“Vol. 2, Chapter I: The Air Force And The Atom Bomb,” the 1960 episode (SFP 263) of The Air Force Story, reviews the impact of the atomic bomb, how it was tested, and the new power of the hydrogen bomb. The chapter opens with U.S. bomber fleets flying in formation and dropping bombs on targets during WWII (01:14). An atomic bomb is detonated (01:38). During 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the U.S. carries out Operation Crossroads, a pair of nuclear weapons tests. Footage shows a cemetery (02:55) that is the resting place for Japanese soldiers killed during WWII. A C-54 lands at one of the island’s airstrips (03:05). A bomber (03:35) flies in the sky. There is a shot of B-29s sitting on an airstrip (04:03). A B-29 lands with General Curtis LeMay aboard; LeMay is greeted by military officials (04:35). The crew of a B-29 inspect their ship, “Dave’s Dream,” which will drop the first atomic bomb on a naval vessel (04:42). “Dave’s Dream” flies through the air; Major Woodrow Swancutt is at the controls of the bomber (05:21). B-17 drones take off (05:36), which will sample cloud masses for radiation after detonation. The B-17 drones fly in the air (06:16). A C-54 carries photographers who will document the test. “Dave’s Dream” drops the bomb in the first controlled bomb drop on a military target (06:59). The B-17s begin flying through the mushroom cloud (07:38). An aerial shot shows the naval fleet that was the target of the bomb test (08:28). The B-17s land (08:54). A radiological crew remove contamination filters from the drones. Men wash down the aircraft. Heavy machines are used to make a military installation on the Marshall Islands (09:47). Airplanes and buildings are set up in a target area in Nevada. A C-54 (10:37) carries flight surgeon volunteers who will test watching the glare of the detonating bomb. Footage shows the blast destroying grounded planes and buildings at the test site (11:22). There is a shot of where the H-Bomb is to be detonated, and that is followed by the detonation of the first hydrogen bomb at Enewetak Atoll, concluding this chapter of The Air Force Story.

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