This black & white, restricted film was made by the U.S. Navy in 1945. It presents news from the Pacific Theater including the use of kamikaze attacks, the Battle of Naha, the Borneo Invasion and, in the European Theater, the end of the Nazi regime in Germany/Norway. Copyright 1945.

Opening titles: U.S. Navy Combat Bulletin No. 6. Kamikaze Attack (:07-:28). Map shows the country of Japan. Kamikaze planes perform suicide attacks against the U.S. fleet in the Pacific. A kamikaze plane misses the ship and crashes into the water. Other Japanese planes crash into the or near the ships (:29-1:51). Japan uses all types of planes for suicide attacks. Kamikaze planes being shot at during the night. Kamikaze planes attack a U.S. task force but most miss their targets and hit the water. The aircraft carrier Bunker Hill is hit on the morning of May 11, 1945, while supporting the invasion of Okinawa. USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) was struck and severely damaged by two Japanese kamikaze planes. Huge fires on board. Men use hoses to put out the flames. Casualties exceeded 600, including 352 confirmed dead and an additional 41 missing; 264 wounded, the second heaviest personnel losses suffered by any carrier to survive the war after USS Franklin. After the attack, Bunker Hill returned to the U.S. mainland and was still under repair when hostilities ended.

(1:52-4:46). The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka is shown being examined by American personnel. This was a purpose-built, rocket-powered human-guided kamikaze attack aircraft employed by Japan against Allied ships towards the end of the Pacific War. Known as the ” Baka Bomb ” it had to be carried into action as a parasite aircraft. In action during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, Ohkas were able to sink or damage some escort vessels and transport ships but no major warships were ever hit. Improved versions which attempted to overcome the aircraft’s shortcomings were developed too late to be deployed. The Allied reporting name for the Ohka was “Baka”. – this bomb is dismantled by Americans they have confiscated. Damaged planes and wreckage. Dead bodies of the Japanese (4:47-5:51). Title: The Battle for Naha, part of the Battle for Okinawa Apr 1 – Jun 22, 1945. Map shows Okinawa, followed by the city of Naha. Nighttime artillery strikes. Marines advance slowly. Severe casualties on both sides. Sniper fire is constant. A huge explosion. Marines use flamethrowers (5:52-7:44). Marines race for cover during a firefight on an exposed field. An explosion on a hill (7:45-8:55). Flame throwing tanks. A tank is hit during a battle. White phosphorus grenades. A Sherman tank, upside down and on fire after hitting a land mine (10:33). Rescuers dig around the tank. One survivor blown from the tank walks over. Tank burns and then explodes (8:56-11:28). Lt. General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. coordinates, he was later killed. He would remain the highest-ranking U.S. military member to be killed by a foreign armed action until 9/11. Fighting continues. The entire city of Naha is now in the Marines hands (11:29-13:10). Title: Borneo Invasion. Tarakan Island on the map. Bombs dropped onto the Tarakan beach. Ships fire at the beach. Allied troops ready as lots of artillery is fired at the beach continuously. U.S. plane lays down a thick smokescreen to assist Australian demolition teams. (13:11-15:38). Title: Post-Mortem on Germany. Flensburg, Germany. Allies round up remaining members of German high command. Albert Speer and two others led out. On May 23, 1945, the same day that members of the Flensburg Government were arrested, Admiral Hans-Georgvon Friedeburg became a prisoner of war of the British Army in Plön, and committed suicide by swallowing poison. His body was buried at Adelby Cemetery near Flensburg. Heinrich Himmler committed suicide by poison. Oslo, Norway greets Allies. German Colonel Koch offers friendship to British officer who refuses his handshake. In an Oslo court, a Norwegian is tried for treason (15:39-17:27). Copenhagen – small German submarines or miniature / midget u-boats are examined. In Kiel, heavily damaged floating drydocks are shown. The U-boat pens there were heavily bombed. Remnants of the German Navy. The Admiral Scheer, a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser which served with the Kriegsmarine remains floating, having capsized. The Admiral Hipper has been destroyed. Liner SS Europa shown at Bremerhaven. SS Europa, later SS Liberté, served the Norddeutsche Lloyd line. She and her sister ship, Bremen, both earned the Blue Riband. Hamburg – submarine yards destroyed. General Patton speaks about the destruction in Germany. Bombed out German cities (17:28-20:37). End credits (20:38-20:46).

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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com