This silent German educational film presents “a cross section of the rebuilding of the German air force” shows the roles played by pilots, radiomen and gunners in the service of the German Luftwaffe. It was made by the Reich information ministry with a script written by Swiss filmmaker Dr. Martin Rikli and filmed by Erwin Bleek-Wagner (who later filmed war films including “Campaign in Poland”). The background on this film is well known: although it was formally banned from producing aircraft and training pilots in large numbers by the Treaty of Versailles, in the mid-1930s Hitler’s Germany quickly began to assemble an air force and made great strides in aviation technology. This film uniquely shows some of the training of the men recruited for the Luftwaffe, and was doubtless used in German schools to foster an interest in the service. At :48, training biplanes are seen lined up at an airfield. At 1:10 the film introduces Adolf Hitler and says, “Our Fuhrer, who we owe for the fact that we have an air force once again.” At 1:18, Adolf Hitler himself is seen reviewing assembled air troops along with chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Goring. At 1:35, Brigadier General Walther Wever (identified by his armband) is shown, the pre-WWII Luftwaffe commander, who died in an aircraft accident in 1936. The aircraft behind him are Junkers Ju 86 monoplane bombers (also used as civilian airliners). At 2:19 some basic training of cadets is shown — shouldering arms. The plane visible at 2:29 in the background is a hulking Dornier Do 23. Next, target practice is shown by cadets, followed by instruction on how a radial aircraft engine operates. At 3:03, cadets are shown how a plane’s horizontal stabilizer works. The airplane shown is a Bücker Bü 180 Student. At 3:24, a Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz biplane is shown in flight and doing acrobatics. Starting at 4:17, the rear gunner or observer position is examined with shots of gunner positions in aircraft. An Arado biplane, possibly a modified Arado Ar-66, is shown with a rear gun position. At 5:07 the rear gunner, in his role as observer, takes photographs with an aerial camera. At 5:20, a rare shot of a Heinkel He 70 Blitz (“lightning”), a German mail plane and fast passenger monoplane aircraft. Here it is used for reconnaissance, with photos being shot by an observer in the rear. Starting at 6:00, photographic interpretation is shown, with photos being studied by magnifying glass. At 6:25, training biplanes are shown doing formation flying, and the commentary notes that training results in better pilots who “give the enemy no chance.” What appears to be a shot down aircraft or wreck is seen at 7:30. At 7:45, balloons are blown up and used for target practice. At 8:26, the massive Do 23 is pushed out of its hangar. Gunners are shown moving into the aircraft and mounting machine guns. At 9:40 bombs are loaded into the wing. At 10:28 a Ju-86 is shown in flight. At 11:05, the aircraft’s lower gun position is shown. At 12:06, naval biplanes and float planes are shown including Arado AR-96 type. At 12:35, anti-aircraft flak gunners are shown. At 13:21, naval anti-aircraft guns are shown. At 14:12, radio operators are shown using a field transmitter and, at 14:21, a field telephone.

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