# OFFICIAL FILMS NEWSREEL 1941 VOL. II PEACETIME USA BEFORE WORLD WAR II 55684

Made just prior to U.S. entry into World War II, this Official Films newsreel, “News Thrills: 1941, Vol. II,” recaps some of the social, military, and political events of 1941. The newsreel begins with photographers having fun photographing people on the sandy beaches of Venice, California ( 00:19 ). The next segment covers the first test flight of the world’s largest bomber, the Douglas B-19, as it takes off from Santa Monica, California ( 01:34 ) and lands at March Air Base near Riverside, California ( 01:52 ). Then the film documents a British destroyer that stopped two German ships; the German crew set fire to their ship before it is torpedoed by the British destroyer ( 02:41 ) and sinks. The second German ship is inspected by British officials before being sunk with small deck bombs ( 02:55 ). The newsreel continues with war coverage, moving to the Russian-German front, where Soviet citizens prepare for Nazi attacks, and women mobilize for the war ( 03:38 ). In Moscow, on 12 July 1941, Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov ( 03:54 ) and British Ambassador Sir Stafford Cripps ( 04:03 ) sign an agreement between the Soviet Union and Great Britain that preceded the treaty between the two countries a year later; Joseph Stalin smiles while watching the signing of the agreement ( 04:00 ). The film then shows three Red Army Marshals charged with protecting Soviet territory: Marshal Kliment Voroshilov directs the Leningrad defense ( 04:16 ); Marshal Semyon Timoshenko…

- Kind: Newsreel
- Genres: War, News, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/55684OfficialFilmNewsthrillPhotoFun)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/55684OfficialFilmNewsthrillPhotoFun?play=1)