Opens with scenes of aviators unsuccessful attempts to cross the Atlantic in pursuit of the Orteig Prize. Failed attempt by Fonck in his Sikorsky aircraft as he headed for Paris on September 21, 1926. French aviator René Paul Fonck standing beside his aircraft before takeoff. Fonck's plane taxiing for takeoff. View of the plane crashed and consumed in fire and smoke. Crash of Byrd's Fokker plane on April 16, 1927, injuring Byrd and crewmen Noville and Bennett. View of Byrd in uniform before the crash. View of the crash as Byrd's plane is seen tumbling nose over on landing. Failure of Chamberlin's Bellanca aircraft carrying Chamberlin and two little girl passengers. The plane stalls at landing but passengers are safe. Next scene of crash of plane carrying Davis and Wooster on April 26, 1927 near Langley Field, Virginia, killing both men. The crashed plane beside a swamp. View of France's Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli before their attempt in L'Oiseau Blanc (The White Bird). Plane with Nungesser and Coli taking off; it disappeared after taking off from Paris, with the last sighting of it over Ireland. View of Charles Lindbergh and then also of Lindbergh and his mother, and of the Spirit of Saint Louis on May 20, 1927 before his successful Atlantic Crossing to Le Bourget at Paris on May 21, 1927. The aircraft being backed out of a hangar and being fueled. Captain Charles Augustus Lindbergh enters the cockpit. The Spirit of Saint Louis Wright Whirlwind powered monoplane taxiing and taking off slowly from Roosevelt Field in New York, heavily burdened by fuel. Aerial view of the Spirit of St Louis in flight, taken from another airplane. Charles Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic in the plane 'Spirit of St. Louis'. Charles Lindbergh is greeted by huge crowd in Paris. Views of crowds, dignitaries and celebrations as he is welcomed by people in Paris, Brussels and London. Also views of his receptions in Washington DC and New York City in the United States in June 1927.
Top skiers compete for the Lauberhorn trophy, a top European meet. Participants from France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland compete in the skiing competition. A slalom race and a downhill event ends with the Austrians taking the trophy.
View of the city, Pskov, on the Veilakaya river. A steel bridge is seen and city across it with smoke rising. German troops march in loose formation over a bridge in Novogorod. Views of German camouflaged tank (with shrubbery) and other armor and troops entering Soviet cities of Brest-litovsk, Minsk, Mogilev, and Vitebsk. View of German Panzer III tank heading toward the camera as it enters a narrow street in Smolensk. Animated map shows progress of these German advances and highlights German forces under German Field Marshal Gerd Von Runstedt cutting deep into the Ukraine. Headline on Chicago Daily News reads: "Nazis Claim Knock-out Victory" with subtitle line reading,"Moscow line cracks." Other newspapers reflect conviction that Soviet forces face imminent defeat by Germany. Slate shows communique issued by the German High Command, stating: "The issue in the East has already been settled. Smolensk is the last halt on the road to Moscow." More views of marching German troops. A battery of Soviet artillery firing from a snow-covered field. Animated map shows German forces moving close to Moscow. Foreign diplomats are moved from Moscow to the city of Kuibyshev. Hitler speaking on October 3, 1941, saying "This enemy is broken and will never rise again." Animated map depicts 500 thousand square miles of Soviet territory occupied by December, 1941, and compares it to the entire west central United States encompassing the states of : South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Fires raging in agricultural area of the Soviet Union. Destroyed Soviet industrial plants, and huge numbers of Soviet citizens under German occupation. Views of destroyed Soviet armor, aircraft and artillery pieces. As season changes, German forces are seen in rain gear moving slowly through cold rainy weather. Some walk beside horses and other ride on horse-drawn caissons along with artillery pieces. Segments of film show contrast between the German military strategies. The German forces would plunge deep into enemy territory and create an area of conquest. This is illustrated by a slate bearing Adolf Hitler's statement that, "A single blow must destroy the enemy, without regard for losses, a gigantic destroying blow." An animated map illustrates the success of this approach by the Germans in Poland, France, and the Balkans. German Generals seen planning the same "Blitz" strategy against the Soviets. Film shifts to the Soviet strategy, showing their idea of building stronger defense, as they fall back, taking advantage of the great size of their territory. Views of Soviet troops on the move. View of Shells knocking out a German tanks. Panzer III tanks advancing. Panzer VI tanks completely covered by German troops catching rides. Soviet field artillery and machine guns firing in cities, forcing German soldiers to leave their vehicles. Soviet cities bombed out and burning, with debris and obstacles limiting the ability of armor to navigate in them. Montage of battle scenes cities of Rostov, Kharkov, Kiev, Kursk, Smolensk, all thwarting the Nazi blitz into the Soviet Union. Battles being waged in cities. (World War II; WW II; World War 2; World War Two)
Charity Carnival in Rota, Spain. An elderly Spanish visitor and two young girls look up into sky, watching sky divers. A U.S. Army group from France which performed for the fair. A sky diver descending. He hits the ground near target at the Naval Station. A large group of visitors run over the field towards the sky diver. Four sky divers descending. One of the men coming down in a red and white chute, striking the ground. The chute collapses in the foreground. Sky diver folding up his chute, several children gather and look on. Sky diver rolling up his chute, surrounded by Spanish visitors.
President Harry S Truman takes the oath before various U.S. officials in the United States. Sign reads 'Birthplace of President Truman - Lamar.' Buildings and people on the street. Women seated in a garden. Officer Truman stands with other officers of the U.S. Army during World War I. Soldiers in a battlefield in France. Black smoke arises due to the artillery fire and explosions. A trench, soldiers march with the U.S. flag. Truman holds two Madonna statues presented to him during a ceremony in the U.S. An Army officer meets Truman and other officials. Army trucks and artillery during the parade.
Famous aviator Charles Lindbergh's trans-Atlantic route from New York to Paris, France. An animated map depicts the flight path and distance. Lindbergh’s path begins from New York, via Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, across the Atlantic, Ireland, England and then Paris.
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