1940 U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS DOCUMENTARY "WINGS OF THE ARMY" MILITARY AVIATION 29734

Wings Of The Army is a short 1940 film that documents the history of the U.S. Air Corps, which would later become the U.S. Air Force. The film opens with shots of the interior of a passenger jet, Orville Wright (01:09), and Orville and Wilbur Wright’s famous flight in Kittyhawk, NC. Men move out a new Wright model built for the U.S. Army. The first plane is delivered to the U.S. military at Fort Myer, VA. President William H. Taft is present for the historical moment (02:42). The new plane is set up on a monorail for launch. Lt. Frank Lahm and Orville Wright take off in the Wright military flyer in 1909 (03:42). Orville and Lt. Benjamin Foulois prepare for the first “cross country” flight, from Fort Myer to Alexandria, VA (03:54). Glenn Curtiss, a competitor of the Wright brothers, sits in his plane. Early army planes fly in formation (05:00). The film then cuts to scenes from World War I: a dirigible is shot down by a plane. There is footage of military logging operations, a saw mill that the army built, and factories that produce the new airplanes (07:34). On assembly lines, men build the new Liberty motor (07:52). The film then shows a plane that crashed into the ground nose-first with its tail up in the air (09:12). Generals Mason Patrick and William Mitchell present medals to American pilots of WWI (09:15). The film then shows the first regular flight for air mail service; President Woodrow Wilson stands with the pilot before the flight. Aerial footage of forest fires in the western U.S. (10:53) gives viewers another example of what early aviation was used for. Captain St. Clair Streett poses after flying an exploratory expedition to Alaska. Lt. John Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly fly a Fokker T-2 for the first nonstop transcontinental flight. There is a shot of a plane flying over the New York City skyline (11:56). This is followed by footage of the U.S. Army Air Corps’ mission to fly around the world (12:22): planes fly northwest from Seattle piloted by Major Frederick Martin, Lt. Leigh Wade, Lt. Lowell Smith, Lt. Leslie Arnold, Lt. Erik Nelson, and Lt. John Harding Jr. Next, viewers see clips from the 1926 Pan-American Goodwill flight to the West Indies and South America. General Mason Patrick bids pilots safe travel as they prepare to fly from Oakland to Hawaii. A new tri-motor plane known as the Question Mark, a modified Atlantic-Fokker C-2A, takes off from San Diego (14:48), and footage shows the plane being fueled while in air. Men load Curtiss Condors with food supplies (15:30) for the Navajo Indians stranded in deep snows in Arizona. Footage shows the supply drop and Navajo lining up to receive the food. Another Army Air Corps plane evacuates civilians wounded during a Texas tornado. Civilians stranded in a severe flood are relived as bombers drop supplies to them (16:40). Lt. Colonel Henry H. Arnold poses before leaving in his plane for Alaska in 1934. On 10 November 1935, the largest balloon ever built is filled with helium in South Dakota (18:04). The Explorer II takes off and sets a record for elevation. Captains Albert Stevens and Orvil Anderson disassemble instruments after the flight. B-17 Flying Fortresses fly to Buenos Aires in 1938. Argentines greet the Americans; new President Roberto M. Artiz rides in a horse-drawn carriage during a parade. The film then provides an aerial view of Wright Field, where an early long-range bomber powered by 6 Liberty motors is tested (21:17). Pilots don various clothing and masks designed for high-altitude flights (21:52). Landing gear is tested for structural integrity (25:50). Men study plane crash tests to learn more about crash fires (26:03). At Wright Filed, men test the first radio-controlled plane (28:10); this is followed by the testing of an unmanned radio-controlled target flier. A parachute test drop is conducted at Wright Field; footage shows a mass aerial jump. The Army Air Corps tests the first helicopter. Autogyros fire up their engines. Footage shows various planes of the Air Corps, including a Bell YFM-1 Airacuda, a high-motor pursuit plane, a North American O-47, and a Boeing B-15 bomber. Henry H. Arnold, Chief of the Air Corps, speaks to the camera about the need for a strong air force (31:50). Later, he and President Franklin D. Roosevelt inspect the Corps’ aircraft. Men train at the Air Corps Technical School, learning to weld and maintain plane engines. What appears to be Douglas B-18 Bolo bombers fly over San Francisco and past the Rocky Mountains. B-17s drop bombs that detonate on the ground. The film closes with footage of light bombardment planes (likely Northrop BT-2s) flying past mountains and over a desert.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

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