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

* 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).

Tanks were justifiably feared by the infantry. In this nuts & bolts training film, an experienced "tanker" gives troopers the inside dope on what they need to know to take them on using a wide variety of tactics & weapons
Photography Fights
This is a dramatic recreation of actual events. A small group of U.S. Navy aerial photography analysts labor away in a steaming bunker at an obscure Pacific island airbase during the battle for Guadalcanal The tale is told in a deadpan style, chocked full of period lingo. They work closely with a laid-back F4F-7 Wildcat recon pilot who flies their missions. "As usual," not much out of the ordinary happens, until an anomaly is detected in a photo taken of a spot in the jungle at Munda on the Japanese held Island of New Georgia, within striking distance of Guadalcanal.
Kill or be Killed
Americans are brought up with the ideal of "fair play" in sports competition. The goal of this film is to bluntly drive home the reality that fair play can get you killed in a hurry on a battlefield. The idea is to kill the enemy first, without putting yourself in unnecessary danger. The emphasis here is on one on one encounters, including hand to hand combat, using any means necessary.
Suspended Runway
This amazing 'How To" documentary is from the top secret World War 2 archives of the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) the forerunner of the C.I.A. It could be right out of a James Bond film. In essence, you'll learn how to quickly construct a "Suspended Runway" capable of landing, raising and lowering and launching "Grasshopper" light aircraft in the jungle, above the undergrowth. And its all done with rope & pulleys and unpowered tools by a nine man crew!
Building a World War 2 Tank
You'll get a behind the scenes look in a defense building the complex M3 Lee medium tank. The Lee was the Army's first mass produced World War 2 battle tank, as seen in the Humphrey Bogart Hollywood classic "Sahara." It featured a turret mounted 37mm quick firing antitank gun and a hull mounted 75mm gun. It was exported in large numbers to Britain, Commonwealth countries and the Soviet Union as the "Grant," with several British mandated modifications.
Road Expedients
Like our popular video "Tank Expedients," this is another film in a series used to train troops on quick & dirty solutions for problems in encountered in the field of battle: aka "Expedients." In this case, for building roads in a wide variety of terrains and climates, using material and equipment available on the spot
Medical Services in the Invasion of Normandy
Most documentaries on D-Day focus on the logistics that went into military aspects of the combined amphibious & airborne assaults. This fascinating "Restricted" documentary gives a behind the scenes look into the complex planning and execution that went into providing rapid and effective medical services for wounded servicemen & women, saving thousands of lives.
D-Day & Normandy Campaign Situation Maps
This remarkable series of Top Secret "situation maps," shown in slow motion time lapse, are the actual ones used by Allied 12th Army Group Headquarters to show the position of Allied and German military units in the Normandy Invasion area from D-Day June 6 through the "Breakout" across Northern France through August 25th, 1944. This gives a unique perspective on the course of events.
Movies at War
When I talk to World War 2 vets, often some of their fondest memories come from watching movies in the field during a "break in the action," in tiny ad hoc theaters. But the role of "movies" for American forces went far beyond entertainment, which is what this short documentary is all about.

First Fighter Squadron in New Guinea 1942-1944 (Color)

In 1981retired Air Corp's Lt. Col. Ken Gerrish donated home movies he shot during his service on Papua New Guinea between 1942 and 1944. As Engineering Officer he was responsible for maintaining P-39s for the 36th Fighter Squadron and P-38s for the Eighth Fighter Group of the Fifth Air Force. You'll see P-39 Airacobras, P-38 Lightnings and B-25 bombers operating from muddy airstrips carved out of the jungle, along with the men who maintained and flew them.

Film Communique 1943

Little Detroit - A huge marshaling yard is built from scratch in a Mediterranean port
Troop Carrier Command - New Guinea Operations
The Price of Rendova A massive amphibious assault, supported by air and naval bombardment is launched against the Japanese held island of Redova, stepping stone for seizing the nearby airbase at Munda, on New Georgia.

World War 2 G.I.s “Baptism of Fire”
"In your first battle, your worst fight isn't with the enemy, it's with yourself," is theme of this gritty, no holds barred World War 2 training film, nominated for an Academy Award in 1944.

Army- Navy Screen Magazine highlights – shown only to members of the Armed Forces (1942-1945)

Attack in the Marshalls In one of the first major amphibious operation in the Pacific, the strategic Island of Kwajalein is seized from the Japanese, a key airbase for the upcoming “Island Hopping” campaigns using combined force.
Somewhere in Italy American 10^th Mountain Division troops train for steep terrain assaults with an elite Italian “Alpini” unit that had recently switched sides from Mussolini's Fascists.

Fifth Army Mobile American Expeditionary Radio Stations. AES trucks in Italy were specially equipped to function as mobile radio stations, broadcasting popular records, radio shows like”The Shadow” and live USO shows with stars like Marlene Dietrich to front line troops.
Rescue - American and Filipino POWs are liberated and from Japanese camps.
Iron War Horses U.S. Army Railroad Battalion troops are trained at a specially constructed base at Camp Claiborn, Louisiana, before being deployed to operate railroads overseas,
Seized from the Japs See captured Japanese films showing elite troops being trained for amphibious landings before the Pacific campaign was launched.
The Fighting Dutch Thousands of Dutch soldiers, sailors and airmen who escaped from occupied Netherlands or were stranded in the Far East after the Japanese occupied Dutch colonies were trained and organized into effective fighting units in the Pacific theater.
Three Day Pass in India American servicemen & women who may have never ventured beyond their town back in the U.S.A. are given useful tips on adapting to Indian culture when they get some time off from their duties.
I Was There A U.S. Army nurse describes her experiences during the fall of the Philippines to Japanese forces, accompanied by vivid documentary footage.
Burma Outpost Rare footage of daily life in an American forward observation post in Northern Burma, set in almost impassible jungle terrain.
Munda Outpost After bitter fighting to take it from the Japanese, the strategically vital air strip at Munda, on the Island of New Georgia in the Solomons, was rebuilt using heavy equipment and subsequently maintained by the Afro-American 828^th Engineer Aviation Battalion.
Private Snafu In the Aleutians, Iles of Enchantment (Oh Brother!) A humorous look at duty on the frigid Alaskan island chain. The Private Snafu cartoon series combined slap stick entertainment with useful info.

With a heavy emphasis on air action, this is one of the best “Behind the Scenes” editions yet!

The Third Air Force Presents “H- Hour!” New Discovery! The Third Air Force was the largest of the four U.S. Army Air Forces based in the U.S.A. during World War 2. Headquartered in Tampa FL, it encompassed the South Eastern United States with a network of specialized airfields, tasked with training 10s of thousands of pilots & air crew. They produced “H-Hour” to show trainees what to expect when they joined their combat units, using real life examples with different aircraft performing missions around the world. Very high quality film footage!

Part 1: Recco Pilot. Photo Reconnaissance pilots received the most in depth training in the Air Force. You'll get a good look at a Lockheed F-5 (recon version of the P-38) inside and out and follow the aircraft and her pilot on a long range mission filming the Japanese base at Rabaul.

Part 2: B-17 Crew on Mission over Germany. Meet the crew of B-17 “Knock Out Dropper” and follow them on a maximum effort bombing mission to the hit the ball bearing plant at Ekner, West of Berlin, from their early morning briefing to “bombs away” over the target.

Part 3: B-25s in the South Pacific. In December 1943, B-25s hit Japanese bases and shipping at Cape Gloucester, New Britain. Flying at very low level just above the jungle they bomb & strafe the enemy using machine guns, 75 mm canon and drop “parafrag”parachute bombs.

Part 4. P-47s on a long range bomber escort mission to Germany. Thunderbolts take on '109s, '110s, and '190s. Lots of P-47 gun camera film, supplemented with captured German film showing Luftwaffe fighters scrambling to meet them.

Part 5 D-Day,June 6^th, Paratroopers land at night in Normandy while B-26 Marauders and A-20Havocs range across Northern France, attacking troop concentrations, railroads, ammo dumps and fortifications.

*Combat Weekly Digest Highlights 1943-1945 These films were shot by Army Air Force Combat Camera Units (AAFCCUs) on all fronts and were shown only to Allied Armed Forces personnel. Combat Cameramen road along on missions documenting them as they happened, giving a unique record of aircraft and crews, much of which you wont see anywhere else. Excellent qualityfootage shot over targets too. More than 20 films!

*Army Navy Screen Magazine Highlights 1943-1945 (20:00) A Life Magazine style film series shown only Armed Forces personnel. Excellent quality film footage!

* Around the clock with the RAF. Lancaster bomber crews are briefed and set on their way on to a night mission over Germany. The next day, RAF Boston attack bombers launch from the same fields to flying on the deck tohit targets on the Continent.

* Back Home in Burbank – Inspiring film showing blind men and women, accompanied by their guide dogs, performing specialized tasks on the P-38 Lightning assembly line in Burbank, California.

* WASPs American women are trained to perform aircraft maintenance & become pilots, freeing up men for combat duties.

* Youth Power – Thousands of high school age boys and girls worked in aircraft defense plants after school and during summer vacation. You'll see them performing surprisingly complex tasks assembling bombers and P-38 fighters.

Air Reconnaissance, Combat Counter- Intelligence, Camouflage & Espionage in World War 2
NEW!

Six films plus a special bonus feature!

Air Reconnaissance and Observation: Roles, Capabilities and Limitations Airborne intelligence gathering was an essential aid to land and sea combat operations in World War 2 This film was produced by the Army Signal Corps as an introduction for Airborne Observers, including visual reporting, photographic and artillery spotting. Their activities are shown in detail. Skills that had to be developed included navigation, map orientation, radio communications, target identification, photography and gunnery.

Combat Counter-Intelligence Narrated by Hollywood legend Lloyd BridgesThis film opens with a 1940s version of “Spygate.” A scout surreptitiously films from the stands a quarterback's little “tells” that give away the play he is about to run. The scout's team, who is an underdog, uses this intelligence to win their next game against him. The lesson for World War 2 Servicemen: “We must avoid “giveaways!'” The film then segues to a series of engrossing dramatized examples of US infantrymen in both World Wars doing just that.

Camouflage (This film is a treasure. It's one of the best examples of the theory and practice of the art of camouflaging military targets from air observation & attack that you'll find anywhere, presented in a highly entertaining Disney style full color animation supplemented by live action film. Hosted by “Yehudi the Chameleon,” the action is centered around a P-39 Airacobra base in the Pacific and is chocked full of useful information & “how-tos.”

Private SNAFU: Spies! If bumbling Private SNAFU sounds like Bugs Bunny in this entertaining short, it's because it's the legendary voice of Mel Blanc, who did Bugs and many other cartoon characters. The inept Private SNAFU appeared in a series of cartoons showing G.I.s what NOT to do in a variety of situations – in this case, keeping military secrets.

Sucker Bait “Loose lips sick ships,” was a warning seen everywhere during World War 2 in America. In this highly dramatic film, starring Richard Carlson with Donna Reed, Barry Nelson and Esther Williams, unfortunately that comes true. The framework of the film is a lecture to a freshman class for spies in Germany who will soon be sent to the USA. As the cynical, sardonic instructor says, “Here is an incident to illustrate how our enemies talk, think and are criminally careless.” The mission in the case study is to discover convoy sailing times & routes so U-Boats can sink them.

Don't Talk! ) his film was part of MGMs “Crime Does Not Pay'” series showing FBI agents at work. In this case, the G-Men are called in to investigate an explosion at an important defense plant. You'll see them use then state of the art photographic, forensic and chemical analysis to hunt down the perpetrators, in this case a German espionage ring centered around intelligence gathered by Beulah, a waitress in “The Elite Cafe,” where plant workers congregate.

Special Bonus Feature

The Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit (1944,B&W, 21:00) One of the most common questions I've been asked about the World War 2 aviation training films like the ones on this DVD is ”Who made these?” The answer is the subject this fascinating report, “The Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit.” A massive Hollywood studio in Culver City California was turned over solely for producing these training and information films, staffed by experienced men & women enlisted into the Army from all the trades necessary to produce a top flight motion picture. You'll see writers, actors directors, editors, set designers, props, sound technicians, carpenters, sculptors, wardrobe designers & tailors, cartoon animators, special effects wizards, air & ground cinematographers, a motor pool for on location shooting trips, miniature model production, a full orchestra and more, going about their highly specialized tasks.

News & Information films seen only by U.S. Army, Navy & Air Force personnel!

A Welcome to Britain with Burgess Meredith
G. B. Shaw said, "The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language." That was never more true than when tens of thousands of American servicemen poured into the British Isles during World War 2. This charming, humorous film, starring award winner Burgess Meredith, was an Anglo-American co-production shown to prepare Yanks for successfully dealing with inevitable culture shock when they started moving among the general population in the U.K., and just as importantly, how to avoid unintentionally offending their hosts.
Army Air Force Combat Camera Units Weekly Digest -- Highlights 1944-45
These film bulletins were seen only by service personnel. They usually covered air action, but AAF cameramen also occasionally covered other combat in their area. Gun camera & bomb drop film as well as "you are there footage on the ground Maps are used to show specific locations.
Army-Navy Screen Magazine Highlights 1941 -1945 This was a bi-weekly series of films produced by the Army, Air Forces & Navy shown only service personnel providing war news from battlefronts abroad and defense efforts at home, often featuring first person accounts.

Four exciting films with two hours of digitally restored sound & video in excellent condition!

* Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation Top secret & never shown to the public, this picture is an amazing time capsule from World War 2. Starring screen legend Alan Ladd (Shane, This Gun for Hire) it's like a real life detective story, seen only by Air Intelligence trainees. “Smitty,” an American Captain in photo analysis stationed in a misty Scottish castle, becomes obsessed with a photo recon picture taken over Hamburg, Germany, that has anomalies he just can't explain. The story of how he solves this riddle using persistence, insight and World War 2 High Tech (including “Stereo Vision”) is a fascinating tale.

* Ditch and Live in a B-17 Produced for the eyes of Allied aircrews only. Ditching was a fact of life for stricken aircraft, from the frozen white tops of the North Sea to the Shark infested waters of the South Pacific. "Lt. Reynolds.” played by veteran actor Arthur Kennedy (Lawrence of Arabia), is copilot on a B-17 that ditches at sea. He's survives by pure luck, but the rest of the crew is lost due to a lack of preparation. When he gets his own ship, Reynolds vows that his crew will thoroughly trained in B-17 ditching.

* Learn & Live: Pilot Heaven Pilot deaths during training were all too frequent in World War 2, a grim fact that was kept from the public, but was a matter of grave concern to the Army Air Corps. Shown only to pilots, this wonderful film is a unique combination of an entertaining, sometimes surreal storyline, with practical nuts and bolts safety training.

* Bonus: Carl Sandburg's “Bomber” This dramatic film was produced and shown to defense plant workers, lauding and encouraging their important work. Three time Pulitzer Prize winning poet & biographer Carl Sandburg wrote the script for this stirring tribute to a marvelous aircraft, the B-26 medium bomber, and to the men & women who built them in the Martin's Marietta Georgia plant.

* Position Firing for Aerial Gunners This entertaining and informative animated training film, featuring bomber waist gunner "Trigger Joe" (with the immortal voice of Mel Blanc) was developed to teach gunners the basics of how to shoot down attacking enemy fighters using iron ring gun sight machine guns commonly found on bombers like the B-17s & B-24. If you think you learned everything you need to know about leading targets on a skeet or trap range, think again. When you factor in variables like differing air speed between bombers and enemy fighters, angles of attack, direction, deflection, bullet drop, maneuvering & more, it's a whole new ball game.
* Coast Guard Report: The Normandy Invasion This remarkable film, primarily shot by Coast Guard Combat Cameramen, is a treasure trove of never before seen footage from the Normandy sea borne invasion, in very well preserved black and white film. The U.S. Coast Guard manned many of the specialized ships and landing craft used to transport men, tanks, vehicles and material from England to the landing beaches in France, sometimes sustaining heavy casualties. Some of these vessels carried combat cameramen with them to record this epic undertaking. The film starts with Landing Craft pilot training on Chesapeake Bay, moves on to intensive assault training in the U.K., and then through the Channel Crossing, D-Day on Omaha Beach & its immediate aftermath, including the massive storm that battered the landing beaches.
* Security on the March -- Tanks moving in column formation This well preserved film shows how to move armored columns on roads and cross country in combat areas, with an emphasis on tanks, in this case Shermans, shown inside and out. You'll learn the five keys to successful operations: Advance Preparation, Alertness, Concealment, Dispersal and Fire Power shown in great detail through live action, animations & graphics.
* Army Engineers in World War 2 (B&W 1957 24:00)
Engineers are the "unsung heroes" of the Armed Forces, handling a myriad of essential tasks.
The first part of the film shows the Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, VA. Recruits are given "hands on" training for a wide variety of core skills, including carpentry, demolition, operating heavy equipment, building different kinds of roads and bridges, employing a wide variety of hand tools & more. The second part of the film shows the special challenges faced by Engineers on jungle island campaigns in the Pacific.The third part of the film moves to the European Theater of operations & a new set of challenges like building docks, demolishing heavy concrete fortifications, salvaging flooded roads, laying and clearing minefields, constructing lengthy pipelines for fuel transfer and building a variety of bridges including timber trestle, pontoon & steel Bailey Bridges, often under enemy artillery fire
G.I. Training:" Three films
*How to Swim in 10 Easy Lessons Swimming with a full pack and their M1 in adverse conditions could be a life saver for a G.I.., including making their way through burning oil slicks and leaping from the decks of transports or landing craft. Learn how to do it "The Army Way.
* War Dogs Dogs were a G.I.'s "Best Friend" in numerous ways - including saving lives. See them in action, performing a wide variety of roles. Dogs often did jobs G.I.s couldn't do.
* Finishing School Select U.S. Army Ranger Units received specialized amphibious landing training in the Spring of 1944. You'll see it here in this classified film. They put it to good use on D-Day at Pointe du Hoc, where they went ashore on a narrow beach & scaled massive cliffs.

World War 2 Resistance Fighters - three videos

School For Danger (Aka "Now It Can Be Told") Restored Audio & Video. This is one the most exciting World War 2 espionage films you'll see -- and it's based on actual events. What makes it unique is that virtually all of the characters play themselves performing the roles they executed during World War 2 -- from British secret agents to French Resistance fighters to special mission RAF pilots and operational commanders. Produced by the RAF, this remarkable film on British S.O.E.(Special Operations Executive) wartime espionage operations, including sabotage and intelligence gathering, in occupied France was shot on location after the Liberation.

Denmark Fights for Freedom (10:00, B&W,1944) Restored Audio & Video. What if an entire nation stayed home & refused to show up at work to fight an enemy occupation? You'll see that & much more in this dramatic documentary film, surreptitiously shot during the German occupation of Denmark. It's an inspirational story of how an entire nation pulled together to fight oppression, through acts of sabotage and mass demonstrations. Inspirational!

The Battle for Paris (12:00, B&W,1944) Restored Audio & Video. As the Allies closed the ring on Paris in the Summer of 1944, most of German occupation forces left the city to meet them. The French Resistance leaped into action to take the city, using a combination of smuggled weapons, hunting rifles and captured enemy equipment. What follows is a dramatic "you are there" front row seat on resistance fighters battling German troops i(including a Panther Tank) on the boulevards of the capital, all filmed as it happened by citizen cameraman. Action packed!

O.S.S. School for Spies in World War 2 - How to be a Secret Agent - Four films

John Ford's "Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines" ( From the C.I.A. Archives) It's not everyday we discover a virtually unknown feature film by an Oscar Winning director, let alone one that contains his only speaking role in a talking picture. Hollywood legend John Ford directed this training film during World War 2 on the art of espionage for the O.S.S (Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of the C.I.A) and plays a cameo role as a secret intelligence officer. This is the first film ever made on how to be a spy in enemy territory produced by a secret intelligence service to train their agents.

House Search From the C.I.A. Archives. Another "hands on" agent training film produced by the O.S.S. during Word War 2 on the art of hiding (and finding) objects & secret information hidden in locations like homes, apartments, and hotel rooms.

Body Search From the C.I.A. Archives. In this O.S.S training film, a courier is caught. arrested and thoroughly searched by enemy experts -- and we mean "thoroughly."

The Case of the Tremendous Trifle - Bonus Feature! This fascinating film shows how various intelligence sources, including spies, interrogations of refugees & POWs, aerial reconnaissance and seemingly innocuous periodicals like corporate parts catalogs were tied together and used in the strategic planning and execution of one of the epic missions of World War 2, the bombing of the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, Germany.

Scene by scene digital image restoration! NEW!

* Army Air Forces Pacific AAF C-in-C General H.H. “Hap” introduces this sweeping summary of Army Air Force operations in the Pacific Theater from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the dropping of the atomic bomb. From the Aleutians to the jungles of Burma to hard fought Pacific atolls, you'll see a wide variety of aircraft in action, including P-47 Thunderbolts, B-17s, B-24s and majestic B-29s.

* Fury in the Pacific – The 1st Marine Division takes Peleliu Nine combat cameramen fell filming dramatic, intense fighting shown here. The islands of Peliliu and Angaur in the Palaus (6 miles apart) were considered stepping stones toward retaking the Philippines. The prize was the Japanese airbase on Peliliu. First Marine Division (1st, 5th & 7th Regiments, 9th Artillery) carried out the initial assault and bore the brunt of the fighting, to be joined later by elements of 81st Infantry ferried over from Angaur. Some of the fiercest fighting seen anywhere in World War 2.

* Action at Angaur: The 81st “Wildcat” Division's Baptism of Fire. The film follows the men of the rookie The 81st Infantry Division from R&R on Waikiki to a training landing on Guadalcanal to the beaches & jungles of Angaur. The 3 sq. mile island was needed to secure the flank of the Peleliu operation and to deny the Japanese strategically important phosphate mines. Detailed maps show the progress of the battle. As on Peleliu, beach landings were followed by intense fighting inland against heavily fortified, veteran Japanese troops surrounded by mines & booby traps.

* Appointment in Tokyo: MacArthur Returns to the Philippines This feature length film spans the time from the fall of the Philippine & the island fortress of Corregidor in May 1942 to General MacArthur's return to the islands in October 1944, with a primary focus on the battles to retake the Philippines. Copious combat footage of air, land and sea operations are supplemented by detailed maps that put it all in context. Just a few of many highlights include landings on Leyte, the air & sea Battle of Leyte Gulf, landings on Luzon and intense street fighting in Manila.