The German Auxiliary Cruiser "Thor" (Schiff 10) seeking Allied shipping targets of opportunity in the Pacific during World War 2. German Navy sailors relax on her deck. Some paint her motor launch. Several sailors in white trousers, dark jackets, and white side caps, hurry into formation where they are inspected by supervisor wearing a checkered necktie. Officers in Khaki look through binoculars as the Thors' Arado 196 float plane lands and taxis in, guided by sailor with signal flags. The pilot (possibly Flying Officer Meyer-Ahrens) is standing up in the cockpit. He reports to the bridge and exchanges salutes with Thor Captain, Kapitan-sur-Zee Günther Gumprich. Pilot discusses his flight observations with other officers. Smoke from a steaming ship seen on the horizon. An officer on the deck lights a cigar. Smoke and sound of Thor firing her 15cm deck guns. Silhouette of ocean liner SS Nankin, very low in the water. Next, life boats of the SS Nankin row toward Thor carrying passengers who climb aboard (this was on May 10, 1942). Next, the ship is seen moving in rough high seas. Smoke is seen from Thor's guns firing again, and another ship is stopped in the water. Based on profile of ship, it appears to be the Norwegian oil tanker Madrono (D/T Madrono), intercepted on July 4, 1942. Boarding party from Thor lowers away in motor launch tenders and boards the stopped ship. Sign on her says "No Smoking" in English (The Madrono was built in the UK). Armed German sailor from the Thor guards the merchant seamen on board. Glimpse of one of Thor's 15cm deck guns. Thor's sailors in German Kriegsmarine dress uniforms wave from deck, likely as ship is arriving at Japanese harbor. Japanese Naval officers board for a visit. Captain Günther Gumprich and executive officer socialize with Japanese officers. German and Japanese flags fly side-by-side. Officers and crew of German Cruiser Thor tour local sites in Japan. Two Thor sailors view Mt. Fuji.
Japanese Propaganda film shortly before World War II: Opening slate "La Federacion Japonesa de los gremios de exportadores e importadores con la America Latina Producida por Domei Tsusin Sha". Scenes from exterior and interior of a Radio Studio in Tokyo where a Japanese radio announcer addresses persons of Latin America and South America in Spanish. He introduces a Japanese orchestra in the radio studio which begins to play. Scenes of a map with animation of the radio signals from Japan being carried to Latin America and South America. View of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. View of the Niju-bashi Bridge. Flock of birds flying in Tokyo. Japanese crowd in streets and residential area. Many views of modern buildings for government, offices, businesses, and residential areas of Chiyoda, Tokyo. National Diet Building (1 Chome-7-1 Nagatachō, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0014, Japan) in Chiyoda City. Embassy buildings of foreign governments. Point of view street views of busy Tokyo streets as seen from a moving vehicle or streetcar (beneath streetcar or trolley wires). View of buildings at Ginza district. View of the iconic Wako Clock Tower (4 Chome-5-11 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan) and neon lights at night in Ginza.
Reconstruction of Japan following World War II. New Constitution of Japan. Japanese military and other workers manually shovel debris and labor to rebuild their country which has been utterly destroyed by war. Document labeled 'The Constitution of Japan'. Japanese speak over loudspeakers and campaign in the first free elections in Japanese history. Women have the right to vote. Democracy brings civil liberty and women's rights. People listen to speaker at political rally or political campaign event in a Japanese city.
Industrial expansion of Japan with the help of America, after the end of World War 2. Food supply through sea in Japan. Oarsmen row wooden fishing boats. Mountains in the background. Japanese fishermen cast their nets. America helps Japan in industrial expansion. Japanese silk mill and textile industry. Japanese shipyard and ship building activity. Japanese production of automobiles and railroad train cars. Exterior view of Dai-Ichi Seimei Building (1 Chome-13-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan) which served as Supreme Commander Allied Powers (SCAP) headquarters (also called GHQ Building) in Tokyo Japan. American flags and United Nations flags seen flying at the building. Ships of U.S. Army preparing to transport U.S. troops from Japan for combat in Korea as Korean War starts. U.S. Army troops marshaled at Army Port of Sasebo, Japan, with their belongings.
Map of North America and the United States, with a white outline for the United States border. Map of the Empire of Japan, including the Korean peninsula and Taiwan, and its borders in white. View of a lake with Mount Fuji. A train on top of Manseibashi bridge (1-1 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021, Japan). Trams, vehicles, and bicycles in downtown Tokyo (likely Ginza or Marunouchi). A white Torii gate inside a Shinto shrine. People visit a Shinto shrine during spring. Japanese performers perform with fans on a Danjiri shrine cart during the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival in Osaka. Smokestacks in an industrial town. A wooden Torii gate. Japanese children flying a kite. A Buddhist monk blows a horn while deer graze in Nara. Spanish conquistadors and Japanese samurais ride horses. 18th century British woodcut showing metal tools and blacksmiths at work. 18th century prints showing European peasants working in a mill and horses in a grinding machine. A Japanese courtier opens and looks at a scroll with illustrations.
A doctor examines children in Japan. Children and their parents wait in line as a doctor uses a stethoscope on one of the patients. Japanese babies sitting on a small bench. Young children playing with blocks while daycare teachers watch. Youth wearing kimonos enter and leave the school gates. Japanese children play in slides, swings in the playground. Children perform mass calisthenics outdoors in the morning. Male and female students wearing Japanese attire attend English lesson in classroom. A girl stands up and corrects the sentence written on the blackboard. Japanese boys study chemistry inside a school laboratory. They examine test tubes, write down notes, and raise their hands.
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