“News Thrills: 1941 Vol. 1,” one of Official Films newsreels and edited by Leslie Winik, features Wendell L. Willkie’s visit to England (mark 00:23), Britain’s capture of Tobruk, Libya (mark 01:23), Malta’s 234th air raid (02:21), the sinking of Germany’s Bismarck (03:13), Romania’s King Carol and Madame Lupescu’s arrival in Bermuda after exile (04:23), President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proclamation of Unlimited National Emergency (05:08), the U.S. Army’s 15th Regular Infantry’s breakup of the labor strike at the North American Aviation Plant (06:09), the massive fire in Jersey City (07:22), and the Army’s 501st Parachute Battalion’s training jump (08:08). The newsreel begins with “War Tour: Willkie sees England From Top to Bottom (00:23), showing footage of American laywer and the 1940 Republican nominee for President Wendell L. Willkie touring England in January 1941 to “study war tactics” (00:28) in an effort to drum up American support for Britain and President Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease program. Willkie meets with Winston Churchill at 10 Downing Street (00:37), dons a helmet and joins Londoners in a bomb shelter (00:48) before speaking on his tour of the bomb shelters (01:01). The newsreel then recaps British forces taking Tobruk, Libya after a two-week siege (01:23). Royal Airforce bombers fly to Tobruk (01:27) and bomb Italian outposts, clearing the way for the Imperial Army of the Nile (01:45). What appears to be the 6th Australian Division attacks on 22 January 1941 (01:50), and the next day, Allied forces capture the city and 20,000 Italian troops as Italian Admiral Massimiliano Vietina surrenders to Brigadier Horace Robertson of Australia’s 19th Infantry Brigade (02:02). “Bombing: Malta Suffers 234th Attack” (02:21) documents the 234th air raid on Malta. The clip begins with a seemingly normal day in Sliema, Malta (02:25) before sirens warn of an impending air raid. Antiaircraft guns fire (02:42) at what appears to be Germany’s Fliegerkorps X, but the Nazi bombing campaign continued (02:50) inflecting more damage on Malta (02:58). However, the Allies would secure a major victory of their own with the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck on 27 May 1941 (03:13). The HMS Rodney (03:16) and HMS King George V (03:23) hunt for the Bismarck, firing on the German warship once they find it (03:33). With help from torpedoes dropped by Allied planes and Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Norfolk (04:13), which tracked the Bismarck until the Rodney and King George could engage), the British Fleet sinks the mighty Bismarck, and bring the few survivors to a British port (04:03). What appears to be members of the HMS Norfolk celebrate the victory (04:20). “Exiles: Carol & Lupescu Land at Bermuda” (04:23) shows Romania’s former King Carol II (04:33) and the controversial Magda Lupescu (04:44) arrive in Bermuda. Due to intense pressure, Carol abdicated in September 1940 and went into exile. The two rest at the famed Belmont Manor Hotel (04:53) in Hamilton, Bermuda before continuing their journey to Mexico. The newsreel next shows President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proclamation of the unlimited national emergency (05:12) during a famed fireside chat in response to Nazi Germany’s threats of world domination. This is followed by “Work Again: U.S. Army Breaks Up Plane Plant Strike” (06:09), as workers striking (06:13) at North American Aviation’s Inglewood, California plant are quickly shut down by the Army’s 15th Regular Infantry (06:24). With the strike over, workers return to the plant and North American Aviation continues manufacturing military aircraft. The clip also shows the plant with the 15th camped out in the foreground (07:06). The newsreel also reports on the massive fire that hit Jersey City on 1 June 1941 (07:27), that resulted in zero fatalities, several injuries, and around $25 million in damage. The final clip, “Air Men: Army Parachutists In Mass Jump Exercise” (08:08), shows the Army’s 501st Parachute Battalion in Fort Benning, Georgia training for operations. The parachutists board their planes (08:11) and then jump out with guns and supplies (08:35), successfully completing the training exercise before eventually deploying to England in January 1944.

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: “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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com