It
means “Torpedo bombers, launch!”This is a Japanese propaganda movie made in 1944 with full support of the Imperial Navy which helped the film maker with almost unlimited use of its facilities, aircraft, personnel etc.
This film is REAL - it is shot in combat in the South Pacific.
After an engagement with an American task force, the Japanese bombers retire to a base on a tropical island, where the men and machines recuperate from the beatings they suffered in that battle. The staff officer takes a flying boat (Kawanishi MAVIS – seen here) to Japan to beg for more planes. But the peace does not last for long. While the aircrews are enjoying a game of baseball, the sport of the U.S. enemy, American bombers arrive in force and everyone dives for the bomb shelter. There are American fighter sweeps over the island which are unopposed and everything – military as well as civilian – is shot to pieces. An American plane crashes and the pilot is taken prisoner. When the prisoner is about to be taken away after interrogation, he refuses to salute the Japanese officers who then are agitated by this act of impoliteness.
A strong American task force is located heading toward Japanese territories. In the twilight, the JILL bombers attack the American fleet. BETTY bombers attack at night. The American fleet is beaten back, but Japanese squadrons are crippled.
This film depicts very accurately how Japanese naval air crewmen lived, played, fought and died. Some interesting points – night torpedo attacks are shown. Flares are dropped behind enemy ships and when they are silhouetted, bombers go in for the kill. This tactic was employed successfully in the Solomons and elsewhere but this kind of attack was generally kept secret. You will see four types of aircraft that were in first-line service at the time:
MAVIS JILL BETTY and ZERO (Type 52) the latest model.
These are not the wooden mock-ups you saw in the post-war movies; these are the real thing. The late Eiji Tsubaraya made the air and sea battle scenes. He was to become famous after the war by his GODZILLA series of scientific monster movies.
The master of this tape was in the personal vault of an elderly Japanese film producer for decades after the war. He has recently sent it to us. You will not see this film or these scenes anywhere else.
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