WWII - After Mein Kampf (1940) / Here Is Germany (1945)

After Mein Kampf: Produced in Great Britain in 1940, while the English suffered daily bombing raids from the Luftwaffe, this motion picture combines documentary footage with historically accurate re-enactments, to show the origin and rise of the most Satanic figure of the Twentieth Century - Adolph Hitler. It documents his rise from corporal in the trenches of World War I to undisputed dictator of Germany. Depicted is his ruthless ability to liquidate enemies, allies and former friends - any who stood in his path. The film follows Hitler's successes in seizing most of Europe, concluding with the invasion of Russia and the grave danger faced by all civilized nations. Stars Robert Beatty, Derek Blomfield, Herbert Lom, Peter Ustinov; Directed by Norman Lee.

This Is Germany: "Brutality Is Respected. I Shall Spread Terror." So goes one of the horrific quotes of the Fuhrer, proved all-too-true by history, documented in this 1945 Frank Capra directed film, created along the lines of the "Why We Fight" series. With a Dimitri Tiomkin score and Ernst Lubitsch providing the story, this production poses the question, "How can the country that gave us Beethoven and Oktoberfest have given rise to Hitler, the concentration camps, the gas chambers and the unspeakable atrocities visited upon humanity?" The rise of Prussian militarism and the dreams of a German Empire forged in "blood and iron," are depicted, breeding a cold-blooded generation of storm troopers to populate Hitler's legions.

• documentary