This silent film is Reel 4 of AMERICA GOES OVER, a silent documentary propaganda film produced by the US Army Signal Corp in 1918. The film documents the activities of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I under General John J. Pershing. The movie was a product of the Division of Films of the Committee on Public Information, the Washington, DC-based federal agency in charge of wartime propaganda in the United States.
This reel opens with footage in March 21, 1918 as the Germans launch attacks against the English and the French in Flanders, in a frantic effort to dislodge them before the arrival of U.S. troops. At 4:42, General Pershing is seen being asked to put his troops into the fight.
At 5:40, the transport of U.S. troops across the Atlantic is seen, with lookouts checking the seas for enemy U-boats, and destroyers making depth charge passes and creating smoke screens.
At 8:30, U.S. troops are thrown into battle at Cantigny and Chateau Thierry, as the Germans attempt to push to the Marne. The American presence helped close the Marne salient and on July 18, U.S. troops drove a wedge into the enemy at Soissons.
The film takes the viewer to the front line of the Western Front during the final months of the Great War. In between the usual combat footage, which is considerable, there are many “human interest” clips about doughboys on KP, using slop buckets, digging trenches, even one of their lion mascot. Those shots are accompanied by a still cartoon soldier resembling Private SNAFU.
The combat footage, which includes some graphic scenes of the dead and wounded, is accompanied by animated maps of the front, and the gradual inching toward Germany.
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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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
