American B-17 and B-24 Bombers Over the Eastern Front | 1944 | World War 2 Documentary

this is the story of an american air operation one small campaign in the greatest aerial offensive of this war in a sense it is more than the story of a military operation these planes high in the skies over germany were a symbol of the unshakable unity of the allies in their determination to fight together until victory and peace had been achieved june 2nd 1944 on this day 650 american flying fortresses inflicted severe damage on german defenses along the invasion coast farther north 300 american liberators bombed military installations in german occupied northwestern europe flack was heavy over some targets eight of our planes did not return to their bases on this same day june 2nd 1944 a task force of 150 flying fortresses escorted by 70 fighter planes attacked railroad and marshalling yards at debris in hungary none of these planes returned to their bases on this day june 21st 1944 300 liberators bombed the volkerwolf 190 engine factory at boston germany an hour later 800 flying fortresses attacked targets at berlin germany damage was inflicted on railway stations freight yards and factories bombs were also dropped on the ministries of war and propaganda as well as gestapo headquarters over all these targets flack was intense and accurate interceptions strong and determined 43 german planes were shot down 38 of our own planes did not return to their bases and on this same day at about the same time 155 flying fortresses escorted by fighters bombed synthetic oil plants and refineries at rouland 70 miles east of leipzig germany as on june 2nd none of these planes returned to their bases on this day this was not a coincidence and these planes were not lost in action this had been decided six months before on december 7 1943 when at tehran the leaders of the three major allied powers had declared their complete agreement as to the scope and timing of operations from the east west and south operations from the east west and south operations on land on sea and in the air the ussr agrees to furnish bases in russia for the use of the u.s strategical air forces in europe such bases to be used for shuttle bombing operations operation titanic shuttle bombing with american air bases in russia our bombers based in england and italy could attack objectives in central europe the balkans or eastern germany land in russia refuel reload and bomb additional enemy targets on their return trips to their home bases operation titanic a triangular super highway in the sky with shuttle bombing flying distances from england to some extreme points in eastern germany and poland and from italy to some points in german occupied hungary and the balkans would be reduced by a third reduced flying distance means reduced danger for while planes on the shuttle route would have already landed planes making the round-trip run still have to face flack interception or engine failure with shuttle bombing strategic targets of importance to the red army could be bombed by american planes operating from russian bases with shuttle bombing germany and the luftwaffe could never be quite sure where the next allied air blow was coming from or going to with shuttle bombing the coalition land war crushing the vermont on three fronts would take wings to become coalition air war and there would be no target in germany or german-occupied europe american planes could not seek find and destroy these were the strategic purposes of operation titanic the task of achieving these purposes was assigned to lieutenant general carly spots commanding general of the united states strategic air forces in europe and became the responsibility of major general frederick l anderson deputy commanding general for operations in four months the new bases were to be selected constructed supplied staffed and ready for use a problem in men materiel space time and secrecy requiring food gasoline bombs ammunition trucks jeeps steel matting and more than 20 000 tons of other equipment to be shipped by convoy from liverpool and other british ports through the north atlantic and arctic oceans two thousand miles of submarine infested waters then from mermansk the soviet's arctic ice-free port by rail an additional 2000 miles radio equipment to be flown by atc from the united states to russia a distance of five thousand miles oil and more gasoline by tank car from iran and british surplus stocks in the middle east three thousand miles a task force of expert ground crews transported from the united kingdom to cairo through the south atlantic and the mediterranean by rail from egypt to palestine by motor convoy through the holy land in iraq then up and over the snow-covered mountains of northern persia to the southernmost end of the russian transcaucasian railroad at tabriz finally by special train over the caucasian mountains to their new headquarters somewhere in russia a secret journey of more than seven thousand miles by the end of four months the bases were ready and ambassador avril w harriman and major general john r dean head of the united states military mission at moscow landed on the first american air base on russian soil now with preparation and organization completed the task of transforming theory into reality was assigned to the eighth american air force based somewhere in england and the 15th air force based somewhere in italy early in the morning of june 2nd crews of bomber and fighter commands of the 15th air force were assembled to be briefed for a special mission a special mission for pilots navigators bombardiers and gunners and finally a special word of farewell from major general twining commanding general of the 15th air force i do not have to impress you with the importance of this mission to the russian base i'm sure you are fully aware of this important defense i would like to mention one thing about which you must be very particular that is your conduct while at these russian bases be soldierly and neat at all times the russian the fine soldier who appreciates results and one who does not understand big talk wish you the best of luck goodbye at 0-600 hours the bombers took off with lieutenant general iris aker commanding general of the mediterranean allied air forces in personal command of the task force the fortresses left the ground with clockwork precision one fourth every 30 seconds at 06 30 hours their fighter escort followed them into the air 70 planes in 17 and a half minutes at 0 7 30 hours the bombers and the first relay of fighters made rendezvous over the adriatic and titanic one was on its way if the shuttle route to russia was equally practical from england was now to be proved by the eighth air force oh 100 hours the morning of june 21st somewhere in england titanic ii at 0-5 30 hours the heavily loaded bombers took off into the fog of an english dawn 24 minutes later the first group was in the air heading northeast to the task force assembly point at 0-800 hours 2x2 the last relay of fighters left the ground at 0 9 30 hours flying fortresses and mustangs made rendezvous high over the german coast and titanic 2 was on its way at 1200 hours it dropped its bombs on the rueland oil fields and continued to its new bases somewhere in russia that is why on june 2nd and again on june 21st american planes did not return to their bases somewhere in italy or england for on each of those days their mission was still unfinished in a sense it had only begun 1500 hours what was left of our target was a good three hours behind us but we were still in enemy skies and we could see the p-51s that were escorting us all the way in prowling in the skies above they called us big friend we call them little friend and it was a very pleasant feeling to have them around about 1600 hours we saw our red-nosed little friends pull away a couple of minutes later our navigator the little man with the big maps made with the instruments and gave us the good word navigator navigator it won't be long now we're over russia over russia from the sky all countries look alike but this was friendly country that meant no more flag no danger of interception solid ground not too far away it met a new country a new people a lies we'd heard about read about but never seen how do you get along with people you can't even talk to would we like them would they like us so so on hand to greet the task force are general walsh and general permanoff the american and russian cos coming in basics looked like any other american airfield neat rows of gi tents runways dotted with b-17s ground crews at the edge of the field their faces to the sky one difference though the ruins all around the base a silent reminder that enemy boots had marched in two directions here quite recently the forts follow each other down a third of a world away from home wheels made in akron touched steel matting made in pittsburgh on an american landing field in russia malone schultz badoski trevors mcgee stanley rudenstein bets a thousand tourists from 48 states on a short visit between two jobs tense moment in international relations ivan ivanovic meets fearless fosdick a handshake says hello very glad to see you in any language and general prognost makes it official i welcome you as fighting allies together we'll fight to victory i wish you the best of luck in combat and a safe return home after that there was another important ceremony short snorter bills if we didn't get those signed the flight would have been illegal whenever flyers meet they talk shop even when they can't understand each other that's when sign language came in handy and it seemed to work at that some russian wax officers and enlisted women were on the welcoming committee too it would have been nice to sort of pursue the subject further but there was work to be done interrogation the reports and odds and ends of information that lay the groundwork for future operations interrogation is held in the open by courtesy of retreating german troops did you meet any fighter opposition all right how many fighters did you see with interrogation over the men head for the tents which will be their home as long as they remain in russia the first half of the mission is ended the second half has already begun without the loss of an hour the mixed ground crews of american and russian mechanics take over the big bummers inspecting damages checking engines repairing equipment getting the fortresses ready for another trip stands for kitchen kitchen stands for chow and even in russia you stand in line for it on kp duty katja manya and alga not buck already or pete but soldiers too and don good cooks to boot who cooked and served our supper crutch for jollister k ration with a russian accent and spam a la stroganoff the coffee was hot that's about all you could say for it the name was mashinka at the field the ground crews stayed with the bombers as long as there was light making sure that nothing happened that shouldn't when the b-17s went up again 2100 hours nine in the evening somewhere in russia it's noon in leominster massachusetts lunchtime it's 10 in the morning in perigold arkansas the sun is climbing high in los angeles california the day is just beginning the same day just ending somewhere in russia small world oh another day just beginning somewhere in russia is another working day another day of war at headquarters american officers headed by colonel now general albert a kessler and their russian colleagues plan the next mission objective the destruction of one of several strategic targets in the path of the red army the target is selected weather permitting mission tomorrow a task force of this size needs gasoline more than 350 000 gallons of it ammunition more than a million rounds bombs more than 500 tons and more than 50 000 american and russian man hours of servicing in preparation while the ground crews got the forts and fighters ready our time was our own some of the fellas took advantage of a sunny morning and put on an exhibition of the national pastime some thought they'd teach the russians another american pastime and learned that others had taught too well before them some tried to bridge the distance home to let the folks know their wandering boy was somewhere in russia last night some of us over lunch of borscht and kasha talked over tricks of the trade with the russian fighter pilots whose small fast yaks are part of the field's defenses constantly on the alert some tried to preserve the more exotic aspects of basics like the american nurses that are stationed there perfectly at home abroad some discuss with the russians current events literature yeah sports like that and found out that milking a cow in russia is no different than it is in iowa and some of us explorers at heart decided to see russia the town near the base is a market center for the adjacent farming district and the fair was held each year along its main street the factory section principal industry the manufacturer of leather goods the ukrainian museum well known for its collection of historical treasures and valuable objects of art the grave of the famous ukrainian writer karolenko and his home the population of the town 130 000 of the last census has varied in recent years and there has been a certain decline in the number of children of school age those who have remained or who have returned from the interior have recently developed a fondness for an american import known as schwajk translation gum on the way back to the base a few miles from the town there's a monument to a russian victory over an invading army 200 years ago is so next number ukrainian folk songs by their chef chanco ko akoya the language and the music are strange but it isn't necessary to understand the language to understand some of the people here the show marks the beginning of the end of this american visit to russia most of the men are already looking back remembering lieutenant john morris navigator of nanticoke pennsylvania who has the distinguished flying cross and the air metal with four clusters was particularly impressed by the medals worn by the russian soldiers they don't wear ribbons like we do but the actual medals practically every russian soldier i ran into was loaded with decorations captain percy w stressing pilot of rochester new york thought the show explained a lot about the russian people those russians sure liked to sing and dance one of the numbers was kind of a tap dance i think the russians resemble americans in a lot of ways they've got a great sense of humor they can laugh and enjoy everything even though their whole country is in ruins major samuel davis command pilot of boston massachusetts it was good to relax and listen to music and laugh but you could never forget there was a war on him most everybody was in uniform men women even children i saw a lot of kids who'd been through plenty of action some of them who had medals to prove it couldn't have been more than 10 or 12 years old one of the other fellows told me he ran into one kid who had been a sniper with the gorillas and had 21 notches on his rifle butt a sniper with the gorillas at his age technical sergeant louis zerlnick engineer gunner of brooklyn new york spent a lot of time with the russian ground crews some of them on the show quite a few the base too have been wounded as much as three or four times they were working on a base for arrest before going back into combat those russians sure have funny ideas about wrestling staff sergeant johnny giggin tail gunner of patterson new jersey the show is pretty good as far as i could see everybody liked it including general laker he was sitting there first row with general perm uh permanent off or something like that the russian-based commander lieutenant john mckenzie bombardier of paraguay arkansas something i'll remember for a long time for the russian kids you got the feeling some of them never had a childhood they had such old faces they were pretty shy most of them but they seem to like us technical sergeant clinton miller engineer gunner of mont vale new jersey the russians like their dance music slow and sentimental mostly waltzes the girls do all kinds of jobs around the base and they work very hard their clothes are plain and neat they don't use makeup as a rule but some of them wear lipstick i remember one girl who was in charge of a knack crew she had 12 enemy planes to her credit staff sergeant donald craw tail gunner of stratford connecticut the music at the dance is on the corny side but the girls are nice i met a girl from leningrad whose father was a general she taught me some russian words and i taught her some american slang it didn't take long before i was saying horoshaw and she was saying okay bud weather okay take off oh nine hundred hours taxi out oh eight forty five stations oh eight forty briefing oh six hundred breathing 0r 1320 your altitude would be 22 000 feet which is your bombing altitude and the place will be the target target for today it may be a locomotive works in poland an airdrome in hungary an oil field in romania or a tank factory in germany itself whatever the target today's mission will prove again that no objective in german europe is secure from american bombers your group and wing assembly will be at twelve thousand feet over the base your bombing altitude will be twenty two thousand feet we'll pick up our fighter escort over the front at eleven forty three target time 1320 gas load 2700 bomb load 10 500 pound gps bomb load 10 500 pound gps gp general purpose general purpose to reduce the enemy's mobility to disrupt his lines of communication reinforcement and supply to destroy his war machine at its very source his minds his mills his factories and to deliver a message so that means good luck we'll be seeing you so during the summer of 1944 3 800 american planes made the shuttle run to and from russia over this aerial highway in less than four months 24 targets in germany and german-held territories some never before with an effective range of our bombers felt the lash of american air power striking against railway centers and marshalling yards at debretson and soulnut hungary bucharest and arid romania and bezier france against airdromes at gallatin busan and celestia romania poland hungary and toulouse france against oil fields and refineries at rueland germany trojo beach and turks sabina poland budapest hungary and polyester romania against armament plants and aircraft factories at cadena poland miscouch and joshua hungary and chemnitz germany but even more important this bomb and 10 000 more like it destroyed more than german factories german oil depots german railroads they smashed germany's last hope of escaping defeat by dividing the allies never before have the major allies been more closely united and they are determined to continue to be united so the ideal of lasting peace will become a reality you

Channel: The Best Film Archives

Views: 840,911

Keywords: B-17, b-17 flying fortress, b-17 bomber, b-24, b-24 liberator, b-24 bomber, Boeing, airplaine, aircraft, bomber, aviation, pilot, fly, flying, flight, air campaign, air raid, airstrike, air force, US Air Force, USAF, USAAF, RAF, Royal Air Force, German Air Force, Luftwaffe, US, USA, United States, America, American, Europe, Russia, Russian, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Eastern Front, Germany, German, Berlin, England, GB, Britain, wwii, ww2, World War 2, 1944, military, history, full, documentary, film, video, footage, HD

Id: I6qktPNFfD8

Length: 37min 43sec (2263 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 24 2015