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wernerpruckner -> Thunderbolt! (1/12/2009 6:02:17 PM)
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Some of you will know this film,
but many may not.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7429110560552970247
Thunderbolt" was made in 1944. Footage starts in Italy, on the ground amidst the wreckage- shots of women and children surrounded by death and destruction. In the air- Italy looks much different- it is where the face of war does not stare back. This is the story of how Italy was changed during the war. Starts in Corsica at Alto Airbase. Shows the air boys getting ready for the day's missions. Getting dressed, washing, brushing their teeth and hair, etc. First mission- meeting takes place and orders are given. "Operation Strangle"- cut off the enemy's supply source and stop them from advancing. A difficult mission lies ahead. Italy has a lot of rail ways, rivers, and bridges. U.S. Airforce looked to one plane to do the job- a fighter bomber P-47 Thunderbolt. One engine, one pilot, one bomb on each wing, rockets, guns, and cameras all adorn the aircraft. For these pilots combat experience is what counts. The squadron takes off in pairs- as soon as they are all in the air- they head towards Italy. They fly in formation, following their squadron leader, and start looking for the target- a bridge. After a couple of minutes the target is found. The bombs are dropped and they get out. On the way out, a fighter finds a train, a light house, a radio station, random people in a field, vehicles, houses and decides to take them all out. When the pilots are not flying they have other things to do. Footage shows them during their down time doing laundry, playing games, smoking, getting hair cuts, eating, and playing with yoyos. Missions go continously- one squadron leaves and another comes in. By April every railway was blocked- the concentration then shifted to the roads. By May the operation was complete. Germans had only enough supplies to last them two weeks. The ground crews took full advantage and moved in. Soon we had taken over Rome
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