Description: I. 'THE DAY WILL COME.' The commentary outlines a history of Japanese aggression over footage of Emperor Hirohito of Japan inspecting armoured crews with SHI-KI command tanks evident in the background. Japanese SHI-KI, CHI-HA and I-GO amphibious tanks perform a drive past. Following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, United States (US) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addresses Congress on the subject of war production targets for aircraft, merchant shipping and tanks (live). Internal views of a Boeing aircraft production line shows a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress wing being moved by overhead hoist to a waiting B-17 fuselage. At another point in the production line scores of B-17 cockpit and nose sections await completion. Fighter pilots of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force run to their Brewster B-339 Buffalo aircraft and start up their engines. Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force Brewster Buffalo B-3106 taxies for take off. Three Buffaloes perform a low-level pass over the air field. A Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force groundcrewman rolls white phosphorus bombs along the ground to the waiting bomb-bay of a Martin 139-W bomber aircraft. The rear gunner of a Martin 139-W sits in his dorsal turret and mans his air-cooled .303-inch Browning machine gun. Chinese Nationalist troops march through an unidentified village, their progress watched by the women of the village. Brief views of Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek follow.
II. 'RUSSIA.' Pre-war stock shots show German leader Adolf Hitler saluting as members of the Sturmabteilung (SA) march past. A map shows the extent of the Russian Spring offensive giving Moscow, Tula and Kalinin as reference points. Views of Leningrad show the town's civilians busy in the construction of street barricades and other defences. Internal footage shows a Russian automotive plant with male factory workers using milling machines to grind vehicle crankcases. Russian Infantry carry Karabin obr 1938g 7.62mm rifles and stick grenades (RPG-40 ?). Russian Air Force Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers are shown in flight. Bombs drop and impact on snow covered ground.
Production Details: Ministry of Information, Middle East (Production sponsor)
War Pictorial News (Production company)
Martin, Charles (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (person)
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (person)
Hitler, Adolf (person)
Royal Netherlands Air Force & Dutch East Indies Air Force (regiment/service)
Chinese Army (regiment/service)
Chiang Kai-shek (person)
Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (person)
Keywords: industry, United States - aircraft (object name)
Russia & Leningrad (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: French & Arabic
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 853 ft; Running time: 9 mins
