Watch Crusade in Europe

TV-PG
1949
1 Season
7.2 (71)

Crusade in Europe is a historical documentary television series produced by MPI Media Group in 1949. It recounts the events of World War II from 1939 to 1945, specifically focusing on the military campaigns of the Western Allies in Europe. Narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis, the program features footage captured by the the United States military and other Allied forces. Additionally, the series covers the political and industrial aspects of the war, including the role played by the Soviet Union in the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Crusade in Europe captures the viewer's attention with its vivid imagery and in-depth analysis of the war's major battles. The series' creators clearly made an effort to provide their audience with historical context for the events depicted in the footage. They achieve this using a combination of narration and footage highlighting the major events and military strategies of the conflict.

The series also includes interviews with key military personnel, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would later become the President of the United States. These eyewitness accounts provide a unique insight into the strategies and decision-making processes employed during the war.

Crusade in Europe is a valuable resource for students of military history, as well as anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of this pivotal moment in world history. The series is crafted to provide a comprehensive overview of the conflict, making it an effective tool for anyone wishing to understand this critical period.

The series was directed by Maurice Joyce and produced by Hugh James, two filmmakers with a wealth of experience producing educational and documentary programming. James was noted for his emphasis on accuracy and detail in his productions, and Crusade in Europe is no exception to this approach. Joyce, on the other hand, was well known for his skillful editing, which allowed him to create a compelling narrative despite the limitations of the early film technology available at the time.

Overall, Crusade in Europe is a compelling and informative series that provides valuable insight into one of the most significant events of the 20th century. The series' creators have done an admirable job of presenting the conflict in a comprehensive and nuanced manner, and the program remains a valuable resource for historians, educators, and anyone with an interest in modern world history.

Crusade in Europe is a series that ran for 1 seasons (26 episodes) between May 5, 1949 and on MPI Media Group

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Seasons

26. Review

October 27, 1949

This final installment is review of the entire series. Highlights deal with the rise of Naziism, concluding with the burning of London; President Roosevelt's declaration of war; the campaign onto the European continent across Sicily to Italy; the planning and execution of the mighty invasion of the coast of France; D-Day; the Liberating of Paris; the Battle of the Bulge.

25. Russia

October 20, 1949

This chapter deals with General Eisenhower's trip to Russia and his estimate of the Russians as a post- war power. Pictorially, the film highlights include the Nazi surrender in Berlin to the Russians, the Yalta Conference, General Eisenhower and Marshall Zhukov meeting in Berlin, and the Red Army in action during the war, and the Russian people at work in the ruins of their devastated cities.

24. American Military Government

October 13, 1949

The demanding problem of administration of captured cities and towns had to be met as soon as the Gis had done their jobs. This important task fell to American Military Government Officers. Film opens with A.M.G. men taking over from the troops as soon as Cologne was won. Their jobs included such varied duties as disinfecting the population to screening them for pro-Nazis.

23. Victory's Aftermath

October 6, 1949

This installment concerns the lessons we learned from the war - military, diplomatic, and psychological.

22. Overrunning Germany

September 29, 1949

The western Allies and the Russians were forcing the Nazis into a hopeless position in central Germany. Film documents the Allied broadcasts to the German people, advising them to surrender, the double envelope of the vital Ruhr area by the western Allies, and the final phase of the battle of Europe.

21. Crossing The Rhine

September 22, 1949

With the Germans pushed back to their original positions - which they held before the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies concentrated on clearing out all Nazi troops west of the Rhine. This difficult assignment was carried out by three Allied Army groups - under the command of Field Marshall Montgomery and U.S. Generals Bradley and Devers. Film moves briefly to the Nazi's eastern from where the Russians drove them back 300 miles in 60 days.

20. The Battle of The Bulge

September 15, 1949

As the winter of 1944-45 approached, the Germans secretly massed their forces for a surprise attack in great strength against the allied lines in the Ardennes Forest. The subsequent Battle of the Bulge- a bow of staggering proportions - is shown in films taken by both Allies and the Nazis - on opposite sides of the battle line.

19. The Air War

September 8, 1949

This film records the story of our air offensive against the Nazis, after the RAF had successfully warded off the Luftwaffe's all-out attack on England, in the Battle of Britian. The first low-level Allied bombing of an important enemy-target - the raid of Ploesti, in August, 1943- is pictured in this installment. Round-the-clock bombing with RAF oprerating at night and AAF in the daytime.

18. The Battle Of Supply

September 1, 1949

The forward movement of our forces into Germany was greatly retarded by our inadequate lines of communication. To sustain and intensify the mighty Allied military offensive required uninterrupted supply of ammunition and continuous delivery of the engines of war. The film documents the outstanding job performed by the Army's Services of Supply, against serious obstacles.

17. Pursuit

August 25, 1949

The invasion of southern France opens the film, which documents the Allied campaign up the Rhone Valley and the swift advance of Patton's Third Army. Highlighted is the capture of German troops, the Allied thrusts against and in pursuit of the enemy all along the front, the massive airborne operation in the Northern sector, and the Allied advance to the western fringes of the famed Siegfried Line.

16. Liberation Of Paris

August 18, 1949

The German counterattack against the Allied position at Mortain was repulsed with the help of RAF rocket-firing Typhoons. The Allies then pushed forward on two fronts to form a giant pincers, with the Canadian First Army on the north, and the U.S. Third Army on the south.

15. Beachead and Breakthrough

August 11, 1949

Artificial harbors, known as "mulberries", were put into place and used in the overwhelming task of unloading the supplies necessary for the first stages of our campaign against the Nazis in France. General Eisenhower, Admiral King, General Arnold, and members of their staffs visited the beaches during the first week following the assault landing.

14. D-Day

August 6, 1949

D-Day June 6th - and the great cross-channel invasion is finally a reality. Film includes scenes of the assault landings against the German resistance, the heavy casualties on several of the beaches, and the beginning of the phase of the European was known as the "Battle of the Beachhead". On D-plus-one, General Eisenhower and Admiral Ramsay inspect the beaches from a ship just off shore.

13. Preparation For Invasion

July 28, 1949

General Eisenhower starts intensive planning for the great cross-channel invasion of the Nazi fortress of Europe. Film highlights the importance, to German war production, of the Ruhr area. In England, thousands of troops and large quantities of equipment vital to the success of the assault arrived, as the time for the invasion grew near.

12. Victory In Italy

July 21, 1949

The film opens with General Eisenhower's tour of the Italian front before Christmas, 1943, and documents the difficulty of keeping passage open across the rivers such as the Volturno. General Eisenhower then left for Tunisia, to complete plans for a flanking invasion at Anzio, on the Italian coast north of the Allied front.

11. The GI: Hero Of The War

The Italian campaign was termed by most GIs as the toughest campaign in the European Theatre. A GI now in a veteran's hospital reminisces over scenes of the Italian campaign, on the elements which made it such a tough campaign.

10. Rise And Fall Of A Dicator

July 7, 1949

This film is a consideration of the political overtones which were involved in Italy's participation in the war. Following Marshall Badogllio's appointment to succeed Mussolini, the film flashes back to the beginnings of Fascist rule in Italy, the Fascist march on Rome in 1922, and the succession of small wars won by the Duce's troops.

9. Assult on Italy

June 30, 1949

General Montgomery slipped two divisions of his British Eighth Army across Messina Straits and the invasion of the European continent was an accomplished fact. Soon afterward, the American Fifth Army, under General Clark, landed at Salerno. On the same day, the Italian surrender to the Allies was announced.

8. Sicily: Operation Husky

June 23, 1949

The Casablanca Conference had directed that the next campaign should be in Sicily. The invasion platform was North Africa, and Allied air forces undertook the steady bombing of Pantelleria and Gozo, islands lying between North Africa and Sicily. Both islands were captured with ease and an air strip was put into operation on Gozo.

7. Rommel Routed

June 16, 1949

While the Allied attack against the enemy in North Africa was held up by the weather, General Sir Harold Alexander became Deputy Commander of the Allied Forces under General Eisenhower. During January the Allies completed preparations for the final assault at the Nazis in North Africa. But the enemy attacked in force at Gafsa, Faid, and the Kasserine Pass, where the Allies suffered a major defeat.

6. The Campaign

June 9, 1949

The French political situation in North Africa complicated the Allied progress of the war against the Nazis. The influence of Marshall Petain, Vichy French Leader, was still dominant in North Africa, and was virtually ignored. The Allies' deal with Vichyite Admiral Darlan, in command of all French forces in North America was confused and irritated by many American and Britons, is explained.

5. Africa: Our First Offensive

June 2, 1949

The three parts of the invasion fleet proceed across the Atlantic to their destinations along the coast of North Africa. On board are American GIs and British Tommies, most of whom will be going into battle for the first time. Behind this giant invasion armada stands America's industrial production. The film flashes back briefly to General Brehom Somervell and explores American war industry.

4. Platform For Invasion

May 26, 1949

General Eisenhower's first job was to collect a "working team" to defeat the Nazis. American troops in England were being prepared psychologically and physically for their first experience in battle. The Allied governments planned to attack the Nazi enemy first. The decision to strike first at North Africa was followed by the organization and departure from America and England.

3. America Goes to War

May 19, 1949

From President Roosevelt's speech on the conduct of the war, the film investigates the problem of which one of our two principal enemies must be dealt with first. Churchhill's visit to Washington in December, 1941, to confer with President Roosevelt is also pictured. With the decision to concentrate on defeating Germany first, thousand of American troops were sent to England battle the Nazis.

2. America's Unpreparedness

May 12, 1949

In 1940, the U.S. finally became sufficiently concerned about the state of her military forces to institute the first peace-time draft in American history. Film covers the various steps in the transformation of civilian draftees into soldiers and examines the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and President Roosevelt's address to Congress recommending a declaration of war.

1. Prelude to War

May 5, 1949

The surrender at Reims ended the major phase of the greatest military struggle in the history of man. Film dissolves from surrender ceremony to Hitler during his early yeares of power, covers the rise of Naziism through the Munich conference to the attack on Poland, England's declaration of war, the fall of France, Dunkirk and the German air blitz on England i nthe historic battle of Britain.

Description

Where to Watch Crusade in Europe

Crusade in Europe is available for streaming on the MPI Media Group website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Crusade in Europe on demand at Amazon, Google Play and Hoopla.