AMC Pictorial Review Number 1 is a short news film that updates viewers on various operations of the U.S. Air Force during the 1940s. The film starts at Wright Field in Ohio with “Monorail Delivery.” Supplies are airdropped and parachute to the ground (00:56) via an aerial monorail delivery system. The film shows a man loading bags of supplies hooked up to G-1 parachutes and connected to the trolley of the monorail on a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. The film shows the components of the monorail system. A C-97 takes off (02:54) and the cargo is moved to the drop spot of the aircraft along the monorail system. The supplies’ parachutes are triggered upon deployment and the supplies parachute to the ground. The next segment shows a Republic XP-84 Thunderjet (the predecessor to the Republic F-84 Thunderjet) as it is moved out of a hanger and onto a runway. The film shows the air scoop located in the nose of the aircraft (05:23). A pilot sits in the pilot seat and opens the cockpit roof. The film also shows the engine of the jet, which is followed by footage of the Thunderjet taxing on a runway at the Muroc Lake base and taking off (06:43). “75 mm Howitzer Drop” is the third segment of the film. A 75mm Pack Howitzer M1 (later redesignated the M116 howitzer) is dropped from a plane and parachutes to the ground. A Fairchild C-82 Packet flies overhead. A howitzer is loaded into the cargo compartment of a C-82 (08:03). Footage shows the deployment of the howitzer from the point of view of a nearby plane, and the artillery parachutes to the ground with a gentle landing. The next segment is on a captured German ME-163 rocket fighter (Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet). The film shows the aircraft as it takes off from a field (09:59) with rocket propulsion. A graph demonstrates the plane’s ability to climb altitude at high speeds. Footage shows the jet sitting on a runway (11:30), then the film shows the rocket-propulsion engine sitting on a stand. A man demonstrates the combustibility of the rocket fuel used in the jet. A German test pilot climbs into the cockpit of a captured jet at Wright Field; the aircraft takes off (13:54). The plane lands back at Wright Field, skidding to a stop. In the film’s next segment, a missile is launched from a site in White Sands, NM as part of Project “Blossom I.” A V2 rocket is launched (15:49). The final segment of this pictorial review also takes place at White Sands, NM. Recovered German V2 rockets are hauled by U.S. army trucks to White Sands Proving Ground. A 12-ton guided missile is rebuilt at White Sands Proving Ground (17:35). Footage shows a man packing a parachute and brake chute into the compartment of the missile. The film shows some of the devices used in the missile. The modified missile is pulled out of a hanger on a trailer (19:18); the film then shows the Gantry Tower, from which the missile can be refueled and launched. The modified rocket is fired (21:00) as test engineers watch from inside the control room (20:48). The film shows some of the footage recorded from the missile’s camera.
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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
