Ships underway during Joint maneuvers of combined British and French Naval units in the Mediterranean Sea. British Vice-Admiral Lord Mountbatten and French Naval Chief, Vice-Admiral Robert Lambert, on the deck of the French Aircraft carrier "Arromanches (R95)." (This is the British HMS Colossus -R15, renamed while on loan to the French.) A British-made Seafire aircraft of French Aéronavale Flottille 12F, rises to the deck on an elevator. Next, with engines running, it takes off under direction of a French signal officer. Several more Aéronavale Flottille 12F Seafire aircraft take off in succession. Aerial view of Seafire aircraft in formation. Aerial view, looking down on the aircraft carrier. Planes in the formation of Seafire aircraft peel off one at a time and descend to landing pattern altitude. The first buzzes the Carrier and goes around. Three more are seen making landings on the carrier under guidance of French controller using paddles
Scene is dawn viewed from deck of a troop transport ship off the coast of Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on D-day (November 20, 1943) for the amphibious assault by U.S. marines against the Japanese- held atoll, in World War 2. Marines loaded into a Higgins boat at the side of the transport ship. Several such landing craft maneuvering off the ship's bow. Benson-class destroyer bombarding the coast. Closer view of the destroyer with landing craft nearby. Glimpse of Japanese Aichi D3A (Val) dive bomber above. Two bombs exploding in water near the camera ship. U.S. Navy F4F aircraft flying low bombing and strafing. Glimpse of Navy warships bombarding after Navy planes depart. Then many landing craft are seen, some from the USS Sheridan (APA-51). Mixture of quick views showing naval gunfire, Marines in landing craft (including closeup of two marines looking out from inside one). U.S. Naval aircraft bombing inland, close to the shoreline. A derelict Japanese ship, displaying battle damage is seen in the surf. (Narrator notes that Japanese machine guns were set up and fired at landing craft from this hulk.) Closeup of radio operator on deck of invasion vessel. Views of amphibious landing vehicles tracked (LVT) moving toward shore. All American Higgins boats and LVTs subject to heavy Japanese machine gun and mortar fire, as well as bombing by Japanese Aichi D3A dive bombers. Burning landing craft in the surf. Landing craft arriving at the beach under heavy fire. One is marked, "KA 20-11" indicating it is from the USS Virgo (AKA-20). Long shot of Marines strung out on section of beach. Closeup of marines wading ashore from wrecked LVT. Several marines move along a concrete pier. Many marines are hunkered down behind it. Various views of marines pinned down on the beach. Some sheltered behind an LVT.
U.S. Marines of "F" Company , 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, near Xuan Hai, Vietnam during Operation Thor. Weary marines trudge back from a scouting mission. A marine with a 35 mm still camera around his neck. A marine with an M-16 rifle stands guard near unit packs and gear piled on the ground. A marine with an M-16 rifle walks in the foreground. Marines in the grassy area in the far background. A U.S. Marine Corps F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber dives on a target and fires rockets. Explosion from the rocket strike. A jet aircraft in flight high above.
Film opens showing entrance to cockpit of a U.S. Air Force Troop Carrier Douglas C-124 Globemaster aircraft en route from France to Indochina. A pilot is seen at the controls in the left seat, and the Aircraft Commander is observing from behind and between the pilots' seats. Close-up of number 3 and 4 engines with propellers turning as viewed from copilot's window. Two crew members are seen asleep on bunks in rear of flight deck compartment. Another is napping in a bulkhead seat. More views of engines running and propellers turning. Glimpse downward of land and clouds below. Close-up of Copilot in right seat of cockpit, wearing headset and making an announcement through his microphone. View of French paratroopers seated in cargo compartment, listening to the announcement from loudspeaker above them. Next, a French paratrooper passenger is seen opening contents of a flight lunch package. He uses the tiny can opener included in the package to open a can (with some difficulty). Paratroopers eating flight lunches.Two of the passengers playing chess on a miniature board with plug-in chessmen. Close-up of the chessboard. Co-pilot speaking on intercom again and a French paratrooper, wearing headset and microphone, speaking as well (likely translating). Glimpse of engine running on left wing. A different person (not in flight suit) at the controls in copilot's seat. The crew's Flight Engineer making throttle adjustments at his panel. View on the ground of French greeting party on the destination airfield to meet the arriving aircraft. Arriving C-124 aircraft taxiing on inboard engines only, as it proceeds along layers of pierced steel plank (Marsden matting) comprising the surface of airfield ramp. Views of French military waiting to greet arriving paratroopers. The aircrew's loadmaster lowering one of the aircraft's front loading ramps. French paratrooper passengers use it to leave the aircraft. (The other ramp is partially down and contains cartons and boxes.) Close-up of a French major in the greeting party. A woman greeting troopers, individually, as come down the ramp from the aircraft. Some French aircraft lined up on ramp, in background. (They appear to be Grumman F8F Bearcat aircraft.) Glimpse of an armed French Colonial (Tirailleurs Sénégalais) sentry standing near the aircraft. Troopers carrying cartons of rations from the aircraft and joining others preparing to board trucks for a ride to their quarters. Uniformed French soldiers in the greeting party help load heavy crate into an Army truck. Some troopers leave on trucks.
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and defense team at Pentagon in Virginia. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and group posing in Secretary of Defense, Wilson's office. Among those present: U.S. Army General Matthew B. Ridgway, USAF General Nathan F Twining, U.S. Navy Admiral Robert Bostwick Carney, U.S. Navy Admiral Arthur W. Radford, U.S. Secretary of Defense Charles Erwin Wilson, U.S. Army General Omar Nelson Bradley, USAF General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, U.S. Army General Joseph Lawton Collins, U.S. Marine Corps General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Admiral William Fletcher and others. President Eisenhower stand by Secretary of Defense Wilson and General Omar Bradley. Admiral Radford stands on the President's right. Line of Defense officials and officers identified by name. President Eisenhower seated with David Kyes, Harold Talbott, and Defense Secretary Wilson. Standing directly behind are: General Nathan F Twining, Admiral Radford, and General Omar Bradley.
Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean during World War 2.Opening scene shows fires burning and destruction on Midway Island while Japanese bombers are attacking. U.S. marines firing machine guns and antiaircraft guns, creating numerous black flak clouds among attacking Japanese aircraft. A burning aircraft descending to crash in the sea. Japanese bombs bursting nearby and Marines in a jeep driving past burning aircraft. More bombs exploding. A Marine medical corpsman wearing a Red Cross armband. A Japanese plane streaks low across the sky and a drops a bomb that explodes raising a huge cloud of black smoke from a petroleum fire on the ground. Camera focuses on the huge flames and smoke rising from the oil fire. Closeup of Marine firing heavy machine gun. A Japanese aircraft is struck and the sound of a failing engine is heard. Fire and smoke is everywhere. Next, the sound of a falling aircraft intensifies and a Japanese plane is seen crashing with a huge explosion. Closeup of a burning wing from the aircraft with Red ball insignia visible. Scene shifts to the sea, where American aircraft are flying cover over U.S. warships maneuvering below. View from a U.S. warplane taking off from an aircraft carrier. A loose formation of Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft in flight above clouds. Aerial closeups of some in the formation, including one showing pilot in front cockpit and gunner in the rear. Next, Navy F4F Wildcat and Douglas Dauntless aircraft are seen being launched from a Carrier, where sailors are firing 1.1" quad AA guns, creating numerous black flak clouds in the sky. A 5-inch gun creates a huge ball of fire as it fires. More shots of quad AA guns and 5-inch guns firing, as aircraft continue to launch from carriers. Brief view of the U.S. aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-5) obscured by smoke from Japanese bombs hitting her boiler. The Japanese aircraft veering away from it after their attack. More views of anti aircraft guns firing from the camera ship (an aircraft carrier) and of Japanese aircraft attacking. Another brief glimpse of the USS Yorktown clouded by smoke. Sound of an airplane crashing into the sea and glimpse of pleased American Navy officers and sailors. More glimpses of the Yorktown billowing black smoke.