Probably the most amazing thing about this short subject is the idea that aviators during World War II were recruited simply by responding to a radio message to come and join the cause. That's how Captain Hewitt T. Wheless answered the call, leaving life on a cattle ranch for the wild blue yonder. By the way, the fellow Wheless made the bet with was portrayed by veteran character actor Glenn Strange, who's face you've probably seen more than any other if you're a Western movie and TV fan.
The picture gives you a quick glimpse of a pilot's training and eventual assignment as a combat pilot or instructor, both valued equally in terms of contribution to the war effort. In the case of Wheless, an assignment in the Foreign Service brought him first to Honolulu, and then the Phillipines in service to his country. The mission for which Wheless earned a Distinguished Service Cross is dramatized for the viewer, one in which he was temporarily separated from his flying unit and suddenly thrust into a dogfight with eighteen Japanes Zero's. I tried to imagine what must have been going through the minds of Wheless and his crew, and was left with a stunning admiration for his achievement.
The other interesting takeaway from the clip involved the training techniques used as far back as the 1940's. There in full view were an oxygen pressure tank unit to ready the pilots for high altitude flying, and a blind flight simulator demonstration to ready the men for their combat missions.
The best part of all this is that Captain Wheless portrays himself in the short, much as war hero Audie Murphy did in the film "To Hell and Back". These shorts were very much a part of the effort during World War II, with a call to support the troops via the purchase of War Stamps and Bonds.
The picture gives you a quick glimpse of a pilot's training and eventual assignment as a combat pilot or instructor, both valued equally in terms of contribution to the war effort. In the case of Wheless, an assignment in the Foreign Service brought him first to Honolulu, and then the Phillipines in service to his country. The mission for which Wheless earned a Distinguished Service Cross is dramatized for the viewer, one in which he was temporarily separated from his flying unit and suddenly thrust into a dogfight with eighteen Japanes Zero's. I tried to imagine what must have been going through the minds of Wheless and his crew, and was left with a stunning admiration for his achievement.
The other interesting takeaway from the clip involved the training techniques used as far back as the 1940's. There in full view were an oxygen pressure tank unit to ready the pilots for high altitude flying, and a blind flight simulator demonstration to ready the men for their combat missions.
The best part of all this is that Captain Wheless portrays himself in the short, much as war hero Audie Murphy did in the film "To Hell and Back". These shorts were very much a part of the effort during World War II, with a call to support the troops via the purchase of War Stamps and Bonds.