World War II in 8K Part 1: Fervor 1937-1940 - A Century on Film | NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Germany and Japan's fates collide. As war erupts in 1939, wartime fervor lifts Hitler at home, Japan advances into French Indochina, US sanctions tighten, and conflict looms.

All of Berlin gears up to give Adolf Hitler an unprecedented welcome.

This program contains graphic scenes and outdated language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Ceremonial bells and the cheers of millions welcome the victorious commander.

It's been one year since the outbreak of World War II.

Germany continues its rapid advance, crushing its old rival, France.

Berlin welcomes the triumphal return of Hitler with fervor.

Everyone wants to be there to express their gratitude to the Fuhrer.

Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Banzai!

Footage captured in Tokyo, also in 1940.

A grand ceremony is held to mark the 2,600th anniversary of Japan's founding.

It's a year of mythic significance.

The night explodes with the joy of 100 million souls.

Hundreds of thousands flood the streets.

The capital is bathed in the color of celebration.

These scenes unfold as a war rages on with China.

Citizens are swept up in the fervor of events intended to stoke patriotism and national unity.

In five years, World War II will come to an end.

Japan and Germany - the two defeated nations will be transformed beyond recognition.

World War II: mankind's greatest tragedy.

the same used in the world of cinema.

the pinnacle of modern image quality.

The process has uncovered subtle details, recorded on the original film but unseen for decades.

The evolution of military technology.

Mass slaughter fueled by hatred and discrimination.

It is estimated that World War II claimed the lives of between 50 and 80 million people.

In this four-part series, we reexperience World War II in high-definition.

and Germany, as it makes its rapid advance across Europe.

It is Japan, ahead of Germany, that first opens the curtains of a new world war.

Japan launches a military invasion without a formal declaration of war.

Japanese leaders believe they can subdue the country with minimal delay.

But they're met with total resistance from Chinese forces.

Upon landing, Japanese troops suffer devastating casualties.

One European nation was providing powerful support to the Chinese military: Germany.

New soldiers, awkward and unskilled, but they toughened and trained.

One film captures Chinese Nationalist troops in training.

Much of their weaponry, including world-class firearms, is either imported or copied domestically.

In 1937, the volume of munitions shipped from Germany to China triples over the previous year.

Through these exports, together with the dispatch of military advisors, Germany reaps enormous profits.

Germany and Japan remain bound by the Anti-Comintern Pact to oppose communism.

But behind the scenes, Germany continues to cultivate a lucrative relationship with China.

but Germany must remain neutral in the current dispute between China and Japan.

insofar as they are covered by foreign currency or raw materials, but with as much secrecy as possible.

One Japanese journalist cuts to the core of the conflict.

The conflict in Shanghai is, in one sense, a war that pits Japan against Germany.

then capital of the Nationalist government.

Some soldiers perpetrate the killing of civilians and prisoners of war.

Looting, physical assault, and rape are also widespread.

News of this "Nanjing Incident" reaches the world through Western outlets.

and the war descends into a quagmire of attrition.

They come with a mission to foster friendship.

Thirty spirited young men of the Hitler Youth arrive at Tokyo Station.

Nazi Germany's youth wing, the Hitler Youth, makes a visit to Japan.

Facing the Imperial Palace, they raise their right arms in homage to the Emperor.

to foster Japanese-German friendship.

A fierce determination in their gaze, a march of absolute discipline.

The Japanese people are transfixed.

Everyone there was in a state of ecstasy.

I was stunned by the first one I saw.

He was so tall, I found myself having to turn my head upwards.

Their noses were sharp, their eyes recessed, and their pale complexions tinged with red.

For the young men of the Hitler Youth, Japan is also full of surprises.

We visited shrines and temples across the country.

I was struck by the Japanese people's strong sense of religious devotion.

Even the physical education here is beyond what we see back home in Germany.

Seeing the collective gymnastics and kendo drills of the middle school students, I was struck by their spirit.

I felt I had touched the true essence of Japan.

Japan's strength lies in that spirit and unwavering determination.

We stand together in comradeship for all time to come.

The two flags come together: the Rising Sun and the swastika.

In 1938, Hitler terminates military aid to China and halts the flow of arms.

Instead, he chooses Japan as Germany's sole partner in East Asia.

Soon, Hitler begins to show his ambitions openly.

he has advocated for the recovery of territories lost following Germany's defeat in World War I.

Austria is annexed, and Czechoslovakia dismantled.

Great Britain and France remain silent.

For his finishing stroke, Hitler sets his sights on Poland.

yet the city remained home to a large ethnic German population.

It's here that in 1939, a clash between Germany and Poland becomes the spark that ignites World War II.

The German training ship Schleswig-Holstein enters the harbor.

The people of Gdansk cheerfully welcome our soldiers.

Footage from one week before the war.

A German warship enters the port of Gdansk under the guise of a courtesy visit.

and an assault force prepared for immediate combat.

In German newsreels, the ethnic German residents of the city provide the pretext for the invasion of Poland.

Gdansk calmly anticipates its return to the Reich.

Meanwhile, ethnic Germans here are subjected to savage terror.

My husband is in prison. I don't know where my children are.

I want them back, but I don't know how to get them.

You're sad that your parents aren't here, aren't you?

A private film, shot at Hitler's mountain retreat in August, shortly before the invasion of Poland.

Foreign minister Ribbentrop and other top officials appear relaxed.

There cannot be and will not be a war with the Western powers over the Polish issue.

Discussion on such an impossible case is quite unnecessary.

Hitler has signed a non-aggression pact with Soviet leader Stalin.

to launch a pincer movement on Poland from the east and west.

The pact between the USSR and Germany will strengthen neighborly relations.

It will also serve the cause of universal peace.

Two dictators with opposing ideologies join hands.

Behind the alliance is a hidden plan to erase Poland from the map.

The world order has begun to collapse.

opening fire on Polish military buildings and signaling the start of the invasion.

Hitler claims it is a legitimate retaliation against Polish aggression.

Tonight, Poland fired shots on our territory for the first time.

From now on, bombs will be answered with bombs!

Once the bombardment ends, the German soldiers hidden aboard the warship begin their invasion.

Hitler remains optimistic that this time too, Britain and France will not intervene.

Britain and France declare war on Germany.

For Hitler, the worst-case scenario has become a reality.

Preparations are made to counter threats from England.

For a short time, we still hoped that a world war could be avoided.

But on September 3rd, those hopes were dashed.

The war did not begin with cheers and hurrahs as it had in the summer of 1914.

holding out for intervention from Britain and France.

Footage shows armed Polish civilians barricaded inside a Gdansk post office, resisting the German advance.

A Nazi SS unit responds with hesitation, as they face unanticipated resistance.

Two weeks after the war begins, the Soviet Union launches its own invasion of Poland from the east.

The pretext is the protection of ethnic Ukrainians and other minorities within Polish territory.

In reality, it is a planned partition, orchestrated in secret with Nazi Germany.

After brief negotiations, a demarcation line was agreed upon.

Britain and France remain immobile.

They send no troops, and make no declaration of war on the Soviet Union.

By mid-September, German forces are closing in on the Polish capital, Warsaw.

they launch an aerial bombardment of the city's urban center.

This is footage unearthed from Polish archives.

The records offer raw images of the dire conditions in Warsaw under German siege.

Air filled with the disgusting smell of burnt flesh.

Water is scarce, and fires burn all over.

Dead horses lie on the cobblestones.

Cab horses, transport horses, peasant cart horses, military horses.

they will soon become a source of meat for the starving population.

the footage shows civilians digging for potatoes in a desperate search for food.

A 14-year-old girl lies dead in a field, struck down by machine-gun fire.

The child looked at us in bewilderment.

I threw my arm about her and held her tightly, trying to comfort her.

What could we, or anyone else, say to this child.

For four weeks until Warsaw's surrender on September 27th, Germany continues its indiscriminate bombing.

Meanwhile, in Manchuria, northeastern China.

drawn by the promise of vast stretches of land.

The vast, sprawling territories of Manchuria await cultivation by the Japanese race.

A national policy has been systematically dispatching Japanese settlers for the development of Manchuria.

They are promised large estates of nearly 20 hectares.

The settlers are welcomed by the advance party and locals.

The Manchurian quarter bustles with activity.

from the local population to sustain Japanese industry, the economy, and the livelihoods of settlers.

A few locals are used to do the work done by a winnower back home.

The pride of the South Manchuria Railway.

The Asia Express, king of the continent.

This deluxe express train is equipped with every modern luxury.

celebrating its modernization through Japanese technology and capital.

Manchuria is now a peaceful paradise for the Five Races Under One Union.

Behind the scenes, locals grow to resent the loss of their land.

Japanese settlers are frequently attacked.

Back home, this would be a stroll downtown.

Taking a walk with a rifle over the shoulder is a scene unique to Manchuria.

1940 marks the fourth year of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Japan conducts a series of aerial bombardments on Chongqing, in central China.

A decisive blow to the Chiang regime.

Our military has bombed Chongqing, shattering its function as a military city.

A large number of civilians fall victim to the indiscriminate bombing.

But the Chinese military continues its resistance.

The Chinese Nationalist Party is led by Chiang Kai-shek.

Driven from Nanjing, he had moved the government to Chongqing.

Taking the place of Germany in supporting China's protracted struggle are the United States and Great Britain.

from his allies via the so-called Chiang-aid routes.

Our troops swept through the city, seizing countless munitions and firearms.

These routes sustain the Chinese will to fight, prolonging the war.

Gasoline and cement from the United States and Britain.

They were bound for the anti-Japanese stronghold Chengdu.

In 1940, Hitler shifts his strategic focus from the Eastern Front to the West, aiming for the conquest of France.

In a single sweep, German forces overrun the Netherlands and Belgium, and close in on France.

France had invested enormous sums to bolster defenses in the wake of World War I.

The Maginot Line stretches 400 kilometers across the German border - a seemingly impenetrable defense.

Through the Maginot Line, a lightning-fast advance to the coast.

This will separate and destroy the Anglo-French armies.

The world would come to call it "Blitzkrieg."

The German army breaks through the Maginot Line with superior maneuverability.

The technology driving this push is now clear, in high definition.

This is the command tank, serving as the operational headquarters.

The railing-like structure at the rear is an antenna for radio communication.

Almost every vehicle in the German panzer divisions is equipped with wireless communication systems.

their mobility far exceeding the conventional wisdom of warfare.

has equipped only a fraction of its vehicles with radios.

Their command tanks are identified with flags.

a sector once considered a "natural fortress."

From there, they charge toward the English Channel, cutting off the main body of the Allied forces.

Standing in the way of the German advance remains only the sea.

There is another factor driving the German Blitzkrieg: stimulants.

This is a doctor's report on the use of the drug Pervitin.

"Excellent effect on general listlessness and depressed moods."

It's not only Germany making use of stimulants.

Other nations are also supplying troops with pharmaceuticals to sustain combat effectiveness.

After hours marching, a short sleep.

The Blitzkrieg demands continuous combat without sleep or rest.

The faces of exhausted soldiers are captured on camera.

However, there is no break for the troops.

The cattle wandering the fields are rounded up by special units.

the German soldiers begin to lose any sense of guilt over looting.

If we need meat, a cow is slaughtered and only the best cuts are taken and the rest is discarded.

as well as complete sets of laundry are there in abundance.

Great Britain, May 10th - the day Hitler begins his invasion of France.

Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, becomes Prime Minister.

There will be no more hesitation on our part.

Almost immediately, he is confronted with a crisis.

At Dunkirk, France, some 400,000 Allied troops are encircled by German forces.

The Allied powers face the threat of total annihilation.

Churchill steels himself for what is to come.

For now, it seems, there is little that can be done but pray.

But the greater part of the army appears doomed.

In Winston Churchill's words, "The nation prepares itself for grievous tidings."

Churchill launches an unprecedented rescue mission: Operation Dynamo.

Ships are mobilized from across Britain for Dunkirk, to rescue the soldiers.

Some 900 vessels, including civilian craft, take part.

Bombs dropped on English ships off Dunkirk.

The perilous evacuation is executed under a relentless barrage of German ordnance.

The waters around Dunkirk are shallow, preventing large ships from approaching.

Small boats are seen ferrying soldiers to transport vessels waiting in deeper waters.

Having narrowly escaped death, British troops share their experiences.

I sat on the beach, no food, no water, for 48 hours.

Soldiers are sitting on the beach because there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, completely flat beach.

I was eventually picked up by a British destroyer, taken across the sea to Dover.

It was a wonderful sight, to see the White Cliffs of Dover.

You just couldn't believe it, to see those White Cliffs.

back from the steel thrust of the German war machine, comes the BEF.

Operation Dynamo facilitates the rescue of approximately 340,000 men in just ten days.

It later comes to be known as the "Miracle of Dunkirk."

Churchill successfully maintains the manpower for future resistance.

Two weeks later, Germany defeats a theoretically superior France.

Charles de Gaulle, who would go on to lead postwar France, escapes to Britain.

The French defeat was caused by the enemy's mechanical force in the air and on the ground.

This lightning action led to the moral collapse of the command and government.

The time is now, I see by my notes, 3:18 PM in the forest of Compiegne.

Hitler's personal standard is run up on a small post in the center of the circular opening in the woods.

For the armistice signing with France, Hitler chooses a forest, northeast of Paris.

the ceremony for Germany's surrender in World War I had taken place.

Then he strolled slowly toward us, toward the little clearing where the famous armistice car stood.

I thought he looked very solemn. His face was grave, but there was a certain spring in his step.

Hitler, so far as we can see through the windows just in front of us here, does not say anything.

He nods to General Keitel at his side.

The French sit there with marble-like faces and listen intently.

What a turning back of the clock; what a reversing of history.

What a contrast to that day a mere twenty-two years ago.

The streets from the station to the Chancellery become a carpet of flowers.

After forcing France to submit, Hitler makes a triumphal return to Berlin.

In less than a year, he has become the master of Europe.

The "final victory" seemed within reach.

How could anyone still be in doubt?!

German soldiers marched into Paris.

There was a sell-off of French perfumes, lingerie, and other Parisian chic.

they begin their peaceful occupation in northern French Indochina.

Germany's rapid advance also provides a favorable wind to the Japanese military.

Japan seizes the resulting vacuum to begin its incursion into French Indochina.

Their primary objective is to sever the Chiang Kai-shek supply routes that run through the region.

This line was one of their most vital supply routes.

How must our men feel as they proudly raise the Rising Sun?

the resource-rich lands of Southeast Asia.

French Indochina becomes the long-awaited first step of this southern expansion.

The United States reacts with fierce opposition.

It moves to impose economic sanctions, including an embargo on scrap metal and aviation fuel.

I am sorry to say, that only the strong may continue to live in freedom and in peace.

the need to take measures of total defense.

In Europe, one month on from the fall of France, Hitler appeals to Churchill for peace.

I am not asking for something as the vanquished.

As the victor, I speak with reason.

I see no reason to force the continuation of this war.

Churchill gives no response to Hitler's appeal.

There are various uses to which Hitler's leaflets may be put.

German fighter planes take off for military targets in England.

His peace offer rejected, Hitler plans an invasion of the British mainland.

Prior to landing, he begins bombing military targets.

which undergo repeated indiscriminate bombings.

Hitler starts the battle for Britain as usual on women and children.

From many areas, it's the same story.

Bombs and destruction on homes and schools.

Britain prioritizes the construction of its air defense system.

are centralized and immediately relayed to interceptor units.

Britain continues to refine its air defense system under the pressure of war.

In mid-September, the conflict culminates in a decisive confrontation in the skies above London.

This is sensational stuff taken by pilots in action.

being geared to the machine gun stops as the Heinkel throws out of sight.

Germany is defeated, losing a massive number of aircraft.

The citizens of London withstand the bombardment.

mangled and bleeding from many wounds, and yet preserving its life and movement.

Indeed, at this time we saw no end but the demolition of the whole Metropolis.

Meanwhile, Germany and Japan are joined by Italy to form a tripartite military alliance.

to grasp the hand of our ambassador Kurusu.

fearing confrontation with the United States and Britain.

who argue that an alliance would actually serve as a deterrent against the Western powers.

This Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy is a major turning point in world history.

We have resolved to cooperate towards global peace and progress.

The Japanese public also welcome this alliance with Germany.

fuels public fervor with the slogan, "Don't miss the bus."

It's around this time that the government introduces a system of Tonarigumi neighborhood associations.

into small units to facilitate the flow of information.

transforming local community ties into a tool for state control.

the local shopkeeper, the head of the neighborhood association, or even the schoolteacher.

The fact that it was these familiar figures who haunted our everyday lives?

not possible without inflicting pain and suffering upon one another.

as Japan celebrates the 2,600th anniversary of Japan's founding.

Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Banzai!

A ceremony in November attracts more than 50,000 attendees.

The year 1940 is marked as the 2,600th anniversary of Japan's founding by the legendary Emperor Jimmu.

This mythical milestone consolidates a profound sense of solidarity among the populace.

Nagoya, too, hosted a grand parade of unprecedented scale.

The citizenry came together to celebrate this auspicious year.

the patriotic festivities allow the Japanese people to forget the grim reality across the sea.

The East Asian Games are held in commemoration of the anniversary.

Over 300 from China and across Asia.

They all participated with great joy.

Tokyo had been slated to host the 1940 Summer Olympic Games.

the Japanese government officially relinquished its right to host the games.

Adolf Hitler sends a message to Japan extending his congratulations to a nation in anniversary fervor.

Japan stands alongside the German and Italian peoples in a fierce struggle for its very right to exist.

the realization of a glorious peace within a secure living space!

Meanwhile, in German-occupied Poland, the persecution of the Jewish people is intensifying.

Archival footage documents the Warsaw Ghetto, a segregated residential area for Jews.

They are stripped of their homes, property, rights, and freedom, and forced into walled enclaves.

the footage unintentionally captures the strong will of a people trying to survive.

A figure sings and dances beside a woman on the verge of starvation.

It's Rubinstein, a popular entertainer in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Wise or foolish, young or old - death comes for all!

His playful lyrics earn laughter and meager alms from the residents.

He shares what he gathers with the starving.

These were children 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 years old.

And through all kinds of holes, all kinds of places where they were able and they knew.

They went out, they bought something, brought in.

Many smugglers were killed at the ghetto.

Even those who survive the ghetto would later be sent to extermination camps.

A German newsreel from late 1940 captures the festive spirit of Christmas.

fueled by the conviction that the war will soon end in German victory.

Hitler, too, attends a meal with frontline soldiers in France.

The tables are lined with French wine.

Germany has established a system to manage and exploit wine production and trade in occupied France.

A Christmas ship enters the port of Oslo.

A present from Dr. Goebbels for our soldiers in Norway.

are thoroughly plundered by the German military.

This plunder brings temporary prosperity to the lives of the German people.

Footage captures the outskirts of Berlin.

Benefiting from the spoils of war, the public conscience begins to numb.

This numbness soon becomes a quiet complicity during the Holocaust.

Hitler conducts an inspection of key strategic positions facing Britain.

In faith in him, Greater Germany is sure of victory towards the new year.

their long barrels capable of striking the British mainland.

It's a projection of overwhelming military might.

The images are intended to demonstrate Hitler's resolve to continue the war against Britain.

Japanese newsreels also report on the situation.

Germany's coastal guns line the French shores.

They shell the enemy without respite.

A sign of the imminent landing that so terrifies Britain.

But the images are merely a strategic camouflage, intended to conceal another objective.

Hitler has already identified a different country as his next adversary.

For Hitler, this has been the primary target for as long as he has held office.

Japan's destiny is now bound to the clash between Germany and the Soviet Union.

The countdown to war with the United States has begun.

Today at 4:00 AM, German troops attacked our country.

They issued no demands, and made no declaration of war.

Our borders were struck at multiple points simultaneously.