Target-Invisible
1945 film
Target-Invisible is a 1945 documentary short film produced by the First Motion Picture Unit after World War II. The film depicts the uses of radar in aerial direction-finding and precision high-level bombing by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
At the end of Target-Invisible, the air force narrator (Arthur Kennedy) thanks Americans for their contributions to the war effort, which by then had concluded with Allied victory, and explains that the film was an example of the research and development being funded through the purchase of Victory Loan war bonds encouraging the viewer to buy and hold more such bonds to continue these projects into peacetime.
01Plot
In 1945, a USAAF Boeing B-29 Superfortress squadron of bombers flies from their base in the Marianas on their mission to attack a target in Japan. Although the target will be invisible due to overcast conditions, the mission will continue as a high-altitude bombing raid.
After six hours of flight time, the radar operator (Clayton Moore) is able to identify the islands that lie off the coast of Honshu. Directions from the radar operator to the bombardier help guide the B-29 to its ultimate target. The pilot is also given discrete flight adjustments to fly directly to the objective.
After arriving above the target at 23,000 ft altitude, although obscured by a thick cloud cover, the bombardier uses the Norden bombsight to aim, before releasing the bomb load. The attack is successful with widespread destruction of the Kiyoshi aircraft plant located north of Tokyo.
02Cast
- Arthur Kennedy as Air force narrator (Uncredited)
- Clayton Moore as B-29 radar operator (Uncredited)
03Production
Target-Invisible was produced for the Motion Pictures and Special Events Division of the War Finance Division, U.S. Treasury Department. The short has an orchestral score, and has a combination of live-action shot in the Culver City, California studios and stock combat footage of B-29s.
04Intended Purpose and Audience
Target-Invisible was typical of the films of the period produced under the auspices of the Office of War Information. In the closing minute, the narrator states that the movie's purpose is to encourage the post-WWII public to buy bonds so that scientists can continue to develop inventions like radar for the security of the nation at peace.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Target-Invisible”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Target Invisible 1945.jpg by U.S. Army Air Forces, Fair use
- B-29 in flight.jpg by Unknown author, Public domain
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