Victory Through Air Power (1943) - full transcript

Here is the most unusual feature film

Walt Disney ever made.

A film intended not so much to entertain,

but to send a message.

Walt, like many people,

was impressed by the text

of a book called

Victory Through Air Power,

written by Major Alexander P. De Seversky.

In it, this Russian born

naturalized American citizen,

who became a key figure in

the advancement of U.S. military aviation,

called for an overhaul of our priorities.

He was convinced that

the only way to win the war

was to focus our energies

on creating long-range bomber planes.

Remember that when this film

was released in 1943,

victory in Europe and the Pacific

was far from certain.

...spearhead of short-range aviation,

pushed step by step through the Balkans.

There was no end in sight

and our losses were tremendous.

Walt believed in the principles

of Seversky's book.

And felt it was his patriotic duty

to spread the word.

By making a Technicolor feature film

about the subject,

with limited commercial potential,

in the midst of many other wartime duties,

Walt quite simply put his money

where his mouth was.

The message Seversky delivers,

quite convincingly in this film,

isn't about aggression or warmongering.

It's about winning a war against enemies

who were bent on world domination.

A war America stayed out of,

until we were attacked

without provocation at Pearl Harbor.

That's the historical context

that gives meaning to this film today.

For animation buffs,

it's yet another example

of how skillfully the Disney artists

adapted their visual

storytelling techniques

to a deadly serious purpose.

And how successful they were.

In the introductory history of aviation,

there's room for humor.

Even in the later sections of the film,

there's tremendous creativity.

From the staging of battle scenes and

explosions to the use of visual metaphors.

To make sure Major Seversky

made his presentation

as persuasively as possible,

Walt hired a professional director,

a man of long experience

on stage and in Hollywood,

H.C. Potter,

to film these lecture segments.

Potter's many movie credits include

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,

The Farmer's Daughter, Hell's A'Poppin',

and the story of Vernon and Irene Castle.

But more importantly,

he was a flier himself,

and already acquainted with its star.

He certainly did his job well in this movie,

because Seversky comes off quite well,

and doesn't seem stiff or severe.

When I interviewed Mr. Potter years ago,

he had fond memories of Seversky,

whom he knew as Sasha.

But he also remembered

he had to shoot

those sequences at night

because Walt didn't have

sufficient soundproofing

to drown out the noise

from Lockheed Aircraft nearby.

Potter's approach was to make

Seversky's speeches seem as far

from a lecture as possible.

So he gave him lots of movement

and other suggestions

to make the speeches seem

as casual as possible.

He especially remembered one night,

when Sasha couldn't hit his marks,

the places where the camera and

lighting were set up for him.

He said, "Hank,

how can I remember the words,

"the expression, the meaning,

the walking without limping,"

because he had one wooden leg,

"and hit these marks,

"and think of what I'm saying

at the same time?"

Potter replied,

"When you're flying airplanes,

"you're flying a plane, you're navigating,

"you're looking at the ground

to see if you're going

"where you're supposed to be going.

"You're listening to the radio,

watching for other planes,

"and checking your instruments,

all at the same time. "

He concluded in a mock Russian accent,

"Your model should be,

'Dewide the attention'."

Seversky loved that, and from that time on

before every shot,

the crew would chant,

"Dewide the attention. "

Movie critics weren't crazy about the film.

Walt Disney's own distributor, RKO,

didn't want to release it.

So Walt put the film in theaters

through United Artists.

But the most important response

to the movie came from Winston Churchill.

When he flew to Quebec

for an Allied conference,

and learned that President Roosevelt

hadn't seen the movie,

he and Air Marshal Tedder

prodded him until he ordered

that a print be sent to him.

H.C. Potter was told by Walt

that it was only after

Roosevelt saw Victory Through Air Power,

that our country made the commitment

to long-range bombing.

And that, after all, was the reason

Walt committed to making

this movie in the first place.

Because of its topicality,

the Disney Studio decided to keep this film

in the vaults at the close of World War ll.

Only the history of aviation sequence

was seen in the years since then.

It's with great pleasure that we present

Victory Through Air Power, in its entirety.

Today,

a war is very different...

than the last European war was.

Now air power is the dominant

feature of military operations.

Air power can fly directly

into the vital centers...

of an opposing state

and neutralize them.

It can destroy the cities.

It can wreck the aqueducts.

It can knock out

the lines of communication.

It can destroy

the food supplies...

and make the people

helpless to resist.

For 3,500 years,

man has had the desire to fly.

And yet it was

only 40 years ago...

this ambition was realized-

an accomplishment that

was to change the destiny...

of the entire world.

Two brothers,

Orville and Wilbur Wright-

bicycle builders

from Dayton, Ohio-

on the morning

of December 17...

set up on the sands of

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina...

their first heavier-than-air

flying machine.

Powered by

a four-cylinder motor...

developing

almost twelve horsepower...

with two bicycle chain-driven

propellers...

turning at nearly

340 revolutions per minute.

The machine,

complete with pilot...

weighed almost 750 pounds.

In order

to launch the plane...

a monoraiI track was designed.

The biplane "A"runs on

the wooden raiI "B"...

and anchor wire "C"

holds the plane back...

to enable the motor

to develop sufficient power...

for the takeoff.

Everything is in readiness.

The small crowd of witnesses

looks on hopefully.

Orville Wright

is at the controls.

One, two, three...

Go!

The motor races.

It's a tense moment.

Wilbur steadies the wing.

The plane strains

at the anchor cable.

Orville's hand

grips the controI.

The wire is released!

For twelve seconds...

the Wright plane

plows through the air...

in unmistakable power-driven,

man-carrying flight.

Twelve seconds.

TotaI distance-120 feet.

Man has conquered the air.

The five witnesses

of this epoch-making flight...

were too startled,

too thrilled to cheer.

Success! Four flights

Thursday morning...

starting from leveI,

average speed 31 miles.

Inform press. Home Christmas.

Orville Wright.

Man's first flight.

Yet this epoch-making feat...

failed to impress

a disinterested public.

The only part

of this stirring message...

that seemed newsworthy was...

"The Wright Brothers

to be home for Christmas."

In spite of the public's

lack of enthusiasm...

the Wrights persisted.

Then one day, they made

a revolutionary flight.

For the first time,

they were able...

to turn the plane around

in midair...

and fly in

the opposite direction.

The daring Brazilian sportsman

Alberto Santos-Dumont...

made the first

officially recorded...

European airplane flight.

Soon, many other

intrepid airmen...

were flying

in triplanes, biplanes...

monoplanes and multiplanes.

Fantastic in appearance,

but they all flew.

Back in America...

Gee willikers!

It says here

the Army plans an Air Corps.

"The flying machine

must make...

"an endurance flight

of one hour...

"carry pilot

and one passenger...

"attain a speed

of 40 miles an hour...

'traveI ten miles

and land undamaged."

Well, doggone.

41 enthusiastic

airplane builders...

submitted bids

of somewhat varied amounts.

I'll build a plane

for a million dollars.

I'll build it

for a thousand.

Mine'll cost 10 million.

- $3,000.

- $1,230.

- $10,000.

My plane'll cost only $510.

And one shrewd bidder...

guaranteed to build a plane

for $45 a pound.

However, when

the government demanded...

a 10% forfeit be posted...

all but three of

these enthusiastic bidders...

hastily withdrew.

The contract was let

to the Wright Brothers...

for one military airplane.

Six months later,

at Fort Meyer...

delivery was made

to the United States Army.

This was the modest beginning

of our Air Force.

It was only 33 years ago...

that Louis Blériot took off

from the coast of France...

and, without instruments,

made the 21-mile flight...

across the English ChanneI.

Only a few realized

the significance...

of this great flight.

England was no longer isolated

from the rest of Europe...

by an impassable body

of water.

A ChanneI flight

that was to one day...

prove of even

greater significance...

was accomplished by

the Honorable C.S. Rolls.

In his own words...

Departing from England...

the flight across the ChanneI

was quite uneventfuI.

Reaching the other side

and being recognized.

Dropped greetings.

And without stopping...

returned home

safely without mishap.

In the meantime,

back in America...

aviation saw

another great advancement.

Eugene Ely

made the first takeoff...

from the deck

of the U.S.S. Birmingham.

Two months later,

Ely reversed this feat...

by landing on

the U.S.S. Pennsylvania.

This was the birth

of the aircraft carrier.

In 1911, the first experiments

with seaplanes began.

Canoe-like pontoons

were added to a land plane.

Straining for the takeoff,

the motor raced.

At 31 miles an hour...

the plane sped across

the surface of the lake...

and slid up on the bank.

It was not untiI Glenn Curtiss

added a more powerfuI motor...

that experiments with seaplanes

were a success.

That same year

also witnessed...

the first

transcontinentaI flight.

Racing against

a 30-day time limit...

for a $50,000 prize...

Calbraith P. Rodgers

took off from Long Island...

accompanied by a speciaI train

carrying spare parts.

The flight consisted

of 69 short hops...

and 15 crashes.

Over rivers and mountains...

against insurmountable odds...

bucking strong winds

and treacherous air currents...

losing precious moments...

with indomitable courage

and the will to win...

the daring flyer

crashed on and on.

Forty-nine days later

at Pasadena...

Rodgers arrived

with only one strut...

and part of the taiI intact

from the originaI plane.

Just barely missing

the prize by 19 days...

this modest hero confidently

predicted that someday...

somebody would fly

across the country in 30 days.

And so,

for the next few years...

the flying machine continued

to thrill the public...

but was regarded as a novelty

with no practicaI uses.

The airplane,

at the tender age of ten...

went off to war.

At first,

aircraft was considered...

to have very little

military value...

except for

observation purposes.

A spirit of

sportsmanship existed...

between the rivaI pilots.

As they would pass

each other...

on their daily flights

over the lines...

they would wave

a friendly greeting...

and sometimes take pictures

of one another...

which led to

an unusuaI development.

Sacré bleu!

This is outrage!

And so, the next day...

Oof!

The following day...

being a hothead

as well as a squarehead...

Fritz took a potshot at Pierre.

Oh!

Duels with pistols,

shotguns, and rifles...

led to the installation

of the machine gun...

successfuI

but for one small detaiI-

The propeller got in the way.

Then science developed

the synchronizing device...

to allow the bullets

to pass between...

the rapidly revolving blades

of the propeller.

The airplane became

a formidable weapon of war.

The merciless pressure

of warfare...

developed highly specialized

types of planes.

The dropping of grenades

and hand bombs...

led to a new and terrible

instrument of war-the bomber.

The terrific competition

of aeriaI combat...

compelled the rapid improvement

of aircraft.

More than 20,000 conflicts

were fought in the air.

The forced development

of aircraft...

in these four years of war...

would have taken 20 years

to accomplish in peacetime.

Yet the war ended before

the world fully realized...

the military potentiaI

of air power.

As a war-weary public

transferred its interest...

to peacetime activities...

the airplane again

had to struggle for existence.

The "Fly with Me"

gypsy flyer...

barnstormed

all over the country.

While people still regarded

the airplane...

as an exciting novelty...

farsighted airmen

were compelling the public...

to look upon aviation

with a new respect.

The U.S. Navy NC-4 flew

from Newfoundland to England...

via the Azores.

The first nonstop

transatlantic flight...

was made by Alcock and Brown

from Newfoundland to Ireland.

First solo flight

across the Atlantic-

Charles A. Lindbergh,

New York to Paris.

First round-the-world flight-

U.S. Army planes

circled the globe.

Flying time-15 days, 11 hours.

Post and Gatty-

4 days, 10 hours.

Howard Hughes-

2 days, 23 hours.

Altitude flights developed

superchargers and deicers.

Air races improved design

and advanced speed.

Power diving

at 620 miles per hour...

tested durability

and construction of planes.

The first air maiI service

in 1918...

grew in a short time

to major airlines...

with regularly scheduled

transcontinentaI...

and then transoceanic

passenger and freight service.

Aviation was progressing

at a tremendous pace.

Time was being compressed,

distance shrunk...

range lengthened,

and load capacity increased.

The airplane-

now flying all over the world-

was the only weapon of war...

to develop such great

usefulness in peacetime.

Jeepers!

President Roosevelt

wants 50,000 planes a year.

Backed by 25 years

of constant pioneering...

American aviation

met the challenge.

Remember,

the experiment of 1914...

had become

a devastating force.

From the mile-a-minute plane

of World War I...

we're starting today

with planes...

flying more than

six miles a minute.

During the last war...

firepower was increased

from one brick per minute...

to 2,400 bullets per minute.

Today we're starting

with 9,600 bullets per minute.

During World War I...

aeriaI grenades

and 25-pound hand bombs...

grew to two-ton bomb loads.

Today we're starting

with ten-ton bomb loads...

of the most

devastating explosives...

ever conceived by science.

Today the historic flight

of C.S. Rolls...

is repeated daily...

by Rolls-Royce-powered

pursuit and bomber planes.

Departing from England...

the flight across the ChanneI

was quite uneventfuI.

Reaching the other side

and being recognized.

Dropped greetings.

And without stopping...

returned home

safely without mishap.

In one single night...

the bomb load

dropped on Cologne...

was 20 times greater

than the totaI amount...

used in the last war

by the United States.

Today, only

a brief 40 years later...

The Wright Brothers'

first flight of 120 feet...

could be made

with 92 feet to spare...

on the wing of the B-19.

Yet this huge 82-ton

experimentaI bomber-

designed seven years ago-

is only a forerunner

of what can be done.

The amazing advancement

in military aviation...

is due to the vision

and persistence...

of pioneer airmen,

among whom...

Major Alexander P. de Seversky

is an outstanding figure.

He literally

grew up with aviation.

His father

was the first Russian...

to privately own and fly

an airplane.

At ten,

his military education began.

He graduated from the ImperiaI

Russian NavaI Academy...

as a lieutenant and saw

service with the fleet in 1914.

With a firm belief

in the future of aviation...

he became

a full-fledged pilot...

in both Army

and NavaI aviation...

and was assigned to flying duty

with the Baltic fleet.

While on

a night bombing mission...

he was shot down...

and suffered the loss of

his right leg-

an invalid at 22.

Ignoring his handicap and

determined to fight again...

he returned to the front as

Chief of Pursuit Aviation...

in the Baltic,

with the rank of commander.

He fought

57 aeriaI combats...

became the leading ace

of the navaI air forces...

and was awarded

the highest honors...

his country could bestow.

In 1918,

he came to America...

and later served

as aeronauticaI engineer...

and test pilot for

the United States government.

He became a friend,

advisor, and disciple...

of GeneraI Billy Mitchell.

Having become a citizen...

in 1928 he was

commissioned a major...

in the United States Air Corps.

He invented the first

fully automatic bombsight...

and many other instruments

and devices...

all contributing

to the greater efficiency...

of military aviation.

He designed, built, tested...

and himself

flew his new planes.

Among them,

an all-metaI amphibian plane-

in which he set a world speed

record that still stands-

the first low-wing all-metaI

basic training plane...

and the first all-metaI

single-seater fighter plane...

of cantilever construction...

adopted by

the United States Army.

In 1937...

to prove long range could be

built into pursuit planes...

he set a new nonstop record

from New York to Havana.

In an Army pursuit ship

of his own design...

he was the first officially to

cross the country east-west...

with a record

of 10 hours, 5 minutes.

His planes

won the Bendix race...

three successive years.

In 1940, he was presented

the Harmon Trophy...

by President Roosevelt...

for being the Outstanding

Airman of the Year.

With his background

as a combat pilot...

aeronauticaI designer,

engineer, manufacturer...

and military strategist...

Major Seversky's advanced

viewpoint and opinions...

are of vitaI importance

to every citizen.

Under the pressure of war...

the science of aviation

is making terrific strides.

As soon as the airplanes-

which are already...

on the drafting boards of

all the warring nations-

take to the air, there will

not be a single spot...

on the face of the earth

immune from overhead attack.

The enormous flying range...

and destructive power of

these planes will transform...

the entire surface of our planet

into a battlefield.

The distinction between soldiers

and civilians will be erased.

And I believe that

it is only a matter of time...

before we here in America...

will suffer our share

of civilian casualties.

And so warfare becomes

everybody's business.

All of us must understand

the strategy of war.

No longer should it be a mystery

open only to military minds.

The strategy of war is simply

a plan to defeat the enemy.

In wars of the past, there were

only two ways to do it.

One was to kill off his army...

in order to lay hands

on the source of his power.

The other

was to sink his navy...

and force a blockade

and starve him into submission.

Along comes the airplane,

and an entirely new method...

of defeating the enemy

becomes possible.

We can carry the war now...

over the heads

of his army and navy...

strike directly

at the source of his power-

his war industries-

and by destroying

these war industries...

automatically disarm and

paralyze his fighting forces.

This new kind of warfare-

a strategy

based on air power-

was clearly foreseen

more than 20 years ago...

by such great airmen

as General Douhet in Europe...

and our own General Mitchell

here in America.

Time and again they warned

that this new military force-

swifter and more deadly

than any in the past...

equally devastating

on land or at sea-

would revolutionize warfare...

and make the old style

surface strategy impossible.

But their warnings

were dismissed...

as fantastic and visionary.

The military men of

the old school were unwilling...

to recognize this fundamental

change in war-making.

They stubbornly continued...

to pour the resources

of their nations...

into weapons that had already

outlived their usefulness.

As for the airplane...

they accepted it,

but just as another weapon.

Just another means

to bolster up...

their old methods

of surface warfare.

At the start of this war...

Europe was prepared to fight

along the same old lines.

England, with its undisputed

controI of the seas...

was supposed to take care

of sea warfare.

And France,

with its great army...

of land warfare.

France ended the last war

victoriously in the trenches...

so the naturaI tendency...

was to build bigger

and better trenches...

culminating in

that super-colossaI trench...

the trench deluxe,

the Maginot Line.

In these fantastic

underground fortresses...

were stored enough supplies

to withstand a siege of years.

The military leaders

assured the French people...

that this mighty wall

of steeI and concrete...

made France impregnable.

Those who dared criticize

this plan of defense...

were sharply reminded that

the French generaI's staff...

was the greatest on earth.

In the meantime, Hitler

was scheming a conquest...

based on lightning speed

and surprise.

His long-range artillery

took wings.

Air power became

the spearhead of attack...

blasting clear a path

for his ground forces.

Under this shield

of air power...

the Nazi hordes

poured into France.

The mighty Maginot Line

proved no barrier...

against this new kind

of warfare.

Only when it was too late...

did the people of France

realize...

that their whole

plan of defense was futile.

These huge land fortresses-

representing

a great nationaI effort-

stand only as grim monuments

to outmoded military thinking.

And what about

the mighty floating fortresses

that Britain relied on

for controI of the seas?

When Hitler

hurled his blitzkrieg...

across the water gap

into Norway...

the British navy

was confident...

that he had

made a fataI mistake.

By cutting

Hitler's supply lines...

they expected

to trap his forces...

behind a navaI blockade.

But, like the French army...

the British navy

underestimated...

the tremendous

war potentiaI of air power.

Planes from

British aircraft carriers...

took to the air,

but they proved no match...

for the land-based aviation

of the Nazis.

Britain's

own land-based planes...

lacked the range

to come to the rescue.

So the world's mightiest navy,

utterly helpIess...

was forced to retire

to the protection...

of the RoyaI Air Force...

driven back

not by another navy...

but by this totally new

military force-air power.

Hitler planted

a string of air bases...

along the Norwegian coast...

and, with air power...

took over controI

of the seas in this area.

Ignoring

the floating fortresses-

as completely as he'd ignored

the land fortresses of France-

he was able

to move his supplies...

across this water gap

unmolested.

Over 300,000 British troops

cornered-

doomed men facing surrender

or annihilation...

under the merciless pounding

of Hitler's aeriaI spearhead.

But in contrast to Norway...

Dunkirk was

within easy reach...

of Britain's

land-based fighter planes.

For the first time...

Hitler's flying spearhead

met reaI air opposition.

The RoyaI Air Force...

gained mastery of the skies

in this area...

through a screen of wings

from shore to shore...

and under this shield

of superior air power...

300,000 men were

safely evacuated in four days.

The British braced themselves

for immediate invasion.

After Dunkirk, Hitler realized

he would have to strike...

with an air force many times

greater than the British.

So, for two months,

the invasion waited...

while he equipped

a chain of air bases...

to place

his short-range aviation...

within striking distance

of the target.

And then Hitler received

his first major setback.

He sent over

his aeriaI spearhead-

wave after wave of planes.

But the Luftwaffe...

built primarily to clear

a path for ground forces...

proved no match

for the RoyaI Air Force...

built for war in the air.

Outnumbered three to one...

the Spitfires rode the taiI

of the enemy...

firing eight guns

to the Germans' one.

The superior quality

of British men and machines...

overwhelmed German quantity-

blasted 2,400 planes

out of the sky...

and broke the spearhead

of the German offensive.

In winning

the Battle of Britain...

the gallant

RoyaI Air Force established...

a new military truth

in the history of war-making-

that as long as a nation

controls its own skies...

it cannot be invaded.

Hitler's

invasion plan shattered...

he decided

to suffocate England...

by cutting

her lines of supply.

In the Mediterranean,

during the era of sea power...

controI had always centered

around the navaI strongholds...

of Gibraltar, Malta,

Alexandria, and Haifa.

In the new era of air power...

the island of Crete

was destined to become...

the commanding center

of the eastern half...

of the Mediterranean.

Recognizing

the importance of Crete...

Hitler-with his spearhead

of short-range aviation-

pushed step by step

through the Balkans...

and amassed his strength

for an aeriaI invasion.

The British had neglected

to provide Crete...

with an aeriaI defense...

and were confident they could

defend it with their navy.

The world witnessed

the first clear-cut dueI...

between sea power

and air power.

The Luftwaffe went to work,

sinking ships...

destroying

ground installations...

seizing airfields

with parachute troops...

and finally, landing

an army of occupation...

in gliders

and transport planes.

The first territory

to be conquered...

entirely through air power...

another upset in war-making.

For more than two years...

we had front-row seats...

to watch this revolution

in war-making...

yet we failed to understand

the lessons of air power.

In the Pacific,

we left the skies unprotected.

With our battle fleet

in PearI Harbor...

as our first line of defense...

we were prepared for

traditionaI navaI warfare...

but again the first blow

came from the air.

In one hour

and twenty minutes...

a mighty battle fleet

was put out of action...

by a mere 150 planes.

True, PearI Harbor

was a sneak attack.

But three days later...

two of the mightiest warships

of the British navy-

"Prince of Wales"

and "Repulse"-

fully alert, dared to venture

within striking range...

of enemy land-based bomber

and torpedo planes.

The tragic sinking

of these two mighty warships...

was finaI proof that navies...

can no longer carry a war

to the enemy whose shores...

are adequately defended

by land-based aviation.

Our naval defense

of the Pacific crumpled...

under the blows of air power.

Japan's lightning drive...

was nothing

but a faithful imitation...

of the German blitzkrieg.

They employed

exactly the same tactics.

Having practically

no air opposition...

Japan's

spearhead of air power...

cleared the path

for its land and sea forces...

and drove us out

of one island after another...

until most of the Pacific

was lost.

Only then did

the earthbound mind grasp...

the main lesson of this war-

that no battle can be won

on the surface of the earth...

without first gaining complete

control of the sky above.

We were so impressed

with the use to which...

the enemy put the weapons

of land, sea, and air...

that we ourselves adopted

the very same tactics.

Aviation was recognized

as a full-fledged member...

of our fighting team.

It was to provide a roof

for our army and navy...

and act as a spearhead

of our offensive.

Now we were confident...

that we could beat the enemy

at his own game.

The reasoning

seemed logical enough-

if we have the same

kind of weapons as the enemy-

only more of them-

how can we lose?

With our abundant resources,

wealth of manpower...

and tremendous

industrial capacity...

why, we can

build the biggest army...

the biggest navy,

and the biggest air force.

And with

this super-colossal team...

we'll smother the enemy

with the sheer weight...

of our men and machines.

The success of this procedure

depends on two things-

first, we must produce

a vast amount of weapons...

of endless variety.

And second, we must deliver

this maze of equipment...

to battlefronts that are spread

all over the face of the earth.

Already nearly 100 million tons

of vital supplies...

are required every month,

month after month...

and if we step up the offensive,

this tonnage will grow.

Now, can we produce

and keep on producing...

and if we can,

can we deliver...

and keep on

delivering all this?

Regardless of the courage

and gallantry of our men...

on the battlefront...

regardless of the sacrifice

and effort on the home front...

as long as we follow

this course...

victory or defeat...

hangs on the fate

of our line of supply.

With this surface

struggle embracing the globe...

the problem of transportation

becomes the deciding issue.

To grasp

what we're up against...

let's spread this problem

before us.

In the west...

the battlefront stretched

over Europe and Africa.

The main theaters of war

are the Russian front...

extending from Murmansk

to the Black Sea...

the near-east,

and Mediterranean fronts.

In the east, from the Arctic

to the South Pacific.

Between these two theaters

of conflict...

thousands of miles away

lies the arsenaI of democracy.

This highly mechanized war...

has placed tremendous demands

on our production capacity...

which is rapidly

approaching its peak.

Ever mounting numbers

of tanks, guns, planes...

roll off production lines.

This vitaI equipment

for the distant fronts...

is rushed

across the continent...

but finally jams up

in the bottleneck of shipping.

This lifeblood of vitaI

war supplies must be pumped...

through the arteries

of our transport lines...

over distances that actually

girdle the globe.

To illustrate...

when a supply ship

from San Francisco...

moves over the trackless

miles of ocean...

and delivers

its cargo at Suez...

it can return

over the same route...

or traveI the rest of the way

around the world.

In either case...

as far as the distance

in wartime is concerned...

it's a tossup,

and the ship is lucky...

if it can deliver

more than two loads a year.

Wartime distances

and peacetime distances...

are entirely different.

For example, from

San Francisco to Melbourne...

in peacetime is 6,700 miles.

But in wartime,

with enemy controI...

jutting out

its sphere of domination...

the distance

is almost doubled...

and the enemy has twice as long

to attack our shipping.

But his supply lines,

being interior lines...

have not

changed from peacetime.

To deliver supplies

to the Russian front...

our navies must convoy ships

over 4,000 perilous miles...

to Murmansk, and from there...

more than 1,000 miles

overland to the battlefront.

By contrast, the Nazis can rush

supplies to the same front...

in a few days

by direct overland transport.

Geographically,

the Axis has a great advantage.

They operate with short

interior lines of supply...

whereas we're compelled to use

long exterior lines...

a 50,000-mile battlefront...

every mile threatened by

the deadliest menace of all...

the submarine.

Against these wolf packs

lurking underwater...

and striking from ambush...

the ship glued to the surface

is a helpIess target.

In order to win

the battles at the front...

Hitler must cut

our lifeline of supply.

The U-boat-his major weapon-

is our greatest problem.

He is building improved U-boats

by the hundreds...

ever growing in size

and striking power...

immune to anything

short of a direct hit.

Every measure

we take to protect...

this slow-moving target

will be offset...

by new scientific devices

in the submarine.

Soon it will be able to lurk

safely below the surface...

and without ever

revealing its presence...

accurately locate

the approaching victim.

Our shipbuilding industry

tries desperately...

to meet the challenge,

but faces a tragic contest...

between

launchings and sinkings.

Every ship that goes down

is a triple casualty...

of wasted materiaI,

labor, and human life.

With millions of tons

of our production...

going to the bottom

instead of to battle...

a tremendous strain

is put on our industriaI heart.

As long as

we cling to a strategy...

based on surface warfare...

the advantage is

on the side of the enemy.

Hitler's strategic position

resembles a wheeI.

The hub-his powerfuI

industriaI center...

which grinds out

the implements of war.

The spokes-his supply lines...

that support

the fighting fronts...

the rim of the wheeI.

Our surface strategy seeks

to crush this structure...

by striking at

the rim from all sides...

millions of men and machines...

in a clash

of steeI against steeI.

Should we concentrate

enough force...

to attack at any one point...

Hitler can

quickly shift his power...

and reinforce

the threatened sector.

No matter where we strike...

Hitler can

strike back swiftly...

with the right force

at the right place.

Should we strike from all sides

with superior force...

Hitler will contract his wheeI.

The spokes become shorter,

the rim thicker...

the whole structure stronger

and more nearly impregnable.

To successfully attack,

we must use a superior force...

and attempt to knock out

Hitler's equipment...

faster than he can replace it.

Tanks destroy tanks...

and our supporting

short-range aviation...

plays an important part...

by destroying

more of Hitler's equipment.

But with his factories

unmolested...

he can quickly fill the gaps...

by moving his supplies

short distances over dry land.

By contrast, our replacements

must be carried in transports

over those thousands

of perilous floating miles...

constantly under attack

from the enemy.

As long as we fight

on the surface of the earth...

Hitler has all the advantage.

But with the strategy

of air power...

the advantage is ours.

Air power ignores

the battlefronts of the rim.

By direct

and independent action...

it strikes at the hub.

With this all-important source

of enemy power knocked out...

the whole structure

will collapse...

and our surface forces...

will move in

and clinch the victory...

with a tremendous saving

in human lives.

This is the real teamwork.

This is the true role

of air power.

The present air offensive

against Germany...

is the beginning

of such strategy.

Already more than

50 industrial targets...

have felt

the sting of bombardment.

The Royal Air Force

has blazed a trail.

They are giving the Nazis

a thorough lesson...

in the proper use of air power.

Now, this is no accident.

Back in 1918...

in the very midst

of the last war...

the British people

had the wisdom and courage...

to take a bold step.

They divorced their Air Force

from their Army and Navy...

and set it up as a separate

and independent branch.

The entire air potential

of the country was unified.

As a result,

the Royal Air Force...

has been able to go ahead

and develop its strength...

free and unhampered.

American airmen have not

had the same opportunity.

They're still part and parcel

of our Army and Navy.

But recently,

under the pressure of events...

we have combined

our air strength...

with that of the British.

And now

some of our own airmen...

together with

the Royal Air Force...

are planning and carrying out

real air strategy.

As the United Nations

surround Nazi Europe...

with a ring of air bases,

the present-day bomber...

such as the British

Sterlings and Lancasters...

and our own Flying Fortresses

and Liberators...

with their striking radius

of 1,000 miles...

will be able to reach

every spot of the Axis anatomy.

Air power at last

will be in a position...

to score a major decision-

to bomb the enemy

into submission...

to knock

Germany out of the war.

But whether

this happens or not...

depends not on air power...

but again on

those same lines of supply.

Air power planted

on these distant bases...

far away from

its main source of supply...

is only as good as the supply

lines by which it is fed.

If these lines...

can supply the needs

of this ring...

present-day bombers

with their striking radius...

of 1,000 miles

will be able to do the job.

But in the Pacific,

they haven't got a chance.

Let's take our ring

and move it over Japan.

If our bases were this close,

it would be a simple matter.

But Japan's

sphere of domination...

is three times that of Germany.

Japan is far beyond our reach.

All military men agree

that Japan cannot be defeated...

until the source

of its power is destroyed.

They all agree that Japan

itself is the target.

But they all disagree

on how to get at it.

Some pin their hopes

on Siberia...

others on direct assault

from the sea...

with aircraft carriers.

Some still cling to

the island-by-island approach.

Some say China.

But they could not

strike on a big enough scale...

to knock Japan out.

China is isolated,

cut off from outside help...

on one side

by impassable mountains...

on the other three,

by the enemy.

The kind of air offensive

that could smash Japan...

would require millions

of tons of materiaI-

bombs, gasoline, oiI,

replacements.

All these vitaI supplies must

be brought in from the outside,

and with the only means

of delivery by air...

the task becomes impossible.

To reopen

surface supply lines...

we must drive the enemy

out of Burma...

Thailand, and Indochina.

This means another major war-

2,000 miles

through steaming jungles...

hacking our way inch by inch...

struggling over

formidable mountain barriers...

crawling through

fever-ridden swamps...

years of exhaustive fighting.

And even then, our bases

would still be dependent...

on the longest, most vulnerable

lines of supply...

on the face of the globe.

The Japanese are just as aware

of this as we are.

The instant

any attempt is made...

to use these air fields

for bombing raids...

against the Japanese homeland,

the jaws will close...

launching off another surface

struggle for air bases...

with the odds

all in favor of the Japs...

whose supply lines

are much shorter than ours.

Any such attempt will only

prove the superiority...

of land-based aviation

over carrier-based aviation.

The land-based plane

has the advantage of size...

range, and bomb load,

because it can take off...

from a runway

two or three miles long.

By contrast,

the carrier's runway...

is only

a fraction of this size.

Therefore, the plane itself

has to be much smaller...

which in turn reduces

the range and bomb load.

To destroy Japan with

these small doses of TNT...

would require not a hundred

but thousands of carriers.

Long before our floating

airfields could bring...

their short-range aviation

within striking distance...

Japan's powerfuI

land-based planes...

would reach far out

into the Pacific...

and our carriers would be under

constant merciless attack...

not only from above,

but from the surface...

and from below.

Aircraft brought on

these floating bases...

must share the same fate

as the fleet itself.

"Land-sea-air team

to clear path to Tokyo.

"Island to island amphibious

drive to whip Japan."

Japan has already

fortified its new empire...

with a chain

of island strongholds...

converting every one of them...

into a powerfuI,

unsinkable air base.

Experience has proved

that to invade...

and reconquer

any of these islands...

is far too costly

in life, substance, and time...

for while we exhaust ourselves

attacking the outer fringe...

the enemy feverishly rakes in

the loot of his stolen empire-

oiI, copper, iron,

tungsten, tin, rubber.

Gorging on

this new lifeblood...

his war industries...

the heart and vitals

of the beast...

out of reach and unmolested,

swell in size and power...

forge more

bullets, guns, tanks...

bombs, planes,

to strengthen his defenses...

more weapons of

death and destruction...

to expand

his sphere of domination.

Whether on the continent...

island by island,

or on the high seas...

this long

and exhausting struggle...

is nothing but a fight

for air bases...

so we can bring

our short-range aviation...

close enough

to strike at Japan.

What is the solution?

Long-range air power.

When we increase

the range of our bombers...

we automatically decrease

the surface struggle-

double the range,

half the struggle-

so the longer the range,

the shorter the war.

By increasing the striking

radius of our bombers...

to 3,000 miles,

we will be able...

to reach Japan from

the bases we have today.

But with this range...

air power will no longer

have to depend...

on these distant bases.

It will be able

to strike directly...

from continentaI America

and free itself...

of all dependency

on overseas supply lines.

From the great industriaI

heart of America...

our overland supply line...

the highway to victory,

runs to Alaska...

and Alaska points straight

at the heart of Japan.

Bombers that can take off

from our own shores...

fly across the ocean...

strike at the enemy,

and return non-stop...

are not only possible

but practicaI.

It is not longer a question

of whether it can be done...

but of making up our minds

to do it.

The science of aviation

is ready to give us...

powerfuI,

long-range combat planes...

far exceeding anything

in the air today.

They'll be heavily armed...

and bristling

with large-caliber cannon.

Their size and stability will

provide a steady platform...

for scientific

range-finding and gun-sights...

to assure accuracy of fire.

Small, single-seater fighters

will find themselves helpIess

for their guns

are not maneuverable.

They're fixed

and can only fire forward.

So while the small fighters...

are jockeying

to get into position...

they're under the constant

and deadly fire...

of the combat plane...

which is always

in firing position.

With scientific accuracy...

the big plane will blast

the enemy out of the air...

before he has a chance

to use his guns.

These powerfuI combat planes...

will destroy

enemy air power completely...

not only in the sky...

but on the ground

at its source.

Once complete mastery

of the air is achieved...

enemy war industries

will lie helpIessly exposed...

to systematic destruction.

The science of demolition

is keeping pace...

with the development

of aviation...

the bombs forever growing

in size and destructive power.

The industriaI districts

of all nations...

depend on huge dams

for their main source of power.

Our Boulder Dam,

Japan's Nagayo...

and those in

the German Rhineland.

These solid structures suffer

relatively minor damage...

when hit by

one and two-ton bombs...

but when a ten-ton

delayed-action bomb is dropped,

not on

the concrete structure...

but deep in the water

behind the dam...

its explosion will multiply

the pressure of the water...

far beyond the structuraI

strength of the dam...

and crush it like an eggshell.

With this important

source of power knocked out...

the war industries

of the entire region...

will come to a standstill.

Scientific bombing is destined

to conquer Hitler's submarines,

not by attacking them

one by one...

as they roam the Seven Seas...

but by striking

right at their source-

the breeding grounds

in Germany proper.

Today, the U-boats are

protected from ordinary bombing

by thick roofs

of reinforced concrete.

However, science is developing

an armor-piercing bomb...

employing

the rocket principle.

As it nears its target,

a rocket in the taiI ignites...

driving it down

with such terrific speed...

it can knife its way

through steeI and concrete.

IndustriaI districts within

reach of this air power...

will be on the receiving end

of other gigantic bombs...

that contain an auxiliary

charge in their tails...

backed by a counterweight.

As the bomb

nears its target...

a secondary explosion

takes place...

driving it away

from the counterweight...

which explodes into

a shower of incendiaries.

Driven down like a shot

from a cannon...

this bomb by its very size

and penetration...

will explode deep underground

and cause a locaI earthquake...

completely demolishing

everything over a wide area.

This is the coming reality...

and we must face the fact...

that it is

a two-way proposition.

No nation has a monopoly

on this kind of air power...

and when it comes...

there can be no real defense

against such an attack.

Bombers

will always go through...

and the only sure defense

will be a vigorous offense.

It's a question

of who destroys who first.

Right now,

America holds the answer...

not only because of

our superior science...

and industrial power...

but because at

this stage of the war...

our strategic position

is such...

that we can shift

our industrial effort...

into long-range air power...

But the enemy cannot,

and this is why.

He has overrun

vast territories...

and subjugated millions

of people against their will.

In order to suppress rebellion

and harness slave labor...

to develop his

newly-acquired resources...

he must maintain a huge army,

and a huge army requires...

a huge number

of supporting aircraft.

So his entire industry

must keep on grinding out...

this same kind of aviation.

He cannot afford

to disturb his production...

and start building

long-range air power...

until he has consolidated

his gains and digested his loot.

That takes time,

and that time is ours.

Today, the enemy

is sprawled on the ground...

and while

his greedy tentacles...

are clutching the loot,

his body lies unprotected.

Why spend our precious time

trying to loosen his grip?

In the struggle,

it can only lead...

to the complete devastation of

the lands we're trying to free.

Why not use this time

to forge the dagger...

that can strike

at the heart of the beast?

Once we give up the idea

of trying to regain...

the lost territory

inch by inch...

we can hold the enemy...

with surface forces

much smaller than his.

If we use our short-range

aviation to provide...

undisputed control of the skies

over our forces...

our present positions

cannot be invaded.

Any further expansion

on the part of the enemy...

will lead to

his exhaustion, not ours.

So by conserving our efforts

on land and on sea...

we can throw the vast

resources of America...

into long-range air power...

and strike the decisive blow

through the air.

This cannot be accomplished...

simply by building

a lot of huge airplanes.

We could have

swarms and clouds of them...

and still

not have real air power.

What we must do is unify...

the entire air strength

of our country...

into one formidable force

under a single air command.

This is a major undertaking,

but it is a move...

that is bound

to come sooner or later.

Because air power

is swiftly emerging...

as the dominant force

in war or in peace...

this move will either

be forced upon us...

by the march of events...

or it will come

through the foresight...

and native intelligence

of the American people.

In the past...

they have never failed

to act promptly and wisely...

once they understood

the problem they faced.

And so, in this crucial hour

in the destiny of our country...

they will not hesitate

to break the chains of habit...

and free themselves

from the earthbound past.

Only then will

our aviation leadership...

be free to plan and carry out

reaI air strategy...

that will bring us victory in

the shortest possible time...

with a minimum investment

in human lives.

Only then

will the creative brains...

and productive talent

of our aviation industry...

be free to forge the reaI

weapons of air power...

that will carry

totaI destruction to the enemy.

Our gallant airmen

have already demonstrated...

their skill,

their resourcefulness...

and their courage.

Born to this aeriaI age,

they understand war in the sky.

America should not hesitate

to place its destiny...

in the hands of these men...

for with the strategy

of air power...

they will make the enemy

fight on our terms...

against the weapons

of our choosing...

at our time, but on his soiI.