On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 06:54:24 -0400, "Writer - Researcher"
wrote:

Hello,

I'm helping a researcher for a production company in St. John's,
Newfoundland, Canada. They are producing a documentary on early aviation,
especially WWI and the years following.

I need help as to where to obtain "dog fight" images/video of WWI plane
fights. I know that the Imperial War Museum (Britain) probably has such
archival footage. However, I'm wondering if any other sources, perhaps in
the United States, France, etc. might have such archival WWI film footage?

In addition, I'm seeking WWI posters, regarding the aviation aspect of the
war.

If anyone can help me (as it's rather urgent!), please email me directly at


Thanks in advance for any help that comes my way!


Cynthia

Cynthia, I'm not sure any moving pictures of actual dogfights exist.
The film technology of the time, if I've got this correct, involved
large, heavy hand cranked cameras. If such a camera were mounted in
an airplane, there would be no room for a gunner. Without the gunner,
the airplane is simply sweet meat for enemy aircraft. Even the
reconaissance airplanes had defensive weapons.

In addition, why would anyone be up there trying to film something
that could extremely easily result in their own deaths? In order to
get close enough to film an encounter, the film crew would put
themselves in close proximaty to the "enemy". Remember the old axiom
"If the enemy is in range, so are you!" A lone airplane flying
sedately around a combat furball would have been a very seductive
target attracting the eyes of all the enemy pilots who would MUCH
rather attack an unarmed airplane than something that shoots back.

I think there may be film of lone airplanes attacking balloons, I
think there is archival footage of at least one such instance. But
dogfights would be extraordinarily rare to find, and they'd all be
fimed from the ground.

Corky Scott