The USS Akron (ZRS-4) over Camp Kearny, near San Diego, California,docking to refuel. A large group of sailors hold on to cables lowered from the USS Akron. They are being dragged by the dirigible as they try to arrest it, unsuccessfully. All the sailors let go of the cables, except three, who are pulled into the air. One of the dangling sailore, Robert H. Edsall, falls to his death. Moments later, Sailor, Nigel M. Henton, also loses his grip and falls. The third sailor, Charles Cowart, ties himself to the cable and is seen being pulled close to the USS Akron.
Opening scene shows Vietnamese refugees, including women, children, and aged persons, being assisted by ARVN (Army of Vietnam) soldiers as they slowly proceed from their homes. One person weeps, while crouched beside pile of belongings. Vietnamese carrying belongings, including one with a child sitting in a cauldron, on poles across their shoulders. ARVN soldiers are seen burning buildings. Closeup of an M60 machine gun being fired on full automatic from door of a U.S. Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter (unseen). U.S. marines in a trench surrounded by sandbags. One is looking through binoculars toward a ridge where white smoke is rising. A C-123 of the U.S. Air Force 311th Special Operations Squadron (Tail Code WV) out of Phan Rang Air Base, lands at dirt field and soldiers hurry to board it. Partial glimpse closeup of pilot in cockpit of a U.S. Navy or Marine Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft in flight. Aerial views from above, of ordnance being dropped on Viet Cong positions from U.S. warplanes. Explosions in trees on the ground. Small part of an aircraft seen from onboard camera, as it flies over cultivated part of South Vietnam, dropping bombs. U.S. soldiers walking into a wooded area where smoke is rising, and taking a blindfolded Vietcong prisoner.
U.S. Army infantry patiently making their way on foot at various places in Europe and the Pacific during World War 2. Troops under fire during an amphibious assault. Others employing small arms in fire fights. American soldier firing a Browning 30 caliber light machine gun from a protected position. The American flag planted at a beachhead on a Pacific island. Landing craft in the background. Infantry moving widely spread out across a field. A line of soldiers standing side-by-side firing their rifles toward an enemy position. Closeup glimpse of soldier with fixed bayonet on his rifle. Flamethrower being employed. A soldier throwing a hand grenade. Another firing a bazooka from prone position in woods. Other infantrymen employing weapons, including: machine gun; mortar; a light howitzer artillery piece. A soldier sharpening his knife on a ground stone. Aerial view of amphibious assault underway below. Closeups of infantry in fast moving landing craft Views of many wading ashore from landing craft in a shallow bay. Lines of infantry wading ashore from a Landing Craft Infantry Large (Number 747) in a Pacific campaign. Closeups of soldiers reaching shore. A formation of Waco CG-4A gliders in flight, and then some seen landing in plowed fields of Normandy on D-Day, 1944. One noses over and remains tail upright after a rough landing. Infantry moving under fire. Some cluster for protection next to a Sherman tank. Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark briefing officers with pointer and very large tactical map, in the open, in Italy in 1944. U.S. infantry moving under fire in rugged terrain of Italy. Troops moving casually past a fallen enemy soldier. Closeups of individual soldiers making their way past the camera and taking a break. One of their wounded seen on a litter in the background. Infantry moving along a dusty road and then slogging through a muddy stretch. A soldier with numerous cans of combat film, at a War Department repository. An army Signal Corps clerk reviews caption sheets that accompany the combat films. Infantrymen gathered at side of a hill and later digging foxholes in fields. Lines of infantry moving forward in rugged terrain, with pack horses behind them. Infantry moving in concert with advancing armor. Individual soldiers moving under heavy enemy fire. A grenade explodes and American soldier fires his rifle, striking fleeing enemy soldier who falls. Soldiers firing a 75mm M1 Pack Howitzer; rifles; and a flame thrower. Infantry seated in a line of DUKW amphibious trucks. A soldier in heavy cold weather gear, eating from his mess kit at a fox hole he prepared in snowy area. his trenching tool sits next to him. In contrast, soldiers are seen helping civilian refugees moving through rice paddy area somewhere in the Pacific. One carries a small child. A shift change at a U.S. war plant, shows thousands of workers . Lines of miners heading to work. Men and women punching time clocks as they leave after their work shift. Closeups of American men and women engaged in war production work of various kinds. Split screen shows war plant workers on one side and formations of soldiers on the other. Cemetery with grave stones of fallen American service personnel. One is marked "Unknown." Animated chart showing rising war production against backdrop of factories emitting smoke from chimneys.
Korean propaganda film depicting suffering of the Korean people under Japanese occupation prior to and through World War 2. Korean citizens answering questions of Japanese civilian officials during period of Japanese occupation before World War 2. Japanese warship carrying Nakajima E4N bi-wing scout plane. Steel truss bridge being bombed. Koreans being forcibly recruited to fight for Japan. Koreans being tortured and imprisoned at hands of Japanese. Aircraft dropping bombs on ground targets. Slate announces August 9, 1945, marking the Soviet invasion of Japanese occupied areas, including North Korea, in World War II. Destroyers dropping depth charges. Battleships firing heavy guns. Soviet infantry rushing from a ship to engage Japanese forces. Soviet soldier offloading an M1910 Maxim Sokolov Machine gun onto a pier. Amphibious assault by Soviet forces. Artillery barrages. Explosions and smoke. Soviet infantry attacking industrial facilities and planting the Red flag on a hilltop in a rural area. Japanese troops surrendering to Soviet soldiers. Fallen Japanese gunner in gun position with shell in his hands. Numerous other fallen Japanese soldiers. Captured Japanese weapons and war materiel, including many swords. Japanese prisoners of war seated in an open area. Various destroyed Korean buildings and temples. Denuded trees in war zone. August 15th, 1945, shows Japanese citizens listening to a loudspeaker broadcast by Emperor Hirohito, announcing the surrender of Japan, and end of World War II. Shackles are removed from Korean prisoners. Koreans celebrate in the streets. The Korean flag flies from houses in a village. Korean people march, sing, and cheer everywhere in the country. A seated band of musicians plays. Scene shifts to the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, where Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu in formal attire sits to sign documents of surrender. General Douglas MacArthur, and other senior allied officers, stand nearby as Soviet Lieutenant General Kuzma Nikolaevish Derevyanko sits to sign for the USSR. Japanese civilians living in Korea, during the Japanese occupation, are seen moving with their belongings, to be relocated back in Japan.
Two Douglas World Cruiser airplanes land at Bolling Field, Washington, DC, to be welcomed by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, in recognition of their round-the-world flight completed on September 28, 1924, at Seattle, Washington. Major General Mason M. Patrick, Chief of the Army Air Service, signals with his arm to guide them to a parking place, as they taxi in after landing. The two aircraft park next to one another. Next, a welcoming committee is seen standing, with the President (dressed in a rain slicker). Secretary of War, John W. Weeks stands to the President's left. To Coolidge's right, are 1st Lieutenant Leigh P. Wade (pilot);1st Lieutenant Leslie P. Arnold (co-pilot); 1st Lieutenant Lowell H. Smith (pilot, and flight commander); and SSgt. Henry H. Ogden (flight mechanic). Closeup of President Coolidge with Lieutenant Smith in front of one of the aircraft. Scene shifts back again to the larger group, with Lieutenant Wade and Coolidge shaking hands with the four flyers, starting with Lieutenant Wade. Secretary Weeks shakes hands with General Patrick, who has donned a flying coverall. Then Weeks shakes the hands of the flyers and they proceed away from the gathering. Change of scene shows Lieutenant Smith perched on the wing of his aircraft, the "Chicago,"conversing with the President and Secretary Weeks. He gets down and continues his conversation with Coolidge, who touches a propeller blade at one point. Final scene shows a two seater DH-4 airplane taking off from Bolling field.
In October 1925, crowd gathered to watch the Pulitzer Trophy air races at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York. VIPs arrive in various automobiles. Army Air Service Curtiss R3C-1 airplane is pushed onto the field. Air Service Chief, General Patrick , speaks with Lieutenant Cyrus Bettis as Lieutenant James Doolittle listens. A Navy crew works on their entry in the race, similar to the Army Air Service airplane. Navy Lieutenant Al Williams seen with a pipe upside down in his mouth. Lieutenant Bettis taxis out for takeoff in his airplane number 43. Then Navy Lt. Williams proceeds to take off in his aircraft, number 40. Lt. Bettis breaks ground and begins to fly the closed course, coming very close to the ground at times. He lands and climbs out of the cockpit, surrounded by spectators and officials who are convinced he has won, registering a speed of 249 miles per hour. Navy Lt. Williams lands shortly thereafter having averaged 242 miles per hour. He is greeted by several spectators, including a young woman. Two weeks later, the U.S. Army was represented by Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle, who flew the Curtis R3C-1, again, but this time fitted with floats, at the Schneider Cup Seaplane Race in Baltimore, Maryland. He shakes hands with a young woman, just before the race. The Navy also entered with a similar seaplane, shown being pushed into the water. The British entry, a Glouster-Mapier IIIA is seen (replacing the Supermarine-Napier S.4, that was damaged). The Italian Macci M.33 is seen on a dock with engine running. The float planes taxi out over the Chesapeake bay waters to takeoff position. Doolittle is the first to take off and to return, logging an average speed of 232 miles per hour. He is seen smiling after the race.
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