Introduction to Midway Island and the Battle of Midway. Scenes of U.S. Navy and Marines on Midway Island during World War 2. Map of the Pacific locates Midway and other places. U.S. Navy PBY Catalina patrol planes in flight. Pilot in the cockpit of a patrol plane. View from the sea of Midway Island. U.S. Navy PT boats in the harbor. A Catalina just landed is recovered by sailors, in swim suits,who pull it ashore on a ramp. A U.S. Marine Corps honor guard carrying Marine Corps and American flag, leads a contingent of Marines marching across a pier. Sea birds in flight and Gooney birds on the ground, on Midway Island. U.S. military personnel relaxing at sunset. One plays the song,"Red River Valley," on an accordian. Others smoke and converse. Thunder is heard from isolated storm clouds in the distance.
Japanese bombing attack on Midway Island in World War 2 (Battle of Midway). Opening scene shows map with Midway Island in context .of the Pacific Ocean. A Navy Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat is seen among clouds. Closeup of the plane from another in formation with it. View of gunner with machine gun in blister of a PBY. Views from the PBY of Midway Island, from above and from low over the water. Two PT boats in the harbor. A PBY seaplane lands and is next seen being towed tail first up an incline, by sailors using lines. A U.S. Marine Corps color guard leads a contingent of Marines marching in formation along a pier, where some submarines are docked. F lock of white sea birds photographed against blue sky and Gooney birds on the white sands of the Island. Marines silhouetted in front of a beautiful sunset. The are relaxing. One plays an accordion. Sentries are alerted by some thunder from clouds in the distance. Next, B-17E bombers are seen near sandbagged positions on the airfield. Air crews gather for briefings. Camera pans over several B-17s being loaded with bombs and refueled. Glimpse of a railroad engineer who served 38 years on the Ironton railroad, standing next to a steam locomotive.( He is ostensibly related to one of the flyers.) Brief views of the flyer’s mother and sister. B-17 taxiing on number 1 and 4 engines (unusual). Several B-17Es taking off. One is Number 41-2524. Others with readable numbers are 41-2611, 41-2632, 41-2648, and 41-2437. Suddenly, several Japanese aircraft are seen in loose trail formation overhead. Marine fires machine gun from a defensive position. Black flak clouds form from exploding U.S. antiaircraft rounds. One Japanese aircraft falls burning toward the sea. Several U.S. Marine Chance-Vought SB2U Vindicator aircraft take off to engage the Japanese bombers. The U.S. aircraft maneuvering overhead. More machine gun fire from defenders on Midway. A bomb explodes close to the camera, sending debris flying. More machine gun fire, and another bomb strikes near the shoreline with a huge explosion. Explosions on other areas of Midway. A hangar burning. Another bomb strike close to the camera. Marines running past burning and destroyed aircraft, and raising the American flag, as fires burned and the bombing continued.
The Battle of Tarawa between U.S. and Japanese forces during World War 2. U.S. Task Force ships head for Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. U.S. officers confer aboard a ship. A stick points out the location of Tarawa on a map of the Pacific Ocean. U.S. soldiers bow their heads in prayers aboard the ship. U.S. naval guns are fired at coastal targets. U.S. Marines in landing crafts head for Tarawa. Smoke rises from artillery shell attacks on the island. The Marines use hand grenades to destroy Japanese pillboxes and machine gun nests. Reinforcements arrive and U.S. Marines advance inland after heavy fighting. Abandoned coastal artillery guns and dead Japanese soldiers on the island. The island after the battle. Forced Korean laborers on the island. A U.S. medic giving first aid to a Korean laborer. U.S. Navy CBs (Construction Battalion) make repairs and construct an airstrip on Tarawa.
U.S. Navy Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat Base 21, at Mios Woendi Island in Dutch New Guinea during World War 2. A lizard on a beach as sailors look at it. One sailor bats a softball as others field the ball. They also throw a football around on the beach. They take a shower on the beach.
U.S. Navy PT Boat Base 21 at Mios Woendi Island in Dutch New Guinea during World War 2. Crew members sleeping in bunks aboard a Patrol Torpedo (PT) boat. A watch comes in and wakes them up. The sailors get up. The watch offers cigarettes to the sailors. He lights up the cigarette for them. A cook prepares breakfast and crew members eat around a table. An officer comes in and calls the crew. The sailors get up and leave the room.
The U.S. turns offensive against Japanese in the Pacific during World War II. U.S. Liberator bomber planes fly towards island of New Britain. Map of New Britain. Pilots in the cockpit pull a trigger and drop bombs on the island. An invasion fleet moves towards the island. U.S. Marines land on the island and move forward. A map shows Makin Islands. U.S. Planes drop bombs on a Japanese ship. The planes drop bombs on a Japanese airstrip causing the destruction of the Japanese planes. The 6th U.S. Army General and Lieutenant Colonel James Roosevelt on a ship with other officers. Sailors climb down step ladders and move into a boat. A Japanese bomber is driven off and another is hit. Amphibious Forces land on the beach. Dead Japanese soldiers on the island. Japanese are defeated and Prisoners of War taken. A map shows Bougainville in the Solomons Islands. Troop reinforcements land.
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