Once again thanks to one of our top Aviation News Scouts, retired USAF Pilot, Virg Hemphill, we bring you this WWII newsreel (for you youngsters among us – these black and white films were our only way to “see” what was going down across the globe during WWII).

These “newsreels” were almost exclusively shown each week at our local movie theaters along with the featured films of the day.  TV had not yet been made available to the publc, although its crude prototype had been on display at the 1939 World’s Fair in NYC.  Please enjoy and learn some more U.S. and world history right here with this latest “The News Parade” newsreel from Virg.  It’s only ten (10) minutes long.

“Operation Hailstone“ was considered one more retaliatory strike against the Imperial Japanese Naval Forces, for their attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,  Truk Island was part of the Caroline Island group in the South Pacific, which had been occupied by the Japanese since the end of WWI, when it was taken from the Germans.  Japan had been our ally during that first world war.  Operation Hailstone took place on February 16 and 17 of 1944.

27 years after the Jenny was perfected here in Columbus, NM, we see, in this newsreel, the huge leap forward our military accomplished in respect to their aircraft inventory and its capabilities.

Curious about Truk today?  There’s now an active scuba diving resort where this once fierce battle raged some 74 years ago.  Here’s their site.

The below Chart of USN Aircraft is thanks to the Aviation Central Website for A/C Displays.

                                                          USN Aircraft Deployed in WWII