This silent film is Reel 5 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 the question of supply, and shows trucks moving supplies to the front. Roads are built using bricks salvaged from ruined buildings (:50 mark), and long days spent repairing them. A muddy road is seen at the 1:15 mark, and trees are removed from a road by saws so that artillery can move up.
At the 3:00 mark, American planes fly as part of the Lafayette Escadrille.
At 3:35, the American army goes on the offensive against German positions. A field hospital is shown at the 6 minute mark.
At 10 minutes, American forces seize their objective, and the war soon comes to an end as the “Finney la Guerre” title card announces at the 11:52 mark. The Allied Commanders are shown at the 12 minute mark as the end of the war is celebrated on Armistice Day.
The film contains 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.
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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
