Cavalry to the Rescue!

Today’s unexpected find is a film shot by the US Army Air Forces (“AAF”) during World War II, showing maneuvers in Australia including the involvement of US Cavalry!. It depicts the 112th Cavalry Regiment training in Australia and was filmed in January 1943. I’d welcome any Aussie to chime in if they recognize the terrain. This may be the last US Army large scale exercise using mounted cavalry.

The film was found at the National Archives and Records Administration (“NARA”) facility in College Park, Maryland. The description is limited to the AAF-created title, “Maneuvers in Australia”. No scene-by-scene written description is available on-line for this production, totaling seven reels of film assembled from 100′ camera rolls. The only available reference copy is a set of 35mm film work prints, so I captured this reel by pointing my camera toward the flatbed film viewer that NARA provides in the research room for screening purposes. The potential quality of the reel, with a professional film transfer, is very high!

Context is king for moving image research. An experienced eye can find clues to the backstory of the films at NARA even where the available descriptive material is lacking. A professional archival media researcher can leverage the full power of archives for your publication or production!

UPDATE:

Further research into descriptive assets that are only available in NARA’s research rooms reveals the unit in question was the 112th Cavalry Regiment. The AAF written descriptions don’t provide a granular location within Australia. Research into the 112th suggests this may actually have taken place on New Caledonia.