25584 WWII COMBAT BULLETIN 39 M-24 TANK M-29 WEASEL JB-2 LOON MISSILE TESTED 1945

One of a series of newsreels directed at U.S. troops during the war, this Combat Bulletin consists of various segments. It begins with a reserve airbase on an island in Yugoslavia where damaged American aircraft are being repaired, and emergency landings are being made. Americans are shown meeting with Yugoslavian freedom fighters.

At 2:30, the film shifts to show some of the experimental activities of the USAAF including shatterproof oxygen tanks for aircraft. At 3:20, a U.S. version of the German V-1 buzz bomb is shown being tested at Wright Field in Ohio. This would be known as the Loon or Republic-Ford JB-2, also known as the KGW and LTV-N-2. At 3:50 a test launch on one of the Great Lakes is shown (could also be at Pt. Mugu in California).

At 4:30, work is seen on the Burma Road where it connects to the Ledo Road on January 20, 1945. A nine-foot python is seen at 5:56. Chinese engineers are seen building culverts at 5:45, and Bailey bridges are seen under construction.

At 6:52 the Ninth Army is seen in winter camouflage dress or “snow suits”. At 8:11, a captured German artillery piece is used to blast German positions in Belgium. At 8:40, bazooka shells are used as improvised explosive devices, set off with flashlight batteries. At 9:13, an M-29 Weasel is shown laying communication lines. The M29 Weasel was a World War II tracked vehicle, built by Studebaker, designed for operation in snow

At 10:27, the M-24 Light Tank is shown operating in Germany. The Light Tank M24 is an American light tank used during the later part of World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and, with the French, in the War in Algeria and the First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee after the United States Army General Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., who helped develop the use of tanks in the United States armed forces. While long removed from American and British service, it is still found in service as a light tank in third-world countries, along with other hardware from that era.

At 12:40, air strikes in Labuan, Borneo are seen by Allied aircraft. The targets are an oil refinery and storage tanks.

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