Customer Reviews

Kill That Zero:F6f Hellcat at War [VHS]

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A mix of black/white and color photography shot during World War Two, this film depicts the development of the F6F Hellcat and its use to defeat the Axis powers in the Pacific and European theatres of war. The aerial footage is about as well as can be expected for war-time combat conditions, but its obvious that the sounds of the engines over-reving and the machine guns firing were dubbed in later by the studio on a pretty tight budget because the engines and guns all sound the same. Sound dubbing of silent historical footage has been done better in other, similar videos.

One thing I didn't like about this video was its length. Its too short! Additional gun camera footage should've been added. After all, that's the bread-and-butter of these sorts of films and at only 40 minutes length, the film easily could've carried another 5 to 10 minutes of gun camera kill sequences.

Still, I have to give it credit for a couple things (a) it presents a pretty good picture of the Hellcat in combat and (b)the narrator sounds faintly like Gregory Peck, star of the ultimate WW2 air combat movie "Twelve O'Clock High". If you already own "Gun Camera Footage of World War Two", "Memphis Belle" (both films of the same title but different stories), "Thunderbolt" (a war-time documentary about the P-47 used in the Italian campaign), "Twelve O'Clock High", "Tora Tora Tora" and "Midway", then this film will round out your library. Otherwise, pick up any of these other titles first.

In Battle of Midway,Japanese Navy losted 4- important Carriers,and
248 Carrier based Aircratswere lost(Most of Experienced Pilots and
mechanical crews--> Land based pilots came to Mainland for Instroters !
US Losted 1-Carrier,Yorktown and only 98 Aircrafts.
In 1944, Battle of Philliphines,off the shore of Mariana Island, Japanese Navy losted 3-Carriers and app.600 Carrier and Land based
Aircrafts compare with US Losted only 123 Carrier based Aircrafts
(80% of downed crews were saved). This Air Battle between well trained
pilots with strong, faster,similar tight turn capable heavier armamented
F6F Hellcat and Japanese A6M Zero and ather mixed obsolent Fighters
and Post Midway, inexperienced pilots were unmatched,easy Battles--
" Mariana Turkey Shoot" !
In past, from experience of repeatet,crucial defeats with better A6M
Zero Fighter,US coul'd get almost intact downed Zero at Aleutian Island,
and analized for competable Fighter,produced more excellent F6F Hellcat.
(After Appeared more excellent F8F Bearcat had no tlme for front line !)