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Object description

Mute film compilation of dramatic aerial combat footage showing the RAF in action over North-West Germany, 9-19 April 1945.

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START 00:00:00 Air-to-air shots of four RAF North American Mitchell Mk III medium bombers belonging to 320 Squadron, 2 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force, in flight on a bright, sunny day, looking earthwards as two sticks of 500-pound bombs fall earthwards from the camera aircraft's bomb bay, another Mitchell flying very close behind the camera aircraft.

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00:00:37 Looking down onto part-wooded countryside 10,000 feet below as three patterns of bombs explode very close together near Heveadorp, near Arnhem, Holland (?). The north bank of the Nederrijn (?) is visible at the top of the frame at the beginning of this shot.

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00:00:52 Eight 500-pound bombs fall out of the bomb bay of the cameraman's aircraft as it flies over a town approximately 10,000 feet below. Air-to-air shot of two Mitchell Mk II medium bombers flying close to the starboard side of the camera aircraft.

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00:01:16 A view onto the countryside 10,000 feet below near Oldenburg (?), a large complex of barracks visible near the top of the frame partly obscured by smoke from bombing. Three sticks of bombs are seen bursting in rapid succession across fields near the barracks.

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00:01:07 Air-to-air shot of two Mitchell Mk III bombers belonging to 180 Squadron, 2 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force, in flight on the starboard side of the cameraman's aircraft. An oblique view of a railway marshalling yard at Coesfeld (?) under RAF attack as more bombs explode, creating fires and causing big explosion. Two Mitchells keeping station on the cameraman's starboard quarter creep into the frame as the cameraman's aircraft heads away from the target.

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00:01:39 A steep strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon onto a railway goods train; vibrations cause visual distortion as the 20mm cannon are fired; cannon rounds are seen striking the train. The train occupies a considerable length of railway which at this point consists of a long curve.

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00:01:55 A second steep attack run onto the railway goods train; the gun camera vibrates as the 20mm cannons are fired. A salvo of four six-inch rockets appears in the frame speeding towards the train.

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00:02:12 A steep dive by a Hawker Typhoon onto a goods train on a stretch of railway passing through part-wooded country. A single locomotive raising steam can also be seen. The gun camera vibrates as 20mm cannons are fired. Four six-inch rockets fly towards their target. As the Typhoon pulls out of its dive, a distant pall of smoke can be seen.

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00:02:31 A steep dive by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest onto a road in part-wooded countryside; 20mm cannon fire is directed on an unidentifiable vehicle. A very clear view of the trees in the wood below as the Typhoon pulls out of its dive.

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00:03:39 A steep angle beam attack by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest on a motor vehicle on a country road at the edge of a wood; 20mm cannon rounds strike the target.

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00:02:43 A steep strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest on a column of lorries parked at intervals along the edge of a road at the edge of a wood; 20mm cannon fire strikes one vehicle.

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00:02:48 A steep strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest on a moving vehicle heading along a road out of a village; the cottage behind the vehicle at the point when it is hit by 20mm cannon fire does not go unscathed.

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00:02:53 A very low-level strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest on a lorry and trailer which disappears under smoke and fire as 20mm cannon rounds strike it.

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00:02:56 A low-level strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon of Tempest over a German village - several lorries parked in the road around a village green and adjacent streets; 20mm tracer rounds strike one of the vehicles parked under a tree.

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00:03:02 A beam attack by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest on a steam locomotive reversing along a railway line in open country with goods waggons in tow, with 20mm cannon rounds striking it.

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00:03:07 A steep beam attack run on a motor vehicle in which the attacking aircraft (a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest) flies low over two cottages; 20mm cannon rounds pepper the vehicle and cause it to explode.

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00:03:11 [OPE 107. A Hawker Tempest flown by Wing Commander Brooker, RAF 486 Squadron, 14th April 1945] A steeply angled left turn low over open country near Hanover as a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf FW190A executes a very tight left turn to avoid being shot down; good deflection shooting by Brooker sees tracer rounds striking the FW190 which begins to trail bright flame, firstly from its starboard wing and then from the port wing before it flies out of the frame. A steep dive onto a field where the burning wreckage of the aircraft is seen; open fields and a village can be seen in the background as the aircraft pulls out of its dive.

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00:03:21 [OPE 99. A Hawker Tempest flown by Squadron Leader Mackie, RAF 80 Squadron, 9th April 1945] A very low-level chase near Fassberg airfield after a Luftwaffe Arado Ar 96 two-seat training aircraft which executes a tight right just as the Tempest open fires with 20mm cannon, peppering the open field and wood below but missing its intended target completely. The Tempest closes to within 150 feet of the Arado and fires a deflection burst of 20mm cannon rounds at it. Initially, they explode harmlessly on the ground below but the Arado flies into more 20mm cannon rounds that strike home near the port wing root and set the aircraft on fire just before it disappears out of shot.

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00:03:37 [OPT 435. A Hawker Typhoon flown by Flight Lieutenant Tarrant, RAF 263 Squadron, 10th April 1945] A long low-level beam strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon against a motorised barge in the North Sea off Texel; 20mm cannon rounds churn up the water and pepper the midships section of the vessel.

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00:03:45 [OPT 436. A Hawker Typhoon flown by Flight Officer Kemp, RAF 263 Squadron, 10th April 1945] A long and steep strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon against a motorised barge already under attack from other rocket-firing Typhoons. A big plume of water erupts as a salvo of rockets which have missed their target strikes the sea. A Typhoon can be seen delivering its attack just as a second rocket salvo strikes the sea near the motorised barge. The camera vibrates considerably as the pilot fires the aircraft's 20mm cannon and strikes the barge near the stern. Four six-inch rockets are also fired at the target.

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00:04:05 A steep strafing run by a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest on a long goods train already fiercely burning as a result of previous attacks. 20mm cannon rounds are seen striking many of the railway waggons. The aircraft flies through the column of black smoke rising skywards from the burning train.

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00:04:19 [OPF 277. 17th April 1945] Shots showing four de Havilland Mosquito F.B. Mk VI light bombers belonging to RAF 487 Squadron flying at very low level over the North Sea on the camera aircraft's port side; on the starboard side, another Mosquito is seen flying about 80 feet above the waves and 300 feet ahead of the cameraman's aircraft as it approaches the Danish coast line. Note the single 250-pound bomb it is carrying underneath each wing. Once across the coastline, it flies over a steam train pulling a line of wagons along a coastal railway line and over the flat polderland beyond.

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00:04:48 The beginning of a very low-level bombing run over a row of cottages and a field towards the Gestapo headquarters at Tarup village outside Odense, already on fire and largely demolished; the cameraman's Mosquito F.B. Mk IV flies up to and very low over the one part of the Gestapo HQ that still is standing, casting a shadow over the roof and its backyard.

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00:05:03 A second low-level bombing run over the row of cottages and the field in front of the shattered Gestapo HQ is played in slow-motion with freeze-frames from 00:05:22 to 00:05:27 and from 00:05:30 to 00:05:35. The shadow of the camera Mosquito flits across the roof of the building. In this sequence, the camouflage net the Germans spread over the building to conceal it from RAF bombing raids is clearly visible.

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00:05:45 [OPX 279. 18th April 1945]. Air-to-air shot of a formation of RAF Handley-Page Halifax Mk IIIB bombers flying in a dispersed formation on a bright, sunny day. A view looking directly down onto the North Sea as fourteen 500-pound bombs fall earthwards from the cameraman's aircraft as it flies a south-easterly course towards Dune, a small island next to Heligoland. A mass of bomb explosions, smoke, dust and fire begins to obscure both the airfield and the rest of the island, ending in a veritable inferno as three large bombs detonate in quick succession.

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00:06:46 An air-to-air shot of a Halifax bomber ahead of the cameraman's own aircraft trailing thick smoke from its starboard inner engine after being hit by German flak.

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00:06:52 Magnesium marker flares burning on the water. A mass of smoke, dust and explosions as bombs burst on Dune.

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00:07:26 [OPX 280. 18th April 1945] Thirteen 500-pound bombs are dropped from the cameraman's aircraft as it flies over the North Sea and they fall towards Heligoland. Oblique views as the whole island is shrouded in clouds of smoke and dust and rising columns of smoke from fires.

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00:08:53 Air-to-air shots of two Halifax bombers in flight and oblique views of Heligoland covered in clouds of smoke, dust, explosions and fires as the camera aircraft flies around the northern tip of the island in a clockwise direction.

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00:09:48 A formation of six RAF Avro Lancaster bombers flies over the North Sea towards Heligoland on a south easterly course. A single Lancaster bomber (from either RAF 9 or 617 Squadron) is seen flying towards Heligoland as a 12000-pound Tallboy earthquake bomb dropped from another aircraft explodes in spectacular fashion on the Oberland, the sandstone cliffs at the north-west end of the island @ 00:09:57, creating a huge pressure wave and spilling a shower of debris into the sea. Another Tallboy (dropped from the single Lancaster bomber seen earlier) falls into the sea very close by @ 00:09:59 but there is a pause of twelve seconds before it too explodes with great force @ 00:10:11. An almost vertical view of the north-west tip of Heligoland where the ground is pock-marked with bomb craters.

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00:10:34 A formation of four Lancaster bombers in flight over the North Sea. A view of Heligoland as the cameraman's aircraft approaches from the north. A Tallboy explodes @ 00:10:46 on the Oberland or cliff section of the island, followed by three more Tallboys on the strand along the north eastern side of Heligoland and on the sandstone cliffs; the massive detonations create huge eruptions of soil, rock and concrete etc and bombard the sea with debris. Thick billowing clouds of smoke and dust shroud the entire island.

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END 00:11:16

Physical description

35mm