The sparse caption material accompanying this footage from the national Archives says it depicts P-47s arriving at Iwo Jima. Take a look at pristine P-47Ns being prepared for flight on Iwo.
Then, as is often the case with preserved reels of raw footage, the action switches to include air-to-air views of P-51 Mustangs with and without long-range wing tanks. The black diamond wedge shape on one of the Mustangs looks like markings from the 47th Fighter Squadron, a Seventh Air Force unit. The dark-tailed Mustang is likely from the 457th Fighter Squadron of the Seventh Air Force. The Mustangs with large drop tanks and a horizontal marking on the vertical fin may be from the 72nd Fighter Squadron of 7th Air Force.
The occasional B-29 Superfortress is viewed in flight, as is a surfaced submarine. Rows of B-29s in the rain suggest somewhere other than Iwo Jima in the Marianas.
The film wraps up with an immediate postwar 1945 look at bomb damage in Yokohama.
I'm Fred Johnsen for the Airailimages Channel. Thank you for watching. If you enjoy seeing these treasures from the vault, hit the Subscribe button.
24 авг 2024
