Tag: world war II

Curtiss Ascender XP-55: The Unforgettable Wartime Prototype

sgreene820

Today’s film documents an oddball wartime fighter prototype, the Curtiss Ascender XP-55. The plane was developed in response to a 1939 US Army Air Forces (USAAF) circular asking for designs with improved performance, pilot visibility and armament. Designed as a “pusher” type aircraft with a rear propeller and stubby front “canard” wings, the Ascender was built at the Curtis plant in St. Louis, Missouri. It first flew in July of 1943.

One unique feature of the platform was a lever that ejected the rear propeller so that the pilot could eject safely. The plane had problems with stalling at high altitudes. It also under-performed compared to contemporary fighters. Out of three prototypes produced, two crashed. The one pictured here, the third, crashed at an airshow at Wright Field in Ohio on May 27th of 1945, killing the pilot and four spectators. The project was cancelled at the flight test stage. Only the second prototype survives today.

The design seems to anticipate later aircraft, in particular the Rutan VarIeze, but no evidence indicates that it was a direct design inspiration for the later plane. Several other manufacturers and other air forces were experimenting with similar designs at the time.

The footage is described in the National Archives Catalog, but without the “back story” I’ve recounted. No digital copy exists at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This copy was produced from a 35mm motion picture work print, by pointing a camera to the film viewers provided in NARA’s research room. A professional archival media researcher helps you leverage unique footage like this for your next publication, exhibit or production!

The Jet Fighter That Might Have Been

sgreene820

Today’s film concerns the US Army Air Forces first jet fighter prototype, the XP-59 Bell Airacomet. The film shows four prototypes under active evaluation at Muroc Army Airfield in California, now Edwards Air Force Base. The prototype’s first flight was in October 1942. The XP-59 was frequently disguised on the tarmac by the ruse of attaching a fake propeller! The plane was under powered, floundering in head-to-head testing with contemporary Allied fighters, so no combat match ups with Axis fighters ever occurred. The prototype was never accepted for active service or full-production. It remained as a test bed and trainer for several years after the war. In total, 66 planes in 7 variants were produced. Six air frames survive today.

This reel, a film work print, has not been digitized by the National Archives, so this look at the Airacomet prototype is not widely available. I digitized from the work print using a camera pointed to the flatbed film viewer in the National Archives Research Room. The only detailed description of this film is also only available in the Research Room.

18-CS-7316 shotcardDownload

Content like this is accessible only by the efforts of professional media researchers such as myself. Hire a professional researcher for your next project, publication, or production!

Rediscovering WWII’s Forgotten Films: A Unique GI Adventure

sgreene820

Happy 2026 to all!

Today’s film is a forgotten piece of fluff found in the “Combat Subjects” series of the US Army Air Forces in WWII. Basically, a few GI’s find a derelict Kubelwagen (aka “German Jeep”) and decide to get it running again! Volkswagen resurrected the design in the late 60’s as “The Thing”.

The story was a welcome diversion from the grim tales of war. The fact that it has sound makes it stand out. Only a handful of films with composite sound are found in this series. There were a few ways to record sound optically but field recording was a different thing from commercial film. In this case the recording was likely made on transcription discs, later converted to an optical sound track in a lab.

Films like this are under-described in the National Archives on-line catalog, and are usually unavailable digitally. This particular film was recorded off the flatbed film viewers in NARA’s research room, no other digital copy exists. A professional media researcher can navigate the resources available in the research room and add value to your next production!

Posts

Latest from Historicity Research Services!

  • Curtiss Ascender XP-55: The Unforgettable Wartime Prototype

    Today’s film documents an oddball wartime fighter prototype, the Curtiss Ascender XP-55. The plane was developed in response to a 1939 US Army Air Forces (USAAF) circular asking for designs with improved performance, pilot visibility and armament. Designed as a “pusher” type aircraft with a rear propeller and stubby front “canard” wings, the Ascender was…

  • US Army Airfield Inspection: Stillwell vs. Chennault

    Today’s film dates from August 1943, capturing an inspection visit to a US Army airfield, probably in Kunming, China. Two American generals toured the airfield: Lt. General Joseph Stillwell, President Roosevelt’s envoy to the Republic of China (“ROC”), and Major General Claire Chennault, commander of the 14th Army Air Force in China. The two generals…

  • “CASE CLOSED” – Ending the Search for John Ford’s D-Day

    62 years ago, in an article appearing in The American Legion magazine, film director John Ford recalled D-Day on the 20th anniversary of Operation Neptune, the naval assault on Normandy. Ford was in charge of Navy and Coast Guard photographic assets for the invasion. Confessing that his recollections were fuzzy and disconnected, Ford recalled the…

Posts

Stay up to date with the latest from our blog.

Back in the USSR!

sgreene820

Today’s film from the National Archives and Records Administration (“NARA”) illustrates a forgotten part of World War II, the titanic allied effort to arm and equip a future adversary: the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (“USSR”). A major import channel for these supplies was through the Persian Gulf by way of a network of ports and airbases in Iran and Iraq.

This roll, shot by the US Army Air Forces in 1943, opens with the American star livery on an aircraft being repainted red for the Russians. Hundreds of large crates and ships suggest this a large, port, probably in Basra, Iraq. Enlisted personnel move crated aircraft around, opening one to reveal a “factory-fresh” Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter plane. Russian and American officers inspect the shipments and greet each other. The attitude illustrated is very much “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”!

Films like these aren’t well described in NARA’s on-line catalog, truly accessible only by those willing to work in the physical research rooms with the background granted by years of experience. Hire a professional researcher for your next production or publication and add impact!

Casablanca!

sgreene820

Today’s film, shot by US Army Air Forces photographers, presents no mysteries. Instead the reel is a gift that keeps on giving. Shot during President Roosevelt’s allied conference in early 1943, the film touches many bases. It opens with a segment of FDR meeting with Free French commander General Phillipe LeClerc and continues with a session showing FDR conferring with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (good closeups!) The roll concludes with an early sound film of Roosevelt conferring the Congressional Medal of Honor on Col. William Wilbur as Generals George Marshall and George Patton look on. The sound segment continues with interviews of African American service members.

This film is barely described in the National Archives’ Catalog by the title “PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT & [AND] CHURCHILL AT CASABLANCA”. No digital surrogate is available on the Catalog. This copy was made by pointing a digital camera toward a vintage film work print on the flatbed film viewers provided in the National Archives’ Moving Image and Sound Research Room. As the work product of US government photographers, the film is uncopyrighted and available for use.

Content like this is usually ONLY screenable in the National Archives Research Rooms. Professional archival researchers can unlock unique content like this for your presentation, publication or production.