FIRST B-29 RAID ON JAPAN TARGET TOKYO 1945 3446

[@jkmorrison1013]

My late Uncle, William C. Heath, flew as a flight engineer on B-29s out of Guam. He flew 14 combat missions. they were on their way to bomb Japan again when they got a radio call to come back, the war was over! In 1983, long after my uncle had died at age 55, I tracked down his pilot, Kenneth Midkiff, in Montgomery, Al. Rest in peace, gentlemen, well done.

[@bowlweevil4161]

my cousin was navigator on one of the B-29's that fire bombed Tokyo and the stories that he would tell us kids around the campfire in the 60's still makes the hair on the back if my neck stand up to this day, and I am 70 now, BRAVE PATRIOTS!

[@genedryer-bivins8314]

My Dad was a pilot on Saipan in '45. I have some color slides he took in the sky and over Tokyo.

[@dewikle2]

@@genedryer-bivins8314 make sure you duplicate those images. Slides degrade over time. The color can/will fade and the substrate becomes brittle and fragile.

[@jfloresmac]

2019 and here I am blessing these guys' mission and rooting for them!

[@rickvelocity5578]

Yes & why not!? What they had done will never fade away!

[@ernestdougherty3162]

Amen to that God bless them American's

[@stevechappell9115]

Edigy -

[@Woody615]

The B-29 shown at 9:15 has a tail designation of "T - Square - 5". This is "Joltin' Josie, The Pacific Pioneer." It was the very first B-29 to land on the new runways on Saipan. This is the very first landing of a B-29 arriving at Saipan on 12 October 1944. The "T" on the tail is for the 498th Bomb Group, the "square" means the 73rd Bomb Wing, and plane number 5 was part of the 873rd Bomb Squadron. This aircraft, piloted by Capt. Wilson C. Currier, crashed on takeoff from Saipan on 1 April 1945 with the loss of the entire crew according to the book, "Rain of Fire, B-29s over Japan, 1945" by Charles L. Phillips (USAF Ret.). A great read.

[@kaptainkaos1202]

May G@d have received them with open and welcoming arms.

[@avenegas0691]

Certainly, Mr. R. Reagan became "the Official voice" of those WWII films... Great documentary!

[@kentcyclist]

That’s not Reagan

[@jrt818]

Wasn't sure but have heard him narrate a film about China in that war. Did a good job like this narrator which made me think, "Is that Reagan?"

[@billlewis9362]

@@kentcyclist If not Regan, who than!

[@davidjohnson3103]

Bravest men ever.....thanks so much for allowing me to grow up in a free country.

[@stevenwilson8461]

We sure do have a lot of rules for a so-called free country...

[@AndrewViniarski]

Way less rules than would be if japs had won.

[@ronhoffstein8142]

The '29 crews out of Grand Island, flew many training missions into the Caribbean, out of GI, well before their commitment took them to Japan. This presentation makes it appear that they just gathered in GI, then went off to Japan. As a kid growing up in GI, at the time, it was truly something to remember.

[@ronhoffstein8142]

jim smith While I'm sure you're right, it still missed a significant part of their history. My family lost a friend who was a navigator on one of those missions.

[@MrEjidorie]

B-29 Superfortress bombers were nemeses for Japanese in 1945. My father was conscripted as an assemblyman to Mitsubishi War Factory in Nagoya City during the Second World War. When his factory was bombed by B-29s, quite fortunately, he could manage to escape. My father told me later that he had witnessed that Mitsubishi War Factory was completely demolished by carpet bombing.

[@rickvelocity5578]

Mission accomplished!!

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Was pops a war criminal?

[@dazdragon445]

thanks for sharing. Glad your father made it out alive

[@jaygoins1157]

Buster Biloxi The man was probably just doing his job for his country

[@MrEjidorie]

@@busterbiloxi3833 Of course not. My father was a high school student at that time. Most of men in in their working life were already conscripted into Imperial Army, so a lot of students and girls were mobilized as temporary workers in order to fill vacancies.

[@phenojack6364]

Thank you for posting this... saw my Pops B-29 @14:08 "Thumper" !!!

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Tell us more!

[@gibsondrummer]

Your father was a courageous man if he is still with us thank him for his service to our nation! The great generation indeed

[@leaderspeakusa]

My father was on that plane too!!!!! He was a bombardier - had to switch plans several times because of attrition. Wonderful! He went on to Tinian Island and the west field. Decades later, I met Paul Tibbetts at a small airfield in south Florida. He and I chatted for about a half-hour. Mr. Tibbetts remembered my dad like that, "short fellow who couldn't be beaten at Cribbage!" How cool was that?

[@rosablanche]

@Grim Reaper And from me and fellow Brits.

[@neils9739]

@Pheno Jack, Yes please tell us more.

[@BuzzSargent]

Ronald Reagan had a great voice for voice-over work in film. What a great man.

[@davidmoser7849]

True- he made army newsreels m-f, and never saw combat-oh, and he got his girlfriend pregnant before marriage

[@darrenkastl8160]

@@davidmoser7849 or were you a turkey baster kid? Artificial insemanation from across the room!

[@darrenkastl8160]

@@davidmoser7849 SQUIRT ! SQUIRT!

[@rob-v1y]

@@davidmoser7849 Idiots don't know Raygun served his country from the Brown Derby in Hollywood.

[@Robin-oo5il]

President Reagan built up the army and navy at a time when it was needed badly but at the same time he allowed the steel industry to all but collapse, Japan and South Korea sold their steel for less than it cost to make, which in turn began the Rust Belt.

[@steviea427]

I see the usual arguments springing up in the comments. I like the way Stephen Ambrose put it in the famed "World at War" series when asked the purpose of World War 2. "It defeated the Nazis of Germany, the Fascists of Italy and the Militarists of Japan, and never was justice better served".

[@georgeaguliarsr2346]

steviea427

[@steviea427]

Thanks George.

[@lawrencetomlinson761]

Raymond Gordon Trolling trolls, why bother.

[@jjhpor]

@ I often wonder how much of the awful things that the Soviet Union became were accelerated by the insane things done to them by the west. Look at how the British and French and Americans joined the White Russians fighting the Reds in 1919. Look at how the French and British cowardly refused to stop Hitler and forced the Russians into their arms. In spite of it all the Russians bore the brunt of the Nazi holocaust and worked with the west but never, ever trusted us.

[@starbar1958]

@@jjhpor lol

[@waltonwarrior7428]

Great video. Those were brave men flying a great airplane. God bless them and America.

[@jayc3110]

What a wonderful glimpse into this phase of World War 2, featuring America's "Greatest generation"... The men who took Saipan and the flyers who ended the war with Japan in the final chapter... Those were truly great heoric men. So many of them were literally boys, in their late teens. A great find... Thank you so much for uploading this!

[@dmr122003]

what a generation, every man , woman, and child did their part to keep america free, to save the loser generation of today who don’t disrespect the flag and this country, thank you so much for all you gave . i will never forget, and you have my utmost respect.

[@danstrayer111]

and look at it now.

[@ianmclellan8514]

Millenials and somali reps are wretched ingrates whi do not deserve to live in the United States.

[@jameswise6110]

Even I as a child collected metal and tinfoil for the war effort to give to the guy who picked it up from our neighborhood at least once a month .

[@dmr122003]

@@jameswise6110 thank you for all you did..what a great generation...

[@IBenZik]

Good to hear Ron's voice again.

[@charlesflinnill978]

I was wondering if that was Pres Reagan's voice.

[@IBenZik]

@@charlesflinnill978 Yes it was.

[@archlich4489]

@@charlesflinnill978 Ditto

[@mikebronicki6978]

Yes, the bastard that saddled generations with debilitating debt. ...good times.

[@rickvelocity5578]

@@mikebronicki6978 if you are talking about President Reagan you have him confused with hate America obama!

[@Greggee100]

0:14 Target Tokyo I thought at first it was opening for a movie on TMC?

[@jerrynewberry2823]

chris miller Close, there was a movie I think was called 30 Seconds over Tokyo.

[@easygoing2479]

They were going to bomb a new American Retail chain store that just opened a store in the Japanese market.

[@johngeverett]

I don't recall seeing any credits, but that narrator surely sounds like Ronald Reagan!

[@lf.8433]

Yes, it is him.Says that at the top.

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Look up, genius, and see the description that mentions the narrator. Can you do that?

[@samiam619]

Buster Biloxi ooh, Buster. You musta gone to skool to learn you some readen and riten. Listen, I’m not in the habit of reading the description to find the name of the narrator, even if he is a two-bit actor who joined the Culver City Commandos. Closest he got to a gun, there was a guy on set to make sure he didn’t hurt himself with it. 😁

[@brucewalker6852]

@@busterbiloxi3833 their is no need to be rude

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Try looking at the credits, Ace!

[@rosewhite---]

What is that music at the beginning?

[@ladypilliwick8179]

what's sad is the B29 was such a great beautiful achievement and with the on coming of the jet fighter became totally obsolete by the Korean War nice video. thank you for the post

[@4thstooge75]

The Russians thought so, They reverse engineered the B29 and copied it (dumb idea) meanwhile the US was already designing the next generation of jet bombers.

[@charlesrobinson8358]

?

[@davidlentz9683]

@@4thstooge75, the props hung on. Early jets were fuel eaters. SAC first all jet bomber, the B-47, was medium. The first all jet heavy, the BUFF, B-52, didn't come into service until the mid 'Fifties.

[@daveburch235]

B-29s were used very effectively against North Korea, carrying out MacArthur's prediction that "We'll bomb them back to the Stone Age". They did require protection by American jet fighters to survive the MiGs, but they did the job.

[@rickvelocity5578]

Yip, it is a great flying machine! In fact, to complete the "B-29" from conscription then to actually fly that it took more money than to do the same with the A-Bomb!

[@donthomcsi]

My dad trained navigators at Mather after a stint in the Phillipines on a B17. This documentary brought home to me the need for accuracy and detail that was such a part of his personality that drove me crazy as a kid. If only I'd known why. Pleasure hearing Reagan's voice.

[@rosewhite---]

The music at 13:00 sounds familiar but I can't place it?

[@acgsmith5937]

I think this is the Rachmaninoff piano concerto #2

[@MultiCappie]

Just for scale, the B-29 Superfortress was about the same size, same engine power, and similar flying altitude as the modern Q400 turboprop. Differences were that the B-29 wings were 50% wider, which gave it much more lifting power, so it could weigh double at takeoff, but flew about 200 km/h slower.

[@briggsquantum]

Aside from the B-29 having 50 feet more in wingspan, and 70,000 lb higher gross weight, and another 10,000 feet of service altitude, yeah, about the same......

[@MultiCappie]

@@briggsquantum You're not very good at reading, I see.

[@rosewhite---]

What is the big gun at the tail end in 14:00?

[@robertlong7033]

I believe that some 29's had a 37 mm cannon rather than 50 cals

[@jeremybear573]

+Robert Long They were 20mm cannons on the tails of the B29

[@allangibson8494]

@@robertlong7033 The Russian Tu-4 had 23mm autocannon in all positions. The early B-29s had a 20mm cannon in the tail but this was removed from the later versions in favour of 0.5 cal machine guns.

[@davidfifer4729]

It was a single 20mm cannon. It is flanked by two .50 caliber machine guns. This was the standard tail armament initially. Later, the 20mm cannons were removed, I believe because of reliability problems.

[@acoba15]

Woody's Wagon I believe was lost at sea after facing engine trouble and the PIC attempted to ditch...this is a wonderful piece of history that we should never forget.

[@donaldcoder8851]

Americans are a strong people, and they could not let the attack on Pearl Harbor go unrewarded.

[@jfloresmac]

Those Boeings are big and strong like the US Saludos amigos!

[@iskaykabeya609]

Donald Coder American are not strong, they don't know why they are fighting. if they know they wouldn't have fought. the power behind American strength is in the hands of Roman Catholic Jesuits.

[@rickvelocity5578]

@@iskaykabeya609 BS, Iskay K! Can you explain why after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor the US military induction centers were flooded with thousands of volunteers & new recruits.

[@shizukamori6755]

Donald Coder The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in open combat. We only targeted warships, manned by combatant personnel. No civilian facilities were deliberately hit. Even the Kamikaze pilots targeted warships exclusively. These bombers and the monsters inside them firebombed Japan INDISCRIMINATELY. They killed women, children, infants...could you ever justify that

[@albertojoseyanespantin2803]

@@shizukamori6755 Boy you'd be disappointed to learn about what the IJA did in China, and other nations in SE Asia!

[@jerrynewberry2823]

Confucius say: people who live in paper houses, shouldn't support thrones.

[@alexandrecosta4832]

Jerry Newberry Jesus said “ live by the sword and you will die by the sword”

[@jerrynewberry2823]

@@alexandrecosta4832 too late. I was already in a war. Now if you are going to take vengance, bring firepower.

[@neils9739]

They said all but 2 of the B-29's made it back to Saipan from the Tokyo bombing mission. Anyone know any historical information of the 2 aircraft or survivors or fate of the crew of those Superforts?

[@ual737ret]

I wonder what Ronald Reagan would think and what he would say about what the political climate is in this country today.

[@ual737ret]

Big Bill O'Reilly Reagan was a Lieutenant in the US Army during WW 2. He had bad eyesight so he was classified as being fit for limited service. It was not his fault that he couldnt serve in combat. You are talking through your ass.

[@ual737ret]

Big Bill O'Reilly He could have avoided the army altogether. You call me a coward, asshole? Too bad you can’t say that to my face.

[@conveyor2]

@Big Bill O'Reilly

[@jamesfix5258]

You get the government you deserve....

[@charlesflinnill978]

Probably the same thing I do, pathetic.

[@isorokudono]

God bless all those boys who fought on Iwo Jima, they gave us a place to land and prepare to have our just retribution for Pearl Harbor.

[@davidlentz9683]

Iwo Jima provided a base for fighter escorts, and haven for crippled bombers. Thank you Marines.

[@danzervos7606]

One of my mothers life long best friend's husband fought on Iwo Jima. The back of his skull was shattered and they wanted to put a metal plate in his head. The success rate for such operations was very low and his wife refused to allow them to do it. He spent his life with nothing but skin and hair protecting the back of his head, he lived into his 80's and has children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren surviving him.

[@JHruby]

Cool where in when did they take off.

[@bearbuster157]

Glad Reagan called them Superforts; which is correct!

[@frequentlycynical642]

Strato Super Fortress is correct.

[@navret1707]

One of the best books I ever read was “ 30 Seconds Over Tokyo”, the Doolittle raid. Great book.

[@patrickhorvath2684]

12 O'clock High is another good book

[@rakofgor]

Not quite 1st over the target. That would be the guys from the combat mapping squadron that took the pictures for their targeting.

[@allandavis8201]

Thanks for sharing this interesting and informative newsreel, thank goodness Periscope Films saves these pieces of history for all to see. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@clearingbaffles]

17:05ish USS Pennsylvania in dry dock with 2 destroyers very little damage (Sister ship to USS Arizona) why mention her granted the USS Utah was not really a battleship any more but she was a complete loss

[@kneelneil]

Pres Reagan was a superb narrator. Can I also say, as a non American, he was also a great President.

[@mediamattersismycockholste562]

He melted down the Soviets, that's for sure :)

[@4bulldurham]

No, Reagan was the stupidest President we've ever had.

[@CPTdrawer22]

@@4bulldurham - Actually, that [dis]honor goes to a succession of DemonKKKraps, not the least of whom was the most recent, who wasn't even eligible to be on the ballot, having relinquished his possible American citizenship and never reacquired it. De Oppresso Liber

[@clearingbaffles]

neilwin you can and thanx!!

[@alexcarter8807]

No, he sucked as a president.

[@larrytischler8769]

They said all but two came back to Saipan. It would be interesting to know how many took off for Tokyo.

[@charlietanner6211]

111 is what i gleaned from the net

[@ashman187]

When we do some more fighting ; we'll do some more commenting...

[@johndeere365]

These were different times the fire bombing was started weeks after leaflets were dropped over the target citys warning all women and children to pack up and leave my dad was in this b-29 squadron 498th 73rd wing t sqare 5 joltin jossie thee pacific pioneer bombrr he talked a little about the war years after this tore him up knowing the deaths caused it had to be done to help end the war this times were brutal on all sides nothing to brag about

[@jeffring8954]

You know damn well there was no warning.. Leaflets..lmao!! Hey just to let ya know in couple weeks we are gonna bomb you😂🤣😂🤣 Dumbest shit I've ever heard!

[@rabbi120348]

@Jeff Ring My sensei in Denver in the late 90's was a 13-year old boy in Hiroshima in August 1945. They dropped leaflets telling the women and children to leave. His parents got him out to a relative some 20 or 30 miles away. So I guess there were leaflets. Those who were smart saved themselves.

[@radek5690]

Rod, My relatives in Japan was bombed by th B-29. But they were farmers and they did not target where my relative were living, but they can feel and see in the distance where they were bombing. She said it was very frightening. They were living inside a cave near their farm. Even if you drop leaflets, where do you go? My parents said Japan was in sad shape at this time, they had nothing. Even though they were farmers they had only potatoes and rice, everything else was gone. This is what I was told. You cannot blame your father, my parents are American now and they do not have any ill feeling towards America. Japan got what came to them because of the country's leaders. God bless your father. He is our hero. Take it easy.

[@moncorp1]

Different times indeed rod warner. One in which youth feel it is not necessary to use punctuation.

[@moncorp1]

@@jeffring8954 ~ That was because they weren't after civilians, they were just aiming to destroy the manufacturing plant. You're comment is the dumbest sh*t I'VE ever heard.

[@robertewalt7789]

Grand Island NY is just a few miles up stream from Niagara Falls.

[@ianmclellan8514]

Nebraska, not New York state.

[@rinardman]

In Reagan's description of the B-29: "...and a body longer than a Corvette." No, not THAT Corvette. THIS corvette: 'a small warship'. :)

[@rickjay3805]

I was lucky to meet Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and got to shake their hands.

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Have you been able to wash off the filth?

[@frequentlycynical642]

@David Watson Reagan started the decline of the American middle class. And he conspired with Iran.....very illegally.....before the election. Full disclosure: I am a fraternity brother of Reagan. Embarrassing.

[@frequentlycynical642]

@Jan Pearson Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Soviet collapsed of its own issues. Reagan had nothing to do with it.

[@frequentlycynical642]

@Jan Pearson Believe what you want. The Soviet Union was almost in the dust bin, with or without St. Reagan.

[@toma2451]

What happened to the two that didn't make it? Crews bail out?

[@wntu4]

Only one of them was shot down, so if they bailed I wouldn't give more than a nickle betting on their survival prospects. The other one probably ditched at sea, hopefully near one of the several submarines we kept along the route for that purpose. We did not have Iwo Jima yet, which was much closer and used as an emergency field for 29s and base for single engine escorts.

[@chuckperego2216]

@@wntu4 In addition to subs, we had Coast Guard frigates on station west of the Aleutians to pick up planes which could not make it back.

[@clearedhot7030]

I wish he had given a little information about the two that didn't get back. Shot down? If so, by ground fire, fighters? What happened to the crews?

[@rogermetzger7335]

Did I hear that right? 2200 horsepower from each of four engines? I have trouble wrapping my mind around that!

[@Thesage50]

That’s former President Ronald Reagan narrating.

[@davidcase1286]

awesome. My grand father in law worked at a Nakajima plant, but not the one they targeted. It was likely the Musashino plant which is around 11 miles from central tokyo. come to mention it, that area does not have many old buildings....

[@robertblomberg5730]

My dad was stationed at GRAND ISLAND NEB ALSO WAS AT GUAM WORKED ON B-29'S

[@rosewhite---]

Grabd Island used to be biggest mule market in USA?

[@DavidFMayerPhD]

People today do not realize how HUGE the B-29 was by contemporary standards. It weighed some 150,000 pounds fully loaded. Compare this to the B-17 which had max weight of 65,500 pounds.

[@marshallgoldberg8376]

This was the first B-29 raid on Tokyo but far from the first B-29 raid on Japan, which first occurred in June, 1944 out of India.

[@martialmusic]

Reagan is a great narrator

[@6h471]

This isn't the first B29 raid on Japan, the first one was an attack on the steel works at Yawata Japan by 75 B29s based in China on the night of June 15/16 1944.

[@tuckerizer666]

@Harold Albert they were B25 Mitchell bombers. I knew a man who put high performance carbs and extra fuel tanks in the planes before they flew to California. They loaded them on the Hornet and the rest is history.

[@longisrung]

19:43 Tokyo Racecourse

[@dwmzmm]

One of my late uncle (on my dad's side) was a tail gunner of a B-29. Not sure which base he was stationed at. Much respect!

[@WaterFaucet24]

My great Uncle Mark died on Saipan. Semper Fi

[@rickvelocity5578]

Thats too bad. He wouldn't see all the good that he paid for with his life. GOD BLESS HIM & ALL OTHERS LIKE HIM!!!

[@Mr.little.man217]

Different video I'll never be able to recall the exact details of attributes the planes that didn't make it back basically tore apart from the turbulence. The violence of the fire storms had an unforeseen effect on the planes ability to fly. Not sure if it is the same raid but still, an eery thing to imagine. Regardless of politics now or of the time it was a horrific measure of our capability of destruction.

[@wntu4]

Not this raid. The fire bombing came later.

[@patrickeh696]

Anyone can copy and use this video without any licensing. The channel owner is lying about needing permission

[@jamessullivan1348]

The greatest generation!

[@stephanweaver1960]

Amazing to see and hear the chief's announcement to the group of where they're going and their sigh

[@billyrock8305]

Japanese were a honourable, hard working people and ferocious warriors. 🇯🇵

[@mysticwine]

Unspeakable war crimes by raging savages, plain and simple.

[@lawrencetomlinson761]

Mystic Wine The firebombing of civilian cities is also pretty barbaric.

[@benaressacred4774]

@@lawrencetomlinson761 They were beaten but wouldn't quit - eventually killing Americans. It was them or us.

[@billyrock8305]

Lawrence Tomlinson American incendiary fire bombing resulted in the slaughter of over 150,000 innocent civilians. Mainly women and children.

[@davidbrogan606]

@@lawrencetomlinson761 No, those "civilians" were working in the factories creating war machines used to kill Americans. Therefore they were fair targets. The ones who didn't actually work in the factories supported those who did. So, they were also fair targets. How dare they attack America unprovoked.

[@billlewis9362]

The crews on that 1st mission had 100+ hours of flying time in the B-29, 50 hours in Nebraska schools + 50 hours flying to Saipan + several local flying. B-29's in movie were the early, still have the 20mm cannon in tail gun position!

[@williammize8270]

Incredible how heavy were those planes bombs weigh 7 tons a piece how did b29 make it?

[@trevajanssen9632]

The plane weight was about 60 tons and add 10 tons for bombs.

[@richardmcgowan1651]

People who would argue about these missions don't understand what total war is or why it was necessary during WW2. WW1 was a world war but the technology of that time stopped it from being a total war. Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany had to be defeated even if it cost every man, woman, and child in the free world.

[@mogensthorsen7641]

beuthiful airplanes, respekt for tbose guyes vho gave us that fredom vhe have too Day. Brave America good blees you All, Blees from Denmark 🇩🇰✈️🛫🛬🚀👌👍

[@paultrusten6205]

God bless you and keep you, Superfortress Heroes!

[@charlescrowell4981]

Someone suggested to pres. Reagan, "maybe you should go into politics." Reagan replied," I guess you don't like my acting either."

[@allgood6760]

Salute and respect ✈️

[@davidbrown-xk8zl]

Screw those damn commercials.

[@shawnpa]

My father was on that base in WW2.

[@garycampbell8111]

Initially, these raids were high altitude (30,000 ft) daylight raids using 500 lb GP bombs. Bombing accuracy suffered due to winds. General Curtis LeMay ordered a change to night bombing using incendiary bombs at a lower altitude (6,000 / 10,000 ft) & against the flimsy wood construction of the building’s proved to be very effective. It is estimated that the raid on Tokyo on the night of March 9, 1945 cost the Japanese more lives than either Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

[@falconeaterf15]

Watch Fog of War to see Robert Macnemera explain the facts on the bombing of Japan. He and Lemay agreed they would be considered war criminals after the war if they lost.

[@jjhpor]

I consider McNamara a war criminal but then I guess we did lose the war in vietnam. LeMay was just crazy.

[@paulsuprono7225]

And what happened to those two . . . that didn't make it ?

[@casualguy3938]

What do you think happens when your plane is shot down and it falls from the sky?

[@chuckperego2216]

Early on, the US had subs and Coast Guard frigates at pre-determined stations to pick up air crews. Later we had Iwo and other, intermediate bases.

[@almost1889]

Imagine watching urself when you were in a war film Must bring back memories

[@kinezo1961]

I thought i recognized that voice.

[@mikemalter]

Way too many ads.

[@duane356]

"Love that navigator" That's a pretty good poke from SF to Oahu by dead reckoning. Maybe they had marker ships in place along the route??

[@ianmclellan8514]

Yes, and radar pickets.

[@DesultoryDilettante]

Also, radio beacons on Hawaii.

[@MichaelOnRockyTop]

I couldn't imagine flying from the West coast to Hawaii with nothing guiding you but a paper map

[@j.d.schultzsr.9215]

BigRedChester, How about a well-marked navigational chart, magnetic compass, magnetometer, gyro, sextant, RDF (radio direction finder) and dozens of men who've each spent at least several months studying and practicing navigation. Those of us living in the GPS era may never understand, nor even appreciate the millenially-honed art and science of navigation without it. On the way to the fun & games of Vietnam combat, our XO, Mr. Englehart told us that we would sight Oahu at 11:15 AM, next morning. Sure enough, 11:15--RIGHT ON THE NOSE--there she was, Diamond Head, rising her gorgeous face from the briny blue. No sailor or airman can ever forget such a sight.

[@MrMenefrego1]

Narrated by future President of The United States of America, Ronald Reagan! The Boeing B-29 'Superfortress', which was designed and built by the U.S. Boeing Aircraft Corp. and flown primarily by the United States Air Force during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 'Flying Fortress', the 'Superfortress' was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing but also excelled in low-altitude night incendiary bombing, also in dropping naval mines to blockade Japanese shipping. B-29s also dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; becoming the only aircraft to ever use nuclear weaponry in combat. The decision to utilize atomic bomb technology by President Truman was made primarily to save U.S. and Allied servicemen's lives; as the planned invasion of the main islands of Japan would have caused tens-of-thousands of causalities.

[@magnussoevgaard8091]

That was awesome! I saluted many times the Brave American.servicemen who made Japan pay.

[@muckerwood]

...so who won?

[@johncherish7610]

Really do you need to ask that? The Japanese got a much better country after the war completely rebuilt to later become an economic power. The war was really unnecessary as working together worked much better. But that said Japan would not be what it is today without the rebuilding that took place afterwords. So in many respects it was both countries benefited to become what they are now

[@muckerwood]

@@johncherish7610 Everybody knows who won. They just didn't clarify who did, thus the tongue in cheek sarcasm... plus, it was 8 months ago 😏

[@Exotic3000]

President Reagan does a great job on the commentary!

[@patrickeh696]

Thanks uploaded to my website

[@ProperLogicalDebate]

The music at the start immediately reminded me of the music while the B-36 was flying in the Jimmy Stewart movie Strategic Air Command (1955).

[@peterbrown6224]

Even if I just see a documentary of those things, I get hearing damage. Not mounting eleven engines was a fail, though.

[@daveburch235]

I hear it, after the fanfare when the strings start their own theme. Music to accentuate the beauty and grace of a grand aircraft.

[@daveburch235]

@Peter Brown, just last weekend I was standing next an an R-4360 engine talking with a docent at the Bluegrass Aviation Museum in Lexington KY. This guy, a retired Air Force mechanic, was describing all the things that would go wrong with it. News to me was torsion fatigue front and rear, at the propeller shaft and engine mounts. The beast produced more torque than it could take indefinitely.

[@peterbrown6224]

@@daveburch235 Thank you, Dave. We have a lot to learn from these people that's not in any history books.

[@jojostudrock8185]

Gotta wonder if my mother helped build that B-29. Rosie The Riveter

[@danwells7691]

evert house and school and church was an arms manufacturing plant

[@wntu4]

Very true. They made much use of the 'cottage industry' concept.

[@isaacdepaula2103]

Damn, those boys had balls of steel

[@donkeyslayer4661]

Are they ever going to get to Tokyo?

[@robertking3539]

That sounds like a young Ronald reagan

[@tunggulsujarwob.archmba7751]

This movie annoyed by ads that force to suck my data. This is one of many times they did. Sorry to left this great movie then.

[@BackInTheGarden]

@PeriscopeFilm, May The Good Lord Bless You.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

You are so very welcome. Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@peteacher52]

Think how good those excellent aircraft would have been with the mighty Allison turboprops, just a few years ahead. Col, NZ.

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

Actually if memory serves the 1st B-19 missions were flown from China.

[@pilotboy3328]

Steven, you are correct.

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

@@pilotboy3328 Don't Worry, I won't Let It Go To My Head! :-)

[@Ram-re5em]

This is a great film I think Ronald Reagan’s narrating

[@Supernaut2000]

And the righteous shall prevail.

[@TDHDN]

Nothing like a good old classic “War is Peace” prime example!

[@aevangel1]

0:01 RIP eardrums

[@doorgunnerAmerical]

I spent 2 weeks in Atami, Japan in 1970 for R&R. A beautiful country but crowded and small. My tour guide was a Japanese man who spoke perfect English. I asked him where learned our language and he told me the story of being an orphan raised by two young American soldiers during the occupation of Japan. He added, "I love Americans." I went back to Chu Lai, Vietnam to finish my tour as a Huey door gunner and crew chief. Later, I pulled a second tour in Danang, Vietnam. I thought I was doing what our fathers had done. Bring freedom to oppressed people.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

What were your R&R location options?

[@aa-hb3tg]

U were no bring freedom but death to people. And for that u and ur kind will pay soon in future

[@brooksbutler8547]

That narrator has a familiar voice.

[@Triumph2024.]

it's Ronald Reagan..before he was President of the United States.

[@garyduff8739]

And a bit after he was the voice of the Cubs in a large part of the midwest.

[@plugs313]

Correct me if I'm wrong but, isn't that narrator Ronald Reagan? Sure sounds like him.