Shows several aviation "firsts" accomplished by U.S. Army Air Service aviators in the period from 1918 through 1924. A close formation of biplanes in flight. President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson chat with Major Fleet, Officer in charge, on the occasion of the first air mail flight, inaugurated on May 15,1918 between Washington DC and New York.The mail is loaded into the Curtis JN-4 aircraft. Pilot in the cockpit. The aircraft takes off and in flight. Air Service. Mention of aviators helping spot forest fires. Smoke rising from forest fires and mountain ranges. In 1920, U.S. Army Captain St. Clair Streett is seen with some of his Squadron who flew four De Havilland DH-4 aircraft 9,000 miles, from New York City to Nome, Alaska. Two of the men play with pet dogs. Their itinerary is painted on the side of one of the aircraft, along with the names of pilot and mechanic (C.E. Crumline and J.E. Long). In 1923 the first non stop coast-to-coast flight was made in the Fokker T-2 aircraft. . A sign on the aircraft reads 'Army Air Service non stop coast to coast'.First Lieutenants Oakley O.Kelly and John A. Macready board the aircraft, at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, on May 2, 1923. Their Fokker T-2 in flight. Their arrival at Rockwell Field, on Coronado Island (San Diego) California. In 1924, Lt. Russell Maughan is seen boarding his P-1 Hawk airplane at Mitchel Field, on Long Island, New York, and taking off , bound for Crissy Field at the Presidio, San Francisco, California. His goal is the first dawn-to-dusk, coast-to-coast flight. Views of his P-1 Hawk airplane flying over Manhattan, New York City.
Animated map of Philippines and Guam. Pre-war scenes of buildings in Philippines before Japanese attack. Flag waving from a building in Manila, Philippines. Filipino civilians running on streets and Japanese planes bombing in Manila during World War II. Fire on a house due to bombing. Scenes of devastated houses. Christ's statue dropped on ground in a church. A bell on the church. An animated map of Pacific region and focuses on Australia. Scene of General Douglas MacArthur. American troops gathered in an Australian port. Japanese attack by air at Port Moresby. U.S. troops debarking. Anti-aircraft guns firing in Midway Island. Admiral Chester W Nimitz decorates heroes of the battle of Midway. Scenes of ships in sea. A plane and some U.S. troops on boats. Scene of U.S. troops in jungle. Animated map of Solomon Islands. U.S. flag on a ship. Fighters and land-based Army bombers fly in air. Soldiers save themselves from firing by plane. Scenes of U.S. soldiers on island. Japanese signboard on a tree.
World War II war crime trials in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Fifteen Germans come out of a prison gate. They are on a trial for killing seven U.S. airmen captured on Borkum Island after their aircraft crashed there on August 4, 1944. The prisoners, including both former German Army soldiers and Borkum Island civilian resdients, aboard a truck. Two armored cars escort the truck. They arrive at Ludwigsburg Palace. Sign over door reads "Borkum Island Court Room." The prisoners enter the courtroom in the palace. They take their seats. Seven United States judges seated in the court.
A training film titled 'Tarawa operations' about Allied invasion of Tarawa during World War II. A map of the Pacific region depicts the location of the Gilbert Islands. A map of the Gilbert Islands including Tarawa. Animated map of Tarawa depicts the area of the atoll. A map of Betio island depicts its area. Animation depicts wind direction that helps in anchoring of landing crafts.
'Action on Iwo Jima' depicts the Battle of Iwo Jima or Operation Detachment during World War II. United States Marines Divisions eliminate positions on Mount Suribachi. Mount Siribachi on the island coast. Additional waves of Marines arrive at the island. 3rd Marine Division arrives to enforce the 4th and 5th Divisions. Landing crafts and ships approach the shore amidst enemy fire and explosions. Crouched Marines in a Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP). Marines advance inland amidst mortar fire and machine gun fire by the Japanese. They advance across mine fields on the beach. Soldiers unload supplies from landing crafts and ships. They pull a tank across the beach. A view of the battle from inside a tank. Marines battle around Mount Suribachi. Advanced units scale cliffs and take cover against grenades and demolition charges from the Japanese in caves and pill boxes. The Marines use flames to flush Japanese soldiers out of dug in positions. A Japanese soldier takes cover from machine gun fire. Guns fired and explosions on the island.
Role of Air Service Command in repairing and salvaging damaged airplanes and equipment in the European Theater during World War II. Air Service Command personnel, a jeep and damaged aircraft in an open field. The personnel inspect the damaged aircraft. They dig mud and make a ditch. A truck with a flat trailer pulls the aircraft out of the ditch. A DUKW drives down a water stream. It delivers tools and damaged section of the aircraft to an air service center. The service center personnel checks harnesses of parachutes in a parachute shop. Experts replace the damaged bearings of the propellers. A personnel hands over a generator to a sergeant. An ordnance personnel checks guns. The sergeant tests the points on the generator. Engine experts repair the gear of an engine. A welder welds heavy parts. A personnel gets off from a vehicle and enters into an air conditioned trailer shop. In this shop defective instruments of aircraft are put in a vacuum chamber. A repaired aircraft takes off. A ship burns and smoke rises. The damaged ship. A personnel types on a typing machine. Aircraft in the background. The Air Service Command personnel get into a boat. The boat underway along a ship. The personnel climb onto a ship. They see an island. They move towards the island as they get into a barge. They find damaged parts of aircraft on the island. They inspect fuselage, wings, guns and shells of the aircraft. Damaged aircraft and its parts are taken to the air service center.
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