Why We Fight Why We Fight is a series of seven documentary films commissioned by the United States government during World War II whose purpose was to show American soldiers the reason for U . S . involvement in the war . Later on they were also shown to the general U . S . public to persuade them to support American involvement in the war . Most of the films were directed by Frank Capra , who was daunted yet also impressed and challenged by Leni Riefenstahl ' s propaganda film " Triumph of the Will " and who worked in direct response to it . The series faced a tough challenge : convincing an only recently non - interventionist nation of the need to become involved in the war and ally with the Soviets , among other things . In many of the films , Capra and other directors spliced in Axis powers propaganda footage going back twenty years , and recontextualized it so it promoted the cause of the Allies . " Why We Fight " was edited primarily by William Hornbeck , although some parts were re - enacted " under War Department supervision " if there was no relevant footage available . The animated portions of the films were produced by the Disney studios – with the animated maps following a convention of depicting Axis - occupied territory in black . Purpose of films as war information . Director Frank Capra enlisted shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . He was assigned to work directly under Chief of Staff George C . Marshall , the most senior officer in command of the Army , who would later create the Marshall Plan and be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize . Marshall felt that Signal Corps was incapable of producing " sensitive and objective troop information films . " One colonel explained the importance of these future films to Capra : During his first meeting with General Marshall , Capra was given his mission : Countering enemy propaganda films . Shortly after his meeting with General Marshall , Capra viewed Leni Riefenstahl ' s " terrifying motion picture , " " Triumph of the Will " . Capra describes the film as " the ominous prelude of Hitler ' s holocaust of hate . Satan couldn ' t have devised a more blood - chilling super - spectacle . . . . Though panoplied with all the pomp and mystical trappings of a Wagnerian opera , its message was as blunt and brutal as a lead pipe : We , the Herrenvolk , are the new invincible gods ! " According to Capra , " Triumph of the Will " " fired no gun , dropped no bombs . But as a psychological weapon aimed at destroying the will to resist , it was just as lethal . " Capra at this point had no assistants or facilities , and he began to see his assignment as overwhelming : Creating a powerful film idea . Capra made his primary focus the creation of " one basic , powerful idea " that would spread and evolve into other related ideas . Capra considered one important idea that had always been in his thoughts : As a result , his goal became to " let the " enemy " prove to our soldiers the enormity of his cause — and the justness of ours . " He would compile enemy speeches , films , newsreels , newspaper articles , with a list of the enemy ' s hostile actions . He presented his ideas to other officers now assigned to help him : Weeks later , after major efforts and disappointments , Capra located hard - to - reach archives within government facilities , and by avoiding normal channels was able to gain access : Production details . The films were directed by Academy Award - winning director Frank Capra and narrated by Academy Award winning actor Walter Huston . This narration , though factual for the most part , is replete with rhetoric describing implacably warlike German and Japanese armed forces . Conversely , it lionizes the courage and sacrifice of the British , Soviets , and Chinese . At the end of each film , the quotation from Army Chief of Staff George Marshall that " . . . the victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan . " is shown on screen , followed by a ringing Liberty Bell over which is superimposed a large letter " V " zooming into the screen , accompanied by patriotic or military music on the soundtrack . Why We Fight also contains many scenes from Triumph of the Will when talking about the Nazis . Made from 1942 to 1945 , the seven films range from 40 to 76 minutes in length , and all are available on DVD or online at no cost , since they have always been public domain films produced by the U . S . government . Film as medium of choice to present war information . After World War I the methods used to gain support from troops and civilians needed to change . Giving speeches to both soldier recruits and the American public was no longer effective . Film became the medium of choice to inform American soldiers and recruits about why fighting was necessary . As Kathleen German states , “ this was the first massive attempt to influence opinion in the U . S . military ” through film . Film was also chosen because it combined the senses of sight and hearing , giving it an advantage over radio or print . Capra , who had no experience in documentary films , was chosen because “ of his commitment to American ideals ” and because of the popularity of some of his earlier feature films . He was thought “ to understand the heart and soul of American audiences . ” Once the documentary series was completed , it was said to contain the “ Capra touch . ” The series ' appeal was furthered by how the film was edited . “ Throughout his career Capra depended upon his skill as an editor to achieve the contrast of the individual and the group , critical in the success of his Hollywood movies . ” Capra thought it would be most effective to use the enemy ’ s original film and propaganda in the series in order to expose the enemies with their own images . By taking pieces of the enemy material to edit together and placing his own narration over the results , Capra gave meaning and purpose to the war with added narrative . This “ parallel editing ” created an “ us vs . them ” image by reframing and showing clips out of their original order and context . By such careful editing , the films compared and contrasted the forces of evil with America and its traditional values . Capra highlighted the differences between America and the enemy and showed how the enemy would attack these values if “ we ” did not fight . This worked to create a battle not only between Allies and the Axis Powers but between good and evil . Capra treated it as a matter of showing the enormity of the Axis cause and the justness of the Allied . In order to justify the Western Allies ' alliance with the Soviet Union , the series misportrayed or simply omitted many facts , which could have cast doubts on the " good guy " status of the Soviets , such as the Nazi - Soviet alliance , Soviet invasion of Poland ; Soviet occupation of the Baltic States , Winter War and others . Virtually in line with Soviet propaganda , the series was not only screened but widely acclaimed in the Soviet Union . To exonerate the Soviets , the series casts even less important Allies , like the Poles , in the bad light , even repeating Nazi propaganda claims such as the Tuchola Forest myth or false claims about the Polish Air Force being destroyed on the ground . The " Why We Fight " series became a heavily used means of presenting information about Axis powers for the American government during World War II . General Surles , the director of the Department of War ’ s Bureau of Public Relations , had hoped that the series would be effective enough to allow similar kinds of army films to be shown to the general public . Surles saw this goal realized when " Prelude to War " , the most successful of the seven films , was shown to President Franklin D . Roosevelt . Roosevelt saw this film as so important that he ordered it to be distributed in civilian arenas for public viewing . However , some objections were raised against the Why We Fight series because it was so persuasive . Lowell Mellett , the coordinator of government films and aide to Roosevelt , saw the films as dangerous . He was most concerned with the effect the series would have after the war was over and the “ hysteria ” the films would create in their wake . At least 54 million Americans had seen the series by the end of the war , and studies were done to gauge the impact of the films . However , the results were inconclusive , and therefore the effectiveness of the series is still in question . Post war . " Prelude to War " and " The Battle of China " refer several times to the " Tanaka Memorial " , portraying it as " Japan ' s " Mein Kampf " " to raise American morale for a protracted war against Japan . The authenticity of this document remains a topic of historical debate . Even though its authenticity has been called into question by some today , the Tanaka Memorial was widely accepted as authentic in the 1930s and 40s because Japan ' s actions corresponded so closely to these plans . In 2000 the United States Library of Congress deemed the films " culturally significant " and selected them for preservation in the National Film Registry . Created by the U . S . Army Pictorial Services , the films are in the public domain ; all of them are available for download at the Internet Archive . References . Notes . Battle of Russia Part II