Harold Landon, who plays Frankie Montana, relates that the actors who played Japanese soldiers were actually Filipino and Chinese.
Utilizes real combat footage.
Has been used as a training film by the US Marine Corps.
The action is set in the Makin Group of islands. The Butaritari Atoll or Butaritari Island is the largest of the Makin Atoll group in the Pacific Ocean. It has also been known as Makin Island, Pitt Island, Taritari Island and Touching Island. The Makin Islands are a chain of islands nested within the larger Gilbert Islands group of 16 atolls and coral islands. They are all a part of the island nation of the Republic of Kiribati.