Know Your Ally: Britain is a 45-minute propaganda film made in 1944. It was narrated by Walter Huston and produced by the US War Department and Signal Corps to solidify Anglo-American solidarity within the ranks as well as counter Nazi propaganda. The film shows several peculiarities about Britain, but contends that when it comes to topics that matter such as democracy, freedom, and resistance to Nazism the British and Americans look eye to eye. It also defends Britain’s Empire, by arguing that mainland Britain has lost disproportionately more soldiers and that those fighting from the colonies did so voluntarily.

0:08 overview of different allied soldiers, 0:39 a map comparing Britain to Idaho, 0:53 shots from London, 1:16 comparison between American and British houses, 2:22 Tower Bridge in London and traffic on the Thames, 3:00 shots of everyday life from Britain and the US including sports and children, 3:35 a Nazi Party rally with Adolf Hitler, 3:59 headlines from the annexation of Czechoslovakia, 4:18 memorials in Britain to the First World War, 4:35 Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini, and Daladier during the signing of the Munich Agreement, 5:11 British conscripts trying on their uniforms and training, 5:29 Hitler laughing, 5:54 British aircraft dropping leaflets in Germany, 6:13 footage from the German invasion of the Benelux countries, 6:45 map showing early German victories in the war, 7:12 people listening to radios as Churchill speaks, 7:30 fires burning in English cities during German aerial bombardments, 8:36 British soldiers in Greece, 8:50 British soldiers surrendering in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma, 9:11 British bombers taking off from an airfield, 9:29 British Spitfires firing at naval targets, 9:58 aerial view of German cities being bombed, 10:43 British and German troops fighting in North Africa, 12:49 scenes of destruction in London, 13:33 Hitler giving a speech followed by British Nazi Party member speaking, 14:16 comparisons between the US and Britain including driving, sports, and coffee quality, 15:04 an American and British Officer listening to radio, 15:35 British and American soldiers fraternizing, 15:45 similarities between American and Britain including democracy, freedom of speech, free press, and religious freedoms, 16:28 the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the US Constitution, 17:16 George Washington Statue at Trafalgar Square, 17:58 shots of farmers, miners, steelworkers, and children where it is unclear whether they are American or British, 18:28 King’s Guard marching during a royal ceremony, 19:19 King George VI during his coronation followed by shots of the royal family and the King being displayed as a representative of the people, 21:12 different shots of British workers, 22:20 a German propagandist speaking into a microphone, 22:37 a map comparing German annexations to the British Empire, 23:04 Foreign Secretary Antony Eden giving a speech, 23:30 bombed buildings in Britain, 23:45 Winston Churchill speaking in front of Congress, 24:13 map showing different British colonies that have since become independent, 25:04 street and government scenes from British rule in India, 26:04 Prime Minister of South Africa Jan Smuts speaking about India, 26:45 Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, 27:15 a map of India showing its role in the war, 27:32 map showing how British troops in colonies are stopping the Nazis, 28:00 Nazi propagandists speaking into a microphone, 28:33 statistics showing how many of the dead soldiers are British, 29:33 British merchant ships in the Atlantic, 29:54 an English ship being torpedoed and the crew evacuates, 30:43 Hermann Göring, 31:03 Arthur Brown who made the first non-stop transatlantic flight, 31:34 a man peeling potatoes, 31:45 British conscripts of different ages, 32:17 women in uniform and working in essential war plants, 33:08 aerial overview of the steel mills of Sheffield, 33:57 Shipyards of the River Clyde, 34:11 Industry in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, and Leeds, 34:27 war goods being manufactured, 34:48 map showing lend-lease routes 35:22 two Americans walking through a picturesque English town, 35:48 overview of rationed goods including lipstick, clothes, stockings, gas, and whiskey, 36:35 overview of different American machines that have been exported to the UK, 36:58 a British person buying very expensive cigarettes followed by an overview of new tax rates, 37:41 overview of different British workers, 38:19 children being fed in a canteen, 38:48 Churchill speaking to Congress, 39:42 British soldiers marching,

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