Made in 1943, ROAD TO BERLIN was released as Official War Film #8. This industrial incentive film examines the logistical and tactical gauntlet that supplies sent to the European Theater faced to reach the front, including the German U-boat wolfpacks which at the time were exacting a heavy toll on convoys.
The film opens with a wolf pack of submarines meeting northwest of the coast of Britain (1:00). American, Dutch and British ships are under torpedo attack (1:24). The Army Transportation Corp is charged with the shipment of men and equipment overseas (1:37) and behind this assignment are the many unending hours of work to obtain ships and outfit them for duty (1:45). Supplies are gathered and stored in strategic shipping locations all over the country (1:53). The office depicted on film is receiving information on the wolf pack of subs and are then able to brief their route and destination (2:30). A request is sent for an escort for convoys carrying men and supplies ahead of schedule (3:52). Shown is one of the largest general stores of the Army stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific (4:40) which includes warehouses, storage facilities, cranes, trucks, freights all handling the goods needed for war (4:46). At 5:39 African American factory workers are seen moving supplies. A request goes through a telephone switchboard at (6:00) to move a shipment deadline from forty eight hours up to twelve (6:41). This shipment has been earmarked for offensive action and 10,000 workers race to move the supplies (8:30). The deadline date will dictate the sailing of a convoy, unbeknownst to the workers (8:45). All of the training, worker skill, cataloging and months of preparations will now be vital (9:31). Supplies large and small like pillboxes, barbed wire, whole trucks, portable bridges and buldozers are loaded for shipment (9:52). As the deadline ticks nearer and job is half complete, foods and clothing for troops as well as populations affected by war are loaded (10:45). Artillery, medical supplies and novelties such as tobacco, sugar and coffee will also be sent (10:57). The workers represent the men and women fighting without uniforms to bring aide to the warfront (12:20). The responsibility of these materials are then turned over to switchmen, signalmen, dispatchers and cargo plane crews (12:30). At the port, troops man stations and the shipment is loaded (12:41). It was imperative to keep the vessels in assigned positions and they are instructed to meet at the rendezvous (13:07). The deadline at 1400 has been met as transport freighters proceed while subs were also racing to the same ocean area (13:37). On the ship, an alarm rings out as submarines near (13:58). As they surface, Destroyers go ahead of the freights to attack and friendly bombers appear in formation overhead (15:22). Afterwards, through listening devices, it is announced the route is cleared for all ships to proceed to destinations (16:31). This shipment has made it to the American doughboys fighting the Germans and Japanese (17:02). From all over the country and from workers, shipments make their way to the roads that lead to Berlin and Tokyo (18:21).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
