This 1960s black and white film documents the 24th Infantry Division in Korea as part of the Army’s “The Big Picture” weekly televised series by the Signal Corps Pictorial Center. Hosted by Master Sergeant Stuart Queen. 1959, the Task Force Smith Memorial in Korea is dedicated. A gun salute is followed by a bugler playing “Taps” (1:48-3:05). 1950, the 24th is shown in occupied Japan (3:14-3:45). A map shows the 38th parallel, followed by North Korea tanks and burning buildings (3:48-4:20). The United Nations is shown in session (4:22-4:35). Some of the 24th arrive via Air Force planes before marching past villagers and empty buildings (4:39-5:52). At Osan, they dig and fire guns, machine guns, and bazookas (5:53-6:50). The rest of the 24th boards planes in Japan. Its vehicles and equipment are loaded into ships (6:58-7:38). Soldiers smoke cigarettes while marching (7:39-7:52). Cannons are loaded and fired. A soldier is carried on a stretcher (7:53-8:57). Troops damage a major bridge (9:07-9:14). The 25th Division arrives in tanks (9:15-9:25). The 24th fires machine guns, tanks, and bazookas before withdrawing to the streets of Taejeon (9:36-10:33). General Dean walks among his troops (10:34-(10:45). Footage shot from a moving vehicle shows destruction (10:46-11:28). The troops withdraw to the Pusan River bridge. Allied planes drop bombs. Cannon fire is seen in the hills (11:29-13:17). The 24th relaxes after 55 days of battle. The men read Bibles (13:18-14:12). The Allies assault on Inchon shows fire power against a dark sky (14:13-14:45). General MacArthur arrives, as do the 10th Corps, 1st Marines, and 7th Infantry (14:46-15:00). Battlefield footage is shown. Soldiers and vehicles cross the river north, passing a waving crowd at Taejeon (15:02-17:20). Troops repair bridges (17:21-17:46). The 38th Parallel sign is shown (17:48). The Division eats Thanksgiving dinner in the snowy mountains south of the Yalu River (18:00-18:45). Communist China moves south to Pyongyang, forcing the troops to retreat. The repaired bridge is set on fire (18:47-19:55). The road south is packed with refugees (19:56-20:05). The 24th is surrounded by snow. Cannons and mortar rounds are fired. The 8th fights through trees as it inches up a hill (20:06-21:38). UN troops carefully walk through the destruction in Seoul (21:39-21:50). A group of soldiers lie in wait, one with binoculars. An airplane drops a bomb (21:58-22:09). 1951, Communist commanders arrive at Kaesong and Panmunjom (22:15-22:52). An air strike is shown (23:00-23:05.) Closeups are shown of a tank firing (23:30-23:37). The 24th boards a ship for Japan (23:38-23:55). General Clark, the UN commander, signs the truce with the Communists (23:57-24:15). The Operation Big Switch military police vehicles arrive to exchange prisoners, including the return of General Dean (24:17-24:59). Defiant Red prisoners are transported by truck, followed by those not wishing to return to communism (25:00-25:48). The 24th Color Guard passes, followed by the band, parading soldiers, jeeps, tanks, and planes (25:50-27:01).

The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. It was inactivated in October 1996, it was based at Fort Stewart, Georgia and later reactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, first fighting in New Guinea before landing on the Philippine islands of Leyte and Luzon, driving Japanese forces from them. Following the end of the war, the division participated in occupation duties in Japan, and was the first division to respond at the outbreak of the Korean War. For the first 18 months of the war, the division was heavily engaged on the front lines with North Korean and Chinese forces, suffering over 10,000 casualties. It was withdrawn from the front lines to the reserve force for the remainder of the war after the second battle for Wonju, but returned to Korea for patrol duty at the end of major combat operations.

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