Title:WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 142 - AMERICAN VARIANT [Allocated Title]
Film Number:WPN 293
Other titles:
Summary: An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East aimed at an American audience (most likely US Forces).
Description: I. 'THE CAPTURE OF TARAWA. On screen titling reads "Dramatic films of the bloodiest battle of the Pacific in which US Marines win vital Jap base in 76 hours!". Panoramic footage shows Allied merchant shipping at sea. A map shows the location of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. Bare-headed members of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) attend a religious service on the deck of an unidentified ship. Brief footage shows the pre-invasion naval bombardment of Tarawa prior to the despatch of landing craft to the island. Operational footage shows United States (US) marines looking over the loading ramp as it heads for the main landing beaches on Tarawa. US marines armed with Garand M1 .30-inch self loading rifles take cover behind palm trees from Japanese fire. A column of US marines march past the camera position carrying Garand M1 self loading rifles, M1 .30-inch carbines and a Browning .30-inch air-cooled machine gun. USMC troop columns move inshore. Panoramic footage shows knocked out Japanese beach emplacements and reinforced concrete bunkers. Scores of Korean prisoners squat on the floor. The commentary states that the Koreans were forced to work in slavery by their Japanese masters. United States Navy (USN) Construction Battalion (CB-"Sea Bees") personnel use a caterpillar tractor to rebuild the former Japanese airfield on Tarawa. USMC personnel occupying beach foxholes smoke cigarettes and drink from canteens.
II. 'WOMEN AT WAR.' This item duplicates Item II of WPN 142.
Production Details: Ministry of Information, Middle East (Production sponsor)
War Pictorial News (Production company)
Martin, Charles (Production individual)
Keating, Rex1910-02-142005-01British newsreel commentator, WW2 period (Production cast)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: United States Marine Corps (regiment/service)
Keywords: combat, United States - amphibious (object name)
operations, United States military - amphibious (object name)
destruction, Gilbert and Ellice military - area (object name)
medical, United States military - emergency (object name)
casualties, Japanese dead - battlefield (object name)
Tarawa 1943, Gilbert and Marshall Islands, Pacific War 1941-1945, Second World War (event)
Gilbert and Ellice Islands & Tarawa (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: Arabic
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 945 ft; Running time: 10 mins
