Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer, Part 1

"Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer, Part 1" is the opening segment of the third film in Frank Capra’s acclaimed "Why We Fight" propaganda series, produced in 1943 for the U.S. War Department and directed by Capra and Anatole Litvak. This documentary focuses on the Nazi conquest of Western Europe from 1939 to 1940, beginning with the aftermath of Poland’s fall. It highlights Hitler’s strategic deceptions against neutral nations like Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium, using archival footage and animated maps from Walt Disney Productions to depict the Blitzkrieg tactics that outmaneuvered Allied defenses. Narrated by Walter Huston, Part 1 sets the stage for the fall of France, emphasizing the role of British naval resistance and the vulnerabilities exploited by Germany. Designed to inform American troops and bolster morale, it frames the Axis powers’ aggression as a dire threat to democracy, blending historical analysis with wartime urgency.