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| The July Special
Order the F4U DVD and Get US
Carriers Go to War FREE
(See description below)
The F4U Corsair DVD Three films & 64 page F4U pilot's manual
* How to Fly the Vought F4U "Corsair" (1944, B&W, 20:30) "A big, tough, shipboard fighter." This was the plane flown by Pappy Boyington's infamous "Black Sheep" VMF-214 Marine squadron. Initially rejected by they US Navy as a carrier fighter, it was loved by island based Marine squadrons who found it to be both an excellent air superiority fighter and outstanding ground support bomber, a trait much prized and loved by the Corps. Known to Japanese pilots as "Whistling Death" for good reason, the F4U had an amazing 11-1 kill ratio The Corsair went on to perform with distinction through the Korean War and for the French in Indochina.* Offensive Fighter Tactics (1943, Color, 21:00) ( Unedited Full Length version)Learn the tactics US Navy fighter pilot's developed -- the hard way --during the first two years of the War. Covers everything from situational awareness & assessing enemy capabilities to one-on-one dog fights and squadron tactics. Full of detailed illustrations & examples. A must have for virtual combat pilots and World War II fighter enthusiasts alike!
* Hook Down, Wheels Down (1968, Color & B&W, 55:00) This fine documentary was produced by the Department of the Navy to celebrate the first 50 years of carrier based aviation, with an emphasis on World War II operations. The Navy Archives were opened to provide footage ranging from precarious landings on the old Langley, to the Battle of the Coral Sea, to CVEs facing the Japanese at Leyte Gulf and more. Along with some great Navy action, the highlight of the film are the numerous interviews with famous naval aviators, including George Gay, the only survivor at Midway from Torpedo Squadron 8, John Thatch, who tells how he invented the famous "Thatch Weave," Gene Valencia, a top USN ace, and Adm Wade McClusky, also of Midway fame.
* The Saga of the Franklin (1945, Color, 24:00) This inspiring documentary shows how the gallant officers and men of the carrier Franklin overcame incredible battle damage inflicted by a devastating bomb hit to save their ship. Also contains rare and informative color footage of late war F4U Corsair carrier ops and daily life on board the ship.
* 64 page F4U Corsair pilot's manual in .pdf file format with photos, systems diagrams, performance charts, flight procedures & more.
Order the F4U DVD and Get US Carriers Go to War FREE
US Aircraft Carriers Go to
War World War II Flat
Tops in Action
c 2009
Zeno's Warbird Videos/Military Arts PicturesThe videos on this DVD have audio and video
restoration. See & hear what that means
The Battle of Midway (1942,
Color, 18:00) Academy Award Winning Documentary, Directed
by four time Oscar Winner John Ford (The Quiet Man, The Grapes of Wrath,
Stage Coach, The Informer) New Color Corrected Edition from archival
sources. This stirring documentary was shot by Drector John Ford during
the intense June 4th Japanese carrier plane attacks on Midway Island and
by Navy Combat Cameramen abordthe USS Yorktown during the epic carrier
battle, along with color gun camera film of air to air and air to sea
combat.. Highlights include memorable scenes from the Marine Base on
Midway, airfield B-17s leaving to attack the Japanese fleet, patroling
PBYs,. action packed Japanese attacks on the Yorktown and Midway, and up
close shots of the Yorktown's squadron VF3 and their F4F Wild Cats,
including aces John S. "Jimmy' Thach ("The Thach Weave") and Lt. E.
Scott McCuskey. And it wouldn't be a John Ford movie without some of the
most vivid combat cinematography you have ever seen, a touching and
dramatic score by nine time Oscar winner Alfred Newman, and some folksy
narration by Henry Fonda. Like many World War II period pictures, the
facts presented in "The battle of Midway" are not always historically
accurate, but there is no denying that these are some of the most
powerful images we have of this epic battle, a turning point in World
War II. The America people needed a shot in the arm after Pearl Harbor
and '"The Battle of Midway" supplied it in spades!
The Fleet that Came to
Stay (1945, B&W, 22:00) In March, 1945, the US Army, Navy
and Marines, with the support of the British Pacific Fleet, launched
"Operation Iceberg" against the Japanese Island of Okinawa, in the
Ryukus, a key stepping stone for the invasion of the Japanese home
islands. US troops landed successfully, leading to one of the bloodiest
land battles in world War II. In response over the next tree months,the
Japanese launched a series of terrifying kamikaze suicide aircraft
attacks from land bases only 350 miles away against the screening Allied
naval forces. The Japanese flew 1,900 sorties, sinking dozens of Allied
ships and killing more than 5,000 U.S. sailors at the cost of 1,465
kamikaze planes. 2,200 other Japanese and 763 U.S. aircraft were also
destroyed during the battle. Although no major warships were lost,
several fleet carriers were severely damaged and knocked out of action.
"The Fleet that came to stay" tells the high tension story of the
defense of the landing beaches with some of the most exciting and
dramatic air combat footage to come out of World War II. You'll see
nonstop action including determined Kamakazi attacks through a forest of
FLAK, extensive gun camera film taken from US carrier planes defending
the ships, and exciting air to ground attacks as Admiral Mitcher's
planes struck back at Japanese air bases. An added bonus are some
remarkably clear shots of a captured (?) Japanese Kawasaki KI 61 Hien
"Tony" fighter.
The Second Battle of
the Philippines: The Battle of Leyte Gulf (1945, B&W, 22:00)
The Second Battle of the Philippines, popularly known today as 'The
Battle of Leyte Gulf," was the largest Naval engagement in history,
swirling around the 1944 invasion of Leyte Island and the Japanese
navy's surprise counter strike. You'll see dramatic naval surface
battles and carrier air footage from several engagements, including "The
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea" (24 October), battleship action at "The
Battle of Surigao Strait" (25 October), "The Battle off Samar" (25
October) where the gallant jeep carriers and destroyers of Task Unit
77.4.3 turned back Japanese Admiral Kuita's massive Center Force Fleet
on Leyte's door step, and "The Battle off Cape Engaño" (25–26 October)
where Admiral Mitscher's Task Force 38 carriers pounded Japanese Admiral
Ozawas carrier force which was being used to decoy American forces away
from Kurita's strike on the Leyte landing. Not to be missed!
The Life and Death of the USS Hornet
(1943, B&W, 18:00) This documentary tells the dramatic story of the
legendary aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet (CV-8) , from her launching
by Newport News Shipbuilding on Dec 14, 1941 through her dramatic loss
on 27 October 1942 after the Battle of Santa Cruz off Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands. In between , you'll see some of the best footage we
have of the Hornet's role in the launching of Col. Jimmy Doolittle's
amazing B-25 bomber strike on Tokyo from here heaving flight deck on 18
April, 1942. You'll also see memorable scenes from her participation in
the Battle of Midway, including up close footage of the immortal heroes
of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8), all of whose members, except one lone
survivor, Ensign George Gay, lost their lives flying unescorted against
the Japanese fleet in their out-dated Douglas TBD Devastators. Their
sacrifice helped draw protecting Japanese fighters away from their
carriers, leading to the loss of three of them that day to US dive
bombers. Hornet
received four battle stars for World War II service. Torpedo Squadron 8
was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation "for extraordinary heroism
and distinguished service beyond the call of duty" in the Battle of
Midway. |
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