The Grumman A-6E Intruder: Any Weather, Any Time The A6-E, the definitive version of the Navy's A6 Intruder attack bomber with upgraded navigation and attack systems, Naval and Marine corps commanders give detailed examples of how the aircraft was used in a wide variety of roles including close air support strikes coordinated with ground troops and long range all weather bombing missions supplemented by copious film footage of air action in the field.

Beans Bullets & Black Oil Narrated by Academy Award winner Henry Fonda. This is a rare overview of amazingly complex USN logistical support operations in Vietnam. Includes ship to ship transfer of supplies at sea, helicopter transfers, depot operations, specialized ship construction, life aboard a supply ship & more.

The 1^st Division – In July 1965, the “Big Red 1" was the first division sized American unit to be sent to Vietnam. This film gives a year by year account of the divisions actions fought from landing through their departure in 1970.

* Complete 381 page Field & Depot Maintenance Manual for the M48A3 Patton tank Adobe Acrobat .pdf file forma, viewable & printable on any PC or Mac computer based DVD player..

* Your Job in the Navy; Aviation Ratings. This series of five color films is an amazing look behind the scenes showing what \made the US Navy's Air Arm tick during World War 2.Not only will you see ratings going about their highly specialized duties, you'll get up close looks at aircraft like the SBD Dauntless dive bomber, Vought OS2U Kingfisher catapult scout plane, four engined Consolidated PB4Ys &PB2Ys, Avengers, Hellcats.& more.

* Destroyers Greyhounds of the Seas. Narrated by the legendary actor & ex Marine Corps DI, Jack Webb, This fascinating documentary covers the history of “Tin Cans” from the US Navy's first “Torpedo Boat Destroyer,” the U.S.S Bainbridge (DD-1) in1903 to modern guided missile and ASW Destroyers operating in Hunter/Killer groups in concert with Aircraft Carriers.

* Floating Fortress This is a unique look inside an Iowa class battleship, the U.S.S. Wisconsin, during the Korean Conflict. Essentially unchanged from World War 2, the Wisconsin provided fire support for amphibious landings and inland battles, hurling 16 inch shells 20 miles. The Wisconsin was a floating city at work. You'll see all aspects of daily operations including inside the gun turret in action, on the bridge,and much more

* Battle Ship This film was produced as part of the ceremony commemorating the recommissioning of The Battle Ship Missouri in 1986. You see a history of the Iowa class Battleships, from launching during World War 2 through Korea & Vietnam to extensive refitting with modern electronics & Tomahawk cruise missiles before the 1^st Gulf War.

* Surface Strike Vietnam. This classified US Navy report tells the fascinating, and now largely forgotten story of 7^th Fleet hit run surface strikes conducted by destroyers and cruisers, close to the shores of North Vietnam in support of Operations Line Backer 1 & 2 starting in April 1972 through January 1973.

* The Attack Carrier. From U.S.S Langely CV1 to U.S.S. Enterprise CVAN 65 This is a concise history of US Navy Attack Carriers from the US Langley in 1921 (CV-1) through the deployment of the first Nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS:Enterprise (CVN 65).

Cold War, Hot War -- Boomers & Carriers, ASW, Lasers & more – Post World War 2 US Navy on High Alert Six Color Films

* Man and the FBN: The US Navy deploys its first nuclear Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines (

USS George Washington (SSBN-598) –the lead ship of US Navy's first class of Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines - was the first operational nuclear-powered strategic multi-missile under water launch capable submarine in the World. With 16 Polaris A-1 missiles which had a range of 1,000 miles it entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first active patrol November 1960-January 1961. This fascinating film shows the story in graphic detail of the development, construction, testing and deployment of both the revolutionary new subs and their missiles.

* Destroyermen (1960s,Color,15:00) This is a rare up close and personal look at daily life aboard US Navy destroyers on duty with the 6^th fleet in the Mediterranean in the early 1960s. Featured ships include USS Bordelon (DD-881), USS Strong (DD-758), and USS Gearing (DD-710). You'll see a wide range of activities including a submarine alert, gunfire drill including shots inside the 5. gun turret, engine room operations, refueling at sea, and liberty ashore in Athens, Greece. A memorable color snap snapshot of a bygone era.

* Tracking the Threat: Anti Submarine Warfare at the Height of the Cold War This is an amazing time capsule that could have come right out of the pages of Tom Clancey's classic thriller, “The Hunt for the Red October.” In this memorable recreation, a US Navy Carrier Task Force detects and tracks a Soviet sub in the North Atlantic. You'll see all aspects of the operation from the high tech Tactical Command Centers aboard the Carrier USS America and Destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111), to P-3 Orion turbo props out of Keflavik Iceland and carrier launched S-3 Vikings dropping and monitoring sonobuoy fields, to Destroyers deploying towed arrays

* Laser Weapons for the Fleet The Vietnam War posed a new challenge for American attack aircraft: how to deliver payloads with great precision against hotly defended targets like bridges in North Vietnam without exposing planes & crews to withering AAA fire during traditional low altitude dive bombing runs. The answer was a new generation of “smart” weapons systems employing laser beams, TV transmission or a combination of both. This report focus on the development, evolution and deployment of laser based systems by both Navy Air and Marine Corps ground units. The film covers the basics of applied laser technology and the evolution and deployment of laser weapons systems from shoulder mounted laser designators to advanced systems like those on A-6Es Intruder bombers

* Sea Mine Warfare (1968,26:00,Color) Sea mines are one of the oldest naval weapons system still in use for very good reasons: they're relatively cheap, easy to deploy and perform a a wide variety of important functions including blockading harbors, destroying ships at sea, blocking sea lanes and psychological warfare. This comprehensive film gives a short history of the development of both sea mine technology and the mine sweepers used to detect and destroy them from the mid nineteenth century, through World War 1 and 2, with a detailed case study of their role in delaying the the landings at Wonsan in the Korean war, plus more modern deployments. You'll learn about the various kinds of mines including contact, pressure sensitive, acoustic and more and their tactical and strategic uses. You'll also see the various counter measure used by mine sweepers to detect &n explode mines, featuring USN sweepers Pinnacle (MSO 462), Sagacity (MSO 469) Agile (MSO 421) and Ozark (MCS 2) in action. This is an inside view of a widely used but little known technology you wont see anywhere else.

* The U.S. Navy from Vietnam to the 21^st Century This is an excellent broad stroke report on the evolution of U.S. Navy strategic doctrine and deployment from the Vietnam war through Operation Desert Storm. You'll see how the Navy adapted to the unique challenges presented by the Vietnam War, followed by post war down sizing and then dramatic growth under the Reagan administration's “600 Ship Navy.” Of particular interest are the evolving role of aircraft carriers, the rebirth of the battleship and the introduction of a new generation of smart weapons like the Tomahawk cruise missile, used extensively in the Gulf War

Seven Films

* Flying the Sikorsky H-19 Chicasaw Helicopter Transitional training with the Sikorsky H-19. The Sikorsky H-19 and its subsequent variants were workhorse utility helicopters for all branches of the U.S. military and many allied forces in the 1950s & 60s, playing prominent roles in conflicts from Korea through the Vietnam War and in many civilian rescue operations.The film covers eight steps: Pre-flight Inspection, Cockpit Procedures, Taxiing, Hovering, Takeoff, Auto-rotation, Approach and Engine Shutdown. The film offers very detailed views of this classic "Chopper," inside and out.

* Bell AH-1J and AH-1T SeaCobra Attack Helicopters in Combat The U.S. Marine Corps H-1J and AH-1T SeaCobra helicopters are twin engined variants of the Army's AH-1G Huey Cobras, which had been introduced during the Vietnam War.The Marine Cobras saw limited action at the end of the Vietnam War and then in in Grenada in 1983, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi freedom.. nautical miles. They can reach speed of 170 knots , cruise at 140, have a range of 100 miles and are IFR equipped for all weather and night operations. They can mount a wide range of weapons.The film shows Marine Cobras performing critical missions, mostly in support of amphibious landings.

* USAF 20th Helicopter Squadron CH-3C Jolly Green Giants in Vietnam
Operation Double Eagle in late January, 1966, was the largest Marine amphibious assault since the Korean War and the largest conducted during the Vietnam War. 5,000 "Delta Force" marines from 1st Marines, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, and 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines landed by ship and helicopter in southern Quang Ngai Province near Duc Pho. Great quality color footage shows USAF 20th Squadron "Jolly Green Giant" CH-3C helos operating out of Danang supporting the amphibious landing in a variety of roles including ferrying 105mm howitzers from "Red Beach" inland to forward fire bases, transporting causalities and captured VC, bringing in spare parts and ferrying civilians from the combat zone to safe havens.

* Shotgun Rider: Huey Helicopter Door Gunners in the Vietnam War One of the iconic images from the War in Vietnam is of U.S army door gunners firing M-60 machine gun bursts from a low flying Huey into the jungle below. This fascinating film shows all aspects of door gunner duty, from training through deployment in front line units in Vietnam. And the film isn't just about these 'Shotgun Riders," it's also an informative look at all aspects of Huey Attack Helicopter operations & tactics in Vietnam.

* Chopper Pilot Often called "The Helicopter War," Vietnam produced an explosion in demand for trained pilots & crew. Starting with basic classroom work on aerodynamics, engineering & more at Fort Walters Training Center, promising students, soon move on to to basic flight school in the minuscule TH 155 trainer to learn basic flight controls & helicopter handling and then on to their first solo flight. (Then a veteran military instructor takes over to teach them advances skills, including low level cross country flying, navigation, formation flying and recon work. Those that pass the test move on to Ft. Rucker, Alabama for advanced training ion the lager TH13T, including instruments, ADF and GCa. The next step up is to the ubiquitous Huey UH1 and includes basic maintenance and familiarization with the Huey gunship variant. Training culminates in an 8 Day "Field Problem," where everything is done to simulate operating in real combat conditions doing a variety of missions, including heavy lifting, recon, transport & LZ support.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook Airlifts Chaparral Defense System (1977,Color,25:00)
From their inception Helicopters were seen as ideal carriers for transporting loads from Point A to Point B in remote, inaccessible areas in a relatively short time. The Army's Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a prime example that could lift up to 10,000 lbs. This nuts and bolts, how its done film shows an Army team airlifting a M54 forward air defense launcher, mounting four MIM-72A heat seeking missiles, in an emergency situation in the desert by decoupling it from it's tracked carrier and transporting it to a hot spot to provide a ready to go defensive shield.

Bonus: World War Two Helicopters. (1941-45,B&W,Silent,10:00) These very rare archival film shows test flights of three of the first operational military helicopters in World War 2: the German twin rotor Focke Achgelis Fa 223 Drache (Dragon0, the German single rotor, forward engined Flettner FL265, and the American Vought Sikorsky VS 3000 Amphibious helicopter.