Staged views from inside a Martin B-26 Marauder aircraft of the USAAF 323rd bombardment Group, at Denain-Prouvy Airdrome, France, in World War 2. Pilot and copilot settle into their respective seats in the cockpit. The pilot hangs a pair of white baby shoes from tubing (vacuum or hydraulic line?) crossing the cockpit windshield. He pats the shoes. View of pilot's hand advancing both engine throttles.Then view of copilot's hand adjusting throttles and mixtures. View of waist gunner peering out of B-26 and maneuvering his machine gun in various directions. A B-26 (with white tail of the 323rd Bomb Group) parked with both engines running. The engines shut down and its 4-bladed props stop. Views of pilot's and copilot's hands maneuvering the yokes in the cockpit. Crew member assists pilot as he dons a flak jacket (Flyers Vest M1). He then dons a flying helmet, and taps his good-luck baby shoes again. Copilot maneuvers control yoke as they converse using their throat microphones.
U.S. Army Air Forces operations in Germany near the end of World War II. Fire guard stands watch as a USAAF B-26 aircraft of the 323rd Bombardment Group, starts engines at Denain-Prouvy Airdrome (A-83) in France, during World War 2. More than 50 bombs are painted on fuselage of the aircraft, representing completed bombing missions. The aircraft is equipped with 4-bladed propellers. Airman stands fire guard with extinguisher as Left engine is started. He then goes to the other side of the airplane to stand fire guard as the right engine is started. Change of scene: Allied C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft are seen flying overhead in extremely loose formations.
A French Char 2C Heavy Tank being tested in France following World War I. The tank moves out of a pond and rolls across a field. Soldiers lying on the ground behind the tank. The tank moves into the pond.
A Swiss Border guard walks toward camera, on the French side of the Franco-Swiss border crossing near Annecy, France, during World War 2. He confers with an officer of the U.S. Army Air Force. A tram arrives on the Swiss side and stops at the border. A large group of American pilots and crew step from the tram with their baggage. They are barred from moving further, by Swiss guards. But one man in a raincoat, walks past the guards and greets U.S. officers and an official, outside a customs office at the border. A Swiss border guard supervisor directs guards to move the flyers to a walkway. Another American Army officer arrives and greets those already there. The flyers being repatriated from Switzerland, walk en masse across the border and climb aboard a bus waiting on the French side.
Edgar Faure, President of the French Council of Ministers, arrives at the Élysée Palace (55 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France). He steps from his car and walks up the steps of the building. Cameramen photograph him. The occasion is the Government's decision to dissolve the French National Assembly and proceed to quick elections. A clock shows hands approaching midnight. President Faure is accosted by numerous members of the press as he leaves the building.
Activities of the American soldiers in France during World War I. A gun shelled car. The soldiers standing near the car and inspect the bullet holes and wreckage. A puppy dog and a kitten playing together as two soldiers watch.
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