Salut mes Amis! –
Honor our Veterans this Veterans Day. I know that many Vets receive this newsletter because they've shared their experiences with me. Thank you for your service!
You are invited to drop by Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com
to view our November selection of eight exciting films streaming over the Web in broadband, including two premieres!
As always, all of the videos showing on our website are for your free viewing pleasure. Please help "spread the word" by liking us on Facebook.
Now showing in November "At the Matinee" at Zeno's Drive-In Free admission!
http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/MATINEE.html
*Hollywood Goes to War; The First Motion Picture Unit NEW One of the most common questions I've been asked about the World War 2 aviation training films l show is "Who made these?'' The answer is the subject this fascinating report, 'The Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit" A massive Hollywood studio in Culver City California was turned over solely for producing these training and information films, staffed by experienced men & women enlisted into the Army from all the trades necessary to produce a top flight motion picture.
*XB-70 Supersonic Bomber Flight Test Program NEW! This remarkable film, produced by North American Aviation, gives a concise overview of the early phases of the XB-70A aircraft design, construction, development and testing in 1964. You'll see Phase one & two flight tests and "proof loading" structural tests
*Winged Artillery. EXCLUSIVE! Cannon firing B-25s in vivid color! The original film had no sound effects at all, so I took the liberty of adding aircraft engine sounds, explosions, trucks, hammering etc. I also digitally corrected severe color shifts. This is one of my favorite World War 2 documentary. Nine 75mm cannon firing B-25Gs of the 48th Bomb Squadron, 7AAF, based on Apamama in the Gilbert Islands, conduct a hair raising tree top level strike on the Japanese air base on Mille.
* Profile of a World War 2 Test Pilot Not only is this a great film about what it took to be a World War 2 test pilot, there's rare shots of experimental aircraft at Wright Field. I added subtitles to ID many of them. This film was developed by personnel at the Army Air Corps top secret Wright Field flight test facility during World War 2 to give pilots the low down on what to expect if they joined their aircraft testing program. As such, the film is both very informative, with plenty of info about flight testing at that time, including climb, level flight, take off and landing, test instruments, and pilot responsibilities.
*German World War 2 Newsreels; JG 26, Night Fighters, Panzers & more. During World War 2 German combat cameramen were celebrities for a good reason. These clips are from the "Die Deutsche Wochenshau" newsreel series. Of course, some of them have a obvious propaganda slant: Nazi leaders are idolized and retreats are portrayed as victories, but they are also a unique collection of seldom seen World War 2 films, often in very good to excellent condition, as they were shown to the German people and in occupied countries.
*Mission to Rabaul. Rabaul, a large natural harbor on the eastern end of the huge Island of New Britain (located northeast of New Guinea in the Southwest Pacific) was an essential strategic linchpin for the Japanese from which they could project their forces throughout the region. They poured tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of airplanes, and thousands of tons of supplies and material into this base to make it a mighty fortress. The Allies' brilliant solution to the Rabaul conundrum was to isolate it, slowly starve it and bypass it -- rather than assault it directly
*The Stilwell Road & the China Burma India Campaign The story of China-Burma-India (CBI) campaign is one of the most under-reported, yet most dramatic, exciting and important actions in World War 2.Narrated by Ronald Reagan, this is a very detailed strategic and tactical account of the entire campaign in the CBI, from the Chinese construction of the Burma Road in 1939 through the Japanese invasion of Burma, Allied counterattacks, Japanese counterattacks and the opening of the new Stilwell road to China in 1945. Lots of dramatic combat footage on all fronts is supplemented by behind the scenes looks at logistics, jungle hospitals and detailed maps that put diverse operations in context.
*Hell in Normandy - A Spaghetti War Movie This 1960's era Italian cinema factory "Spaghetti War Movie" has a preposterous plot full of historical inaccuracies, poorly chosen locations, cheap special effects, ham acting, corny badly dubbed dialogue, a sexy Italian actress and features Hollywood B movie star Guy Madison. In other words, what's not to like? Some might say I wasted my time restoring the color, but it was a fun way to spend a snowy afternoon.
We also show 1940-45 vintage WWII Army & Navy films and pilot's manuals on how to fly the F4U, F6F, P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51, P-61, TBF/TBM, AT-6/SNJ, B-17, B-24, B-25, A-20, A-26, B-26, B-29, and Stearman N2S. Alert! - don't miss the F-86, B-47 & B-58!
Zeno
Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In
World War II Aviation Videos Playing Online 24/7
http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com
Zeno's Flight Shop DVDs
Worlds Largest Collection of vintage World War 2 & classic jet videos
http://www.zenosflightshop.com
Now on Twitter @ZenosWarbirds
Videos: Hollywood Goes to War,XB-70,WW2 Test Pilots,JG 26,75mm B-25s & more