841. U.S. news review. Issue no. 4 (17:26)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States. Office of War Information. Domestic Branch. Bureau of Motion Pictures
Summary:
This newsreel covers six subjects. "The Raiders of Timor": recounts how Australian troops were forced to hide in the mountains on the island of Timor when the Japanese military conquered the island. The Australians conducted asymmetrical warfare against the superior Japanese forces. Their time as guerrilla soldiers and their recovery from the Australian Army is retold through reenactments. "Army Salvage": shows how the Army is recycling obsolete munitions and tanks from museums and warehouses into new weaponry. "We Guard Britain's Books": records how the British were using microfilm to reformat their rare books to provide a back-up copy in case the original texts were destroyed through German bombing. The microfilms are shipped to America and stored in the Library of Congress where they are accessioned, inspected, cataloged, and stored on shelves. "Good News from the Fishing Front": depicts how Canadian fishermen are increasing their yield to aid with food shortages in the U.S. Shows the repairing of nets and the hauling in of a 500-ton catch of herring. "Battle in the Caucasus": uses combat footage to tell how the Soviet military defeated German forces in a battle in the mountains of the Caucasus region on November 19, 1942. "Thingummybob: A Factory Song From Australia": a woman sings a song accompanied by a military band for workers at a factory. The Song celebrates female workers who worked on the production line to make equipment for the war. The chorus goes "I'm the girl that makes the thing/ that drills the hole that holds the ring /that drives the rod that turns the knob/ that works the thingummybob."

842. U.S. news review. Issue no. 5 (15:47)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of War Information. Domestic Branch. Bureau of Motion Pictures
Summary:
Newsreel contains stories about Veronica Lake getting her hair cut to promote worker safety, how absence from factory jobs can affect soldiers, how women going to war is affecting the care of children, British planes bomb Bremen, a sing-along version of the Army Air Corps song.

843. When work is done (09:04)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States. Office of War Information. Domestic Branch. Bureau of Motion Pictures
Summary:
Tells how Sylacauga, Alabama, a small town crowded with war plant workers, solved its housing and recreation problems.

844. Youth farm volunteers (04:57)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of War Information. Domestic Branch. Bureau of Motion Pictures
Summary:
Shows how the Extension Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture helped recruit and place young people from towns and cities on farms during World War II to combat farm labor shortage.

845. Report from Russia (08:00)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of War Information. Domestic Branch. Bureau of Motion Pictures.
Summary:
Tells of the energy, the courage, and the efforts of the Russians behind the front lines in World War II. Shows the holding and striking power of Russia.

846. The enemy strikes (11:54)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. War Department
Summary:
Uses captured German footage to show the unexpected Nazi counter-attack at the Battle of Ardennes, begun on December 16, 1944. Extends a plea for the American people to remain in their war-time jobs.

847. Film Communique: Seventh Issue (21:40)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. War Department, The Signal Corps : produced by, Combat film units of Marines, Army Airforces, United States Navy
Summary:
Addressed to "the men and women of American Industry," the Film Communique series reports on military accomplishments to an audience of domestic workers producing materials for war. Composed of three short segments: Burma Outpost Shows the air dropping of supplies for the 10th Air Force Division at outposts in the hills of Burma's border. Private Snafu: The Home Front Cartoon intended for servicemen is here presented for civilian audiences. Private Snafu imagines his loved ones loafing and enjoying life, oblivious of his hardships. A fairy appears to show him the diligent war work going on back in his home town. What Makes A Battle Shows the strategy and battles involved in the first land penetration of Japanese-held Marshall Islands, part of the campaign for the 32 Marshall Island atolls.

848. Film Communique: Eighth Issue (20:34)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. War Department, The Signal Corps : produced by, Combat film units of Marines, Army Airforces, United States Navy
Summary:
Addressed to "the men and women of American Industry," the Film Communique series reports on military accomplishments to an audience of domestic workers producing materials for war. Composed of five short segments: Cape Gloucester Jan 18 1944 Title card reads "1st Marine Division. Photo by Lt. R.S. Carter 7th Marines - leaving front - 23 day & nites in same clothes - fighting Japs - U.S.M.C." candid footage of battle-weary marines presented without commentary. R.A.F. and 8th Air Force Report From Britain An aerial photographer follows daring French pilots of the R.A.F., flying at low altitude to evade radar detection, attacking a Nazi target in American-built A-20 bombers. A 5th Air Force Report From New Guinea shows the ingenuity of ground crew men in repairing battle-damaged planes at an air depot in New Guinea. A Few Quick Facts animated sequence shows the distance a rifle bullet must travel before it reaches the Pacific battle lines to be fired at an enemy soldier. A Fifth Army Report From The Beachhead shows the surprise invasion at Anzio, Italy, commentary describes "one of the boldest and toughest combined operations fought by the Fifth Army on the blood-soaked Italian boot." [see standalone short: http://collections.libraries.iub.edu/IULMIA/items/show/93]

849. My Japan (16:19)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. War Finance Division
Summary:
Presented as an authentic message from the Japanese people to the American people, this film is actually a fake newsreel designed to counter any views the American moviegoer might have had about the Japanese being a backwards nation. The film employs a white American in yellowface as the Japanese narrator who describes the modern, technological Japan capable of withstanding the American military's attacks. Uses captured feature films and documentaries from the Japanese, including a short sequence from the 1937 German/Japanese co-production "The Daughter of the Samurai" in a brief clip with the actress Setsuko Hara. The film concludes with a plea to buy U.S. war bonds.

850. Time for sale (02:57)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. War Finance Division
Summary:
Incorporates footage originally used for the Japanese-produced newsreel, New Philippines News to show the horrible conditions that American prisoners experienced in enemy camps in the Philippines as a way to raise money through the sale of War Bonds.