Operations of the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) 56th Fighter Group stationed at RAF Halesworth, Southwold, Suffolk, England, during World War 2. A Lieutenant pilot of 56th Fighter Group, writes notes on back of his hamd during briefing by Group Commander about "ramrod" (escort) mission to accompany B-17 bombers to Bremen, Germany. Intelligence officer briefs on enemy flak and fighters, and tells aircrews to watch out for German twin engine rocket planes from below. Weather officer briefs on anticipated conditions. Aircrews synchronize watches. (Narrator remarks about "Ramrod to Emden, suggesting that footage may contain mix of scenes from different missions.) Pilots board jeep ankle deep in mud, piling their chutes on the hood. Jeep stops near a P-47 abd oilot climbs into its cockpit. Propeller seen rotating. P-47C, 41-6271 “Rat Racer” of the 61st Fighter Squadron is seen. Planes taxiing.
P-47D Thunderbolts of the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) 56th Fighter Group taxiing and taking off from RAF Halesworth airfield in England in World War 2. They are on mission ("Ramrod to Emden) escorting U.S. bombers in raid on German U-Boat Base at Emden, Germany.The first P-47 seen is serial 41-6261 "Bat Out of Hell" (coded UN-B) flown by LT Gordon Batdorf of the 63rd Fighter Squadron. Others seen in the sequence include P-47s including: 42-74750 ("Lady jane") and 42-74635. Officer fires a flare to signal takeoff. After taking off in pairs, the aircraft of the 63rd Squadron assemble in a formation of 16 aircraft and then join other squadrons of the 56th Fighter Group to proceed on their mission.
Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War 2. The Germans outside buildings in the camp in Karlovy-Vary. German men and women seated outside a building. A line of German men, women and children waiting outside the Administrative office to get the number of the trucks in which they will be going back to Germany. All the men and the women wearing armbands for identification. Two men come out of the office wearing a tag, on their jacket, with the number of the truck. A few men and women inside the office. Two women officials in the office. One of them works on a typewriter. The other woman official pins the tag with the numbers of trucks on the jackets of the two women waiting. A man beside the two German women. The two women leave the office. Men coming out of the administrative building. A Czech official at the entrance of the office. The men hand over their armbands to the Czech official as they leave the office with the tags on their jackets. German children playing in a park in the camp behind a high wire fence. A young Czech boy beside a vehicle outside the wire fence watches the German children playing. A guard inside the fence patrols near the children playing.
A ship blows up at sea (presumably torpedoed by a German submarine). Newspaper of April 2, 1917 announces the United States and Germany at War. U.S. Secretary of War, Newton D. Baker, speaking on a public platform, outdoors.. General John J. Pershing, Commander of American Expeditionary Forces in World War 1, is seen seated behind Secretary Newton. Scene shifts to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signing papers his his desk at the White House, Washington, DC. Next, Red Cross women are seen serving coffee into the mess of American soldiers about to embark for Europe. Another Red Cross woman carries a basket of baked goods. The soldiers are checked off by officers at the pier, and then embark on a troop ship. View of the troop ship in camouflage paint, moving away from the pier Scene shifts to glimpse of a town in France, where an American officer and some soldiers are seen walking past French inhabitants on a street corner Other American soldiers stand near a large canvas covered army truck. They salute as the American officer passes them.
Famous tourist destinations and architecture in the Black Forest, Germany and Innsbruck, Austria, before World War 2. Views of the Black Forest, a wooded mountain range. Trees on either side of the Rhine valley. The Rhine River. Farm buildings seen. Skyline of Innsbruck, Austria. The Hofkirche is seen. Snow-capped mountains in the background. View of the Clock Tower building or Stadtturm (Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 21, Innsbruck, Österreich). Buildings on either side of a street. People and vehicles on the street.
United States tanks and trucks of the 40th Armored Cavalry march during a parade in Berlin, Germany. Russian harassment in the air and along ground routes to Berlin brings the display of Allied military power. Tanks, armored vehicles and artillery displayed during the parade. A crowd of German people watches the parade. United States soldiers and military officers during the parade.
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