Made in Germany during WWII, this aircraft identification film was confidential and made for German pilots, aircrew, and anti-aircraft gun crews. This particular film focuses on aircraft with simple vertical tails and 2 to 3 engines. A title at :16 proclaims “Service Use!” and warns that other use is punishable by law. The film then shows the Ju-188 aircraft (:39), Me-210 (8:00), and the British Beaufighter (14:21) and Beaufort (15:44) and the Caproni 313 (16:37).
The Junkers Ju 188 was a German Luftwaffe high-performance medium bomber built during World War II, the planned follow-up to the Ju 88 with better performance and payload. It was produced only in limited numbers, due both to the presence of improved versions of the Ju 88, as well as the increasingly effective Allied strategic bombing campaign against German industry and the resulting focus on fighter production.
The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the Bf 110. The first examples were ready in 1939, but they proved to have unacceptably poor flight characteristics due to serious wing planform and fuselage design flaws. A large-scale operational testing program throughout 1941 and early 1942 did not cure the type’s problems. The design entered limited service in 1943, but was almost immediately replaced by the Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (“Hornet”). The Me 410 was a further development of the Me 210, renamed so as to avoid the 210’s notoriety. The failure of the Me 210’s development program meant the Luftwaffe was forced to continue operating the Bf 110 after it had become outdated, despite mounting losses.
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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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
