Their War Too: U.S. Women in the Military During WWII. Part II

In part I of this two-part series, we discussed the role women played in the military during World War II by highlighting those who served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), and the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. In part II, we will discuss female service … Continue reading Their War Too: U.S. Women in the Military During WWII. Part II

Their War Too: U.S. Women in the Military During WWII. Part I

March is Women's History Month, a great time to highlight  important contributions made to our country by women. This year, we are focusing on the role women played in the United States Military during World War II in a two-part blog post. Part I  highlights recruitment films from the Women's Army Corps (WAC), the Coast … Continue reading Their War Too: U.S. Women in the Military During WWII. Part I

From the Front Lines to the Homefront: The Importance of War Films Then and Now

This post was written by Criss Kovac. Criss is the supervisor of the National Archives Motion Picture Preservation Lab.  I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the premiere of Fury Wednesday night and seeing the film (on film even!) reinforced what I know about World War II from the reels I see in NARA’s holdings … Continue reading From the Front Lines to the Homefront: The Importance of War Films Then and Now

The Sailor and the Seagull: FMPU Veterans Animate Re-Enlistment Efforts

For the last two weeks, we have been sharing films of the First Motion Picture Unit. This week, we’ll take a look at an animated film produced for the Navy by former members of the FMPU. This post was written with Criss Kovac, supervisor of the Motion Picture Preservation Lab at the National Archives. Like … Continue reading The Sailor and the Seagull: FMPU Veterans Animate Re-Enlistment Efforts

A WWII Training Film in Action: Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter

As a follow-up to last week’s post on the Army Air Force’s First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU), this week I am focusing on a title that is arguably the most significant training film produced by the unit. Considered as a federal record, Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter (1943) is an important historical document of the training … Continue reading A WWII Training Film in Action: Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter

Don’t Shut Your Date in the Door: Military Dating Dos and Don’ts

How to Succeed with Brunettes (1967) and Return of Count Spirochete (1973): The Motion Picture Preservation Lab’s Favorite Titles from the DVIC Accession Sure, the National Archives holds films a lot of really important historical films.  Beautifully made educational films about government programs during the Great Depression?  Yeah, we’ve got that.  Millions of feet of … Continue reading Don’t Shut Your Date in the Door: Military Dating Dos and Don’ts