Here is a collection of three restored military aviation films from Rare Aviation. I have never seen most of the footage in this restored DVD before.
Next, we have a captured and restored German film titled “Long Range Bomber Over the Atlantic”. This film has menu options that allow you to listen to the original German audio or English voiceover. It also let’s you choose the original English subtitles or German subtitles.
This film was shot by Luftwaffe cameramen and was restricted at the time of its release. There are many scenes inside the Focke-Wulf Condor which is prepared by the ground crew in their black work clothes. The aircraft is fueled and readied for the eight hour mission.
We see the briefing and loading guns and supplies into the Focke-Wulf Condor. The bomber takes off into the night in search of British ships in the North Atlantic. The cockpit scenes in flight are great. As the Condor approaches the target area the crew readies itself for action. Crew members man guns and equipment is checked.
The reported convoy is found. All weapons are cleared for attack. We see actual footage from the bomber as the crew fires on the ships. Bombs are dropped on the ships. The bomber passes low over a ship and we see it fired upon. We see a ship hit by a bomb, with a large explosion.
The Condor circles the convoy and then heads for home. The plane returns and fly’s low over the field waving its wings. The Condor lands and the crew is welcomed home.
The final film is a fantastic overview of early military aviation, with much emphasis on WWII activities. Air Force Scrapbook 1907 -1957 is a collection of the highlights and milestones of military aviation, from the first days when 50% of the force went “over the hill”, to around the world records.
The film begins with fantastic restored film from the very earliest Wright brother’s flight training with pilots at Fort Meyer, Virginia. Footage of the first official military test flight is shown. Scenes are included from Wright flight training at College Park, Maryland.
By 1914 the Army only had 14 licensed pilots. That year alone, 8 of the 14 were killed in crashes. The film includes rare battle footage from the 1916 Mexican border conflict.
After the beginning of WWI our airmen flew French and British planes. We see American pilots with the French Lafayette Escadrille. Also known as the Escadrille Americaine. Not long latter our squadrons went into action. The war resulted in 71 American Aces. Footage of the most famous of the conflict, Eddie Rickenbacker is shown as he sits in his aircraft.
Great footage of the Flying Tigers in early World War II is shown, along with spectacular WWII footage of aerial combat and of the "Ace of Aces", Dick Bong.
Next we move to gun camera film over Korea and engagements with MiGs. The film presents footage of the Korean Ace, Capt. Joseph McConnell as he climbs into Beautious Bitch II, his F-86 Sabre. Footage of Col. Gabby Gabreski is included as well as he climbs into a P-47.
We see Jimmy Doolittle in 1929, set out on his “blind flight” to prove the value of instrument flying. Footage of the YB-17 is shown as it rolls out from the Boeing plant.
Captured Japanese footage is shown from the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Massive WWII aircraft production and crew training is shown. Footage from the Doolittle raid on Tokyo is presented. We move on to the first B-17 bombing of France, daylight precision bombing and the loss of American aircraft in aerial battles.
There is a great section showing the history of the Ploesti B-24 attacks. We see an unbelievable scene as a B-24 is struck by a friendly bomb, sheering off the left wing. Actual footage from the Ploesti attacks is shown. Footage from the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission is shown as well. A crew is shown bailing out of their damaged B-17 above the clouds. The B-17 YANKEE DOODLE is shown flying in formation.
After a mission an American crewman is trapped in the wreckage of his returning plan. Men attempt to extract him with axes, as they try to chop away damaged sections of the aircraft to free him.
A series of incredible air-to-air gun camera films are shown, followed by D-Day aviation footage and B-25 PTO action. Airborne members are shown leaving C-47s.
The B-29 is shown flying off Saipan to attack Japan.
Footage of B-36 squadrons in flight, Berlin airlift, first airmail flights, forest fire patrol, dropping food to snowbound Navajo Indians, bombing a Hawaiian volcano in 1935 to divert lava flow. We see footage from the Texas City evacuations, Operation Hay Lift to drop food to snowbound cattle in the Northwest, the evacuation of sick and wounded from Indochina and the airlift of over 10,000 Hungarian refugees.
Other notable footage in this restored and rescued film includes Charles Lindbergh in his historic flight, film from the Army Air Service Non Stop Coast-to-Coast flight in 1923, the first coast-to-coast dawn to dusk hop in 1924, Douglas World Crusier’s on their around the world flight in 1924, The around the world flight of the B-50 in 94 hours and the first B-52 around the world flight
One of the remarkable segments in this film is that of the plane piloted by Major Carl Spaatz in 1929 participating in the first air-to-air refueling tests. We see the fuel hose dropped from above, caught by hand, fuel is transferred, and then the hose is released. We see actual footage of Major Spaatz.
Capt. Charles Yeager is shown with his XS-1 in 1947, great footage of the Convair B-58 Hustler taking off is included, the X-2 plane in flight, along with rocket technology.
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