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Witness a first-hand account of how the mighty B 17 Flying Fortress and the amazing B29 Super Fortresses gave the American Army Air Force an undeniable edge over the enemy and brought an end to a bloody six-year war that left millions dead! In 1939, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson advocated an urgent expansion of the Air Force in an attempt to match the strength of rival countries. Air Corps responded to the call by producing 50,000 warplanes per year. During this period, the navy too, undertook an expansion program acquiring 6 new aircraft carriers.

Nominally dedicated to a Germany-driven strategy, the Army Air Forces began a slow buildup of bomber strength in England in anticipation of the strategic air campaign against the Third Reich.

By the late 30's, Boeing had developed a revolutionary four-engine heavy bomber to meet military specifications and this became known as the B-17 Flying Fortress. It was to be the weapon, which the USAAF relied on to press forward with its strategy of daylight high altitude precision bombing by unescorted, but heavily armed, bombers. The more powerful B 29s, better known as the Super Fortresses, later overshadowed the B 17, especially in the Pacific sector.

The new system of combined strategic air-operations served the Allies very well through the height of the war, as the 9th Air Force was able to provide extremely effective air support to the Allied armies driving across Western Europe especially after the arrival of powerful fighter-bombers such as the P-47 Thunderbolt. Meanwhile, B-17s and B-24s of the 8th Air Force maintained their strategic bombing campaign against German industry and morale, augmented by long-range fighter escorts such as the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang.

This DVD provides thrilling live footage of aerial attacks on Germany and other sectors where the U.S Army Air Force was in the forefront of America’s war effort.

Mission Accomplished This film chronicles one of the early (autumn 1942) bombing runs of B-17s over Europe. You will witness the immense power of these warplanes as they pound the enemy into submission. Sponsor: N/A Producer: U.S. Office of War Information, Bureau of Motion Pictures Year: 1942 Length: 00:10:42 Audio: Mono Color: BLACK & WHITE
Target Invisible This film illustrates through a dramatized attack on Japan, how top-secret radar technology helped American bombers zero in on enemy targets and destroy them despite thick cloud cover. Sponsor: U.S. Army Air Forces Producer: U.S. Army Air Forces Year: 1945 Length: 00:08:24 Audio: Mono Color: BLACK & WHITE
Birth of the B 29 The American Army Air Force needed a plane that was powerful enough to carry heavy loads over thousands of miles and return to base without having to land for refueling. The designers’ answer to this request was the Super Fortress B 29 Bomber- larger, more powerful and with a greater range than any other warplane of its time. This film tells the story of how these giant flying machines were assembled and readied for their deadly missions. Sponsor: N/A Producer: U.S. Army Air Forces Year: 1945 Length: 00:20:10 Audio: Mono Color: BLACK & WHITE
Special Delivery This film outlines the many purposes that warplanes served during the Second World War -dropping soldiers, food, medical supplies and other essentials behind enemy lines. It also has some amazing footage of the Bikini Island atomic bomb tests carried out by the American Army Air Force. Sponsor: U.S. Army Air Forces Producer: U.S. Army Air Forces Year: 1946 Length: 12.36 Audio: Mono Color: BLACK & WHITE

Running Time:
DVD One : 00:52:27

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

This set of DVDs showcases American determination to bring a wicked enemy to its knees, regardless of the cost. It also pays homage to the powerful aircraft - fighters and bombers and transport aircraft - which were designed and mass-produced in an effort to gain air supremacy over Europe and the Asia-Pacific sectors.

The American Army Air Force owes a large part of its success in Europe to the powerful B17 Flying Fortress Bomber squadrons, which pounded the adversary into submission with their relentless forays into enemy air space. The contribution of these air-borne carriers of death and destruction is delightfully retold in the clips entitled "Mission Accomplished". Live footage shot by the AAF provides a ringside view of the action over Europe and provides some exciting viewing.

You will witness how the Radar - one of America’s best kept secret of World War II - played a huge role in guiding bombers to pre-determined targets with unprecedented accuracy and precision.

Without doubt, the B29 Super Fortress played one of the most telling roles in bringing an end to a bloody war that left millions dead and homeless. The story of how these super bombers, whose power and dimensions were truly mind-boggling, were manufactured from scratch is retold in a captivating manner in the clip entitled "Birth of B 29". The detailed narrative follows the ingeniously designed assembly lines and captures the inputs of designers and workmen as they contribute to the birth of these magnificent giants, which ruled the skies over the Pacific sector practically unchallenged.

This DVD also provides a valuable insight into the many roles the Army Air Force played during the war, besides launching telling air strikes behind enemy lines - keeping ground forces supplied with arms, ammunition, medical supplies and other essentials.

The clips in this DVD have a certain magnetism about them that tends to keep you glued to the screen till the end. The use of original clips shot by the AAF during missions and fabulous narration in each of the clips leave no doubts in your minds about the admirable dedication of the crew and the matchless power of the machines that they flew so bravely to help America crush a ruthless enemy during World War II.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"Since my childhood days, I have fantasized about flying on missions with my heroes, the pilots in the AAF. This DVD came the closest to changing my dreams to reality. The vivid first hand accounts of missions over Japan and Germany caught on film, carried me, in my imagination, with my heroes through walls of unflagging flak deep into the heart of enemy territory. The excitement of watching the bomb hatches open and the deadly cargo of explosives whistling down on unsuspecting targets had me totally engrossed. The DVD also served as an eye-opener on the multi-dimensional role the AAF played during WW II."

Customer's Name : Tom McCarty (Englewood, Ohio)

"This wonderful DVD brings the action right into your living rooms. War missions undertaken by the AAF during WW II, are fascinatingly captured on film, leaving the viewer spellbound by the technological prowess that helped America end the cruel war."

Customer's Name : Heather Wilmot (San Diego, California)

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