the Unknown Battle

Series

Series Name

The March of Time 10th Year

Issue

Issue No.

9

Date Released

9 Apr 1945

Length of issue (in feet)

1779

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1the Unknown Battle

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 1

Summary

The March of Time synopsis: This story, says the film, had its beginning in Washington long before the war, when, with the support of a group of far-seeing officers, including General Marshall and General Arnold, plans were put through for a force of heavy bombers of a radically new design. Army specifications, drawn up as early as 1934, called for a multi-engined plane of great power and range, capable of high altitude precision bombing. The American aviation industry met these specifications with Boeing’s B-17, the now famous Flying Fortress, and throughout the peacetime years successive models of the B-17’s became more and more formidable. With the outbreak of war in Europe, General Arnold - new Chief of the Army Air Corps - set out to build up his force of heavy bombers.

When Germany launched a savage all-out air assault against this country, the R.A.F., in one of the most glorious chapters of Britain’s history, fought the powerful Luftwaffe to a standstill, and before long Germany’s Europe became the objective of our heavy bombers, which saturated target areas with tons of explosives in great night raids. Then, early in 1942, the first Flying Fortresses with U.S. crews made their appearance in England. They were to become the nucleus of the U.S. strategic air force, which would complement with daylight precision bombing the night operations of the R.A.F. To the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces in February, 1944, was given a crucial assignment - the destruction of the widely dispersed factories turning out German planes and parts - thus striking the weapon form the enemy’s hand. The week-long battle to destroy the Luftwaffe began on February 20th. From photographs, taken after each day of the week-long battle, the strategic air force pieced together a dramatic confirmation of victory - a victory which destroyed a major part of Germany’s aircraft production and paved the way for the Allied invasion of the Continent. Experience gained in the battles over Germany will be used to good advantage in the skies over Japan, and today, operating from bases in China, India, Saipan and Guam, bigger and more formidable planes are carrying to Japan a foretaste of the power of strategic bombing.

Researcher Comments

This story was included in Vol.11 No.5 of the US edition.

Keywords

Aircraft; Air force

Written sources

The March of Time Promotional Material   Lobby Card, Used for synopsis

Credits:

Production Co.

Time Inc.