Victory Films | USAAF Newsreels 1944-1945
Reviewed by Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
The final years of the war showed impressive growth in planes and personnel. Victory Films latest release is focused on the weekly newsreels that played in theaters around the United States in the final years of the war. It is interesting to notice the difference between the pre-war newsreels and the final years. By this time of the war the American public was getting tired of war, especially in late 1944 and 1945. This period covered the invasion of Europe, the beginning of the B-29 raids on Japan, through the end of the war.
The first newsreel is "Expansion to Air Power". This tells the story of the 15 Air Forces around the world at the end of 1943. What is really amazing is that in 1939 there were only 36 airfields in the US and only 4 others outside the US. The AAF had only 24,724 personnel with just 2,402 aircraft, of which half were combat types. In contrast this with Germany having 8,000, Japan had 4,000, and Italy's 3,000. The growth rate is phenomenal with the number of personnel climbing to 2,300,000 and 57,000 planes by June 1943. That is phenomenal in any book. Another interesting thing is the Soviet AT-6. Literally, 1,000 bombers a week were being produced. There are plenty of B-24s, P-38s, B-25s and B-17s shown in operations. Armor guys shouldn't feel left out as there are plenty of German tanks from the early war period.
Airborne Invasion is the second newsreel which highlights the parachutist of the airborne. Ike and Monty figure prominently in this newsreel. Lots of great footage of the C-47s and gliders, as well as, the parachutist.
The first air raid on Berlin is the next sequence. There are plenty of B-17s, of which 40 planes were lost, shown throughout the mission, including crash landings.
B-26s with lots of flak and fighters are the highlight of the next sequence. Model builders will find the weathering patterns on the aircraft to be of great interest. There is plenty of footage for diorama modelers. Great nose art is another highlight of this sequence. The belly landing by a B-26 is very impressive.
Bf-110s flying formation and firing rockets and Ike firing the guns of a P-47 are very interesting. This newsreel also has lots of B-26s.
Pacific Theater of Operations is not forgotten. The first photos of the B-29 are shown flying out of China. Also the B-29 is featured and the size is quite impressive, especially when it is compared to common thins such as a city block. The factory photos are quite nice as well. It is interesting to see Chennault with the B-29.
B-29s out of Saipan are featured in a newsreel that also includes a Japanese retaliation attack. The nose art is very interesting.
The Battle of France with gliders, C-47s, and a spectacular P-51B in flight shot. The ships of the invasion fleet are seen and the quantity is quire impressive.
Operation Market Garden is discussed in the next newsreel. Amazingly the loss of so many parachutists is just glossed over. So much for the "truth" of the newsreels. The chalk nose art on the gliders is really interesting.
The Battle of the Bulge occurred during this time frame and is touched on. If you listen to the newsreel you would think it wasn't too bad and that the fighter bomber umbrella was always there. There is a P-47 crash sequence that is spectacular to say the least.
The V-1 flying bomb is shown made in the US of A. Yes there is a newsreel that shows V-1s being made in the US and test flown. The Loon project is unique and the internal footage of the assembly will be very useful for the modeler. The V-1 taking off with a B-26 chase plane banking over the trolley is impressive flying on the bomber pilot's part.
Little Tiger Joe is one of those newsreels that personalizes the "friends". A four year old Chinese orphan who is taken under the trust of some soldiers. This is just too cute to not like, complete with uniform and pop gun. He is given the official title of Assistant First Sergeant. Too cute.
The first US helicopters are seen being used. Also the first use of a snatch and drag recovery system is shown. A sheep is the first one to try it but the human Guinea Pig didn't look too nervous.
The final sequence covers applying the pinup artwork on the bombers. You can see how it is actually done. And like the newsreel says, the ladies are swell for boosting morale. My how times have changed.
This DVD is like the rest of the great films from Victory Films, lots of information and great footage. The quality of the newsreels is the best I've seen. If you want to see what the audiences saw in the theater then this is a must have. There is a lot of footage that hasn't been seen on DVD before, making this a valuable historical research tool. The late war has always fascinated me and there is plenty of information on this DVD. This DVD, as well as the rest of the series, is a real value for the money.
Highly recommended
Thanks to Victory Films and Wade Meyers for the review copy. To obtain your copy go online to http://wademeyersart.tripod.com/id73.php . Let them know you heard about it here.
© Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Wednesday, May 18 2016