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Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In May 2007 Newsletter

You're invited to drop by Zeno's Drive-In www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com
and sample this month's outstanding lineup of World War 2 plane
videos playing live online.

As always, every film on our web site is showing for free.

This month "At the Matinee," you'll see a new film premier, "354th
Fighter Group Color Scrapbook," featuring top P-51 aces in living
color; "Thunderbolt" (color) the rock 'em sock 'em P-47 fighter/bomber
classic; "Combat America," (color) Clark Gable's tribute to the B-17
crews of the 351st BG; and "Bombers over North Africa," where B-17s
and B-25s of the 97th & 321st BGs" strike the retreating Afrika
Korps.

"354th Fighter Group Color Scrapbook" Drive-In Premier -- Exclusive!
Rare color film of the legendary 354 Fighter Group, with over 700
Kills, the highest scoring American unit in Europe. You'll see great
aces like G. T. Eagleston and the amazing B.W. Carr at work and at
play in their newly captured base in Germany in Spring, 1945. Nice
scenes with the group's well known P-51Ds too, including "Margie Maru"
and "Angel's Playmate." This was the first group to fly P-51s in the
ETO, so they were known as "the Mustang Pioneers."

"Thunderbolt!" A Drive-In favorite! This exciting film chronicles the
exploits of the P-47 Thunderbolt pilots of the "Fighting Gamecocks,"
65th Fighter squadron, 57th Fighter Group. Based on the island of
Corsica off the northwest coast of the Italian boot, they flew from
behind the enemy's flank. As part of "Operation Strangle," they
attacked highways, bridges, ammo dumps, railroads and just about
anything that moved. This film not only features one-of-a-kind P-47
combat footage, it also shows day-to-day life on a MTO forward
airbase, including vintage pilot slang. "This has to be finest
combination of great photography, a hard bitten, realistic script,
stirring music, powerful narration and full bore Pratt & Whitney
R-2800-59W Double Wasp radial engine roar I have seen or heard in a
World War II documentary. Truly memorable and highly recommended."
Zeno

"Clark Gable's Combat America" This warm hearted documentary was
produced, written, directed, and narrated by movie star Clark Gable
while he was on assignment with the 8th Air Force, developing a
gunnery training film. Though it contains plenty of combat footage and
doesn't flinch in showing the high cost of war, in many ways, it's
more of a Kodachrome album than a "war information film." Gable
chronicles the experiences of the men of the 351 Bombardment Group
from the morning mists of Colorado to the frigid skies over Germany.
His affection and admiration for these men comes through loud and
clear. Though he doesn't mention it (and generally keeps in the
background) Gable flew combat missions with the Group until he was
ordered to stop by "the brass." He was 42 and a Hollywood star, but he
felt he couldn't accurately portray the air war unless he shared the
experiences of the men who fought it. He did. It shows.

"Bombers Over North Africa" This is a rare look at early war US Air
Operations in North Africa. B-25 and B-17 bombers of the 321st and
97th Bomb Group help cut off Rommel's retreat from Tunisia. Part of
the "North West African Strategic Air Force," these groups were
initially tasked with preventing men and material from reaching the
Afrika Korps, and later with preventing them from escaping. The
missions for the day of this film were to strike from bases in Algeria
at the junction at Manouba and the air field at Sidi Ahmed, where a
large number of JU 52 transports were based, a vital element in German
evacuation plans. This film is notable for it's "up close and
personal" look at the aircrews. You'll see real pre-mission and after
action debriefing sessions with the men who flew them, including one
B-17 crew's account of an FW 190 shoot down and the water ditching of
a heavily damaged B-25.

If you haven't stopped by Zeno's Drive-In before, we also feature
1940-45 vintage WWII Army & Navy films and pilot's manuals on how to
fly the F4U, F6F, P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51, P-61, TBF/TBM, AT-6/
SNJ, B-17, B-24, B-25, A-20, A-26, B-26, B-29, and Stearman N2S .
Alert! - Alert! There's just been an F-86 sighted over Zeno's Drive-
In!

That's over 14 hours of rockin' World War II props for free viewing
over the Internet!

Zeno

Zeno's Warbird Video Drive-In
World War II Aviation Videos Playing Online 24/7
http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com