Released in 1944 for the home market by Castle Films, “Yanks Invade Marshall Islands!” is a silent newsreel showing attacks on Roi and Namur in the Marshalls chain as part of the Battle of Kwajalein.
At 1:03, raids by B-24 Liberators are made on Japanese airfields and other strongholds. At 1:59, battleships and cruisers deliver a barrage against shore positions. At 2:54, D-Day on Kwajalein, as the Marines head into landing craft and onto the beach. At 4:02, a huge cloud of smoke billows from a American ship that has taken a direct hit. At 5:14, a radioman sends reports from the beach back to commanders aboard ship, possibly directly artillery strikes. At 5:30, a huge column of smoke looms over the beachhead. At 5:30, Marines take cover in a trench. At 5:44, a Japanese sniper is hunted by Marines. At 6:19, Japanese who are attempting to escape the onslaught by swimming across a lagoon, are shot by Marine snipers. At 7:27, Japanese blockhouses and other emplacements are destroyed with TNT. At 7:38 a combat cameraman with a 16mm Filmo is seen shooting battle scenes. Tanks (8:00) are shown as well as flamethrowers (8:20). At 8:45 the mangled body of a Japanese soldier is shown in tangled wreckage and rebar. At 8:50, mortars are fired. At 9:30, a few Japanese are taken prisoner; they are the exception to the rule. At 9:35, a loudspeaker is visible, apparently being used to broadcast an announcement in Japanese, encouraging enemy soldiers to surrender. At 10:04, Japanese prisoners are processed. One speaks to a tank driver. At 10:09, Prisoner of War tags are written up. At 10:20, a gruesome shot of rows of dead bodies of Japanese soldiers. At 10:52, an American G.I. receives medical attention in the field. At 11:21, wounded are moved by Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) to LSTs to receive further care. At 11:30, the remnants of Japan’s airfield at Roi are shown, as well as a smashed Japanese aircraft. The ruined Japanese hq is shown at 12:00. The film ends with a memorial and 12 gun salute for those Americans lost in combat, may God have mercy on their souls (12:16), and a shot of Admiral Chester Nimitz, who led the sea borne attack. At 12:54, the American flag flies over what was once Japanese territory. The End.
The Battle of Kwajalein took place from 31 January – 3 February 1944, after the costly Battle of Tarawa. Landings took place on the main islands in the chain: Kwajalein in the south and Roi-Namur in the north. The results were decisive, with the Japanese losing an astonishing 3449 soldiers at the garrison at Roi-Namur, out of an original complement of 3500. For the first time, U.S. forces had penetrated the “outer ring” of the Japanese dominated Pacific.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
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.comA
