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00:00:00,942 --> 00:00:03,980
(somber music plays)
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00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
4
00:00:11,018 --> 00:00:14,357
(airplane engines roar)
5
00:00:23,832 --> 00:00:28,471
(suspenseful
militaristic music plays)
6
00:00:55,063 --> 00:01:00,064
(suspenseful militaristic
music continues)
7
00:01:21,923 --> 00:01:25,228
(airplane engine hums)
8
00:01:27,929 --> 00:01:32,936
(suspenseful militaristic
music continues)
9
00:01:42,109 --> 00:01:45,448
(airplane engine roars)
10
00:01:53,955 --> 00:01:58,928
(suspenseful militaristic
music continues)
11
00:02:20,398 --> 00:02:23,564
(upbeat music plays)
12
00:02:55,267 --> 00:02:58,771
(upbeat music continues)
13
00:03:19,624 --> 00:03:22,762
(gentle music plays)
14
00:03:35,974 --> 00:03:39,111
(horse hooves clop)
15
00:03:41,980 --> 00:03:44,414
- [Narrator] This
is a battlefront,
16
00:03:44,483 --> 00:03:45,881
a battlefront like no other
17
00:03:45,950 --> 00:03:48,649
in the long history
of mankind's wars.
18
00:03:50,489 --> 00:03:52,825
This is an air front.
19
00:03:55,155 --> 00:03:58,498
(dramatic music plays)
20
00:04:28,693 --> 00:04:32,365
(dramatic music continues)
21
00:04:34,965 --> 00:04:39,134
The working day begins as it
will end with the ground crews,
22
00:04:39,203 --> 00:04:41,541
as much a part of the
Fortress as her wings.
23
00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:45,275
If you are a mechanic,
you've got your own bomber.
24
00:04:45,344 --> 00:04:46,546
You get attached to it,
25
00:04:47,712 --> 00:04:49,812
but you know when your
ship goes out on a mission,
26
00:04:49,881 --> 00:04:51,980
you may never see it again,
27
00:04:52,049 --> 00:04:54,651
so you do your work as
well as it can be done,
28
00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:56,252
perfectly,
29
00:04:56,321 --> 00:04:58,454
because you wouldn't
want anything to go wrong
30
00:04:58,523 --> 00:04:59,825
that would be your fault.
31
00:05:01,359 --> 00:05:05,030
(dramatic music continues)
32
00:05:15,540 --> 00:05:18,007
Today the bombs will be
taken from these bomb dumps
33
00:05:18,076 --> 00:05:19,508
somewhere in England
34
00:05:19,577 --> 00:05:22,882
and delivered to specific points
in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
35
00:05:23,881 --> 00:05:27,553
(dramatic music continues)
36
00:05:30,755 --> 00:05:33,689
To deliver them is the job
of the 8th Bomber Command.
37
00:05:33,758 --> 00:05:35,624
Just a hauling job,
38
00:05:35,693 --> 00:05:37,527
yet one of the most
difficult and complicated
39
00:05:37,596 --> 00:05:39,231
of military operations.
40
00:05:40,432 --> 00:05:44,537
(relaxed harmonica music plays)
41
00:05:54,946 --> 00:05:58,584
(suspenseful music plays)
42
00:06:04,122 --> 00:06:06,222
General purpose
demolition bombs,
43
00:06:06,291 --> 00:06:10,059
impact velocity as high
as 750 miles an hour,
44
00:06:10,128 --> 00:06:12,228
pierce five inches
of armor plate,
45
00:06:12,297 --> 00:06:13,633
destroy a factory.
46
00:06:17,803 --> 00:06:19,401
Briefing at 08:00.
47
00:06:19,470 --> 00:06:22,408
Pilots, bombardiers and
navigators take their places.
48
00:06:23,474 --> 00:06:25,241
The group commander,
Colonel Stanley Ray,
49
00:06:25,310 --> 00:06:27,075
steps up to the target map
50
00:06:27,144 --> 00:06:29,810
and for the first time you
learn where you're going.
51
00:06:31,115 --> 00:06:33,749
Sometimes your face turns
white when you find out.
52
00:06:33,818 --> 00:06:35,585
Sometimes the feeling
you won't come back
53
00:06:35,654 --> 00:06:37,156
tightens your insides.
54
00:06:38,290 --> 00:06:40,055
Not so long ago, you
were sitting like this
55
00:06:40,124 --> 00:06:42,425
in a college or high
school classroom,
56
00:06:42,494 --> 00:06:43,927
not listening too hard,
57
00:06:43,996 --> 00:06:46,028
perhaps even a little sleepy.
58
00:06:46,097 --> 00:06:47,500
But you listen here
59
00:06:48,933 --> 00:06:51,935
and as you listen, you don't
have time to think of yourself.
60
00:06:52,004 --> 00:06:53,436
Fear fades.
61
00:06:53,505 --> 00:06:55,271
You concentrate on the mission,
62
00:06:55,340 --> 00:06:56,438
type of formation,
63
00:06:56,507 --> 00:06:58,941
assembly point, zero hour,
64
00:06:59,010 --> 00:07:01,277
route to target, weather,
65
00:07:01,346 --> 00:07:03,780
enemy fighters, enemy flak,
66
00:07:03,849 --> 00:07:05,246
route back home.
67
00:07:05,315 --> 00:07:07,883
If forced down in enemy
territory, destroy equipment.
68
00:07:07,952 --> 00:07:09,785
If taken prisoner,
give no information.
69
00:07:09,854 --> 00:07:12,157
Name, rank and serial
number, that's all.
70
00:07:13,192 --> 00:07:16,496
(emotive music plays)
71
00:07:42,221 --> 00:07:45,788
These are the passengers
with one-way tickets
72
00:07:45,857 --> 00:07:49,459
and this is the crew
of the Memphis Belle,
73
00:07:49,528 --> 00:07:53,232
324th Squadron, 91st
Heavy Bombardment Group.
74
00:07:54,233 --> 00:07:56,632
Just one plane and one crew,
75
00:07:56,701 --> 00:07:59,669
in one squadron, in one group
76
00:07:59,738 --> 00:08:03,005
of one wing of one air force
77
00:08:03,074 --> 00:08:06,211
out of 15 United
States Army air forces.
78
00:08:08,746 --> 00:08:12,281
Well fellas, we've never had
an easy ride over there yet,
79
00:08:12,350 --> 00:08:14,017
and today won't
be any different.
80
00:08:14,086 --> 00:08:16,285
No escort except unfriendly
81
00:08:16,354 --> 00:08:17,987
so keep your eyes peeled.
82
00:08:18,056 --> 00:08:19,121
Don't get excited and yell
83
00:08:19,190 --> 00:08:21,023
when you're talking
on the intercom.
84
00:08:21,092 --> 00:08:23,692
Save your ammunition and
make your shots count.
85
00:08:23,761 --> 00:08:26,157
Let me know what goes
on back there, Quinlan.
86
00:08:26,226 --> 00:08:27,099
Yes, sir.
87
00:08:28,067 --> 00:08:29,198
Stay on the ball, gang,
88
00:08:29,267 --> 00:08:31,033
and she'll bring us back
like she's always done.
89
00:08:31,102 --> 00:08:32,933
Okay, let's go.
90
00:08:38,409 --> 00:08:41,144
They have completed
24 missions in this,
91
00:08:41,213 --> 00:08:43,212
the toughest theater of air war,
92
00:08:43,281 --> 00:08:45,681
the big league of sky fighting.
93
00:08:45,750 --> 00:08:47,453
Their experience is priceless.
94
00:08:48,787 --> 00:08:51,720
And so if the Memphis Belle
comes back this afternoon,
95
00:08:51,789 --> 00:08:52,988
they will be sent to bring
96
00:08:53,057 --> 00:08:54,890
the vital lessons
they have learned
97
00:08:54,959 --> 00:08:57,630
to thousands of aircrew
men in training at home.
98
00:08:58,964 --> 00:09:00,466
Home is America.
99
00:09:02,634 --> 00:09:05,571
(propellers whir)
100
00:09:21,453 --> 00:09:25,925
This is a battlefront like
no other in this or any war.
101
00:09:26,825 --> 00:09:28,424
No monster armies,
102
00:09:28,493 --> 00:09:30,260
no booming cannon,
103
00:09:30,329 --> 00:09:33,094
only the roaring engine
sound of the bombers
104
00:09:33,163 --> 00:09:36,266
pounding through the
quiet English countryside.
105
00:09:36,335 --> 00:09:38,338
This is an air front.
106
00:09:39,604 --> 00:09:42,508
(propellers whir)
107
00:09:45,344 --> 00:09:48,814
(airplane engines growl)
108
00:10:12,204 --> 00:10:15,541
(airplane engines roar)
109
00:10:42,066 --> 00:10:46,539
(airplane engines
continue to roar)
110
00:11:14,098 --> 00:11:18,438
(airplane engines
continue to roar)
111
00:11:45,897 --> 00:11:48,531
The wheels of the Memphis
Belle leave the soil of England
112
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:49,969
for the 25th time.
113
00:11:51,236 --> 00:11:53,335
The friendly soil of England,
114
00:11:53,404 --> 00:11:56,066
with its ordered farms
and rural hamlets,
115
00:11:56,135 --> 00:11:58,875
its country estates
surrounded by formal gardens
116
00:11:58,944 --> 00:12:00,843
and well-kept parks.
117
00:12:00,912 --> 00:12:02,411
The England these Americans knew
118
00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,984
only from the classics
they had to read in school.
119
00:12:05,983 --> 00:12:08,584
The England of the
towns and cities
120
00:12:08,653 --> 00:12:10,754
whose people have defended
their island's freedom
121
00:12:10,823 --> 00:12:12,492
for over 1,000 years.
122
00:12:13,792 --> 00:12:16,926
But today their
countryside has changed.
123
00:12:16,995 --> 00:12:19,062
Today their island
has been converted
124
00:12:19,131 --> 00:12:21,264
into a gigantic bomber field,
125
00:12:21,333 --> 00:12:23,265
a super aircraft carrier
126
00:12:23,334 --> 00:12:25,868
anchored off the shores
of fortress Europe
127
00:12:25,937 --> 00:12:27,936
with hangers and machine shops,
128
00:12:28,005 --> 00:12:29,605
with hundreds of
dispersal points,
129
00:12:29,674 --> 00:12:32,172
perimeter tracks and
concrete runways.
130
00:12:33,311 --> 00:12:36,148
This is England in
its fifth year of war.
131
00:12:39,184 --> 00:12:41,784
(airplane engines roar)
132
00:12:41,853 --> 00:12:45,054
And this is the new
battlefront, the air front,
133
00:12:45,123 --> 00:12:47,290
from which we seek
out the enemy.
134
00:12:47,359 --> 00:12:49,291
Not his infantry
or his artillery,
135
00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:50,894
not his Panzer divisions,
136
00:12:50,963 --> 00:12:52,628
but the greater menace,
137
00:12:52,697 --> 00:12:55,291
the industrial
heart of his nation,
138
00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,095
the foundation on which the
Nazi empire and its army stand,
139
00:12:59,164 --> 00:13:02,542
the power behind the
German lust for conquest.
140
00:13:03,375 --> 00:13:05,141
The steel mills and refineries,
141
00:13:05,210 --> 00:13:07,476
shipyards and submarine pens,
142
00:13:07,545 --> 00:13:09,779
factories and munitions plants,
143
00:13:09,848 --> 00:13:12,648
pinpoints on the map of
Europe which mean rubber,
144
00:13:12,717 --> 00:13:14,150
guns, ball bearings,
145
00:13:14,219 --> 00:13:15,485
shells, engines,
146
00:13:15,554 --> 00:13:17,890
planes, tanks, targets,
147
00:13:19,224 --> 00:13:20,693
targets to be destroyed.
148
00:13:22,527 --> 00:13:24,224
And these are the destroyers,
149
00:13:25,163 --> 00:13:26,995
each with a belly full of bombs
150
00:13:27,064 --> 00:13:30,466
and 10 men like the crew
of the Memphis Belle:
151
00:13:30,535 --> 00:13:32,162
Pilot Captain Robert Morgan,
152
00:13:32,231 --> 00:13:35,171
industrial engineer from
Asheville, North Carolina.
153
00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,839
He's flown this ship
across the Atlantic.
154
00:13:37,908 --> 00:13:40,143
The other pilot,
Captain Jim Verinis,
155
00:13:40,212 --> 00:13:41,644
business administration student
156
00:13:41,713 --> 00:13:43,679
at the University
of Connecticut.
157
00:13:43,748 --> 00:13:46,316
Radio operator and gunner,
Sergeant Bob Hanson,
158
00:13:46,385 --> 00:13:49,152
construction worker from
Spokane, Washington.
159
00:13:49,221 --> 00:13:51,187
Navigator, Captain
Chuck Leighton,
160
00:13:51,256 --> 00:13:53,253
chemistry student
at Ohio Wesleyan.
161
00:13:54,426 --> 00:13:56,859
Engineer and top turret
gunner Sergeant Harold Loch
162
00:13:56,928 --> 00:13:59,932
from Green Bay, Wisconsin,
used to be a stevedore.
163
00:14:00,932 --> 00:14:02,498
Besides keeping
the bill in order,
164
00:14:02,567 --> 00:14:04,103
he covers the sky above.
165
00:14:05,436 --> 00:14:08,364
Tail gunner Sergeant John
Quinlan of Yonkers, New York,
166
00:14:08,433 --> 00:14:12,612
clerked for a carpet company
but he quit December 8th, 1941.
167
00:14:13,712 --> 00:14:16,545
Ball turret gunner,
Sergeant Cecil Scott,
168
00:14:16,614 --> 00:14:19,279
pressman for a rubber company
in Rahway, New Jersey.
169
00:14:23,288 --> 00:14:26,592
Pilot to crew,
10,000, put on oxygen.
170
00:14:28,127 --> 00:14:29,726
They're climbing higher now,
171
00:14:29,795 --> 00:14:31,394
300 feet a minute.
172
00:14:31,463 --> 00:14:34,133
The strain on the planes
and on the men is mounting.
173
00:14:36,767 --> 00:14:40,336
The rest of the crew, Bombardier
Captain Vincent Evans,
174
00:14:40,405 --> 00:14:43,572
operated a fleet of trucks
in Fort Worth, Texas.
175
00:14:43,641 --> 00:14:46,069
Waist gunners, on the right,
Sergeant Bill Winchell,
176
00:14:46,138 --> 00:14:48,211
chemist for a paint
company in Chicago
177
00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,546
and on the left,
Sergeant Tony Nastal,
178
00:14:50,615 --> 00:14:52,415
used to repair washing
machines in Detroit
179
00:14:52,484 --> 00:14:53,682
when he was a kid.
180
00:14:53,751 --> 00:14:56,956
Now he's 19 and has two
Nazi fighters confirmed.
181
00:15:03,828 --> 00:15:05,727
It takes all of a
pilot's strength
182
00:15:05,796 --> 00:15:09,097
to keep a 30-ton Fortress
in tight formation,
183
00:15:09,166 --> 00:15:11,734
but the formation is the
bomber's best defense
184
00:15:11,803 --> 00:15:13,172
against enemy fighters.
185
00:15:14,306 --> 00:15:17,239
The planes are deployed
to uncover every gun,
186
00:15:17,308 --> 00:15:19,011
stepped up and down,
187
00:15:19,844 --> 00:15:22,181
echelon to the right and left,
188
00:15:23,348 --> 00:15:25,215
arranged to overcome
the danger of gunners
189
00:15:25,284 --> 00:15:26,949
firing into friendly ships,
190
00:15:27,018 --> 00:15:29,785
arranged so concentrated
cones of fire
191
00:15:29,854 --> 00:15:33,289
from the caliber 50
machine guns cover the sky
192
00:15:33,358 --> 00:15:36,529
for 1,000 yards in
every direction.
193
00:15:37,529 --> 00:15:40,866
(airplane engines hum)
194
00:15:43,501 --> 00:15:46,635
The friendly coast of
England slips by below.
195
00:15:46,704 --> 00:15:48,804
It doesn't look like much now,
196
00:15:48,873 --> 00:15:51,074
but in a few hours
when you come back,
197
00:15:51,143 --> 00:15:52,641
if you come back,
198
00:15:52,710 --> 00:15:55,348
this will be the most
beautiful view in the world.
199
00:15:59,017 --> 00:16:00,311
Higher and higher,
200
00:16:00,380 --> 00:16:02,919
climbing to reach your
best operational altitude,
201
00:16:02,988 --> 00:16:05,255
25,000 feet,
202
00:16:05,324 --> 00:16:07,289
five miles straight up,
203
00:16:07,358 --> 00:16:09,158
so high you can't be
seen from the ground
204
00:16:09,227 --> 00:16:10,826
with the naked eye,
205
00:16:10,895 --> 00:16:12,996
so high that after one
minute without oxygen
206
00:16:13,065 --> 00:16:14,998
you lose consciousness.
207
00:16:15,067 --> 00:16:17,002
After 20 minutes, you're dead.
208
00:16:18,170 --> 00:16:21,402
(airplane engines hum)
209
00:16:23,407 --> 00:16:26,109
From now to the target, you
go about your routine duties,
210
00:16:26,178 --> 00:16:28,344
plot your course,
check your equipment
211
00:16:28,413 --> 00:16:30,383
and wait and think.
212
00:16:33,050 --> 00:16:37,853
Higher and colder, temperature
40 degrees below zero.
213
00:16:37,922 --> 00:16:40,259
Take off your glove and
you lose some fingers.
214
00:16:41,426 --> 00:16:43,692
You look out at the
strange world beyond,
215
00:16:43,761 --> 00:16:45,527
reflections in plexiglass
216
00:16:45,596 --> 00:16:48,701
like nothing you ever saw
before outside of a dream.
217
00:16:50,768 --> 00:16:55,074
(airplane engines
continue to hum)
218
00:16:58,438 --> 00:17:01,877
Higher and higher into
the lightless stratosphere
219
00:17:01,946 --> 00:17:03,379
until the exhaust of the engines
220
00:17:03,448 --> 00:17:06,182
mixing with the cold,
thin air condenses
221
00:17:06,251 --> 00:17:08,621
and streams the heavens
with paper trails.
222
00:17:16,128 --> 00:17:17,027
To the men in the ships,
223
00:17:17,096 --> 00:17:18,827
they're far from beautiful,
224
00:17:18,896 --> 00:17:21,830
for they point like beckoning
fingers to the formation,
225
00:17:21,899 --> 00:17:25,638
signposts in the sky for
the enemy to spot us.
226
00:17:33,644 --> 00:17:35,745
For these bombers to
accomplish their mission,
227
00:17:35,814 --> 00:17:37,082
a plan is needed,
228
00:17:38,417 --> 00:17:40,653
carefully worked out,
timed to the minute.
229
00:17:41,486 --> 00:17:43,352
The job is to bomb Wilhelmshaven
230
00:17:43,421 --> 00:17:45,588
effectively and economically.
231
00:17:45,657 --> 00:17:47,758
The enemy is strong, skillful,
232
00:17:47,827 --> 00:17:49,261
determined to stop us.
233
00:17:49,990 --> 00:17:51,894
Here are his defenses:
234
00:17:51,963 --> 00:17:54,763
airdromes, well dispersed.
235
00:17:54,832 --> 00:17:58,270
Each plane indicates a Staffel
or squadron of fighters.
236
00:17:59,170 --> 00:18:00,903
Heavy anti-aircraft,
237
00:18:00,972 --> 00:18:04,407
highly trained and accurate
all along the coast
238
00:18:04,476 --> 00:18:06,679
and defending his
vital installations,
239
00:18:07,512 --> 00:18:09,510
radar to warn him of our coming.
240
00:18:11,015 --> 00:18:13,449
Here is our plan to
divide his defenses
241
00:18:13,518 --> 00:18:14,854
and weaken his opposition.
242
00:18:15,954 --> 00:18:18,954
At 13:30 hours,
shortly after takeoff,
243
00:18:19,023 --> 00:18:21,457
six groups of planes will be
heading toward the enemy coast
244
00:18:21,526 --> 00:18:23,725
from six directions.
245
00:18:23,794 --> 00:18:27,867
The Blue Force, 100 B-24
Liberator four-engine bombers,
246
00:18:28,967 --> 00:18:33,736
the White Force, 300
B-17 Flying Fortresses,
247
00:18:33,805 --> 00:18:38,641
the Green Force, 300 B-17s
with an escort of six squadrons
248
00:18:38,710 --> 00:18:40,513
of P-47 Thunderbolts,
249
00:18:41,512 --> 00:18:43,645
a force of B-26 Marauders,
250
00:18:43,714 --> 00:18:45,409
twin engine medium bombers
251
00:18:45,478 --> 00:18:48,418
with six squadrons of
RAF Spitfires escorting,
252
00:18:48,487 --> 00:18:53,089
almost 1,000 planes and
over 8,000 men in the air.
253
00:18:53,158 --> 00:18:55,658
The enemy alerts
all his airdromes,
254
00:18:55,727 --> 00:18:57,660
but which is our main force?
255
00:18:57,729 --> 00:18:59,461
What are our targets?
256
00:18:59,530 --> 00:19:02,832
Where should the Nazi
controllers send their fighters?
257
00:19:02,901 --> 00:19:06,071
It's our job to make them
guess and guess wrong.
258
00:19:07,239 --> 00:19:09,672
A half hour later
at 14:00 hours,
259
00:19:09,741 --> 00:19:12,775
the Blue Force will be heading
east across the North Sea
260
00:19:12,844 --> 00:19:14,414
with the White Force following.
261
00:19:15,413 --> 00:19:17,480
These enemy fighters
are tied down,
262
00:19:17,549 --> 00:19:18,681
waiting to meet them,
263
00:19:18,750 --> 00:19:21,116
and will not be able to
attack the Green Force.
264
00:19:21,185 --> 00:19:24,019
These fighters must come up
to attack the Green Force
265
00:19:24,088 --> 00:19:26,926
and thus will be no threat
to the Blue and White Forces.
266
00:19:28,092 --> 00:19:31,360
The B-26s and Spitfires
will bomb and strafe
267
00:19:31,429 --> 00:19:33,029
a key rail junction,
268
00:19:33,098 --> 00:19:35,164
diverting these six Staffel
269
00:19:35,233 --> 00:19:37,466
and preventing the
enemy from concentrating
270
00:19:37,535 --> 00:19:39,696
too many fighters
on the Green Force,
271
00:19:39,765 --> 00:19:43,443
which is scheduled to bomb an
aircraft factory at Hanover.
272
00:19:47,279 --> 00:19:50,213
At 14:30 hours the Blue
Force will threaten
273
00:19:50,282 --> 00:19:53,786
this entire coastal area
of Northwestern Germany.
274
00:19:56,088 --> 00:19:57,390
Which target will it be?
275
00:19:58,457 --> 00:19:59,258
Flensburg?
276
00:20:00,291 --> 00:20:01,394
The Kiel Canal?
277
00:20:02,593 --> 00:20:05,161
Or will it turn suddenly
and bomb Hamburg,
278
00:20:05,230 --> 00:20:07,396
Vegesack or Emden?
279
00:20:07,465 --> 00:20:10,166
Actually, it carries
no bombs at all.
280
00:20:10,235 --> 00:20:11,567
It's a decoy
281
00:20:11,636 --> 00:20:14,036
and keeps the fighters
from the northern area busy
282
00:20:14,105 --> 00:20:16,372
while the White Force,
the main effort,
283
00:20:16,441 --> 00:20:18,639
heads for the submarine
pens of Wilhelmshaven.
284
00:20:20,478 --> 00:20:22,245
At 15:00 hours,
285
00:20:22,314 --> 00:20:24,914
while the White Force
is over its target,
286
00:20:24,983 --> 00:20:26,582
only a fraction of the available
287
00:20:26,651 --> 00:20:29,322
German fighter strength of
the area can intercept it
288
00:20:30,655 --> 00:20:32,492
because of the Blue
Force diversion
289
00:20:33,819 --> 00:20:36,829
and the simultaneous bombing
of Hanover by the Green Force.
290
00:20:38,830 --> 00:20:41,000
This is the plan of
battle for today,
291
00:20:42,299 --> 00:20:44,637
drawn up by the Combined
Operations Planning Committee
292
00:20:45,670 --> 00:20:47,440
and approved by the
commanding general.
293
00:20:49,441 --> 00:20:53,012
The White Force, lead
group, low squadron.
294
00:20:54,278 --> 00:20:57,413
We've crossed the invisible
line of enemy radar.
295
00:20:57,482 --> 00:20:59,184
The Hun is expecting us.
296
00:21:00,180 --> 00:21:03,523
(airplane engines roar)
297
00:21:07,793 --> 00:21:09,725
Steel helmets go on.
298
00:21:09,794 --> 00:21:12,794
Watchful eyes strain.
299
00:21:12,863 --> 00:21:15,034
Tight formations are
held tighter still.
300
00:21:16,701 --> 00:21:19,839
Tense gunners more alert
because here it comes,
301
00:21:22,473 --> 00:21:23,643
the enemy coast.
302
00:21:27,712 --> 00:21:29,812
From up here it looks
the same as any other,
303
00:21:29,881 --> 00:21:30,980
houses, roads,
304
00:21:31,049 --> 00:21:33,353
green fields,
factories, waterways,
305
00:21:34,319 --> 00:21:35,784
but they are the
houses and fields
306
00:21:35,853 --> 00:21:38,254
of those who invade and oppress.
307
00:21:38,323 --> 00:21:40,656
They are the factories
and roads of the people
308
00:21:40,725 --> 00:21:42,992
who twice in one generation have
309
00:21:43,061 --> 00:21:45,161
flooded the world
with suffering,
310
00:21:45,230 --> 00:21:46,495
suffering in such quantity
311
00:21:46,564 --> 00:21:49,068
as the history of the
human race has never known,
312
00:21:50,501 --> 00:21:53,669
brought torment and anguish
into countless American homes,
313
00:21:53,738 --> 00:21:57,577
gold stars and telegrams
from the War Department.
314
00:22:02,081 --> 00:22:03,279
(exploding shells bang)
315
00:22:03,348 --> 00:22:05,816
The first flak, just
harmless-looking
316
00:22:05,885 --> 00:22:07,850
silent puffs of smoke,
317
00:22:07,919 --> 00:22:09,852
only each puff is
a shell exploding,
318
00:22:09,921 --> 00:22:11,752
throwing shrapnel
around the sky,
319
00:22:13,225 --> 00:22:14,623
exactly the range,
320
00:22:14,692 --> 00:22:17,192
accurate flak by
radio prediction.
321
00:22:17,261 --> 00:22:19,495
Five miles down, Nazi
anti-aircraft batteries have
322
00:22:19,564 --> 00:22:22,198
calculated the altitude
speed and course.
323
00:22:22,267 --> 00:22:23,867
Where will the next one hit?
324
00:22:23,936 --> 00:22:25,270
You try not to be there.
325
00:22:28,540 --> 00:22:31,944
(exploding shells bang)
326
00:22:33,077 --> 00:22:35,979
The docks and submarine
pens of Wilhelmshaven.
327
00:22:36,048 --> 00:22:38,147
Approach to the target starts.
328
00:22:38,216 --> 00:22:40,119
No smokescreen can protect it.
329
00:22:42,254 --> 00:22:45,625
(exploding shells bang)
330
00:22:46,791 --> 00:22:48,557
Now the enemy knows the
path of your approach
331
00:22:48,626 --> 00:22:51,194
and walls that path
with a flak barrage,
332
00:22:51,263 --> 00:22:53,061
but you fly right through it,
333
00:22:53,130 --> 00:22:55,435
flak so thick you can
get out and walk on it.
334
00:22:59,804 --> 00:23:03,242
(exploding shells bang)
335
00:23:05,643 --> 00:23:07,909
Morgan changes course
every 15 seconds,
336
00:23:07,978 --> 00:23:10,315
evasive action to confuse
the flak batteries.
337
00:23:12,817 --> 00:23:15,551
Bomb site set for correct
altitude and speed.
338
00:23:15,620 --> 00:23:17,248
Bomb bay doors open.
339
00:23:17,317 --> 00:23:18,819
The bombing run begins.
340
00:23:21,158 --> 00:23:23,824
Pilot to Bombardier,
okay, Vin, you've got it.
341
00:23:26,098 --> 00:23:27,763
Now Evans flies
the Memphis Belle,
342
00:23:27,832 --> 00:23:30,266
controlling it
through the bomb site.
343
00:23:30,335 --> 00:23:32,137
And now we are most vulnerable.
344
00:23:33,138 --> 00:23:34,270
Committed to our bombing run,
345
00:23:34,339 --> 00:23:36,940
we can't dodge flak or fighters.
346
00:23:37,009 --> 00:23:38,407
Here's the first.
347
00:23:38,476 --> 00:23:41,347
(gunfire rattles)
348
00:23:42,814 --> 00:23:46,319
(airplane engines whine)
349
00:23:47,853 --> 00:23:49,188
Top turret fires at it.
350
00:23:50,855 --> 00:23:52,621
Evans must ignore the battle,
351
00:23:52,690 --> 00:23:54,623
crosshairs lined up on target,
352
00:23:54,692 --> 00:23:56,362
adjustments for wind drift made.
353
00:23:57,862 --> 00:23:59,963
Two more fighters diving
from nine o'clock.
354
00:24:00,032 --> 00:24:03,466
(gunfire rattles)
355
00:24:03,535 --> 00:24:05,170
Flak now has the range too.
356
00:24:06,299 --> 00:24:08,939
(explosion bangs)
357
00:24:09,008 --> 00:24:10,106
They've hit this Fort,
358
00:24:10,175 --> 00:24:11,844
but he keeps on his bombing run.
359
00:24:18,216 --> 00:24:20,650
As lead Bombardier,
Evans' aim must be good.
360
00:24:20,719 --> 00:24:22,651
Every other ship in the
group will drop its bombs
361
00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:23,989
when he drops his.
362
00:24:25,890 --> 00:24:28,158
Now one pointer on the
bomb site moves toward
363
00:24:28,227 --> 00:24:30,160
another stationary pointer.
364
00:24:30,229 --> 00:24:33,065
The instant they touch,
bombs will release.
365
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,571
(airplane engine roars)
366
00:24:47,579 --> 00:24:48,514
They touch,
367
00:24:50,415 --> 00:24:51,417
bombs away.
368
00:24:53,252 --> 00:24:56,589
(exploding bombs bang)
369
00:25:07,099 --> 00:25:10,403
(airplane engine hums)
370
00:25:15,740 --> 00:25:19,078
(exploding bombs bang)
371
00:25:22,447 --> 00:25:26,786
(airplane engine
continues to hum)
372
00:25:52,644 --> 00:25:56,512
(exploding bombs bang)
373
00:25:56,581 --> 00:25:59,916
The first half of the mission
is over, the easy half.
374
00:25:59,985 --> 00:26:02,322
Now to get home.
375
00:26:08,459 --> 00:26:09,758
The flak stops.
376
00:26:09,827 --> 00:26:12,332
That means fighters
out there somewhere.
377
00:26:13,431 --> 00:26:15,431
Are Staffel lurking
behind that cloud,
378
00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:17,600
or hiding up in the sun
where the glare blinds you
379
00:26:17,669 --> 00:26:21,104
and you can't see them
waiting to dive down on you?
380
00:26:21,173 --> 00:26:22,772
Fighters at six o'clock.
381
00:26:22,841 --> 00:26:25,608
This is what a gunner
sees, a speck in the sky.
382
00:26:25,677 --> 00:26:27,410
That's a fighter,
and then a blink.
383
00:26:27,479 --> 00:26:28,779
That means he's firing at you,
384
00:26:28,848 --> 00:26:30,546
2,300 rounds a minute.
385
00:26:30,615 --> 00:26:33,519
(gunfire rattles)
386
00:26:34,453 --> 00:26:36,119
(airplane engine roars)
387
00:26:36,188 --> 00:26:37,586
(gunfire rattles)
388
00:26:37,655 --> 00:26:39,082
In a running battle,
389
00:26:39,151 --> 00:26:41,090
one of the most important
instruments is the interphone.
390
00:26:41,159 --> 00:26:45,428
(gunfire continues to rattle)
391
00:26:45,497 --> 00:26:47,563
- [Crew] There's four of
'em, one o'clock high,
392
00:26:47,632 --> 00:26:48,631
they're coming around.
393
00:26:48,700 --> 00:26:51,637
(gunfire rattles)
394
00:26:55,039 --> 00:26:57,973
Two fighters, six o'clock
up coming in, firing at you.
395
00:26:58,042 --> 00:27:00,143
- [Crew] B-17 in trouble
our two o'clock,
396
00:27:00,212 --> 00:27:01,577
watch it.
397
00:27:01,646 --> 00:27:03,312
- [Crew] Got an engine on fire.
398
00:27:03,381 --> 00:27:06,218
(gunfire rattles)
399
00:27:09,048 --> 00:27:10,486
- [Crew] There's two more,
diving through the 94th.
400
00:27:10,555 --> 00:27:13,089
- [Crew] Three planes, nine
o'clock, coming around.
401
00:27:13,158 --> 00:27:14,290
Keep your eye on 'em, boys.
402
00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:17,593
(gunfire rattles)
403
00:27:17,662 --> 00:27:18,927
- [Crew] Firing at 10.
404
00:27:18,996 --> 00:27:20,296
- [Crew] Watch 'em, Chuck,
keep your eyes open.
405
00:27:20,365 --> 00:27:21,664
- [Crew] They're breaking
at 11, breaking at 11.
406
00:27:21,733 --> 00:27:23,126
(gunfire rattles)
407
00:27:23,195 --> 00:27:25,668
- [Crew] There we go at two
o'clock, watch 'em, Scottie.
408
00:27:25,737 --> 00:27:27,836
- [Scottie] I got
my sights on 'em.
409
00:27:27,905 --> 00:27:30,272
- [Crew 3] Check that B-17,
Chuck, at three o'clock.
410
00:27:30,341 --> 00:27:31,174
The motor's smoking.
411
00:27:31,243 --> 00:27:32,674
Fighter at 10:30, coming around.
412
00:27:32,743 --> 00:27:34,643
- [Crew] Are those
10:30 upper or lower?
413
00:27:34,712 --> 00:27:37,583
(gunfire rattles)
414
00:27:39,917 --> 00:27:43,756
- [Crew] B-17 out of
control at three o'clock.
415
00:27:46,924 --> 00:27:49,991
- [Crew] Come on you guys, get
out of that plane, bail out.
416
00:27:50,060 --> 00:27:52,194
There's one, he come
out of the bomb bay.
417
00:27:52,263 --> 00:27:53,463
- [Crew] Yeah, I see 'em.
418
00:27:53,532 --> 00:27:55,067
- [Crew] There's the
tail gunner coming out.
419
00:27:59,604 --> 00:28:02,204
- [Crew] Watch out for fighters.
420
00:28:02,273 --> 00:28:03,539
- [Crew] See any
parachutes, Quinlan?
421
00:28:03,608 --> 00:28:05,244
- [Crew] Flak at nine o'clock.
422
00:28:06,278 --> 00:28:07,810
- [Crew] Eight men
still in that B-17.
423
00:28:07,879 --> 00:28:09,845
Come on, get out of there.
- [Crew] Come on, bail out.
424
00:28:09,914 --> 00:28:11,882
- [Crew] There's
three more 'chutes.
425
00:28:11,951 --> 00:28:14,184
- [Crew] Flak at 11 o'clock.
426
00:28:14,253 --> 00:28:16,185
(airplane engines roar)
427
00:28:16,254 --> 00:28:21,260
- [Crew] 109 at three o'clock.
428
00:28:22,294 --> 00:28:23,359
- [Crew] Come on,
you son of a bitch.
429
00:28:23,428 --> 00:28:26,298
(gunfire rattles)
430
00:28:31,971 --> 00:28:32,869
- [Crew] He got him, chief.
431
00:28:32,938 --> 00:28:34,069
Look, he's bailing out.
432
00:28:34,138 --> 00:28:36,405
- [Crew] Damn it, don't
yell on that intercom.
433
00:28:36,474 --> 00:28:37,907
- [Crew] Fighters, 10 o'clock.
434
00:28:37,976 --> 00:28:39,375
- [Crew] Watch those
two, they're coming in.
435
00:28:39,444 --> 00:28:40,910
- [Crew] They're coming in.
436
00:28:40,979 --> 00:28:43,079
- [Crew] Let's get that
ball turret on them.
437
00:28:43,148 --> 00:28:46,549
(gunfire rattles)
438
00:28:46,618 --> 00:28:49,585
- [Crew] Save the ammunition
as much as possible.
439
00:28:49,654 --> 00:28:52,592
(gunfire rattles)
440
00:28:54,959 --> 00:28:56,760
- [Crew] Watch that fighter
coming in at three o'clock.
441
00:28:56,829 --> 00:29:00,396
(airplane engine roars)
442
00:29:00,465 --> 00:29:02,365
(gunfire rattles)
443
00:29:02,434 --> 00:29:03,766
- [Crew] He's coming
in on a half roll.
444
00:29:03,835 --> 00:29:04,600
Pull her up, chief.
445
00:29:04,669 --> 00:29:05,769
Pull her up, hurry.
446
00:29:05,838 --> 00:29:08,674
(gunfire rattles)
447
00:29:10,008 --> 00:29:11,740
- [Narrator] This
Fortress is hurt,
448
00:29:11,809 --> 00:29:14,710
engine on fire, losing
airspeed and altitude,
449
00:29:14,779 --> 00:29:19,115
drifting into the flak alone
and helpless, a straggler.
450
00:29:19,184 --> 00:29:20,783
In a minute, Nazi
fighters will swarm in
451
00:29:20,852 --> 00:29:22,355
like buzzards for the kill.
452
00:29:23,521 --> 00:29:26,556
You can watch, but you
can't go down to help.
453
00:29:26,625 --> 00:29:27,860
You keep your formation.
454
00:29:33,132 --> 00:29:34,130
(pensive music plays)
455
00:29:34,199 --> 00:29:36,727
Here too, the mission
is being flown,
456
00:29:36,796 --> 00:29:38,100
none the less real for being
457
00:29:38,169 --> 00:29:40,540
in the minds and hearts
of these men behind.
458
00:29:41,706 --> 00:29:43,806
Ask anybody who's been
to a field in England
459
00:29:43,875 --> 00:29:46,141
or anywhere else our
bombers are based,
460
00:29:46,210 --> 00:29:48,648
and he'll tell you that
there's drama here too,
461
00:29:49,547 --> 00:29:52,212
waiting to see
who's coming back.
462
00:29:53,318 --> 00:29:55,484
To watch them, you
might not realize
463
00:29:55,553 --> 00:29:58,154
how tense these
ground crews are,
464
00:29:58,223 --> 00:29:59,616
but they are tense
465
00:29:59,685 --> 00:30:00,660
and plenty worried.
466
00:30:02,893 --> 00:30:04,755
In Air Force talk,
this waiting is known
467
00:30:04,824 --> 00:30:06,699
as sweating out the mission.
468
00:30:07,565 --> 00:30:09,832
These men know the flight plan.
469
00:30:09,901 --> 00:30:11,662
Their watches told them
when the bombers were
470
00:30:11,731 --> 00:30:13,602
running into enemy flak,
471
00:30:13,671 --> 00:30:15,504
when they were over the target,
472
00:30:15,573 --> 00:30:17,801
when they left the enemy coast
473
00:30:17,870 --> 00:30:19,608
and now their watches tell them
474
00:30:19,677 --> 00:30:21,581
the bombers should
be nearing the field.
475
00:30:22,913 --> 00:30:25,184
Every ear strains for the
first sound of the engines
476
00:30:26,418 --> 00:30:27,887
and then somebody hears them
477
00:30:28,919 --> 00:30:30,686
and somebody sees the
first faint specks
478
00:30:30,755 --> 00:30:32,621
in the distance sky.
479
00:30:32,690 --> 00:30:36,256
(pensive music continues)
480
00:30:37,262 --> 00:30:38,898
Every face turns to see
481
00:30:40,099 --> 00:30:40,933
and count.
482
00:30:43,435 --> 00:30:45,938
The watchers try to read
the numbers on the ships.
483
00:30:48,273 --> 00:30:51,034
These planes have
priority to land first.
484
00:30:51,103 --> 00:30:53,446
The colored flares
mean wounded aboard.
485
00:30:54,613 --> 00:30:56,212
In the hospital window,
486
00:30:56,281 --> 00:30:58,384
these watching men
know what that means.
487
00:30:59,451 --> 00:31:00,716
They know what it
feels like to lie
488
00:31:00,785 --> 00:31:04,487
on a bouncing Fortress
floor for hundreds of miles
489
00:31:04,556 --> 00:31:06,823
through the frozen stratosphere,
490
00:31:06,892 --> 00:31:08,524
in great pain,
491
00:31:08,593 --> 00:31:10,827
with the other men in your
crew fighting to keep you alive
492
00:31:10,896 --> 00:31:12,131
until they hit the field.
493
00:31:13,799 --> 00:31:14,600
The field,
494
00:31:15,801 --> 00:31:16,636
home.
495
00:31:17,635 --> 00:31:18,638
It'll be okay then
496
00:31:19,738 --> 00:31:22,538
because there'll be
medical care, the best,
497
00:31:22,607 --> 00:31:25,110
as soon as the wheels of
your plane stop rolling.
498
00:31:28,579 --> 00:31:31,150
(engines hum)
499
00:31:32,150 --> 00:31:35,655
(pensive music continues)
500
00:31:38,123 --> 00:31:39,825
Head wound, concussion.
501
00:31:43,494 --> 00:31:45,261
20 millimeter cannon
shell exploded
502
00:31:45,330 --> 00:31:46,666
in his radio compartment.
503
00:31:47,665 --> 00:31:50,503
Shock, internal injuries.
504
00:31:51,836 --> 00:31:53,334
He'll be all right, though.
505
00:31:55,006 --> 00:31:57,706
Flak bursts scattered
flying shrapnel.
506
00:31:57,775 --> 00:31:59,479
He's full of steel splinters.
507
00:32:01,612 --> 00:32:04,446
This pilot's leg is
not a pretty sight.
508
00:32:04,515 --> 00:32:06,852
Neither are the docks
at Wilhelmshaven.
509
00:32:09,182 --> 00:32:11,156
These men will all
get the Purple Heart
510
00:32:13,358 --> 00:32:16,161
and this man too, posthumously.
511
00:32:22,833 --> 00:32:25,037
A transfusion
right in the plane.
512
00:32:27,339 --> 00:32:29,472
This gunner's too
weak to be moved.
513
00:32:29,541 --> 00:32:33,142
The new, life-giving blood
flowing into his veins
514
00:32:33,211 --> 00:32:36,312
might be the blood of a high
school girl in Des Moines,
515
00:32:36,381 --> 00:32:40,082
a miner in Alabama, a
movie star in Hollywood,
516
00:32:40,151 --> 00:32:41,554
or it might be your blood.
517
00:32:42,487 --> 00:32:44,724
Whosever it is, thanks.
518
00:32:47,226 --> 00:32:49,325
(airplane engines hum)
519
00:32:49,394 --> 00:32:52,294
36 planes left this
field this morning.
520
00:32:52,363 --> 00:32:53,629
Now six more arrive.
521
00:32:53,698 --> 00:32:55,298
That makes 20 home
522
00:32:55,367 --> 00:32:56,569
and this one's 21,
523
00:32:57,568 --> 00:32:58,704
more wounded aboard.
524
00:32:59,900 --> 00:33:03,242
(airplane engine hums)
525
00:33:08,012 --> 00:33:11,584
22, coming in with his
left inboard engine dead.
526
00:33:12,885 --> 00:33:16,188
(airplane engine hums)
527
00:33:17,589 --> 00:33:21,260
23, with a feathered prop
on his left outboard engine.
528
00:33:23,528 --> 00:33:27,428
24, Southern Comfort,
with a chunk of tail gone.
529
00:33:28,933 --> 00:33:31,871
25, they flew home
on their luck.
530
00:33:33,606 --> 00:33:34,607
26,
531
00:33:36,241 --> 00:33:37,276
not a scratch.
532
00:33:40,211 --> 00:33:42,678
The control tower learns
that two more landed
533
00:33:42,747 --> 00:33:45,009
at a British field to the south,
534
00:33:45,078 --> 00:33:47,850
one a crash landing, crew safe.
535
00:33:47,919 --> 00:33:48,788
That makes 28.
536
00:33:50,788 --> 00:33:55,225
29, a rough landing but
her pilot's badly hurt.
537
00:33:55,294 --> 00:33:57,397
It's a wonder he
brought her back at all.
538
00:34:00,299 --> 00:34:03,302
29 planes back so far,
539
00:34:04,602 --> 00:34:06,406
29 out of 36.
540
00:34:07,907 --> 00:34:09,274
Our losses were heavy,
541
00:34:10,308 --> 00:34:12,244
but the enemy's
were far heavier.
542
00:34:13,311 --> 00:34:15,378
We destroyed a German
aircraft factory,
543
00:34:15,447 --> 00:34:17,746
a rail junction, submarine pens,
544
00:34:17,815 --> 00:34:19,748
docks and harbor installations.
545
00:34:19,817 --> 00:34:22,218
That's specific, known damage,
546
00:34:22,287 --> 00:34:24,587
but who can tell the
number of German torpedoes
547
00:34:24,656 --> 00:34:26,388
that will not be fired,
548
00:34:26,457 --> 00:34:28,891
the number of our convoys
that will get through now,
549
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,860
the soldiers' and seamens'
lives that will be saved
550
00:34:31,929 --> 00:34:34,430
or the battles that will
be won instead of lost
551
00:34:34,499 --> 00:34:37,867
because of what these
bombers and airmen did today?
552
00:34:37,936 --> 00:34:41,106
(heroic music plays)
553
00:34:48,347 --> 00:34:50,315
Pilot and tail gunner,
554
00:34:51,182 --> 00:34:52,352
they can laugh now.
555
00:34:54,152 --> 00:34:56,285
Fire on the inboard
engine did this.
556
00:34:56,354 --> 00:34:59,024
Flames streaked back and
burned the stabilizer tool.
557
00:35:01,026 --> 00:35:03,459
Another crew luck brought back.
558
00:35:03,528 --> 00:35:07,032
(heroic music continues)
559
00:35:18,009 --> 00:35:19,144
Here's Old Bill,
560
00:35:21,011 --> 00:35:22,979
a pretty good airplane
when it took off,
561
00:35:23,048 --> 00:35:24,914
lost its nose,
562
00:35:24,983 --> 00:35:26,783
lost its navigator,
563
00:35:26,852 --> 00:35:28,053
bombardier wounded,
564
00:35:28,886 --> 00:35:31,056
top turret gunner and pilot hit,
565
00:35:32,223 --> 00:35:35,861
hydraulic system shot
out, no brakes, no flaps,
566
00:35:36,728 --> 00:35:38,364
but Old Bill came back.
567
00:35:46,571 --> 00:35:49,172
Now among the
returned crew members
568
00:35:49,241 --> 00:35:51,607
talk flows like a river,
569
00:35:51,676 --> 00:35:53,746
talking out every
detail of the mission.
570
00:35:54,746 --> 00:35:56,749
These are the faces of combat,
571
00:35:58,082 --> 00:36:00,753
faces of Americans who have
watched their comrades die,
572
00:36:01,853 --> 00:36:03,756
faces that can never
forget the enemy,
573
00:36:05,089 --> 00:36:07,259
and they are in no mood to
have their picture taken.
574
00:36:12,229 --> 00:36:15,067
In the control tower,
Colonel Ray, Group CO,
575
00:36:15,867 --> 00:36:17,466
is still watching and waiting.
576
00:36:17,535 --> 00:36:18,834
(heroic music plays)
577
00:36:18,903 --> 00:36:21,774
And he spots the last
flight, three more planes
578
00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:25,411
and one of them is the ship
everyone has been pulling for,
579
00:36:29,114 --> 00:36:30,082
the Memphis Belle.
580
00:36:32,950 --> 00:36:35,517
The last few miles of this
trip have been a joy ride.
581
00:36:35,586 --> 00:36:37,053
The strain is over.
582
00:36:37,122 --> 00:36:39,020
They can leave their guns now.
583
00:36:39,089 --> 00:36:41,157
Now they know they're
going to go home,
584
00:36:41,226 --> 00:36:43,526
to Spokane, Green
Bay, Asheville,
585
00:36:43,595 --> 00:36:45,056
Detroit, Chicago,
586
00:36:45,125 --> 00:36:46,766
Fort Worth and Yonkers.
587
00:36:50,435 --> 00:36:53,736
(airplane engine hums)
588
00:36:53,805 --> 00:36:56,239
The Belle comes
in for her landing
589
00:36:56,308 --> 00:36:58,841
but first Morgan
buzzes the field,
590
00:36:58,910 --> 00:37:01,113
cuts the grass with
a giant Fortress.
591
00:37:02,446 --> 00:37:05,882
It's against the rules, but
this is a special occasion.
592
00:37:05,951 --> 00:37:09,322
(airplane engine roars)
593
00:37:14,159 --> 00:37:17,658
(suspenseful music plays)
594
00:37:36,015 --> 00:37:39,076
(braking wheels squeak)
595
00:37:39,145 --> 00:37:40,244
(joyous music plays)
596
00:37:40,313 --> 00:37:41,751
The wheels of the Memphis Belle
597
00:37:41,820 --> 00:37:44,790
come back to the soil of
England for the 25th time.
598
00:37:46,186 --> 00:37:49,690
(joyous music continues)
599
00:38:19,658 --> 00:38:23,062
(joyous music continues)
600
00:38:43,415 --> 00:38:45,418
This is a day they
will never forget.
601
00:38:51,256 --> 00:38:53,155
Another great day soon after,
602
00:38:53,224 --> 00:38:55,595
Brigadier General
Hansell visited the field
603
00:38:56,928 --> 00:38:58,862
and presented the
Distinguished Flying Cross
604
00:38:58,931 --> 00:39:00,433
to every member of the crew.
605
00:39:04,937 --> 00:39:07,768
(car engine hums)
606
00:39:10,608 --> 00:39:12,277
And then there was another day.
607
00:39:13,112 --> 00:39:16,281
(military drum rolls)
608
00:39:22,454 --> 00:39:25,786
(majestic music plays)
609
00:39:34,733 --> 00:39:37,437
Their Majesties, the King
and Queen of England.
610
00:39:39,470 --> 00:39:43,142
(majestic music continues)
611
00:40:05,129 --> 00:40:06,929
Johnny Quinlan never
thought anything like this
612
00:40:06,998 --> 00:40:09,001
would happen to him
when he left Yonkers.
613
00:40:16,841 --> 00:40:18,607
The ground crew were a
little self-conscious
614
00:40:18,676 --> 00:40:20,743
about being dressed in fatigues,
615
00:40:20,812 --> 00:40:22,982
but the Queen thought
they were very nice.
616
00:40:30,688 --> 00:40:31,554
(military drum roll plays)
617
00:40:31,623 --> 00:40:33,956
Finally, two more visitors came.
618
00:40:34,025 --> 00:40:36,792
General Eaker, commanding
the 8th Air Force,
619
00:40:36,861 --> 00:40:40,563
and General Devers, US Commander
of the European Theatre.
620
00:40:40,632 --> 00:40:43,799
The Belle crew received
them in flying clothes
621
00:40:43,868 --> 00:40:45,300
as General Eaker read the order
622
00:40:45,369 --> 00:40:48,474
for what he called their 26th
and most important mission,
623
00:40:49,541 --> 00:40:51,574
return to America
to train new crews
624
00:40:51,643 --> 00:40:54,109
and to tell the people
what we're doing here,
625
00:40:54,178 --> 00:40:56,312
to thank them for
their help and support
626
00:40:56,381 --> 00:40:57,647
and tell them to keep it up
627
00:40:57,716 --> 00:40:59,482
so we can keep it up,
628
00:40:59,551 --> 00:41:03,486
so we can bomb the enemy
again and again and again
629
00:41:03,555 --> 00:41:04,724
until he has had enough.
630
00:41:06,358 --> 00:41:07,827
And then we can all come home.
631
00:41:08,727 --> 00:41:12,164
(triumphant music plays)
632
00:41:20,572 --> 00:41:23,904
(airplane engine roars)
633
00:41:29,914 --> 00:41:33,753
(triumphant music continues)
634
00:41:36,255 --> 00:41:39,692
(airplane engines roar)
635
00:41:46,264 --> 00:41:48,364
To the men of the 8th Air Force
636
00:41:48,433 --> 00:41:51,167
who are now flying
deep into Germany,
637
00:41:51,236 --> 00:41:53,002
bringing destruction to targets
638
00:41:53,071 --> 00:41:56,039
almost 1,000 miles
from their bases,
639
00:41:56,108 --> 00:41:57,777
destruction like this,
640
00:41:59,944 --> 00:42:02,782
and who have never once been
turned back by the enemy,
641
00:42:03,915 --> 00:42:07,252
to those men, this film
is gratefully dedicated.
642
00:42:15,143 --> 00:42:18,146
(serene music plays)
643
00:42:47,509 --> 00:42:50,913
(serene music continues)
644
00:43:21,409 --> 00:43:24,913
(serene music continues)
645
00:43:55,977 --> 00:43:59,481
(serene music continues)
646
00:44:31,145 --> 00:44:34,649
(serene music continues)
647
00:45:05,347 --> 00:45:08,316
(no audio present)
44949
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