The fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, revealing the nature and process of the fight between the Soviet Union and Germany in the Second World War.
Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943) is a documentary and war film directed by Frank Capra, released on November 13, 1943 with a runtime of 1h 23m. It stars Anthony Veiller, Ion Antonescu, Nikolai Cherkasov and Miklós Horthy. Viewers rate it 6.9 out of 10 across 35 ratings.
Anthony Veiller
as Narrator
Ion Antonescu
as Self
Nikolai Cherkasov
as Alexander Nevsky
Miklós Horthy
as Self
King Boris III
as Self
King Michael
as Self
Alfred Jodl
as Self
Directed by Frank Capra, produced by Frank Capra.
Average viewer score of 6.9/10 from 35 ratings.
For some reason, I always felt that this front of WWII was always the most horrendous, and this two-parter goes some way to poignantly illustrating that. Using a combination of animated maps and plenty of wartime newsreel, it takes us into the heart of the Soviet Union as the encroaching Nazis crushed all before them. It’s striking that though much of Western Europe was industrialised, the population facing this…
Reviewed on July 7, 2025
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Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943) is available to stream on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, GuideDoc, FlixFling, IndieFlix, DocuramaFilms Amazon Channel and IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video and FlixFling. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943) includes Anthony Veiller, Ion Antonescu, Nikolai Cherkasov, Miklós Horthy and King Boris III. The film was directed by Frank Capra. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia was released on November 13, 1943 and runs for 1h 23m.
Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943) holds an average rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 35 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary and war films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
