Transcripts For CSPAN3 America Goes Over 20170401 : vimarsan

America, we present america goes over. We invited two scholars to provide context and commentary throughout the film, which was made by the u. S. Army signal corps. America goes over is one of many silent films the National Archives has restored. This is about an hour. Welcome to reel america. Let me introduce mitch and allison. As we get started, how are these kinds of films made at the time . Who saw them . In the case of this film, it was done by the United States government. It was a compilation of footage by cameramen overseas to promote what america did, which was help bring the war to a close. It was released after the war was over. So, how would the propaganda have been intended by the government at that point in time . This was intended to reassure americans they fought for a just cause. There was quite a bit of backlash against world war i. This is the era where you see america retreat into neutrality, the rejection of the league of nations. This kind of film would have given a little bit of a boost of morale. Where are the films held today . Mitchell the original copies are maintained by the National Archives. They are being digitized and they are placed on the National Archives Youtube Channel so anyone can watch these at any time. And is the preservation of this type of film a difficult art . Mitchell it is because in some cases you have original copy ies that might have scratches and so forth. We have a staff that will meticulously go through and check to make sure each scene is clear. And try to do some sort of scene script that you know what is going on. Sort oft came with that thing when it was transferred from whatever Government Agency brought it over. Thank you for the background. Now, we are going to roll the film called america goes over. The signal corps. Was communications for the u. S. Army. They were the ones responsible for Motion Picture and still photographs. Susan and the Eastman Kodak company, a very storied name. Allison they always have that little border around the film, and those two flag insignia was ps. Seal of the survey core they are actually signal flags. It was a moment of pride for the signal corps to have these films. So many films were done with reenactment. For example, the british did a reenactment of the battle of the psalm. This is actual footage taken in the United States or overseas. This is footage of the background that got the United States into the war. Tell us about that decision. Allison the entry of the United States into the war is still interesting. What they are showing on the screen here is submarine warfare where they were attacking civilians or supposedly civilian ships. This caused a lot of tension between the u. S. And germany. Some scholars say this led to the u. S. Entering the first world war, particularly the sinking of the lusitania. Susan this is remarkable footage they were able to get, the american or allied vessels. Those being sunk. Mitchell i agree. I mean, the fact that the cameras were so, i guess, antiquated. Certainly these surroundings would have shook from the reverberation of the torpedoes hitting the ships. Susan we are seeing president wilson. How controversial was the decision to go to were . Desk to go to war . Decision to go to war . Mitchell for one thing, wilson ran on his reelection platform on keeping the u. S. Out of the war, which some were against. Theodore roosevelt was still active, even though he was not in office, was a proponent of war. There was a huge war preparedness movement. Some folks were saying it is about time we get into the war. Others said, do we really need to get into this war . This is not americas problem. But the fact that our ships, merchant ships were being sunk. Some of them were actually carrying armaments. In the eyes of the germans, they were warships. Susan what country are they in . Mitchell im guessing this would be france. It is hard to tell because pretty much all of the western front was torn up like this. It could be belgium. Susan the unique aspect of world war i was trench warfare. Allison, tell us about that. Allison trench warfare is probably the most iconic battlefield aspect of world war i. It certainly did not define the entire world war, but at least on the western front where a lot of the british are focused right now. What happened was that you had a stalemate that both sides were using weapons. People could not actually go further on the battlefield without risking basically suicide attacks, which is what happened in the battle of the psalm. You had over 60,000 killed on one day. You get a type of warfare that is very difficult for people to survive. They huddle into those trenches to get some sort of shelter. Susan from a strategic standpoint, what is happening in this battle . What are the germans trying to capture . Mitchell that is an interesting question. The germans were on the defensive for most of the war, except for early on, and then a few other attacks, like allison mentioned around the somme where they move forward a little bit. But, i think in this case here, you see it completely different. This is, i guess, in the alps . Allison yes, i think so. Mitchell the italian theater. Susan who are the allies and who were the central powers . Allison the allies were great britain, france, the United States later when the u. S. Entered. Belgium started off as neutral before they were invaded. Then, you have germany, austria, hungary, the ottoman empire. World war i stretches beyond what we are seeing on the western front. You have a middle eastern theater. You have a lot of what is happening in places that are now part of the modern middle east. Susan we are now back in the United States with buildups of armaments. Mitchell right, they are showing how america is becoming prepared for the war. We really started the war completely unprepared. We had to rely on the allies for everything from shipping to mostly what armaments we would use in combat, especially airplanes. But here, you show the navy built up. The Navy Central Role was not so much combat, but destroyers were used to protect the truth the true transfer ships as they left american port. Because they were under threat to fight the merchant ships were from german uboats. Susan how was the war financed . Mitchell war was financed from the american coffers, but eventually, there were similar drives to world war ii where americans were asked to give money to help on the effort for men and women. Susan so, were men and women taken from normal jobs and put in these factories to work . Allison you had a lot of women who started to take factory jobs more than they had been before. You also had africanamericans migrating north, in many cases to take those jobs. Here, we see the draft. I think this may be the first election of the first draft member. Mitchell right. This is the first draft, the secretary of war theodore roosevelt, still active. Mitchell he had three sons that were in the war. Allison he actually lost one. His son, quentin roosevelt, was a pilot. He died during the war. That really strongly affected teddy roosevelt. Susan the graphic said up to 3 million american men were drafted ultimately. Mitchell ultimately. Not all of them served. But the vast majority of what would become the American Expeditionary forces were made up of listed and drafted. Susan here, we see people being conscripted into war, taken from their homes and ordinary lives, being turned into soldiers. Mitchell yes. You can see the buildings. They called them containments. Those were quickly built structures by the Army Quartermaster corp. There were some forts scattered around the u. S. , but they needed the socalled temporary camps, and they were constructed mostly in the south and southeast. The climate tends to stay warmer yearround. Training was about nine months out of the year. So, you had to factor in what the weather was going to be like. Susan how difficult was the turning of citizens into soldiers . Allison it was pretty difficult. One of the things that you find in these primary sources, many of the soldiers did not have the training that they thought they needed. They were very rushed. When i look at this footage, you kind of wonder, what happened to these men . There, you see the statue of liberty. I think we thought that was camp upton. Mitchell did you notice, allison, they were using wooden rifles . Allison yes. Mitchell now, there were british and french officers who came to the United States, whose transportation and housing was paid for by the u. S. War department and the idea was for them to lecture the soldiers at the camp. What they had seen. But not until they got overseas, did it really hit home. Susan once the americans joined in, how much of the war was fought on the seas versus the land . Mitchell by the time the americans got in the war, practically not, other than some attacks by uboats. There was not a major naval engagement the americans were involved in. Allison this is one of my favorite stories from world war i. How one of the first things i general pershing and the american troops did on arriving in paris was visiting the tomb of marquis de lafayette among who helped the americans during the revolution. Really connecting the Historic Alliance between france and the United States. Mitchell they are training you can see they have their gas masks on. What is interesting is, even though trenches are synonymous with world war i, the americans s primarily did not fight from the trenches. General pershing was adamant the american troops fight a socalled open warfare. And so, they would basically lead from above ground, im sorry, over the ground through the woods and so forth. He was fearful because the french and british were using the trench warfare, this war would go on and on and on. He felt as though the only way to defeat the germans was to attack by going over the top. Susan what are they depicting here . The good times could still be had while here . Fighting these wars . Allison i think these are just scenes of camp life. If you look at the faces of these men, they are very young. They are probably between 18 and 25. They are just playing cards, trying to do laundry, and living life on the front. I think these personal scenes are the most interesting of this film. Mitchell what they are showing now, they are jumping ahead to the spring of 1918. The germans are realizing, now that the americans are in the war and are starting to get more and more troops, they have launched an offensive against the british and the french in hopes to drive those allied forces away and capture paris and bring the war to a close before americans get into the war. More americans get into the war. Susan earlier on, you referenced wearing gas masks. Can you talk about the use of gas during world war i . Mitchell well, it started by the germans in 1915 in belgium. And then slowly, the allies caught up. The idea of the gas was more like a choking element. It did not necessarily kill soldiers, but it made you so miserable, it would get into your lungs and into your skin that you could not fight any longer. They were pretty much taken out, and the suffering the soldiers experienced well after the war was horrible. Allison it was also very psychological. Soldiers began to fear gas attacks, and it made them a lot more jumpy at the front. Mitchell yeah, despite the fact that we are in the socalled modern age of mechanized warfare with trucks and tanks, the type of terrain, because it had been so shellpocked, and because it rained quite a bit in this part of europe, you still needed horses carrying litters with the wounded. Bringing ammunition and supplies to the front. The motorized trucks could not handle here, you see the firing of artillery, which was a really important component during the war. Allison and here is general pershing, the leader of the American Expeditionary forces. A quick shot of him. Mitchell that was ferdinand fouts, the commander of the allied forces. The scene right before the where before that where they show the casualties, that would have been french or british troops. General pershing was very adamant that the signal corps photographers not show deceased or wounded american soldiers. Susan because it would be harmful to the war . Mitchell absolutely. He had all film footage censored before it was printed. Susan here, we see the overwhelming force americans bring to the effort. Allison you see some African American Service Members here. Remember, the American Military was segregated at this time. So, those africanamerican Service Members were probably battalions oror on that dock. It is a really interesting and very sad heroic story of their service. Mitchell roughly 200,000 africanamericans served. The vast majority were in labor battalions or infantry. There were exceptions. There were infantry regiments hellthe famous harlem fighters, who were in combat longer than any other unit. Susan now, the germans were well aware of the american buildup, so they would have wanted to destroy these ships before they crossed the sea . Mitchell absolutely. But they were not that successful. Two american ships were some are unk during the course of the war. Allison this is why we see them traveling in convoys protected by other naval ships. Mitchell amazing footage. Susan what a steady hand by the photographer. Mitchell a lot of credit to them. And i am not aware of any photographers getting killed during the war. See theere, you successful destruction of uboats. Mitchell that would have been navy airships. Susan 40 men and eight horses is what that translates to. Mitchell many of the horses, the u. S. Purchased from the french. Here, you have a mascot brought over. I dont think dogs were technically allowed on the troop transports. Here, you have americans entering france for the first time. In letters i have read, it was astonishing, because often they , womenee in these towns dressed in black. Widows or the daughters of those who were killed. Susan the europeans must have just been floored at the numbers of americans who came over. Mitchell they are jumping ahead here. This is the americans being put into the line to stop the germans in this great offensive. Allison and he is famous for the efforts of the first division, the big red one. Mitchell this is the artillery. 75 millimeter french artillery. The americans did not have their own guns to bring over. So, we borrowed them from the french. One of the more famous artillery commanders was captain harry s. Truman, who was a battery commander of the National Guard from missouri. Susan and the germans were hoping to overtake charis . Paris . Mitchell they were. They had tried several times before. They got close again, but logistics and other problems, and certainly the fact that the americans were placed in the line and they were hungry and eager. Here, you will see them in the town. It is amazing when you look at these towns on how decimated they are. Allison, when you go there today, you do not recognize that there had been a war there. Allison no. These towns are basically small villages left over today. You can see where there are these ruins and a few buildings that might have been restored. Mitchell here are americans with some captured german pows. Americans like to wear the german helmets. They would send these things home and you would see them in museums, or up on ebay today. Susan 10,000 minute day coming to aid the war effort in world war i. Mitchell the americans did not have enough at the beginning of the war. But the british lent us the transport ships, otherwise, it would have taken a lot longer to get american troops over. Allison these ships are interesting. They are painted with dazzle camouflage, a technique that would make it harder for them to be hit. Mitchell this is the second battle of the marne, where the germans were stopped in their effort to get into paris. This would last pretty much most of the summer. Allison these are the engagements where the americans were starting to jump in a lot more. You see places like Chateau Thierry become symbols of the first world war. Theres a very prominent american monument there. Susan you can see the conditions under which the troops advanced. Actually, earlier, mitch, you were suggesting these battlefields today are farm fields and they still find unexploded armaments . Mitchell yes. It is amazing that farmers use them today. There is so much metal in the ground that is still found. Often, farmers are maimed or killed when their plows go over these ordinances. And then you have the Second World War going over some of the same ground. Allison this landscapes are really devastated. These trench lines, many of them were not filled in. You can find trench lines and barb wire sticking up from the ground, these ghosts of the americans and the british and the germans and all of the combatants still very much there in the land. Mitchell these are the scenes where they are showing the communications, which were actually quite sophisticated for their time. Wireless was used, but also signal corps wire was used to be able to relay messages from the front to the rear, or vice versa. You also had runners who would deliver messages, often they were native americans. And you had messages all the way to the back that were handled by the female telephone operators known as the hello girls. Susan you can see that there is absolutely very little protection for the troops, firing repeatedly these weapons without any protection for their ears. We saw a soldier putting his fingers in his ears for protection. If you looked at their uniforms today, compared to the kinds of hightech equipment we have, how much protection did they provide for the soldiers . Mitchell not a whole lot. They were thin material. A bullet, especially from machine guns, it penetrated very easily. They did not have bulletproof vests. That is one of the reasons casualties were so high. Susan im sure the metal and in the helmets is nothing like we have today . Mitchell nothing like we have today. But it was certainly better. They developed throughout the war so they gave more protection. Here we see the pontoon bridges being developed that they could cross rivers very easily. Allison and the gas masks, usually you see them in the fro