| The Last Bomb | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Frank Lloyd |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 35 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Last Bomb was a 1945propaganda film mainly concerning the conventional phase of the bombing of Japan in 1945. It was nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Documentary Feature.[1][2]
The film begins by describing the taking off points inSaipan,Guam, andTinian, remarking how they have changed since American occupation. GeneralCurtis LeMay is shown planning a daylight raid on Japan's industrial areas.
Squadrons ofB-29s then assemble and the audience rides with them through a space of oceanas wide as the US from Mexico to Canada, special attention being given to the islandIwo Jima, which is midway through the journey, the base forP-51 fighters that will escort the bombers. The film then proceeds to the actual bombing of Japan, showing one of the B-29s in combat with Japanese fighters, dogfights between the escorting P-51s and Japanese aircraft and the destruction leveled on Tokyo by the B-29s' payload and subsequent strafing by the escort fighters.
When the bombers return to base, the hazards of war are assessed, particularly the problems associated with landing the large planes, often damaged by Japanese flak or fighters, which could sometimes be fatal.
At the very end some color footage of themushroom cloud atNagasaki is shown, the narrator,Reed Hadley, telling us that it saves thousands of American lives by preventing an invasion of Japan.
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