This WWII propaganda film produced by the Combat Photo Unit of the US Navy examines the contributions of Task Force 58 (and airpower in general) to achieving Allied goals in the Pacific Theater. It shows incredibly clear aerial combat footage from the gun sights of fighter aircraft and bombsights of bombers. It looks at US progress on multiple fronts of the theater including the Marianas Turkey Shoot and the landings on Saipan and Iwo Jima. It also shows bombardment footage from less well-known theaters in the war including in Burma and Indonesia.
0:07 Combat Photo Unit US Navy Task Force 58, 0:16 different shots of Task Force 58 cruising in the ocean, 0:51 F4F Wildcats taking off from a carrier near Saipan, 1:08 incredibly clear gunner footage showing several Japanese aircraft being shot down, 2:57 different aerial shots of Japanese ships being attacked by Task Force 58, 3:37 a damaged F4F Wildcat landing on a carrier, 3:53 US troops landing on Saipan, 4:40 bombsight footage US aircraft dropping bombs over mainland China, 5:06 a B-25 dropping bombs, 5:13 airborne infantry in Burma, 5:25 bombsights footage from a B-25 dropping bombs over the Philippines, 5:49 ground troops creating a beachhead and delivering supplies on an island, 6:10 US troops in the snow, 6:31 Oil barrels being unloaded in Burma, 7:04 Task Force 58 aircraft providing airborne support for troops, 7:20 incredibly clear gunner footage of P-47s taking out ground targets near Mandalay in Burma, 8:17 footage from the ground of air support, 8:46 US troops landing on Saipan, 8:58 wounded men being transported, 9:21 overview of the destroyed buildings and Mitsubishi A6MT Zeros at the Kagman Airfield, 9:45 American troops rebuilding the Kagman Airfield, 10:03 a B-29 Superfortress landing at the Kagman Airfield, 10:28 bombsights footage of bombardment in Iwo Jima, 10:49 Japanese aircraft being shot down at night, 11:10 burning American aircraft on an airfield, 11:25 overview of destruction on Iwo Jima including dead soldiers, 11:53 B-25s in the air, 12:15 B-25s bombing the oil refinery at Balikpapan in Borneo, 12:47 sight view of the aerial bombardment of the Philippines, 13:18 overview of destroyed airbases of the Philippines, 13:44 General Douglas McArthur in the Philippines, 14:06 Grave of Ernie Pyle on Ie Island near Okinawa, 14:21 Generals Jimmy Doolittle, Henry H. Arnold, George Kenney and Ennis Whitehead, 14:46 Mount Fuji and B-29s bombing Tokyo, 15:56 a slow close up of a B-29, 16:32 the Trinity Nuclear Test at Los Alamos in New Mexico, 17:12 a close up shot of a B-29 flying, 17:39 MPR-61
The Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38 when assigned to Third Fleet, TF 58 when assigned to Fifth Fleet) was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific War from January 1944 through the end of the war in September 1945. The task force was made up of several separate task groups; each typically built around three to four aircraft carriers and their supporting vessels. The support vessels were screening destroyers, cruisers, and the newly built fast battleships.
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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
