This is the stuff that makes me love being an historian. My friend and fellow researcher Lynn Ritger just spent the last five days playing “Squirrel!” in the uncategorized digitized film files at the National Archives. He found a lot of gems. But the best is this. Footage taken from Admiral Spruance’s flagship, the cruiser “Northampton,” as she escorted the carriers “Enterprise” and “Hornet” on the Doolittle Raid. The footage includes the takeoffs of the bombers from the “Hornet.”
It is scary when your aircraft leaves the end of the carrier deck and the airspeed indicator is registering well below flying speed. Have faith lads there is a lag and it will fly (usually). This is from vast expereince😂 of having made a grand total of 6 solo traps on the Lex in a T-28 over 50 years ago.
Cool is right! That is fantastic footage! And the expressions and actions by crew members as the bombers were launched from the carriers are priceless. I'm going to share this on FB.
Wow! Thanks for posting. My father was an Ensign on the Enterprise from March 1941 to December 1943. He watched the takeoff of the B-25's from his battle station, the forward 1.1" AA battery. He saw a lot of history unfold, and had a few to many close calls. I am trying to collect as much info like this for the family archives.
I can dig it. Like Burgess Meredith in the Twilight Zone episode, "All the time in the world".
I love it. History is so fucking cool!😺
Fascinating...! What purpose did the biplanes serve?
Thanks TC. It's stuff like that that makes me glad there are historians, especially the ones who just keep digging.
It is scary when your aircraft leaves the end of the carrier deck and the airspeed indicator is registering well below flying speed. Have faith lads there is a lag and it will fly (usually). This is from vast expereince😂 of having made a grand total of 6 solo traps on the Lex in a T-28 over 50 years ago.
Cool is right! That is fantastic footage! And the expressions and actions by crew members as the bombers were launched from the carriers are priceless. I'm going to share this on FB.
Yowsa! Thanks, TC.
Wow! Thanks for posting. My father was an Ensign on the Enterprise from March 1941 to December 1943. He watched the takeoff of the B-25's from his battle station, the forward 1.1" AA battery. He saw a lot of history unfold, and had a few to many close calls. I am trying to collect as much info like this for the family archives.
Fabulous!!! TY, TC. I will send it to my nephew, your fan!!!