British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Views of Victoria shoreline from ship in the harbor. A Chinese Junk boat sailing in Hong Kong Harbor. Woman poses on hilltop overlooking harbor. Views from on board the Peak Tram, an electric cable tram that traverses the mountain overlooking Hong Kong harbor, and Victoria. Kowloon seen across the harbor. Views descending into Victoria proper.
Conclusion of Battle of Hong Kong between Japanese and British forces. Japanese airplane in formation fly above mountains. Aerial view of city of Hong Kong. Soldier stands holding the Japanese flag. Japanese troops and officers parade on the streets of Hong Kong. (World War II period).
Daily life in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. A narrow street in Hong Kong Island, jammed with commercial activity. Street musicians play bamboo instruments and sing. Chinese men with queues seen on the street. A girl sits on sidewalk, picking lice from the hair of a little boy. A girl carries a squirming baby on her back. Chinese pedestrians crowd the street. Signs and clothes hang from almost every store front on the street. A woman carries two children, one in front and one on her back. A Western civilian talking with an old Chinese shopkeeper. Chinese men sit on a bench and smoke. A young woman splits wood into kindling. A British sailor, carrying a large camera, walks through crowd. The Western civilian, now holding a camera at his side, poses next to a Sikh Hong Kong policeman, as local people gather around them. The Westerner sits with a sidewalk vendor, discussing a purchase. Three Chinese girls wearing Cheongsams walking together. A Chinese woman being carried in a sedan chair holds her hand up to hide her face from the camera ("evil eye"). Customers and merchants discuss fabrics. Countless porters carry goods through the street on poles. The "westerner" rides by on a sedan chair.
View of Victoria, British Hong Kong, as the population awaits possible challenge from Chinese Communist forces only several miles away. Victoria Peak is seen in the background. A Chinese man purchases copy of the Hong Kong Standard newspaper from vendor holding sign that reads: "Reds Offer Diplomatic Relations." British troops march with their packs, as they prepare for possible defense of the Crown Colony. Hong Kong police check persons entering at the border. British troops prepare artillery positions. British Comet Cruiser tanks maneuver. British Mk XVI Supermarine Spitfire aircraft with engines running on airfield. A flight of four Spitfires in formation over the city.
Victory over Japan at end of World War 2. Japanese troops surrender Singapore and Hong Kong to British troops in Pacific Theater. Aerial view of city in Singapore. Allied ships in nearby harbor. Allied soldiers of Britain landing and marching on streets in Singapore. Next scene shows ships of British fleet seen in waters at Hong Kong. Low-flying aerial views of port areas and buildings of Hong Kong. British Navy combat teams move from building to building in small groups, flushing snipers from alleys, streets, and buildings. A British soldier rests a machine gun on an elevated porch and fires at an enemy sniper position. Several Japanese soldiers surrender to British forces. Next scene is in Nanking, China. View of officials gathering in Nanking for Japanese surrender ceremony at the Central Military Academy, which had been the enemy Japanese headquarters during the war.
Although narrator states "General Chennault's United States 10th Air Force," this film actually depicts Chennault's 14th Air Force formed in 1943. Its B-25s and P-40s are shown during an attack on Hong Kong during World War 2 U.S. Army Air Force B-25 Mitchell aircraft take off from an air base in China to attack Hong Kong. The aircraft in flight. Propellers of the aircraft. Aerial view of the area below. Bombs being released over Hong Kong. View of crew in cockpit of B-25.The aircraft landing at an air base in China after the mission. P-40s with tiger teeth paint job parked on the airport tarmac. Aircrews relax with refreshments on the ramp.