Combat America (1945)

who's in there both waste Gunners huh the docks are working on them now one's pretty bad [Music] [Music] easy now you guys it's Bob Wallace co-pilot he slammed one through the cockpit tore into Wally below his knee bulletproof glass well Sergeant guess you live right yes the bombardiers with their first aid kits had plenty of work today crawling back through the Bombay trying to keep a steady hand in the rough going many of your pals left you that day [Music] home home on the rain worthy dear and the and L play where s is her a discouraging word and the sky are not cloudy all day the bring it up you guys there's another loading but if you happen to catch one in the wrong place they've got a pretty nice repair shop ever see a sergeant flip a tulip in a Lieutenant's face well you just did yeah while the gang at the base carries on you can take it easy for a [Music] while how they biting Serge nice fat pipe H this one's been stretched a little we drop in on Lieutenant Bob Wallace to see how he's doing how you feeling hey I'll be out of here in a couple of weeks oh Mr Neil is Captain Gable how do you do Captain G how you do Mr Neil well I never got a chance to ask you uh tell me just H what happened when you got hit Well we'd left the target we were on our way home we got to the coast and we had our gun stowed away couple FWS snuck up on us and gave us a good burst oh I see you had your gun stowed away eh that's right that was a little early wasn't it it certainly was it's not a very good idea to relax over here until you get back to your own base is that right that's right well go ahead then then what happened well the uh after I got hit I climbed down out of the pilot compartment and uh got the top turret Gunner to help me down in the Bom Bay he gave me some first aid put the turnit on my leg took a good good job of it well that's fine I guess you think it's a good idea for these combat Crews to have first aid training then is that right I sure do yeah so Wally what do you think of the b7s your uh instruments your guns and all all the rest of the equipment they're giving you to fight this war with It's the Best Equipment in the world that's good say I hear you got your purple heart too oh yes Colonel kennel was in the other day and gave it to me I was more nervous than when those FWS were diving on us well outside of that are they treating you all right around here did you hear that Miss O'Neal Wall's doing okay back at the base they repair your ships too the busiest legs in the outfit belong to Major Ace aens the S4 this airplane's got to fly in the morning it's going to be ready so major I don't know sir well let's have no ST more let's get the fans turning keep the fans turning the slogan of the ground crewp they work hard these boys they work 90 hours straight without sleep but your ship is their baby and she's got to fly and if you need to repair a few thoughts Sunday's always a nice day for it if there's no raid [Music] schedule what do you know Kim this church was built 900 years ago over at the hospital father oconor celebrates the mass the boys receive Holy Communion here's Pete provenzale he's leaving the hospital [Music] tomorrow [Music] s [Music] Mar next day feat's back to work the outfits back to work the 351st is still flying [Music] Adolf P order general order number 93 headquarter a bomber command 11th July 1943 you can't get out of it you know they pin medals on you for this sort of work it's not so much it's real for you it's the big kick it will hand the folks back home the Silver Star the distinguished flying cross the soldiers metal dad and M and that certain girl he'll cut out the clippings and drive the neighbors nuts bombarder Stevens the DFC because he's been batting a thousand over Germany and one to Pilot Peters he had to ditch in the channel but his coolness and courage saved his crew Bill hulls gets two clusters on his air medal for straight shooting DFC to Tim Touchin a Fulk wolf and a mountain lion no difference he says the control wires were shot in too so the DFC to Sergeant Del Connie who tied them together his hands punctured with flat a silver star finds itself next to proven Al's purple heart he refused first aid till the Jerry Fighters quit and and stuck to his gun day the group led the wing over schweinf for Colonel Hatcher was air Commander to him the [Music] SilverStar and the DFC to Kenny Hull Colonel gross is smiling because Kenneth was having a Coke in the PX when his name was called are you forgetting your five confirmed Jer Sergeant we're not and they don't forget you when you're a little battle wary and need a rest at a very gay Seaside Community a world famous resort hotel has been converted for your pleasure by the Red Cross a great place here sleep eat or what have [Music] you [Music] hey not on your life Park none of that here oh but look our just a few shots oh we're here for a rest right you guys well all right then how's this I'll follow them around with a silent camera for one day they won't have to say a word good deal good deal an English Sur with a fringe on top nice [Music] Fringe carry you to the old swimming [Music] hole [Music] let down your flaps slide [Music] in now let's see what the boys back at the base are doing why they're getting a few asked too we let the man who's handing them out tell you about it hello everybody this is Bob somewhere in good old Jolly hope laying a few eggs for the boys that really know how to lay yes sir this is one of the happier cow pastes that we worked in over there in England and look who's dancing you know I used to dance with Fred a stair when we couldn't get girls and right here you see Jack pepper you hear through the courtesy of his draft board His picture's a little dark I understand but after there a couple of weeks we got a little braver and we started to work with the lights on this is really a great great crowd out there tonight and I understand R Butler Is On The Fringe of the crowd they tell me that they stopped him from flying in those b7s they claimed his ears held a plane back nice little scene shows pepper trying to get his expense money look at that mob you should have heard him cheer when Francis Langford walked out when Tony Romano played the guitar yes sir you'll never know how this bunch of boys picked up armor and again the weather breaks over the continent and the handwriting on the wall spreads your story you're into the third panel now you've been out 8 days in a row and done a double header over France on the ninth this man's air force is piling it on new combat Wings have been added new air divisions formed so you're not very surprised when General ancher comes that day something big is up he goes into the briefing room to confer with the old man in his staff they call in the Squadron commanders even the flight commanders what did he tell them your four Squadron cosos they know but don't talk just grin a little with excitement it's something big all right because the bomb dumps have been getting plenty of heavy stuff lately and a loading order came through this afternoon stand by more than that Wing racks we're really going to pile it on and that night as always when you know a real Dilly is coming up you're a little Restless out in the dispersals you hear them winding up those engines that's all right ground group make them sing make them sing [Music] good all right you guys breakast the treat breing at for okay man for security sake anyone know what the target is for today s des Russel oh we'll see all right this the long penet for this group we've got a A+ Target over here we've got to get it today okay gentlemen stations are at 505 start engines 605 taxi at 615 take off 630 got it that's all okay man let's go get this Target and then we'll take the Jab [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] 10,000 ft go on oxygen check in your [Music] station at the designated splicer Point still over friendly territory you Rondevu with other groups your combat Wing Banks into position then Wing at after Wing as far as the eye can believe the attack performs it heads for its assigned targets 500 M away up until this moment your fighter escort is still on the ground guarding his limited fuel capacity now flight control gives a signal to the Thunderbolts they climb upstairs to overtake you oh Fighters 3:00 low watch it that should be our escort you're right sir 47s pilot the crow pilot the crew over enamic Coast on the ball you guys hey get a load of that flag can't I throw it any higher than that where do you want to have it in the Bombay why did you lean out and smell it that's right you guys laugh at all right now a bum joke goes better than two fingers of Ry around 3 hours out arj looks at his watch he knows it's time for the fighter escort to turn back from all over the ship you watch them Le you're really on the ball now because you know that enemy Fighters will appear any minute they know exactly where you are they've been watching the stratosphere condense off your wing tips giving you a away in Long Trails of magnificent treachery okay here they are 9:00 High enemy figh same thing at 3:00 yes at least those Vapor Trails work both ways Arch watches the enemy formations as they parallel your course seems obvious they're staying out of range going out ahead to turn in for a frontal attack High all turrets swing about to help guard the rear top turrets hunt the sky above in all directions there's some more out there keep your eyes peeled now it come the enemy pours in at you from every point on the dial 6:00 level two more five watching get that one at [Music] three 11:00 hi [Music] 9:00 level no he's going low he comes up he got the Colonel's Wing man smoking on number four he's going out and down check the Shi you guys one shoot out of the tail two out of the waist other two boys out of the nose that's two more pilot the tail pilot the tail let me know how they're doing back there Roger finder 6:00 coming through 11:00 [Music] L by got one out of the heist Wonder yep no chance there [Music] to 1990s hi somebody got one of them on the button that jurry pilot bail out he's not walking away from it still late Barrel in a a little short on heart plenty long on guts this [Music] enemy another 17 hit and again you have to close the gap in the formation and again and again they come 12:00 High 4:00 level out of the Sun and up from the [Music] ground some more coming through 5:00 you're Crossing another Flack area it's heavier this time so black and thick you can almost hear it and it's more effective Short's been hitting P the number four cover him all you can everybody [Music] pilot to left waste pilot to left waist there's another one working shorty over can you help him no can do sir out of range beginning of smoke screens announces they approach to the Target area the enemy's been caught off guard he's trying to cover up too late in desperation through his own Flack a final hun fighter makes a pass of the low Squadron driven off but still get a fire a FL get that ship flank I [Music] think there it is the flare out of the lead ship the signal for the bomb run this is your attack all right Steve we're on the IP she's yours I got her [Music] Bombay doors open make a good run now Steve I'm on it yes Make It Count bombardiers they build these ships around you bombs away [Music] the meat group picks out his MPI in the dock area let's go with the heavy stuff in the big incendiaries the High group heads for the industrial section and hands out the same medicine the low group turns for the adjacent air drone it blast the field the hangers and repair shops with hundreds of deadly anti-personnel bombs a nice pattern bombarder good deal you can't hear what's going on down there 5 Mi below you but marshalling yards and chemical tanks ships and warehouses spare engines and ball bearing factories are disintegrating in molden [Music] chaos it's Thunder out of the alligan Adolf you said Americans were soft and decadent well here's a red white and blue headache that'll help you change your mind as the Bombay do closed you take a last look at the Target ah the smoke from its burning debris Rises 16,000 ft into the air or flat the aim's still good down there how about this trip Paul is it going to be rough pilot the crew pilot the crew well you guys we're over an hour out they have come back at us yet looks like we're lucky this trip enemy Fighters 11:00 High another 1:00 hi [Music] coming level to three 4 FWS 8:00 high they don't want it m me 110 1:00 High [Music] M me at 2:00 I got him I'll say you did you're bailing out either another 110 at 10:00 he's yours kid there he goes here's my pigeon stle commanders throw their pets at the formation with suicide ORD that's what they get formation is tighter than ever and you're not sparing ammunition you're knocking them down like Mallet one more [Music] and [Music] another he's through [Music] here's one right behind him Steve another two in a row for the boys up forward that's mine you see him Ken sure do I'll confirm him all right get this 110 P her up hard P up FW 3:00 take time Joe or fire I one that's a spit on the tail yeah our find a coverage gut here out of for spit I Tor jury it's over the spit right them down oh you sweetheart good night sweee till we be tomorrow good night sweetheart sleep [Music] byrow [Music] your shadow on the undercast the pilots rainbow missions end but not the end of the battle fighting men from Maine to California still have a long tough rainbow to travel but they're looking the enemy right between his eyes they're fighting in the American way for their American way of life enemy of America look at these men they're not going to lose [Music] brother