Prelude to Victory, “Navy Film”, Footage of Hitler at parade, “The United States Navy Presents”, “A Pictorial Record of the United States Eighth Fleet, Its Officers and Men”
The United States Navy presents “Prelude to Victory — A Pictorial Record of the United States Eighth Fleet, Its Officers and Men.” The circa 1943 black-and-white picture was photographed by crews from the Navy, US Coast Guard, and US Army, and an opening title guard explains how the United Nations had agreed to a plan during World War II to first defeat Axis powers in Europe “and then crushing Imperial Japan.” The viewer watches scenes of factory workers assembling shells, guns, bombers, jeeps, planes, and tanks needed for the war effort. Each soldier requires six tons of supplies. Mark 02:45 introduces Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt, commander of amphibious operations in north Africa and southern Europe through World War II, as a convoy leaves American shores headed for Africa and planes launch from carrier escorts. The assault convoy reaches Africa at mark 07:00 and heads for shores such as Casablanca and Algiers before focusing on German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt is shown at mark 10:10 during his visit to the area in November 1942 — marking the first time that a Commander-in-Chief has been on a foreign field of battle — where he met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (The meeting, known as the Casablanca Conference, was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca in January 1943 to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II.)
The film continues with its combat footage and news at mark 11:45 that the Allies had driven Rommel out of Northern Africa. The invasion of Sicily is next, as General Dwight D. Eisenhower is shown conferring with top brass starting at mark 12:05, and Hewitt is shown conferring with General George S. Patton at mark 13:20, as we are told the newly created Eighth Fleet prepares to go into battle for the first time. Ashore at mark 17:38, Patton and British Field Bernard Marshal meet to discuss strategy including a tank assault on Messina, and later an attack on Salerno. A viewer also has a moment to pause on reflect on the tragedy of war, as at mark 22:58 the cameras capture the many wounded servicemen —15,000 in 20 days — and German prisoners of war for whom the war is now over. Although the Navy suffered its losses, the film continues with its purpose of touting Allied superiority, as the Eighth Fleet embarks at mark 30:30 toward France and the French Riviera for one more attack.
The film is also notable because it contains footage of the German air raid on Bari, Italy beginning at 27:20. This raid was known as the “second Pearl Harbor” because of the large number of allied ships sunk. One of the ships destroyed in the raid the SS John Harvey contained mustard gas shells. The aftermath of its destruction resulted in mustard exposure for hundreds of sailors.
The United States Eighth Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy established 15 March 1943 from Northwest African Force. It operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II with a main mission of amphibious warfare, and then was active in 1946–47 as the heavy striking arm of the United States Atlantic Fleet.
In 1941, the forces that eventually evolved into the Eighth Fleet were designated Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet, under the command of Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt, who took command in April 1942. This force, also called Task Force 34, became the U.S. component of the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. The force was then renamed U.S. Naval Forces, Northwest Africa Waters or COMNAVNAW. On 1 February 1946, U.S. Naval Forces, Northwest African Waters, was redesignated U.S. Naval Forces, Mediterranean, which later became the United States Sixth Fleet.
Still under Hewitt’s command, the renamed Eighth Fleet supported the landings in Sicily, Operation Husky, and at Salerno, Operation Avalanche, the first sustained land assault and invasion of the European mainland in World War II. Eighth Fleet then supported the August 1944 landing of Allied troops on the coast of southern France, Operation Dragoon, with heavy naval gunfire and naval air attacks. Hewitt remained as the fleet commander until 1945, when he moved on to chair a Pearl Harbor investigation. The fleet was disbanded on 15 September 1945, with its forces becoming part of United States Twelfth Fleet.
With the reorganization of the Navy after World War II in December 1945, Eighth Fleet was reactivated on 1 March 1946 under the command of Admiral Marc A. Mitscher. Under the overall command of Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Eighth Fleet was the heavy striking arm of the Atlantic Fleet. It consisted of the preponderance of Atlantic Fleet aircraft carrier assets, initially including the new fast carriers Midway and Franklin D. Roosevelt, their escorts and support ships. These latter did not include the fast Battleship Division (Battleship Division Two?) made up of USS Wisconsin and Missouri, retained under direct command of Atlantic Fleet. In January 1947, the US Eighth Fleet was redesignated as the Second Task Fleet, a part of the Atlantic Fleet.
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
