All-American is a short 1943 official war film from the War Department and produced by the Signal Corps. This film is a special film for the men and women of the American Aircraft Industry, as evidenced by Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson signing a memorandum requesting an movie reel of footage from the Army Air Forces Combat Camera units. All footage from cameras installed on planes and from camera men on planes capturing combat scenes of the war is reviewed by General H.H. Arnold (01:49) and various Air Force intelligence group before it can be screened. The footage shows men bathing and washing clothes, wrestling on the front, and, in general, displaying good humor. Risque noseart and artwork adorns many of the U.S. planes. Not everything is lighthearted though, as the film reveals injured men in a field hospital (03:30) and shows viewers the burial service of a fallen soldier. In the Aleutians, P-38s (04:30) take off. In the South Pacific (05:00), men take to their planes to engage enemy pursuit ships. The next clips cover the bombing raid of Wegesak, Germany (07:58), despite heavy anti-aircraft fire. After dropping their bombs, the bombers return to base. Viewers are then treated to the interrogation or debriefing of a bombing crew (09:53) following the raid on Wegesak, where the crew describe the raid and answer questions about the raid and their encounters with enemy forces. The next segment focuses on transport aircraft (16:49), featuring a C-47 transport plane as it takes off from New Guinea. The transports supply troops but also play a vital role in evacuating wounded (17:43). Transports also drop paratroops (18:35) over North Africa, showing their combat chops. In aircraft factories throughout the U.S. (19:40), men and women in the production lines produce bombers used in bombing raids all over the war, including the bombing raids of Nauru (20:35), North Africa (21:30, 24:55), Isle of New Britain (22:20), Kiska Island (23:36), and Sousse Harbor (25:40), Messina (25:56, 26:19), Sicily (26:03), and the Italian mainland (26:45).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
