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The US Bombers Go to War DVD * Target Tokyo (1944, B&W, 22:00)
Follow the men of the 21st Bomber Command and their B-29 Super Fortresses from their training base in Grand Island, Nebraska, to the newly built air base at Saipan and right into the first 3,000 mile raid on Tokyo. Great up close and personal footage of the lives of air & ground crews, along with rare B-29 combat film shot on that first big raid on the Nakajima aircraft plant. Features cameos of crew members of the famous B-17 "Memphis Belle," who signed up for another tour of duty to fly B-29s against Japan. Narrated by Ronald Reagan.
* Medal of Honor: Ploesti August 1, 1943 (1944, Black & White, 7:00)
On August 1, 1943, specially trained elements of the 8th and 9th Air Forces flying B-24 Liberators based in Benghazi Libya launched a daring low level attack on Ploesti, over 1,200 miles away. They struck and struck hard, but the cost was very high. Unescorted by fighters and coming in literally at tree top level to surprise the enemy, 54 out of 162 of the attacking bombers were lost, along with 540 American air crew. Every member of the attacking force was awarded a medal, including 5 Medals of Honor, the highest decoration awarded by the U. S. military. Of the Medal of Honor recipients, only Col. Leon Johnson, 44th Bomb Group, and Col. Jon "Killer" Kane, 98th Bomb Group, survived the mission. This film features dramatic action that has been excerpted for countless documentaries. This is the original.
* Air Siege Ploesti : March to August 1944 (1945, Black & White,19:30)
The capture of Foggia in Italy in 1944 provided the 15th Air Force with a base to launch a new series of air attacks on Ploesti. This time, B-17s and B-24s attacked with fighter escort at high altitude. Losses were heavy, with over 1,800 air crew lost to FLAK and enemy fighters. Accuracy suffered when smoke pots were used to obscure the target, so P-38s were used as dive bombers to penetrate the defenses. Soon P-51s helped to achieve total air superiority. By the fall of 1944, 90% of Romanian's oil production was knocked out. Narrated by Ronald Reagan.
* Bombers Over Africa (1942 Black & White 22:00)
This is a rare look at early war US Air Operations in North Africa. B-25 and B-17 bombers of the 321st and 97th Bomb Group help cut off Rommel's retreat from Tunisia. Part of the "North West African Strategic Air Force," these groups were initially tasked with preventing men and material from reaching the Afrika Korps, and later with preventing them from escaping. The missions for the day of this film were to strike from bases in Algeria at the junction at Manouba, near Tunis, and the air field at Sidi Ahmed, near Bizerte, where a large number of extremely valuable JU 52 transports were based, a key element in German evacuation plans. (Ironically, the 321st would soon occupy Sidi Ahmed as their new base for the Sicilian campaign.) The film features an introduction by the theater commander, then 4 star General, Dwight Eisenhower and an afterword by Air Operations Commanding General "Jimmy" Doolittle. Perhaps most memorably, this film is notable for it's extended "up close and personal" look at the men of the 97th & 321st BGs. You'll see real pre mission and after action debriefing sessions with the men who flew them, including a B-17 crew's account of an FW 190 shoot down and the water ditching of a heavily damaged B-25.
* Conquest by Air (1946, B&W, 20:00)
This is an excellent summary of the strategic air campaign in Europe. Produced right after the war, it benefits from captured enemy evaluations of allied bombing and after action photos of important targets. You'll also hear testimony form German leadership on the effects of the bombing on their war effort. Extensive footage of before and after bomb damage on oil refineries, tank production factories, as well as gun camera footage of air-to-ground attacks. Plenty of B-17 & B-24 air combat action too!
* Mission Accomplished: The Story of the Flying Fortress (1942, B&W, 11:00)
On August 17, 1942 eighteen B-17Es from the 97th Heavy Bombardment Group, Eighth Bomber Command (later Eighth Air Force) from Grafton Underwood, performed the first daylight raid over Northern Europe by US heavy bombers. Escorted by RAF Spit Vs & IXs, 6 bombers ran a diversion along the French coast, while 12 more Fortresses attacked the primary target., the important rail yards at Sotteville, France, near Rouen. This mission was a crucial first step in establishing the efficay of American daylight precision bombing doctrine. Success of the raid was vital so that VIII Bomber Command CO Gen Ira C. Eaker went along for the ride in B-17E "Yankee Doodle.Though small in scale, the raid was a success, with precision hits on important rail assets, with only two Fortresses sustaining minor damage. Lucky for us, combat cameramen recorded this historic action from briefing through "bombs away!"/font>
* Doolittle Strikes Japan! (1943, B&W, 5:00)
Actual footage from Jimmy Doolittle's daring raid on Japan. See B-25 Medium Bombers take off from the storm tossed deck of the carrier Hornet Truly classic footage.
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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