the first time, Farrow was keen to be involved in World War II. He went to Vancouver in November 1939 and enlisted in the Canadian Navy. He went back to RKO to finish Bill of Divorcement then joined the navy. RKO promised to hold his job when he returned. Farrow was appointed lieutenant in March 1940 and assigned to Naval History and the Controller of Information Unit. He worked on anti-submarine patrols and in April 1941 was loaned to the Royal Navy and appointed to HMS Goshawk naval base in Trinidad, and served as assistant to the Senior British Naval Officer, Curaçao. He contracted typhus fever and returned to Naval Headquarters, Ottawa, in late 1941. It was announced he would direct a Canadian war film starring his wife Maureen O'Sullivan while on leave, but this did not eventuate. Farrow was invalided out of the Canadian Navy with typhus in January 1942 at the rank of Commander but remained in the naval reserve. He was gravely ill when he returned but was nursed back to health by his wife. His illness meant he was unable to return to active service. Paramount Farrow resumed his directing career at Paramount, whose then-head of production, Buddy de Sylva, had been impressed by Five Came Back and offered Farrow a contract. For the first time, Farrow was directing nothing but "A" movies. The association began brilliantly with Wake Island (1942), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, and was one of the year's biggest hits. Farrow followed it with another war film, Commandos Strike at Dawn (1942), which also proved popular. China (1943), with Alan Ladd and Loretta Young, was another big hit. In February 1943, Farrow signed a long-term contract with Paramount. In July 1943 he served as technical consultant for the proposed Royal Canadian Navy show. He directed The Hitler Gang (1944); Two Years Before the Mast (filmed 1944, not released until 1946), with Ladd; and You Came Along (1945), from a script co-written by Ayn Rand. In May 1945, Farrow was briefly recalled to active duty, travelling to Britain for work in connection with the Director of Special Services. Shortly after he made Calcutta (1947) with Ladd, though it was not released until two years later, to strong box office. Two Years Before the Mast was released in 1946 and became the tenth most popular movie of the year. In