All language subtitles for Fall.Of.Japan.In.Color.2015.WEBRip.x264-ION10

Narrator: PEARL HARBOR,
DECEMBER 7, 1941.

THE JAPANESE SURPRISE ATTACK

LAUNCHES THE UNITED STATES
INTO WORLD WAR II.

AS ALLIED FORCES BEGIN
THEIR EPIC STRUGGLE

TO DRIVE THE JAPANESE
OUT OF THE PACIFIC,

A BRITISH JOURNALIST
HAS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

TO THEIR CAMPAIGN.

ARMED WITH HIS
COLOR MOVIE CAMERA,

HE CAPTURES DRAMATIC FOOTAGE

FROM SOME OF THE MOST SAVAGE
CONFLICTS OF WORLD WAR II.

HE TRAVELS WITH THE TROOPS
AS THEY BATTLE

TO RECAPTURE BORNEO, NEW GUINEA
AND THE PHILIPPINES.

HE HAS PRIVILEGED ACCESS

TO THE GREAT WAR LEADER
GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR

AND FOLLOWS HIM TO JAPAN
IN AUGUST 1945

TO FILM THE HISTORIC SURRENDER.

IN JAPAN HE WITNESSES
THE DEVASTATION

OF THE ATOM-BOMBED CITIES
OF NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA

AND THE JAPANESE NATION
COMING TO TERMS

WITH THEIR BITTER DEFEAT.

THIS IS THE UNIQUE STORY
OF THE WAR

SEEN THROUGH ONE MAN'S LENS--

A JOURNALIST WITH
BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS

TO TELL THE STORY
OF THE END GAME IN THE PACIFIC.

IN DECEMBER 1941,

BRITISH JOURNALIST
WILLIAM COURTENAY

IS TRAVELING
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

ON A MISSION FOR HIS GOVERNMENT.

HE'S TRYING TO CONVINCE
RELUCTANT AMERICANS

TO JOIN THE FIGHT
AGAINST ADOLF HITLER.

THE UNITED STATES HAS AN
OFFICIAL POLICY OF ISOLATIONISM.

COURTENAY HOPES TO CHANGE THAT--

AND HISTORY IS ABOUT TO MAKE
HIS JOB MUCH EASIER.

William Courtenay:
I WAS IN SEATTLE--

THAT NIGHT I WAS TO ADDRESS
SOME 8,000 WORKERS

FROM BOEING AIRCRAFT WORKS
AT THE LOCAL AUDITORIUM.

IT WAS NOON ON THE COAST...

THAT FATEFUL SABBATH WHICH WAS
TO SOUND THE DEATH KNELL

OF AMERICAN ISOLATIONISM.

Narrator: THE JAPANESE ATTACK
ON PEARL HARBOR

ON THAT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7,

BRINGS THE UNITED STATES
INTO THE WAR.

COURTENAY'S MISSION COMPLETE,
NOW HE SENSES AN OPPORTUNITY.

HE SECURES A PRESS BADGE
TO COVER BATTLES IN THE PACIFIC

FOR THE BRITISH PRESS.

AND IN THE SPRING OF 1942

HE SETS SAIL WITH AMERICAN
TROOPS FROM SAN FRANCISCO.

HE'S THE ONLY BRITISH JOURNALIST
GRANTED PRIVILEGED ACCESS

TO THE U.S. MILITARY.

Courtenay: WE STEAMED
UNDER THE GOLDEN GATE

AT SAN FRANCISCO
IN FAIR WEATHER,

WATCHED THE LAND RECEDE,

WONDERED WHAT ADVENTURES
LAY BEFORE US

AND WHEN WE WOULD ALL SEE
AMERICA AGAIN.

Narrator: A MONTH LATER
COURTENAY ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIA

AND IMMEDIATELY GETS TO WORK
AS A WAR CORRESPONDENT

FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES
AND DAILY SKETCH NEWSPAPERS.

IT'S IN AUSTRALIA

THAT COURTENAY FIRST MEETS
GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR,

THE MAN LATER DUBBED
AN AMERICAN CAESAR.

MacARTHUR HAS JUST FLED
THE PHILIPPINES

FROM THE ADVANCING JAPANESE.

COURTENAY IS THERE WITH THE REST
OF THE PRESS PACK

ON MARCH 21, 1942,

WHEN THE GENERAL ARRIVES
IN MELBOURNE.

ON HIS SHOULDERS RESTS
THE IMMENSE BURDEN

OF DEFEATING A TRIUMPHANT JAPAN.

Courtenay: EXCITEMENT RAN
LIKE WILDFIRE THROUGH MELBOURNE.

HE HAD CAPTIVATED
THE PUBLIC FANCY OF AMERICA

MORE THAN ANY OTHER GENERAL
SINCE LEE AND GRANT

IN THE DAYS OF THE CIVIL WAR.

Narrator: FOR MacARTHUR,

NOW SUPREME COMMANDER
OF THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC,

THE FIGHT AGAINST THE JAPANESE
IS PERSONAL.

AFTER THEIR SUCCESSFUL ATTACK

ON PEARL HARBOR,

THE JAPANESE HAVE ADVANCED

ACROSS THE PACIFIC.

MacARTHUR HAS BEEN FORCED

TO RETREAT FROM HIS HEADQUARTERS

IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IT HAS BEEN
A BITTER HUMILIATION.

HE VOWS "I SHALL RETURN,"
WORDS THAT BECOME HIS MANTRA.

MacARTHUR AND
FLEET ADMIRAL CHESTER NIMITZ

LAUNCH A GRUELING AND COSTLY
ISLAND-HOPPING CAMPAIGN

AGAINST A DETERMINED ENEMY.

THEIR TWO-PRONGED ADVANCE
TO RECAPTURE THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

WILL TAKE OVER THREE YEARS OF
BRUTAL ISLAND-TO-ISLAND COMBAT.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL:

AN INVASION OF JAPAN.

THEIR CAMPAIGN BRINGS THE MIGHT
OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE AND NAVY

TO BEAR ON AN ENEMY
WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING.

[TROOPS SHOUTING]

BUT WITHIN MONTHS
OF THE CAMPAIGN'S START,

MacARTHUR AND NIMITZ'S TACTICS
BEGIN TO PAY OFF.

IN MAY AND JUNE 1942,

NIMITZ WINS A SERIES
OF DECISIVE NAVAL VICTORIES

AT THE BATTLES OF CORAL SEA
AND MIDWAY.

Newsreel announcer:
NAVY PLANES ROARED FROM
THE DECKS OF OUR CARRIERS...

THUNDER DESTRUCTION
OVER A 300-MILE BATTLE AREA.

THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY IS OVER.

Narrator: AS THE ALLIES
CELEBRATE THE VICTORY AT MIDWAY,

WILLIAM COURTENAY IS COVERING
THE CAMPAIGN IN NEW GUINEA.

AS A DECORATED
WORLD WAR I PILOT,

HE'S NO STRANGER TO COMBAT.

OUT IN THE FIELD

COURTENAY STRIKES UP A CLOSE
FRIENDSHIP WITH MacARTHUR

THAT GIVES HIM PRIVILEGED ACCESS
WITH HIS CAMERA.

IN 1943 HE TAKES PART
IN MULTIPLE LANDINGS

AND FILMS THE GENERAL'S TROOPS

AS THEY BATTLE THEIR WAY

THROUGH THE PACIFIC.

COURTENAY HAS WITH HIM
HIS 16-MILLIMETER MOVIE CAMERA

USING THE NEW
COLOR KODACHROME FILM.

HE HAS NO TRAINING
AS A CAMERAMAN,

BUT HE MANAGES TO CAPTURE
A BEHIND-THE-SCENES RECORD

OF LIFE WITH THE TROOPS.

AND HE ISN'T SHY ABOUT APPEARING
IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA HIMSELF--

OFTEN HANDING IT OVER
TO THE MEN HE'S WITH.

MacARTHUR'S TASK IS DIFFICULT.

THE ONLY WAY TO DEFEAT JAPAN
IS TO PRIZE THEIR GRIP

FROM THEIR ISLAND FORTRESSES
ONE BY ONE.

COURTENAY FILMS
A NEW TYPE OF WARFARE

AS THE GENERAL LAUNCHES A SERIES
OF MASS AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULTS,

EACH BACKED BY
AIR AND NAVAL BOMBARDMENT.

FOR THE FIRST TIME
THESE AMPHIBIOUS FORCES

ARE ABLE TO TRANSPORT
AND LAND WHOLE ARMIES

WITH ALL THEIR WEAPONS.

NO OTHER NATION CAN MATCH
THE MIGHT AND SOPHISTICATION

OF THESE U.S.-LED OPERATIONS.

COURTENAY IS WITH
THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION

ON FEBRUARY 29, 1944,

AS IT LEADS ONE OF THE MOST
DECISIVE AMPHIBIOUS ATTACKS

OF THE WAR SO FAR,

AN ASSAULT
ON THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS,

NORTH OF NEW GUINEA.

THE ISLANDS CONTAIN LOS NEGROS,
HOME TO THE MAMOTE AIRFIELD,

ONE OF THE KEY ASSAULT
OBJECTIVES FOR THE ALLIES.

THEY'RE ALSO IDEALLY SITUATED
TO COVER THE ALLIED ADVANCES

ALONG THE NEW GUINEA COAST.

THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION
IS MADE UP MAINLY OF TEXANS.

IT'S THE BEST-TRAINED
AMERICAN DIVISION

YET TO GO INTO ACTION
IN THE PACIFIC.

COURTENAY SHOOTS
BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE

OF THE MEN JUST HOURS
BEFORE THE ASSAULTS BEGIN.

THE WRITER NORMAN MAILER,

WHO ALSO SERVED
IN THE PACIFIC CAMPAIGN,

CAPTURES THE MOOD OF FOREBODING
BEFORE SUCH LANDINGS.

Norman Mailer:
NOBODY COULD SLEEP.

WHEN MORNING CAME,
ASSAULT CRAFT WOULD BE LOWERED

AND A FIRST WAVE OF TROOPS
WOULD RIDE THROUGH THE SURF

AND CHARGE ASHORE.

ALL OVER THE SHIP,
ALL THROUGH THE CONVOY

THERE WAS KNOWLEDGE
THAT IN A FEW HOURS

SOME OF THEM
WERE GOING TO BE DEAD.

Narrator:
AS THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION

PREPARES FOR THE ASSAULT
ON LOS NEGROS,

COURTENAY FILMS
THE FIRST BOMBARDMENT

AND LANDING OPERATIONS.

Courtenay: FROM AIR AND SEA
WE PREPARED THE WAY.

THE SUCCESSION OF BOMBS

RESEMBLED THE RAT-TAT
OF MACHINE GUNS,

WHILE HUNDREDS OF SHELLS
FROM EACH SHIP

PLASTERED THE COAST ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE HARBOR ENTRANCE.

Narrator: THE BRUTAL BOMBARDMENT
FORCES THE JAPANESE ENEMY

OUT OF THEIR ENTRENCHED
POSITIONS AND INTO FULL RETREAT.

THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION
LANDS AT LOS NEGROS UNOPPOSED.

THOUSANDS OF TROOPS SWARM
ONTO THE BEACHHEAD,

BRINGING WITH THEM TONS
OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.

BY EARLY AFTERNOON
THE 1st CAVALRY DIVISION

SECURES ITS INITIAL TARGET--
THE MAMOTE AIRSTRIP--

WITH VERY LITTLE OPPOSITION.

MacARTHUR IS ONE STEP CLOSER
TO THE PHILIPPINES.

ALMOST THE MOMENT IT IS CAPTURED

THE AIRFIELD IS PUT TO USE
BY ALLIED GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT

FROM THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN
AIR FORCE.

REINFORCEMENTS CONTINUE
TO FILE ASHORE FOR HOURS

AFTER THE FIRST LANDINGS.

AND THE RELIEF FOR THOSE
WHO'VE MADE IT ONTO LOS NEGROS

IS ENORMOUS.

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
THE TROOPS REPEL

SEVERAL FEROCIOUS
JAPANESE COUNTERATTACKS

AS THE ALLIES
TIGHTEN THEIR GRIP.

BY MAY 18, 1944,

THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS ARE
SECURELY IN MacARTHUR'S HANDS.

ALONG WITH FILMING THE ACTION,
COURTENAY HAS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

TO THE ALLIED TROOPS
IN THE FIELD.

HE SPENDS HIS TIME FLYING
FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND

WITH HIS CAMERA,
RECORDING WHAT HE SEES.

Courtenay: JUNGLE WARFARE
HAS ITS HUMORS AND COMEDIES

JUST LIKE ON ANY OTHER FRONT.

WHEREVER BRITISH, AUSTRALIAN,
OR AMERICAN TROOPS ARE FOUND,

THEY HAVE A WAY
OF MAKING THEIR OWN FUN

EVEN IN THE WORST
OF COUNTRY CONDITIONS

OR UNIMAGINABLE HARDSHIP.

Leon Hesser:
A FEW OF US AT A TIME

WERE TAKEN BY SMALL BOATS
TO THE BEACH FOR A SWIM.

WE HAD NO SWIMMING SUITS,
SO WE SKINNY DIPPED.

WADING OUT TO SEA
IN WATER ABOUT TWO FEET DEEP,

A JEEP-LOAD OF WACs
PASSED ALONG THE BEACH.

WE ALL FOUR FACED
THE YOUNG LADIES AND WAVED.

Narrator: ONE FAVORITE PASTIME
OF THE TROOPS

IS TO TRADE IN SOUVENIRS FOUND

AMONG DEAD JAPANESE SOLDIERS
ON THE BATTLEFIELD,

INCLUDING JAPANESE PROPAGANDA
INSTRUCTING ALLIED TROOPS

ON HOW THEY SHOULD SURRENDER.

THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER TROPHY
IS THE JAPANESE SAMURAI SWORD.

Courtenay: THE JAPANESE OFFICER
CONSIDERS IT A POINT OF HONOR

TO HAVE HIS SWORD DIPPED
IN THE BLOOD OF HIS ENEMIES.

MOST OF THE CAPTURED SWORDS
BEAR EVIDENCE OF BEING BLOODED.

Narrator:
WHEREVER MacARTHUR'S TROOPS GO

IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

THEY FIND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
CAUGHT UP IN THE CONFLICT.

[CHILD CRYING]

MANY LIBERATED PACIFIC ISLANDERS
ARE KEEN TO JOIN COMBAT UNITS

AND FIGHT ON THE SIDE
OF THE ALLIES.

IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
SOME 3,500 MELANESIANS SERVE

IN THE PACIFIC ISLAND REGIMENT.

THE TROOPS USE LOCALS
FOR MANUAL LABOR--

LOADING AND UNLOADING
SHIPS AND TRUCKS;

CARRYING AMMUNITION AND HELPING
TO CLEAR THE UNDERGROWTH.

WITH THE VICTORY
IN THE ADMIRALTIES,

THE ALLIES ARE MAKING
GOOD PROGRESS.

INSTEAD OF CAPTURING
EVERY SINGLE ISLAND

OCCUPIED BY THE ENEMY,

MacARTHUR'S STRATEGY IS
TO "HIT 'EM WHERE THEY AIN'T,"

JUST TAKING SELECTED ISLANDS
AND BYPASSING OTHERS.

ON APRIL 22, 1944,

GENERAL WALTER KRUEGER'S
6th ARMY

SETS OFF TO CAPTURE HOLLANDIA,
ALSO IN NEW GUINEA.

Newsreel announcer:
ADVANCE LANDING BARGES

SPEED TO SHORE
UNDER COVER OF FIRE,

GENERAL MacARTHUR PERSONALLY
DIRECTING THE ASSAULT--

A DARING THRUST 500 MILES
BEYOND THE MOST ADVANCED POINT

PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED
BY ALLIED FORCES

DRIVING DOWN
THE NEW GUINEA COAST.

[AIRPLANE ROARING]

Narrator: ON HOLLANDIA
COURTENAY LINKS UP WITH ONE

OF THE AIR FORCE SQUADRONS'
FLYING B-24 LIBERATORS.

AS A DECORATED WORLD WAR I PILOT
HIMSELF, COURTENAY LOVES FLYING.

DURING THE CAMPAIGN

HE OFTEN HITCHES A LIFT
WITH FRIENDLY AIRCREWS.

THIS MISSION DELIVERS SUPPLIES
TO SOME TROOPS

WHO HAVE BEEN CUT OFF
IN A LANDSLIDE

DURING THE COMBAT.

Courtenay: THE SLEEPERS
AND THE DROWSY ONES

AND THE THINKERS AMONG US

ALL ARE SUDDENLY GALVANIZED
INTO LIFE

BY THE SHARP RAT-A-TAT-TAT
OF MACHINE GUN FIRE.

CAN IT BE THAT ZEROES
HAVE ATTACKED US?

EVERYONE IS ALERT

AND WE CAN ALMOST HEAR THE
HEART THUMPS OF THE SOLDIERS.

BUT IT IS ONLY OUR GUNNERS
IN THE FUSELAGE

WISELY TRYING OUT A FEW ROUNDS
ON THEIR GUNS

TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO JAMS

AND THAT THEY ARE READY
FOR ANYTHING.

Narrator: BUT ON MANY OCCASIONS
THESE ATTACKS CAN BE FOR REAL.

[GUNFIRE]

THESE LIBERATOR BOMBERS
CAN BE USED

AS GROUND ATTACK GUNSHIPS, TOO.

THEY'RE READY TO SWOOP DOWN
ON THE BEACHES OF NEW GUINEA

AND TAKE THE JAPANESE
LANDING CRAFT BY SURPRISE

WITH DEVASTATING RESULTS.

[GUNFIRE]

THE AIR CREWS
IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

TAKE GREAT PRIDE
IN THEIR PLANES.

THEY OFTEN NAME THEM AND
DECORATE THEM WITH ARTWORKS.

EVERY AIR CREW DEPENDS
ON THEIR PLANE FOR SURVIVAL--

AND FOR MANY, THAT RELIANCE
CREATES AN EMOTIONAL BOND.

NAMING THE PLANE AND HAVING
A SYMBOL OF THAT NAME

PAINTED ON THE NOSE
OF THE AIRCRAFT

BECOMES A RITE OF PASSAGE.

B-25 GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT,

C-47 TROOP CARRIERS,

P-47 THUNDERBOLTS,

B-32 DOMINATOR BOMBERS;

NO PLANE IS TOO BIG
OR TOO SMALL.

AND THE ART CAN BE HUMOROUS,
RISQUE OR EVEN OUTRAGEOUS.

FOR THE YOUNG BOMBER
AND FIGHTER CREWS,

THESE ARTWORKS OFFER A BREAK

FROM THE STRESSES AND STRAINS
OF COMBAT.

AS COURTENAY IS FILMING
WITH THE FIGHTING MEN,

MacARTHUR'S ISLAND-HOPPING
CAMPAIGN REMAINS ON THE MOVE.

BY LATE SUMMER 1944 HE'S MADE
A DRAMATIC ADVANCE

TOWARD JAPAN,

HOPSCOTCHING 1,200 MILES
UP NEW GUINEA,

ATTACKING KEY JAPANESE POSITIONS
AND BYPASSING OTHERS.

HIS TROOPS HAVE STAGED A SERIES
OF SURPRISE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULTS

ALONG THE WAY.

THEY NOW SET THEIR SIGHTS
ON THE PHILIPPINES.

FOR MacARTHUR, RETURNING
TO RECAPTURE THE ISLANDS

HE'D BEEN FORCED TO ABANDON
TWO YEARS EARLIER

IS A CASE OF PERSONAL PRIDE.

ON OCTOBER 20, 1944, THE LARGEST
AMPHIBIOUS FORCE IN HISTORY

LAUNCHES AN INVASION
OF THE PHILIPPINES.

THEIR FIRST TARGET:
LEYTE ISLAND.

COURTENAY LANDS ON THE BEACH
WITH THE MEN AT LEYTE

TO FILM THE U.S. 6th ARMY
SPILLING ONTO THE ISLAND.

IT'S A HISTORIC MOMENT.

A FEW HOURS LATER
GENERAL MacARTHUR HIMSELF

MAKES A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE.

AFTER SPLASHING ASHORE,

HE DECLARES THE BEGINNING
OF THE LIBERATION.

Douglas MacArthur:
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES,

I HAVE RETURNED.

BY THE GRACE OF ALMIGHTY GOD,

OUR FORCES STAND AGAIN
ON PHILIPPINE SOIL.

Paul Austin: THE WORD WENT
JUST LIKE WILDFIRE.

"MacARTHUR HAS LANDED"
KEPT GOING THROUGH THE RANKS.

EVERYBODY KNEW WHO HE WAS,
AND IT WAS UPLIFTING.

WE HEARD THE PHRASE
"I SHALL RETURN" OVER AND OVER.

IT WAS A KIND OF MOTTO,

SOMETHING FOR US
TO LOOK FORWARD TO.

Narrator: VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC
DEPENDS ON THE FIGHTING MEN;

BUT IT ALSO RELIES
ON THOSE WHO FOLLOW,

IN PARTICULAR THE SEABEES.

THESE AMPHIBIOUS ENGINEERS
AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

SWOOP IN TO BUILD AIRSTRIPS,
ROADS AND FACILITIES

TO SUPPORT FURTHER OPERATIONS.

THEY CARVE GREAT
17,000-FOOT RUNWAYS

OUT OF THE VIRGIN JUNGLE,

TEARING DOWN THOUSANDS
OF PALM TREES TO BUILD THEM.

COURTENAY IS ON LEYTE
FOR ANOTHER HISTORIC MOMENT:

THE ARRIVAL OF FEMALE NURSES
IN THE COMBAT ZONE.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
IN THE CAMPAIGN

THAT NURSES ARE SENT IN TO TREAT
BATTLE CASUALTIES IN THE FIELD

AS WELL AS THOSE WHO'VE BEEN
EVACUATED FROM THE FRONT LINES.

DAVE BOONE,
A NEW YORK SUN COLUMNIST,

GIVES A MOVING TRIBUTE
TO THE NURSES.

Dave Boone: THE AMERICAN NURSE
AT HER BEST

IS ONE OF THE GRANDEST
HUMAN BEINGS ON EARTH.

I GUESS NO MATTER HOW BRAVE
AND SELF-SACRIFICING

ANY MAN OR WOMAN MAY FEEL TODAY

THESE GIRLS MAKE 'EM FEEL
SMALL TIME.

Narrator: MacARTHUR'S
GREAT VICTORY AT LEYTE

HELPS PAVE THE WAY
FOR THE ALLIES

TO ADVANCE FURTHER
INTO THE PHILIPPINES.

THEIR NEXT TARGET IS TO LIBERATE
THE ISLAND OF LUZON,

HOME OF THE CAPITAL, MANILA.

IN JANUARY 1945 THE 6th ARMY
HEADS TOWARD LINGAYEN GULF

ON THE EAST COAST OF LUZON.

THIS WILL BE MacARTHUR'S LARGEST
AND COSTLIEST OPERATION.

OVER 100,000 JAPANESE SOLDIERS

ARE PREPARED
FOR A MAJOR CONFRONTATION.

THEY WILL FIGHT
TO THE BITTER END,

AND THEY HAVE
A DEADLY NEW WEAPON--

THE KAMIKAZE SUICIDE SQUADRON.

WITH THE THREAT OF KAMIKAZE
ATTACKS ON U.S. SHIPS,

NERVOUS GUNNERS ON BOARD

FIRE AT EVERYTHING
THAT MOVES IN THE AIR.

JUST BEFORE DAWN
ON JANUARY 9, 1945,

THE 6th ARMY REACHES
THE LANDING BEACHES AT LINGAYE.

COURTENAY JOINS THOUSANDS OF GIs

AS THEY POUR INTO LANDING CRAFT
FOR A FULL-SCALE ATTACK.

900 AMPHIBIOUS TANKS
AND 2,500 LANDING CRAFT

SWARM TOWARD SHORE IN A DAZZLING
DISPLAY OF RAW POWER.

COURTENAY IS IN ONE
OF THE LANDING CRAFT

AND FILMS AS THE FIRST WAVES OF
TROOPS PREPARE TO HIT THE SHORE.

[GUNFIRE]

CONDITIONS ARE PERILOUS.

DESPITE SPOTTER PLANES ABOVE,

THESE MEN CAN'T BE SURE
WHERE THE ENEMY IS.

COURTENAY'S SHAKY SHOT REVEALS
THE ADRENALINE OF THE MOMENT.

BUT LUCK IS ON THEIR SIDE.

A JAPANESE COUNTERASSAULT
NEVER COMES.

175,000 ALLIED TROOPS
LAND SAFELY ALONG A BEACHHEAD

THAT STRETCHES 20 MILES.

THE LIBERATED FILIPINOS
GREET THE ALLIED SOLDIERS

AS CONQUERING HEROES.

David Gutterman:
AFTER WE LANDED

THE FILIPINOS REALLY
WELCOMED US; THEY LIKED US.

THEY WERE ALL YELLING "MALMHAY,"
WHICH MEANS HELLO.

THEN WE HEADED
DOWN TOWARDS MANILA.

Narrator: FOR THE ALLIES,
LIBERATING THE CAPITAL

WILL SYMBOLIZE
THEIR DETERMINATION

TO SMASH JAPANESE POWER
IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC.

BUT THE JAPANESE WILL FIGHT
TO THE BITTER END

TO KEEP THEIR HOLD ON THE CITY.

THE GRUELING BATTLE OF MANILA
BEGINS ON FEBRUARY 3, 1945.

U.S. NEWSREELS REPORT
THAT 50,000 JAPANESE ARE KILLED

AS ALLIED TROOPS BATTLE
THEIR WAY TOWARD THE CITY.

FOR MacARTHUR IT'S PAYBACK TIME.

AT LAST, AFTER FOUR WEEKS
OF FIGHTING,

HIS FORCES LIBERATE MANILA.

WILLIAM COURTENAY IS ONE
OF THE FIRST JOURNALISTS

TO FILM THE RUINS
OF THE PHILIPPINE CAPITAL.

TO CELEBRATE THE ALLIED VICTORY,

AMERICA'S TOP VAUDEVILLE
PERFORMER,

JOE E. BROWN, PUTS ON A SHOW
FOR THE TROOPS.

NICKNAMED "GI JOE,"

BROWN WORKS TIRELESSLY
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

TO ENTERTAIN
THE SOLDIERS AND NURSES.

IT WAS, HE SAID, A MEANS
OF OVERCOMING THE LOSS

OF HIS OWN SON, DON,
AN AIR FORCE CAPTAIN

WHO HAD DIED ON
A TRAINING FLIGHT IN 1942.

BROWN DEDICATES ONE
OF HIS ENTERTAINMENT TOURS

IN THE PACIFIC

AS A MEMORIAL TO HIS SON.

Joe Brown: WHEN I WAS OUT THERE
ALONE ENTERTAINING TROOPS...

I SOMETIMES THOUGHT
OF THAT THING

WE HAD SAID TO EACH OTHER.

I'D SEE A LAD DOWN
IN THE AUDIENCE

WHO LOOKED LIKE MY SON,
AND I'D REMEMBER.

I DID MEET HIM OUT THERE
HUNDREDS OF TIMES.

Narrator:
THE ALLIES ARE NOW PREPARING

FOR THE FINAL, DEADLIEST ASSAULT
OF ALL--

THE INVASION OF JAPAN ITSELF.

AS AMERICAN FORCES FIGHT

FOR THE ISLAND OF OKINAWA

IN MARCH 1945,

THEY HAVE TO BATTLE

INCREASINGLY DESPERATE

JAPANESE SUICIDE ATTACKS.

Newsreel announcer: ONE DAY
FOUR OF THEM STARTED AT ONCE.

TWO WERE SHOT DOWN,
THE THIRD JUST MISSED,

BUT THE FOURTH KEPT COMING,

COMING AT 300 MILES AN HOUR

AND FINALLY CRASHED
ON THE FLIGHT DECK.

Narrator:
AS U.S. TROOPS ARE ADVANCING

ON THE ISLAND OF OKINAWA,

COURTENAY IS WITH
THE 9th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION

OFF THE COAST OF BORNEO.

ON JUNE 10, 1945,

THEY BEGIN THEIR AMPHIBIOUS
ASSAULT ON LABUAN ISLAND

SUPPORTED BY U.S. FORCES.

THEIR OBJECTIVE IS TO LIBERATE
THE WHOLE OF BORNEO

AND TO REGAIN CONTROL
OF ITS RICH OILFIELDS.

[GUNFIRE]

AS THE TROOPS ADVANCE
INTO THE ISLAND,

A FORCE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND
JAPANESE DEFENDS FIERCELY.

BUT THEY ARE NO MATCH
FOR THE SUPERIOR ALLIED FORCES.

COURTENAY'S PRIVILEGED ACCESS
TO MacARTHUR

ENSURES THAT HE'S ON HAND
WITH HIS CAMERA

FOR THE GENERAL'S LANDING

JUST HOURS AFTER HIS TROOPS
HAVE SECURED THE BEACHES.

ON LABUAN ISLAND, COURTENAY
ALSO COMES FACE TO FACE

WITH SOME JAPANESE PRISONERS
CAPTURED DURING THE CAMPAIGN.

Courtenay: EVERY JAPANESE
SOLDIER IS TAUGHT

THAT SURRENDER IS
THE SAME AS DEATH.

IF HE SURRENDERS,
HE IS TREATED AMONG THE DEAD.

HE IS TOLD THAT HE WILL
NEVER RETURN TO JAPAN.

Narrator: BUT THEY DO RETURN.

AFTER MOVING TO CAMPS
ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC,

UNITED STATES AND AUSTRALIA,

THE MAJORITY OF JAPANESE POWs
GET HOME BY THE END OF 1946.

ONLY FOUR WEEKS LATER,
COURTENAY JOINS UP

WITH THE 7th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION
ON BORNEO

AS THEY SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCH

THE LAST MAJOR ASSAULT
OF WORLD WAR II

ON BALIKPAPAN.

THOUGH NO ONE KNEW IT
AT THE TIME,

IT MARKS THE END OF
GENERAL MacARTHUR'S CAMPAIGN.

ON AUGUST 6, 1945,

COMES AN EVENT
THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.

Newsreel announcer:
THE ENOLA GAY BEGINS
THE BOMB RUN.

AT 9:15 THE BOMB IS DROPPED.

THE AIRCRAFT BANKS AWAY
AT HIGH SPEED.

Narrator: PRESIDENT TRUMAN

ORDERS THE DROPPING
OF THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA.

THEN, JUST THREE DAYS LATER,

THE AMERICANS DROP THEIR SECOND
ATOMIC BOMB ON NAGASAKI.

A SHATTERED JAPAN FINALLY
ACCEPTS UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.

FOR THE FORCES WHO HAVE FOUGHT
THEIR WAY ACROSS THE PACIFIC

IN ONE OF THE MOST BRUTAL AND
COSTLY CONFLICTS IN HISTORY,

THE SWIFT AND SURPRISING END
TO THE WAR

COMES AS A MIGHTY RELIEF.

A MILLION-MAN GROUND INVASION
OF JAPAN HAS BEEN AVERTED.

Gutterman: WE WERE GETTING
OURSELVES READY FOR JAPAN.

I DIDN'T EXPECT
THAT I'D LIVE THROUGH IT

IF WE MADE THE LANDING.

SO I WAS CERTAINLY GLAD
THEY DROPPED THOSE ATOMIC BOMBS.

THAT'S A HELL OF A THING TO SAY,
BUT THAT'S THE WAY I FEEL.

Narrator: THE NEXT DAY
THE JAPANESE EMPEROR HIROHITO

TAKES TO THE RADIO
FOR THE FIRST TIME

TO ANNOUNCE DEFEAT.

WILLIAM COURTENAY

IS AT GENERAL MacARTHUR'S
HEADQUARTERS IN MANILA

LISTENING TO HIROHITO'S
SURRENDER SPEECH ON THE RADIO.

Courtenay:
THE EMPEROR'S SCRIPT COMMENCED

WITH A MASTERPIECE
OF UNDERSTATEMENT:

THE WAR HAD NOT ALTOGETHER GONE
IN OUR FAVOR.

Narrator: GENERAL MacARTHUR
BECOMES THE SUPREME COMMANDER

FOR THE ALLIED POWERS IN JAPAN.

IN MANILA HE'S NOW TASKED WITH
ARRANGING THE PEACEFUL ENTRY

OF THE VICTORIOUS ALLIED FORCES
INTO THE DEFEATED COUNTRY.

HIS FIRST JOB IS TO FIND A WAY
TO TALK TO THE JAPANESE.

WITH ALL COMMUNICATIONS DOWN,

HE ORDERS THEM TO SPEAK TO HIM
IN MANILA

BY RADIO LINK FROM TOKYO

AND SETS OUT TO ARRANGE THE
FIRST DETAILS OF THE SURRENDER.

MacARTHUR COMMANDS THE JAPANESE
TO SEND A DELEGATION TO MANILA

FOUR DAYS AFTER THE SURRENDER.

IT'S A TWO-STAGE JOURNEY;

THE JAPANESE FLY FIRST
IN THEIR OWN PLANES

TO THE LITTLE ISLAND
OF LE SHIMA.

AT LE SHIMA THEY TRANSFER
TO A DOUGLAS C-54 SKYMASTER

AND ARE FLOWN ON TO NICHOLLS
AIRFIELD OUTSIDE MANILA.

THERE ARE NERVES ON BOTH SIDES.

THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME
THE AMERICANS COME FACE TO FACE

WITH THEIR BITTER ENEMY
OUTSIDE THE BATTLEFIELD.

THE JAPANESE DESCEND THE PLANES

STILL WEARING
THEIR SAMURAI SWORDS.

NO ONE QUITE KNOWS
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT.

THE JAPANESE ARE MET

BY MAJOR GENERAL
CHARLES A. WILLOUGHBY,

WHO HAS BEEN MacARTHUR'S
INTELLIGENCE CHIEF.

ON THE SURFACE
ALL SEEMS IN ORDER.

BUT AS COURTENAY'S UNIQUE
COLOR FOOTAGE REVEALS,

WILLOUGHBY ENDS UP HUSTLING
THE JAPANESE DELEGATION

INTO THEIR CARS.

ENRAGED FILIPINOS ARE STARTING
TO THROW ROCKS AT THEM.

THE JAPANESE DELEGATION
IS TAKEN TO MANILA CITY HALL

FOR A FIRST CONFERENCE
WITH THE ALLIES

TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS
FOR THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION

OF THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

CAMERAS FLOCK TO THE SCENE,

BUT NO ONE GETS CLOSER
THAN WILLIAM COURTENAY.

THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF
OF THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY,

LIEUTENANT GENERAL KAWABE,
IS FIRST OUT OF THE CAR.

HE FINDS HIMSELF
SURROUNDED BY GIANTS.

Courtenay: ONE OF
GENERAL MacARTHUR'S TOUCHES

WAS TO LINE THE APPROACH
TO THE CITY HALL

WITH ARMY GUARDS--

EACH MAN AT LEAST
6 FOOT 2 INCHES TALL.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Newsreel announcer:
THE CONFERENCE
IN WHICH ARRANGEMENTS

FOR THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN
ARE MADE.

THE ENTRANCE OF THE JAPANESE.

THEY ARE TOLD
THAT AMERICAN AIRBORNE TROOPS

WILL LAND IN THE TOKYO AREA.

THE BEGINNING OF THE OCCUPATION
OF JAPAN!

Narrator: GENERAL MacARTHUR
HAS DELIBERATELY STAYED AWAY

FROM THE MANILA CONFERENCE,

CHOOSING TO WAIT
AND COME FACE TO FACE

WITH HIS CONQUERED ENEMY
ON JAPANESE SOIL.

HE FLIES INTO OKINAWA
ON AUGUST 29, 1945,

IN HIS OWN GLEAMING
C-54 SKYMASTER, BATAAN.

THIS IS THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

OF THE 65-YEAR-OLD CONQUEROR'S
CAREER.

THE NEXT DAY COURTENAY
AND THE OTHER WAR CORRESPONDENTS

MAKE THE HISTORIC FLIGHT

FROM OKINAWA
TO THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

SOME 15,000 MEN

OF THE BATTLE-TESTED
11th AIRBORNE DIVISION

ACCOMPANY THEM
ON THEIR 1,000-MILE JOURNEY.

EACH AIRCRAFT CARRIES
44 FULLY ARMED INFANTRYMEN--

REMEMBERING THE TREACHERY
OF PEARL HARBOR,

THE AMERICANS
ARE TAKING NO CHANCES.

BY 8 A.M. THE COASTLINE OF JAPAN
COMES INTO VIEW

ON A HAZY SUMMER DAY.

Courtenay: YOU MAY IMAGINE
THE FEELINGS OF ALL OF US--

ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO HAD
BEEN WITH GENERAL MacARTHUR

ON THE LONG MARCH
FROM MELBOURNE TO MANILA

AND UP TO TOKYO

TO FEEL THAT HERE AT LAST
WAS JOURNEY'S END.

Narrator: WHEN COURTENAY
AND THE OTHER CORRESPONDENTS

LAND AT ATSUGI AIRFIELD,

THE FIRST THING THEY SEE

IS A GROUP OF MITSUBISHI
RAIDER FIGHTERS

WITH THEIR PROPELLERS REMOVED.

MacARTHUR HAS ORDERED THIS
AT THE MANILA CONFERENCE

TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF SUICIDE
ATTEMPTS BY JAPANESE PILOTS.

THE 11th AIRBORNE DIVISION

TRIUMPHANTLY RAISES
THE STARS AND STRIPES

FOR THE FIRST TIME
ON THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

COURTENAY IS ONE
OF THE FIRST JOURNALISTS

TO GET BEHIND-THE-SCENES IMAGES

OF AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR
ON THEIR WAY HOME.

MANY OF THESE MEN HAVE
BROKEN OUT OF PRISON CAMPS

AND TRAMPED
THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE

TO REACH AMERICAN FORCES.

WITHIN 24 HOURS THE POWs
WILL BE BACK ON U.S. SOIL.

THE CONQUERING TROOPS PREPARE

FOR THEIR VICTORIOUS ENTRANCE
INTO THE JAPANESE MAINLAND

WITH SOME TREPIDATION.

IN OKINAWA, CIVILIANS HAVE
THROWN THEMSELVES FROM CLIFFS

RATHER THAN SUBMIT
TO THE DISHONOR OF SURRENDER.

WILL THE SAME HAPPEN HERE?

ALONG THE ROUTE TO YOKOHAMA

THEY SEE HUNDREDS
OF JAPANESE SENTRIES

LINING BOTH SIDES
OF THE DUSTY ROAD.

Courtenay:
THEIR BACKS WERE TURNED
TOWARDS THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS,

WHO THOUGHT THIS
WAS A DELIBERATE INSULT.

ACTUALLY IT WAS JAPAN'S IDEA
OF THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT.

THEY FELT THEY WERE NOT WORTHY

TO LOOK THEIR CONQUERORS
IN THE FACE.

Narrator: THE VICTORS
ARE IMPRESSED IF NOT SHOCKED

BY THE MILE AFTER MILE OF URBAN
DEVASTATION THAT THEY ENCOUNTER.

BUT DESPITE CARPET BOMBING,
SOME SERVICES SEEM UNTOUCHED.

Courtenay:
WHEN WE ENTERED YOKOHAMA

WE WERE SURPRISED TO STILL SEE
THE TRAINS RUNNING PAST...

WHEN ALL AROUND IS DESOLATION,
HALF THE CITY IS DESTROYED.

Narrator: THE DEFEATED NATION

COMES FACE TO FACE
WITH THEIR CONQUERORS

ON THE U.S.S. MISSOURI

AT THE SURRENDER CEREMONY
ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1945.

TOKYO BAY IS CLOGGED
WITH HUNDREDS

OF POWERFUL, GLEAMING
AMERICAN FIGHTING SHIPS.

THE CEREMONY IS DUE TO START
AT 9:00 A.M.

THE DELEGATES AND PRESS
CROWD ONTO THE OPEN DECK.

AS A FRIEND OF MacARTHUR,

COURTENAY GETS SPECIAL ACCESS
TO FILM THE HISTORIC SIGNING

FROM A PRIME POSITION
ON THE NUMBER 2 GUN TURRET

FAR ABOVE THE PRESS PACK.

AT 8:55 A.M. THE JAPANESE
DELEGATION REACHES THE MISSOURI.

Courtenay: AND A GASP
OF SURPRISE SWEPT DOWN THE SHIP

AS THE JAPANESE
FOREIGN OFFICE OFFICIALS

HEADED BY SHIGEMITSU,
THE FOREIGN MINISTER, ARRIVED

WEARING TOP HATS
AND FULL MORNING COAT,

FORMAL DRESS WITH STRIPED PANTS.

Narrator: A JAPANESE DELEGATE,
TOSHIKAZU KASE, LATER WRITES:

Toshikazu Kase:
NEVER HAD I REALIZED

THE GLANCE OF GLARING EYES
COULD HURT SO MUCH.

WE WAITED, STANDING
IN THE PUBLIC GAZE

LIKE PENITENT BOYS AWAITING
THE DREADED SCHOOLMASTER.

Narrator: ONE MAN IS MISSING:

EMPEROR HIROHITO, WHO TAKES
NO PART IN THE PROCEEDINGS.

MacARTHUR HAS OTHER PLANS
FOR HIM.

FINALLY, GENERAL MacARTHUR
MAKES HIS ENTRANCE

WITH FLEET ADMIRAL
CHESTER NIMITZ

AND ADMIRAL WILLIAM HALSEY.

MacArthur: IT'S MY EARNEST HOPE

AND INDEED THE HOPE
OF ALL MANKIND

THAT FROM THIS SOLEMN OCCASION
A BETTER WORLD SHALL EMERGE

OUT OF THE BLOOD AND CARNAGE
OF THE PAST--

A WORLD FOUNDED UPON FAITH
AND UNDERSTANDING,

A WORLD DEDICATED
TO THE DIGNITY OF MAN

AND THE FULFILMENT
OF HIS MOST CHERISHED WISH

FOR FREEDOM, TOLERANCE
AND JUSTICE.

Narrator: THE SIGNING
OF THE SURRENDER

SIGNALS THE OFFICIAL END
TO A SAVAGE CONFLICT.

MAMORU SHIGEMITSU SIGNS,

REPRESENTING THE IMPERIAL
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT,

THEN GENERAL YOSHIJIRO UMEZU,

ON BEHALF OF THE IMPERIAL
ARMED FORCES.

AFTER THE JAPANESE,
IT'S MacARTHUR'S TURN.

LOOKING OVER HIS LEFT SHOULDER
IS A SYMBOL OF THE WAR'S TOLL:

LIEUTENANT GENERAL
"SKINNY" WAINWRIGHT,

EMACIATED FROM THREE AND HALF
YEARS AS A PRISONER OF WAR.

THEN COME THE REPRESENTATIVES
OF NINE OTHER ALLIED POWERS.

AS THE JAPANESE ARE LED AWAY,

THE VICTORS PUT ON
ONE FINAL DISPLAY OF TRIUMPH:

1,500 PLANES--

BOEING SUPERFORTRESSES
AND NAVY FIGHTERS--

ROAR ACROSS THE SKY.

Walter Brun:
IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEBODY

WAS PULLING A CURTAIN
OVER THE SKY.

THAT'S HOW MANY PLANES
THERE WERE.

IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING THAT WE
ALL FELL DOWN ON OUR KNEES,

SOME PRAYING AND CRYING.

THAT WAS ONE TIME,
I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT.

Narrator: THE ONLY REQUEST
THE JAPANESE HAVE MADE

AT THEIR SURRENDER

IS THAT THE EMPEROR
MAINTAINS HIS THRONE.

THIS SUITS MacARTHUR, WHO WANTS
TO BRING DEMOCRACY TO JAPAN

AND THINKS HIROHITO
WILL HELP STABILIZE

THE TRANSITION TO PEACE.

IN AN INCREDIBLE BREAK
WITH CONVENTION,

THE EMPEROR CHOOSES TO PAY
MacARTHUR A FORMAL VISIT

SHORTLY AFTER THE AMERICAN
ARRIVES IN TOKYO.

ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1945,
SECURITY IS TIGHT AT THE PALACE

AS COURTENAY WAITS
WITH THE PRESS PACK.

HE MANAGES TO CAPTURE A RARE
GLIMPSE OF HIROHITO ON FILM.

Courtenay: WE SAW HIS CAR
DISAPPEARING IN THE DISTANCE.

IT WAS AN EVENT
NOT LOST ON THE JAPANESE

THAT A MAN WHO THEY BELIEVED
TO BE A GOD

SHOULD HAVE TO CALL
ON A MERE MORTAL.

IT WAS BY THIS METHOD

THAT MacARTHUR KEPT THE EMPEROR
ON THE THRONE

AND ISSUED HIS ORDERS TO
THE PEOPLE THROUGH THE EMPEROR.

Narrator:
THIS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN

AT MacARTHUR'S MOMENTOUS
FIRST MEETING WITH HIROHITO

BECOMES THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGE
OF THE OCCUPATION.

IT CAUSES A SENSATION WHEN IT'S
PUBLISHED IN THE JAPANESE PRESS.

IN ONE SINGLE IMAGE

IT ESTABLISHES
BOTH MacARTHUR'S AUTHORITY

AND THE FACT THAT HE WILL
SUPPORT THE EMPEROR.

JUST WEEKS AFTER
THE ATOMIC BOMBING

OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI,

ALLIED FORCES VISIT
THE RUINED CITIES.

COURTENAY IS
THE FIRST JOURNALIST

TO FILM BOTH HIROSHIMA
AND NAGASAKI IN COLOR.

HE CAPTURES ENDLESS VIEWS
OF URBAN RUBBLE,

OBLITERATED BUILDINGS
AND BLASTED TREES.

ALL OF THIS DESTRUCTION,

THE RESULT OF A SINGLE BOMB
DROPPED ON EACH CITY.

IN NAGASAKI
COURTENAY IS MESMERIZED

BY THE EERIE LANDSCAPE.

Courtenay: THE MITSUBISHI
AIRCRAFT WORKS HERE

WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

SO GREAT WAS THE HEAT GENERATED
BY THE BOMB

THAT THESE WORKS MELTED
LIKE WAX FROM A CANDLE.

SURVIVORS AND EYEWITNESSES
WITH WHOM I SPOKE

A FEW DAYS LATER
AFTER WE ENTERED THE CITY

TOLD ME THAT THE FIRST THING
OF WHICH THEY BECAME CONSCIOUS

WAS A STRANGE WHITE LIGHT
IN THE SKY.

Narrator: IN NAGASAKI COURTENAY
ALSO FILMS A GROUP OF SAILORS

FROM THE BRITISH CRUISER
H.M.S. SWIFTSURE

WHO ARE THERE AS GUESTS
OF THE U.S. MARINES.

WITH THE THREAT OF DISEASE

AND THE UNIMAGINABLE DESTRUCTION
ALL AROUND,

THE ENTRY FROM THE CRUISER'S
SEMI-OFFICIAL LOG

DELIVERS A POIGNANT ACCOUNT.

"ONLY A FEW
TWISTED BUILDINGS STOOD

AMONGST THE ACRES OF RUBBLE

AND ALTHOUGH A FEW ROADS
HAD BEEN CLEARED,

THE REST WAS AS IT HAD FALLEN,
WITH CHARRED BONES,

AND EVEN SKULLS,
AMONGST THE RUBBLE.

THE PRESENCE OF SO MANY SMALL,
UNBROKEN ORNAMENTS AND CHINAWARE

SHOWED ONLY TOO CLEARLY

THAT MOST OF THE RUBBLE
HAD BEEN SMALL JAPANESE HOMES.

MOST OF US RETURNED ON BOARD
FROM OUR VISIT

IN AN EXTREMELY DEPRESSED
STATE OF MIND,

AND NOBODY WAS SORRY WHEN WE
SAILED AGAIN FOR KAGOSHIMA

THAT SAME EVENING."

THIS ISN'T THE LAST TIME
THAT COURTENAY WILL TRAVEL

TO THESE RUINED CITIES.

TWO YEARS LATER
HE RETURNS TO HIROSHIMA

TO FILM ANOTHER HISTORIC MOMENT.

EMPEROR HIROHITO EMERGES
FROM THE MIST

AS AN ORDINARY MORTAL

TO INSPECT
THE ATOMIC DEVASTATION

THAT BROUGHT AN END
TO HIS CLAIMS OF DIVINITY.

HIS VISIT TO HIROSHIMA
ON DECEMBER 7, 1947, TAKES PLACE

ON THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR.

EVERYWHERE HIROHITO GOES
HE'S GREETED BY HIS PEOPLE,

WHO SING, WEEP, AND CHEER
THEIR FORMER GOD.

THE EMPEROR'S TOURS,

WHICH BEGAN IN 1946 AND TAKE HIM
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY,

PLACE HIM IN UNPRECEDENTED
CONTACT WITH HIS SUBJECTS.

HIS SIMPLE CLOTHES AND HABIT OF
RAISING HIS HAT AT THE CROWDS--

AN UNIMAGINABLE GESTURE
BEFORE HIS DEFEAT--

BECOME AN ESSENTIAL PART
OF HIS SHOWING HIS PEOPLE

THAT HE IS LIKE THEM--
A MERE MORTAL.

THE HIGH POINT OF THE EMPEROR'S
TOUR COMES HERE,

STANDING ALONE ON A WOODEN
SCAFFOLD NEAR GROUND ZERO.

HIROHITO PLEDGES TO HIS PEOPLE

THAT NEVER AGAIN
WILL JAPAN PURSUE POLICIES

THAT MIGHT LEAD
TO ANOTHER PEARL HARBOR.

THESE MOVING SHOTS MARK THE
CLIMAX OF COURTENAY'S JOURNEY--

HERALDING A NEW ERA
IN POST-WAR JAPAN.

THIS IS THE LAST TIME COURTENAY
WILL TRAVEL THROUGH THE COUNTRY

WITH HIS MOVIE CAMERA.

IN THE LATE 1940s COURTENAY
BECOMES AN AIR CORRESPONDENT

AND OCCASIONAL
WAR CORRESPONDENT

WRITING ON KOREA IN PARTICULAR.

BUT THE AMATEUR FILMS HE SHOT

DURING THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
AND IN JAPAN

WILL HAVE A LASTING LEGACY.

AFTER THE WAR
COURTENAY'S FILMS ARE HAILED

AS ONE OF THE ONLY
AUTHENTIC RECORDS IN COLOR

SHOWING THE STIRRING EVENTS

BEFORE AND AFTER
THE FALL OF JAPAN.

THEY'RE SHOWN
TO CAPTIVATED AUDIENCES

THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES
AND GREAT BRITAIN,

INCLUDING SCREENINGS
AT THE WHITE HOUSE

AND IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

FOR COURTENAY, WHAT HE HAD SEEN
AND LIVED THROUGH

IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

WOULD STAY WITH HIM
ALL HIS LIFE.

HE HAD WITNESSED IMAGES OF
GREAT HORROR AND GREAT HEROISM

AND SEEN HISTORY IN THE MAKING

AS HE FOLLOWED
THE ALLIED FIGHTING MEN

IN THEIR EPIC STRUGGLE
TOWARD VICTORY.

AND WHAT HE SAW WAS CAPTURED,
IN COLOR, FOR THE AGES.