UNITED NEWS [Series Title]

Edition of US-produced wartime newsreel, featuring President Roosevelt inspecting American troops in Iran, stockpiling munitions in Italy, RMS Queen Mary in Sydney, Australia, American college girls making dolls for Christmas, the testing of American-built torpedo boats for the Royal Navy, and footage of the Battle of Tarawa.

Part 1: United News main titles. 'Roosevelt reviews US troops in Iran'; President Roosevelt, seated in a jeep, reviews troops on parade at Teheran. A mountain range rises in the background. At a barracks the US national anthem is played and Roosevelt places his hand over his heart. American troops march past. Roosevelt addresses a parade with a microphone. Roosevelt is driven away.

Part 2: 'Allies mass war supplies in Italy for drive on Rome'; scenes at a dockside as supplies are unloaded with cargo nets. Supplies are lowered from a ship to waiting DUKW amphibious trucks. A large bomb dump.

Part 3: 'World's biggest troopship lands in Australia'; RMS Queen Mary entering Sydney Harbour with an escort of tugs and small craft. Passengers waving.

Part 4: 'College girls make dolls for Yuletide gifts'; college girls with dolls. Making and dressing dolls. A fireplace with stockings hanging up. Dolls.

Part 5: 'US tests new torpedo boats for British navy'; shots of torpedo boats (American-built 70-foot Vosper boats?) at high speed. Officers on the bridge. White Ensign flying.

Part 6: 'New films of the Battle of Tarawa'. Footage from a landing craft showing the bombardment. An aircraft drops a bomb which is seen to explode. An exploding fireball (from a landing craft?). Troops running past camera. Troops climb an embankment; one fires a flamethrower. Troops on a bank; one throws a grenade. An explosion on the bank seen previously. The flamethrower is used again. A Marine gestures. The flamethrower operator; he fires it again. Infantry firing their rifles from the top of the bank. A casualty is stretchered away. On the beach; the casualty is set down next to a Buffalo amphibious landing craft. Wounded man with medics at work. Stretcherbearers walk through water. A man shows off the bullet hole in his helmet. A soldier approaching a Japanese position tosses a hand grenade. Checking the position; one man has a pistol drawn. A Japanese prisoner, naked but for a loincloth, is escorted away. Various shots of Marines in action, including famous shot of Japanese troops running across midground and being fired upon by Marines in foreground. Flamethrower. Japanese corpses. An upturned Japanese tank or tracked carrier with a small cat, which approaches a soldier and then runs away. A Marine offers the cat some water from his water bottle. A Marine officer congratulates passing troops. Troops march past. A flagraising; Marines salute. Bugler plays. Flag flying. United News end title.

35mm