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United News Newsreel Wwii Bombing of Tokyo, Japan Liberation of Metz, France Xd3122 (1944)

1944 · Short film · 10 min

  • War
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Synopsis

United Newsreel Corporation was formed during WWII by the Office of War Information to boost home front morale and essentially serve as a propaganda outlet for the U.S. government. This particular example shows events in 1944 on both the European and Pacific fronts, including the bombing of Tokyo, distributing goods in the Philippines, and the liberation of Metz, Strasbourg, and Belfort in France. The film begins with the United News intro montage – soldiers marching, closeup of a tank, an airplane taking off, a ship in choppy water. 0:36 Text “B-29s Over Tokyo.” Bombs are wheeled up to a B-29 Superfortress on Saipan Island. A soldier writes “only the beginning” on a bomb. Crew of the XXI Bomber Command are briefed. 1:11 General Emmett E. “Rosie” O’Donnell, Jr. checks final details with General Haywood Shepherd Hansell, Jr., Commander of the Saipan Base Superfortress. General O’Donnell with Major Robert K. Morgan, his companion in the lead plane, Dauntless Dotty. The B-29s take off from the base. 2:05 B-29s fly toward Tokyo, Japan. Aerial view of Tokyo. B-29s drop a series of bombs. Closeup of bombs dropping, explosive clouds seen on the ground below. For two hours the B-29s bomb the industrial district. 3:07 The B-29s return to Saipan. 3:16 Text “Within the week, Japanese planes retaliate…bombing Saipan… 3:22 Exterior of huts and palms. Footage of the aftermath of Tokyo’s bombs. Clouds of black smoke rise into the air. Wreckage of vehicles, B-29s, and a Japanese plane. 3:58…

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Details

Running time
10 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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