WORLD AT WAR, THE, PT. 14: IT'S A LOVELY DAY TOMORROW (TV)
Summary
Part fourteen in this twenty-six-part documentary series chronicling the history of World War II. This installment depicts the war in Burma from 1942 to 1944, during which the British attempted to defend the colonial frontiers of India from the Japanese. Highlights include the following: the harsh conditions of jungle warfare, including the five-month monsoon season and the epidemics of infectious diseases, are detailed by several veterans, including Sgt. Freddie Tomkinson and Maj. Walter Boller; Lt. Teruo Okado of the Imperial Army talks about the ability of the Japanese to adapt to the hostile terrain against the ill-trained British forces; Gen. Sir J.G. Smyth and Brig. Gen. Michael Calvert analyze the strategic importance of Burma and their role in confronting Japanese imperialism; Sgt. Sydney Bowers of the Royal Air Force describes the horrors of sustaining a battle wound in the moist, infested jungle; the bewildering speed of the invading Japanese and their effective severance of the supply roads to China is illustrated; in an effort to prevent the Japanese from exploiting the country's resources, the fleeing British destroy the vast oil fields at Yenangyuang; the Japanese force the British to retreat past Rangoon, up through the valleys, out of Burma, and into India -- where the British regroup; Gen. Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell makes a remarkable escape across the mountains; Maj. Gen. Wingate and his guerilla Chindits are dropped behind Japanese lines, where they gather intelligence and pinpoint Japanese outposts; several veterans comment on the impressive stamina of the Japanese soldiers, who were trained to die for the emperor; Vera Lynn chats about her mission to entertain the troops, many of whom felt they were part of "the forgotten army"; the misery and suffering endured by interned soldiers is rendered through POW drawings; Vice-Adm. Lord Louis Mounbatten becomes Supreme Allied Commander of the new Southeast Asia Command and sets about rebuilding morale and rigorously training troops for the reconquering of Burma; under Mountbatten's command, Gen. Sir William Slim directs this campaign, countering a Japanese offensive at Kohima and Imphal; and Major Urikuro Honda of the Imperial Army recalls the attack on Kohima. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Thames (United Kingdom)
- DATE: February 6, 1974
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:44
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T82:0206
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Burma - History - Japanese occupation, 1942-1945; International Collection - United Kingdom; Thames Collection; World War II
- SERIES RUN: Thames (United Kingdom) - TV series, 1973-1974
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jeremy Isaacs … Producer
- John Pett … Producer, Director
- John Williams … Writer
- Carl Davis … Music by
- Laurence Olivier … Narrator
- Walter Boller
- Sydney Bowers
- Leonard Brown
- Michael Calvert
- Neville G. Hogan
- Urikuro Honda
- Vera Lynn
- Teruo Okado
- J.G. Smyth
- Freddie Tomkinson
- Chiang Kai-Shek
- Louis Mountbatten
- William Slim
- Joseph Stilwell