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Today,
a war is very different...
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00:02:15,042 --> 00:02:17,169
than the last European war was.
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00:02:17,211 --> 00:02:21,875
Now air power is the dominant
feature of military operations.
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00:02:21,916 --> 00:02:24,942
Air power can fly directly
into the vital centers...
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00:02:24,986 --> 00:02:27,614
of an opposing state
and neutralize them.
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00:02:27,655 --> 00:02:30,783
It can destroy the cities.
It can wreck the aqueducts.
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00:02:30,825 --> 00:02:33,293
It can knock out
the lines of communication.
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00:02:33,327 --> 00:02:35,295
It can destroy
the food supplies...
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00:02:35,329 --> 00:02:37,991
and make the people
helpless to resist.
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00:02:57,819 --> 00:03:02,256
For 3,500 years,
man has had the desire to fly.
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00:03:02,290 --> 00:03:04,622
And yet it was
only 40 years ago...
12
00:03:04,659 --> 00:03:06,627
this ambition was realized-
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00:03:06,661 --> 00:03:09,129
an accomplishment that
was to change the destiny...
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00:03:09,163 --> 00:03:10,824
of the entire world.
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00:03:12,533 --> 00:03:14,865
Two brothers,
Orville and Wilbur Wright-
16
00:03:14,902 --> 00:03:16,995
bicycle builders
from Dayton, Ohio-
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00:03:17,038 --> 00:03:19,097
on the morning
of December 17...
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00:03:19,140 --> 00:03:21,836
set up on the sands of
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina...
19
00:03:21,876 --> 00:03:25,004
their first heavier-than-air
flying machine.
20
00:03:26,581 --> 00:03:28,481
Powered by
a four-cylinder motor...
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00:03:28,516 --> 00:03:30,541
developing
almost twelve horsepower...
22
00:03:33,254 --> 00:03:36,121
with two bicycle chain-driven
propellers...
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00:03:36,157 --> 00:03:39,354
turning at nearly
340 revolutions per minute.
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00:03:39,393 --> 00:03:41,623
The machine,
complete with pilot...
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00:03:41,662 --> 00:03:46,099
weighed almost 750 pounds.
26
00:03:46,133 --> 00:03:48,101
In order
to launch the plane...
27
00:03:48,135 --> 00:03:50,103
a monoraiI track was designed.
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00:03:50,137 --> 00:03:53,402
The biplane "A"runs on
the wooden raiI "B"...
29
00:03:53,441 --> 00:03:55,966
and anchor wire "C"
holds the plane back...
30
00:03:56,010 --> 00:03:58,240
to enable the motor
to develop sufficient power...
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00:03:58,279 --> 00:04:00,247
for the takeoff.
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00:04:00,281 --> 00:04:02,112
Everything is in readiness.
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00:04:02,149 --> 00:04:05,448
The small crowd of witnesses
looks on hopefully.
34
00:04:05,486 --> 00:04:08,114
Orville Wright
is at the controls.
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00:04:08,155 --> 00:04:12,251
One, two, three...
36
00:04:12,293 --> 00:04:13,487
Go!
37
00:04:14,929 --> 00:04:17,454
The motor races.
It's a tense moment.
38
00:04:17,498 --> 00:04:19,466
Wilbur steadies the wing.
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00:04:23,671 --> 00:04:25,639
The plane strains
at the anchor cable.
40
00:04:25,673 --> 00:04:28,301
Orville's hand
grips the controI.
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00:04:28,342 --> 00:04:30,310
The wire is released!
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00:04:36,817 --> 00:04:38,182
For twelve seconds...
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00:04:38,219 --> 00:04:40,244
the Wright plane
plows through the air...
44
00:04:40,288 --> 00:04:43,815
in unmistakable power-driven,
man-carrying flight.
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00:04:43,858 --> 00:04:48,852
Twelve seconds.
TotaI distance-120 feet.
46
00:04:48,896 --> 00:04:52,332
Man has conquered the air.
47
00:04:52,366 --> 00:04:54,732
The five witnesses
of this epoch-making flight...
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00:04:54,769 --> 00:04:57,704
were too startled,
too thrilled to cheer.
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00:04:57,738 --> 00:05:00,571
Success! Four flights
Thursday morning...
50
00:05:00,608 --> 00:05:04,135
starting from leveI,
average speed 31 miles.
51
00:05:04,178 --> 00:05:07,079
Inform press. Home Christmas.
Orville Wright.
52
00:05:07,114 --> 00:05:08,877
Man's first flight.
53
00:05:08,916 --> 00:05:10,645
Yet this epoch-making feat...
54
00:05:10,685 --> 00:05:13,017
failed to impress
a disinterested public.
55
00:05:13,054 --> 00:05:15,022
The only part
of this stirring message...
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00:05:15,056 --> 00:05:16,683
that seemed newsworthy was...
57
00:05:16,724 --> 00:05:19,716
"The Wright Brothers
to be home for Christmas."
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00:05:21,095 --> 00:05:23,495
In spite of the public's
lack of enthusiasm...
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00:05:23,531 --> 00:05:24,896
the Wrights persisted.
60
00:05:27,768 --> 00:05:30,259
Then one day, they made
a revolutionary flight.
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00:05:30,304 --> 00:05:31,999
For the first time,
they were able...
62
00:05:32,039 --> 00:05:33,973
to turn the plane around
in midair...
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00:05:34,008 --> 00:05:36,101
and fly in
the opposite direction.
64
00:05:42,383 --> 00:05:45,443
The daring Brazilian sportsman
Alberto Santos-Dumont...
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00:05:45,486 --> 00:05:47,147
made the first
officially recorded...
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00:05:47,188 --> 00:05:48,917
European airplane flight.
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00:05:48,956 --> 00:05:51,254
Soon, many other
intrepid airmen...
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00:05:51,292 --> 00:05:53,954
were flying
in triplanes, biplanes...
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00:05:53,995 --> 00:05:56,122
monoplanes and multiplanes.
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00:05:56,163 --> 00:05:59,621
Fantastic in appearance,
but they all flew.
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00:06:03,804 --> 00:06:05,897
Back in America...
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00:06:10,511 --> 00:06:12,809
Gee willikers!
73
00:06:12,847 --> 00:06:16,112
It says here
the Army plans an Air Corps.
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00:06:16,150 --> 00:06:17,811
"The flying machine
must make...
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00:06:17,852 --> 00:06:20,616
"an endurance flight
of one hour...
76
00:06:20,655 --> 00:06:22,953
"carry pilot
and one passenger...
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00:06:22,990 --> 00:06:25,925
"attain a speed
of 40 miles an hour...
78
00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,452
'traveI ten miles
and land undamaged."
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00:06:29,497 --> 00:06:31,431
Well, doggone.
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00:06:31,465 --> 00:06:34,593
41 enthusiastic
airplane builders...
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00:06:34,635 --> 00:06:37,627
submitted bids
of somewhat varied amounts.
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00:06:37,672 --> 00:06:39,833
I'll build a plane
for a million dollars.
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00:06:39,874 --> 00:06:41,432
I'll build it
for a thousand.
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00:06:41,475 --> 00:06:43,670
Mine'll cost 10 million.
- $3,000.
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00:06:43,711 --> 00:06:46,805
- $1,230.
- $10,000.
86
00:06:46,847 --> 00:06:50,112
My plane'll cost only $510.
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00:06:50,151 --> 00:06:51,675
And one shrewd bidder...
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00:06:51,719 --> 00:06:55,280
guaranteed to build a plane
for $45 a pound.
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00:06:55,322 --> 00:06:57,586
However, when
the government demanded...
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00:06:57,625 --> 00:06:59,684
a 10% forfeit be posted...
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00:06:59,727 --> 00:07:02,059
all but three of
these enthusiastic bidders...
92
00:07:02,096 --> 00:07:03,563
hastily withdrew.
93
00:07:06,367 --> 00:07:08,335
The contract was let
to the Wright Brothers...
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00:07:08,369 --> 00:07:10,496
for one military airplane.
95
00:07:13,374 --> 00:07:15,308
Six months later,
at Fort Meyer...
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00:07:15,342 --> 00:07:18,334
delivery was made
to the United States Army.
97
00:07:20,381 --> 00:07:23,680
This was the modest beginning
of our Air Force.
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00:07:23,718 --> 00:07:26,243
It was only 33 years ago...
99
00:07:26,287 --> 00:07:29,415
that Louis Bl�riot took off
from the coast of France...
100
00:07:29,457 --> 00:07:32,483
and, without instruments,
made the 21-mile flight...
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00:07:32,526 --> 00:07:34,357
across the English ChanneI.
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00:07:36,797 --> 00:07:39,163
Only a few realized
the significance...
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00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:40,827
of this great flight.
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00:07:40,868 --> 00:07:43,837
England was no longer isolated
from the rest of Europe...
105
00:07:43,871 --> 00:07:46,362
by an impassable body
of water.
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00:07:49,243 --> 00:07:51,711
A ChanneI flight
that was to one day...
107
00:07:51,746 --> 00:07:53,145
prove of even
greater significance...
108
00:07:53,180 --> 00:07:55,842
was accomplished by
the Honorable C.S. Rolls.
109
00:07:55,883 --> 00:07:57,316
In his own words...
110
00:07:57,351 --> 00:07:58,784
Departing from England...
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00:07:58,819 --> 00:08:02,016
the flight across the ChanneI
was quite uneventfuI.
112
00:08:09,163 --> 00:08:12,428
Reaching the other side
and being recognized.
113
00:08:17,805 --> 00:08:22,401
Dropped greetings.
And without stopping...
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00:08:22,443 --> 00:08:25,640
returned home
safely without mishap.
115
00:08:27,114 --> 00:08:29,014
In the meantime,
back in America...
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00:08:29,049 --> 00:08:31,916
aviation saw
another great advancement.
117
00:08:31,952 --> 00:08:33,852
Eugene Ely
made the first takeoff...
118
00:08:33,888 --> 00:08:36,220
from the deck
of the U.S.S. Birmingham.
119
00:08:40,795 --> 00:08:42,763
Two months later,
Ely reversed this feat...
120
00:08:42,797 --> 00:08:45,288
by landing on
the U.S.S. Pennsylvania.
121
00:08:45,332 --> 00:08:48,768
This was the birth
of the aircraft carrier.
122
00:08:48,803 --> 00:08:53,297
In 1911, the first experiments
with seaplanes began.
123
00:08:53,340 --> 00:08:56,468
Canoe-like pontoons
were added to a land plane.
124
00:08:58,546 --> 00:09:00,912
Straining for the takeoff,
the motor raced.
125
00:09:00,948 --> 00:09:02,575
At 31 miles an hour...
126
00:09:02,616 --> 00:09:04,846
the plane sped across
the surface of the lake...
127
00:09:06,153 --> 00:09:07,814
and slid up on the bank.
128
00:09:10,791 --> 00:09:14,318
It was not untiI Glenn Curtiss
added a more powerfuI motor...
129
00:09:14,361 --> 00:09:17,353
that experiments with seaplanes
were a success.
130
00:09:17,398 --> 00:09:19,423
That same year
also witnessed...
131
00:09:19,466 --> 00:09:21,798
the first
transcontinentaI flight.
132
00:09:21,836 --> 00:09:24,498
Racing against
a 30-day time limit...
133
00:09:24,538 --> 00:09:26,506
for a $50,000 prize...
134
00:09:26,540 --> 00:09:29,532
Calbraith P. Rodgers
took off from Long Island...
135
00:09:29,577 --> 00:09:33,035
accompanied by a speciaI train
carrying spare parts.
136
00:09:35,516 --> 00:09:37,984
The flight consisted
of 69 short hops...
137
00:09:39,286 --> 00:09:41,618
and 15 crashes.
138
00:09:43,691 --> 00:09:45,921
Over rivers and mountains...
139
00:09:47,661 --> 00:09:49,288
against insurmountable odds...
140
00:09:49,330 --> 00:09:52,265
bucking strong winds
and treacherous air currents...
141
00:09:53,667 --> 00:09:56,295
losing precious moments...
142
00:09:56,337 --> 00:09:58,931
with indomitable courage
and the will to win...
143
00:09:58,973 --> 00:10:01,965
the daring flyer
crashed on and on.
144
00:10:06,881 --> 00:10:08,974
Forty-nine days later
at Pasadena...
145
00:10:09,016 --> 00:10:11,143
Rodgers arrived
with only one strut...
146
00:10:11,185 --> 00:10:14,120
and part of the taiI intact
from the originaI plane.
147
00:10:16,257 --> 00:10:19,954
Just barely missing
the prize by 19 days...
148
00:10:19,994 --> 00:10:23,623
this modest hero confidently
predicted that someday...
149
00:10:23,664 --> 00:10:27,498
somebody would fly
across the country in 30 days.
150
00:10:27,534 --> 00:10:29,434
And so,
for the next few years...
151
00:10:29,470 --> 00:10:31,870
the flying machine continued
to thrill the public...
152
00:10:31,906 --> 00:10:35,740
but was regarded as a novelty
with no practicaI uses.
153
00:10:43,250 --> 00:10:45,775
The airplane,
at the tender age of ten...
154
00:10:45,819 --> 00:10:47,411
went off to war.
155
00:10:48,722 --> 00:10:50,656
At first,
aircraft was considered...
156
00:10:50,691 --> 00:10:52,625
to have very little
military value...
157
00:10:52,660 --> 00:10:55,026
except for
observation purposes.
158
00:10:55,062 --> 00:10:57,360
A spirit of
sportsmanship existed...
159
00:10:57,398 --> 00:10:58,990
between the rivaI pilots.
160
00:10:59,033 --> 00:11:00,728
As they would pass
each other...
161
00:11:00,768 --> 00:11:02,861
on their daily flights
over the lines...
162
00:11:02,903 --> 00:11:04,871
they would wave
a friendly greeting...
163
00:11:04,905 --> 00:11:08,102
and sometimes take pictures
of one another...
164
00:11:08,142 --> 00:11:11,043
which led to
an unusuaI development.
165
00:11:13,580 --> 00:11:15,480
Sacr� bleu!
166
00:11:15,516 --> 00:11:17,313
This is outrage!
167
00:11:20,921 --> 00:11:23,048
And so, the next day...
168
00:11:25,659 --> 00:11:26,887
Oof!
169
00:11:31,432 --> 00:11:32,899
The following day...
170
00:11:32,933 --> 00:11:35,902
being a hothead
as well as a squarehead...
171
00:11:35,936 --> 00:11:37,563
Fritz took a potshot at Pierre.
172
00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:41,034
Oh!
173
00:11:45,312 --> 00:11:48,042
Duels with pistols,
shotguns, and rifles...
174
00:11:48,082 --> 00:11:50,607
led to the installation
of the machine gun...
175
00:11:50,651 --> 00:11:53,415
successfuI
but for one small detaiI-
176
00:12:01,428 --> 00:12:03,828
The propeller got in the way.
177
00:12:06,633 --> 00:12:09,295
Then science developed
the synchronizing device...
178
00:12:09,336 --> 00:12:11,270
to allow the bullets
to pass between...
179
00:12:11,305 --> 00:12:13,671
the rapidly revolving blades
of the propeller.
180
00:12:15,142 --> 00:12:18,600
The airplane became
a formidable weapon of war.
181
00:12:33,594 --> 00:12:35,789
The merciless pressure
of warfare...
182
00:12:35,829 --> 00:12:38,957
developed highly specialized
types of planes.
183
00:12:42,002 --> 00:12:44,698
The dropping of grenades
and hand bombs...
184
00:12:44,738 --> 00:12:49,402
led to a new and terrible
instrument of war-the bomber.
185
00:13:03,323 --> 00:13:06,224
The terrific competition
of aeriaI combat...
186
00:13:06,260 --> 00:13:09,286
compelled the rapid improvement
of aircraft.
187
00:14:02,082 --> 00:14:06,178
More than 20,000 conflicts
were fought in the air.
188
00:14:06,220 --> 00:14:08,245
The forced development
of aircraft...
189
00:14:08,288 --> 00:14:10,347
in these four years of war...
190
00:14:10,390 --> 00:14:13,882
would have taken 20 years
to accomplish in peacetime.
191
00:14:13,927 --> 00:14:17,055
Yet the war ended before
the world fully realized...
192
00:14:17,097 --> 00:14:20,123
the military potentiaI
of air power.
193
00:14:24,338 --> 00:14:26,704
As a war-weary public
transferred its interest...
194
00:14:26,740 --> 00:14:28,435
to peacetime activities...
195
00:14:28,475 --> 00:14:32,377
the airplane again
had to struggle for existence.
196
00:14:32,412 --> 00:14:34,312
The "Fly with Me"
gypsy flyer...
197
00:14:34,348 --> 00:14:36,475
barnstormed
all over the country.
198
00:14:45,626 --> 00:14:47,890
While people still regarded
the airplane...
199
00:14:47,928 --> 00:14:49,623
as an exciting novelty...
200
00:14:49,663 --> 00:14:52,097
farsighted airmen
were compelling the public...
201
00:14:52,132 --> 00:14:55,124
to look upon aviation
with a new respect.
202
00:14:55,169 --> 00:14:58,400
The U.S. Navy NC-4 flew
from Newfoundland to England...
203
00:14:58,438 --> 00:14:59,928
via the Azores.
204
00:14:59,973 --> 00:15:02,237
The first nonstop
transatlantic flight...
205
00:15:02,276 --> 00:15:05,575
was made by Alcock and Brown
from Newfoundland to Ireland.
206
00:15:05,612 --> 00:15:07,773
First solo flight
across the Atlantic-
207
00:15:07,814 --> 00:15:10,612
Charles A. Lindbergh,
New York to Paris.
208
00:15:10,651 --> 00:15:12,380
First round-the-world flight-
209
00:15:12,419 --> 00:15:14,410
U.S. Army planes
circled the globe.
210
00:15:14,454 --> 00:15:17,946
Flying time-15 days, 11 hours.
211
00:15:17,991 --> 00:15:20,824
Post and Gatty-
4 days, 10 hours.
212
00:15:21,995 --> 00:15:25,089
Howard Hughes-
2 days, 23 hours.
213
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:31,334
Altitude flights developed
superchargers and deicers.
214
00:15:31,371 --> 00:15:34,738
Air races improved design
and advanced speed.
215
00:15:41,248 --> 00:15:44,012
Power diving
at 620 miles per hour...
216
00:15:44,051 --> 00:15:46,952
tested durability
and construction of planes.
217
00:15:51,692 --> 00:15:54,092
The first air maiI service
in 1918...
218
00:15:54,127 --> 00:15:56,857
grew in a short time
to major airlines...
219
00:15:56,897 --> 00:15:59,661
with regularly scheduled
transcontinentaI...
220
00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:03,329
and then transoceanic
passenger and freight service.
221
00:16:03,370 --> 00:16:06,498
Aviation was progressing
at a tremendous pace.
222
00:16:07,841 --> 00:16:11,572
Time was being compressed,
distance shrunk...
223
00:16:11,612 --> 00:16:15,013
range lengthened,
and load capacity increased.
224
00:16:15,048 --> 00:16:18,211
The airplane-
now flying all over the world-
225
00:16:18,252 --> 00:16:20,277
was the only weapon of war...
226
00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,118
to develop such great
usefulness in peacetime.
227
00:16:37,104 --> 00:16:39,436
Jeepers!
228
00:16:39,473 --> 00:16:43,239
President Roosevelt
wants 50,000 planes a year.
229
00:16:43,277 --> 00:16:46,474
Backed by 25 years
of constant pioneering...
230
00:16:46,513 --> 00:16:49,277
American aviation
met the challenge.
231
00:16:50,917 --> 00:16:53,647
Remember,
the experiment of 1914...
232
00:16:53,687 --> 00:16:55,552
had become
a devastating force.
233
00:16:55,589 --> 00:16:59,116
From the mile-a-minute plane
of World War I...
234
00:16:59,159 --> 00:17:00,922
we're starting today
with planes...
235
00:17:00,961 --> 00:17:03,020
flying more than
six miles a minute.
236
00:17:04,865 --> 00:17:06,298
During the last war...
237
00:17:06,333 --> 00:17:09,393
firepower was increased
from one brick per minute...
238
00:17:09,436 --> 00:17:11,495
to 2,400 bullets per minute.
239
00:17:13,407 --> 00:17:18,140
Today we're starting
with 9,600 bullets per minute.
240
00:17:22,182 --> 00:17:23,877
During World War I...
241
00:17:23,917 --> 00:17:27,148
aeriaI grenades
and 25-pound hand bombs...
242
00:17:27,187 --> 00:17:29,849
grew to two-ton bomb loads.
243
00:17:29,890 --> 00:17:33,018
Today we're starting
with ten-ton bomb loads...
244
00:17:33,060 --> 00:17:34,857
of the most
devastating explosives...
245
00:17:34,895 --> 00:17:37,625
ever conceived by science.
246
00:17:37,664 --> 00:17:40,599
Today the historic flight
of C.S. Rolls...
247
00:17:40,634 --> 00:17:42,329
is repeated daily...
248
00:17:42,369 --> 00:17:45,634
by Rolls-Royce-powered
pursuit and bomber planes.
249
00:17:45,672 --> 00:17:47,139
Departing from England...
250
00:17:47,174 --> 00:17:50,871
the flight across the ChanneI
was quite uneventfuI.
251
00:17:50,911 --> 00:17:53,345
Reaching the other side
and being recognized.
252
00:17:56,583 --> 00:17:59,211
Dropped greetings.
253
00:17:59,252 --> 00:18:01,243
And without stopping...
254
00:18:01,288 --> 00:18:05,122
returned home
safely without mishap.
255
00:18:05,158 --> 00:18:06,785
In one single night...
256
00:18:06,827 --> 00:18:08,988
the bomb load
dropped on Cologne...
257
00:18:09,029 --> 00:18:12,328
was 20 times greater
than the totaI amount...
258
00:18:12,366 --> 00:18:14,857
used in the last war
by the United States.
259
00:18:21,074 --> 00:18:23,907
Today, only
a brief 40 years later...
260
00:18:23,944 --> 00:18:27,311
The Wright Brothers'
first flight of 120 feet...
261
00:18:27,347 --> 00:18:30,282
could be made
with 92 feet to spare...
262
00:18:30,317 --> 00:18:33,252
on the wing of the B-19.
263
00:18:33,286 --> 00:18:36,346
Yet this huge 82-ton
experimentaI bomber-
264
00:18:36,390 --> 00:18:38,449
designed seven years ago-
265
00:18:38,492 --> 00:18:41,655
is only a forerunner
of what can be done.
266
00:18:43,530 --> 00:18:45,930
The amazing advancement
in military aviation...
267
00:18:45,966 --> 00:18:48,332
is due to the vision
and persistence...
268
00:18:48,368 --> 00:18:51,064
of pioneer airmen,
among whom...
269
00:18:51,104 --> 00:18:55,234
Major Alexander P. de Seversky
is an outstanding figure.
270
00:18:55,275 --> 00:18:58,176
He literally
grew up with aviation.
271
00:18:58,211 --> 00:19:00,145
His father
was the first Russian...
272
00:19:00,180 --> 00:19:02,876
to privately own and fly
an airplane.
273
00:19:02,916 --> 00:19:06,352
At ten,
his military education began.
274
00:19:06,386 --> 00:19:09,253
He graduated from the ImperiaI
Russian NavaI Academy...
275
00:19:09,289 --> 00:19:14,625
as a lieutenant and saw
service with the fleet in 1914.
276
00:19:14,661 --> 00:19:17,323
With a firm belief
in the future of aviation...
277
00:19:17,364 --> 00:19:19,229
he became
a full-fledged pilot...
278
00:19:19,266 --> 00:19:21,826
in both Army
and NavaI aviation...
279
00:19:21,868 --> 00:19:25,304
and was assigned to flying duty
with the Baltic fleet.
280
00:19:25,338 --> 00:19:27,829
While on
a night bombing mission...
281
00:19:27,874 --> 00:19:29,865
he was shot down...
282
00:19:31,445 --> 00:19:33,709
and suffered the loss of
his right leg-
283
00:19:33,747 --> 00:19:35,840
an invalid at 22.
284
00:19:35,882 --> 00:19:39,443
Ignoring his handicap and
determined to fight again...
285
00:19:39,486 --> 00:19:42,182
he returned to the front as
Chief of Pursuit Aviation...
286
00:19:42,222 --> 00:19:44,315
in the Baltic,
with the rank of commander.
287
00:19:44,357 --> 00:19:47,656
He fought
57 aeriaI combats...
288
00:19:47,694 --> 00:19:50,356
became the leading ace
of the navaI air forces...
289
00:19:50,397 --> 00:19:52,024
and was awarded
the highest honors...
290
00:19:52,065 --> 00:19:53,999
his country could bestow.
291
00:19:56,303 --> 00:19:58,794
In 1918,
he came to America...
292
00:19:58,839 --> 00:20:01,239
and later served
as aeronauticaI engineer...
293
00:20:01,274 --> 00:20:04,334
and test pilot for
the United States government.
294
00:20:04,377 --> 00:20:06,675
He became a friend,
advisor, and disciple...
295
00:20:06,713 --> 00:20:08,704
of GeneraI Billy Mitchell.
296
00:20:08,748 --> 00:20:10,613
Having become a citizen...
297
00:20:10,650 --> 00:20:13,175
in 1928 he was
commissioned a major...
298
00:20:13,220 --> 00:20:15,518
in the United States Air Corps.
299
00:20:15,555 --> 00:20:18,217
He invented the first
fully automatic bombsight...
300
00:20:18,258 --> 00:20:20,192
and many other instruments
and devices...
301
00:20:20,227 --> 00:20:22,491
all contributing
to the greater efficiency...
302
00:20:22,529 --> 00:20:24,360
of military aviation.
303
00:20:24,397 --> 00:20:26,228
He designed, built, tested...
304
00:20:26,266 --> 00:20:28,666
and himself
flew his new planes.
305
00:20:28,702 --> 00:20:31,227
Among them,
an all-metaI amphibian plane-
306
00:20:31,271 --> 00:20:34,536
in which he set a world speed
record that still stands-
307
00:20:34,574 --> 00:20:37,873
the first low-wing all-metaI
basic training plane...
308
00:20:37,911 --> 00:20:41,074
and the first all-metaI
single-seater fighter plane...
309
00:20:41,114 --> 00:20:42,672
of cantilever construction...
310
00:20:42,716 --> 00:20:44,877
adopted by
the United States Army.
311
00:20:44,918 --> 00:20:46,510
In 1937...
312
00:20:46,553 --> 00:20:49,716
to prove long range could be
built into pursuit planes...
313
00:20:49,756 --> 00:20:53,715
he set a new nonstop record
from New York to Havana.
314
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,990
In an Army pursuit ship
of his own design...
315
00:20:56,029 --> 00:20:59,055
he was the first officially to
cross the country east-west...
316
00:20:59,099 --> 00:21:01,090
with a record
of 10 hours, 5 minutes.
317
00:21:01,134 --> 00:21:03,602
His planes
won the Bendix race...
318
00:21:03,637 --> 00:21:04,899
three successive years.
319
00:21:04,938 --> 00:21:08,999
In 1940, he was presented
the Harmon Trophy...
320
00:21:09,042 --> 00:21:10,373
by President Roosevelt...
321
00:21:10,410 --> 00:21:13,208
for being the Outstanding
Airman of the Year.
322
00:21:13,246 --> 00:21:15,714
With his background
as a combat pilot...
323
00:21:15,749 --> 00:21:19,310
aeronauticaI designer,
engineer, manufacturer...
324
00:21:19,352 --> 00:21:21,047
and military strategist...
325
00:21:21,087 --> 00:21:24,022
Major Seversky's advanced
viewpoint and opinions...
326
00:21:24,057 --> 00:21:27,083
are of vitaI importance
to every citizen.
327
00:21:29,095 --> 00:21:31,154
Under the pressure of war...
328
00:21:31,197 --> 00:21:34,724
the science of aviation
is making terrific strides.
329
00:21:34,768 --> 00:21:37,168
As soon as the airplanes-
which are already...
330
00:21:37,203 --> 00:21:39,603
on the drafting boards of
all the warring nations-
331
00:21:39,639 --> 00:21:42,972
take to the air, there will
not be a single spot...
332
00:21:43,009 --> 00:21:46,103
on the face of the earth
immune from overhead attack.
333
00:21:46,146 --> 00:21:48,080
The enormous flying range...
334
00:21:48,114 --> 00:21:51,641
and destructive power of
these planes will transform...
335
00:21:51,685 --> 00:21:55,121
the entire surface of our planet
into a battlefield.
336
00:21:55,155 --> 00:21:59,285
The distinction between soldiers
and civilians will be erased.
337
00:21:59,326 --> 00:22:02,386
And I believe that
it is only a matter of time...
338
00:22:02,429 --> 00:22:04,556
before we here in America...
339
00:22:04,598 --> 00:22:07,795
will suffer our share
of civilian casualties.
340
00:22:07,834 --> 00:22:11,099
And so warfare becomes
everybody's business.
341
00:22:11,137 --> 00:22:14,038
All of us must understand
the strategy of war.
342
00:22:14,074 --> 00:22:18,511
No longer should it be a mystery
open only to military minds.
343
00:22:18,545 --> 00:22:22,311
The strategy of war is simply
a plan to defeat the enemy.
344
00:22:22,349 --> 00:22:25,807
In wars of the past, there were
only two ways to do it.
345
00:22:25,852 --> 00:22:27,945
One was to kill off his army...
346
00:22:27,988 --> 00:22:30,889
in order to lay hands
on the source of his power.
347
00:22:30,924 --> 00:22:33,392
The other
was to sink his navy...
348
00:22:33,426 --> 00:22:37,328
and force a blockade
and starve him into submission.
349
00:22:37,364 --> 00:22:41,027
Along comes the airplane,
and an entirely new method...
350
00:22:41,067 --> 00:22:43,262
of defeating the enemy
becomes possible.
351
00:22:43,303 --> 00:22:45,168
We can carry the war now...
352
00:22:45,205 --> 00:22:47,196
over the heads
of his army and navy...
353
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,606
strike directly
at the source of his power-
354
00:22:49,643 --> 00:22:51,076
his war industries-
355
00:22:51,111 --> 00:22:53,477
and by destroying
these war industries...
356
00:22:53,513 --> 00:22:57,882
automatically disarm and
paralyze his fighting forces.
357
00:22:57,917 --> 00:23:00,385
This new kind of warfare-
358
00:23:00,420 --> 00:23:02,547
a strategy
based on air power-
359
00:23:02,589 --> 00:23:05,922
was clearly foreseen
more than 20 years ago...
360
00:23:05,959 --> 00:23:08,951
by such great airmen
as General Douhet in Europe...
361
00:23:08,995 --> 00:23:11,828
and our own General Mitchell
here in America.
362
00:23:11,865 --> 00:23:16,131
Time and again they warned
that this new military force-
363
00:23:16,169 --> 00:23:19,195
swifter and more deadly
than any in the past...
364
00:23:19,239 --> 00:23:22,208
equally devastating
on land or at sea-
365
00:23:22,242 --> 00:23:24,210
would revolutionize warfare...
366
00:23:24,244 --> 00:23:28,203
and make the old style
surface strategy impossible.
367
00:23:28,248 --> 00:23:30,512
But their warnings
were dismissed...
368
00:23:30,550 --> 00:23:32,518
as fantastic and visionary.
369
00:23:32,552 --> 00:23:35,578
The military men of
the old school were unwilling...
370
00:23:35,622 --> 00:23:39,058
to recognize this fundamental
change in war-making.
371
00:23:39,092 --> 00:23:40,684
They stubbornly continued...
372
00:23:40,727 --> 00:23:43,025
to pour the resources
of their nations...
373
00:23:43,063 --> 00:23:46,260
into weapons that had already
outlived their usefulness.
374
00:23:46,299 --> 00:23:47,857
As for the airplane...
375
00:23:47,901 --> 00:23:51,200
they accepted it,
but just as another weapon.
376
00:23:51,237 --> 00:23:53,467
Just another means
to bolster up...
377
00:23:53,506 --> 00:23:56,100
their old methods
of surface warfare.
378
00:23:56,142 --> 00:23:58,167
At the start of this war...
379
00:23:58,211 --> 00:24:02,204
Europe was prepared to fight
along the same old lines.
380
00:24:08,221 --> 00:24:12,055
England, with its undisputed
controI of the seas...
381
00:24:12,092 --> 00:24:14,492
was supposed to take care
of sea warfare.
382
00:24:14,527 --> 00:24:16,757
And France,
with its great army...
383
00:24:16,796 --> 00:24:18,195
of land warfare.
384
00:24:19,766 --> 00:24:23,463
France ended the last war
victoriously in the trenches...
385
00:24:23,503 --> 00:24:24,868
so the naturaI tendency...
386
00:24:24,904 --> 00:24:27,099
was to build bigger
and better trenches...
387
00:24:27,140 --> 00:24:29,301
culminating in
that super-colossaI trench...
388
00:24:29,342 --> 00:24:32,140
the trench deluxe,
the Maginot Line.
389
00:24:36,483 --> 00:24:39,077
In these fantastic
underground fortresses...
390
00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:43,579
were stored enough supplies
to withstand a siege of years.
391
00:24:43,623 --> 00:24:46,091
The military leaders
assured the French people...
392
00:24:46,126 --> 00:24:48,617
that this mighty wall
of steeI and concrete...
393
00:24:48,661 --> 00:24:51,221
made France impregnable.
394
00:24:51,264 --> 00:24:54,131
Those who dared criticize
this plan of defense...
395
00:24:54,167 --> 00:24:57,193
were sharply reminded that
the French generaI's staff...
396
00:24:57,237 --> 00:24:59,228
was the greatest on earth.
397
00:24:59,272 --> 00:25:02,537
In the meantime, Hitler
was scheming a conquest...
398
00:25:02,575 --> 00:25:05,442
based on lightning speed
and surprise.
399
00:25:18,858 --> 00:25:21,850
His long-range artillery
took wings.
400
00:25:25,532 --> 00:25:28,365
Air power became
the spearhead of attack...
401
00:25:28,401 --> 00:25:31,336
blasting clear a path
for his ground forces.
402
00:25:36,075 --> 00:25:38,202
Under this shield
of air power...
403
00:25:38,244 --> 00:25:40,769
the Nazi hordes
poured into France.
404
00:25:40,814 --> 00:25:43,339
The mighty Maginot Line
proved no barrier...
405
00:25:43,383 --> 00:25:46,216
against this new kind
of warfare.
406
00:25:51,691 --> 00:25:53,921
Only when it was too late...
407
00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:55,985
did the people of France
realize...
408
00:25:56,029 --> 00:25:59,556
that their whole
plan of defense was futile.
409
00:25:59,599 --> 00:26:01,999
These huge land fortresses-
410
00:26:02,035 --> 00:26:04,970
representing
a great nationaI effort-
411
00:26:05,004 --> 00:26:09,941
stand only as grim monuments
to outmoded military thinking.
412
00:26:11,811 --> 00:26:14,211
And what about
the mighty floating fortresses
413
00:26:14,247 --> 00:26:17,410
that Britain relied on
for controI of the seas?
414
00:26:18,718 --> 00:26:20,686
When Hitler
hurled his blitzkrieg...
415
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,052
across the water gap
into Norway...
416
00:26:23,089 --> 00:26:24,920
the British navy
was confident...
417
00:26:24,958 --> 00:26:27,756
that he had
made a fataI mistake.
418
00:26:27,794 --> 00:26:29,819
By cutting
Hitler's supply lines...
419
00:26:29,863 --> 00:26:31,990
they expected
to trap his forces...
420
00:26:32,031 --> 00:26:33,931
behind a navaI blockade.
421
00:26:36,903 --> 00:26:39,030
But, like the French army...
422
00:26:39,072 --> 00:26:41,302
the British navy
underestimated...
423
00:26:41,341 --> 00:26:44,367
the tremendous
war potentiaI of air power.
424
00:26:57,523 --> 00:26:59,718
Planes from
British aircraft carriers...
425
00:26:59,759 --> 00:27:02,785
took to the air,
but they proved no match...
426
00:27:02,829 --> 00:27:05,627
for the land-based aviation
of the Nazis.
427
00:27:07,367 --> 00:27:09,392
Britain's
own land-based planes...
428
00:27:09,435 --> 00:27:11,835
lacked the range
to come to the rescue.
429
00:27:11,871 --> 00:27:15,534
So the world's mightiest navy,
utterly helpIess...
430
00:27:15,575 --> 00:27:17,600
was forced to retire
to the protection...
431
00:27:17,644 --> 00:27:19,669
of the RoyaI Air Force...
432
00:27:19,712 --> 00:27:22,237
driven back
not by another navy...
433
00:27:22,282 --> 00:27:26,241
but by this totally new
military force-air power.
434
00:27:31,791 --> 00:27:33,656
Hitler planted
a string of air bases...
435
00:27:33,693 --> 00:27:35,490
along the Norwegian coast...
436
00:27:35,528 --> 00:27:36,927
and, with air power...
437
00:27:36,963 --> 00:27:39,955
took over controI
of the seas in this area.
438
00:27:39,999 --> 00:27:42,524
Ignoring
the floating fortresses-
439
00:27:42,568 --> 00:27:45,503
as completely as he'd ignored
the land fortresses of France-
440
00:27:45,538 --> 00:27:47,403
he was able
to move his supplies...
441
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,431
across this water gap
unmolested.
442
00:27:57,216 --> 00:28:00,447
Over 300,000 British troops
cornered-
443
00:28:00,486 --> 00:28:03,614
doomed men facing surrender
or annihilation...
444
00:28:03,656 --> 00:28:07,558
under the merciless pounding
of Hitler's aeriaI spearhead.
445
00:28:10,930 --> 00:28:13,330
But in contrast to Norway...
446
00:28:13,366 --> 00:28:15,231
Dunkirk was
within easy reach...
447
00:28:15,268 --> 00:28:17,498
of Britain's
land-based fighter planes.
448
00:28:17,537 --> 00:28:18,936
For the first time...
449
00:28:18,972 --> 00:28:23,033
Hitler's flying spearhead
met reaI air opposition.
450
00:28:25,778 --> 00:28:27,211
The RoyaI Air Force...
451
00:28:27,246 --> 00:28:29,407
gained mastery of the skies
in this area...
452
00:28:29,449 --> 00:28:32,646
through a screen of wings
from shore to shore...
453
00:28:32,685 --> 00:28:35,347
and under this shield
of superior air power...
454
00:28:35,388 --> 00:28:39,722
300,000 men were
safely evacuated in four days.
455
00:28:43,629 --> 00:28:47,258
The British braced themselves
for immediate invasion.
456
00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:50,792
After Dunkirk, Hitler realized
he would have to strike...
457
00:28:50,837 --> 00:28:54,273
with an air force many times
greater than the British.
458
00:28:54,307 --> 00:28:57,708
So, for two months,
the invasion waited...
459
00:28:57,744 --> 00:29:00,235
while he equipped
a chain of air bases...
460
00:29:00,279 --> 00:29:02,213
to place
his short-range aviation...
461
00:29:02,248 --> 00:29:04,546
within striking distance
of the target.
462
00:29:04,584 --> 00:29:08,611
And then Hitler received
his first major setback.
463
00:29:08,654 --> 00:29:10,849
He sent over
his aeriaI spearhead-
464
00:29:10,890 --> 00:29:12,949
wave after wave of planes.
465
00:29:12,992 --> 00:29:14,584
But the Luftwaffe...
466
00:29:14,627 --> 00:29:18,063
built primarily to clear
a path for ground forces...
467
00:29:18,097 --> 00:29:20,531
proved no match
for the RoyaI Air Force...
468
00:29:20,566 --> 00:29:23,126
built for war in the air.
469
00:29:23,169 --> 00:29:24,898
Outnumbered three to one...
470
00:29:24,937 --> 00:29:27,201
the Spitfires rode the taiI
of the enemy...
471
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,038
firing eight guns
to the Germans' one.
472
00:30:02,241 --> 00:30:05,938
The superior quality
of British men and machines...
473
00:30:05,978 --> 00:30:09,004
overwhelmed German quantity-
474
00:30:09,048 --> 00:30:12,814
blasted 2,400 planes
out of the sky...
475
00:30:14,587 --> 00:30:17,556
and broke the spearhead
of the German offensive.
476
00:30:20,193 --> 00:30:22,593
In winning
the Battle of Britain...
477
00:30:22,628 --> 00:30:25,529
the gallant
RoyaI Air Force established...
478
00:30:25,565 --> 00:30:28,625
a new military truth
in the history of war-making-
479
00:30:28,668 --> 00:30:32,263
that as long as a nation
controls its own skies...
480
00:30:32,305 --> 00:30:34,330
it cannot be invaded.
481
00:30:36,943 --> 00:30:39,776
Hitler's
invasion plan shattered...
482
00:30:39,812 --> 00:30:42,144
he decided
to suffocate England...
483
00:30:42,181 --> 00:30:45,173
by cutting
her lines of supply.
484
00:30:45,218 --> 00:30:48,676
In the Mediterranean,
during the era of sea power...
485
00:30:48,721 --> 00:30:52,088
controI had always centered
around the navaI strongholds...
486
00:30:52,125 --> 00:30:56,528
of Gibraltar, Malta,
Alexandria, and Haifa.
487
00:30:56,562 --> 00:30:58,928
In the new era of air power...
488
00:30:58,965 --> 00:31:01,297
the island of Crete
was destined to become...
489
00:31:01,334 --> 00:31:03,268
the commanding center
of the eastern half...
490
00:31:03,302 --> 00:31:04,860
of the Mediterranean.
491
00:31:09,475 --> 00:31:11,636
Recognizing
the importance of Crete...
492
00:31:11,677 --> 00:31:14,976
Hitler-with his spearhead
of short-range aviation-
493
00:31:15,014 --> 00:31:17,983
pushed step by step
through the Balkans...
494
00:31:18,017 --> 00:31:21,885
and amassed his strength
for an aeriaI invasion.
495
00:31:21,921 --> 00:31:23,855
The British had neglected
to provide Crete...
496
00:31:23,890 --> 00:31:25,585
with an aeriaI defense...
497
00:31:25,625 --> 00:31:28,492
and were confident they could
defend it with their navy.
498
00:31:28,528 --> 00:31:31,554
The world witnessed
the first clear-cut dueI...
499
00:31:31,597 --> 00:31:34,691
between sea power
and air power.
500
00:31:34,734 --> 00:31:39,034
The Luftwaffe went to work,
sinking ships...
501
00:31:39,071 --> 00:31:42,199
destroying
ground installations...
502
00:31:42,241 --> 00:31:46,200
seizing airfields
with parachute troops...
503
00:31:46,245 --> 00:31:48,338
and finally, landing
an army of occupation...
504
00:31:48,381 --> 00:31:51,214
in gliders
and transport planes.
505
00:31:55,188 --> 00:31:57,179
The first territory
to be conquered...
506
00:31:57,223 --> 00:31:59,555
entirely through air power...
507
00:32:01,427 --> 00:32:03,952
another upset in war-making.
508
00:32:05,331 --> 00:32:06,923
For more than two years...
509
00:32:06,966 --> 00:32:08,365
we had front-row seats...
510
00:32:08,401 --> 00:32:10,665
to watch this revolution
in war-making...
511
00:32:10,703 --> 00:32:14,104
yet we failed to understand
the lessons of air power.
512
00:32:14,140 --> 00:32:17,075
In the Pacific,
we left the skies unprotected.
513
00:32:17,109 --> 00:32:19,270
With our battle fleet
in PearI Harbor...
514
00:32:19,312 --> 00:32:21,280
as our first line of defense...
515
00:32:21,314 --> 00:32:24,283
we were prepared for
traditionaI navaI warfare...
516
00:32:24,317 --> 00:32:28,686
but again the first blow
came from the air.
517
00:32:48,007 --> 00:32:50,339
In one hour
and twenty minutes...
518
00:32:50,376 --> 00:32:52,844
a mighty battle fleet
was put out of action...
519
00:32:52,878 --> 00:32:55,608
by a mere 150 planes.
520
00:32:57,683 --> 00:33:00,811
True, PearI Harbor
was a sneak attack.
521
00:33:00,853 --> 00:33:02,286
But three days later...
522
00:33:02,321 --> 00:33:04,881
two of the mightiest warships
of the British navy-
523
00:33:04,924 --> 00:33:06,858
"Prince of Wales"
and "Repulse"-
524
00:33:06,892 --> 00:33:10,953
fully alert, dared to venture
within striking range...
525
00:33:10,997 --> 00:33:13,989
of enemy land-based bomber
and torpedo planes.
526
00:33:43,496 --> 00:33:46,829
The tragic sinking
of these two mighty warships...
527
00:33:46,866 --> 00:33:49,494
was finaI proof that navies...
528
00:33:49,535 --> 00:33:53,062
can no longer carry a war
to the enemy whose shores...
529
00:33:53,105 --> 00:33:56,541
are adequately defended
by land-based aviation.
530
00:33:58,477 --> 00:34:02,106
Our naval defense
of the Pacific crumpled...
531
00:34:02,148 --> 00:34:04,207
under the blows of air power.
532
00:34:04,250 --> 00:34:05,649
Japan's lightning drive...
533
00:34:05,685 --> 00:34:07,585
was nothing
but a faithful imitation...
534
00:34:07,620 --> 00:34:09,144
of the German blitzkrieg.
535
00:34:09,188 --> 00:34:11,816
They employed
exactly the same tactics.
536
00:34:11,857 --> 00:34:14,189
Having practically
no air opposition...
537
00:34:14,226 --> 00:34:16,456
Japan's
spearhead of air power...
538
00:34:16,495 --> 00:34:19,328
cleared the path
for its land and sea forces...
539
00:34:19,365 --> 00:34:21,925
and drove us out
of one island after another...
540
00:34:21,967 --> 00:34:24,731
until most of the Pacific
was lost.
541
00:34:24,770 --> 00:34:27,204
Only then did
the earthbound mind grasp...
542
00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:29,571
the main lesson of this war-
543
00:34:29,608 --> 00:34:32,873
that no battle can be won
on the surface of the earth...
544
00:34:32,912 --> 00:34:37,110
without first gaining complete
control of the sky above.
545
00:34:37,149 --> 00:34:39,617
We were so impressed
with the use to which...
546
00:34:39,652 --> 00:34:42,815
the enemy put the weapons
of land, sea, and air...
547
00:34:42,855 --> 00:34:45,790
that we ourselves adopted
the very same tactics.
548
00:34:45,825 --> 00:34:49,056
Aviation was recognized
as a full-fledged member...
549
00:34:49,095 --> 00:34:50,995
of our fighting team.
550
00:34:51,030 --> 00:34:54,625
It was to provide a roof
for our army and navy...
551
00:34:54,667 --> 00:34:57,465
and act as a spearhead
of our offensive.
552
00:34:57,503 --> 00:34:59,266
Now we were confident...
553
00:34:59,305 --> 00:35:02,035
that we could beat the enemy
at his own game.
554
00:35:02,074 --> 00:35:04,235
The reasoning
seemed logical enough-
555
00:35:04,276 --> 00:35:07,370
if we have the same
kind of weapons as the enemy-
556
00:35:07,413 --> 00:35:10,610
only more of them-
how can we lose?
557
00:35:10,649 --> 00:35:14,312
With our abundant resources,
wealth of manpower...
558
00:35:14,353 --> 00:35:16,651
and tremendous
industrial capacity...
559
00:35:16,689 --> 00:35:19,249
why, we can
build the biggest army...
560
00:35:19,291 --> 00:35:21,555
the biggest navy,
and the biggest air force.
561
00:35:21,594 --> 00:35:23,926
And with
this super-colossal team...
562
00:35:23,963 --> 00:35:26,090
we'll smother the enemy
with the sheer weight...
563
00:35:26,132 --> 00:35:28,566
of our men and machines.
564
00:35:28,601 --> 00:35:31,866
The success of this procedure
depends on two things-
565
00:35:31,904 --> 00:35:35,362
first, we must produce
a vast amount of weapons...
566
00:35:35,408 --> 00:35:37,342
of endless variety.
567
00:35:37,376 --> 00:35:40,607
And second, we must deliver
this maze of equipment...
568
00:35:40,646 --> 00:35:44,207
to battlefronts that are spread
all over the face of the earth.
569
00:35:44,250 --> 00:35:48,710
Already nearly 100 million tons
of vital supplies...
570
00:35:48,754 --> 00:35:52,713
are required every month,
month after month...
571
00:35:52,758 --> 00:35:56,888
and if we step up the offensive,
this tonnage will grow.
572
00:35:56,929 --> 00:36:00,592
Now, can we produce
and keep on producing...
573
00:36:00,633 --> 00:36:02,931
and if we can,
can we deliver...
574
00:36:02,968 --> 00:36:05,493
and keep on
delivering all this?
575
00:36:05,538 --> 00:36:08,166
Regardless of the courage
and gallantry of our men...
576
00:36:08,207 --> 00:36:10,175
on the battlefront...
577
00:36:10,209 --> 00:36:13,576
regardless of the sacrifice
and effort on the home front...
578
00:36:13,612 --> 00:36:16,137
as long as we follow
this course...
579
00:36:16,182 --> 00:36:17,774
victory or defeat...
580
00:36:17,817 --> 00:36:21,480
hangs on the fate
of our line of supply.
581
00:36:26,725 --> 00:36:29,660
With this surface
struggle embracing the globe...
582
00:36:29,695 --> 00:36:33,426
the problem of transportation
becomes the deciding issue.
583
00:36:35,367 --> 00:36:37,335
To grasp
what we're up against...
584
00:36:37,369 --> 00:36:39,701
let's spread this problem
before us.
585
00:36:41,740 --> 00:36:43,207
In the west...
586
00:36:43,242 --> 00:36:46,211
the battlefront stretched
over Europe and Africa.
587
00:36:46,245 --> 00:36:49,271
The main theaters of war
are the Russian front...
588
00:36:49,315 --> 00:36:51,875
extending from Murmansk
to the Black Sea...
589
00:36:51,917 --> 00:36:54,977
the near-east,
and Mediterranean fronts.
590
00:36:56,455 --> 00:36:59,652
In the east, from the Arctic
to the South Pacific.
591
00:37:03,062 --> 00:37:04,962
Between these two theaters
of conflict...
592
00:37:04,997 --> 00:37:09,127
thousands of miles away
lies the arsenaI of democracy.
593
00:37:13,205 --> 00:37:15,230
This highly mechanized war...
594
00:37:15,274 --> 00:37:18,539
has placed tremendous demands
on our production capacity...
595
00:37:18,577 --> 00:37:20,943
which is rapidly
approaching its peak.
596
00:37:20,980 --> 00:37:25,178
Ever mounting numbers
of tanks, guns, planes...
597
00:37:25,217 --> 00:37:27,549
roll off production lines.
598
00:37:33,092 --> 00:37:35,458
This vitaI equipment
for the distant fronts...
599
00:37:35,494 --> 00:37:37,758
is rushed
across the continent...
600
00:37:37,796 --> 00:37:41,061
but finally jams up
in the bottleneck of shipping.
601
00:37:49,408 --> 00:37:52,502
This lifeblood of vitaI
war supplies must be pumped...
602
00:37:52,545 --> 00:37:55,446
through the arteries
of our transport lines...
603
00:37:55,481 --> 00:37:59,679
over distances that actually
girdle the globe.
604
00:37:59,718 --> 00:38:01,743
To illustrate...
605
00:38:01,787 --> 00:38:03,880
when a supply ship
from San Francisco...
606
00:38:03,923 --> 00:38:06,687
moves over the trackless
miles of ocean...
607
00:38:06,725 --> 00:38:09,023
and delivers
its cargo at Suez...
608
00:38:09,061 --> 00:38:11,529
it can return
over the same route...
609
00:38:11,564 --> 00:38:14,658
or traveI the rest of the way
around the world.
610
00:38:14,700 --> 00:38:16,327
In either case...
611
00:38:16,368 --> 00:38:18,996
as far as the distance
in wartime is concerned...
612
00:38:19,038 --> 00:38:22,269
it's a tossup,
and the ship is lucky...
613
00:38:22,308 --> 00:38:25,505
if it can deliver
more than two loads a year.
614
00:38:25,544 --> 00:38:28,342
Wartime distances
and peacetime distances...
615
00:38:28,380 --> 00:38:30,439
are entirely different.
616
00:38:30,482 --> 00:38:33,883
For example, from
San Francisco to Melbourne...
617
00:38:33,919 --> 00:38:37,082
in peacetime is 6,700 miles.
618
00:38:37,122 --> 00:38:40,114
But in wartime,
with enemy controI...
619
00:38:40,159 --> 00:38:43,026
jutting out
its sphere of domination...
620
00:38:43,062 --> 00:38:44,996
the distance
is almost doubled...
621
00:38:45,030 --> 00:38:48,830
and the enemy has twice as long
to attack our shipping.
622
00:38:48,867 --> 00:38:51,859
But his supply lines,
being interior lines...
623
00:38:51,904 --> 00:38:54,202
have not
changed from peacetime.
624
00:39:00,012 --> 00:39:02,310
To deliver supplies
to the Russian front...
625
00:39:02,348 --> 00:39:06,148
our navies must convoy ships
over 4,000 perilous miles...
626
00:39:06,185 --> 00:39:08,483
to Murmansk, and from there...
627
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,284
more than 1,000 miles
overland to the battlefront.
628
00:39:13,826 --> 00:39:17,922
By contrast, the Nazis can rush
supplies to the same front...
629
00:39:17,963 --> 00:39:21,160
in a few days
by direct overland transport.
630
00:39:23,335 --> 00:39:26,327
Geographically,
the Axis has a great advantage.
631
00:39:26,372 --> 00:39:29,830
They operate with short
interior lines of supply...
632
00:39:29,875 --> 00:39:33,572
whereas we're compelled to use
long exterior lines...
633
00:39:33,612 --> 00:39:36,012
a 50,000-mile battlefront...
634
00:39:36,048 --> 00:39:39,347
every mile threatened by
the deadliest menace of all...
635
00:39:39,385 --> 00:39:41,285
the submarine.
636
00:39:44,356 --> 00:39:47,018
Against these wolf packs
lurking underwater...
637
00:39:47,059 --> 00:39:49,084
and striking from ambush...
638
00:39:49,128 --> 00:39:53,326
the ship glued to the surface
is a helpIess target.
639
00:39:53,365 --> 00:39:55,890
In order to win
the battles at the front...
640
00:39:55,934 --> 00:39:59,301
Hitler must cut
our lifeline of supply.
641
00:39:59,338 --> 00:40:04,742
The U-boat-his major weapon-
is our greatest problem.
642
00:40:04,777 --> 00:40:08,213
He is building improved U-boats
by the hundreds...
643
00:40:08,247 --> 00:40:11,705
ever growing in size
and striking power...
644
00:40:11,750 --> 00:40:14,913
immune to anything
short of a direct hit.
645
00:40:18,824 --> 00:40:21,258
Every measure
we take to protect...
646
00:40:21,293 --> 00:40:23,887
this slow-moving target
will be offset...
647
00:40:23,929 --> 00:40:26,830
by new scientific devices
in the submarine.
648
00:40:35,140 --> 00:40:38,667
Soon it will be able to lurk
safely below the surface...
649
00:40:38,711 --> 00:40:41,202
and without ever
revealing its presence...
650
00:40:41,246 --> 00:40:44,579
accurately locate
the approaching victim.
651
00:40:59,565 --> 00:41:01,999
Our shipbuilding industry
tries desperately...
652
00:41:02,034 --> 00:41:06,198
to meet the challenge,
but faces a tragic contest...
653
00:41:06,238 --> 00:41:10,299
between
launchings and sinkings.
654
00:41:16,782 --> 00:41:20,445
Every ship that goes down
is a triple casualty...
655
00:41:20,486 --> 00:41:24,547
of wasted materiaI,
labor, and human life.
656
00:41:25,858 --> 00:41:28,019
With millions of tons
of our production...
657
00:41:28,060 --> 00:41:30,358
going to the bottom
instead of to battle...
658
00:41:30,395 --> 00:41:34,764
a tremendous strain
is put on our industriaI heart.
659
00:41:40,639 --> 00:41:42,266
As long as
we cling to a strategy...
660
00:41:42,307 --> 00:41:44,571
based on surface warfare...
661
00:41:44,610 --> 00:41:47,408
the advantage is
on the side of the enemy.
662
00:41:47,446 --> 00:41:51,246
Hitler's strategic position
resembles a wheeI.
663
00:41:54,086 --> 00:41:56,577
The hub-his powerfuI
industriaI center...
664
00:41:56,622 --> 00:41:59,420
which grinds out
the implements of war.
665
00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:04,520
The spokes-his supply lines...
666
00:42:04,563 --> 00:42:06,463
that support
the fighting fronts...
667
00:42:06,498 --> 00:42:08,728
the rim of the wheeI.
668
00:42:08,767 --> 00:42:11,793
Our surface strategy seeks
to crush this structure...
669
00:42:11,837 --> 00:42:15,295
by striking at
the rim from all sides...
670
00:42:15,340 --> 00:42:17,638
millions of men and machines...
671
00:42:17,676 --> 00:42:20,702
in a clash
of steeI against steeI.
672
00:42:20,746 --> 00:42:22,873
Should we concentrate
enough force...
673
00:42:22,915 --> 00:42:24,883
to attack at any one point...
674
00:42:24,917 --> 00:42:27,249
Hitler can
quickly shift his power...
675
00:42:27,286 --> 00:42:29,618
and reinforce
the threatened sector.
676
00:42:29,655 --> 00:42:31,714
No matter where we strike...
677
00:42:31,757 --> 00:42:33,691
Hitler can
strike back swiftly...
678
00:42:33,725 --> 00:42:36,592
with the right force
at the right place.
679
00:42:39,698 --> 00:42:43,099
Should we strike from all sides
with superior force...
680
00:42:43,135 --> 00:42:45,569
Hitler will contract his wheeI.
681
00:42:45,604 --> 00:42:49,631
The spokes become shorter,
the rim thicker...
682
00:42:49,675 --> 00:42:53,042
the whole structure stronger
and more nearly impregnable.
683
00:42:54,580 --> 00:42:57,572
To successfully attack,
we must use a superior force...
684
00:42:57,616 --> 00:42:59,982
and attempt to knock out
Hitler's equipment...
685
00:43:00,018 --> 00:43:02,248
faster than he can replace it.
686
00:43:02,287 --> 00:43:03,948
Tanks destroy tanks...
687
00:43:03,989 --> 00:43:06,583
and our supporting
short-range aviation...
688
00:43:06,625 --> 00:43:08,183
plays an important part...
689
00:43:08,227 --> 00:43:10,161
by destroying
more of Hitler's equipment.
690
00:43:13,832 --> 00:43:15,891
But with his factories
unmolested...
691
00:43:15,934 --> 00:43:17,697
he can quickly fill the gaps...
692
00:43:17,736 --> 00:43:21,137
by moving his supplies
short distances over dry land.
693
00:43:27,079 --> 00:43:31,038
By contrast, our replacements
must be carried in transports
694
00:43:31,083 --> 00:43:34,575
over those thousands
of perilous floating miles...
695
00:43:34,620 --> 00:43:37,145
constantly under attack
from the enemy.
696
00:43:46,098 --> 00:43:49,067
As long as we fight
on the surface of the earth...
697
00:43:49,101 --> 00:43:52,332
Hitler has all the advantage.
698
00:43:52,371 --> 00:43:54,566
But with the strategy
of air power...
699
00:43:54,606 --> 00:43:56,540
the advantage is ours.
700
00:43:56,575 --> 00:43:59,408
Air power ignores
the battlefronts of the rim.
701
00:43:59,444 --> 00:44:01,275
By direct
and independent action...
702
00:44:01,313 --> 00:44:02,746
it strikes at the hub.
703
00:44:05,617 --> 00:44:08,586
With this all-important source
of enemy power knocked out...
704
00:44:08,620 --> 00:44:11,020
the whole structure
will collapse...
705
00:44:11,056 --> 00:44:12,853
and our surface forces...
706
00:44:12,891 --> 00:44:14,859
will move in
and clinch the victory...
707
00:44:14,893 --> 00:44:17,293
with a tremendous saving
in human lives.
708
00:44:18,630 --> 00:44:21,463
This is the real teamwork.
709
00:44:21,500 --> 00:44:24,560
This is the true role
of air power.
710
00:44:24,603 --> 00:44:27,037
The present air offensive
against Germany...
711
00:44:27,072 --> 00:44:29,199
is the beginning
of such strategy.
712
00:44:29,241 --> 00:44:32,039
Already more than
50 industrial targets...
713
00:44:32,077 --> 00:44:34,568
have felt
the sting of bombardment.
714
00:44:34,613 --> 00:44:36,945
The Royal Air Force
has blazed a trail.
715
00:44:36,982 --> 00:44:39,212
They are giving the Nazis
a thorough lesson...
716
00:44:39,251 --> 00:44:41,481
in the proper use of air power.
717
00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:43,351
Now, this is no accident.
718
00:44:43,388 --> 00:44:45,481
Back in 1918...
719
00:44:45,524 --> 00:44:47,651
in the very midst
of the last war...
720
00:44:47,693 --> 00:44:50,218
the British people
had the wisdom and courage...
721
00:44:50,262 --> 00:44:52,355
to take a bold step.
722
00:44:52,397 --> 00:44:55,230
They divorced their Air Force
from their Army and Navy...
723
00:44:55,267 --> 00:44:59,033
and set it up as a separate
and independent branch.
724
00:44:59,071 --> 00:45:02,734
The entire air potential
of the country was unified.
725
00:45:02,774 --> 00:45:05,834
As a result,
the Royal Air Force...
726
00:45:05,877 --> 00:45:08,710
has been able to go ahead
and develop its strength...
727
00:45:08,747 --> 00:45:11,238
free and unhampered.
728
00:45:11,283 --> 00:45:15,185
American airmen have not
had the same opportunity.
729
00:45:15,220 --> 00:45:18,451
They're still part and parcel
of our Army and Navy.
730
00:45:18,490 --> 00:45:21,516
But recently,
under the pressure of events...
731
00:45:21,560 --> 00:45:24,028
we have combined
our air strength...
732
00:45:24,062 --> 00:45:25,654
with that of the British.
733
00:45:25,697 --> 00:45:27,688
And now
some of our own airmen...
734
00:45:27,733 --> 00:45:29,667
together with
the Royal Air Force...
735
00:45:29,701 --> 00:45:33,694
are planning and carrying out
real air strategy.
736
00:45:33,739 --> 00:45:36,367
As the United Nations
surround Nazi Europe...
737
00:45:36,408 --> 00:45:39,707
with a ring of air bases,
the present-day bomber...
738
00:45:39,745 --> 00:45:42,305
such as the British
Sterlings and Lancasters...
739
00:45:42,347 --> 00:45:45,145
and our own Flying Fortresses
and Liberators...
740
00:45:45,183 --> 00:45:48,209
with their striking radius
of 1,000 miles...
741
00:45:48,253 --> 00:45:52,383
will be able to reach
every spot of the Axis anatomy.
742
00:45:52,424 --> 00:45:55,393
Air power at last
will be in a position...
743
00:45:55,427 --> 00:45:57,486
to score a major decision-
744
00:45:57,529 --> 00:45:59,520
to bomb the enemy
into submission...
745
00:45:59,564 --> 00:46:02,397
to knock
Germany out of the war.
746
00:46:02,434 --> 00:46:04,334
But whether
this happens or not...
747
00:46:04,369 --> 00:46:06,269
depends not on air power...
748
00:46:06,304 --> 00:46:10,638
but again on
those same lines of supply.
749
00:46:10,675 --> 00:46:13,667
Air power planted
on these distant bases...
750
00:46:13,712 --> 00:46:16,510
far away from
its main source of supply...
751
00:46:16,548 --> 00:46:20,109
is only as good as the supply
lines by which it is fed.
752
00:46:20,152 --> 00:46:23,519
If these lines...
753
00:46:23,555 --> 00:46:26,353
can supply the needs
of this ring...
754
00:46:26,391 --> 00:46:29,189
present-day bombers
with their striking radius...
755
00:46:29,227 --> 00:46:32,219
of 1,000 miles
will be able to do the job.
756
00:46:32,264 --> 00:46:35,700
But in the Pacific,
they haven't got a chance.
757
00:46:35,734 --> 00:46:39,534
Let's take our ring
and move it over Japan.
758
00:46:39,571 --> 00:46:43,473
If our bases were this close,
it would be a simple matter.
759
00:46:43,508 --> 00:46:45,703
But Japan's
sphere of domination...
760
00:46:45,744 --> 00:46:47,803
is three times that of Germany.
761
00:46:47,846 --> 00:46:50,406
Japan is far beyond our reach.
762
00:46:50,449 --> 00:46:54,385
All military men agree
that Japan cannot be defeated...
763
00:46:54,419 --> 00:46:57,388
until the source
of its power is destroyed.
764
00:46:57,422 --> 00:47:01,051
They all agree that Japan
itself is the target.
765
00:47:01,093 --> 00:47:04,153
But they all disagree
on how to get at it.
766
00:47:04,262 --> 00:47:06,822
Some pin their hopes
on Siberia...
767
00:47:06,865 --> 00:47:09,163
others on direct assault
from the sea...
768
00:47:09,201 --> 00:47:11,294
with aircraft carriers.
769
00:47:11,336 --> 00:47:14,499
Some still cling to
the island-by-island approach.
770
00:47:14,539 --> 00:47:17,201
Some say China.
771
00:47:26,351 --> 00:47:28,319
But they could not
strike on a big enough scale...
772
00:47:28,353 --> 00:47:30,321
to knock Japan out.
773
00:47:30,355 --> 00:47:34,621
China is isolated,
cut off from outside help...
774
00:47:34,659 --> 00:47:38,356
on one side
by impassable mountains...
775
00:47:38,396 --> 00:47:41,365
on the other three,
by the enemy.
776
00:47:41,399 --> 00:47:44,459
The kind of air offensive
that could smash Japan...
777
00:47:44,503 --> 00:47:47,370
would require millions
of tons of materiaI-
778
00:47:47,405 --> 00:47:51,341
bombs, gasoline, oiI,
replacements.
779
00:47:51,376 --> 00:47:55,210
All these vitaI supplies must
be brought in from the outside,
780
00:47:55,247 --> 00:47:58,045
and with the only means
of delivery by air...
781
00:47:58,083 --> 00:48:00,711
the task becomes impossible.
782
00:48:00,752 --> 00:48:02,777
To reopen
surface supply lines...
783
00:48:02,821 --> 00:48:05,187
we must drive the enemy
out of Burma...
784
00:48:05,223 --> 00:48:07,054
Thailand, and Indochina.
785
00:48:07,092 --> 00:48:10,357
This means another major war-
786
00:48:10,395 --> 00:48:12,659
2,000 miles
through steaming jungles...
787
00:48:12,697 --> 00:48:15,666
hacking our way inch by inch...
788
00:48:15,700 --> 00:48:19,500
struggling over
formidable mountain barriers...
789
00:48:19,538 --> 00:48:22,029
crawling through
fever-ridden swamps...
790
00:48:22,073 --> 00:48:24,371
years of exhaustive fighting.
791
00:48:24,409 --> 00:48:28,368
And even then, our bases
would still be dependent...
792
00:48:28,413 --> 00:48:31,246
on the longest, most vulnerable
lines of supply...
793
00:48:31,283 --> 00:48:33,342
on the face of the globe.
794
00:48:40,358 --> 00:48:43,521
The Japanese are just as aware
of this as we are.
795
00:48:43,562 --> 00:48:46,030
The instant
any attempt is made...
796
00:48:46,064 --> 00:48:48,692
to use these air fields
for bombing raids...
797
00:48:48,733 --> 00:48:52,362
against the Japanese homeland,
the jaws will close...
798
00:48:52,404 --> 00:48:55,669
launching off another surface
struggle for air bases...
799
00:48:55,707 --> 00:48:58,039
with the odds
all in favor of the Japs...
800
00:48:58,076 --> 00:49:01,068
whose supply lines
are much shorter than ours.
801
00:49:17,862 --> 00:49:21,491
Any such attempt will only
prove the superiority...
802
00:49:21,533 --> 00:49:24,832
of land-based aviation
over carrier-based aviation.
803
00:49:24,869 --> 00:49:27,895
The land-based plane
has the advantage of size...
804
00:49:27,939 --> 00:49:32,467
range, and bomb load,
because it can take off...
805
00:49:32,510 --> 00:49:36,241
from a runway
two or three miles long.
806
00:49:36,281 --> 00:49:39,307
By contrast,
the carrier's runway...
807
00:49:39,351 --> 00:49:42,411
is only
a fraction of this size.
808
00:49:42,454 --> 00:49:46,447
Therefore, the plane itself
has to be much smaller...
809
00:49:48,126 --> 00:49:51,289
which in turn reduces
the range and bomb load.
810
00:49:51,329 --> 00:49:55,789
To destroy Japan with
these small doses of TNT...
811
00:49:55,834 --> 00:50:00,032
would require not a hundred
but thousands of carriers.
812
00:50:00,071 --> 00:50:03,006
Long before our floating
airfields could bring...
813
00:50:03,041 --> 00:50:05,771
their short-range aviation
within striking distance...
814
00:50:05,810 --> 00:50:08,870
Japan's powerfuI
land-based planes...
815
00:50:08,913 --> 00:50:11,108
would reach far out
into the Pacific...
816
00:50:11,149 --> 00:50:14,880
and our carriers would be under
constant merciless attack...
817
00:50:14,919 --> 00:50:18,013
not only from above,
but from the surface...
818
00:50:19,824 --> 00:50:22,156
and from below.
819
00:50:22,193 --> 00:50:25,492
Aircraft brought on
these floating bases...
820
00:50:25,530 --> 00:50:29,694
must share the same fate
as the fleet itself.
821
00:50:29,734 --> 00:50:33,636
"Land-sea-air team
to clear path to Tokyo.
822
00:50:33,672 --> 00:50:37,802
"Island to island amphibious
drive to whip Japan."
823
00:50:37,842 --> 00:50:40,936
Japan has already
fortified its new empire...
824
00:50:40,979 --> 00:50:43,004
with a chain
of island strongholds...
825
00:50:43,048 --> 00:50:44,743
converting every one of them...
826
00:50:44,783 --> 00:50:48,082
into a powerfuI,
unsinkable air base.
827
00:50:48,119 --> 00:50:50,679
Experience has proved
that to invade...
828
00:50:50,722 --> 00:50:52,747
and reconquer
any of these islands...
829
00:50:52,791 --> 00:50:56,591
is far too costly
in life, substance, and time...
830
00:50:56,628 --> 00:51:00,564
for while we exhaust ourselves
attacking the outer fringe...
831
00:51:00,598 --> 00:51:04,466
the enemy feverishly rakes in
the loot of his stolen empire-
832
00:51:04,502 --> 00:51:09,462
oiI, copper, iron,
tungsten, tin, rubber.
833
00:51:09,507 --> 00:51:11,873
Gorging on
this new lifeblood...
834
00:51:11,910 --> 00:51:13,639
his war industries...
835
00:51:13,678 --> 00:51:15,646
the heart and vitals
of the beast...
836
00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:21,346
out of reach and unmolested,
swell in size and power...
837
00:51:21,386 --> 00:51:25,516
forge more
bullets, guns, tanks...
838
00:51:25,557 --> 00:51:29,823
bombs, planes,
to strengthen his defenses...
839
00:51:29,861 --> 00:51:32,227
more weapons of
death and destruction...
840
00:51:32,263 --> 00:51:35,096
to expand
his sphere of domination.
841
00:51:38,203 --> 00:51:40,228
Whether on the continent...
842
00:51:40,271 --> 00:51:43,638
island by island,
or on the high seas...
843
00:51:43,675 --> 00:51:46,405
this long
and exhausting struggle...
844
00:51:46,444 --> 00:51:48,912
is nothing but a fight
for air bases...
845
00:51:48,947 --> 00:51:51,745
so we can bring
our short-range aviation...
846
00:51:51,783 --> 00:51:56,049
close enough
to strike at Japan.
847
00:51:56,087 --> 00:51:57,520
What is the solution?
848
00:51:57,555 --> 00:51:59,580
Long-range air power.
849
00:51:59,624 --> 00:52:02,684
When we increase
the range of our bombers...
850
00:52:02,727 --> 00:52:05,924
we automatically decrease
the surface struggle-
851
00:52:05,964 --> 00:52:08,865
double the range,
half the struggle-
852
00:52:08,900 --> 00:52:11,926
so the longer the range,
the shorter the war.
853
00:52:11,970 --> 00:52:14,803
By increasing the striking
radius of our bombers...
854
00:52:14,839 --> 00:52:17,774
to 3,000 miles,
we will be able...
855
00:52:17,809 --> 00:52:21,006
to reach Japan from
the bases we have today.
856
00:52:21,045 --> 00:52:22,307
But with this range...
857
00:52:22,347 --> 00:52:24,713
air power will no longer
have to depend...
858
00:52:24,749 --> 00:52:26,808
on these distant bases.
859
00:52:26,851 --> 00:52:28,910
It will be able
to strike directly...
860
00:52:28,953 --> 00:52:31,444
from continentaI America
and free itself...
861
00:52:31,489 --> 00:52:35,289
of all dependency
on overseas supply lines.
862
00:52:36,661 --> 00:52:39,391
From the great industriaI
heart of America...
863
00:52:39,431 --> 00:52:41,922
our overland supply line...
864
00:52:41,966 --> 00:52:46,232
the highway to victory,
runs to Alaska...
865
00:52:46,271 --> 00:52:50,435
and Alaska points straight
at the heart of Japan.
866
00:52:56,214 --> 00:52:59,081
Bombers that can take off
from our own shores...
867
00:52:59,117 --> 00:53:00,675
fly across the ocean...
868
00:53:00,718 --> 00:53:03,516
strike at the enemy,
and return non-stop...
869
00:53:03,555 --> 00:53:06,285
are not only possible
but practicaI.
870
00:53:06,324 --> 00:53:09,259
It is not longer a question
of whether it can be done...
871
00:53:09,294 --> 00:53:11,455
but of making up our minds
to do it.
872
00:53:11,496 --> 00:53:13,930
The science of aviation
is ready to give us...
873
00:53:13,965 --> 00:53:16,559
powerfuI,
long-range combat planes...
874
00:53:16,601 --> 00:53:19,900
far exceeding anything
in the air today.
875
00:53:19,938 --> 00:53:21,405
They'll be heavily armed...
876
00:53:21,439 --> 00:53:24,966
and bristling
with large-caliber cannon.
877
00:53:25,009 --> 00:53:29,036
Their size and stability will
provide a steady platform...
878
00:53:29,080 --> 00:53:31,947
for scientific
range-finding and gun-sights...
879
00:53:31,983 --> 00:53:34,645
to assure accuracy of fire.
880
00:53:36,254 --> 00:53:40,213
Small, single-seater fighters
will find themselves helpIess
881
00:53:40,258 --> 00:53:42,624
for their guns
are not maneuverable.
882
00:53:42,660 --> 00:53:45,094
They're fixed
and can only fire forward.
883
00:53:54,372 --> 00:53:56,431
So while the small fighters...
884
00:53:56,474 --> 00:53:58,135
are jockeying
to get into position...
885
00:53:58,176 --> 00:54:00,940
they're under the constant
and deadly fire...
886
00:54:00,979 --> 00:54:02,776
of the combat plane...
887
00:54:04,415 --> 00:54:07,475
which is always
in firing position.
888
00:54:39,250 --> 00:54:41,047
With scientific accuracy...
889
00:54:41,085 --> 00:54:44,282
the big plane will blast
the enemy out of the air...
890
00:54:44,322 --> 00:54:47,416
before he has a chance
to use his guns.
891
00:54:52,497 --> 00:54:54,465
These powerfuI combat planes...
892
00:54:54,499 --> 00:54:57,696
will destroy
enemy air power completely...
893
00:54:57,735 --> 00:54:59,362
not only in the sky...
894
00:54:59,404 --> 00:55:01,269
but on the ground
at its source.
895
00:55:08,346 --> 00:55:11,577
Once complete mastery
of the air is achieved...
896
00:55:11,616 --> 00:55:14,983
enemy war industries
will lie helpIessly exposed...
897
00:55:15,019 --> 00:55:17,487
to systematic destruction.
898
00:55:20,592 --> 00:55:23,254
The science of demolition
is keeping pace...
899
00:55:23,294 --> 00:55:24,921
with the development
of aviation...
900
00:55:24,963 --> 00:55:29,229
the bombs forever growing
in size and destructive power.
901
00:55:31,235 --> 00:55:33,362
The industriaI districts
of all nations...
902
00:55:33,404 --> 00:55:36,703
depend on huge dams
for their main source of power.
903
00:55:36,741 --> 00:55:39,471
Our Boulder Dam,
Japan's Nagayo...
904
00:55:39,510 --> 00:55:41,478
and those in
the German Rhineland.
905
00:55:41,512 --> 00:55:44,811
These solid structures suffer
relatively minor damage...
906
00:55:44,849 --> 00:55:48,250
when hit by
one and two-ton bombs...
907
00:55:48,286 --> 00:55:52,222
but when a ten-ton
delayed-action bomb is dropped,
908
00:55:52,256 --> 00:55:53,780
not on
the concrete structure...
909
00:55:53,825 --> 00:55:57,090
but deep in the water
behind the dam...
910
00:55:59,397 --> 00:56:02,366
its explosion will multiply
the pressure of the water...
911
00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:04,960
far beyond the structuraI
strength of the dam...
912
00:56:05,003 --> 00:56:07,369
and crush it like an eggshell.
913
00:56:14,779 --> 00:56:17,714
With this important
source of power knocked out...
914
00:56:17,749 --> 00:56:20,240
the war industries
of the entire region...
915
00:56:20,284 --> 00:56:22,479
will come to a standstill.
916
00:56:26,391 --> 00:56:31,454
Scientific bombing is destined
to conquer Hitler's submarines,
917
00:56:31,496 --> 00:56:34,124
not by attacking them
one by one...
918
00:56:34,165 --> 00:56:36,133
as they roam the Seven Seas...
919
00:56:36,167 --> 00:56:38,692
but by striking
right at their source-
920
00:56:38,736 --> 00:56:42,263
the breeding grounds
in Germany proper.
921
00:56:42,306 --> 00:56:45,935
Today, the U-boats are
protected from ordinary bombing
922
00:56:45,977 --> 00:56:48,605
by thick roofs
of reinforced concrete.
923
00:56:48,646 --> 00:56:52,138
However, science is developing
an armor-piercing bomb...
924
00:56:52,183 --> 00:56:54,583
employing
the rocket principle.
925
00:56:54,619 --> 00:56:58,749
As it nears its target,
a rocket in the taiI ignites...
926
00:57:00,858 --> 00:57:03,224
driving it down
with such terrific speed...
927
00:57:03,261 --> 00:57:05,821
it can knife its way
through steeI and concrete.
928
00:57:15,940 --> 00:57:19,000
IndustriaI districts within
reach of this air power...
929
00:57:19,043 --> 00:57:22,103
will be on the receiving end
of other gigantic bombs...
930
00:57:22,146 --> 00:57:25,047
that contain an auxiliary
charge in their tails...
931
00:57:25,083 --> 00:57:27,017
backed by a counterweight.
932
00:57:27,051 --> 00:57:29,019
As the bomb
nears its target...
933
00:57:29,053 --> 00:57:32,022
a secondary explosion
takes place...
934
00:57:32,056 --> 00:57:35,924
driving it away
from the counterweight...
935
00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,360
which explodes into
a shower of incendiaries.
936
00:57:38,396 --> 00:57:41,854
Driven down like a shot
from a cannon...
937
00:57:41,899 --> 00:57:44,925
this bomb by its very size
and penetration...
938
00:57:44,969 --> 00:57:49,303
will explode deep underground
and cause a locaI earthquake...
939
00:57:56,814 --> 00:58:01,012
completely demolishing
everything over a wide area.
940
00:58:03,254 --> 00:58:06,052
This is the coming reality...
941
00:58:06,090 --> 00:58:08,524
and we must face the fact...
942
00:58:08,559 --> 00:58:10,891
that it is
a two-way proposition.
943
00:58:10,928 --> 00:58:14,329
No nation has a monopoly
on this kind of air power...
944
00:58:14,365 --> 00:58:15,992
and when it comes...
945
00:58:16,033 --> 00:58:19,434
there can be no real defense
against such an attack.
946
00:58:19,470 --> 00:58:21,597
Bombers
will always go through...
947
00:58:21,639 --> 00:58:25,336
and the only sure defense
will be a vigorous offense.
948
00:58:25,376 --> 00:58:28,504
It's a question
of who destroys who first.
949
00:58:28,546 --> 00:58:31,447
Right now,
America holds the answer...
950
00:58:31,482 --> 00:58:34,144
not only because of
our superior science...
951
00:58:34,185 --> 00:58:35,948
and industrial power...
952
00:58:35,987 --> 00:58:38,114
but because at
this stage of the war...
953
00:58:38,156 --> 00:58:40,681
our strategic position
is such...
954
00:58:40,725 --> 00:58:42,693
that we can shift
our industrial effort...
955
00:58:42,727 --> 00:58:44,592
into long-range air power...
956
00:58:44,629 --> 00:58:49,464
But the enemy cannot,
and this is why.
957
00:58:49,500 --> 00:58:52,128
He has overrun
vast territories...
958
00:58:52,170 --> 00:58:55,867
and subjugated millions
of people against their will.
959
00:58:55,907 --> 00:58:59,365
In order to suppress rebellion
and harness slave labor...
960
00:58:59,410 --> 00:59:02,038
to develop his
newly-acquired resources...
961
00:59:02,079 --> 00:59:06,573
he must maintain a huge army,
and a huge army requires...
962
00:59:06,617 --> 00:59:09,313
a huge number
of supporting aircraft.
963
00:59:09,353 --> 00:59:12,584
So his entire industry
must keep on grinding out...
964
00:59:12,623 --> 00:59:14,420
this same kind of aviation.
965
00:59:14,458 --> 00:59:17,086
He cannot afford
to disturb his production...
966
00:59:17,128 --> 00:59:19,892
and start building
long-range air power...
967
00:59:19,931 --> 00:59:24,891
until he has consolidated
his gains and digested his loot.
968
00:59:24,936 --> 00:59:28,702
That takes time,
and that time is ours.
969
00:59:28,739 --> 00:59:32,175
Today, the enemy
is sprawled on the ground...
970
00:59:32,210 --> 00:59:34,007
and while
his greedy tentacles...
971
00:59:34,045 --> 00:59:37,845
are clutching the loot,
his body lies unprotected.
972
00:59:37,882 --> 00:59:41,443
Why spend our precious time
trying to loosen his grip?
973
00:59:41,485 --> 00:59:43,350
In the struggle,
it can only lead...
974
00:59:43,387 --> 00:59:47,016
to the complete devastation of
the lands we're trying to free.
975
00:59:47,058 --> 00:59:49,925
Why not use this time
to forge the dagger...
976
00:59:49,961 --> 00:59:52,327
that can strike
at the heart of the beast?
977
00:59:52,363 --> 00:59:55,264
Once we give up the idea
of trying to regain...
978
00:59:55,299 --> 00:59:57,426
the lost territory
inch by inch...
979
00:59:57,468 --> 00:59:58,935
we can hold the enemy...
980
00:59:58,970 --> 01:00:01,598
with surface forces
much smaller than his.
981
01:00:01,639 --> 01:00:04,870
If we use our short-range
aviation to provide...
982
01:00:04,909 --> 01:00:08,401
undisputed control of the skies
over our forces...
983
01:00:08,446 --> 01:00:11,381
our present positions
cannot be invaded.
984
01:00:11,415 --> 01:00:14,350
Any further expansion
on the part of the enemy...
985
01:00:14,385 --> 01:00:17,684
will lead to
his exhaustion, not ours.
986
01:00:17,722 --> 01:00:20,691
So by conserving our efforts
on land and on sea...
987
01:00:20,725 --> 01:00:23,455
we can throw the vast
resources of America...
988
01:00:23,494 --> 01:00:25,621
into long-range air power...
989
01:00:25,663 --> 01:00:28,826
and strike the decisive blow
through the air.
990
01:00:28,866 --> 01:00:30,390
This cannot be accomplished...
991
01:00:30,434 --> 01:00:33,062
simply by building
a lot of huge airplanes.
992
01:00:33,104 --> 01:00:35,402
We could have
swarms and clouds of them...
993
01:00:35,439 --> 01:00:37,930
and still
not have real air power.
994
01:00:37,975 --> 01:00:40,409
What we must do is unify...
995
01:00:40,444 --> 01:00:42,912
the entire air strength
of our country...
996
01:00:42,947 --> 01:00:47,407
into one formidable force
under a single air command.
997
01:00:47,451 --> 01:00:51,080
This is a major undertaking,
but it is a move...
998
01:00:51,122 --> 01:00:53,590
that is bound
to come sooner or later.
999
01:00:53,624 --> 01:00:56,855
Because air power
is swiftly emerging...
1000
01:00:56,894 --> 01:01:00,330
as the dominant force
in war or in peace...
1001
01:01:00,364 --> 01:01:03,333
this move will either
be forced upon us...
1002
01:01:03,367 --> 01:01:04,994
by the march of events...
1003
01:01:05,036 --> 01:01:07,004
or it will come
through the foresight...
1004
01:01:07,038 --> 01:01:10,064
and native intelligence
of the American people.
1005
01:01:10,107 --> 01:01:11,438
In the past...
1006
01:01:11,475 --> 01:01:14,342
they have never failed
to act promptly and wisely...
1007
01:01:14,378 --> 01:01:17,074
once they understood
the problem they faced.
1008
01:01:17,114 --> 01:01:20,709
And so, in this crucial hour
in the destiny of our country...
1009
01:01:20,751 --> 01:01:24,209
they will not hesitate
to break the chains of habit...
1010
01:01:24,255 --> 01:01:27,088
and free themselves
from the earthbound past.
1011
01:01:27,124 --> 01:01:31,220
Only then will
our aviation leadership...
1012
01:01:31,262 --> 01:01:34,561
be free to plan and carry out
reaI air strategy...
1013
01:01:34,598 --> 01:01:37,999
that will bring us victory in
the shortest possible time...
1014
01:01:38,035 --> 01:01:41,436
with a minimum investment
in human lives.
1015
01:01:41,472 --> 01:01:43,440
Only then
will the creative brains...
1016
01:01:43,474 --> 01:01:46,272
and productive talent
of our aviation industry...
1017
01:01:46,310 --> 01:01:49,643
be free to forge the reaI
weapons of air power...
1018
01:01:49,680 --> 01:01:53,446
that will carry
totaI destruction to the enemy.
1019
01:02:46,103 --> 01:02:48,571
Our gallant airmen
have already demonstrated...
1020
01:02:48,606 --> 01:02:51,097
their skill,
their resourcefulness...
1021
01:02:51,142 --> 01:02:52,632
and their courage.
1022
01:02:52,676 --> 01:02:57,477
Born to this aeriaI age,
they understand war in the sky.
1023
01:02:57,515 --> 01:03:00,746
America should not hesitate
to place its destiny...
1024
01:03:00,785 --> 01:03:02,650
in the hands of these men...
1025
01:03:02,686 --> 01:03:05,018
for with the strategy
of air power...
1026
01:03:05,056 --> 01:03:07,923
they will make the enemy
fight on our terms...
1027
01:03:07,958 --> 01:03:09,926
against the weapons
of our choosing...
1028
01:03:09,960 --> 01:03:13,691
at our time, but on his soiI.
82557
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