This film from the British Act / Fact series recounts January 1st, 1945 -- New Year's Day -- when Allied aircraft faced a surprise onslaught of German fighters raiding their bases in Belgium and Holland. Anti-aircraft crews raced into action. Many Allied aircraft were hit on the ground before they could scramble into the air. At 2;02, Royal Air Force Spitfires, Typhoons and Tempests are sent to intercept the German planes, and fighter support for bombing raids is diverted to staunch the bleeding (2:24). At 2:29, an unescorted B-17 Flying Fortress comes under attack. The air battle that resulted (3:37) turns out to be one of the greatest air to air battles of the war, unrivaled perhaps by all except the Battle of Britain. At 4:03, gun camera footage shows German aircraft being shot from the sky. At 4:56, a German plane is pursued for miles by British aircraft, who finally score a kill. At 5:13, wrecked German aircraft are shown. The narrator muses about Germany's lack of tactical success, noting that the Germans lost an incredible 136 pilots that day, the R.A.F. lost only four. The Luftwaffe's Operation Bodenplatte represented an attempt to cripple Allied air forces and regain air superiority during the Battle of the Bulge. This in turn, it was hoped, would allow the Bulge offensive to continue. The Germans did gain surprise in the offensive, but overall the attack was a terrible failure, with many irreplaceable German pilots killed in action or captured, and air superiority never in doubt. The Allies' personnel casualties proved minimal, with destroyed aircraft replaced quickly, and the Bulge offensive completely crushed by the end of the month. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
