Behind the Scenes in World War 2 -
Volume 8
Army Air Force
Combat Camera Unit Film Reports 1943-45 (60 Minutes)
*Bombing White
Cloud Airdrome, Canton China * First American Bomber Raids on Berlin
March 5-8 1944 *Dive Bomber Attacks at Monte Casino *Massive
paratroop maneuvers in England before D-Day *Airborne troop landings
& attack aircraft support the capture of Mytkyina Airfield, Burma
*B-29 Raids on Rangoon & Kuala Lumpur *B-24s based at Morotai
attack Mindinao, Zamboanga and Balibpapan, Borneo *Saipan based B-29
night attacks against Kobe & Nagoya, Japan *B-24s and low level
B-25s support the invasion of Borneo at various landing beeches *Bomb
Damage in Berlin shortly after surrender *Communications wire laying
from flying aircraft over remote locations *Flying Tigers play
baseball in Kunming, China *Message pickup by a light plane without
landing in Burma *Front Line Hospital work in the jungle, Yupbang,
Burma.
Self Propelled
Anti Aircraft Weapons 1943 (10 Minutes) An overview of
U.S. Army half-track turret mounted mobile anti aircraft guns,
including the M-13 (two .50 caliber machine guns), the M-15 (two .50
calibers & one M1 37mm auto canon) and the M-16 (four .50
calibers). Shows them on maneuvers and in a memorable direct fire
demonstration against ground targets. Basic operations by turrets
operator/gunners too.
461st AAA
Battalion Direct Fire Support for 28 Inf. Div, Hürtgen Forest
11/4/1944
(7 Minutes) I created this
mini documentary from recently discovered silent, unedited footage
from the National Archives. I edited & assembled the shots into
what I believe reflects the story telling intent of the combat
cameramen who filmed it in1944. I added live sound effects sampled
from real M60 Half-Tracks, GMC CCKW 353 2½-ton 6×6 trucks and live
firings of Bofors 40mm Antiaircraft guns & Quad .5o calibers. The
film shows elements of the 461st AAA BAT, including M-60 Half-track
M16s with quad .50 cals and GMC trucks towing 40mm Bofors M1 Anti
Aircaft Guns, arriving at two locations in the Hürtgen forest.
They set up positions and aim direct fire at distant Wehrmacht units
in the forest. This is unusually high quality footage showing men and
equipment up close. Live firing scenes are awesome!
Four Films
Featuring Tanks (18:00)
*The Sherman DD “Flotation
Screens” for amphibious tanks were first developed by the British
in 1941 and soon adapted for Valentines. This film shows a U.S. A4
Sherman version as it was deployed on D-Day, June 6th 1944. “DD’
stands for ”Duplex Drive” meaning both propeller and track drive
capable. DD Tanks could swim at up to 4 knots. This fascinating "Top
Secret" report shows in detail how the flotation screens and
twin propellers were deployed and how the tank operated in water.
Very detailed.
*Armored Battle Sleds This one has to be
seen to be believed! 3rd Infantry CO BG John O'Daniel demonstrates
his “Battle Sled” prototype in the field to VI Corps CO MG Lucian
Truscott & 5th Army CO LTG Mark Clark near Anzio, Italy,
4/6/1944. Chains of semi-circular armored tubes with Infantrymen
lying flat inside are towed behind Sherman tanks into battle,
avoiding enemy fire until they reach their destination. Then the
troopers jump out and charge!
*Captured German “Goliath”
Remote Controlled Tracked Mines Goliath tracked
mines were wire remote controlled mini-tanks used by the German Army
as explosive filled demolition vehicles during World War II. 7,564
were produced & used primarily by specialized Panzer and combat
engineer units. They first appeared in 1942 and were deployed on all
fronts through 1945, including on D-Day 1944. Here U.S. Army
engineers use captured ones to show how they worked and give a quick
drive around demonstration.
*Snow Suits for Tanks Company D, 353rd
Tank Battalion (attached to 36th Inf. Division) paint their tanks
winter white plus “driving practice for new men,” near
Mackwiller, Bas Rin, France January 10th, 1945. This is another
collection of silent raw archival footage that I edited together &
added sound effects. I was able to identify the exact date & unit
shown through careful research of divisional records and clues in the
footage. This "behind the scenes" film has the quality of a
home movie showing tankers going about their daily business while
held in reserve, having a brief respite from combat. Features M5
Stuart Light Tanks & M-4 Shermans and their crews.
Japanese Long
Distance Paper Balloon Incendiary Bombs (10 minutes)
This is an
ingenious invention I had read about, but never expected to see -
until I discovered this U.S. Navy training film. During World War 2
Japan developed large hydrogen filled paper balloons that carried
incendiary bombs all the way from Japan to the the West Coast of
North America - from Mexico to Canada. Released near Nagoya at
specific times of the year, they ascended to about 30,000' and road
prevailing winds, traveling at about 100mph, taking about four days
to reach the West Coast. A set of relatively simple instruments
controlled altitude and release of small incendiary bombs designed to
set fire to forests, crops and flammable structures. Some of them
made it all the way, but without causing significant damage. The U.S.
Navy recovered a few that crashed & failed to explode to study
them and to recreate the replicas shown & explained in this
fascinating film.
Seabees in
Normandy – the Creation of Artificial Harbors (20:00 minutes)
After the D-Day
landings on June 6th, until seaports like Cherbourg could
be captured and put in service, artificial harbors had to be created
off shore so essential men, equipment and supplies could be offloaded
from transports and ferried or driven over piers to the beaches.
Giant “Phoenix” concrete caissons were towed and sunk as the
first step in creating large artificial “Mulberry”harbors. A lot
more construction followed to complete the harbor with all its
facilities, as shown in this very detailed film. And they served many
more functions like repair shops, medical aid stations and AAA
installations. “Behind the Scenes” info you won't see anywhere
else.
Japanese
Americans Fighting for Their Country in Italy 1944 (8 minutes)
This issue of the
“Army Navy Screen Magazine” film series was created to show men &
women in U.S. Forces world wide the courageous and productive service
of Japanese American Units in the Italian Campaign in World War 2.
Soldiers of the 442nd Infantry Regiment talk about their service, the
unit is shown in action and there's a tribute by 5th Army CO LTG Mark
Clark. Members of their families living in Hawaii receive posthumous
decorations for sons who died in combat. Although mention is made
that Japanese Americans should be treated no differently than German
or Italian Americans, unfortunately, no mention is made that
thousands of Japanese American families were unjustly interned in
camps during the War, making the sacrifice their sons made even more
remarkable.
