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00:00:02,549 --> 00:00:06,815
Here is the most unusual feature film
Walt Disney ever made.
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00:00:06,887 --> 00:00:09,048
A film intended not so much to entertain,
3
00:00:09,122 --> 00:00:11,022
but to send a message.
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00:00:11,091 --> 00:00:13,685
Walt, like many people,
was impressed by the text
5
00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:15,921
of a book called
Victory Through Air Power,
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00:00:15,996 --> 00:00:18,692
written by Major Alexander P. De Seversky.
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00:00:18,765 --> 00:00:21,700
In it, this Russian born
naturalized American citizen,
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00:00:21,768 --> 00:00:26,000
who became a key figure in
the advancement of U.S. military aviation,
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00:00:26,073 --> 00:00:28,871
called for an overhaul of our priorities.
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00:00:28,942 --> 00:00:31,672
He was convinced that
the only way to win the war
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00:00:31,745 --> 00:00:33,610
was to focus our energies
12
00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,376
on creating long-range bomber planes.
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00:00:36,450 --> 00:00:39,613
Remember that when this film
was released in 1943,
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00:00:39,686 --> 00:00:42,951
victory in Europe and the Pacific
was far from certain.
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00:00:43,023 --> 00:00:45,048
...spearhead of short-range aviation,
16
00:00:45,125 --> 00:00:48,720
pushed step by step through the Balkans.
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00:00:48,795 --> 00:00:52,253
There was no end in sight
and our losses were tremendous.
18
00:00:52,332 --> 00:00:55,028
Walt believed in the principles
of Seversky's book.
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00:00:55,102 --> 00:00:58,868
And felt it was his patriotic duty
to spread the word.
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00:00:58,939 --> 00:01:01,601
By making a Technicolor feature film
about the subject,
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00:01:01,675 --> 00:01:03,609
with limited commercial potential,
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00:01:03,677 --> 00:01:05,645
in the midst of many other wartime duties,
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00:01:05,712 --> 00:01:09,341
Walt quite simply put his money
where his mouth was.
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00:01:09,416 --> 00:01:12,852
The message Seversky delivers,
quite convincingly in this film,
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00:01:12,919 --> 00:01:15,581
isn't about aggression or warmongering.
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00:01:15,655 --> 00:01:17,646
It's about winning a war against enemies
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00:01:17,724 --> 00:01:19,658
who were bent on world domination.
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00:01:19,726 --> 00:01:21,660
A war America stayed out of,
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00:01:21,728 --> 00:01:25,323
until we were attacked
without provocation at Pearl Harbor.
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That's the historical context
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00:01:27,434 --> 00:01:29,459
that gives meaning to this film today.
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For animation buffs,
it's yet another example
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00:01:31,738 --> 00:01:33,672
of how skillfully the Disney artists
34
00:01:33,740 --> 00:01:36,208
adapted their visual
storytelling techniques
35
00:01:36,276 --> 00:01:38,176
to a deadly serious purpose.
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00:01:38,245 --> 00:01:40,509
And how successful they were.
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00:01:41,848 --> 00:01:44,146
In the introductory history of aviation,
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00:01:44,217 --> 00:01:45,650
there's room for humor.
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00:01:45,719 --> 00:01:47,653
Even in the later sections of the film,
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00:01:47,721 --> 00:01:49,450
there's tremendous creativity.
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00:01:49,523 --> 00:01:53,755
From the staging of battle scenes and
explosions to the use of visual metaphors.
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00:01:53,827 --> 00:01:56,261
To make sure Major Seversky
made his presentation
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00:01:56,329 --> 00:01:58,263
as persuasively as possible,
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00:01:58,331 --> 00:02:00,731
Walt hired a professional director,
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00:02:00,801 --> 00:02:03,668
a man of long experience
on stage and in Hollywood,
46
00:02:03,737 --> 00:02:06,968
H.C. Potter,
to film these lecture segments.
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00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:08,974
Potter's many movie credits include
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00:02:09,042 --> 00:02:11,033
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,
49
00:02:11,111 --> 00:02:13,375
The Farmer's Daughter, Hell's A'Poppin',
50
00:02:13,447 --> 00:02:15,415
and the story of Vernon and Irene Castle.
51
00:02:15,482 --> 00:02:18,781
But more importantly,
he was a flier himself,
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00:02:18,852 --> 00:02:21,446
and already acquainted with its star.
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00:02:21,521 --> 00:02:23,648
He certainly did his job well in this movie,
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00:02:23,723 --> 00:02:25,850
because Seversky comes off quite well,
55
00:02:25,926 --> 00:02:28,588
and doesn't seem stiff or severe.
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00:02:28,662 --> 00:02:32,792
When I interviewed Mr. Potter years ago,
he had fond memories of Seversky,
57
00:02:32,866 --> 00:02:35,164
whom he knew as Sasha.
But he also remembered
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00:02:35,235 --> 00:02:37,362
he had to shoot
those sequences at night
59
00:02:37,437 --> 00:02:39,962
because Walt didn't have
sufficient soundproofing
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00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,067
to drown out the noise
from Lockheed Aircraft nearby.
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00:02:44,144 --> 00:02:47,307
Potter's approach was to make
Seversky's speeches seem as far
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00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:48,813
from a lecture as possible.
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00:02:48,882 --> 00:02:51,510
So he gave him lots of movement
and other suggestions
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00:02:51,585 --> 00:02:54,383
to make the speeches seem
as casual as possible.
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00:02:54,454 --> 00:02:58,015
He especially remembered one night,
when Sasha couldn't hit his marks,
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00:02:58,091 --> 00:03:00,855
the places where the camera and
lighting were set up for him.
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00:03:00,927 --> 00:03:03,521
He said, "Hank,
how can I remember the words,
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00:03:03,597 --> 00:03:07,363
"the expression, the meaning,
the walking without limping,"
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00:03:07,434 --> 00:03:09,834
because he had one wooden leg,
"and hit these marks,
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00:03:09,903 --> 00:03:12,269
"and think of what I'm saying
at the same time?"
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00:03:12,339 --> 00:03:14,899
Potter replied,
"When you're flying airplanes,
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00:03:14,975 --> 00:03:17,307
"you're flying a plane, you're navigating,
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00:03:17,377 --> 00:03:19,311
"you're looking at the ground
to see if you're going
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00:03:19,379 --> 00:03:21,142
"where you're supposed to be going.
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00:03:21,214 --> 00:03:23,478
"You're listening to the radio,
watching for other planes,
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00:03:23,550 --> 00:03:26,178
"and checking your instruments,
all at the same time. "
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00:03:26,253 --> 00:03:28,778
He concluded in a mock Russian accent,
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00:03:28,855 --> 00:03:32,052
"Your model should be,
'Dewide the attention'."
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Seversky loved that, and from that time on
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00:03:34,361 --> 00:03:36,295
before every shot,
the crew would chant,
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00:03:36,363 --> 00:03:38,058
"Dewide the attention. "
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00:03:38,131 --> 00:03:40,565
Movie critics weren't crazy about the film.
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00:03:40,634 --> 00:03:44,365
Walt Disney's own distributor, RKO,
didn't want to release it.
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00:03:44,437 --> 00:03:47,429
So Walt put the film in theaters
through United Artists.
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00:03:47,507 --> 00:03:51,637
But the most important response
to the movie came from Winston Churchill.
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00:03:51,711 --> 00:03:53,906
When he flew to Quebec
for an Allied conference,
87
00:03:53,980 --> 00:03:55,914
and learned that President Roosevelt
88
00:03:55,982 --> 00:03:58,678
hadn't seen the movie,
he and Air Marshal Tedder
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00:03:58,752 --> 00:04:02,085
prodded him until he ordered
that a print be sent to him.
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00:04:02,155 --> 00:04:05,716
H.C. Potter was told by Walt
that it was only after
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00:04:05,792 --> 00:04:07,851
Roosevelt saw Victory Through Air Power,
92
00:04:07,928 --> 00:04:10,988
that our country made the commitment
to long-range bombing.
93
00:04:11,064 --> 00:04:12,929
And that, after all, was the reason
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00:04:12,999 --> 00:04:15,763
Walt committed to making
this movie in the first place.
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00:04:15,835 --> 00:04:17,632
Because of its topicality,
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00:04:17,704 --> 00:04:19,638
the Disney Studio decided to keep this film
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00:04:19,706 --> 00:04:21,970
in the vaults at the close of World War ll.
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00:04:22,042 --> 00:04:24,306
Only the history of aviation sequence
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00:04:24,377 --> 00:04:26,345
was seen in the years since then.
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00:04:26,413 --> 00:04:28,506
It's with great pleasure that we present
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Victory Through Air Power, in its entirety.
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Support us and become VIP member
to remove all ads from www.OpenSubtitles.org
103
00:06:42,995 --> 00:06:45,987
Today,
a war is very different...
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00:06:46,031 --> 00:06:48,158
than the last European war was.
105
00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,864
Now air power is the dominant
feature of military operations.
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00:06:52,905 --> 00:06:55,931
Air power can fly directly
into the vital centers...
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00:06:55,975 --> 00:06:58,603
of an opposing state
and neutralize them.
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00:06:58,644 --> 00:07:01,772
It can destroy the cities.
It can wreck the aqueducts.
109
00:07:01,814 --> 00:07:04,282
It can knock out
the lines of communication.
110
00:07:04,316 --> 00:07:06,284
It can destroy
the food supplies...
111
00:07:06,318 --> 00:07:08,980
and make the people
helpless to resist.
112
00:07:28,808 --> 00:07:33,245
For 3,500 years,
man has had the desire to fly.
113
00:07:33,279 --> 00:07:35,611
And yet it was
only 40 years ago...
114
00:07:35,648 --> 00:07:37,616
this ambition was realized-
115
00:07:37,650 --> 00:07:40,118
an accomplishment that
was to change the destiny...
116
00:07:40,152 --> 00:07:41,813
of the entire world.
117
00:07:43,522 --> 00:07:45,854
Two brothers,
Orville and Wilbur Wright-
118
00:07:45,891 --> 00:07:47,984
bicycle builders
from Dayton, Ohio-
119
00:07:48,027 --> 00:07:50,086
on the morning
of December 17...
120
00:07:50,129 --> 00:07:52,825
set up on the sands of
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina...
121
00:07:52,865 --> 00:07:55,993
their first heavier-than-air
flying machine.
122
00:07:57,570 --> 00:07:59,470
Powered by
a four-cylinder motor...
123
00:07:59,505 --> 00:08:01,530
developing
almost twelve horsepower...
124
00:08:04,243 --> 00:08:07,110
with two bicycle chain-driven
propellers...
125
00:08:07,146 --> 00:08:10,343
turning at nearly
340 revolutions per minute.
126
00:08:10,382 --> 00:08:12,612
The machine,
complete with pilot...
127
00:08:12,651 --> 00:08:17,088
weighed almost 750 pounds.
128
00:08:17,122 --> 00:08:19,090
In order
to launch the plane...
129
00:08:19,124 --> 00:08:21,092
a monoraiI track was designed.
130
00:08:21,126 --> 00:08:24,391
The biplane "A"runs on
the wooden raiI "B"...
131
00:08:24,430 --> 00:08:26,955
and anchor wire "C"
holds the plane back...
132
00:08:26,999 --> 00:08:29,229
to enable the motor
to develop sufficient power...
133
00:08:29,268 --> 00:08:31,236
for the takeoff.
134
00:08:31,270 --> 00:08:33,101
Everything is in readiness.
135
00:08:33,138 --> 00:08:36,437
The small crowd of witnesses
looks on hopefully.
136
00:08:36,475 --> 00:08:39,103
Orville Wright
is at the controls.
137
00:08:39,144 --> 00:08:43,240
One, two, three...
138
00:08:43,282 --> 00:08:44,476
Go!
139
00:08:45,918 --> 00:08:48,443
The motor races.
It's a tense moment.
140
00:08:48,487 --> 00:08:50,455
Wilbur steadies the wing.
141
00:08:54,660 --> 00:08:56,628
The plane strains
at the anchor cable.
142
00:08:56,662 --> 00:08:59,290
Orville's hand
grips the controI.
143
00:08:59,331 --> 00:09:01,299
The wire is released!
144
00:09:07,806 --> 00:09:09,171
For twelve seconds...
145
00:09:09,208 --> 00:09:11,233
the Wright plane
plows through the air...
146
00:09:11,277 --> 00:09:14,804
in unmistakable power-driven,
man-carrying flight.
147
00:09:14,847 --> 00:09:19,841
Twelve seconds.
TotaI distance-120 feet.
148
00:09:19,885 --> 00:09:23,321
Man has conquered the air.
149
00:09:23,355 --> 00:09:25,721
The five witnesses
of this epoch-making flight...
150
00:09:25,758 --> 00:09:28,693
were too startled,
too thrilled to cheer.
151
00:09:28,727 --> 00:09:31,560
Success! Four flights
Thursday morning...
152
00:09:31,597 --> 00:09:35,124
starting from leveI,
average speed 31 miles.
153
00:09:35,167 --> 00:09:38,068
Inform press. Home Christmas.
Orville Wright.
154
00:09:38,103 --> 00:09:39,866
Man's first flight.
155
00:09:39,905 --> 00:09:41,634
Yet this epoch-making feat...
156
00:09:41,674 --> 00:09:44,006
failed to impress
a disinterested public.
157
00:09:44,043 --> 00:09:46,011
The only part
of this stirring message...
158
00:09:46,045 --> 00:09:47,672
that seemed newsworthy was...
159
00:09:47,713 --> 00:09:50,705
"The Wright Brothers
to be home for Christmas."
160
00:09:52,084 --> 00:09:54,484
In spite of the public's
lack of enthusiasm...
161
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:55,885
the Wrights persisted.
162
00:09:58,757 --> 00:10:01,248
Then one day, they made
a revolutionary flight.
163
00:10:01,293 --> 00:10:02,988
For the first time,
they were able...
164
00:10:03,028 --> 00:10:04,962
to turn the plane around
in midair...
165
00:10:04,997 --> 00:10:07,090
and fly in
the opposite direction.
166
00:10:13,372 --> 00:10:16,432
The daring Brazilian sportsman
Alberto Santos-Dumont...
167
00:10:16,475 --> 00:10:18,136
made the first
officially recorded...
168
00:10:18,177 --> 00:10:19,906
European airplane flight.
169
00:10:19,945 --> 00:10:22,243
Soon, many other
intrepid airmen...
170
00:10:22,281 --> 00:10:24,943
were flying
in triplanes, biplanes...
171
00:10:24,984 --> 00:10:27,111
monoplanes and multiplanes.
172
00:10:27,152 --> 00:10:30,610
Fantastic in appearance,
but they all flew.
173
00:10:34,793 --> 00:10:36,886
Back in America...
174
00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:43,798
Gee willikers!
175
00:10:43,836 --> 00:10:47,101
It says here
the Army plans an Air Corps.
176
00:10:47,139 --> 00:10:48,800
"The flying machine
must make...
177
00:10:48,841 --> 00:10:51,605
"an endurance flight
of one hour...
178
00:10:51,644 --> 00:10:53,942
"carry pilot
and one passenger...
179
00:10:53,979 --> 00:10:56,914
"attain a speed
of 40 miles an hour...
180
00:10:56,949 --> 00:11:00,441
'traveI ten miles
and land undamaged."
181
00:11:00,486 --> 00:11:02,420
Well, doggone.
182
00:11:02,454 --> 00:11:05,582
41 enthusiastic
airplane builders...
183
00:11:05,624 --> 00:11:08,616
submitted bids
of somewhat varied amounts.
184
00:11:08,661 --> 00:11:10,822
I'll build a plane
for a million dollars.
185
00:11:10,863 --> 00:11:12,421
I'll build it
for a thousand.
186
00:11:12,464 --> 00:11:14,659
Mine'll cost 10 million.
- $3,000.
187
00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:17,794
- $1,230.
- $10,000.
188
00:11:17,836 --> 00:11:21,101
My plane'll cost only $510.
189
00:11:21,140 --> 00:11:22,664
And one shrewd bidder...
190
00:11:22,708 --> 00:11:26,269
guaranteed to build a plane
for $45 a pound.
191
00:11:26,311 --> 00:11:28,575
However, when
the government demanded...
192
00:11:28,614 --> 00:11:30,673
a 10% forfeit be posted...
193
00:11:30,716 --> 00:11:33,048
all but three of
these enthusiastic bidders...
194
00:11:33,085 --> 00:11:34,552
hastily withdrew.
195
00:11:37,356 --> 00:11:39,324
The contract was let
to the Wright Brothers...
196
00:11:39,358 --> 00:11:41,485
for one military airplane.
197
00:11:44,363 --> 00:11:46,297
Six months later,
at Fort Meyer...
198
00:11:46,331 --> 00:11:49,323
delivery was made
to the United States Army.
199
00:11:51,370 --> 00:11:54,669
This was the modest beginning
of our Air Force.
200
00:11:54,707 --> 00:11:57,232
It was only 33 years ago...
201
00:11:57,276 --> 00:12:00,404
that Louis Bl�riot took off
from the coast of France...
202
00:12:00,446 --> 00:12:03,472
and, without instruments,
made the 21-mile flight...
203
00:12:03,515 --> 00:12:05,346
across the English ChanneI.
204
00:12:07,786 --> 00:12:10,152
Only a few realized
the significance...
205
00:12:10,189 --> 00:12:11,816
of this great flight.
206
00:12:11,857 --> 00:12:14,826
England was no longer isolated
from the rest of Europe...
207
00:12:14,860 --> 00:12:17,351
by an impassable body
of water.
208
00:12:20,232 --> 00:12:22,700
A ChanneI flight
that was to one day...
209
00:12:22,735 --> 00:12:24,134
prove of even
greater significance...
210
00:12:24,169 --> 00:12:26,831
was accomplished by
the Honorable C.S. Rolls.
211
00:12:26,872 --> 00:12:28,305
In his own words...
212
00:12:28,340 --> 00:12:29,773
Departing from England...
213
00:12:29,808 --> 00:12:33,005
the flight across the ChanneI
was quite uneventfuI.
214
00:12:40,152 --> 00:12:43,417
Reaching the other side
and being recognized.
215
00:12:48,794 --> 00:12:53,390
Dropped greetings.
And without stopping...
216
00:12:53,432 --> 00:12:56,629
returned home
safely without mishap.
217
00:12:58,103 --> 00:13:00,003
In the meantime,
back in America...
218
00:13:00,038 --> 00:13:02,905
aviation saw
another great advancement.
219
00:13:02,941 --> 00:13:04,841
Eugene Ely
made the first takeoff...
220
00:13:04,877 --> 00:13:07,209
from the deck
of the U.S.S. Birmingham.
221
00:13:11,784 --> 00:13:13,752
Two months later,
Ely reversed this feat...
222
00:13:13,786 --> 00:13:16,277
by landing on
the U.S.S. Pennsylvania.
223
00:13:16,321 --> 00:13:19,757
This was the birth
of the aircraft carrier.
224
00:13:19,792 --> 00:13:24,286
In 1911, the first experiments
with seaplanes began.
225
00:13:24,329 --> 00:13:27,457
Canoe-like pontoons
were added to a land plane.
226
00:13:29,535 --> 00:13:31,901
Straining for the takeoff,
the motor raced.
227
00:13:31,937 --> 00:13:33,564
At 31 miles an hour...
228
00:13:33,605 --> 00:13:35,835
the plane sped across
the surface of the lake...
229
00:13:37,142 --> 00:13:38,803
and slid up on the bank.
230
00:13:41,780 --> 00:13:45,307
It was not untiI Glenn Curtiss
added a more powerfuI motor...
231
00:13:45,350 --> 00:13:48,342
that experiments with seaplanes
were a success.
232
00:13:48,387 --> 00:13:50,412
That same year
also witnessed...
233
00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:52,787
the first
transcontinentaI flight.
234
00:13:52,825 --> 00:13:55,487
Racing against
a 30-day time limit...
235
00:13:55,527 --> 00:13:57,495
for a $50,000 prize...
236
00:13:57,529 --> 00:14:00,521
Calbraith P. Rodgers
took off from Long Island...
237
00:14:00,566 --> 00:14:04,024
accompanied by a speciaI train
carrying spare parts.
238
00:14:06,505 --> 00:14:08,973
The flight consisted
of 69 short hops...
239
00:14:10,275 --> 00:14:12,607
and 15 crashes.
240
00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:16,910
Over rivers and mountains...
241
00:14:18,650 --> 00:14:20,277
against insurmountable odds...
242
00:14:20,319 --> 00:14:23,254
bucking strong winds
and treacherous air currents...
243
00:14:24,656 --> 00:14:27,284
losing precious moments...
244
00:14:27,326 --> 00:14:29,920
with indomitable courage
and the will to win...
245
00:14:29,962 --> 00:14:32,954
the daring flyer
crashed on and on.
246
00:14:37,870 --> 00:14:39,963
Forty-nine days later
at Pasadena...
247
00:14:40,005 --> 00:14:42,132
Rodgers arrived
with only one strut...
248
00:14:42,174 --> 00:14:45,109
and part of the taiI intact
from the originaI plane.
249
00:14:47,246 --> 00:14:50,943
Just barely missing
the prize by 19 days...
250
00:14:50,983 --> 00:14:54,612
this modest hero confidently
predicted that someday...
251
00:14:54,653 --> 00:14:58,487
somebody would fly
across the country in 30 days.
252
00:14:58,523 --> 00:15:00,423
And so,
for the next few years...
253
00:15:00,459 --> 00:15:02,859
the flying machine continued
to thrill the public...
254
00:15:02,895 --> 00:15:06,729
but was regarded as a novelty
with no practicaI uses.
255
00:15:14,239 --> 00:15:16,764
The airplane,
at the tender age of ten...
256
00:15:16,808 --> 00:15:18,400
went off to war.
257
00:15:19,711 --> 00:15:21,645
At first,
aircraft was considered...
258
00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:23,614
to have very little
military value...
259
00:15:23,649 --> 00:15:26,015
except for
observation purposes.
260
00:15:26,051 --> 00:15:28,349
A spirit of
sportsmanship existed...
261
00:15:28,387 --> 00:15:29,979
between the rivaI pilots.
262
00:15:30,022 --> 00:15:31,717
As they would pass
each other...
263
00:15:31,757 --> 00:15:33,850
on their daily flights
over the lines...
264
00:15:33,892 --> 00:15:35,860
they would wave
a friendly greeting...
265
00:15:35,894 --> 00:15:39,091
and sometimes take pictures
of one another...
266
00:15:39,131 --> 00:15:42,032
which led to
an unusuaI development.
267
00:15:44,569 --> 00:15:46,469
Sacr� bleu!
268
00:15:46,505 --> 00:15:48,302
This is outrage!
269
00:15:51,910 --> 00:15:54,037
And so, the next day...
270
00:15:56,648 --> 00:15:57,876
Oof!
271
00:16:02,421 --> 00:16:03,888
The following day...
272
00:16:03,922 --> 00:16:06,891
being a hothead
as well as a squarehead...
273
00:16:06,925 --> 00:16:08,552
Fritz took a potshot at Pierre.
274
00:16:10,829 --> 00:16:12,023
Oh!
275
00:16:16,301 --> 00:16:19,031
Duels with pistols,
shotguns, and rifles...
276
00:16:19,071 --> 00:16:21,596
led to the installation
of the machine gun...
277
00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,404
successfuI
but for one small detaiI-
278
00:16:32,417 --> 00:16:34,817
The propeller got in the way.
279
00:16:37,622 --> 00:16:40,284
Then science developed
the synchronizing device...
280
00:16:40,325 --> 00:16:42,259
to allow the bullets
to pass between...
281
00:16:42,294 --> 00:16:44,660
the rapidly revolving blades
of the propeller.
282
00:16:46,131 --> 00:16:49,589
The airplane became
a formidable weapon of war.
283
00:17:04,583 --> 00:17:06,778
The merciless pressure
of warfare...
284
00:17:06,818 --> 00:17:09,946
developed highly specialized
types of planes.
285
00:17:12,991 --> 00:17:15,687
The dropping of grenades
and hand bombs...
286
00:17:15,727 --> 00:17:20,391
led to a new and terrible
instrument of war-the bomber.
287
00:17:34,312 --> 00:17:37,213
The terrific competition
of aeriaI combat...
288
00:17:37,249 --> 00:17:40,275
compelled the rapid improvement
of aircraft.
289
00:18:33,071 --> 00:18:37,167
More than 20,000 conflicts
were fought in the air.
290
00:18:37,209 --> 00:18:39,234
The forced development
of aircraft...
291
00:18:39,277 --> 00:18:41,336
in these four years of war...
292
00:18:41,379 --> 00:18:44,871
would have taken 20 years
to accomplish in peacetime.
293
00:18:44,916 --> 00:18:48,044
Yet the war ended before
the world fully realized...
294
00:18:48,086 --> 00:18:51,112
the military potentiaI
of air power.
295
00:18:55,327 --> 00:18:57,693
As a war-weary public
transferred its interest...
296
00:18:57,729 --> 00:18:59,424
to peacetime activities...
297
00:18:59,464 --> 00:19:03,366
the airplane again
had to struggle for existence.
298
00:19:03,401 --> 00:19:05,301
The "Fly with Me"
gypsy flyer...
299
00:19:05,337 --> 00:19:07,464
barnstormed
all over the country.
300
00:19:16,615 --> 00:19:18,879
While people still regarded
the airplane...
301
00:19:18,917 --> 00:19:20,612
as an exciting novelty...
302
00:19:20,652 --> 00:19:23,086
farsighted airmen
were compelling the public...
303
00:19:23,121 --> 00:19:26,113
to look upon aviation
with a new respect.
304
00:19:26,158 --> 00:19:29,389
The U.S. Navy NC-4 flew
from Newfoundland to England...
305
00:19:29,427 --> 00:19:30,917
via the Azores.
306
00:19:30,962 --> 00:19:33,226
The first nonstop
transatlantic flight...
307
00:19:33,265 --> 00:19:36,564
was made by Alcock and Brown
from Newfoundland to Ireland.
308
00:19:36,601 --> 00:19:38,762
First solo flight
across the Atlantic-
309
00:19:38,803 --> 00:19:41,601
Charles A. Lindbergh,
New York to Paris.
310
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:43,369
First round-the-world flight-
311
00:19:43,408 --> 00:19:45,399
U.S. Army planes
circled the globe.
312
00:19:45,443 --> 00:19:48,935
Flying time-15 days, 11 hours.
313
00:19:48,980 --> 00:19:51,813
Post and Gatty-
4 days, 10 hours.
314
00:19:52,984 --> 00:19:56,078
Howard Hughes-
2 days, 23 hours.
315
00:19:57,989 --> 00:20:02,323
Altitude flights developed
superchargers and deicers.
316
00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:05,727
Air races improved design
and advanced speed.
317
00:20:12,237 --> 00:20:15,001
Power diving
at 620 miles per hour...
318
00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,941
tested durability
and construction of planes.
319
00:20:22,681 --> 00:20:25,081
The first air maiI service
in 1918...
320
00:20:25,116 --> 00:20:27,846
grew in a short time
to major airlines...
321
00:20:27,886 --> 00:20:30,650
with regularly scheduled
transcontinentaI...
322
00:20:30,689 --> 00:20:34,318
and then transoceanic
passenger and freight service.
323
00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:37,487
Aviation was progressing
at a tremendous pace.
324
00:20:38,830 --> 00:20:42,561
Time was being compressed,
distance shrunk...
325
00:20:42,601 --> 00:20:46,002
range lengthened,
and load capacity increased.
326
00:20:46,037 --> 00:20:49,200
The airplane-
now flying all over the world-
327
00:20:49,241 --> 00:20:51,266
was the only weapon of war...
328
00:20:51,309 --> 00:20:54,107
to develop such great
usefulness in peacetime.
329
00:21:08,093 --> 00:21:10,425
Jeepers!
330
00:21:10,462 --> 00:21:14,228
President Roosevelt
wants 50,000 planes a year.
331
00:21:14,266 --> 00:21:17,463
Backed by 25 years
of constant pioneering...
332
00:21:17,502 --> 00:21:20,266
American aviation
met the challenge.
333
00:21:21,906 --> 00:21:24,636
Remember,
the experiment of 1914...
334
00:21:24,676 --> 00:21:26,541
had become
a devastating force.
335
00:21:26,578 --> 00:21:30,105
From the mile-a-minute plane
of World War I...
336
00:21:30,148 --> 00:21:31,911
we're starting today
with planes...
337
00:21:31,950 --> 00:21:34,009
flying more than
six miles a minute.
338
00:21:35,854 --> 00:21:37,287
During the last war...
339
00:21:37,322 --> 00:21:40,382
firepower was increased
from one brick per minute...
340
00:21:40,425 --> 00:21:42,484
to 2,400 bullets per minute.
341
00:21:44,396 --> 00:21:49,129
Today we're starting
with 9,600 bullets per minute.
342
00:21:53,171 --> 00:21:54,866
During World War I...
343
00:21:54,906 --> 00:21:58,137
aeriaI grenades
and 25-pound hand bombs...
344
00:21:58,176 --> 00:22:00,838
grew to two-ton bomb loads.
345
00:22:00,879 --> 00:22:04,007
Today we're starting
with ten-ton bomb loads...
346
00:22:04,049 --> 00:22:05,846
of the most
devastating explosives...
347
00:22:05,884 --> 00:22:08,614
ever conceived by science.
348
00:22:08,653 --> 00:22:11,588
Today the historic flight
of C.S. Rolls...
349
00:22:11,623 --> 00:22:13,318
is repeated daily...
350
00:22:13,358 --> 00:22:16,623
by Rolls-Royce-powered
pursuit and bomber planes.
351
00:22:16,661 --> 00:22:18,128
Departing from England...
352
00:22:18,163 --> 00:22:21,860
the flight across the ChanneI
was quite uneventfuI.
353
00:22:21,900 --> 00:22:24,334
Reaching the other side
and being recognized.
354
00:22:27,572 --> 00:22:30,200
Dropped greetings.
355
00:22:30,241 --> 00:22:32,232
And without stopping...
356
00:22:32,277 --> 00:22:36,111
returned home
safely without mishap.
357
00:22:36,147 --> 00:22:37,774
In one single night...
358
00:22:37,816 --> 00:22:39,977
the bomb load
dropped on Cologne...
359
00:22:40,018 --> 00:22:43,317
was 20 times greater
than the totaI amount...
360
00:22:43,355 --> 00:22:45,846
used in the last war
by the United States.
361
00:22:52,063 --> 00:22:54,896
Today, only
a brief 40 years later...
362
00:22:54,933 --> 00:22:58,300
The Wright Brothers'
first flight of 120 feet...
363
00:22:58,336 --> 00:23:01,271
could be made
with 92 feet to spare...
364
00:23:01,306 --> 00:23:04,241
on the wing of the B-19.
365
00:23:04,275 --> 00:23:07,335
Yet this huge 82-ton
experimentaI bomber-
366
00:23:07,379 --> 00:23:09,438
designed seven years ago-
367
00:23:09,481 --> 00:23:12,644
is only a forerunner
of what can be done.
368
00:23:14,519 --> 00:23:16,919
The amazing advancement
in military aviation...
369
00:23:16,955 --> 00:23:19,321
is due to the vision
and persistence...
370
00:23:19,357 --> 00:23:22,053
of pioneer airmen,
among whom...
371
00:23:22,093 --> 00:23:26,223
Major Alexander P. de Seversky
is an outstanding figure.
372
00:23:26,264 --> 00:23:29,165
He literally
grew up with aviation.
373
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,134
His father
was the first Russian...
374
00:23:31,169 --> 00:23:33,865
to privately own and fly
an airplane.
375
00:23:33,905 --> 00:23:37,341
At ten,
his military education began.
376
00:23:37,375 --> 00:23:40,242
He graduated from the ImperiaI
Russian NavaI Academy...
377
00:23:40,278 --> 00:23:45,614
as a lieutenant and saw
service with the fleet in 1914.
378
00:23:45,650 --> 00:23:48,312
With a firm belief
in the future of aviation...
379
00:23:48,353 --> 00:23:50,218
he became
a full-fledged pilot...
380
00:23:50,255 --> 00:23:52,815
in both Army
and NavaI aviation...
381
00:23:52,857 --> 00:23:56,293
and was assigned to flying duty
with the Baltic fleet.
382
00:23:56,327 --> 00:23:58,818
While on
a night bombing mission...
383
00:23:58,863 --> 00:24:00,854
he was shot down...
384
00:24:02,434 --> 00:24:04,698
and suffered the loss of
his right leg-
385
00:24:04,736 --> 00:24:06,829
an invalid at 22.
386
00:24:06,871 --> 00:24:10,432
Ignoring his handicap and
determined to fight again...
387
00:24:10,475 --> 00:24:13,171
he returned to the front as
Chief of Pursuit Aviation...
388
00:24:13,211 --> 00:24:15,304
in the Baltic,
with the rank of commander.
389
00:24:15,346 --> 00:24:18,645
He fought
57 aeriaI combats...
390
00:24:18,683 --> 00:24:21,345
became the leading ace
of the navaI air forces...
391
00:24:21,386 --> 00:24:23,013
and was awarded
the highest honors...
392
00:24:23,054 --> 00:24:24,988
his country could bestow.
393
00:24:27,292 --> 00:24:29,783
In 1918,
he came to America...
394
00:24:29,828 --> 00:24:32,228
and later served
as aeronauticaI engineer...
395
00:24:32,263 --> 00:24:35,323
and test pilot for
the United States government.
396
00:24:35,366 --> 00:24:37,664
He became a friend,
advisor, and disciple...
397
00:24:37,702 --> 00:24:39,693
of GeneraI Billy Mitchell.
398
00:24:39,737 --> 00:24:41,602
Having become a citizen...
399
00:24:41,639 --> 00:24:44,164
in 1928 he was
commissioned a major...
400
00:24:44,209 --> 00:24:46,507
in the United States Air Corps.
401
00:24:46,544 --> 00:24:49,206
He invented the first
fully automatic bombsight...
402
00:24:49,247 --> 00:24:51,181
and many other instruments
and devices...
403
00:24:51,216 --> 00:24:53,480
all contributing
to the greater efficiency...
404
00:24:53,518 --> 00:24:55,349
of military aviation.
405
00:24:55,386 --> 00:24:57,217
He designed, built, tested...
406
00:24:57,255 --> 00:24:59,655
and himself
flew his new planes.
407
00:24:59,691 --> 00:25:02,216
Among them,
an all-metaI amphibian plane-
408
00:25:02,260 --> 00:25:05,525
in which he set a world speed
record that still stands-
409
00:25:05,563 --> 00:25:08,862
the first low-wing all-metaI
basic training plane...
410
00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:12,063
and the first all-metaI
single-seater fighter plane...
411
00:25:12,103 --> 00:25:13,661
of cantilever construction...
412
00:25:13,705 --> 00:25:15,866
adopted by
the United States Army.
413
00:25:15,907 --> 00:25:17,499
In 1937...
414
00:25:17,542 --> 00:25:20,705
to prove long range could be
built into pursuit planes...
415
00:25:20,745 --> 00:25:24,704
he set a new nonstop record
from New York to Havana.
416
00:25:24,749 --> 00:25:26,979
In an Army pursuit ship
of his own design...
417
00:25:27,018 --> 00:25:30,044
he was the first officially to
cross the country east-west...
418
00:25:30,088 --> 00:25:32,079
with a record
of 10 hours, 5 minutes.
419
00:25:32,123 --> 00:25:34,591
His planes
won the Bendix race...
420
00:25:34,626 --> 00:25:35,888
three successive years.
421
00:25:35,927 --> 00:25:39,988
In 1940, he was presented
the Harmon Trophy...
422
00:25:40,031 --> 00:25:41,362
by President Roosevelt...
423
00:25:41,399 --> 00:25:44,197
for being the Outstanding
Airman of the Year.
424
00:25:44,235 --> 00:25:46,703
With his background
as a combat pilot...
425
00:25:46,738 --> 00:25:50,299
aeronauticaI designer,
engineer, manufacturer...
426
00:25:50,341 --> 00:25:52,036
and military strategist...
427
00:25:52,076 --> 00:25:55,011
Major Seversky's advanced
viewpoint and opinions...
428
00:25:55,046 --> 00:25:58,072
are of vitaI importance
to every citizen.
429
00:26:00,084 --> 00:26:02,143
Under the pressure of war...
430
00:26:02,186 --> 00:26:05,713
the science of aviation
is making terrific strides.
431
00:26:05,757 --> 00:26:08,157
As soon as the airplanes-
which are already...
432
00:26:08,192 --> 00:26:10,592
on the drafting boards of
all the warring nations-
433
00:26:10,628 --> 00:26:13,961
take to the air, there will
not be a single spot...
434
00:26:13,998 --> 00:26:17,092
on the face of the earth
immune from overhead attack.
435
00:26:17,135 --> 00:26:19,069
The enormous flying range...
436
00:26:19,103 --> 00:26:22,630
and destructive power of
these planes will transform...
437
00:26:22,674 --> 00:26:26,110
the entire surface of our planet
into a battlefield.
438
00:26:26,144 --> 00:26:30,274
The distinction between soldiers
and civilians will be erased.
439
00:26:30,315 --> 00:26:33,375
And I believe that
it is only a matter of time...
440
00:26:33,418 --> 00:26:35,545
before we here in America...
441
00:26:35,587 --> 00:26:38,784
will suffer our share
of civilian casualties.
442
00:26:38,823 --> 00:26:42,088
And so warfare becomes
everybody's business.
443
00:26:42,126 --> 00:26:45,027
All of us must understand
the strategy of war.
444
00:26:45,063 --> 00:26:49,500
No longer should it be a mystery
open only to military minds.
445
00:26:49,534 --> 00:26:53,300
The strategy of war is simply
a plan to defeat the enemy.
446
00:26:53,338 --> 00:26:56,796
In wars of the past, there were
only two ways to do it.
447
00:26:56,841 --> 00:26:58,934
One was to kill off his army...
448
00:26:58,977 --> 00:27:01,878
in order to lay hands
on the source of his power.
449
00:27:01,913 --> 00:27:04,381
The other
was to sink his navy...
450
00:27:04,415 --> 00:27:08,317
and force a blockade
and starve him into submission.
451
00:27:08,353 --> 00:27:12,016
Along comes the airplane,
and an entirely new method...
452
00:27:12,056 --> 00:27:14,251
of defeating the enemy
becomes possible.
453
00:27:14,292 --> 00:27:16,157
We can carry the war now...
454
00:27:16,194 --> 00:27:18,185
over the heads
of his army and navy...
455
00:27:18,229 --> 00:27:20,595
strike directly
at the source of his power-
456
00:27:20,632 --> 00:27:22,065
his war industries-
457
00:27:22,100 --> 00:27:24,466
and by destroying
these war industries...
458
00:27:24,502 --> 00:27:28,871
automatically disarm and
paralyze his fighting forces.
459
00:27:28,906 --> 00:27:31,374
This new kind of warfare-
460
00:27:31,409 --> 00:27:33,536
a strategy
based on air power-
461
00:27:33,578 --> 00:27:36,911
was clearly foreseen
more than 20 years ago...
462
00:27:36,948 --> 00:27:39,940
by such great airmen
as General Douhet in Europe...
463
00:27:39,984 --> 00:27:42,817
and our own General Mitchell
here in America.
464
00:27:42,854 --> 00:27:47,120
Time and again they warned
that this new military force-
465
00:27:47,158 --> 00:27:50,184
swifter and more deadly
than any in the past...
466
00:27:50,228 --> 00:27:53,197
equally devastating
on land or at sea-
467
00:27:53,231 --> 00:27:55,199
would revolutionize warfare...
468
00:27:55,233 --> 00:27:59,192
and make the old style
surface strategy impossible.
469
00:27:59,237 --> 00:28:01,501
But their warnings
were dismissed...
470
00:28:01,539 --> 00:28:03,507
as fantastic and visionary.
471
00:28:03,541 --> 00:28:06,567
The military men of
the old school were unwilling...
472
00:28:06,611 --> 00:28:10,047
to recognize this fundamental
change in war-making.
473
00:28:10,081 --> 00:28:11,673
They stubbornly continued...
474
00:28:11,716 --> 00:28:14,014
to pour the resources
of their nations...
475
00:28:14,052 --> 00:28:17,249
into weapons that had already
outlived their usefulness.
476
00:28:17,288 --> 00:28:18,846
As for the airplane...
477
00:28:18,890 --> 00:28:22,189
they accepted it,
but just as another weapon.
478
00:28:22,226 --> 00:28:24,456
Just another means
to bolster up...
479
00:28:24,495 --> 00:28:27,089
their old methods
of surface warfare.
480
00:28:27,131 --> 00:28:29,156
At the start of this war...
481
00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:33,193
Europe was prepared to fight
along the same old lines.
482
00:28:39,210 --> 00:28:43,044
England, with its undisputed
controI of the seas...
483
00:28:43,081 --> 00:28:45,481
was supposed to take care
of sea warfare.
484
00:28:45,516 --> 00:28:47,746
And France,
with its great army...
485
00:28:47,785 --> 00:28:49,184
of land warfare.
486
00:28:50,755 --> 00:28:54,452
France ended the last war
victoriously in the trenches...
487
00:28:54,492 --> 00:28:55,857
so the naturaI tendency...
488
00:28:55,893 --> 00:28:58,088
was to build bigger
and better trenches...
489
00:28:58,129 --> 00:29:00,290
culminating in
that super-colossaI trench...
490
00:29:00,331 --> 00:29:03,129
the trench deluxe,
the Maginot Line.
491
00:29:07,472 --> 00:29:10,066
In these fantastic
underground fortresses...
492
00:29:10,108 --> 00:29:14,568
were stored enough supplies
to withstand a siege of years.
493
00:29:14,612 --> 00:29:17,080
The military leaders
assured the French people...
494
00:29:17,115 --> 00:29:19,606
that this mighty wall
of steeI and concrete...
495
00:29:19,650 --> 00:29:22,210
made France impregnable.
496
00:29:22,253 --> 00:29:25,120
Those who dared criticize
this plan of defense...
497
00:29:25,156 --> 00:29:28,182
were sharply reminded that
the French generaI's staff...
498
00:29:28,226 --> 00:29:30,217
was the greatest on earth.
499
00:29:30,261 --> 00:29:33,526
In the meantime, Hitler
was scheming a conquest...
500
00:29:33,564 --> 00:29:36,431
based on lightning speed
and surprise.
501
00:29:49,847 --> 00:29:52,839
His long-range artillery
took wings.
502
00:29:56,521 --> 00:29:59,354
Air power became
the spearhead of attack...
503
00:29:59,390 --> 00:30:02,325
blasting clear a path
for his ground forces.
504
00:30:07,064 --> 00:30:09,191
Under this shield
of air power...
505
00:30:09,233 --> 00:30:11,758
the Nazi hordes
poured into France.
506
00:30:11,803 --> 00:30:14,328
The mighty Maginot Line
proved no barrier...
507
00:30:14,372 --> 00:30:17,205
against this new kind
of warfare.
508
00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:24,910
Only when it was too late...
509
00:30:24,949 --> 00:30:26,974
did the people of France
realize...
510
00:30:27,018 --> 00:30:30,545
that their whole
plan of defense was futile.
511
00:30:30,588 --> 00:30:32,988
These huge land fortresses-
512
00:30:33,024 --> 00:30:35,959
representing
a great nationaI effort-
513
00:30:35,993 --> 00:30:40,930
stand only as grim monuments
to outmoded military thinking.
514
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:45,200
And what about
the mighty floating fortresses
515
00:30:45,236 --> 00:30:48,399
that Britain relied on
for controI of the seas?
516
00:30:49,707 --> 00:30:51,675
When Hitler
hurled his blitzkrieg...
517
00:30:51,709 --> 00:30:54,041
across the water gap
into Norway...
518
00:30:54,078 --> 00:30:55,909
the British navy
was confident...
519
00:30:55,947 --> 00:30:58,745
that he had
made a fataI mistake.
520
00:30:58,783 --> 00:31:00,808
By cutting
Hitler's supply lines...
521
00:31:00,852 --> 00:31:02,979
they expected
to trap his forces...
522
00:31:03,020 --> 00:31:04,920
behind a navaI blockade.
523
00:31:07,892 --> 00:31:10,019
But, like the French army...
524
00:31:10,061 --> 00:31:12,291
the British navy
underestimated...
525
00:31:12,330 --> 00:31:15,356
the tremendous
war potentiaI of air power.
526
00:31:28,512 --> 00:31:30,707
Planes from
British aircraft carriers...
527
00:31:30,748 --> 00:31:33,774
took to the air,
but they proved no match...
528
00:31:33,818 --> 00:31:36,616
for the land-based aviation
of the Nazis.
529
00:31:38,356 --> 00:31:40,381
Britain's
own land-based planes...
530
00:31:40,424 --> 00:31:42,824
lacked the range
to come to the rescue.
531
00:31:42,860 --> 00:31:46,523
So the world's mightiest navy,
utterly helpIess...
532
00:31:46,564 --> 00:31:48,589
was forced to retire
to the protection...
533
00:31:48,633 --> 00:31:50,658
of the RoyaI Air Force...
534
00:31:50,701 --> 00:31:53,226
driven back
not by another navy...
535
00:31:53,271 --> 00:31:57,230
but by this totally new
military force-air power.
536
00:32:02,780 --> 00:32:04,645
Hitler planted
a string of air bases...
537
00:32:04,682 --> 00:32:06,479
along the Norwegian coast...
538
00:32:06,517 --> 00:32:07,916
and, with air power...
539
00:32:07,952 --> 00:32:10,944
took over controI
of the seas in this area.
540
00:32:10,988 --> 00:32:13,513
Ignoring
the floating fortresses-
541
00:32:13,557 --> 00:32:16,492
as completely as he'd ignored
the land fortresses of France-
542
00:32:16,527 --> 00:32:18,392
he was able
to move his supplies...
543
00:32:18,429 --> 00:32:20,420
across this water gap
unmolested.
544
00:32:28,205 --> 00:32:31,436
Over 300,000 British troops
cornered-
545
00:32:31,475 --> 00:32:34,603
doomed men facing surrender
or annihilation...
546
00:32:34,645 --> 00:32:38,547
under the merciless pounding
of Hitler's aeriaI spearhead.
547
00:32:41,919 --> 00:32:44,319
But in contrast to Norway...
548
00:32:44,355 --> 00:32:46,220
Dunkirk was
within easy reach...
549
00:32:46,257 --> 00:32:48,487
of Britain's
land-based fighter planes.
550
00:32:48,526 --> 00:32:49,925
For the first time...
551
00:32:49,961 --> 00:32:54,022
Hitler's flying spearhead
met reaI air opposition.
552
00:32:56,767 --> 00:32:58,200
The RoyaI Air Force...
553
00:32:58,235 --> 00:33:00,396
gained mastery of the skies
in this area...
554
00:33:00,438 --> 00:33:03,635
through a screen of wings
from shore to shore...
555
00:33:03,674 --> 00:33:06,336
and under this shield
of superior air power...
556
00:33:06,377 --> 00:33:10,711
300,000 men were
safely evacuated in four days.
557
00:33:14,618 --> 00:33:18,247
The British braced themselves
for immediate invasion.
558
00:33:18,289 --> 00:33:21,781
After Dunkirk, Hitler realized
he would have to strike...
559
00:33:21,826 --> 00:33:25,262
with an air force many times
greater than the British.
560
00:33:25,296 --> 00:33:28,697
So, for two months,
the invasion waited...
561
00:33:28,733 --> 00:33:31,224
while he equipped
a chain of air bases...
562
00:33:31,268 --> 00:33:33,202
to place
his short-range aviation...
563
00:33:33,237 --> 00:33:35,535
within striking distance
of the target.
564
00:33:35,573 --> 00:33:39,600
And then Hitler received
his first major setback.
565
00:33:39,643 --> 00:33:41,838
He sent over
his aeriaI spearhead-
566
00:33:41,879 --> 00:33:43,938
wave after wave of planes.
567
00:33:43,981 --> 00:33:45,573
But the Luftwaffe...
568
00:33:45,616 --> 00:33:49,052
built primarily to clear
a path for ground forces...
569
00:33:49,086 --> 00:33:51,520
proved no match
for the RoyaI Air Force...
570
00:33:51,555 --> 00:33:54,115
built for war in the air.
571
00:33:54,158 --> 00:33:55,887
Outnumbered three to one...
572
00:33:55,926 --> 00:33:58,190
the Spitfires rode the taiI
of the enemy...
573
00:33:58,229 --> 00:34:01,027
firing eight guns
to the Germans' one.
574
00:34:33,230 --> 00:34:36,927
The superior quality
of British men and machines...
575
00:34:36,967 --> 00:34:39,993
overwhelmed German quantity-
576
00:34:40,037 --> 00:34:43,803
blasted 2,400 planes
out of the sky...
577
00:34:45,576 --> 00:34:48,545
and broke the spearhead
of the German offensive.
578
00:34:51,182 --> 00:34:53,582
In winning
the Battle of Britain...
579
00:34:53,617 --> 00:34:56,518
the gallant
RoyaI Air Force established...
580
00:34:56,554 --> 00:34:59,614
a new military truth
in the history of war-making-
581
00:34:59,657 --> 00:35:03,252
that as long as a nation
controls its own skies...
582
00:35:03,294 --> 00:35:05,319
it cannot be invaded.
583
00:35:07,932 --> 00:35:10,765
Hitler's
invasion plan shattered...
584
00:35:10,801 --> 00:35:13,133
he decided
to suffocate England...
585
00:35:13,170 --> 00:35:16,162
by cutting
her lines of supply.
586
00:35:16,207 --> 00:35:19,665
In the Mediterranean,
during the era of sea power...
587
00:35:19,710 --> 00:35:23,077
controI had always centered
around the navaI strongholds...
588
00:35:23,114 --> 00:35:27,517
of Gibraltar, Malta,
Alexandria, and Haifa.
589
00:35:27,551 --> 00:35:29,917
In the new era of air power...
590
00:35:29,954 --> 00:35:32,286
the island of Crete
was destined to become...
591
00:35:32,323 --> 00:35:34,257
the commanding center
of the eastern half...
592
00:35:34,291 --> 00:35:35,849
of the Mediterranean.
593
00:35:40,464 --> 00:35:42,625
Recognizing
the importance of Crete...
594
00:35:42,666 --> 00:35:45,965
Hitler-with his spearhead
of short-range aviation-
595
00:35:46,003 --> 00:35:48,972
pushed step by step
through the Balkans...
596
00:35:49,006 --> 00:35:52,874
and amassed his strength
for an aeriaI invasion.
597
00:35:52,910 --> 00:35:54,844
The British had neglected
to provide Crete...
598
00:35:54,879 --> 00:35:56,574
with an aeriaI defense...
599
00:35:56,614 --> 00:35:59,481
and were confident they could
defend it with their navy.
600
00:35:59,517 --> 00:36:02,543
The world witnessed
the first clear-cut dueI...
601
00:36:02,586 --> 00:36:05,680
between sea power
and air power.
602
00:36:05,723 --> 00:36:10,023
The Luftwaffe went to work,
sinking ships...
603
00:36:10,060 --> 00:36:13,188
destroying
ground installations...
604
00:36:13,230 --> 00:36:17,189
seizing airfields
with parachute troops...
605
00:36:17,234 --> 00:36:19,327
and finally, landing
an army of occupation...
606
00:36:19,370 --> 00:36:22,203
in gliders
and transport planes.
607
00:36:26,177 --> 00:36:28,168
The first territory
to be conquered...
608
00:36:28,212 --> 00:36:30,544
entirely through air power...
609
00:36:32,416 --> 00:36:34,941
another upset in war-making.
610
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:37,912
For more than two years...
611
00:36:37,955 --> 00:36:39,354
we had front-row seats...
612
00:36:39,390 --> 00:36:41,654
to watch this revolution
in war-making...
613
00:36:41,692 --> 00:36:45,093
yet we failed to understand
the lessons of air power.
614
00:36:45,129 --> 00:36:48,064
In the Pacific,
we left the skies unprotected.
615
00:36:48,098 --> 00:36:50,259
With our battle fleet
in PearI Harbor...
616
00:36:50,301 --> 00:36:52,269
as our first line of defense...
617
00:36:52,303 --> 00:36:55,272
we were prepared for
traditionaI navaI warfare...
618
00:36:55,306 --> 00:36:59,675
but again the first blow
came from the air.
619
00:37:18,996 --> 00:37:21,328
In one hour
and twenty minutes...
620
00:37:21,365 --> 00:37:23,833
a mighty battle fleet
was put out of action...
621
00:37:23,867 --> 00:37:26,597
by a mere 150 planes.
622
00:37:28,672 --> 00:37:31,800
True, PearI Harbor
was a sneak attack.
623
00:37:31,842 --> 00:37:33,275
But three days later...
624
00:37:33,310 --> 00:37:35,870
two of the mightiest warships
of the British navy-
625
00:37:35,913 --> 00:37:37,847
"Prince of Wales"
and "Repulse"-
626
00:37:37,881 --> 00:37:41,942
fully alert, dared to venture
within striking range...
627
00:37:41,986 --> 00:37:44,978
of enemy land-based bomber
and torpedo planes.
628
00:38:14,485 --> 00:38:17,818
The tragic sinking
of these two mighty warships...
629
00:38:17,855 --> 00:38:20,483
was finaI proof that navies...
630
00:38:20,524 --> 00:38:24,051
can no longer carry a war
to the enemy whose shores...
631
00:38:24,094 --> 00:38:27,530
are adequately defended
by land-based aviation.
632
00:38:29,466 --> 00:38:33,095
Our naval defense
of the Pacific crumpled...
633
00:38:33,137 --> 00:38:35,196
under the blows of air power.
634
00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:36,638
Japan's lightning drive...
635
00:38:36,674 --> 00:38:38,574
was nothing
but a faithful imitation...
636
00:38:38,609 --> 00:38:40,133
of the German blitzkrieg.
637
00:38:40,177 --> 00:38:42,805
They employed
exactly the same tactics.
638
00:38:42,846 --> 00:38:45,178
Having practically
no air opposition...
639
00:38:45,215 --> 00:38:47,445
Japan's
spearhead of air power...
640
00:38:47,484 --> 00:38:50,317
cleared the path
for its land and sea forces...
641
00:38:50,354 --> 00:38:52,914
and drove us out
of one island after another...
642
00:38:52,956 --> 00:38:55,720
until most of the Pacific
was lost.
643
00:38:55,759 --> 00:38:58,193
Only then did
the earthbound mind grasp...
644
00:38:58,228 --> 00:39:00,560
the main lesson of this war-
645
00:39:00,597 --> 00:39:03,862
that no battle can be won
on the surface of the earth...
646
00:39:03,901 --> 00:39:08,099
without first gaining complete
control of the sky above.
647
00:39:08,138 --> 00:39:10,606
We were so impressed
with the use to which...
648
00:39:10,641 --> 00:39:13,804
the enemy put the weapons
of land, sea, and air...
649
00:39:13,844 --> 00:39:16,779
that we ourselves adopted
the very same tactics.
650
00:39:16,814 --> 00:39:20,045
Aviation was recognized
as a full-fledged member...
651
00:39:20,084 --> 00:39:21,984
of our fighting team.
652
00:39:22,019 --> 00:39:25,614
It was to provide a roof
for our army and navy...
653
00:39:25,656 --> 00:39:28,454
and act as a spearhead
of our offensive.
654
00:39:28,492 --> 00:39:30,255
Now we were confident...
655
00:39:30,294 --> 00:39:33,024
that we could beat the enemy
at his own game.
656
00:39:33,063 --> 00:39:35,224
The reasoning
seemed logical enough-
657
00:39:35,265 --> 00:39:38,359
if we have the same
kind of weapons as the enemy-
658
00:39:38,402 --> 00:39:41,599
only more of them-
how can we lose?
659
00:39:41,638 --> 00:39:45,301
With our abundant resources,
wealth of manpower...
660
00:39:45,342 --> 00:39:47,640
and tremendous
industrial capacity...
661
00:39:47,678 --> 00:39:50,238
why, we can
build the biggest army...
662
00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:52,544
the biggest navy,
and the biggest air force.
663
00:39:52,583 --> 00:39:54,915
And with
this super-colossal team...
664
00:39:54,952 --> 00:39:57,079
we'll smother the enemy
with the sheer weight...
665
00:39:57,121 --> 00:39:59,555
of our men and machines.
666
00:39:59,590 --> 00:40:02,855
The success of this procedure
depends on two things-
667
00:40:02,893 --> 00:40:06,351
first, we must produce
a vast amount of weapons...
668
00:40:06,397 --> 00:40:08,331
of endless variety.
669
00:40:08,365 --> 00:40:11,596
And second, we must deliver
this maze of equipment...
670
00:40:11,635 --> 00:40:15,196
to battlefronts that are spread
all over the face of the earth.
671
00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:19,699
Already nearly 100 million tons
of vital supplies...
672
00:40:19,743 --> 00:40:23,702
are required every month,
month after month...
673
00:40:23,747 --> 00:40:27,877
and if we step up the offensive,
this tonnage will grow.
674
00:40:27,918 --> 00:40:31,581
Now, can we produce
and keep on producing...
675
00:40:31,622 --> 00:40:33,920
and if we can,
can we deliver...
676
00:40:33,957 --> 00:40:36,482
and keep on
delivering all this?
677
00:40:36,527 --> 00:40:39,155
Regardless of the courage
and gallantry of our men...
678
00:40:39,196 --> 00:40:41,164
on the battlefront...
679
00:40:41,198 --> 00:40:44,565
regardless of the sacrifice
and effort on the home front...
680
00:40:44,601 --> 00:40:47,126
as long as we follow
this course...
681
00:40:47,171 --> 00:40:48,763
victory or defeat...
682
00:40:48,806 --> 00:40:52,469
hangs on the fate
of our line of supply.
683
00:40:57,714 --> 00:41:00,649
With this surface
struggle embracing the globe...
684
00:41:00,684 --> 00:41:04,415
the problem of transportation
becomes the deciding issue.
685
00:41:06,356 --> 00:41:08,324
To grasp
what we're up against...
686
00:41:08,358 --> 00:41:10,690
let's spread this problem
before us.
687
00:41:12,729 --> 00:41:14,196
In the west...
688
00:41:14,231 --> 00:41:17,200
the battlefront stretched
over Europe and Africa.
689
00:41:17,234 --> 00:41:20,260
The main theaters of war
are the Russian front...
690
00:41:20,304 --> 00:41:22,864
extending from Murmansk
to the Black Sea...
691
00:41:22,906 --> 00:41:25,966
the near-east,
and Mediterranean fronts.
692
00:41:27,444 --> 00:41:30,641
In the east, from the Arctic
to the South Pacific.
693
00:41:34,051 --> 00:41:35,951
Between these two theaters
of conflict...
694
00:41:35,986 --> 00:41:40,116
thousands of miles away
lies the arsenaI of democracy.
695
00:41:44,194 --> 00:41:46,219
This highly mechanized war...
696
00:41:46,263 --> 00:41:49,528
has placed tremendous demands
on our production capacity...
697
00:41:49,566 --> 00:41:51,932
which is rapidly
approaching its peak.
698
00:41:51,969 --> 00:41:56,167
Ever mounting numbers
of tanks, guns, planes...
699
00:41:56,206 --> 00:41:58,538
roll off production lines.
700
00:42:04,081 --> 00:42:06,447
This vitaI equipment
for the distant fronts...
701
00:42:06,483 --> 00:42:08,747
is rushed
across the continent...
702
00:42:08,785 --> 00:42:12,050
but finally jams up
in the bottleneck of shipping.
703
00:42:20,397 --> 00:42:23,491
This lifeblood of vitaI
war supplies must be pumped...
704
00:42:23,534 --> 00:42:26,435
through the arteries
of our transport lines...
705
00:42:26,470 --> 00:42:30,668
over distances that actually
girdle the globe.
706
00:42:30,707 --> 00:42:32,732
To illustrate...
707
00:42:32,776 --> 00:42:34,869
when a supply ship
from San Francisco...
708
00:42:34,912 --> 00:42:37,676
moves over the trackless
miles of ocean...
709
00:42:37,714 --> 00:42:40,012
and delivers
its cargo at Suez...
710
00:42:40,050 --> 00:42:42,518
it can return
over the same route...
711
00:42:42,553 --> 00:42:45,647
or traveI the rest of the way
around the world.
712
00:42:45,689 --> 00:42:47,316
In either case...
713
00:42:47,357 --> 00:42:49,985
as far as the distance
in wartime is concerned...
714
00:42:50,027 --> 00:42:53,258
it's a tossup,
and the ship is lucky...
715
00:42:53,297 --> 00:42:56,494
if it can deliver
more than two loads a year.
716
00:42:56,533 --> 00:42:59,331
Wartime distances
and peacetime distances...
717
00:42:59,369 --> 00:43:01,428
are entirely different.
718
00:43:01,471 --> 00:43:04,872
For example, from
San Francisco to Melbourne...
719
00:43:04,908 --> 00:43:08,071
in peacetime is 6,700 miles.
720
00:43:08,111 --> 00:43:11,103
But in wartime,
with enemy controI...
721
00:43:11,148 --> 00:43:14,015
jutting out
its sphere of domination...
722
00:43:14,051 --> 00:43:15,985
the distance
is almost doubled...
723
00:43:16,019 --> 00:43:19,819
and the enemy has twice as long
to attack our shipping.
724
00:43:19,856 --> 00:43:22,848
But his supply lines,
being interior lines...
725
00:43:22,893 --> 00:43:25,191
have not
changed from peacetime.
726
00:43:31,001 --> 00:43:33,299
To deliver supplies
to the Russian front...
727
00:43:33,337 --> 00:43:37,137
our navies must convoy ships
over 4,000 perilous miles...
728
00:43:37,174 --> 00:43:39,472
to Murmansk, and from there...
729
00:43:39,509 --> 00:43:42,273
more than 1,000 miles
overland to the battlefront.
730
00:43:44,815 --> 00:43:48,911
By contrast, the Nazis can rush
supplies to the same front...
731
00:43:48,952 --> 00:43:52,149
in a few days
by direct overland transport.
732
00:43:54,324 --> 00:43:57,316
Geographically,
the Axis has a great advantage.
733
00:43:57,361 --> 00:44:00,819
They operate with short
interior lines of supply...
734
00:44:00,864 --> 00:44:04,561
whereas we're compelled to use
long exterior lines...
735
00:44:04,601 --> 00:44:07,001
a 50,000-mile battlefront...
736
00:44:07,037 --> 00:44:10,336
every mile threatened by
the deadliest menace of all...
737
00:44:10,374 --> 00:44:12,274
the submarine.
738
00:44:15,345 --> 00:44:18,007
Against these wolf packs
lurking underwater...
739
00:44:18,048 --> 00:44:20,073
and striking from ambush...
740
00:44:20,117 --> 00:44:24,315
the ship glued to the surface
is a helpIess target.
741
00:44:24,354 --> 00:44:26,879
In order to win
the battles at the front...
742
00:44:26,923 --> 00:44:30,290
Hitler must cut
our lifeline of supply.
743
00:44:30,327 --> 00:44:35,731
The U-boat-his major weapon-
is our greatest problem.
744
00:44:35,766 --> 00:44:39,202
He is building improved U-boats
by the hundreds...
745
00:44:39,236 --> 00:44:42,694
ever growing in size
and striking power...
746
00:44:42,739 --> 00:44:45,902
immune to anything
short of a direct hit.
747
00:44:49,813 --> 00:44:52,247
Every measure
we take to protect...
748
00:44:52,282 --> 00:44:54,876
this slow-moving target
will be offset...
749
00:44:54,918 --> 00:44:57,819
by new scientific devices
in the submarine.
750
00:45:06,129 --> 00:45:09,656
Soon it will be able to lurk
safely below the surface...
751
00:45:09,700 --> 00:45:12,191
and without ever
revealing its presence...
752
00:45:12,235 --> 00:45:15,568
accurately locate
the approaching victim.
753
00:45:30,554 --> 00:45:32,988
Our shipbuilding industry
tries desperately...
754
00:45:33,023 --> 00:45:37,187
to meet the challenge,
but faces a tragic contest...
755
00:45:37,227 --> 00:45:41,288
between
launchings and sinkings.
756
00:45:47,771 --> 00:45:51,434
Every ship that goes down
is a triple casualty...
757
00:45:51,475 --> 00:45:55,536
of wasted materiaI,
labor, and human life.
758
00:45:56,847 --> 00:45:59,008
With millions of tons
of our production...
759
00:45:59,049 --> 00:46:01,347
going to the bottom
instead of to battle...
760
00:46:01,384 --> 00:46:05,753
a tremendous strain
is put on our industriaI heart.
761
00:46:11,628 --> 00:46:13,255
As long as
we cling to a strategy...
762
00:46:13,296 --> 00:46:15,560
based on surface warfare...
763
00:46:15,599 --> 00:46:18,397
the advantage is
on the side of the enemy.
764
00:46:18,435 --> 00:46:22,235
Hitler's strategic position
resembles a wheeI.
765
00:46:25,075 --> 00:46:27,566
The hub-his powerfuI
industriaI center...
766
00:46:27,611 --> 00:46:30,409
which grinds out
the implements of war.
767
00:46:32,949 --> 00:46:35,509
The spokes-his supply lines...
768
00:46:35,552 --> 00:46:37,452
that support
the fighting fronts...
769
00:46:37,487 --> 00:46:39,717
the rim of the wheeI.
770
00:46:39,756 --> 00:46:42,782
Our surface strategy seeks
to crush this structure...
771
00:46:42,826 --> 00:46:46,284
by striking at
the rim from all sides...
772
00:46:46,329 --> 00:46:48,627
millions of men and machines...
773
00:46:48,665 --> 00:46:51,691
in a clash
of steeI against steeI.
774
00:46:51,735 --> 00:46:53,862
Should we concentrate
enough force...
775
00:46:53,904 --> 00:46:55,872
to attack at any one point...
776
00:46:55,906 --> 00:46:58,238
Hitler can
quickly shift his power...
777
00:46:58,275 --> 00:47:00,607
and reinforce
the threatened sector.
778
00:47:00,644 --> 00:47:02,703
No matter where we strike...
779
00:47:02,746 --> 00:47:04,680
Hitler can
strike back swiftly...
780
00:47:04,714 --> 00:47:07,581
with the right force
at the right place.
781
00:47:10,687 --> 00:47:14,088
Should we strike from all sides
with superior force...
782
00:47:14,124 --> 00:47:16,558
Hitler will contract his wheeI.
783
00:47:16,593 --> 00:47:20,620
The spokes become shorter,
the rim thicker...
784
00:47:20,664 --> 00:47:24,031
the whole structure stronger
and more nearly impregnable.
785
00:47:25,569 --> 00:47:28,561
To successfully attack,
we must use a superior force...
786
00:47:28,605 --> 00:47:30,971
and attempt to knock out
Hitler's equipment...
787
00:47:31,007 --> 00:47:33,237
faster than he can replace it.
788
00:47:33,276 --> 00:47:34,937
Tanks destroy tanks...
789
00:47:34,978 --> 00:47:37,572
and our supporting
short-range aviation...
790
00:47:37,614 --> 00:47:39,172
plays an important part...
791
00:47:39,216 --> 00:47:41,150
by destroying
more of Hitler's equipment.
792
00:47:44,821 --> 00:47:46,880
But with his factories
unmolested...
793
00:47:46,923 --> 00:47:48,686
he can quickly fill the gaps...
794
00:47:48,725 --> 00:47:52,126
by moving his supplies
short distances over dry land.
795
00:47:58,068 --> 00:48:02,027
By contrast, our replacements
must be carried in transports
796
00:48:02,072 --> 00:48:05,564
over those thousands
of perilous floating miles...
797
00:48:05,609 --> 00:48:08,134
constantly under attack
from the enemy.
798
00:48:17,087 --> 00:48:20,056
As long as we fight
on the surface of the earth...
799
00:48:20,090 --> 00:48:23,321
Hitler has all the advantage.
800
00:48:23,360 --> 00:48:25,555
But with the strategy
of air power...
801
00:48:25,595 --> 00:48:27,529
the advantage is ours.
802
00:48:27,564 --> 00:48:30,397
Air power ignores
the battlefronts of the rim.
803
00:48:30,433 --> 00:48:32,264
By direct
and independent action...
804
00:48:32,302 --> 00:48:33,735
it strikes at the hub.
805
00:48:36,606 --> 00:48:39,575
With this all-important source
of enemy power knocked out...
806
00:48:39,609 --> 00:48:42,009
the whole structure
will collapse...
807
00:48:42,045 --> 00:48:43,842
and our surface forces...
808
00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:45,848
will move in
and clinch the victory...
809
00:48:45,882 --> 00:48:48,282
with a tremendous saving
in human lives.
810
00:48:49,619 --> 00:48:52,452
This is the real teamwork.
811
00:48:52,489 --> 00:48:55,549
This is the true role
of air power.
812
00:48:55,592 --> 00:48:58,026
The present air offensive
against Germany...
813
00:48:58,061 --> 00:49:00,188
is the beginning
of such strategy.
814
00:49:00,230 --> 00:49:03,028
Already more than
50 industrial targets...
815
00:49:03,066 --> 00:49:05,557
have felt
the sting of bombardment.
816
00:49:05,602 --> 00:49:07,934
The Royal Air Force
has blazed a trail.
817
00:49:07,971 --> 00:49:10,201
They are giving the Nazis
a thorough lesson...
818
00:49:10,240 --> 00:49:12,470
in the proper use of air power.
819
00:49:12,509 --> 00:49:14,340
Now, this is no accident.
820
00:49:14,377 --> 00:49:16,470
Back in 1918...
821
00:49:16,513 --> 00:49:18,640
in the very midst
of the last war...
822
00:49:18,682 --> 00:49:21,207
the British people
had the wisdom and courage...
823
00:49:21,251 --> 00:49:23,344
to take a bold step.
824
00:49:23,386 --> 00:49:26,219
They divorced their Air Force
from their Army and Navy...
825
00:49:26,256 --> 00:49:30,022
and set it up as a separate
and independent branch.
826
00:49:30,060 --> 00:49:33,723
The entire air potential
of the country was unified.
827
00:49:33,763 --> 00:49:36,823
As a result,
the Royal Air Force...
828
00:49:36,866 --> 00:49:39,699
has been able to go ahead
and develop its strength...
829
00:49:39,736 --> 00:49:42,227
free and unhampered.
830
00:49:42,272 --> 00:49:46,174
American airmen have not
had the same opportunity.
831
00:49:46,209 --> 00:49:49,440
They're still part and parcel
of our Army and Navy.
832
00:49:49,479 --> 00:49:52,505
But recently,
under the pressure of events...
833
00:49:52,549 --> 00:49:55,017
we have combined
our air strength...
834
00:49:55,051 --> 00:49:56,643
with that of the British.
835
00:49:56,686 --> 00:49:58,677
And now
some of our own airmen...
836
00:49:58,722 --> 00:50:00,656
together with
the Royal Air Force...
837
00:50:00,690 --> 00:50:04,683
are planning and carrying out
real air strategy.
838
00:50:04,728 --> 00:50:07,356
As the United Nations
surround Nazi Europe...
839
00:50:07,397 --> 00:50:10,696
with a ring of air bases,
the present-day bomber...
840
00:50:10,734 --> 00:50:13,294
such as the British
Sterlings and Lancasters...
841
00:50:13,336 --> 00:50:16,134
and our own Flying Fortresses
and Liberators...
842
00:50:16,172 --> 00:50:19,198
with their striking radius
of 1,000 miles...
843
00:50:19,242 --> 00:50:23,372
will be able to reach
every spot of the Axis anatomy.
844
00:50:23,413 --> 00:50:26,382
Air power at last
will be in a position...
845
00:50:26,416 --> 00:50:28,475
to score a major decision-
846
00:50:28,518 --> 00:50:30,509
to bomb the enemy
into submission...
847
00:50:30,553 --> 00:50:33,386
to knock
Germany out of the war.
848
00:50:33,423 --> 00:50:35,323
But whether
this happens or not...
849
00:50:35,358 --> 00:50:37,258
depends not on air power...
850
00:50:37,293 --> 00:50:41,627
but again on
those same lines of supply.
851
00:50:41,664 --> 00:50:44,656
Air power planted
on these distant bases...
852
00:50:44,701 --> 00:50:47,499
far away from
its main source of supply...
853
00:50:47,537 --> 00:50:51,098
is only as good as the supply
lines by which it is fed.
854
00:50:51,141 --> 00:50:54,508
If these lines...
855
00:50:54,544 --> 00:50:57,342
can supply the needs
of this ring...
856
00:50:57,380 --> 00:51:00,178
present-day bombers
with their striking radius...
857
00:51:00,216 --> 00:51:03,208
of 1,000 miles
will be able to do the job.
858
00:51:03,253 --> 00:51:06,689
But in the Pacific,
they haven't got a chance.
859
00:51:06,723 --> 00:51:10,523
Let's take our ring
and move it over Japan.
860
00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:14,462
If our bases were this close,
it would be a simple matter.
861
00:51:14,497 --> 00:51:16,692
But Japan's
sphere of domination...
862
00:51:16,733 --> 00:51:18,792
is three times that of Germany.
863
00:51:18,835 --> 00:51:21,395
Japan is far beyond our reach.
864
00:51:21,438 --> 00:51:25,374
All military men agree
that Japan cannot be defeated...
865
00:51:25,408 --> 00:51:28,377
until the source
of its power is destroyed.
866
00:51:28,411 --> 00:51:32,040
They all agree that Japan
itself is the target.
867
00:51:32,082 --> 00:51:35,142
But they all disagree
on how to get at it.
868
00:51:35,251 --> 00:51:37,811
Some pin their hopes
on Siberia...
869
00:51:37,854 --> 00:51:40,152
others on direct assault
from the sea...
870
00:51:40,190 --> 00:51:42,283
with aircraft carriers.
871
00:51:42,325 --> 00:51:45,488
Some still cling to
the island-by-island approach.
872
00:51:45,528 --> 00:51:48,190
Some say China.
873
00:51:57,340 --> 00:51:59,308
But they could not
strike on a big enough scale...
874
00:51:59,342 --> 00:52:01,310
to knock Japan out.
875
00:52:01,344 --> 00:52:05,610
China is isolated,
cut off from outside help...
876
00:52:05,648 --> 00:52:09,345
on one side
by impassable mountains...
877
00:52:09,385 --> 00:52:12,354
on the other three,
by the enemy.
878
00:52:12,388 --> 00:52:15,448
The kind of air offensive
that could smash Japan...
879
00:52:15,492 --> 00:52:18,359
would require millions
of tons of materiaI-
880
00:52:18,394 --> 00:52:22,330
bombs, gasoline, oiI,
replacements.
881
00:52:22,365 --> 00:52:26,199
All these vitaI supplies must
be brought in from the outside,
882
00:52:26,236 --> 00:52:29,034
and with the only means
of delivery by air...
883
00:52:29,072 --> 00:52:31,700
the task becomes impossible.
884
00:52:31,741 --> 00:52:33,766
To reopen
surface supply lines...
885
00:52:33,810 --> 00:52:36,176
we must drive the enemy
out of Burma...
886
00:52:36,212 --> 00:52:38,043
Thailand, and Indochina.
887
00:52:38,081 --> 00:52:41,346
This means another major war-
888
00:52:41,384 --> 00:52:43,648
2,000 miles
through steaming jungles...
889
00:52:43,686 --> 00:52:46,655
hacking our way inch by inch...
890
00:52:46,689 --> 00:52:50,489
struggling over
formidable mountain barriers...
891
00:52:50,527 --> 00:52:53,018
crawling through
fever-ridden swamps...
892
00:52:53,062 --> 00:52:55,360
years of exhaustive fighting.
893
00:52:55,398 --> 00:52:59,357
And even then, our bases
would still be dependent...
894
00:52:59,402 --> 00:53:02,235
on the longest, most vulnerable
lines of supply...
895
00:53:02,272 --> 00:53:04,331
on the face of the globe.
896
00:53:11,347 --> 00:53:14,510
The Japanese are just as aware
of this as we are.
897
00:53:14,551 --> 00:53:17,019
The instant
any attempt is made...
898
00:53:17,053 --> 00:53:19,681
to use these air fields
for bombing raids...
899
00:53:19,722 --> 00:53:23,351
against the Japanese homeland,
the jaws will close...
900
00:53:23,393 --> 00:53:26,658
launching off another surface
struggle for air bases...
901
00:53:26,696 --> 00:53:29,028
with the odds
all in favor of the Japs...
902
00:53:29,065 --> 00:53:32,057
whose supply lines
are much shorter than ours.
903
00:53:48,851 --> 00:53:52,480
Any such attempt will only
prove the superiority...
904
00:53:52,522 --> 00:53:55,821
of land-based aviation
over carrier-based aviation.
905
00:53:55,858 --> 00:53:58,884
The land-based plane
has the advantage of size...
906
00:53:58,928 --> 00:54:03,456
range, and bomb load,
because it can take off...
907
00:54:03,499 --> 00:54:07,230
from a runway
two or three miles long.
908
00:54:07,270 --> 00:54:10,296
By contrast,
the carrier's runway...
909
00:54:10,340 --> 00:54:13,400
is only
a fraction of this size.
910
00:54:13,443 --> 00:54:17,436
Therefore, the plane itself
has to be much smaller...
911
00:54:19,115 --> 00:54:22,278
which in turn reduces
the range and bomb load.
912
00:54:22,318 --> 00:54:26,778
To destroy Japan with
these small doses of TNT...
913
00:54:26,823 --> 00:54:31,021
would require not a hundred
but thousands of carriers.
914
00:54:31,060 --> 00:54:33,995
Long before our floating
airfields could bring...
915
00:54:34,030 --> 00:54:36,760
their short-range aviation
within striking distance...
916
00:54:36,799 --> 00:54:39,859
Japan's powerfuI
land-based planes...
917
00:54:39,902 --> 00:54:42,097
would reach far out
into the Pacific...
918
00:54:42,138 --> 00:54:45,869
and our carriers would be under
constant merciless attack...
919
00:54:45,908 --> 00:54:49,002
not only from above,
but from the surface...
920
00:54:50,813 --> 00:54:53,145
and from below.
921
00:54:53,182 --> 00:54:56,481
Aircraft brought on
these floating bases...
922
00:54:56,519 --> 00:55:00,683
must share the same fate
as the fleet itself.
923
00:55:00,723 --> 00:55:04,625
"Land-sea-air team
to clear path to Tokyo.
924
00:55:04,661 --> 00:55:08,791
"Island to island amphibious
drive to whip Japan."
925
00:55:08,831 --> 00:55:11,925
Japan has already
fortified its new empire...
926
00:55:11,968 --> 00:55:13,993
with a chain
of island strongholds...
927
00:55:14,037 --> 00:55:15,732
converting every one of them...
928
00:55:15,772 --> 00:55:19,071
into a powerfuI,
unsinkable air base.
929
00:55:19,108 --> 00:55:21,668
Experience has proved
that to invade...
930
00:55:21,711 --> 00:55:23,736
and reconquer
any of these islands...
931
00:55:23,780 --> 00:55:27,580
is far too costly
in life, substance, and time...
932
00:55:27,617 --> 00:55:31,553
for while we exhaust ourselves
attacking the outer fringe...
933
00:55:31,587 --> 00:55:35,455
the enemy feverishly rakes in
the loot of his stolen empire-
934
00:55:35,491 --> 00:55:40,451
oiI, copper, iron,
tungsten, tin, rubber.
935
00:55:40,496 --> 00:55:42,862
Gorging on
this new lifeblood...
936
00:55:42,899 --> 00:55:44,628
his war industries...
937
00:55:44,667 --> 00:55:46,635
the heart and vitals
of the beast...
938
00:55:46,669 --> 00:55:52,335
out of reach and unmolested,
swell in size and power...
939
00:55:52,375 --> 00:55:56,505
forge more
bullets, guns, tanks...
940
00:55:56,546 --> 00:56:00,812
bombs, planes,
to strengthen his defenses...
941
00:56:00,850 --> 00:56:03,216
more weapons of
death and destruction...
942
00:56:03,252 --> 00:56:06,085
to expand
his sphere of domination.
943
00:56:09,192 --> 00:56:11,217
Whether on the continent...
944
00:56:11,260 --> 00:56:14,627
island by island,
or on the high seas...
945
00:56:14,664 --> 00:56:17,394
this long
and exhausting struggle...
946
00:56:17,433 --> 00:56:19,901
is nothing but a fight
for air bases...
947
00:56:19,936 --> 00:56:22,734
so we can bring
our short-range aviation...
948
00:56:22,772 --> 00:56:27,038
close enough
to strike at Japan.
949
00:56:27,076 --> 00:56:28,509
What is the solution?
950
00:56:28,544 --> 00:56:30,569
Long-range air power.
951
00:56:30,613 --> 00:56:33,673
When we increase
the range of our bombers...
952
00:56:33,716 --> 00:56:36,913
we automatically decrease
the surface struggle-
953
00:56:36,953 --> 00:56:39,854
double the range,
half the struggle-
954
00:56:39,889 --> 00:56:42,915
so the longer the range,
the shorter the war.
955
00:56:42,959 --> 00:56:45,792
By increasing the striking
radius of our bombers...
956
00:56:45,828 --> 00:56:48,763
to 3,000 miles,
we will be able...
957
00:56:48,798 --> 00:56:51,995
to reach Japan from
the bases we have today.
958
00:56:52,034 --> 00:56:53,296
But with this range...
959
00:56:53,336 --> 00:56:55,702
air power will no longer
have to depend...
960
00:56:55,738 --> 00:56:57,797
on these distant bases.
961
00:56:57,840 --> 00:56:59,899
It will be able
to strike directly...
962
00:56:59,942 --> 00:57:02,433
from continentaI America
and free itself...
963
00:57:02,478 --> 00:57:06,278
of all dependency
on overseas supply lines.
964
00:57:07,650 --> 00:57:10,380
From the great industriaI
heart of America...
965
00:57:10,420 --> 00:57:12,911
our overland supply line...
966
00:57:12,955 --> 00:57:17,221
the highway to victory,
runs to Alaska...
967
00:57:17,260 --> 00:57:21,424
and Alaska points straight
at the heart of Japan.
968
00:57:27,203 --> 00:57:30,070
Bombers that can take off
from our own shores...
969
00:57:30,106 --> 00:57:31,664
fly across the ocean...
970
00:57:31,707 --> 00:57:34,505
strike at the enemy,
and return non-stop...
971
00:57:34,544 --> 00:57:37,274
are not only possible
but practicaI.
972
00:57:37,313 --> 00:57:40,248
It is not longer a question
of whether it can be done...
973
00:57:40,283 --> 00:57:42,444
but of making up our minds
to do it.
974
00:57:42,485 --> 00:57:44,919
The science of aviation
is ready to give us...
975
00:57:44,954 --> 00:57:47,548
powerfuI,
long-range combat planes...
976
00:57:47,590 --> 00:57:50,889
far exceeding anything
in the air today.
977
00:57:50,927 --> 00:57:52,394
They'll be heavily armed...
978
00:57:52,428 --> 00:57:55,955
and bristling
with large-caliber cannon.
979
00:57:55,998 --> 00:58:00,025
Their size and stability will
provide a steady platform...
980
00:58:00,069 --> 00:58:02,936
for scientific
range-finding and gun-sights...
981
00:58:02,972 --> 00:58:05,634
to assure accuracy of fire.
982
00:58:07,243 --> 00:58:11,202
Small, single-seater fighters
will find themselves helpIess
983
00:58:11,247 --> 00:58:13,613
for their guns
are not maneuverable.
984
00:58:13,649 --> 00:58:16,083
They're fixed
and can only fire forward.
985
00:58:25,361 --> 00:58:27,420
So while the small fighters...
986
00:58:27,463 --> 00:58:29,124
are jockeying
to get into position...
987
00:58:29,165 --> 00:58:31,929
they're under the constant
and deadly fire...
988
00:58:31,968 --> 00:58:33,765
of the combat plane...
989
00:58:35,404 --> 00:58:38,464
which is always
in firing position.
990
00:59:10,239 --> 00:59:12,036
With scientific accuracy...
991
00:59:12,074 --> 00:59:15,271
the big plane will blast
the enemy out of the air...
992
00:59:15,311 --> 00:59:18,405
before he has a chance
to use his guns.
993
00:59:23,486 --> 00:59:25,454
These powerfuI combat planes...
994
00:59:25,488 --> 00:59:28,685
will destroy
enemy air power completely...
995
00:59:28,724 --> 00:59:30,351
not only in the sky...
996
00:59:30,393 --> 00:59:32,258
but on the ground
at its source.
997
00:59:39,335 --> 00:59:42,566
Once complete mastery
of the air is achieved...
998
00:59:42,605 --> 00:59:45,972
enemy war industries
will lie helpIessly exposed...
999
00:59:46,008 --> 00:59:48,476
to systematic destruction.
1000
00:59:51,581 --> 00:59:54,243
The science of demolition
is keeping pace...
1001
00:59:54,283 --> 00:59:55,910
with the development
of aviation...
1002
00:59:55,952 --> 01:00:00,218
the bombs forever growing
in size and destructive power.
1003
01:00:02,224 --> 01:00:04,351
The industriaI districts
of all nations...
1004
01:00:04,393 --> 01:00:07,692
depend on huge dams
for their main source of power.
1005
01:00:07,730 --> 01:00:10,460
Our Boulder Dam,
Japan's Nagayo...
1006
01:00:10,499 --> 01:00:12,467
and those in
the German Rhineland.
1007
01:00:12,501 --> 01:00:15,800
These solid structures suffer
relatively minor damage...
1008
01:00:15,838 --> 01:00:19,239
when hit by
one and two-ton bombs...
1009
01:00:19,275 --> 01:00:23,211
but when a ten-ton
delayed-action bomb is dropped,
1010
01:00:23,245 --> 01:00:24,769
not on
the concrete structure...
1011
01:00:24,814 --> 01:00:28,079
but deep in the water
behind the dam...
1012
01:00:30,386 --> 01:00:33,355
its explosion will multiply
the pressure of the water...
1013
01:00:33,389 --> 01:00:35,949
far beyond the structuraI
strength of the dam...
1014
01:00:35,992 --> 01:00:38,358
and crush it like an eggshell.
1015
01:00:45,768 --> 01:00:48,703
With this important
source of power knocked out...
1016
01:00:48,738 --> 01:00:51,229
the war industries
of the entire region...
1017
01:00:51,273 --> 01:00:53,468
will come to a standstill.
1018
01:00:57,380 --> 01:01:02,443
Scientific bombing is destined
to conquer Hitler's submarines,
1019
01:01:02,485 --> 01:01:05,113
not by attacking them
one by one...
1020
01:01:05,154 --> 01:01:07,122
as they roam the Seven Seas...
1021
01:01:07,156 --> 01:01:09,681
but by striking
right at their source-
1022
01:01:09,725 --> 01:01:13,252
the breeding grounds
in Germany proper.
1023
01:01:13,295 --> 01:01:16,924
Today, the U-boats are
protected from ordinary bombing
1024
01:01:16,966 --> 01:01:19,594
by thick roofs
of reinforced concrete.
1025
01:01:19,635 --> 01:01:23,127
However, science is developing
an armor-piercing bomb...
1026
01:01:23,172 --> 01:01:25,572
employing
the rocket principle.
1027
01:01:25,608 --> 01:01:29,738
As it nears its target,
a rocket in the taiI ignites...
1028
01:01:31,847 --> 01:01:34,213
driving it down
with such terrific speed...
1029
01:01:34,250 --> 01:01:36,810
it can knife its way
through steeI and concrete.
1030
01:01:46,929 --> 01:01:49,989
IndustriaI districts within
reach of this air power...
1031
01:01:50,032 --> 01:01:53,092
will be on the receiving end
of other gigantic bombs...
1032
01:01:53,135 --> 01:01:56,036
that contain an auxiliary
charge in their tails...
1033
01:01:56,072 --> 01:01:58,006
backed by a counterweight.
1034
01:01:58,040 --> 01:02:00,008
As the bomb
nears its target...
1035
01:02:00,042 --> 01:02:03,011
a secondary explosion
takes place...
1036
01:02:03,045 --> 01:02:06,913
driving it away
from the counterweight...
1037
01:02:06,949 --> 01:02:09,349
which explodes into
a shower of incendiaries.
1038
01:02:09,385 --> 01:02:12,843
Driven down like a shot
from a cannon...
1039
01:02:12,888 --> 01:02:15,914
this bomb by its very size
and penetration...
1040
01:02:15,958 --> 01:02:20,292
will explode deep underground
and cause a locaI earthquake...
1041
01:02:27,803 --> 01:02:32,001
completely demolishing
everything over a wide area.
1042
01:02:34,243 --> 01:02:37,041
This is the coming reality...
1043
01:02:37,079 --> 01:02:39,513
and we must face the fact...
1044
01:02:39,548 --> 01:02:41,880
that it is
a two-way proposition.
1045
01:02:41,917 --> 01:02:45,318
No nation has a monopoly
on this kind of air power...
1046
01:02:45,354 --> 01:02:46,981
and when it comes...
1047
01:02:47,022 --> 01:02:50,423
there can be no real defense
against such an attack.
1048
01:02:50,459 --> 01:02:52,586
Bombers
will always go through...
1049
01:02:52,628 --> 01:02:56,325
and the only sure defense
will be a vigorous offense.
1050
01:02:56,365 --> 01:02:59,493
It's a question
of who destroys who first.
1051
01:02:59,535 --> 01:03:02,436
Right now,
America holds the answer...
1052
01:03:02,471 --> 01:03:05,133
not only because of
our superior science...
1053
01:03:05,174 --> 01:03:06,937
and industrial power...
1054
01:03:06,976 --> 01:03:09,103
but because at
this stage of the war...
1055
01:03:09,145 --> 01:03:11,670
our strategic position
is such...
1056
01:03:11,714 --> 01:03:13,682
that we can shift
our industrial effort...
1057
01:03:13,716 --> 01:03:15,581
into long-range air power...
1058
01:03:15,618 --> 01:03:20,453
But the enemy cannot,
and this is why.
1059
01:03:20,489 --> 01:03:23,117
He has overrun
vast territories...
1060
01:03:23,159 --> 01:03:26,856
and subjugated millions
of people against their will.
1061
01:03:26,896 --> 01:03:30,354
In order to suppress rebellion
and harness slave labor...
1062
01:03:30,399 --> 01:03:33,027
to develop his
newly-acquired resources...
1063
01:03:33,068 --> 01:03:37,562
he must maintain a huge army,
and a huge army requires...
1064
01:03:37,606 --> 01:03:40,302
a huge number
of supporting aircraft.
1065
01:03:40,342 --> 01:03:43,573
So his entire industry
must keep on grinding out...
1066
01:03:43,612 --> 01:03:45,409
this same kind of aviation.
1067
01:03:45,447 --> 01:03:48,075
He cannot afford
to disturb his production...
1068
01:03:48,117 --> 01:03:50,881
and start building
long-range air power...
1069
01:03:50,920 --> 01:03:55,880
until he has consolidated
his gains and digested his loot.
1070
01:03:55,925 --> 01:03:59,691
That takes time,
and that time is ours.
1071
01:03:59,728 --> 01:04:03,164
Today, the enemy
is sprawled on the ground...
1072
01:04:03,199 --> 01:04:04,996
and while
his greedy tentacles...
1073
01:04:05,034 --> 01:04:08,834
are clutching the loot,
his body lies unprotected.
1074
01:04:08,871 --> 01:04:12,432
Why spend our precious time
trying to loosen his grip?
1075
01:04:12,474 --> 01:04:14,339
In the struggle,
it can only lead...
1076
01:04:14,376 --> 01:04:18,005
to the complete devastation of
the lands we're trying to free.
1077
01:04:18,047 --> 01:04:20,914
Why not use this time
to forge the dagger...
1078
01:04:20,950 --> 01:04:23,316
that can strike
at the heart of the beast?
1079
01:04:23,352 --> 01:04:26,253
Once we give up the idea
of trying to regain...
1080
01:04:26,288 --> 01:04:28,415
the lost territory
inch by inch...
1081
01:04:28,457 --> 01:04:29,924
we can hold the enemy...
1082
01:04:29,959 --> 01:04:32,587
with surface forces
much smaller than his.
1083
01:04:32,628 --> 01:04:35,859
If we use our short-range
aviation to provide...
1084
01:04:35,898 --> 01:04:39,390
undisputed control of the skies
over our forces...
1085
01:04:39,435 --> 01:04:42,370
our present positions
cannot be invaded.
1086
01:04:42,404 --> 01:04:45,339
Any further expansion
on the part of the enemy...
1087
01:04:45,374 --> 01:04:48,673
will lead to
his exhaustion, not ours.
1088
01:04:48,711 --> 01:04:51,680
So by conserving our efforts
on land and on sea...
1089
01:04:51,714 --> 01:04:54,444
we can throw the vast
resources of America...
1090
01:04:54,483 --> 01:04:56,610
into long-range air power...
1091
01:04:56,652 --> 01:04:59,815
and strike the decisive blow
through the air.
1092
01:04:59,855 --> 01:05:01,379
This cannot be accomplished...
1093
01:05:01,423 --> 01:05:04,051
simply by building
a lot of huge airplanes.
1094
01:05:04,093 --> 01:05:06,391
We could have
swarms and clouds of them...
1095
01:05:06,428 --> 01:05:08,919
and still
not have real air power.
1096
01:05:08,964 --> 01:05:11,398
What we must do is unify...
1097
01:05:11,433 --> 01:05:13,901
the entire air strength
of our country...
1098
01:05:13,936 --> 01:05:18,396
into one formidable force
under a single air command.
1099
01:05:18,440 --> 01:05:22,069
This is a major undertaking,
but it is a move...
1100
01:05:22,111 --> 01:05:24,579
that is bound
to come sooner or later.
1101
01:05:24,613 --> 01:05:27,844
Because air power
is swiftly emerging...
1102
01:05:27,883 --> 01:05:31,319
as the dominant force
in war or in peace...
1103
01:05:31,353 --> 01:05:34,322
this move will either
be forced upon us...
1104
01:05:34,356 --> 01:05:35,983
by the march of events...
1105
01:05:36,025 --> 01:05:37,993
or it will come
through the foresight...
1106
01:05:38,027 --> 01:05:41,053
and native intelligence
of the American people.
1107
01:05:41,096 --> 01:05:42,427
In the past...
1108
01:05:42,464 --> 01:05:45,331
they have never failed
to act promptly and wisely...
1109
01:05:45,367 --> 01:05:48,063
once they understood
the problem they faced.
1110
01:05:48,103 --> 01:05:51,698
And so, in this crucial hour
in the destiny of our country...
1111
01:05:51,740 --> 01:05:55,198
they will not hesitate
to break the chains of habit...
1112
01:05:55,244 --> 01:05:58,077
and free themselves
from the earthbound past.
1113
01:05:58,113 --> 01:06:02,209
Only then will
our aviation leadership...
1114
01:06:02,251 --> 01:06:05,550
be free to plan and carry out
reaI air strategy...
1115
01:06:05,587 --> 01:06:08,988
that will bring us victory in
the shortest possible time...
1116
01:06:09,024 --> 01:06:12,425
with a minimum investment
in human lives.
1117
01:06:12,461 --> 01:06:14,429
Only then
will the creative brains...
1118
01:06:14,463 --> 01:06:17,261
and productive talent
of our aviation industry...
1119
01:06:17,299 --> 01:06:20,632
be free to forge the reaI
weapons of air power...
1120
01:06:20,669 --> 01:06:24,435
that will carry
totaI destruction to the enemy.
1121
01:07:17,092 --> 01:07:19,560
Our gallant airmen
have already demonstrated...
1122
01:07:19,595 --> 01:07:22,086
their skill,
their resourcefulness...
1123
01:07:22,131 --> 01:07:23,621
and their courage.
1124
01:07:23,665 --> 01:07:28,466
Born to this aeriaI age,
they understand war in the sky.
1125
01:07:28,504 --> 01:07:31,735
America should not hesitate
to place its destiny...
1126
01:07:31,774 --> 01:07:33,639
in the hands of these men...
1127
01:07:33,675 --> 01:07:36,007
for with the strategy
of air power...
1128
01:07:36,045 --> 01:07:38,912
they will make the enemy
fight on our terms...
1129
01:07:38,947 --> 01:07:40,915
against the weapons
of our choosing...
1130
01:07:40,949 --> 01:07:44,680
at our time, but on his soiI.
1131
01:07:45,305 --> 01:08:45,588
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1132
01:08:45,638 --> 01:08:50,188
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