Made in 1942-43 and directed by Major Stewart Benson, this film shows the activities of the American Field Service in North Africa during WWII. It was released in June of 1943 and a special premiere screening took place in Boston, Massachusetts

Produced by the American Field Service, this film shows the experiences of a volunteer American ambulance driver with British Lt. Gen Bernard Montgomery’s Eighth Army in the Middle East during World War II. The film begins with an officer discussing the American Field Service and explaining its role in the war — primarily to supplement medical transport. “We work side by side with the armies of our allies,” it is explained at mark 00:48. “But we are not actually soldiers. We’re really civilian volunteers…We don’t fight. Our job is to save lives.” (Founded after World War I, the AFS was reactivated in 1939. American volunteers drove ambulances in France, North Africa, the Middle East, Italy, Germany, and India, and Burma. Nearly 2,200 volunteers served alongside French, British, Polish, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and South African troops and carried over 700,000 casualties by the end of WW2.

Following a pitch to encourage more volunteers, the story begins in earnest with the title “Letter from Libya,” beginning at mark 02:45. A 1940s homemaker joyously opens a letter from her husband, who recounts his “a day in the life” experiences in preparation for the 1942 Battle of El Alamein. “I’m writing this in the middle of the Libyan desert,” it begins, as the scene cuts to the ambulance driver at mark 03:27, taking a drag from his cigarette as he composes his correspondence.

He continues by recalling how he met his fellow volunteers and prepared for departure, as the same scene plays out on film. “The censor is not found of convoy gossip so we’ll skip it,” he says at mark 04:38, serving as a subtle reminder of the wartime restrictions in place when the picture was made.

Once in port in Egypt, the men boarded trucks and headed for a mobilization center where four-wheel drive Dodge ambulances were waiting. The next day, the narrator tells us, the ambulance convoy headed out into the desert on their way to camp.

At mark 07:00, the volunteers are followed as they check engines and lube chassises, “back home something the service station does for you,” as well as dust sand from the red cross painted atop their vehicles and dig trenches in case of an air raid.

After receiving word that a forward movement had begun, the drivers spread camouflage netting over their ambulances at mark 08:34 so as not to alert enemy scout planes that might be in the area of the final preparation for an attack. As trucks and tanks swarmed away, the camera catches the action as clouds of dust climb into the sky.

Shells begin to fly at mark 10:17 as the fighting begins. Bombers soar overhead, tanks rumble past, and machine guns fire as troops take their positions against Nazi strongholds. A minute later the film captures medics aiding wounded soldiers. “Darn frightening if you want the truth,” the narrator remarks. Using rifles as splints, wounded soldiers are prepared to be removed from the fighting. Ambulances roll in front of of a medical tent at mark 12:12 as bloodied soldiers are then loaded into ambulances to be taken to a field hospital. Ambulances spent the battle traveling between dressing stations, “caring for these poor devils.”

“It was all pretty sickening and heartbreaking,” it is said beginning at mark 16:05, detailing the horrors of war. “Some of the wounded could walk by themselves, but appalling most had to be carried. Some cases were fatal, but you felt that most would recover and have another chance at life. Perhaps even the chance to fight again.”

This film nears its conclusion with a parade at mark 18:18 as the British Eighth Army marches into Tripoli in January 1943, as crowds of Libyans stand on the sideline. 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