Online Videos: WW2 Fighter, B-17 Bomber & Carrier Action

Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In Februarry 2006 Newsletter

You are invited to drop by Zeno's Drive-In at
www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com and watch this month's quadruple (!) feature
of World War II aviation films for free online video viewing.

Now showing online "At the Matinee"

* "Fight For the Sky." In February of 1944, General Jimmy Doolittle
"turned loose" his fighters to go after the Luftwaffe where they lived.
This marked a radical change in strategy from the disastrous tactics of
1943 that kept escorting fighters chained to bombers. Now, US fighters,
including the P-51, probed deep into Germany, catching the opposition
on the ground, inflicting mortal damage. This feature combines
thrilling combat footage filmed by 8th Air Force combat cameramen with
some of the most action packed, down and dirty World War II gun camera
film you'll ever see. This is the original, uncut 40-minute version of
"The Fight for the Sky" featuring twice the rock 'em sock 'em action of
the heavily edited postwar release previously shown at the Drive-In.

*"Mission Accomplished" On August 17, 1942 eighteen B-17Es from the
97th Heavy Bombardment Group, Eighth Bomber Command (later Eighth Air
Force) from Grafton Underwood, performed the first daylight raid over
Northern Europe by US heavy bombers. Escorted by RAF Spit Vs & IXs, 6
bombers ran a diversion along the French coast, while 12 more
Fortresses attacked the primary target, the important rail yards at
Sotteville, France, near Rouen. This mission was a crucial first step
in establishing the efficay of American daylight precision bombing
doctrine. Though small in scale, the raid was a success, with precision
hits on important rail assets, with only two Fortresses sustaining
minor damage. Lucky for us, combat cameramen recorded this historic
action from briefing through "bombs away.

"Flight Deck: Crew Landing & Respotting Aircraft" Major air battles in
the Pacific in World War II often turned on the ability of each side to
quickly launch, land, rearm & refuel, and then relaunch their aircraft.
This unique film is an unusual look (in color) at how US Navy carrier
flight deck crews were trained to quickly land, park, fuel & re-arm
incoming aircraft. As a bonus, you'll see GM FM-1 "Wildcats" and
Grumman TBF "Avengers" up close, handled expertly on the tiny deck of a
CVE "jeep" escort carrier.

"Uncrating and Field Assembly of the P-47 Thunderbolt" This truly
remarkable step-by-step training film shows how a ground support crew
of fifty men could assemble a P-47 in a field using nothing more than
muscle, unpowered hand tools, and pieces of the shipping crate it came
in. We're talking nothing more than hammers, wrenches and bicycle
pumps!You'll also get a unique look at the inner workings of the big
Jug as it is literally bolted together buy field personnel. A must see
for P-47 fans and shade tree mechanics alike!"One of my personal
favorites!" Zeno

New Spit Alert! We've added a free download of a pilot's handbook for
the Spitfire Mk IX, XI & XVI, joining manuals for the IL-2 "Sturmovik"
joining manuals for the De Havilland Mosquito FB V1, Spitfire II and
the Me-262 jet fighter.

If you haven't stopped by Zeno's Drive-In before, we also feature "live
on line" video for twenty four 1940-45 vintage WWII Army & Navy films
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, Stearman
N2S and a different WWII documentaries every month "At the Matinee."

That's over 14 hours of rockin' World War II props for free viewing
over the internet.

Zeno
Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In
World War II Aviation Videos playing live online -- 24/7
http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com