The Last Bomb

The Last Bomb was a 1945 propaganda film mainly concerning the conventional phase of the bombing of Japan in 1945. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The film begins by describing the taking off points in Saipan, Guam, and Tinian, remarking how they have changed since American occupation. General Curtis LeMay is shown planning a daylight raid on Japan's industrial areas.

A bomber squadron of B-29s then assembles and the audience rides with them through a space of ocean as wide as the US from Mexico to Canada, special attention being given to the island Iwo Jima, which is midway through the journey. The film then proceeds to the actual bombing of Japan, showing one of the B-29s dogfights with Japanese planes, and the destruction leveled on Tokyo by the B-29s' payload and subsequent strafing.

When the bombers return to base, the hazards of war are assessed, particularly the problems associated with landing the large planes, which could sometimes be fatal.

At the very end some color footage of the mushroom cloud at Hiroshima is shown, the narrator, Reed Hadley, telling us that it saves thousands of American lives by preventing an invasion of Japan.