The Sound of War: "The Music of the War"

Описание: Episode 15 of The Sound of War presents a unique and haunting auditory tapestry of World War II, told not through speeches or battle reports, but through the music, hymns, and anthems that defined the era. This episode explores how sound was weaponized for propaganda, used to bolster national identity in occupied nations, and served as a symbol of defiance and resilience.

From the chilling marches of Nazi stormtroopers to the last broadcasts of free anthems from nations falling under invasion, the program traces the war's trajectory through its powerful and often unsettling soundtrack. It captures the shift in morale from the early, confident Axis anthems to the triumphant songs of the Allied powers as victory drew near.

In This Episode, You Will Hear Original Recordings Of:
• The infamous Sturmabteilung (SA) Stormtroopers singing the Nazi party anthem, the Horst-Wessel-Lied.
• A session of the Reichstag in 1939, with the German national anthem preceding Hitler's declaration of war against Poland.
• The hymn-like Nazi propaganda song "Gott schütze unseren Führer" (God Protect Our Leader).
• The Norwegian national anthem, symbolizing a nation's lost freedom after the 1940 invasion.
• The Belgian national anthem, played as the fortress of Eben-Emael fell and King Leopold surrendered.
• "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem, in the agonizing days before France's capitulation.
• British patriotic standards like "Rule, Britannia!" as the nation stood alone against invasion.
• Soviet resolve following the German invasion in 1941.
• "The Star-Spangled Banner" following President Roosevelt's address to Congress after Pearl Harbor.
• Prime Minister Winston Churchill's iconic victory cry of "God Save the King" on V-E Day.

Series Context:
The Sound of War is an 18-episode documentary series produced in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It uses rare archival audio to tell the complete story of World War II, building its narrative around the "actual sound record" of the conflict.

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