U.S. Army Air Mobile Infantry "Flying Soldiers" (1958)

Synopsis

Flying Soldiers is a 1958 U.S. Army film (M.F. 46-8998) that promotes the new tactical air capabilities of Army aviation through developing helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft and the tactical abilities that accompany that development. The highlight of the film is a demonstration of the air mobilization of the infantry. The film begins with footage from the point of view of a helicopter flying over a river. The film mentions the evolution of the U.S. Army’s mobility, and features a scene of men riding horses through the American southwest desert. During World War I, soldiers climb out of the trenches and charge across No Man’s Land (01:22). Mechanized warfare quickly developed during the 19th century, and the film shows a number of shots of tanks, trucks, and airplanes (01:47). Army soldiers ride horses (02:00). Hitler watches Nazi troops march; Germany’s Panzer tanks quickly cover ground in Europe. Allied soldiers park a jeep while on a recon mission (03:00). Army trucks move along a snow-covered mountain road (03:25). A European road is crowded with civilians fleeing the fighting of World War II (03:55). Rockets and missiles are fired (04:23). Soviet tanks, trucks, and troops participate in a military parade in Moscow (05:00). Army helicopters fly in the air, including a Bell H-13 Sioux. Large Army helicopters take off at night, most likely Piasecki H-21 Shawnee helicopters (06:48); Army fixed-wing aircraft—what appears to be a Beechcraft L-23 Seminole and a Cessna O-1…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

29 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage