U.S. tanks in Tidworth, England on D-Day during World War II. U.S. tank crew member chalks 'Berlin or Bust - Goodbye Old England' on side of tank. Jeep loaded with soldiers pulls away. Tanks leave the assembly area.
Landing craft being readied, in England, for the Normandy Invasion in World War 2. Sailors filling water cask on emergency life raft. LCI(L),U.S. Landing craft Infantry, Large, number 87. A small boat leaves that craft and another passes the camera boat. LCI(L) number 325 is seen (and a barrage balloon in far background). Coast Guard crew at work cleaning rust from craft 325. One is painting the deck. View of two LCI(L)s underway in water.
Large Landing Craft Infantry, LCI(L) underway during training exercises in England, preparing for the Normandy invasion of World War 2. Glimpse from stern of craft, with American flag flying. LCI(L)s behind and British coastline in background. Several LCI(L)s moving in near formation. Gunners aboard camera craft ready their Oerlikon 20mm antiaircraft cannon. They open a locker and remove canisters of ammunition. Cluster of the landing craft moored in a bay. Camera craft moves past Landing Craft tank 644, run aground on a sand bar.
A Coast Guard crew member aboard a Large Landing Craft Infantry, LCI(L) moored in a bay in England, scans the skies with binoculars. LCI(L) 487 is one of a number of U.S. landing craft gathered in the bay. Two of the craft behind, display the American Union jack of white stars on a blue field. A barrage balloon is seen aloft. A town is nestled on a green hill in the background. Closeup of barrage balloon. View of the bay, in late afternoon, shadowed by the hill. Three barrage balloons are seen aloft. Crewmen on deck are sorting out and coiling lines, while another sharpens large compound shears with a file.
U.S.Coast Guard crewmen painting battle star on superstructure of Landing Craft Infantry (Large), LCI(L) number 84, during World War 2, in France. (This craft was already a veteran of North African and Italian campaigns, and is preparing to take part in the Normandy invasion.) Another Guardsman questions whether it will be as good as other stars already painted. Others keep pestering the painter about this and he reassures them all. (View of perfect finished red star.) Landing craft Gunners display the landing craft's Oerlikon 20-millimeter Mk 4 automatic antiaircraft cannon. Views of LCI(L)s numbered 85, 89, 92,90, and 496, all tied together at a port in England. Sailors on LCI(L) 85, at their Oerlikon 20-millimeter cannon. U.S. Navy Union Jack displayed nearby. U.S. Coast Guard officers viewing sky with binoculars.
A film titled 'Happy Warriors' on procedures for rotating U.S. Army Air Force airmen from England to the United States for rest and relaxation during World War II. Several views of U.S. B-17s, B-24s and other bombers in flight through flak over enemy areas in Europe. Tail codes on B-17s identify them as belonging to the 95th Bombardment Group of the U.S. 8th Air Force. Various crew members seen at their respective crew stations aboard the bombers. Falling bombs explode on ground targets.View of a failed engine in flight and the propeller being feathered. General Eisenhower shaking hands with crew of a B-26 Marauder named "Son of Satan," with about 50 bombs painted on its fuselage for missions flown. A military bus arrives at the 127th Replacement Battalion's Washington Hall. USAAF fliers step from the bus and make their way to the receiving office. A sign reads: "New Arrivals Report to Rear Door." Among the group of aviators walking to the reception area is one carrying a small puppy dog. Colonel William A. Gayle, Battalion Commander, of Montgomery, Alabama (and later Mayor of Montgomery), poses with his headquarters staff. "Puddles" the mascot dog of the Post joins in for the picture. Posing and smiling is Sergeant Major Holloway, who has been Colonel Gayle's "right hand man" since the unit was organized in 1942. The fliers stand informally as a Sergeant calls the roll. The fliers undergo screening of their individual possessions for security purposes. A navigator has his maps taken away, to be returned when he returns from leave. Captain Baldridge, in charge of the mess,tastes and personally approves dishes from the kitchen before they are served to the Army aviators.