War Film 18
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Year Published: 1943
Format: 16mm
Description: This World War II era news film, official War Film 18, Film Communique 7th Issue, begins with a shot of smoke billowing from an industrial factory with the description, "Exclusive for the Men and Women of American Industry" (00:12). A Signal Corps production circa 1943 to 1944, this black and white reel is labeled an official film of the War Department in cooperation with combat film units of the United States Marines, Navy, and Air Forces. The Burma Outpost Combat Film Unit provided content for this communique, or official war statement, as part of a monthly series of pictorial reports in key cities directed at industrial war workers and labor groups. The Industrial Services Division of the War Department Bureau of Public Relations established the distribution of these films across the nation. Mountain ranges of the Arakan Yoma system create a barrier between India and Burma, now known as Myanmar, and divide Japanese forces from American forces (00:45-00:57). The Naga Hills have a height of over 12,000 feet on the India-Burma front. Hidden American outposts, like that of Station X in the 10th Air Force, are scattered among the densely forested and rolling hills in the area (1:00). Tribesman of the Naga Hills occasionally interact with U.S. soldiers for trade and other exchanges (01:15-01:40). G.I.s use elephants to trek into the jungle, always on the lookout for Japanese air strikes (02:00-02:52). C-47 aircraft bring supplies via parachutes to the isolated soldiers (03:17-03:40). A popular, humorous animated G.I. called Private Snafu is shown in a piece called "The Home Front" (04:15-08:37). Private Snafu appeared in animated shorts produced for military forces between 1943 and 1945 during World War II. The Combat Photo Unit describes "What Makes a Battle", and the capture of the Japanese stronghold on the Marshall Islands by U.S. land and naval forces is depicted (08:40-19:40). Starting at 19:45, the film concludes with footage of the darker side of battle, presenting images of dead and wounded soldiers to depict the losses endured during war.
Complete Record: This World War II era news film, official War Film 18, Film Communique 7th Issue, begins with a shot of smoke billowing from an industrial factory with the description, "Exclusive for the Men and Women of American Industry" (00:12). A Signal Corps production circa 1943 to 1944, this black and white reel is labeled an official film of the War Department in cooperation with combat film units of the United States Marines, Navy, and Air Forces. The Burma Outpost Combat Film Unit provided content for this communique, or official war statement, as part of a monthly series of pictorial reports in key cities directed at industrial war workers and labor groups. The Industrial Services Division of the War Department Bureau of Public Relations established the distribution of these films across the nation. Mountain ranges of the Arakan Yoma system create a barrier between India and Burma, now known as Myanmar, and divide Japanese forces from American forces (00:45-00:57). The Naga Hills have a height of over 12,000 feet on the India-Burma front. Hidden American outposts, like that of Station X in the 10th Air Force, are scattered among the densely forested and rolling hills in the area (1:00). Tribesman of the Naga Hills occasionally interact with U.S. soldiers for trade and other exchanges (01:15-01:40). G.I.s use elephants to trek into the jungle, always on the lookout for Japanese air strikes (02:00-02:52). C-47 aircraft bring supplies via parachutes to the isolated soldiers (03:17-03:40). A popular, humorous animated G.I. called Private Snafu is shown in a piece called "The Home Front" (04:15-08:37). Private Snafu appeared in animated shorts produced for military forces between 1943 and 1945 during World War II. The Combat Photo Unit describes "What Makes a Battle", and the capture of the Japanese stronghold on the Marshall Islands by U.S. land and naval forces is depicted (08:40-19:40). Starting at 19:45, the film concludes with footage of the darker side of battle, presenting images of dead and wounded soldiers to depict the losses endured during war.
Transcription
[Music] [Music] this is a Sam these are the fact I hills on the Burma border forbidding 6,000 foot barrier between the Japs in Burma and our growing forces in India down there are hidden American outposts scattered through the hills this is one call it station X advance eyes and ears of the 10th Air Force standing a constant watch for marauding [ __ ] bombers winging over the pack guys trying to get through to vital Allied bases in India although sometimes the Naga tribesman wander by to trade food for a couple of empty cigarette tins the eight men at X are alone time hangs heavy but even while doing the countless personal chores which fill their daylight hours each man has learned to keep eyes and ears keyed every second for the tell-tale drone of Mitsubishi Motors in the distance each soldier who starts the tough Trek inland to an outpost hitch has volunteered to go even though there's not a chance in a million of a DSC or a Silver Star in this kind of work at first the trips easy going up by Jeep until civilization quits and jungle takes over GI equipment swings on to elephant back and off they go again punching up through the Banyan's and bamboos deeper into the wild naga country closer up to nowhere then the trail ends and natives shoulder up to push on through trackless brush these are the headhunters and those immense knives are used whenever they get a hankering to slice off somebody's head but so far GI savvy combined with a few rupees and a little extra vigilance have kept them friendly and out here that's a life-and-death matter then the long jungle trips over and the outpost begins out on the real tag end of the tag ends of alive from now on in it's dehydrated food unceasing responsibilities to the 10th Air Force and solitude from now on in the only length of civilization in the USA will be these c-47 bananas of the Air Transport Command the fleet which will carry every ounce of every single thing the GI Hermits will get before the biscuit bombers came in low over the bamboo tops on their schedule the outpost soldiers have been setting up the important indicator whipping wind drift brush fires into shape by the time the plane dips down for business they're really excited maybe up there in the c-47 this is just another one of the old milk runs below it's a lot more as the lifeline of supply tumbles down to them under silk it's a symbol to the solitary outsourcers that neither they nor their lonesome mission have been forgotten a symbol of their importance a lot of guys are doing vital jobs in this war alone and alert out on the ends of the line guys fighting their own lonely kind of war in every remote and cockeyed corner of the globe [Music] it's so cold it would freeze the Jeep oh they got it soft back there they don't even know there's a war going on back in my hometown my old man [Music] I know what she's doing every afternoon Oh [Music] great huh he never did a day's work in his life [Music] in my girl boy do you Sally Lou she's probably how much somebody cry at this identical moment my darling what be guys you jeez elephant plan well I freeze appear technical fairy boys place at your service okay Steph ooh maybe you got something there Bray's monkeys but it's cold now let's take a look at the lazy lazy home folks suppose me look at your old man foot [Music] with the bridge key let's see how your Moyes making out [Music] [Music] [Music] don't bother [Music] le Loup has joined the wax we're getting little oh gosh I didn't know you did [Music] what makes the battle this is what it takes to make a battle these are American supplies out of the factories foundries mines harvested from the soil pouring in from all sections all states from the the South the Midwest in the West supplies equipment weapons made with one purpose and one purpose only these are the factors of war the back form of panel take them away destroy them diminish them in number or quality fail to replace them in time and first the soldier and then the nation faces defeat destruction death without no battle is possible you the millions of workers men and women young and old high school kids and grandmothers Democrats and Republicans Protestants Catholics and Jews white and colored you who make them know their purpose give them to our fighting men and you give them the overwhelming power of the world's greatest industrial democracy the power we are now using to rid the world of the Nazis the power that will break the Empire that produced the [ __ ] executioner's and murder here we are combat loading our Transpo [Music] Americans see power probably the greatest naval force ever assembled heads for our first land penetration of Japanese territory the Marshall Islands Center gate in [ __ ] fortress specific time with new blows at northern karma Shiro and southern revolve the invasion of the 32 Marshall at all stands as a masterpiece of amphibious strategy for 75 days our land and sea-based bombers blasted the outer Island this was the first battle mission for many of these aircraft carriers but hour later tactics depended on depended on their softening blow this was the first round and a finished fight [Music] remember the look of those [ __ ] hangers you'll see them again later [Music] the Japs set up planes trying to drive us off the attempt ended in spectacular suicide like this [Music] this bombardment led the Jets to expect our attack on the fringe of the marshals but our blow was struck at the very center the quasi lane at all we struck it both into the 70-mile at all simultaneously while the 7th infantry headed for the main island of Faja Lane in the south here in the north the 4th Marines prepared to invade ROI and Namur battle wagons last ROI and Namur with 5,000 tons of anger twice as much as Berlin was getting it just about the same time the man climbed down to the assault craft and wait for the signal for HR there it is [Music] communication post coordinating the battles on land sea and air they started straight in covering our advance with more turmoil and a half-mile-wide coral island there's no room for complicated tactics and Frankie they're just in fight shell hole huffing across flat empty sand with no cover each man fights his own war against the Japanese hidden out there somewhere in the rubble from the start the Jake was obviously up with Conroy Germans would have quit right away but Jeff's star yeah they crept behind wreckage and took potshots they dug into the ground like rats it was a matter of finding out where they were hiding and blowing them apart with bangalore's and grenades there they go do their [ __ ] ancestors the complete job on ROI to 5 and 1/2 hours the stuff you see here in the stuff you're going to see was brand new secretly assembled in Depot's for this particular battle it was new because the older stuff gets used up burned up or worn off because the faster we move the more stuff we need each success leads to another and larger battle which cannot be won cannot even be launched until the mountains of equipment earmarked for it are actually at dockside while the marines were organizing their supply dumps here at ROI and Namur the 7th infantry were riding in for the kill 50 miles south the Kwajalein Raja Lane was a bigger island than ROI and Namur more powerfully defended it was harder for our planes and naval guns to level it completely easier for the Japs to hang on before the direct assault our tactics were to flank Kwajalein we landed artillery on the two small island on either side and blasted at close range we brought our Tillery shells to shore [Music] it took only a few moments of firing to empty these shell cases in 60 seconds after the Mirage was lifted the infantry hits the beach at partially one more sometimes they go crazy try making a break for nowhere like that was the same kind of dirty business smoking and burning and blasting about dead or alive only it was tougher out of 10,000 Japs only 264 surrendered when they did they came out dazed and shaky this chap made signs indicating that there were ten other Imperial Marines still living in that pillbox you can't blame them much for not believing what the loudspeaker was telling him that we treat them fairly under the rules of the Geneva Convention the guy was nuts enough to believe that Japan was going to dictate peace in the White House you'd hardly expect him to believe the truth when he heard it or even when he saw as we fixed up the wounded these sullen human beings were in terror that they received the same faith they had given our boys of patan instead we gave them cigarettes food and water so the record shows who's soft we just happen to be civilized that's the difference we told you to remember those hangers [Music] this is what it took to make a battle burn twisted broken equipment stuff made for battle and destroyed in battle you've got to be able to lose it lose it all make it all again keep on making it no matter what so that last battle that final battle jab pillboxes five feet of concrete it took 16 inches of American firepower to let the air in anti-aircraft guns gun mount Georgia radio thar that flashed a last message to Tokyo that came too late and this also is what it took to make a battle [Music] and this and this and but none of these men will be forgotten this American will not go to his grave on Kwajalein unidentified he'll be remembered to the brave Marines and soldiers who fell here have comrades who will never forget nor left the murderers in Tokyo forget yes there'll be more battles harder and this event until all these honored dead a revenge with a terrible justice and from home and the millions will make the stuff of battles must come the power for this justice
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