One of a series of newsreels produced by the War Department during WWII, Combat Bulletin 34 dates to December of 1944. The film begins with coverage of the 9th Army as it drives across Belgium from Aachen towards Germany. The German cities of Linnich and Juelich are shown. At 1:00, the drive towards Antwerp is shown, with the port itself in ruins due to the work of retreating Germans. American engineers are seen busy working with British and other workers to restore the port to full operation. At 3:00, gun camera footage is shown of Allied planes striking German infrastructure including railroad trains and yards, bridges, and aircraft. At 3:40, a segment about malarial control on the island of Corsica using DDT and other means. At 5:30, DDT and oil are seen being sprayed to stop mosquitoes. An A-20 bomber is seen on Corsica dropping Paris Green for insect control (quite a big crop duster). Paris green (copper(II) acetate triarsenite or copper(II) acetoarsenite) is an inorganic compound. It is a highly toxic emerald-green crystalline powder that has been used as a rodenticide and insecticide, and also as a pigment, despite its toxicity. It is also used as a blue colorant for fireworks. The color of Paris green is said to range from a pale blue green when very finely ground, to a deeper green when coarsely ground.
At 7:10, a wrecked B-29 is seen at an advance base in China. This crash resulted in 10 fatalities, with only the tail gunner escaping with his life. At 7;50, Japanese phosphorous anti-aircraft shells are shown, first as they would appear to aircraft, and then a captured shell is disassembled and shown in detail.
At 9:54 the capture of Bhamo along the Burma Road is seen. Wreckage from the retreat of British and Chinese forces from 1942 is see along the road as Allied forces advance against the Japanese. Cargo aircraft are seen making supply drops at 11:00. At 12:00, elements of the 35th Division and free Chinese troops are seen moving against the Japanese. it’s tough jungle fighting. The city finally falls on December 25, 1944.
White phosphorus is a material made from a common allotrope of the chemical element phosphorus that is used in smoke, tracer, illumination, and incendiary munitions. Other common names include WP and the slang term “Willie Pete” or “Willie Peter” derived from William Peter, the World War II phonetic alphabet for “WP”, which is dated from its use in World War II and Vietnam and is still sometimes used in military jargon. As an incendiary weapon, white phosphorus is pyrophoric (self-igniting), burns fiercely and can ignite cloth, fuel, ammunition, and other combustibles.
In addition to its offensive capabilities, white phosphorus is a highly efficient smoke-producing agent, which burns quickly and produces an immediate blanket of smoke. As a result, smoke-producing white phosphorus munitions are very common, particularly as smoke grenades for infantry, loaded in grenade launchers on tanks and other armored vehicles, or as part of the ammunition allotment for artillery or mortars. These create smoke screens to mask from the enemy movement, position, infrared signatures, or the origin of fire.
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