A squadron of 8 air fighters patrol New Guinea to prevent the Japanese from attacking Australia during WW2. They are based on the island and have seen many attacks. They have been phenomenally lucky with zero loss of life so far. Into this set-up arrives entertainer Kristine Miller (Jean) as part of a morale-boosting show. However, the rest of her entourage are grounded and never make it to the island, so she performs on her own. She gets close to the soldiers and is due to leave when another attack strikes.The film is a drama where we follow the camaraderie of the small unit as they stress out each day with the situation that they are in. The arrival of Miller provides relief but she is also drawn into the circumstances. I enjoyed this short film - it stays with you. The fighting action is relayed over the radio as the planes are in the air and it is done effectively. We also get a broadcast from Tokyo Rose. Is death on holiday?

If you're looking for an action-packed, aerial-combat war movie, then "Jungle Patrol" won't fit your bill. But if you enjoy war flicks that delve into the characters so you can get to know the men in combat, this is a perfect fit. While this movie is bereft of any scenes of combat, it does give the feel of action in wartime. Two other reviewers have noted how it does this through radio relays between the pilots and the base. So, sans any props or scenes of a runway, planes, ground support, or actual combat, "Jungle Patrol" quite effectively gives the viewer a sense of the reality of being at war. It is in that absence of all the usual settings and action in war films, that this movie excels. It has the time to do what most other films don't do. It gives us a good look at the individual characters. And it does that with ease – banter between the pilots, and talks between them and the USO entertainer who dropped in for a stay. The acting is very good by the entire cast. Others have commented on the high scores of Japanese planes shot down by the group without a single American pilot loss. Some seem to think their somberness over boasting about that was due to superstition. But, we have seen such serious moments in any number of other films regarding celebration of victories over losses. Those were most often due to realization of the losses that already occurred as well as those that may happen in the future. That, and a sense of respect for the enemy in not celebrating the deaths of enemy pilots. It seems to me that the somberness in "Jungle Patrol" was along those lines – especially the realization that the next time out one or more of them may not be coming back. Anyway, that's another little plus about this film. I obtained this film on a double feature DVD. The other movie is "The Silent Raiders." See my comments on it as well. But I want to note the Bonus feature that came with those two movies. "Combat Bulletin" was an 88-minute collage of actual combat footage filmed by the Army Pictorial Unit. It has narration and short film segments on 20 different battles of WW II in Europe and the Pacific. I had not seen this material in any of my historical documentary films before, so this is a real plus.

Another reviewer said that this was a film for the radio generation, a generation that did serve in World War II that got its entertainment from the radio, a generation that got the words and used its imagination. That is partially the case, but Jungle Patrol if you look at the credits is from a play and the sets do not betray the stage origins of the product. It bears a strong resemblance to Ceiling Zero from before the war and Command Decision which is post war.When I wrote my review for Ceiling Zero I felt it was too stagy, that is not the same for Command Decision. But both of those films were A products from Warner Brothers and MGM respectively. 20th Century Fox did not invest too much in Jungle Patrol and it shows.It's one of the weirdest war films I've ever seen. A squadron of Army Air Corps planes and their pilots and support have had an incredible run of luck. Like a whole squadron of Memphis Belles, no one has been killed and they've run up quite a score of downed Japanese. They also get a surprise visit from a USO performer Kristine Miller who obliges with an impromptu show. More impromptu than normally as the rest of her troupe is delayed and grounded. The men are appreciative, but are somber bunch. This run of luck has to give out sometimes, the odds have to catch up.Such people as Arthur Franz and Richard Jaeckel went on to some solid careers as did others in the cast. The lack of star names gives the film a grounding in reality. Had it a few more production values I might rate it higher. Still it is a strange and haunting film worth a look.

This film is low budget and stage bound but it transcends its limitations and delivers an interesting little piece of offbeat drama. It's not really a fantasy but it has overtones of "Death Takes a Holiday" and "On Borrowed Time". The story centers around a small outpost of American pilots on an island north of Australia whose mission is to stop Japanese air attacks. One day a USO girl is mistakenly brought to the island. She proceeds to put on a one-girl USO show while waiting for a plane to take her where she is supposed to be. During the few days she there she gets to know the guys and they discover that they all have something in common, a strange, secret something that begins to look like destiny. The film ends oddly without explaining itself and the audience is left wondering what it was supposed to mean. Even with this weirdness you feel that it was memorable and worth seeing.