''Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' is a 1941 American

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

produced by the United States Office for Emergency Management, and was edited from the 19-minute ''Building a Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' (1941). The film commentary was written by

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

."Preserved Projects."
''National Archives and Records Administration'' (archive.org), November 28, 2012. Retrieved: April 18, 2017. The main subject of ''Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' was the

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

, a twin-engined

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

in production from 1941 to 1945.

Synopsis

''Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' showed aspects of the assembly of Martin B-26 Marauders at the Glenn L. Martin Company plant in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. The manufacture of the aircraft involves both mechanical assembly as well as work done by hand, such as riveting. The process of building a bomber is seen, from the foundry where molten metals are cooked, to rivets and tools designed specifically for American aircraft production. The many sub-assemblies that make up the bomber were precisely machined so that the final assembly was eased. After assembly, the B-26s were tested by a small team of two USAAC pilots and a flight engineer, before acceptance by the military.

Reception

''Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' was typical of the information-based training films of the period produced under the auspices of the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

. The film was distributed and exhibited by under the auspices of the Motion Picture Committee Cooperating for National Defense; and ends with the "

V sign The ''V sign'' is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted to make a V shape while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the circumstances and how it is presented. When display ...

" signifying victory. ''Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Documentary Short. The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

preserved ''Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'' in 2002."Collections: 'Bomber: A Defense Report on Film'."
''Academy Film Archive''. Retrieved: April 18, 2017.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Ethell, L. Jeffrey. ''Aircraft of World War II.'' Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. . * Johnsen, Frederick A. ''Martin B-26 Marauder''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2000. . * Koppes, Clayton R. and Gregory D. Black. ''Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies''. New York, The Free Press, 1987. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bomber A Defense Report On Film 1941 films 1941 documentary films 1941 short films American World War II propaganda shorts American documentary films American black-and-white films Documentary films about military aviation Black-and-white documentary films Films about the United States Army Air Forces 1940s short documentary films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films