Montage of scenes illustrating development of mechanized warfare beginning with American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) engaged in World War I. U.S. Army infantry soldiers moving out of trenches going "over the top" into "no man's land" and advancing on battlefield. U.S. troops firing Browning M1917 machine gun,1903 Springfield rifles, and Stokes mortar from trench positions. Soldiers firing mortar are wearing gas masks. AEF trucks and other vehicles ostensibly an improvement over horses, but seen having difficulty in mud. A truck pulling a large artillery gun. A German 80cm K (E) rail gun (developed in 1934) shown at the Rugenwalde Test Range in Germany. It moves along curving rails and is elevated to its maximum elevation (65 degrees). Two World War 1 rail guns firing. An American World War I Naval 14-inch rail gun firing. Allied heavy howitzers firing in World War 1 (one with gun crew in gas masks). American gunners with a French 75 field piece and caisson. French soldier advancing in no-mans-land. The Wright brothers brought warfare into the air with their Wright Flyer airplane, seen being maneuvered on the ground by U.S. Army personnel at Fort Myer, Virginia in July 1909. A De Havilland DH-4 airplane taking off in World War I. A German Fokker D.VIII in flight.Three U.S. Army Air Service Curtiss P-1B Hawk pursuit aircraft in flight, circa 1926. Aerial dog fight scene including view from behind a pilot in open cockpit biplane (from feature film, circa 1927). Brief view of Renault FT tank maneuvering in World War I. Narrative and clips shift to historical perspective of warfare, showing use of horse and chariot,starting in ancient Assyria and use of elephants in later years by Hannibal.Pictures of mounted soldiers, in the middle ages, waging war in armor, and being transported in a wagon. Shift to World War I showing British Mark IV tanks maneuvering in a field.
White Russian refugees making their way through heavy snows in Siberia during Russian Civil War period. They are escorted by several White Russian Guards on horseback. Change of scene shows some Bolshevik prisoners walking through snow, on a snowy day. Wooden sleds and gear towed by horses accompany the prisoners. Anachronistic brief glimpse of the giant Soviet Tupolev ANT-20 airplane in flight overhead, circa 1934. The name Maxim Gorky is written (in Russian) on the wings of the plane. (Russian Civil War and World War I time frame.)
U.S. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson signs the declaration of war during World War I. U.S. ships sink after torpedo attacks. United States troops aboard a troop carrier ship bound tor France. Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt. U.S. troops disembarking on docks in France. Navy ships being built in U.S. shipyard. Allied troops attack across no man's land. Allied rail gun firing. U.S.Soldiers fire howitzers. Smoke pours out of Allied biplane aircraft after being shot down. German troops fighting in trenches. A horse falls into a trench after being shot. Tanks in action. Tanks advance and fire. German machine gunners. German prisoners walk in a line. American troops in France celebrate the end of hostilities with the Armistice on the 11th hour of 11th day of 11th month, 1918. The American flag flies on a pole as a symbol of victory. Huge crowds of Americans celebrate in Manhattan, New York city, waving newspapers with headlines announcing German surrender. In 1919, President Wilson and General John (Black Jack) Pershing review victorious American troops marching in Chaumont, France (Pershing's headquarters). Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy with Secretary of the Navy, Daniels, in France. U.S. troops board transport ships to return home after war. Returning U.S. Armies hold a victory parade in Manhattan, New York City, where they parade through a temporary Victory Arch constructed expressly for the purpose in Madison Square. Hydrogen balloons decorate the Arch. New York City mounted police monitor the crowds.
A film on contributions of African American soldiers in various wars, but mostly focusing on World War I era. African American workers at an oil field with oil derricks talk to each other. Depiction of African Americans serving in the Spanish-American War and advancing towards a battlefield. African American man speaks about his experience of the war. Scenes of excavation and construction of the Panama Canal. Huge earth moving equipment at work and a man triggers an explosive detonation during the dig. A U.S. Navy ship underway in the newly completed Panama Canal. World War I scene of a U.S. Army unit including African American soldiers marching through a town in France, in formation, with a military band leading the march. African American soldiers of the 813th Pioneer Regiment near Marseilles France work to build a railroad. Also scenes with soldiers from the 332nd Labor Battalion, and the 808th Pioneer Regiment clearing an area near Verdun. African American soldiers of the 8th Illinois infantry (later the 370th infantry) running with the rifles as they mobilize for battle in France. African American soldiers of 371st Regiment and 372nd regiment crossing battlefield during World War I. Members of the 369th regiment in battle. Railroad guns and heavy artillery firing during World War I. American soldiers leaping from a trench and running across no mans land during battle. African American soldiers of the 369th infantry ("Harlem Hellfighters") receiving awards, medals, and citations at an awards ceremony in France during World War 1. Henry Johnson and other African Americna soldiers marching in New York City victory parade soon after the armistice ending World War I. Graves of soldiers at Arlington Cemetery as seen from a moving vehicle. Images of grave markers for several African American soldiers and officers. Two African American soldiers approaching the All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Close-up view of the memorial and plaque on the memorial. Several other memorials in the U.S. showing African American soldiers. View of a facsimile of the 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division (colored) memorial in France, near the towns of Ardeuil and Séchault. Dramatized depiction of the memorial being destroyed by the invading German Army on June 15, 1941. African American preacher speaks in a church.
United States Army soldiers fire from a trench dug out in France. They put on protective mask and fire. Snow covered field. A soldier affected by gas comes out of the dug out. Another soldier puts a protective mask over his face. Soldiers help the affected soldier. Stretcher bearers carry gassed man into gas proof dug outs in France. Soldiers clear the trench with Ayrton fans in France. Soldiers fire from the trench in France. They remove the masks from their faces. After testing they put on the masks again. They clean their rifles.
Exteriors of the Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées building (3 Av. du Général Eisenhower, 75008 Paris, France) in Paris, France. Pedestrians and vehicular traffic outside the buildings. A statue of a French soldier and a woman on a pedestal outside the north exterior of the Grand Palais. A cannon is positioned on either side of the monument. Visiting American soldiers and sailors look at the statue. Vehicular traffic including pre 1920's automobiles and some horse carts on Champs Elysees, as seen from camera point of view near ground level, amid traffic. A woman and girl cross the road. Arc De Triomphe in the background. The scene changes to exterior view of the Petit Palais building (Av. Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris, France) in Paris, with cars, horse carts, and pedestrians walking nearby. In the background, a different statue of what appears to be a soldier and a woman, again flanked by cannons on either side, is seen outside the Petit Palais. Next scene is a closer view of the Arc de Triomphe (Pl. Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France), as seen from middle of the Champs Elysees, amid early automobile and car traffic.