This black and white film from 1942 is titled “Report from Russia”. It depicts the resilience of the Russian people, specifically those in Moscow, as they mobilized and braced for a face off against Hitler and the Nazi German military during World War II. This newsreel was produced by the Office of War Information (OWI) Bureau of Motion Pictures as part of the US government’s war time propaganda machine. President Franklin D. Roosevelt promulgated the OWI in the summer of 1942 by Executive Order 9182 because at the onset of the war the American people were generally in the dark regarding war information. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945 and used radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other forms of media to connect the battlefront to civilian communities. The office established several overseas branches which launched a large-scale information and propaganda campaign abroad.

Opening credits (0:08). Cityscapes from the Soviet Union (0:22). Parade in Red Square in Moscow – where Soviets had previously celebrated the revolution (0:35). Aerial view of soldiers mobilizing against Hitler and the Nazi invasion in the Red Square featuring St. Basil’s Cathedral (1:06). Peasant farmers march through sunflower fields (1:25). Women farmers mobilize by working in fields and with crops like barley, wheat, and sunflowers (1:41). Men too old to fight joining farming efforts by plowing the fields (1:53). Children tend to the fields and help with the harvest (1:55). Wheat harvest (2:02). War production factories located beyond the Ural Mountains (2:16). Role of women in industrial work and the war effort (2:34). Women pilots or “night witches” (3:22). People mobilize and shovel snow around abandoned factories as Hitler approaches the gates of Moscow (3:43). Gathering of metal scraps and their uses (4:02). Rally held by district leader to mobilize civilians (4:21). Footage of Muscovites hurrying to shelter after bomb siren goes off – similar to the experience of Londoners during the blitz (5:04). Factory workers walk roofs ready to mitigate damage from incendiary bombs (5:25). Russians seek shelter in Moscow’s palatial subway (5:35). Illustrated map of Nazi attack on Moscow (6:16). Plane dropping bombs from the sky (6:54). Interior of the metro station filled with people seeking shelter (7:10).

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

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