Official Films News Thrills of 1940 Wwii in Europe German Blitzkrieg of Norway & Holland 55764 (1940)

Synopsis

Made for the home market in the USA, this 16mm newsreel from Official Films begins with footage of the German invasion of Norway. At 1:08, the American Ambassador Mrs. J. Borden Harriman escapes to Sweden in a diplomatic car. At 1:42 Namsos, a North Sea port city, is bombed by the Luftwaffe. At 2:50, Allied Expeditionary Force ships withdraw from Norway. At 4:30, Royal Navy planes arrive to cover the withdrawal and prevent enemy U-boat attacks. At 5:43 the German Blitzkrieg begins as Adolf Hitler's forces invade the Netherlands and the lowlands of Europe. German Heinkel bombers and Stuka dive bombers are seen making attack runs. At 6;14 Holland opens up its dikes to stem the invasion but to no avail. At 6:28 Royal Air Force planes are seen taking off, and British troops are seen moving near the Maginot Line. At 7:20, King Leopold takes to the battlefield with his men. At 7:45 French troops are seen joining the defense of western Europe. At 8:00 the Germans strike Belgium and throngs of refugees are seen on the roads. A blind WWI vet wandering a destroyed French town, praying against all hope for victory. At 9:00, Chamberlain resigns as Prime Minister and Winston Churchill takes his place. He speaks on camera about the crisis and offers a plea to the USA to support democracy. See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

10 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage