Summary: The expected effect of a hydrogen bomb blast on a typical British city.
Description: The film, which consists largely of animated diagrams, stresses the need for civil defence training and looks at the way the increasing effects of bombing in the Second World War necessitated better and more centralised organisation of defence services. The new H-bomb is expected to be at least 500 times more powerful than the atom bomb (dealt with in an earlier film THE ATOMIC BOMB - ITS EFFECTS AND HOW TO MEET THEM (HOY 57)) and the film describes how the likely effects would differ. The heat effects are expected to cause fires for up to 15-20 miles from ground zero, while residual radiation fallout effects would be much more serious - the film explains how a ground burst (rather than an air burst) will cause all the necessary destruction beyond the limits of a typical city, but with "the additional fallout problem as a bonus." The case of the Japanese fisherman caught in fallout from an American test is cited. Diagrams show the increasing effects of blast at points along the way towards ground zero. Closer than 3-4 miles no rescue would be feasible due to severe residual radiation and total destruction.
Production Details: Home Office (Production sponsor)
RHR Productions (Production company)
Villiers, David H (Production individual)
Riley, Ronald H (Production individual)
Villiers, David H (Production individual)
Jones, Jonah (Production individual)
Sagovsky, V (Production individual)
Abbott, Ron (Production individual)
Larkins Studio (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords:
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 3
Footage: 1913 ft; Running time: 21 mins
