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00:26This picture was photographed in combat
00:28by cameramen of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces
00:31and by pilots of the 12th Air Force,
00:35who, during missions against the enemy,
00:37operated automatic cameras in their planes.
00:41Behind the pilots, shooting forward and back.
00:45Under the wing.
00:50In the wing, timed with a gun.
00:55In the wheel well.
01:00In the instrument panel, photographing the pilot himself.
01:13The Commanding General of the United States Army Air Force,
01:15General Carl Spots, has asked me to tell you something about this picture.
01:18I don't think I could do any better than just to read from his telegram to me.
01:25Thunderbolt was made in 1944, ancient history.
01:29It was made about one fighter-bomber group in the Italian campaign.
01:33It happens to be an American group.
01:35The same story could well be told of the Royal Air Force groups
01:39which participated so gallantly in the same era of Fetcher.
01:42As a matter of fact, the story belongs to all men who fought for freedom.
01:47And did it a long way from home.
01:50Signed, Spots.
02:14To the Italian man in the street, or what's left of the street,
02:19this is the fulfillment of a promise.
02:24The promise of the fascists to build a 20th century Roman Empire
02:29conceived in tyranny and dedicated to the proposition
02:34that some men were meant to be slaves of other men.
02:45Special victims were the children.
02:49They saw things not meant for children's eyes.
03:02From the air, Italy is more remote.
03:05The airman never sees the face of the people.
03:08Only the face of the country.
03:11From the air, you look down at the mountains.
03:15Look down and wonder how our men on the ground ever got through.
03:22Mountains and rivers.
03:25The Volturno.
03:27A lot of American blood in that one.
03:31Natural barriers.
03:34Made other campaigns tough too.
03:37Exhausted Hannibal's elephants.
03:40Caesar's legions.
03:44For the airmen, the ground war is remote.
03:47The only war you really understand is the air war.
03:51You can see a pattern to it.
03:54Lots of the country never been touched.
03:58Little towns that walked the ridges.
04:01Like tightrope artists to keep from falling off.
04:05This one didn't matter.
04:07When something did matter, that was another story.
04:16This is how we changed the face of Italy.
04:18From the air.
04:28They boasted Italian trains ran on time.
04:32Not these.
04:35This is what we did to the face of Italy.
04:39There's a story behind why we did it and how we did it.
04:42The story starts on an island.
04:4760 miles off Italy's coast.
04:50The island of Corsica.
04:57Corsica.
04:59Rugged.
05:01Primitive.
05:03Mountainous.
05:05Malarial.
05:07Here they still remember a local boy.
05:10Who put Corsica on the map.
05:13150 years ago.
05:16This island part of France.
05:18Was liberated by the French.
05:20In September 43.
05:22But you can still find a few Germans.
05:25Left by the wayside where they fell.
05:28In the shadow of our air drones.
05:37Alto Air Base.
05:40Sunday morning.
05:45Here, Sunday is like Monday.
05:48And Monday is like every other day in the week.
05:51A working day.
06:04The engines wake you at dawn.
06:07In your sack you can hear the crew chiefs.
06:09Pre-flighting your planes.
06:13Getting them ready for the day's missions.
06:17This is how you live when you're an airplane driver.
06:20Fighting an air war.
06:2120 minutes from the Germans in Italy.
06:28You're used to it.
06:30You've been washing out of your helmet since July 42.
06:34From the Holy Land to Africa.
06:37Across the desert.
06:39Egypt and El Alamein.
06:41To Libya and Tunisia.
06:441300 miles.
06:46You moved when the infantry moved.
06:49Sicily.
06:50And Italy.
06:5258 moves in two years.
06:55Now Corsica.
06:57This is the best deal you ever had.
07:00Call it the country club.
07:17When you talk about air power.
07:19This is what you mean.
07:21You mean Spanky Mander.
07:23Major Francis S. Mander of Metmore, New Mexico.
07:27Squadron operations officer.
07:29Not a desk job.
07:31Got over 170 missions.
07:33Working for 200.
07:35He's 22.
07:39You mean Captain Howard Hickok.
07:41Of Ames, Iowa.
07:43He's a flight leader.
07:44Just had 30 days in the States.
07:47Time to get married.
07:48And come back.
07:50He's 23.
07:54Or, in his Italian general's trailer.
07:57Gil Wyman.
07:59Louisville, Kentucky.
08:01Marty looks old enough to vote.
08:02But he's boss of a squadron.
08:05He signed his letters.
08:07Gilbert O. Wyman.
08:08Lieutenant Colonel.
08:09Air Corps.
08:10Commanding.
08:12The old man.
08:14He's 24.
08:21Sunday morning.
08:23For the 57th Fighter Group.
08:26Three squadrons.
08:27A thousand men.
08:29Another day begins at Alto Air Base.
08:33You could close your eyes and see it this way.
08:36Spread out like a diagram.
08:39Been home sweet home for some time.
08:42Good steel mat runway.
08:45150 by 6,000 feet.
08:47Tower call sign is breakneck.
08:50Lots of jokes about that.
08:53We share the field with a French fighter group.
08:56Don't speak the same language.
08:58But we fly the same airplane.
09:01Against the same enemy.
09:04Each lost a man yesterday.
09:07We get along.
09:09Group commander.
09:11Lieutenant Colonel Archie J. Knight.
09:13West Point.
09:141940.
09:16He's 27.
09:21First mission today is the 6-5 Squadron show.
09:25Briefing.
09:26Right after breakfast.
09:28Informal.
09:28Short.
09:29To the point.
09:31Park yourself on a bomb crate.
09:33Get your escape kit.
09:35Enemy money.
09:37Instructions to get you back through the lines.
09:40Just in case.
09:42The S-2 tells you about your target.
09:44He doesn't have to draw it for you.
09:46You do this every day.
09:48Sometimes two or three times a day.
09:51Gil Wyman will lead the show.
09:54So he lays out the job.
09:56That's the nurse's hat.
09:58His girl.
10:00Wears it for luck.
10:01Eat all you can get.
10:04The brass upstairs plans the war.
10:07They want something done.
10:09They pick up the phone.
10:11You do it.
10:13Don't always know why they send you out on a mission.
10:16Don't always care.
10:18But you know there's a reason.
10:20A good one.
10:23Today the missions are going out because in Italy our armies have been stopped.
10:27Cold.
10:28At the Gustav Line.
10:30Across the narrowest and most mountainous part of the peninsula.
10:34U.S. 5th Army.
10:36British 8th Army.
10:38Stopped for five months.
10:41At Anzio.
10:43100,000 men sweating it out.
10:46We couldn't move.
10:49Stalemate.
10:50March 15th.
10:52We bombed Casino.
10:54Our immediate objective.
10:56Good job of bombing.
10:58Didn't work.
11:00Our infantry didn't advance.
11:02It was the wrong use of air power.
11:06Wrong because we were not taking advantage of the airplane's greatest asset.
11:11Its ability to get behind the enemy.
11:14That's what the air planners wanted to do.
11:17Get behind him.
11:19Lieutenant General Iris C. Aker.
11:21Commanding all the air in the Mediterranean.
11:24British, French and American.
11:27Major General John K. Cannon.
11:29Uncle Joe.
11:31Commanding the 12th Air Force.
11:33And Brigadier General Gordon Peaceville.
11:3512th Tactical Air Command.
11:37The brass upstairs who run the air war.
11:40They said.
11:42Let's not hit him here.
11:45Let's hit him.
11:47Here.
11:49Let's isolate the battlefield.
11:52Let's weaken the entire German front.
11:54By depriving it of supplies.
11:58Fuel.
11:59Food.
12:00Ammunition.
12:01Reinforcements.
12:04They call the plan Operation Strangle.
12:07This is what we want to do.
12:10With airplanes.
12:13How?
12:15Lot of railroads in Italy.
12:18This is the enemy.
12:19Keep the trains from getting through.
12:23Lot of rivers in Italy.
12:25And over 700 major bridges.
12:27We figured if a train came to one.
12:29And it wasn't there.
12:31It would be kind of tough to get across.
12:35Medium bombers got many of the important ones.
12:38But bridges are long narrow targets.
12:41Difficult to hit and destroy.
12:43Took a lot of trips.
12:45Bombs.
12:46Planes.
12:47Men.
12:48We started to use a special weapon.
12:52A fighter bomber.
12:53The P-47 Thunderbolt.
12:57One engine.
12:59One man.
13:01One bomb on each wing.
13:03Extra fuel tanks for range.
13:07Six Fives crew chiefs taxi from the dispersal point.
13:11At the end of the runway.
13:13Line up the squadron.
13:24All the pilots have to do.
13:26Is climb in.
13:28And take them away.
13:31If you're a crew chief.
13:33You've got your own P-47.
13:36Sometimes you think of it as your personal airplane.
13:40The pilot's a fellow you lend it to every day.
13:42You let him fly around in it.
13:44And you expect him to bring it back.
13:46In good condition.
13:48No bullet holes.
13:49Or black holes.
13:51After you've been lending your airplane to one pilot for a long time.
13:56You get attached to him too.
14:04If you're a pilot.
14:05No matter what your rank.
14:07Or how many hours you've had.
14:09What counts here.
14:10Is the combat flying you've done.
14:13Unless you've done plenty.
14:14You're a beginner.
14:16You're called a sprog.
14:17And you remain a sprog.
14:19Until you're wise to the tricks of the trade.
14:22After you've put a few missions behind you.
14:25You become a sport.
14:27Then with plenty of action.
14:2850 or 60 missions.
14:30If you're still around.
14:32You're promoted.
14:33You become an old sport.
14:35A veteran.
14:37The big shots like Gil Wyman.
14:39Are called wheels.
14:41No one knows exactly why.
14:44This fellow's a wheel too.
14:46Says so in his plane.
14:49Major Richard O. Hunziker.
14:51Of Tucson, Arizona.
14:53Got 179 missions.
14:58Your crew chief can't go along.
15:00So you always like to tell him what you're gonna do.
15:04Got a triple threat mission today.
15:06Each section's going after a bridge.
15:08I'll come in on a course of about 40 degrees.
15:13Same old thing.
15:15Go out there and dodge around on the ACAC.
15:18Dive bomb out of a left-hand turnabout.
15:20And carry the bombs right on down.
15:24We're flying top cover on the other two sections.
15:27While they bomb.
15:28And then we go in ourselves.
15:30Weather's supposed to be caboo.
15:31So maybe we'll have a good show.
15:40All set to go.
15:43But you don't.
15:45You wait.
15:47You wait for five minutes.
15:51That's the way it's planned.
15:55Time to settle down.
15:58Relax.
16:00You'll be busy later.
16:02So if you've got any thinking to do.
16:04And who hasn't.
16:07Now's the time to do it.
16:24Now's the time to do it.
16:24I'll be busy later.
16:24I'm sorry.
16:25I'm sorry.
16:26But you're not the time to do it.
16:28But you're going to do it.
16:28I'll be busy later.
16:28I'll be busy later.
16:29And we'll be busy later.
16:30I'll be busy later.
16:31I'll be busy later.
16:38The next day.
16:43Here, hold this to lay it back.
16:52Takeoff is always rough.
16:54Thunderbolts are heavy airplane.
16:57Besides, you've decorated it like a Christmas tree.
17:01Belly tank.
17:03Rockets.
17:05Guns.
17:07500-pound bombs.
17:10Cameras.
17:15Hello, breakneck.
17:16Call the leader here.
17:17We're clear to take the runway for a takeoff.
17:19Roger, call the leader from breakneck.
17:21You're clear number one to take off.
17:23Roger, breakneck.
17:28The mile of steel runway will shrink to nothing under you.
17:33Halfway down by the tower, you'll be committed.
17:37That means you can't slam on the brakes and stop.
17:42Once you're committed, you usually go up.
17:47First pair, Wyman and Gustafsson.
18:15First pair off.
18:17Second pair of taxis out.
18:19Goss and Burgess.
18:35Made it okay.
18:39Amanda and Richardson.
19:01Smith and Atwood.
19:05Come on.
19:05Hit her up.
19:06Come on.
19:08Get her up.
19:17Hickok and Morrow.
19:24Last pair.
19:25Welbeys and Hunziker.
19:42The squadron is airborne.
20:01Over Corsica, then out to sea, on the deck.
20:22Sixty miles east, to Italy.
20:28Flying from Corsica, you go only sixty miles, and you're a hundred and fifty miles behind
20:34the German front.
20:36Turn again on that castle.
20:39Now you're heading north, into the mountains.
20:49Leader section, red section, black section, formation flying, a game of follow the leader,
20:59the squadron leader.
21:02He navigates, makes the decisions, doesn't tell you what to do, does it?
21:08You follow, wing tip to wing tip.
21:13He turns, you turn.
21:22He climbs, you climb.
21:46Climbing still, to 10,000, through the clouds.
21:52Climbing still, to 10,000.
22:24Wingman, he's back.
22:27Keep the formation spread out.
22:34There's a checkpoint.
22:36That road.
22:38Follow it down to the river.
22:47Your first bridge should be down there, somewhere.
22:57There it is.
22:59Pass over it.
23:00Come back and attack from the opposite direction.
23:03One of the tricks you've learned.
23:06Leader section goes into loose string formation, one plane behind the other.
23:14Then, Wyman peels off.
23:26The rest of the section follows, at two second intervals.
23:49Last man goes in.
23:51No bombsite in the P-47.
23:53Pilot does his own aiming.
23:58Bomb bursts from the planes ahead.
24:00A couple of misses.
24:03Direct hit.
24:06I hope your aim is good.
24:13Drop your bombs.
24:20Pull out.
24:25They black you out for a second.
24:27Blood drains from your head.
24:31But you're young.
24:32It comes back fast.
24:35You're all right now.
24:38Leader section reforms.
24:41Top cover.
24:43Watches red section bomb.
24:44Abyss.
24:51Abyss.
24:52Another abyss.
25:00A hit.
25:05Black section goes down.
25:15Straddle the target.
25:18Concussion should do the trick.
25:28No more bombs.
25:30Still got plenty of gas.
25:32Plenty of ammo.
25:34Go in the prowl.
25:40Ease down on the deck.
25:44See what you can find.
26:06Railroad tracks.
26:09Following tracks.
26:14Another bad way to find a train.
26:18You spot one.
26:20Kick her over.
26:21Give it a few squirts.
26:24Might kill somebody.
26:30Bust the locomotive first.
26:32Train can't move now.
26:35Let's see what's in those box cars.
26:39Twelve of you.
26:41You'll all crisscross in.
26:43Everybody takes a few passes.
26:51Try the cars one at a time.
26:53Might be something interesting in them.
26:55Usually is.
27:12Got it burning nicely now.
27:16Take another pass.
27:18Full luck.
27:33Strafing spreads the squadron.
27:35Over the sky.
27:36Every man his own general.
27:39Looks like we're out of train.
27:44Lighthouse out there.
27:46Wonder if I've got any ammo left.
27:50Yep.
27:54Radio station.
27:56Floored a few tubes.
28:00Somebody in that field.
28:02Don't know who they are.
28:04No friends of mine.
28:15Cherry vehicles.
28:17Parked in that farmyard.
28:23More in back.
28:24Must be a headquarters.
28:28Houses around here look kind of suspicious.
28:31Might be something in them.
28:33Nothing in that one.
28:36Nothing in that one.
28:42Could be wrong.
28:45Nothing in that one.
28:46Nothing in that one.
28:47Nothing in that one.
28:48Nothing in that one.
28:48What do you know?
28:55Back at Alto.
28:57No one is sweating out 6-5 squadron.
29:006-6 is taking off.
29:12No one will sweat them out either.
29:14There are too many missions.
29:15Nine for the day.
29:18When you don't fly, you've got things to do.
29:21Try to make some sort of life for yourself.
29:25And trying, you've improvised an American community.
29:28Step off the field, you're in Corsica.
29:32Step back on, you're in America.
29:39This is part of the war too.
29:42The endless detail of living.
29:45The dust is a problem.
29:47Dust is good for the laundry business.
29:51And laundry.
29:53Branches everywhere.
29:56Community laundry.
29:59Three days service.
30:02And for the rugged individualist.
30:04Water supply.
30:07Pump.
30:10Heating unit.
30:13Washing machine.
30:15The sergeant used to sell these in New Orleans.
30:18He's keeping his hand in.
30:20The barber shop.
30:24And for the next customer, always something to read.
30:27Never born a year old.
30:31Bus line.
30:32Lunchtime special.
30:35And for the intellectually minded.
30:37There's time for the more serious things.
30:39Like practicing your yo-yo.
30:56If there's anything you want, don't ask for it.
31:00Build it.
31:02Build as though you'd be here forever.
31:05Knowing you may get orders to move.
31:07Tomorrow.
31:09Six-six found this canyon.
31:11Made it their living area.
31:14Nobody said they couldn't.
31:17Nobody says you can't have a house.
31:19Build it.
31:21Nobody says your squadron can't have a beach club.
31:24Build one.
31:26Nobody says you can't dam up a river.
31:28Make a swimming hole.
31:31This American community has everything.
31:40When you come off your shift and somebody else is carrying the ball,
31:44you try to relax.
31:46Enjoy yourself.
31:48In danger a couple hours a day.
31:50The rest of the time, you're out of it.
31:55Beach club's a busy place.
31:57So is the Mediterranean.
32:00Mussolini once called it Mare Nostrum.
32:03Our sea.
32:05But that was yesterday.
32:19The Yachtsman.
32:21An old wing tank and a few odds an end make quite a boat.
32:26The crew chief scrounge parts.
32:29Scrouge is polite for steel.
32:32Scrouge him from wrecked Jerry planes.
32:35Banged up Italian cars.
32:37Old parachutes for sales.
32:40They use only the best quality junk.
32:45Sometimes when you can get a PX ration of beer,
32:49you drink it.
32:50Then you look like this.
33:02Alto's the best deal he ever had.
33:05The country club.
33:07Not a laugh.
33:08Not a son.
33:10Your American community has everything.
33:14Except the things you really want.
33:17There are times you'd rather be flying
33:19than waiting around.
33:22Killing time.
33:24Because when you're flying,
33:25you don't have that feeling of the day,
33:28the week and month slipping by.
33:33Slipping by and leaving you standing still.
33:38These are your years.
33:41Years to get started.
33:43Find yourself.
33:44Your job.
33:46Your profession.
33:48Get married.
33:51And kids.
33:53Home of your own.
33:57These are the years that count.
34:03So, you have your pets.
34:07To give and receive affection.
34:10In return for affection.
34:14See ration.
34:15Book brother.
34:17As always in affairs of the heart,
34:20some have peculiar tastes.
34:326-6 squadron.
34:34Heading out.
34:366-5 squadron.
34:38Heading home.
34:40A meeting in the air.
34:42Comes and goes fast.
34:506-5.
34:526-5.
34:52Peter section.
34:53One plain life.
34:55When you reformed after strafing,
34:58you noticed it.
34:59Nobody saw it happen.
35:01Maybe he spun in.
35:03Maybe he bailed out.
35:05You'll think about it later.
35:10Now you're waiting for that first sight of home.
35:17That's the Rockware base.
35:20That's the Venko.
35:23You're on your own street.
35:25Alto's first turn to the left.
35:27Three fields down.
35:29Keep the formation tight.
35:31When you fly over those other outfits,
35:34you want to look good.
35:35Show them how it's done.
35:45Alto.
35:46Home.
35:48You come in low.
35:50And peel up.
35:57You peel up to reduce speed.
36:00Space the plane 20 seconds apart for landing.
36:04Second and third flights go on past the field.
36:07They'll circle back when the first flight is down.
36:22Drop your gear.
36:42Second flight peels up.
36:43Third flight will circle again.
36:51This is all the flying the ground crews.
36:53You see.
36:54You like to give them a kick.
37:01Sometimes you're tired.
37:03Land them rough.
37:11It's embarrassing.
37:14The colonel's not happy about the flack holes.
37:17New aeroplane.
37:19His crew chief will be mighty sore.
37:22How will you explain this away?
37:26Then, after the interrogation, you relax.
37:29Grab off some donuts and coffee.
37:32Jive with the Red Cross girl who meets every mission.
37:35And fly the show all over again.
37:38On the ground.
37:40Wyman goes back to work.
37:42There being a colonel.
37:44Missing an action report to sign.
37:46A telegram from the war department asked to start somewhere.
37:52By mid-April, every rail line in Italy was blocked.
37:56We drew a line of interdiction across the country.
38:00No train could move south of it.
38:03South of it, the railroad system was dead.
38:07But the German had to keep the supplies moving.
38:10Still had highways.
38:12He took to the roads.
38:14So we took to the roads.
38:19This is what the Germans fear most.
38:22You don't blame them.
38:24This is the way Rommel got it.
38:26He isn't the only one.
38:33When you clobber a highway, you burn plenty of ammo.
38:39Cyclic rate of fire, 800 rounds a minute.
38:43You've got eight guns.
38:45106 bullets a second.
38:51Rockets.
39:00Those aren't just trucks and Germans.
39:03You're stopping ammunition before it's fired on the 5th Army front.
39:09And you're doing it 200 miles behind that front.
39:17In the weeks that followed, from Corsica to Italy was like a trip to the corner drugstore.
39:23You could do it in your sleep.
39:28We averaged eight and nine missions a day at the 57th.
39:31The French flew about as many.
39:35Lafayette, Escadrillo.
39:37The 324th, the 86th, over in Italy.
39:41The 79th, next door.
39:44It was good to look up and watch them go by.
39:56But there were other things.
39:58There were those pillars of smoke.
40:01Never knew when you'd see one.
40:03That's a wreck.
40:05The P-47's cooking.
40:07And there's a man in it.
40:09When they hit like this, there's nothing to do.
40:12Let them burn.
40:14And stay clear of the exploding ammo.
40:17Keep on landing.
40:19You have to.
40:21No place to park up there.
40:25Why did it happen?
40:27Engine cut out.
40:28For a second.
40:29200 yards from the runway.
40:32200 yards from home.
40:34Flag damage might have caused it.
40:36You'll never know for sure.
40:39All you know is, for some, the war is expensive.
40:44You wish the people back home could at least see it.
40:57We kept up the pressure.
40:59By the beginning of May, the roads were practically closed.
41:04If one man on a motorcycle appeared on the highway by day,
41:09he was a dead pigeon.
41:14The German took to the sea.
41:16Two months after we started,
41:19the strangle was on.
41:22The Germans had barely enough supplies for two weeks.
41:26That's when our ground forces attacked.
41:28Allied troops took a casino.
41:31We linked up with the beachhead at Anzio.
41:33And in three weeks, we're in Rome.
41:38The men on the ground pushed to the sea.
41:38They were in Rome.
41:39They were in Rome.
42:04The men on the ground pushed north.
42:07And as they moved up, they saw what had been done to help them.
42:13Ten thousand enemy vehicles, destroyed or damaged.
42:24In every town they took, no marshaling yard.
42:31How many German tanks went out of business because of the gasoline these trains never carried?
42:41They advanced and they saw the bridges.
42:48How many German shells were never fired because they couldn't get across the river?
43:00The ground forces exploited their breakthrough.
43:04In plain language, they shot and killed Germans.
43:11And they ate up the country, almost 250 miles in one nonstop offensive.
43:20The ground forces won a battle.
43:22But they still had a war to fight.
43:24And you were still flying missions.
43:28Up from first light to last light, only the coming of darkness would stop you.
43:36Only the coming of darkness would bring the last missions home to Aldo.
43:46Then the long work day would end.
43:49Some men hit the sack early.
43:52And some spent another quiet evening at the club.
43:56Colonel Wyman's Country Club.
43:58For airplane drivers.
44:00Sur�ers色, If you enjoy, head around the rooms away.
44:01Let me destroy, have-de, have a good time.
44:03Stay in bed till half past night.
44:07Cataroube, dance the club.
44:09Classes ourautss ourauts for?
44:10Colonel Wyman's Country Club.
44:12Ha, ha, ha!
44:13Hi, you and me.
44:15Little rock, just how I love it.
44:18Hi, you and me.