U.S. Navy RA-5C Vigilante and F-4B Phantom II aircraft parked on port side of flight deck on an aircraft carrier underway in the South China Sea, during the Vietnam War. Crewmen stand near the aircraft on the flight deck. RA-5C Vigilante taxis out from parking area.
A robot jet bomber is tested by United States Air Force in Florida. At a USAF base the multi jet B-47 Stratojet bomber taxis and takes off. The bomber is under complete remote control. Operators control each stage of its flight from the base. The bomber in flight.
Allied Air Front invasion bombers of the 9th Air Force of United States Army Air Force raid German held positions on French coast during World War II. B-26 planes take off from a base during dawn and bomb Nazi targets on French coast. Nazi antiaircraft guns fired at them and a plane gets crippled by it. The pilot returns and makes crash landing at the base. Airmen rush for help. The airmen ready planes for another raid on the Nazi French invasion coast. Guided bombs dropped from the bombers destroy Nazi bases. Commanding officer of the 9th Air Force, Major General Lewis H Brereton from the war room in England speaks about the success of Allied bombers in Europe.
Opening slate cites location as A-83 (Denain-Prouvy Airdrome, France). Aircrew members step from back of an open crew transport truck and walk to their parked Martin B-26 Marauder aircraft, of the U.S. Army Air Forces 323rd Bombardment Group. The entire side fuselage of the aircraft is covered with painted bombs indicating the many missions it had completed, thus far, during World War 2. Crew members place their gear on the ground in front of the aircraft as a Staff Sergeant (Maintenance Chief) brings the plane's Form 1 (Flight Report and Maintenance Record) for the pilot to review and sign. (This segment is repeated twice for the camera.) Closeup of the pilot discussing the aircraft status with an enlisted man. Meanwhile other crew members stand around. One crew member lights the Tech Sergeant's cigarette. Closeup of an officer crew member, with Marsden Matting on ground in background. Closeup of pilot annotating and signing the aircraft Form 1. Next, the pilot distributes mail to members of the crew. An airman brings a pet dog to one of the crew who plays with it. Pilot takes a final drag on a cigarette and rubs it out on a bomb sitting nearby. (Sequence is repeated twice.) Glimpse of trash caught in pierced steel planking (Marsden matting) on the ground. Next scene shows pilot speaking from cockpit window to Sergeant on the ground. View of pilot and copilot settling into their seats in the cockpit. They don their radio headsets.
Slate identifies location as A-83 (Denain-Prouvy Airdrome, France) and date as 29 April (1945). Ground crew armorers are connecting wires to bombs and loading them into the bomb bay of a a U.S. Army Air Forces Martin B-26 Marauder aircraft of the 323rd Bombardment Group. View from under the aircraft as a crewman gives signal to close bomb bay doors and they slowly close and lock. Ground crewman removes a metal chock from the aircraft wheel. Flight crew members climb aboard the aircraft. A crew member writes in chalk on a bomb sitting on the ground. The message is: "Happy Boithday Hoimann from Duffy's Tavern," (conveying the New York accent associated with characters in "Duffys Tavern" radio show). World War 2; WWII; WW2.
Camera follows Martin B-26 Marauder bombers taking off from Denain-Prouvy Airdrome (A-83) France, during World War 2. They are a Squadron of aircraft from the U.S. Army Air Forces 323rd Bombardment Group (displaying white tails of the 323rd). Camera tracks them each as they complete their respective take offs in succession. Afterwards, the aircraft are seen beginning to assemble in formations high overhead.
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