Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter

Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter (also known as Jap Zero) is a 1943 educational dramatic short produced by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. The film's purpose was to instruct pilots in the Pacific theater about recognizing hostile planes at long distances and avoid "friendly fire" incidents.

Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter
Directed by	Bernard Vorhaus
Produced by	United States Army Air Forces
Starring	Ronald Reagan
Narrated by	Art Gilmore
Distributed by	Office of War Information
Release date	2 February 1943 (1943-02-02)
Running time	20 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Most of the film is taken up with a short play in which a young pilot, portrayed by Ronald Reagan, is ordered on reconnaissance missions of the Pacific. He encounters another plane and cannot tell if it is friendly or not. This plot is interspersed with animated segments illustrating the physical characteristics of the Japanese Zero and how it can be distinguished from an American plane.

Influence

Scenes from Jap Zero appear in If You Love This Planet, a 1982 documentary short about the dangers of nuclear weapons.^[1]