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Colossus: The Rise of the US Army Air Corps 1939-1943 DVD
The inspirational story of how a nation pulled itself up by its bootstraps to create the mightiest Air Force the world had ever seen. Four films with more than 2 hours of dramatic World War 2 footage, digitally restored.
Expansion to Air Power (1944, B&W,
43:00) Between the eve of World War 2 in June 1939 and December 1943,
the US Army Air Force grew from 2,402 aircraft and 24,700 personnel
to 65,000 aircraft and 2.4 million personnel - an unprecedented leap.
FDRs goal of producing 50,000 planes a year was met and surpassed!
This engrossing film combines easy to grasp information with
memorable graphics and dramatic historic film footage that makes it
all real. You'll learn about pilot and technical training programs,
logistics, new aircraft production, billions in appropriations, Air
Force organizational structure and much more. Planners had to
estimate everything from bomb production according to type and usage
to fuel consumption per hour by a myriad of different aircraft types
performing hundreds of thousands of sorties. Depots and bases were
set up around the world. Millions of tons of supplies had to get to
thousands of locations on time. Giant aircraft plants sprang up in the
wilderness. Hundreds of specific personnel requirements had to be
planned and implemented -- from pilots to WACs & WAFs to navigators &
mechanics. Entire Air Force units had to be created from scratch. A
treasure trove of archival film, including captured enemy footage,
takes you year by year starting in 1939 through 1943 to show you not
only what was happening in the US, but how it related to world events
like the fall of France, "The Blitz" and more. This inside
information was so secret, it was restricted to audiences with security clearance.
The AAF Report (1944, B&W, 42:00) This
fascinating film report on the state of the Army Air Force was
prepared by the Office of Strategic Services (forerunner to the
C.I.A.) and delivered to the American people by Air Force C-in-C
General Hap Arnold in early 1944. We know of no better picture of the
organization and operation of the US Air Force in the midst of
World War 2. You'll take a tour of all of all 15 "Air Forces"
spread around the World, from the 5th in the South Pacific to the 8th
in the U.K to the 15th in the Mediterranean to the 14th in China and
many more. You'll learn how they started, what their strength and
missions were, and best of all, there's a ton of vivid documentary
footage showing daily operations from aircraft plants, training and
transport, to exciting air combat action.
Report from the Aleutians (1943,
Restored Color, 44:00) Starting on June 3, 1942, 6 months after Pearl
Harbor, a small Japanese force occupied US territory on the Alaskan
islands of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian chain. It took US Forces a
year to dislodge them under harsh arctic conditions. Though remote,
the island's strategic value was their ability to control Pacific
"great circle" ocean and air routes. General Billy Mitchell
told Congress, "I think it is the most important strategic place
in the world." This classic color film, directed and narrated by
Academy Award Winner John Huston, shows the first offensive steps of
the rapidly expanding Army Air Corps at the dawn of world War 2 in
the Pacific. Rare early war color footage includes P-39 Airacobras,
the first operational deployment of P-38E Lightning fighters, B-25
Mitchells, Navy PBYs and some of the first missions flown by B-24
Liberator bombers by US forces. You'll also see one of the first of many far flung forward bases around the world carved out of the frozen
wastes of Adak Island, a springboard to attack the Japanese. Typical
of a great John Huston film, you'll meet the smiling yet determined
sailors, airmen, and soldiers, some of them still wearing "doughboy" helmets, who risked their lives to take the war to the
enemy for the first time. Air War in Europe 1943 (1943, B&W,
10:00) This is a series of dramatic films showing the rapidly
maturing Army Air Force moving into high gear in the Fall of 1943.
You'll see the B-17 "Berlin Sleeper" on one of her record
breaking 102 missions. B-25 Mitchells battle North African mud to
move out to their new base in occupied Italy. "Thunderbolts Over
Europe" shows P-47s taking on the Luftwaffe on a dramatic bomber
escort mission. Thirty-three Martin B-26 Marauder bombers, protected by RAF
Spitfires, hit ship yards, power plants and workshops near Le Trait,
France. You'll see the original newsreel footage of "The Memphis
Belle's" last mission against the U Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven,
Germany, with combat footage not shown in the later classic feature
film of the same name.
USAAF: The Air War in Europe in 1943
Our DVDs are produced in the NTSC video format for full screen playback on your TV using your home DVD player. NTSC format countries include the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Our DVDs are not "region limited." We have received reports from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong and Australia that our DVDs will also play on PAL & SECAM format home DVD players when they are connected to PAL & SECAM standard TVs via video out, s-vhs, component or HDMI connectors. (Do not use the "Antenna" or "cable/coaxial" connection to your TV.) -
DVDs are packaged in clear, indestructible poly cases. -
Our DVDs will play full screen on PC & Mac computers equipped with a DVD player anywhere in the world. Formats like NTSC, PAL & SECAM are not relevant for computer based DVD movie playback. -
Pilot's manuals require a computer DVD player for viewing. Manuals are in the popular Adobe Acrobat ".pdf" format. You probably already have this software installed on your computer. If not, free Acrobat software is included on the DVD. If you don't have a DVD player on your computer, we can put the manual on a separate CD-ROM! (Click here for info,) -
Should you experience a problem with a DVD disc, e-mail Zeno and a replacement will be provided free of charge. Please include the make & model number of your DVD player along with a description of the problem.
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