Battle of Palembang, Indonesia, in World War 2. Japanese Kawasaki Ki-56 transport aircraft flying overhead in formation, begin dropping paratroopers. The sky is filled with their chutes. Next scene shows many struggling to make their way through knee-deep swampy jungles, where they landed. Most of their arms and ammunition were lost in the swamps. They finally emerge to attack lightly defended facilities of the Dutch Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) and Nederlandsche Koloniale Petroleum Maatschappij (NKPM),a refinery for the American Standard Oil Company. Japanese soldiers are seen after a day's battle with the defending contingent of Royal Netherlands East Indies Army home guard. A rear guard group of them and Dutch technicians, are made prisoners. Shell fired by departing Dutch forces strike oil storage tanks. Smoke rises in several places and one very heavy black smoke plume rises near the camera. Soon the area is a blazing inferno. The Japanese troops succeed in confining fires to the oil tanks, extinguish them, and save the cracking towers and other essential oil refinery structures. The Japanese flag is seen atop one. (Note: Two technicians seen in white, at TC: 02:05, are BPM workers. The one on the left is Christiaan Stapels. He died at a Japanese prisoner of war camp in June 1945.)
People gathered at the Lee theater in Fort Lee, New Jersey for a double anniversary celebration. The 50th year of New Jersey Borough and commemorating the country's first permanent motion picture studio. The Glenn Miller Story being shown at Lee theater. A banner put up for the event from May 23 to 29. Cameraman photographing turn of the century bathing models with a hand cranked camera. People watch the models. Mayor Louis F Botjer presents an anniversary plaque to a theater person. Bess Myerson, Miss America 1945 looks at the plaque. Cars on the road.
U.S. War Department film showing devastation from atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War 2. Opening scene is darkness of predawn in Alamogordo, New Mexico, on 16, July, 1945, at 5:29:45 AM. Suddenly, a huge explosion lights up the sky. A fireball and mushroom shaped cloud form. Closer view of the explosion from another camera. Following the initial explosion, the ensuing sound is a continuous roar. Another view is shown, from a third camera location. It highlights the boiling fire and smoke of the explosion. These scenes document the first successful test of a nuclear weapon, code named "Trinity". Change of scene shows glimpse of the Manhattan Project B Reactor site at Hanford, Washington, as viewed from a car driving past. Closeup of the facility, from right up against a boundary fence. Glimpses of other Manhattan Project facilities in New Mexico, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and another view of the Hanford, Washington facility. Next, a rough topographical map of Japan is shown. Closeup of elevated railroad train traveling in Hiroshima, Japan. Imperial Japanese Army motorized vehicles are shown on parade, including fully tracked open personnel carriers with soldiers aboard and Type 94 Tankettes being driven by individual soldiers. Japanese infantry marching in full field gear including shouldered rifles with fixed bayonets. Closeup of a Japanese Army officer. Glimpse of Japanese support troops, such as quartermaster elements, in black uniforms. Japanese technicians in white lab coats at a wartime facility. Japanese Navy Warships being launched from Hiroshima ship yards. A lone B-29 bomber seen in flight over clouds. Its tail number, 42-63735 is clearly seen. It displays a large "05" on it upper tail. (This is not the "Enola Gay" whose tail number was 44-86292.) Closeup of one of the aircraft's engines with propeller turning. Glimpse upward from interior of the aircraft. Scene shifts to aerial photograph of Hiroshima with overlay depicting the bomb strike zone. Animated map showing explosion and precise point ot detonation above the junction of the Motoyasu and Ota Rivers. A view at the ground of destruction from the atomic explosion. An American soldier stands in the midst of the destruction. Slabs of heavy concrete are destroyed. View looking East from ground zero, past a burned tree trunk in the foreground, where the shells of several stronger buildings still stand amidst a sea of rubble. To the South, hardly anything is left standing. Looking West, everything is essentially leveled.
Scenes of various atomic bomb tests conducted by America during a course of time. Shows the atomic bomb test in Alamogordo, New Mexico(1945). Nuclear weapons tests for shot Able and shot Baker, tested at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands as part of Operation Crossroads(1946). Close -up view of massive nuclear explosion at sea seen from shore with blast wave approaching unmanned ships near harbor and a palm tree on shore seen waving dramatically. Atomic bomb tests at the Enewetak Atoll (sometimes spelled Eniwetok or Eniewetok) In the Marshall Island as part of Operation Sandstone (1948). (World War II period).
1945: United States Coast Guard and Navy Landing Ships at the Iwo Jima beachhead. Soldiers on the beach. Military vehicles and tanks unloaded from the crafts. Coast Guard and Navy Landing Craft smashed by the hidden guns of Mount Suribachi. Waves lash against the shattered boats. Soldiers salvage parts. Soldiers and military vehicles on the beach. Half-tracks and tanks. Soldiers carry supplies. Landing Craft off shore. (World War II period).
Views of the crowning ceremony at the Miss America beauty pageant in 1945, and winner Bess Meyerson on stage. Next scene shows Bess Myerson years later as Commissioner of Consumer Affairs for New York City enters a car, car on road on streets of Manhattan, New York City. View of New York City buildings from a moving car. Views of various consumer goods, with price tags on them, people buying. Views of manual cash registers ringing up totals. Views of consumers in markets, stores, and supermarkets. Views of Consumer rights protection office, men and women at work. Women and men on phone. Consumer protection officer at a store, checking different food items. Views of items in butcher or meat department. Interior of a laboratory, food items are tested. Officials working in an office. Commissioner of Consumer Affairs in her office, various items on her desk. View of many different grocery items moving on a checkout belt toward a store cash register. Store worker lifts paper grocery bag and hands it to shopper. Consumer Affairs Commissioner walking on streets of New York City and greeting a woman passing by.
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