It's Everybody's War

This short is narrated by Henry Fonda. It's basically a propaganda film to encourage everyone to do whatever they can as individuals to help in the war effort.

It starts out talking about how this town's National Guard was called up for training, then sent to the Philippines.

“Then came the stab in the back.”

The news of the attack spreads.

The first telegram informing a family of the death of their son is delivered.

After a few days, though, things return to normal in the town with some people taking time off for work, others “wasting their tires.”

Manila is evacuated and bombed.

More telegrams from the War Department are delivered as the troops retreat in the Philippines.

The situation gets worse as more areas fall.

There are 92 out of 103 of the town's “boys” left alive, and all are taken prisoner by “the treacherous Japs.”

The town starts to figure out what they can do as individuals.

They donate blood and hold salvage drives.

As people in the town volunteer to do other work (like working overtime, fixing appliances, etc.) this frees up other people to do certain factory jobs.

The film goes on to describe other things the townspeople did, and how this all helped make things better for the next group of men the town sent off to war.

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