Target for Today

A documentary film directed by William Keighley for the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces. The film describes the preparation and mounting of an Eighth Air Force daylight bombing raid on Nazi Germany industrial targets in East Prussia, including Anklam, the air base at Marienburg, and Gdynia in occupied Poland. From target selection through briefing, takeoff, combat footage of B-17 and B-24 bombers, and post-mission interrogation, the film provides a comprehensive account of a single bombing mission. The film was also shown in civilian theaters in connection with war bond drives. As a U.S. government work, it is in the public domain.