Film opens with animated map showing places in the Pacific near the island of Palau. A formation of U.S. B-24 Liberator bombers is seen in flight. Glimpse from the air of the Palau archipelago. Aerial view from a B-24 of its bombs exploding on the center of a Japanese airfield below. Aerial view of a U.S. Independence-class Aircraft carrier of Task Force 58. Officers and sailors on carrier island watch as a Grumman F4F Wildcat aircraft takes off .from the aircraft displays geometric marking on its tail, known as a "G-symbol." In this case it is a large white diamond containing the airplane number inside another diamond. (The United States Navy Pacific Fleet, assigned G-Symbols to the CV and CVL class carriers of Task Force 58. These were assigned to each carrier and appeared on all aircraft operating from it. ) A formation of Grumman TBF Avenger aircraft flying above clouds. Closeup of one with diamond G-symbol and number on its tail. Broad view from the air of TBF Avenger aircraft in flight and Navy warships maneuvering in waters below. Sea level views of some warships in the Third Fleet. One is a Portland-class Cruiser. Wide aerial view of ships in the task force. Cruisers and battleships bombarding Palau and nearby targets. Closeup of heavy cruiser USS Louisville (CA 28) firing her port side 5 inch 25 caliber guns and 40 mm A/A guns from the stern.. A TBF Avenger dive bombs a shore target. More views of warships with shells bursting in background. Shells bursting at the shoreline. Closeup glimpse of marines in landing craft U.S. Marine Corps LVT(A)4 Amphibious Tanks heading toward the beach on September 15, 1944. An LCI(L) Landing Craft Infantry (Large) firing close to shore. Shells striking shoreline installations. View from aircraft of landing craft speeding toward the beach and many more maneuvering offshore. Closeup of marines moving about on the shore of Palau with smoke rising and sounds of gunfire. A marine running through foliage at the shore. Marines manning a command post and communications center in the jungle. Marines firing rifles from a tree line. One firing a Browning M1919 machine gun and another throwing a hand grenade. Marines firing rifle grenades. Marines move forward and encounter a dead Japanese soldier lying next to his flame thrower. They reach the edge of the airfield, where two Japanese aircraft are just barely seen. They walk past dead Japanese at a machine gun emplacement. More views of Marines fighting at the edge of the airfield, and entering into the open area of the field, where fires are burning. .Wrecked Japanese aircraft are seen on the field. Marine infantry cross the field behind an M4 Sherman tank. Barges are seen carrying construction cranes and equipment to the island. A tracked crane drives onto the airfield. Bulldozers work on the edge of the airfield. A power shovel fills trucks with coral deposit material for resurfacing the airfield. Trucks dumping their contents at the field. Bulldozers and earth scrapers level the airfield surface. A TBF Avenger aircraft is the first to land on the unpaved airfield.
Ships underway during Joint maneuvers of combined British and French Naval units in the Mediterranean Sea. British Vice-Admiral Lord Mountbatten and French Naval Chief, Vice-Admiral Robert Lambert, on the deck of the French Aircraft carrier "Arromanches (R95)." (This is the British HMS Colossus -R15, renamed while on loan to the French.) A British-made Seafire aircraft of French Aéronavale Flottille 12F, rises to the deck on an elevator. Next, with engines running, it takes off under direction of a French signal officer. Several more Aéronavale Flottille 12F Seafire aircraft take off in succession. Aerial view of Seafire aircraft in formation. Aerial view, looking down on the aircraft carrier. Planes in the formation of Seafire aircraft peel off one at a time and descend to landing pattern altitude. The first buzzes the Carrier and goes around. Three more are seen making landings on the carrier under guidance of French controller using paddles
Scene is dawn viewed from deck of a troop transport ship off the coast of Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on D-day (November 20, 1943) for the amphibious assault by U.S. marines against the Japanese- held atoll, in World War 2. Marines loaded into a Higgins boat at the side of the transport ship. Several such landing craft maneuvering off the ship's bow. Benson-class destroyer bombarding the coast. Closer view of the destroyer with landing craft nearby. Glimpse of Japanese Aichi D3A (Val) dive bomber above. Two bombs exploding in water near the camera ship. U.S. Navy F4F aircraft flying low bombing and strafing. Glimpse of Navy warships bombarding after Navy planes depart. Then many landing craft are seen, some from the USS Sheridan (APA-51). Mixture of quick views showing naval gunfire, Marines in landing craft (including closeup of two marines looking out from inside one). U.S. Naval aircraft bombing inland, close to the shoreline. A derelict Japanese ship, displaying battle damage is seen in the surf. (Narrator notes that Japanese machine guns were set up and fired at landing craft from this hulk.) Closeup of radio operator on deck of invasion vessel. Views of amphibious landing vehicles tracked (LVT) moving toward shore. All American Higgins boats and LVTs subject to heavy Japanese machine gun and mortar fire, as well as bombing by Japanese Aichi D3A dive bombers. Burning landing craft in the surf. Landing craft arriving at the beach under heavy fire. One is marked, "KA 20-11" indicating it is from the USS Virgo (AKA-20). Long shot of Marines strung out on section of beach. Closeup of marines wading ashore from wrecked LVT. Several marines move along a concrete pier. Many marines are hunkered down behind it. Various views of marines pinned down on the beach. Some sheltered behind an LVT.
U.S. Marines of "F" Company , 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, near Xuan Hai, Vietnam during Operation Thor. Weary marines trudge back from a scouting mission. A marine with a 35 mm still camera around his neck. A marine with an M-16 rifle stands guard near unit packs and gear piled on the ground. A marine with an M-16 rifle walks in the foreground. Marines in the grassy area in the far background. A U.S. Marine Corps F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber dives on a target and fires rockets. Explosion from the rocket strike. A jet aircraft in flight high above.
Film opens showing entrance to cockpit of a U.S. Air Force Troop Carrier Douglas C-124 Globemaster aircraft en route from France to Indochina. A pilot is seen at the controls in the left seat, and the Aircraft Commander is observing from behind and between the pilots' seats. Close-up of number 3 and 4 engines with propellers turning as viewed from copilot's window. Two crew members are seen asleep on bunks in rear of flight deck compartment. Another is napping in a bulkhead seat. More views of engines running and propellers turning. Glimpse downward of land and clouds below. Close-up of Copilot in right seat of cockpit, wearing headset and making an announcement through his microphone. View of French paratroopers seated in cargo compartment, listening to the announcement from loudspeaker above them. Next, a French paratrooper passenger is seen opening contents of a flight lunch package. He uses the tiny can opener included in the package to open a can (with some difficulty). Paratroopers eating flight lunches.Two of the passengers playing chess on a miniature board with plug-in chessmen. Close-up of the chessboard. Co-pilot speaking on intercom again and a French paratrooper, wearing headset and microphone, speaking as well (likely translating). Glimpse of engine running on left wing. A different person (not in flight suit) at the controls in copilot's seat. The crew's Flight Engineer making throttle adjustments at his panel. View on the ground of French greeting party on the destination airfield to meet the arriving aircraft. Arriving C-124 aircraft taxiing on inboard engines only, as it proceeds along layers of pierced steel plank (Marsden matting) comprising the surface of airfield ramp. Views of French military waiting to greet arriving paratroopers. The aircrew's loadmaster lowering one of the aircraft's front loading ramps. French paratrooper passengers use it to leave the aircraft. (The other ramp is partially down and contains cartons and boxes.) Close-up of a French major in the greeting party. A woman greeting troopers, individually, as come down the ramp from the aircraft. Some French aircraft lined up on ramp, in background. (They appear to be Grumman F8F Bearcat aircraft.) Glimpse of an armed French Colonial (Tirailleurs Sénégalais) sentry standing near the aircraft. Troopers carrying cartons of rations from the aircraft and joining others preparing to board trucks for a ride to their quarters. Uniformed French soldiers in the greeting party help load heavy crate into an Army truck. Some troopers leave on trucks.
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and defense team at Pentagon in Virginia. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and group posing in Secretary of Defense, Wilson's office. Among those present: U.S. Army General Matthew B. Ridgway, USAF General Nathan F Twining, U.S. Navy Admiral Robert Bostwick Carney, U.S. Navy Admiral Arthur W. Radford, U.S. Secretary of Defense Charles Erwin Wilson, U.S. Army General Omar Nelson Bradley, USAF General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, U.S. Army General Joseph Lawton Collins, U.S. Marine Corps General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Admiral William Fletcher and others. President Eisenhower stand by Secretary of Defense Wilson and General Omar Bradley. Admiral Radford stands on the President's right. Line of Defense officials and officers identified by name. President Eisenhower seated with David Kyes, Harold Talbott, and Defense Secretary Wilson. Standing directly behind are: General Nathan F Twining, Admiral Radford, and General Omar Bradley.