B-26 aircraft landing in Tunisia. B-26 being refueled from 4 or 5 gallon gasoline cans. Airmen throw them to the ground as they empty them. American airman examining hole in bomber from attack. Tail of bomber riddled with machine gun holes. A USAAF P-38 fighter landing and a B-26 bomber landing. (World War II period).
Major General James B Doolittle, commander, Northwest African Strategic Air Forces, presenting award citations to U.S. Army Air Forces fliers. He presents Distinguished Flying Cross to a Colonel, who wears Command Pilot wings. General Doolittle surrounded by fliers, points to Bizerte, on a map of Tunisia. Doolittle donning a flight jacket, as he stands beside an airplane.
La Marsa airfield, Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa during World War 2. U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Elliott, Roosevelt, Commander, Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (a multi-national Allied Command) walks across ramp and places an aerial reconnaissance camera inside a British Bristol Beaufighter Photo Reconnaissance aircraft, of No. 540 Squadron RAF Detachment. He speaks with photo reconnaissance technicians carrying cameras to and from the airplane. He converses with two U.S. Army Air Forces field grade officers, as they look at a map spread out on the airplane wing.
U.S. Naval officers on deck of U.S. submarine tied up with others at deck in Pacific. Conning tower with Japanese Flags painted on side. Sailors scraping hull of submarine. Sailors grouped about deck gun. One sailor holding dog mascot. Entire submarine complement at rail. Painting hull of submarine. Sailors cleaning deck gun.
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.
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