What Makes a Battle (1944)
- Genre
- propaganda film
- Country
- United States
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This 1944 propaganda short explains what goes into preparing for a battle. It shows how American industrial production and supplies made the invasion of the Marshall Islands possible.
educationalpatrioticmatter-of-factinstructionalpromotionaldocumentary-stylearchivalhistorical
What happens
What Makes a Battle was a propaganda short produced by the US Army Pictorial Service in 1944. It documents the taking of the Marshall Islands while also encouraging increased war production. The film opens with the narrator asking "What makes a battle?" while the camera is focusing on shipments of industrial transports, "This is what it takes to make a battle." This statement sets up the dual nature of the entire film. War supplies are pouring in from every part of the country, from every type of American "Republican and Democrat, white and colored." Industrial production is the backbone of war, according to the film, if it is destroyed, not made with quality, or not replaced in time, the battle cannot happen. Then the film abruptly changes direction, and presents a summary of the American battle plan for taking the Marshalls, how the outer islands were bombed to fool the enemy, and how a sneak attack was planned against the inner islands. But this couldn't happen until all the supplies were ready. When the invasion does begin there is fierce fighting on the main islands. "The German would have surrendered, but not the Jap...Out of a garrison of 6000, 230 surrender." Much time is spent on the Japanese POWs, and the film goes to great lengths to show how well they are treated, especially in comparison to how the Japanese treated their POWs. Emphasis then turns again to materiel. Showing all the destroyed planes, artillery, and ammunition, all needing to be replaced by the American workforce. But at the very end, images of the dead and wounded American soldiers are shown. The narrator assures us they will never be forgotten. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Gracias Amigos (1944)
Attack in the Pacific (1944)
Return to Guam (1944)
Freedom Comes High (1944)
Highballing to Victory (1944)
With the Marines at Tarawa (1944)
The Battle for the Marianas (1944)
The 957th Day (1944)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.