These silent “dailies” from WWII were shot by a member of combat camera named Edwin C. Udey, who was a member of the Naval Medical Photo Unit #5. The film begins prior to the invasion of Iwo Jima on January 11, 1945 at an unknown location, possibly Saipan where Udey had been filming the invasion in the summer of 1944. The shots show a rocky coastline and sandy beach. At 2:00 a coastline is seen from at sea. At 3:06, a new camera roll, we are now at sea with the fleet assembling for the invasion of Iwo Jima. At 3:50 the beach at Iwo is attacked with naval artillery. At 5:12 aircraft make bomb drops on Japanese positions. At 6:00 heavy smoke covers the beach area. At 6:43 the looming shape of Mt. Suribachi is seen in the distance. At 6:48 aircraft streak overhead, and at 6:58 a warship fires broadsides at the beach. The USS LST 634 is seen at 7:11. At 7:20 warships in dazzle paint are seen off Iwo and at 7:50 a broadside is fired at the beach. More dive bombing attacks are seen at 8:40. At 9:00, the invasion fleet is seen off Iwo with the sun setting. At 9:25, a group of children and refugees are seen at a camp, cleaning themselves up. It’s unclear where this was filmed, possibly at Okinawa or more likely, it is from Saipan.
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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