaganda purposes is legendary. Because it was so big, there was no single governmental or semi-governmental agency that centrally controlled it. Instead, the Office of War Information co-ordinated efforts among many entities to produce propaganda:

OCIAA: Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs

OEM: Office for Emergency Management

OSS: Office of Strategic Services

USAAF: United States Army Air Forces

USASC: U.S. Army Signal Corps

USASSD: U.S. Army Special Service Division

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture

USDT: United States Department of Treasury

USN: United States Navy

USDW: United States Department of War

WACMPI: War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry

Several of these films, although they have propaganda value, were used as training films for the United States armed forces.

1941  []

Pre-December films given IMDb release date where available.

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
WACMPI
WACMPI; OPM Released June 5
WACMPI; USDT Released 20 May
WACMPI; OPM Released June 5
WACMPI; OPM Released June 5
WACMPI
WACMPI
WACMPI; BPI Released June 23
WACMPI; OEM Released November 22
WACMPI; NDC Released February 18
USASC; UASAAF War Department Training Film 1-532
WACMPI;
WACMPI; USO Released May 28
Women in Defense WACMPI; OEM Released May 28; narrated by Katharine Hepburn; written by Eleanor Roosevelt

1942  []

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
Africa, Prelude to Victory OWI
The Arm Behind the Army USASC
Ring of Steel OEM Recruiting short, narrated by Spencer Tracy, released April 7
The Battle of Midway John Ford USN, WACMPI Academy Award for Documentary Feature 1942*
Campus on the March OWI
Hemp for Victory USDA
Henry Browne, Farmer USDA Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Hitler--Dead or Alive Nick Grinde
It's Everybody's War OWI Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Japanese Relocation WACMPI; OWI Japanese American internment
Keep 'Em Rolling
Keeping Fit
Manpower OWI
OWI Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Night Shift Starring Danny Kaye
Why We Fight:Prelude to War Frank Capra USASSD; USASC Academy Award for Documentary Feature 1942*
Safeguarding Military Information Preston Sturges AMPAS
Sex Hygiene John Ford USASC
Training Women For War Production NYA Narrated by Eleanor Roosevelt[2]
Torpedo Squadron John Ford USN
United China Relief
Winning Your Wings John Huston
Owen Crump (uncredited)
USAAF Starring James Stewart; Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
The World at War Lowell Mellett OWI
Wood for War Arthur H. Wolf USDT
  • The 1942 Academy Award for Best Documentary, whose time frame included part of 1943, was split among four films, including the two seen here. Also, that year saw the amalgamation of the feature and short subject documentary categories into a single category.

1943  []

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
A Challenge to Democracy OWI; OSS; WRA Concerns Japanese American internment
Army-Navy Screen Magazine
USN
OWI; WACMPI
USDA; USFS; WACMPI
The Autobiography of a 'Jeep' Joseph Krumgold (uncredited) OWI
Brazil at War OWI; OIAA
USN; Walt Disney Pictures
USN; Walt Disney Pictures
Black Marketing William Castle OWI; WACMPI
WACMPI
WACMPI; USN Concerns women's auxiliary, WAVES
Combat America USAF Narrated by Clark Gable
Community Transportation OWI; WACMPI
USASC
OWI; WACMPI
December 7th John Ford, Gregg Toland USN; USDW Won an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
USN; WACMPI
USAF
USAF
OWI; WACMPI
Education for Death- The Making Of The Nazi Clyde Geronimi Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by American author Gregor Ziemer, also this film is by The Walt Disney Company, and the characters speak German
WACMPI
OWI; WACMPI
The First Motion Picture Unit USAAF
USAAF
Food and Magic OWI; WACMPI
Food for Fighters OWI; WACMPI
OSS
USAAF
OWI; Narrated by Spencer Tracy
USAAF
USAAF
How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines OSS
USAAF
USA
USAAF
OWI; WACMPI
Mission Accomplished OWI; WACMPI
Negro Colleges in War Time WACMPI; OWI
WACMPI; OWI
USAAF
WACMPI; OWI
USAAF
Our Enemy- The Japanese USN; OWI
USAAF
WACMPI; OWI
Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter Bernard Vorhaus First Motion Picture Unit, United States Army Air Forces; OWI Starring Ronald Reagan
USAAF
Report from the Aleutians John Huston WACMPI; USASC Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature
WACMPI; OWI
USAAF
USAAF
USAAF
Since Pearl Harbor WACMPI; American Red Cross Wartime activities of the Red Cross
USA Caution against Nazi spies
Suggestion Box WACMPI; OWI
OWI
To the People of the United States Arthur Lubin PHS Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Tomorrow We Fly USN Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)
The Tree in a Test Tube USDA Laurel and Hardy short about use of wood in the war effort
Troop Train WACMPI; OWI
USAAF
USAAF
USAAF
War Department Report Carl Marzani OSS Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature
WACMPI; OWI
Wartime Nutrition WACMPI; OWI
We've Never Been Licked John Rawlins Texas A&M University Features William Frawley of I Love Lucy as a Japanese agent
OWI
Why We Fight:The Nazis Strike Frank Capra USASSD; USASC
Why We Fight:Divide and Conquer Frank Capra USASSD; USASC
Why We Fight:The Battle of Britain Frank Capra USASSD; USASC
Why We Fight:The Battle of Russia Frank Capra USASSD; USASC Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Wings Up OWI; WACMPI; First Motion Picture Unit, United States Army Air Forces Narrated by Clark Gable
You, John Jones! Mervyn LeRoy WACMPI; Dramatic short starring James Cagney

1944  []

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
The 957th Day USN; OWI
WACMPI; OWI
USASC
WACMPI; ARC Activities of the Red Cross for that year
Attack in the Pacific
Attack! Battle of New Britain
USAAF
USAAF
USDW; WACMPI
USCG; WACMPI Concerns women's Coast guard auxiliary, SPARS
Toddy Pictures Co. Race film made in co-operation with the US Govt.
The Fighting Lady Edward Steichen USN Won an Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Freedom Comes High Lewis Allen USN Dramatic short
Gracias Amigos OIAA Latin American contributions to the war effort
Highballing to Victory APSC; WACMPI
USN; WACMPI
USN; WACMPI
Hymn of the Nations Alexander Hammid OWI nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
USN;
WACMPI
It's Your War Too WACMPI; USDW; USASC Concerns women's Army auxiliary WACS
Liberation of Rome APS; OWI; WACMPI; British Service Units
USAAF
Richard Fleischer WACMPI
Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress William Wyler First Motion Picture Unit, United States Army Air Forces
USDW; WACMPI
The Negro Soldier Stuart Heisler USDW; WACMPI
WACMPI; OWI
The Price of Rendova USA; WACMPI
OWI Narrated by Humphrey Bogart
WACMPI; OWI Concerns the women's naval auxiliary WAVES
Return to Guam USN
Road to Victory LeRoy Prinz WACMPI
Supervising Women Workers USOE
USN; WACMPI
Tunisian Victory Frank Capra and Hugh Stewart USASC;
What Makes a Battle USAPS (with co-operation of USASC, USN, USMC etc.)
WACMPI; OWI
Why We Fight: The Battle of China Frank Capra USASSD; USASC Second Sino-Japanese War
With the Marines at Tarawa Louis Hayward WACMPI; OWI Authentic footage of the Battle of Tarawa, filmed by the photographers of the 2nd Marine Division; won an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject

1945  []

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
6th Marine Division on Okinawa USMC Battle of Okinawa
USAAF
Air Force Report[3] Carl Marzani OSS
USAAF
Michael Audley USDT; WACMPI;
The Army Nurse APS;USASC;USDW
The Atom Strikes! APS;USASC;USDW Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Battle of San Pietro John Huston WACMPI; APS Battle of San Pietro Infine
Birth of the B-29 APS;AAF;USDW
USN;WACMPI
Bulletin on the Okinawa Operation USMC Battle of Okinawa
Ed Herlihy Universal Studios 5 min. 19 s, archive.org
Operation Overlord
D-Day -1 Operation Overlord
Death Mills Billy Wilder USASC Holocaust
The Enemy Strikes WACMPI; APS Battle of the Bulge
The Fight for the Sky WACMPI;USAAF Air war over Europe; Narrated by Ronald Reagan
The Fleet That Came to Stay Budd Boetticher WACMPI; OWI Battle of Okinawa
Fury in the Pacific WACMPI; USA; USN; USMC
Glamour Gal USMC Artillery in the Battle of Iwo Jima
Here is Germany Frank Capra Occupation orientation
Hollywood Victory Caravan William D. Russell WACMPI; USDT Hollywood USO
Intelligence and the Japanese Civilian USMC Occupation orientation
The Last Bomb Frank Lloyd USAAF Operation Matterhorn; Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Know Your Enemy: Japan Frank Capra and Joris Ivens
Mr. and Mrs. America USDT Bond drive
My Japan USDT
The Negro Sailor Henry Levin USN
Okinawa Bulletin #2: Final Phases USMC Battle of Okinawa
WACMPI; APS
Our Job in Japan WACMPI; APS
Air Force dogfights and B-29 raids on Japan
Remember These Faces USN; USCG; USMC Wounded in Action marines and sailors in the Pacific
WACMPI; American Red Cross Activities of the Red Cross the previous year
Lee Strasberg
The Stilwell Road USASC; British and Indian film units Narrated by Ronald Reagan
The Story of the 14th Air Force Photographers of the 14th Air Force The Flying Tigers
Target Tokyo USAAF
Target Invisible DOT The use of Radar in the War
USAAF; USN
To the Shores of Iwo Jima OWI; WACMPI Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
The Town Josef von Sternberg OWI; WACMPI
Tuesday in November John Houseman OWI; WACMPI
The True Glory Garson Kanin and Carol Reed OWI; British Ministry of Information Won Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Two Down and One to Go Frank Capra WACMPI; USAPS
WACMPI About the Lend-Lease program
John Cromwell OWI; WACMPI Concerns Dumbarton Oaks and the founding of the UN
Why We Fight:War Comes to America Frank Capra USASSD; USASC
Wings for This Man USAAF About the Tuskegee Airmen. Narrated by Ronald Reagan
Your Job In Germany Frank Capra USAAF Written by Dr. Seuss. Concerns occupation of Germany

1946[]

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
A Tale of Two Cities USDW; Army-Navy Screen Magazine Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
That Justice Be Done George Stevens OWI; OSS; WACMPI Nuremberg Trials
Seeds of Destiny Gene Fowler Jr. USDW; UNRRA Asks public for humanitarian aid to post-war Europe and Asia
Special Delivery USDW; Army-Navy Screen Magazine Operation Crossroads (the atomic tests bombings on Bikini Atoll)

1947[]

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
Don't Be a Sucker USDW Anti-intolerance film
Thunderbolt! William Wyler USDW About US airstrikes in Italy; introduced by Jimmy Stewart

Year uncertain[]

Title Director Agencies or Organizations involved Notes
Know Your Ally: Britain OWI; USASC
Victory Gardens USDA

Netherlands and Belgium[]

The low countries were overrun by Nazi Germany in the May–June 1940 blitzkrieg. The Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands most important colony, was conquered by Japan in early 1942. However each had a government in exile which set up the and , which produced the following films. There were also films made by the resistance while the respective countries were occupied.

Year Title Director Agency Notes
1941 Hippolyte De Kempeneer Belgian resistance movement Dutch title: Immer België; English title Forever Belgium
1942 Belgian Ministry of Information Nominated for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
1942 Netherlands Information Bureau
1942 Netherlands Information Bureau
1942 Netherlands Information Bureau
1942 Netherlands Information Bureau
1943 Alfred Travers Netherlands Information Bureau

Soviet Union[]

In the Soviet Union, unless otherwise noted, the Central Newsreel Studio produced these films.

Year Title Director Original title Note
1941 Razmatchakati hamar Produced by
1941 Fascist Boots Shall Not Trample Our Motherland & Не топтать фашистскому сапогу НАШЕЙ РОДИНЫ Produced by Soyuzmultfilm
1942 День войны/Den voiny
1942 Roman Karmen Ленинград в борьбе/Leningrad v borbe
1942 Crushing Defeat of the German Troops under Moscow Ilya Kopalin Разгром немецких войск под Москвой
1943 Ukraine in Flames Aleksandr Dovzhenko & Yuliya Solntseva Битва за нашу Советскую Украину
1943 Народные мстители/Narodniye mstiteli
1943 Stalingrad
1943 Narrated by Brian Donlevy
1943 В песках Средней Азии/V peskakh Sredney Azii
1943 Aleksander Ford Title in Polish
1944 Hayastani zavaknere Produced by
1944 Yuli Raizman Produced by Studios
1945 Fall of Berlin – 1945 Yuli Raizman & Yelizaveta Svilova Битва за Берлин 1945 г.
1945 Aleksandr Dovzhenko & Yelizaveta Svilova Pobeda na Pravoberezhnoi Ukraine i izgnaniye nemetsikh zakhvatchikov za predeli Ukrainskikh sovietskikh zemel
1945 Iosif Kheifits Razgrom Yaponii
The Nuremberg Trials

Soviet films made for foreign markets[]

In addition to the above the Soviet cinema import company Artkino produced the following for foreign markets.

Year Title Director Note
1942 Our Russian Front Joris Ivens & Lewis Milestone Narrated by Walter Huston
1942 Moscow Strikes Back Ilya Kopalin & Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
1943
1947 The Nuremberg Trials Soviet view of the Nuremberg Trials

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Watch: 'Banshees Over Canada'." Nfb.ca. Retrieved: April 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "NYA Train Women for War Production". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  3. ^ Molinaro, Dennis (2021). The bridge in the parks : the Five Eyes and Cold War counter-intelligence. Toronto Buffalo London: University of Toronto Press. p. 55. ISBN 9781487523718. OCLC 1242465012. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
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