U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division paratroopers at Ramsbury airfield board transport planes bound for Holland, Netherlands during Operation Market Garden of World War II. They carry supplies as they step on landing strip covered in Marston Mats. Wings of the transport planes. C-47 Skytrain transport plane starts and warms up engine. A British paratrooper wearing a beret puts on his life vest and inspects his Sten MK II submachine gun. A young soldier writes a letter or takes notes.
Construction of roads in Holland during World War 2, by U.S. Army engineers. Swampy mud blocks the traffic. Soldiers shoveling mud. Trucks and equipment stuck in mud, with wheels spinning. United States soldiers move the mud with rolling equipment. Soldier in a jeep crosses the muddy area. U.S. army engineers work with rolling equipment. They stand on the rolling equipment to push the mud out of the way. Soldiers try to pull a jeep out of the mud. Engineers cut down trees and fit wood logs to make corduroy road. Vehicles pass over the bridge. Traffic restored and trucks and armor including tanks continue their advance toward Germany. Close-up view of U.S. Army soldiers smoking cigarettes, cooking their K-rations over a wood fire, and then eating. One soldier takes a bite of food and shakes his head conveying that it does not taste good.
As film begins, it shows three American paratroopers with a map, kneeling in a farm field, in Holland, during world War 2. They are consulting two local women kneeling beside them, who point it two directions. They all look up, aware of the camera. A Waco CG-4 glider is in the background, with its front hatch opened. Several paratroopers stand near it. Momentary glimpse of several troopers walking across the field toward their glider. Scene jumps back to the troopers and women, and then back, again, to troopers walking toward the glider. A local man ducks under the camera as it records the troopers crossing the field. Closer view of troopers gathered around the glider (its front hatch is closed), along with several local people, including the three women seen earlier. Soon, local people, including many youth gather around a trooper in a jeep that got stuck in a ditch. They try to free it. Several troopers ride in a horse-drawn cart. A formation of B-24 Liberator bombers is seen inflight overhead. Scene shifts back to troopers in the horse-drawn cart. Local youth with bicycles stand watching them. Remainder of the film shows various views of supplies and equipment being dropped by parachutes from the B-24s. (Likely during Operation Market Garden.)
U.S. Army C-47 aircraft fly low as U.S. Army paratroopers jump. Many paratroopers jump from the planes. A soldier opens bag. The sky filled with parachutes from C-47s in flight with men and supplies coming down to a field during Operation Market Garden. (World War II period)
An american glider lands in a field area during Operation Market Garden. Another glider lands and crashes at far distance. View of another glider crash. Distant view of smoke rising from ground as glider crashes. United States airborne soldiers can be seen in field area. A plane in flames falls to the earth. (World War II period).
Flails being used on United States tanks in Holland during World War II. Scottish troops operate Sherman M-4 tanks equipped with flails. The tanks set off detonation charges. A revolving flail on an M-4 Tank.