Fighter Squadron (Warner Bros.) (1948)

IMPORTANT! NEW STORIES These stories cover the important angle of the never-before-released combat footage held in official United States Air Force vaults, and now woven into “Fighter Squadron”. This makes great copy for your newspapers! Actual Combat Films In ‘Fighter Squadron The inside story of the aerial battle of Europe, up to now a closed page in the files of the United States Air Force, is about to be told in “Fighter Squadron”, a Warner Bros. Technicolor production starring Edmond O’Brien, Robert Stack and John Rodney. The men who shot the aviation battle scenes in “Fighter Squadron” used their trigger fingers, and they shot more than film. Gun cameras synchronized with the firing of the guns of P-47 Thunderbolts recorded combat footage over Europe for the secret film records of the United States Air Force. This exclusive, never-before-released footage of some of the most amazing aerial battles of the War has been woven into the dramatic and at times humorous story of the new film, which opens at the Strand on Friday. The gun cameras which photographed the combat scenes were placed in the wings of fighter planes, right alongside the guns, and in other observation points in the aircraft. They worked automatically as the pilots maneuvered their ships in action e against the enemy. A number of the studio personnel at Warner Bros.’ Burbank production headquarters, where “Fighter Squadron” was _ produced, served during the War as members of the special Air Force motion picture unit whose job it was to handle this combat footage. The “Fighter Squadron” assignment found them handling the very same motion pictures they had worked on while in uniform. “Fighter Squadron” itself was made in cooperation with the Air Force, and combines the actual battle pictures with new material, much of which was _ specially photographed at the U.S.A.F. base in Oscoda, Mich. Hundreds of thousands of feet of carefully guarded combat motion pictures of Air Force operations in Europe during the War were edited to provide the material for the battles scenes in “Fighter Squadron”, after being held for study for over four years by higher echelons of the Air Force. The footage was under guard even during production of the picture at the Warner studio. Strand to Show ‘Fighter Squadron’, Includes Actual Combat Scenes Revealing the inside story of American fighter plane operations during the War in Europe by featuring some of the most closely guarded actual combat films photographed by the Air Force, the Strand Theater on Friday will bring to town Warner Bros.’ new Technicolor production, “Fighter Squadron”, starring Edmond O’Brien, Robert Stack and John Rodney. Included in the picture are films never before released by the Air Force showing aerial battles over Europe and strafing operations. Some of this footage came from gun cameras in planes whose pilots failed to survive the very battles shown. Film Shot by Gun Cameras Now in ‘Fighter Squadron’ The never-before-told story of the fighter plane Battle of Europe, filmed by gun cameras in the planes that fought, is now released to the American public in Warner Bros. “Fighter Squadron”, made in cooperation with the United States Air Force. Motion pictures’ kept until now in the guarded vaults of the Air Force are included, along with specially filmed dramatic material starring Edmond O’Brien, Robert Stack and John Rodney, in the Technicolor pro duction which opens at the Strand Theatre on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of feet of combat motion pictures of Air Force fighter operations in Europe during the War were edited to provide the material for “Fighter Squadron”. Some of this film was photographed by pilots who met death in action. The pictures themselves, held for study by the higher echelons of the Air Force, were under guard even during production of the new film at the Warner Bros. studio. IMT e v' ibe & U, B.me