A newsreel compilation of several unrelated shots. A P-40 of the 57th Fighter Group takes off from deck of the USS Ranger (CV-4). In an unrelated shot, a view looking back past tail of an aircraft after takeoff, with the USS Enterprise behind. A Douglas SBD Dauntless airplane takes off from a Yorktown class carrier. View back past its tail in a pre-war shot as an airplane leaves the Lexington behind. On Feb. 20, 1942, during World War 2, while en route to attack Rabaul,in New Guinea, the Lexington is attacked by eighteen Japanese planes. She shoots down several of them. Machine gunners firing. Bombs bursting in water near the ship. An F4F with collapsed landing gear near edge of flight deck. Black smoke rising from burning Japanese plane in water. Sky blackened with flak. Machine gun tracer bullets visible. Inserted scenes show the stern of a British carrier, and views of a bombing attack in the Mediterranean against a British Illustrious class carrier. Another inserted scene shows a lone sailor running the length of the flight deck on the USS Enterprise in the Battle of Santa Cruz. A Japanese airplane bursts into flames. Another is struck and dives trailing smoke.( An inserted view of U.S. Douglas TBD Devastators peeling off and launching torpedoes.) Douglas Dauntless aircraft recovering back on the Lexington. Flight deck full of aircraft as the Lexington makes way in the Pacific. Animated segment showing numerous drawings of aircraft carriers and airplanes headed toward Japan. (Inserted view of Four U.S. aircraft carriers, USS Lexington, USS Ranger, USS Yorktown, and USS Enterprise seen together in prewar maneuvers.)
World War 2 U.S. Army Ranger combat training school at Fort Shafter in Hawaii, United States. Men walk in columns. Soldiers arrive at Waianae. Firemen practice artificial resuscitation on a beach. Men lift other firemen. Rangers run in a race. Buildings in the background. Men stand in a group after finishing the race.
People milling about near the base of a tall white monument with a Soviet T-34 tank perched on its top. A busy area in front of a big-city train station. It displays Russian and Chinese Nationalist flags. Smoke rises up from chimney behind the train station building. Closeup of smiling multiethnic civilians wearing warm coats standing in a group. The rear of a multistory building displaying posters of Chiang Kai-Shek and an unidentified official. A huge "V" hung over center of building, with sign in large Chinese characters on roof above it. View of front of building. It appears to be a headquarters. Some small obstacles placed on street in front of the building and some sand bags near entrance. Local Chinese troops walking in the street. A large poster on the street, showing Soviet and Chinese soldiers shaking hands. It contains message: "НАРОДЫ СССР ИКИТАЯ СОЕДЯИНЯИТЕСЬ" (PEOPLES OF THE USSR AND CHINA UNITE). Message is also written in Chinese above the picture. Many passengers are seen getting off train at open air depot. Men stand on top of the railroad cars, offloading bundles from train roof, with ropes. View of wide street with an official building at end. Flags from posts at sides of gated entrance. Donkey pulling a cart and a man with a hand cart seen on street. Crowded outdoor "camping" area, with many wooden tables and chairs, and multiethnic people cooking and eating. A market place, with donkeys standing by heavily laden carts. Owners wait to offload their goods for merchant buyers. A young man displays a huge bowl of rice. Workers on roof, making repairs to bomb-damaged building. Several pedestrians and animal drawn carts seen on the main road from the Headquarters. A jeep and a truck, with American White Star insignia on it, are seen in driveway of building. Sandbags at corner of building. Complete change of scene and time. Large central plaza with tall monument in center. Snow on the ground. Horse-drawn carts pass in front of an imposing building adorned with a huge "medal" containing a bas-relief of Josef Stalin; a huge Red Star, on the roof; and a large sign in Russian reading: "ОСВОБОПИТЕПЬНЦЕ" (Liberator). A Russian officer and two Russian soldiers with weapons. Soviet Lieutenant General Vasily Chuikov, special advisor to Chiang Kai-Shek in 1941, shakes hands with a Chinese one-star General in World War II. Another Chinese officer, in plain uniform, stands near.(Latter has injured nose.) [Important Note: This film appears to include segments from various unrelated places and times ]
Abandoned industrial complex. Factories and warehouses. A Chinese soldier stands near sign reading: "U.N.R.R.A. It Is Belonged To Our Office. No Admittance To Anybody Or Armies To Enter." Damaged buildings in view. Several Americans pick their way through factory Interior which is littered with debris. and human remains. Two of them carry cameras. One, an American military photographer takes pictures. They also inspect huge parts of destroyed factory machinery. Two Americans discuss this and take notes. Pedestrians walk on a sidewalk. Many Chinese persons cook and eat in area containing wooden tables and chairs at edge of large open air marketplace. Food stalls and stalls of medicines in the area. A Nationalist Chinese flag flies from a small building in the area. A large group of Chinese children posing for the camera, with their teacher organizing them. Grownups are in the back of the group. Scene shifts to closeup of another group of Chinese people posing for the camera. View of a barricaded and sand-bagged official building. Two Chinese soldiers march past with shouldered rifles. Two civilians with back packs walk past. Closeup of a Chinese soldier during World War II. Glimpse of two armed soldiers guarding stacks of grain of flour. [Note: this film may contain segments that are unrelated and from different places and times.)
Wide panning views from a high point, show rooftops and beyond, of buildings in densely built up major city in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (World War II). Light snow seen on grassy spaces. A major park-like circle is seen containing a monument. A large building across the park displays a red star on its roof and an elaborate large decorative medal, suspended from the roof, containing a bas relief image of Joseph Stalin. (Although not readable in this sequence, a message in Russian at the top of the building reads: "ОСВОБОПИТЕПЬНЦЕ" (Liberator). Camera pans over more sections of the city including a major commercial street lined with substantial buildings.
An empty snow-covered courtyard next to an abandoned building with Russian writing on it reading: "СССР и Китад" (USSR and China). A hand cart sits with a carton on it. A low wall extends from the courtyard enclosing what appear to be residential buildings. Laundry is hung on a line to dry, behind one of the houses. View down the snowy street. View, back again to courtyard and building with Russian writing on it. An American Army officer walking through rubble of badly damaged factory during World War II. Another American joins him and they inspect damaged and destroyed heavy machinery. They are joined by several other persons. More views of bombed out buildings.
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