Behind the Guns

A Second World War propaganda film, looking at the industrial might behind Great Britain’s armed forces.

A propaganda film whisking the audience through a tour of Britain’s wartime industries, sending a clear message that Britain’s war workers are an “army without uniform”. The fervent propaganda builds momentum as the film progresses. One wartime viewer commented that the film; “builds-up picture and music into a series of hammer blows”, making a direct link between the workers and the war front.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.