Nolstagia World War II Video Library #3

162. NOSTALGIA WORLD WAR II VIDEO LIBRARY #3(1944-USA). Produced by the Signal Corps, and by the U.S. Coast Guard. Exciting and informative documents and newsreels of World War II combat: on land, at sea, and in the air!
1. FILM COMMUNIQUE (probably) #3 (1944-USA). a) HITTING THE BEACH. LSTs- “300 feet of bad nerves for the enemy”Ñaid in our Mediterranean invasions. Very risky landings by expert amphibious troops. Unloading of tanks, jeeps and ammunition. Views of unique craft, ‘road runners” and “sea jeeps,” equally at home on land and water. A Nazi air attack during a landing provides some nerve-wrecking moments, b) DOG FIGHT. Thuderbolt pilots based in Britain rendezvous with, and protect, big bombers from the Nazis. Excellent aerial combat shots, so that we, who make the weapons, can share in the victory, c) SUNDAY MORNING. Inspiring scenes of troops at a religious service: “Sunday morning…somewhere.” d) CASEY JONES GOES G.I. A railroad station is destroyed; now we have to rebuild it, practically overnight! Railroad cars are improvised out of truck parts. Miles of track must be built, despite adverse conditions. Fascinating footage of a locomotive being uncrated! e) HITTING THE SILK. General MacArtbur’s New Guinea operations. Paratroopers prepare equipment, then jump into the treacherous jungle. (“It saves walking to work.”) This is “a prelude to landing just outside Tokyo!”
2. FILM COMMUNIQUE #4 (1944-USA). a) AERIAL TECHNIQUES. Incredible footage shows various raids in the Southwest Pacific: American airplanes “delivering packages of death to the Japs, bombing the daylight out of the Rising Sun!” Bombs are dropped by parachute, so that they won’t explode too soon and harm our low-flying planes. A “GSAP” camera, placed in the gunsight and synchronized to the gun going off, provides unusual, absolutely thrilling footage, b) ROLL OF HONOR. A South Pacific airfield, taken by Americans, and rebuilt for our use. As the workers call out their names, the narrator tells us that they’re typical Americans-family men now involved in building human rights. (Interestingly, the fact that all of these troops are black isn’t mentioned.) c) FIFTH ARMY. The Allies, under General Mark Clark, take the beach at Salerno. General Clark addresses the troops. Crowds cheer the advancing tanks, jeeps and men of the American and English armies. Views of Naples, smashed and sacked by the Germans, Our objective: to take Rome, using “the products and sweat of American workers.” Despite enormous obstacles and casualties, the Fifth Army moves on!
3. U.S. COAST GUARD REPORT #5 (1944). JACKSON BECK narrating. Called “Story of a Transport,” this extremely well-made documentary shows the building and launching of the luxury liner “Manhattan,” its takeover by the Navy in August 1941. Its destruction by the Japanese in 1942, and its rebuilding and transformation into a troop transport ship, the USS Wakefield, in 1944. The complex tasks of loading, quartering and feeding thousands of men; of cleaning and maintenance; of transporting tons of mail. Complicated safety precautions and daily drills are needed, to ensure that the troops will get to their destination. An inspiring story of American ingenuity in action! 61 minutes total. Propaganda