Film opens showing Adolf Hitler ascending stairs to the Bergfhof, accompanied by Marshal Hermann Goering, and followed by other high ranking Nazi officers. Inside, General staff officers begin briefing Hitler about plans for German expansion Eastward. Finger points to Austria on map. Next, on March 12, 1938, Border Guards are seen dismantling barriers at the border as German troops march into Austria. German aircraft fly overhead. Hitler stands in his open touring car as it drives into Vienna, where local people line the sidewalk, and welcome him with the Nazi salute. Maps depict the fall of Austria and illustrate the anticipated conquest of Czechoslovakia. Brief overlay image of Bismark as narrator quotes him about Bohemia being key to control of Europe. German troops advancing up steep mountainous terrain. German soldiers on horseback and wagons passing road sign pointing to cities of Karlovy Vary and Cheb, in the west Bohemia region of Czechoslovakia. Czech troops marching in formation with shouldered arms. View of Czech Avia B-534 warplanes at an airfield. Interior of a Czech Skoda works munitions factory. President of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Beneš, signing papers at his desk. French lancers marching in formation, on parade. (Narrator comments on French military alliances with Czechoslovakia and Great Britain.) View of warships in British fleet. Hitler outdoors, surrounded by German military officers, looking over large maps. Animated map highlights the "Sudetenlands" bordering Germany, including districts of Bohemia, Moravia, and parts of Silesia inside Czechoslovakia, where use of German language was common. Street scene from that area showing some youths in uniforms, marching. Hitler giving speech about bringing the German people together again. The uniformed youth marching at a camp. Sign erected on stone wall at the camp reads: "Die Faune ist mehr als der..."(the flag is more than ...) Youth in Naval garb march on a street with a Nazi flags. Spectators give Nazi salutes. Young men in Khaki uniforms march with Nazi symbols. Scenes shift to similar parades in Norway, Sweden,China,and the United States. Back in Czechoslovakia, Hitler reaches down from his podium to shake hands with parading youth. Images of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, Senator Robert Wagner, Wendell Wilkie, Henry J. Kaiser, and American military members, superimposed on American flags. Sudentenland Nazi supporters marching. Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein, Sudeten German politician, with a Nazi officer. More views of Sudeten Nazi supporters. Nazis in an office showing blackjacks. Hospitalized Czechs who suffered at hands of Nazi supporters in street fights. Hitler speaking before the Bundestag. Closeup of Joseph Goebbels.Foreign minister Maxine Lichtenhof speaking to League of Nations meeting announcing Russia's readiness to back action against Germany. Czech borders being closed. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain arriving by plane in Munich. Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Hermann Goering with Chamberlain, at the meeting to sign the Munich Agreement. View of protests by people in the streets of Czechoslovakia. French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier and Chamberlain, both being praised by countrymen upon their respective returns from Munich. (Chamberlain seen arriving just before giving famous "peace for our time" speech.)
The German occupation of Austria (Anschluss) prior to World War II. Heldengedenktag or Heroes' Memorial Day in Berlin, Germany on March 13,1938. View of the Neue Wache (Unter den Linden 4 10117 Berlin) along Unter den Linden. A cross, flowers, and a flame burns next to it. A guard stands outside. View of the equestrian statue of Frederick the Great. Camera pans back across the front of the Neue Wache or New Guard building showing soldiers in formation on either side. Accompanied by two officers, Hermann Goering in uniform, including steel helmet, walks behind soldiers as they carry a large floral wreath across the square and into the New Guard building. View from inside as they enter and place the wreath. Closeup of the wreath shows a ribbon with words: "Adolf Hitler." Officers salute. War song, "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden," is softly played in the background. Scene shifts to Vienna, Austria, as Goering gives a speech. View of St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom, Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Wien, Austria) and scenes from several days prior, as crowds cheer in Heldenplatz square (Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna) about the Anschluss. Animated map showing the annexation territory. Slate displaying the slogan: "Ein Volk; Ein Reich; Ein Fuhrer" (One people; one nation; one leader.)
Trial of Nazi leaders for war crimes at Nuremberg, Germany in 1946. Guido Schmidt, former Foreign Minister of Austria testifies regarding Adolf Hitler's decision to annex Austria. Footage of Adolf Hitler meeting Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg and later Germans annex Austria in Anschluss.
Aerial view of Washington Monument, mall, Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge, across the Potomac River, in distance. Repairs are being undertaken, on the Washington Monument, including replacement of lightning rods on its top. Scaffolding surrounds the structure and working facilities can be seen at the base.
Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Horses run to the finish line. Winner Omaha and Jockey William Saunders presented with bouquet. Huge crowd gathers to watch the race.
Indianapolis 500 Car race in Indianapolis, Indiana. Number of cars speed on the race track. Huge crowd gathers to watch the race. People cheer. Kelly Petillo wins the race. He removes his helmet seated in his car, after the race.