British Pathe

Titles read: "ON THE CHIN! Story told by Quentin Reynolds".

Various locations of events.

M/S of Pathe special correspondent, American Quentin Reynolds seated at his typewriter at a desk (library shot). Flashback to the Blitz on London in December 1940; night air raids, buildings on...

Titles read: "ON THE CHIN! Story told by Quentin Reynolds".

Various locations of events.

M/S of Pathe special correspondent, American Quentin Reynolds seated at his typewriter at a desk (library shot). Flashback to the Blitz on London in December 1940; night air raids, buildings on fire, firemen working to put out flames, morning after scenes of the devastation and bombed out buildings. Quentin speaks of Londoners taking it on the chin, and "the grim determination that Germany should pay dearly for such destruction".

M/S of a radio-gramophone set in a living room; man's legs seen beside it. Shots of RAF bombers taking off and in flight as Quentin talks of more than 1,000 planes being sent over Cologne and the Ruhr. Brief shots of Germans listening to Adolf Hitler making a speech. Various shots of the Krupps factories at Essen. M/V of workers in Krupps gathered together giving German salute. Montage of news cuttings announcing American aid in the fight against the Nazis. Brief sequence showing German army entering Cologne. Various shots around peaceful pre-war Canterbury showing cathedral walls, quaint streets and houses. Shots following German raid on Canterbury show the damage caused, bombed and smoking buildings. Quick shots of bombs being transported to bombers on an airfield.

Regular Pathe commentator takes over to introduce Air Marshal Arthur 'Bomber' Harris, C-in-C Bomber Command, who is sitting at a desk. Natural sound as he talks to camera about the the bombing raids over Germany in repayment for Hitler's bombing of European cities. He speaks into a microphone of a recording machine (?) giving the instruction to "let them have it, right on the chin".

RAF airmen in a briefing room are given instructions by an officer on their route to Cologne. Officer reads them the message from Harris - "let them have it, right on the chin". Montage of quick shots as aircraft are loaded with bombs, airmen climb aboard and take off, others on the ground watch them go. Nice air to air shots of bombers (Halifax and Stirling) in flight. C/U of RAF airmen looking up into the sky with awed look on his face. In the Radio Control Centre (corner of room with desk), two WAAFs (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) are seen at work; one broadcasts a message to a pilot on the mission (natural sound).

Nice sequence of bomber crew getting out of a plane back at the airfield after the raid. Natural sound as they discuss the success of the mission (one of them sounds Australian). A plummy-voiced airman says he doesn't think they'll be doing that trip again as there is not much left of Cologne. In a debriefing room an RAF man with a pipe asks airmen if they saw any Jerrys. One of the men shows him a piece of shrapnel he picked out of his sleeve! Brief shot of RAF crew walking across airfield. Cut back to 'Bomber' Harris saying "let 'em have it, right on the chin" into the microphone.