Handing It Back is 1942 U.S. Navy training film, produced by Jam Handy Organization, which provides an overview of what pilots do in the Pacific theatre and why pilots and gunners are needed. The film’s battle scenes are from actual combat in the “Pacific Area.” The film begins with naval ships firing artillery (00:32) before cutting to pilots on deck just before U.S. planes engage in a bombing run (01:20). The film’s narrator says that the U.S. needs more men and guns, and the film highlights the use of both in the Pacific arena. Planes engage in aerial maneuvers (01:35), gunnery mates load guns and ammo onto what appears to be a PBY Catalina (02:04), then climb into the plane. In the classroom, pilots study machine guns (02:27), and then they head out to the field to train with shotguns—for anticipating shots—and machine guns. The men also learn how to shoot a machinegun from an aircraft environment by shooting from a grounded plane (04:54). The practice strafing (05:25) and bunched patterns. They continue their training with sleeve practice, where they must account for movement of both the gunner and target (05:58). Practice with a camera gun (07:39) allows them to review film and see their hits and misses. After training, men prep their weapons by loading ordinance onto a plane (08:19) and by prepping a machine gun (08:37). These pilots and gunners are all part of the U.S. Naval force in the Pacific (10:04). The film concludes with shots of a gunner shooting down an enemy plane (11:41) as the narrator reminds viewers that “your Navy is out there handing it back.”
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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
