This graphic Korean War era (1950-1953) reel of raw footage, filmed by a US serviceman, documents operations of UN Intervention force and the US Marines in Korea, near Pusan and Masan. It features the U.S. Marines VMAT-502 / Attack Squadron 513 at their airbase, handling of North Korean POWs, and the work of the local Korean people to bury the bodies of the dead at a temporary UN cemetery at Masan. It may also show the aftermath of an atrocity, as many dead civilians are seen in the footage.

0:08 Street full of rubble and destroyed buildings

0:30 Another part of the city, more damaged roofs. Women dressed in hakama (large Japanese work pants) or Korean women’s hanbok

0:54 A disheveled woman, dressed in burned rags stares at the cameraman. She seems to be in shock

1:32 Pan to 1st Sergeant in the Republic of Korea Army

1:37 A ROK Army Colonel, in field uniform, talking to a ROK Major General

1:58 Men on foot, probably disarmed North Korean soldiers.

2:10 Closeup shot of an Asian man, in dirty and tattered stripped business suit

2:28 Various men, some looking distraught.

3:01 ROK soldier with a nameplate and an armband in Korean.

3:11 A US Army Lt. Col. talking to woman. He seems to appear multiple times in the film.

3:44 An airplane standing at a remains of an airfield, most likely the Pusan West Air Base, a destroyed mass of a mangled hangar and a service walkway lies in the b/g

3:53 An F-4U-5N of the US Marines Fighter Attack Squadron VMF (N)-513 #17

3:55 A F4-U-5N #18

3:59 Destroyed hangar

4:04 A Bird dog L-19 Cessna preparing for a flight

4:40 Jeeps driving towards the tower

4:52 A F4-U-5N fighter taking off

5:38 A US military grave, panning to see the ominously free leveled ground to the left and to the right of it.

6:00 G.I.s, one of them African American, unloading bodies from trucks

6:43 A recently-deceased man, possibly a malnourished POW, pan to the freshly-dug grave.

7:04 Lowering the body into the grave

7:28 Funeral ceremony. The village people are wearing traditional mourning caps and white mourning garb.

8:19 Women in hanbok

8:44 Men, wearing mourning caps

8:53 Damaged buildings, taped glass windows.

9:17 A waterlogged official sign.

9:21 Operational HQ. Women typists.

9:42 Body picked up off the ground, wrapped in white linen. Crying women and children.

10:06 Dead bodies of men, women and children, possibly up to 100 bodies, possibly victims of an atrocity.

10:32 Some bodies appear to be completely emaciated

10:34 Human skull and more deceased persons.

10:54 More deceased persons.

11:03 Pan to reveal four more dead bodies scattered about. Looks like they were actually running or ordered to run then fell as they were killed.

11:04 About 20 or so more aligned dead bodies in advances stages of decomposition.11:12 Rows of new graves. Villagers digging graves and lowering more bodies into them.

11:20 Keep out sign

11:36 Rows of the local Korean Catholic and the Christian US military and UN military graves.

11:58 Previously seen US Army Lt. Col. and staff.

12:00 The entire hillside is covered with graves and more of the site is being flattened. A UN flag waves overhead.

12:31 The US Army Lt. Col. and another Colonel

13:05 U.N. Cemetery, Masan Korea. Rows of hundreds of graves with crosses.

13:51 Sign: Plot 1

14:00 Man, walking among the graves

14:27 A crushed almost skeletonized body, bearing insignia

14:37 Putting the skull back into place

14:52 Infantrymen standing and waiting with their rifles ready.

15:16 Infantrymen

15:27 South Korean infantry marching by

16:51 The same group of villagers continue to process the dead of the mountain side

17:35 Bodies of the starved to death lying supine, followed by the bodies of the executed or otherwise killed – 7 neatly organized rows of 10+ people each followed by scattered and semi-grouped bodies of men, women and children – probably at least 100 dead.

18:01 Dead body

18:02 Faces of the dead

18:42 POW camp for the North Korean troops

19:18 Columns of prisoners, accompanied by guards.

19:41 Road from the POW camps

19:47 Villagers returning from the burial assignment.

20:23 US Army 1st Lt leaning on jeep

20:33 Boy gets up after urinating

20:42 Woman carrying a basket of food on her head,

20:56 Woman carrying a big bale of clean linen on her head

21:09-21:31 Panorama of the city of Busan/Pusan

21:32 A woman with a toddler in a sling on her back and carrying a big bundle of things on her head.

21:43-end Mountains by the bay of Busan, groups of women carrying things on their heads, bringing children with them, past the cameraman.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com