00:00And this morning we have a mission of some importance.
00:04For the first time...
00:05Germany.
00:07You, sir.
00:14Wilhelm's having.
00:16For the first time, we're going to be hitting a target on German soil.
00:20Flying Fortresses returned to their base in Britain at the end of the first American air raid on Germany.
00:30In daylight, they carried out a heavy attack on the Nazi naval base at Wilhelm Schatten.
00:35In a message of congratulation, the Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command spoke of the opening of a campaign which the Germans have long dreaded.
00:44It's reasonable to expect quite soon a crushing and almost uninterrupted series of raids on the Reich,
00:48the like of which has never been experienced in aerial warfare.
00:54Here are men back from the big attack recounting their experiences.
00:58Colonel LeMay, how'd the trip go today?
01:00Well, it went pretty well, except that it's rather dull compared to some that we've had.
01:07There weren't many fighters up, and the flack was just moderate and very inaccurate.
01:12The weather wasn't so good, especially over the target, mostly ten-tenths overcast.
01:16However, there are a couple of holes around.
01:20We managed to get our bombs away through one of them, and the bombardier reports some hits on the target,
01:25and a lot of them around close to it in the town.
01:28The briefing that we prescribed last night, did it conform to the route out and back?
01:33Yes, exactly, except for the target.
01:35But the weather there was worse than predicted.
01:39This formation that you put out for us last night, did you conform to that on our trip in?
01:44Yes, we flew the same formation as we mentioned last night.
01:50How about your bombardier?
01:51Was he operating all right?
01:54He worked 100 percent, as usual.
01:56Major Preston here, did he perform his duties properly?
02:04Yes, he's right on the ball, the same as he always is.
02:07I hear they're going to name their airplane the Gopher.
02:10Why?
02:11Well, it seems like they're both from a certain state, the Gopher state.
02:14Is that right, Major Preston?
02:16Yes, it is.
02:18Well, that's all right with me.
02:20Go right ahead.
02:20Is that all right?
02:21How about the men?
02:24Did they perform their duties and cruise right up to par?
02:29You don't have any complaints, in other words?
02:30No complaints at all.
02:38This is the first daylight raid the Army Air Forces have made on Germany proper.
02:43While the weather was none too good, we managed to get a great number of bombs on and around the target.
02:48Well, Lieutenant Nutter, you brought us home as usual, I see.
03:06Well, I don't know if it was as usual, Major, but I brought you home this time, anyway.
03:10Well, I think you're a good navigator.
03:12Well, thank you.
03:12I hope I keep it up on the next race.
03:14I do, too.
03:15I don't want to ever miss this place.
03:17No, I don't want to miss it, I can tell you that.
03:20How was Lieutenant Malick down there in the nose?
03:22Well, Malick had along fine.
03:23I was trying to jump over his shoulder every minute, trying to see over his.
03:26But he managed to find the target somehow, rather, even though I didn't push him out of the way.
03:31That's what makes bombing difficult.
03:33It is.
03:33It's navigators.
03:34Yeah, navigators.
03:35The navigator tries to push the bombardier out of the way.
03:38I see.
03:39We'll get our bombs up anyhow, though.
03:42That's the way.
03:47Well, Sergeant Kendall, did you see anything today?
03:53I'm sorry to say, Major Preston, I didn't see a damn thing.
03:56You didn't?
03:57No, sir.
03:58I guess the folks back...
03:59Well, Sergeant Kendall, you're down in the ball turd.
04:03Did you see anything today?
04:04I'm sorry to say, sir.
04:05I didn't have a thing going on, sir.
04:08Your folks in New York will be sorry to hear that.
04:10I bet they will.
04:10They're waiting for me to get one of those hunts.
04:12Is that right?
04:13Well, I hope we get one soon.
04:14Yes.
04:15Next time.
04:15I hope so, sir.
04:17Well, Joe, good show, boy.
04:20How did you get along?
04:20Oh, just fine.
04:21Did you have any trouble up there?
04:22No, Gunner's had a good feel there, though.
04:24We tried to get away from you.
04:25You did that, I think.
04:27Well, Major Holmes, I understand you're the first British officer who went with us on a raid today.
04:47Is that right?
04:47No.
04:48Yes.
04:48Then I got my hand fired.
04:52All right.
04:52Well, Major Holmes, I understand you're the first British officer to ride with us on a raid.
05:02Is that right?
05:03Well, I think I'm certainly one of the first, anyway.
05:07Well, what impressed you most about it today?
05:09Do you like it?
05:10Oh, yes.
05:11I think it was grand.
05:11And the thing that impressed me most was the grand formation that the Americans flew in.
05:17I think the formation is absolutely tip-top.
05:20Wow.
05:23Anything else?
05:24Well, I think it's obvious that anybody can see that the Americans and the British have got together very well over this thing.
05:34And my own personal experience today, I can say readily that I know we've done a good job together today.
05:43Sir, I'm sorry.
06:05John?
06:06How did you feel like to go over to Germany one time?
06:09Well, I...
06:10You got the first plane.
06:12Tell us about it.
06:14Well, it was over the target.
06:17I looked back, and the ball turretman and the tail gunner, and the radio gunner was firing at a ME-109 coming in at 6 o'clock on the tail, and so I decided to open up.
06:28At about 500 yards, I seen that all the tracers were going into him, and very suddenly he blew up in the air, and that was all that we seen of him.
06:37Oh, a pump of smoke, eh?
06:38Yes, sir.
06:39Good deal, good deal.
06:40Must have looked good.
06:41Sorry, I didn't get...
06:42Sorry I didn't get in on that view myself.
06:45Let's see.
06:46Who got the second one?
06:47Sure, we got him.
06:48Oh, Bird.
06:49Go ahead, Bird.
06:50What did you do?
06:50You're in a ball turret, aren't you?
06:51Yeah, he was coming in.
06:53He was a little high at first.
06:54So I tracked him in.
06:55I thought he was in about 400 yards, so I thought I'd give him a little shot.
06:59A little one, I made it look like the 4th of July out there, and he smoked a little bit and went down and around.
07:05Shark here said he went down and said he seen him hit the ground, but I turned around and had to look for another one.
07:09Oh, I see, they were pretty busy there.
07:10Yeah, we had a little fun today, huh?
07:13Field day.
07:13Field day.
07:14How was the flak?
07:15You were back in the tail, Charlie.
07:17Oh, it wasn't so bad.
07:18Not so bad?
07:19No.
07:19A little inaccurate.
07:20Not quite so bad as a few other places we've been over occupied territory.
07:24Oh, honestly.
07:25Pretty good day after all.
07:27Picnic today.
07:28Well, nice picnic.
07:32Well, boys, pretty nice American picnic.
07:34What do you think?
07:35Very good.
07:36Sure, thank you.
07:36We'll see a few more of them, too, no doubt.
07:38I hope.
07:44Yeah.
07:44Come on, Charlie.
07:45Show him.
07:46Show him that hangover.
07:47Well, boys, it's not a bad American picnic.
07:49What do you think?
07:49Just like the 4th of July.
07:50Yeah, we'll pull a few more.
07:52Maybe we'll still be pulling them on the 4th.
07:54Yeah.
07:55All right.
07:57Let's have a little rehash of this.
08:11All right, boys.
08:13On these fortresses' first trip into Germany, what do you all think about it?
08:17We'll just start out with Kirk here, who shot down one of Mr. Smith.
08:22Well, he came in from the right.
08:24And when he turned around and started shooting at me, well, I opened up on him.
08:30And directly I saw smoke flying from him.
08:33And the upper turret man said he saw pieces flying off him.
08:36So he fell out in a straight dive then.
08:39Okay, living good.
08:42You then on this first trip of the fortresses over Germany.
08:45Suppose you tell us how you shot down that 109.
08:49Well, he come in level from the rear.
08:51And when he got in about 600 yards and started to shoot at him, he pulled up, started to smoke, and went straight down and never pulled out.
09:03Boy, those guns were really roaring there when they were shooting too.
09:07Well, I think we're pretty lucky, myself, but out of all the operational missions we've had so far, we haven't got any holes in our airplane.
09:19I think the credit's all due to these experts.
09:22I think the credit's all due to these experts.
09:53Because there is.
09:57That's all the Developers.
09:58That's all the champion.
10:00So we all got the lift up right there, I think so.
10:01But it is doing too much.
10:04All music.
10:05What are we doing?
10:05Being woundedСm Greek.
10:07You can do something for me that take so I'm using it now, not making up a feather.
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