1941 B-17 First High-Altitude Tests & Captured Me 110 Evaluation | Rare Colour Footage

This is a rare look at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough and the A&AEE at Boscombe Down during the height of WWII. This archival color footage documents the technical evaluation of captured German technology alongside the arrival of the first American B-17 Flying Fortresses in England. In 1940/41 Sperry Gyroscope sent engineers to the UK to master high-altitude combat tech and integrate US tech into British planes. Key Highlights in this Film: Captured Luftwaffe Tech: Detailed views of a Messerschmitt 110 in RAF high-visibility yellow livery, including flight tests with a Hurricane escort. The Flying Fortress: Early service tests of the "New B-17 from America," including high-altitude operations above 35,000 feet. Historical Figures: Appearances by Wing Commander Combe, Wing Commander Dan, and Ivor Bowen (Deputy Director of Armament Research). Rare Landscapes: Aerial views of Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral as seen from a Lockheed Hudson bomber in 1941. Timestamps (Chapters) 00:00 – Arrival at Farnborough & Bomb Shelters Title: The Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Military base entrance; barbed wire & bomb shelters. MS posing w/ base personnel. Captured German planes - various models w/ bullet holes & damage. Including: a Bf-110, with a Ju-88 lying on its side. 01:26 Maybe a British Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber. As the camera pans left, there is a modified Vickers Wellington. 01:36 Various Hawker Hurricanes? . Planes taking off & overhead. Other planes on ground. 01:41 Boulton Paul Defiant 01:50 Bristol Beaufighter 02:14 Vickers Wellington 02:20 Supermarine Spitfire X4495 02:28 – Captured Messerschmitt 110 Flight Tests Title: Test of a captured Messerschmidt 110 with escorting Hurricane. Pilots, twin-engine plane on ground prepared for flight, taxiing, takeoff & in flight overhead. 04:33 Title: A trip to a night bomber squadron. Men to plane, boarding. Pilot Wing Commander Combe in cockpit & view countryside. 05:19 Ivor Bowen, Deputy Director of Armament Research posing. Outside building; pilots & crew out & to planes. 06:04 Title: The Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down. Officers pose drinking beer in front of country house. Cars past watch office. Planes on aerodrome tarmac wrecked by German bomber. 07:00 Large cloud of smoke. Views of aerodrome w/ camouflaged buildings. P 07:21 lanes parked, pan over airfield. 07:37 DB-7 possibly ex-French AF. 07:44 Martin Maryland possibly ex-French delivery. 07:45 Westland Lysander 08:16 AVRO Manchester bomber. 08:22 Handley Page Hampden, or possibly the rarer Hereford variant. 08:25 Vickers Wellington 08:42 Manned antiaircraft gun in sandbagged position. 09:20 Bomber & fighter plane taking off behind & in flight over. 09:40 AVRO Manchester taking off. 09:52 RAF Curtis P-40 10:13 Short Stirling Mk.1 heavy bomber 10:18 Short Stirling Mk.1 Series 3 with FN.50 mid upper turret. 10:46 Title: Test Flying With the Lockheed Hudson. Wing Commander Dan. Views from bomber cockpit, aerial Stonehenge druid ruins; Salisbury w/ cathedral, pretty countryside, bomb crater. 12:21 Aircraft turrets seen from outside; clouds. Checking equipment & checking test results. 13:32 Title: High Altitude Service Tests in the Flying Fortress. New B-17 from America on ground; in air & views from cockpit. Pilot & navigator w/ map. Low & high altitude views from bombers. 15:27 Title: The Air Armament School At Manby. Plane landing, school staff & posing, talking. American in turret testing British guns. 16:04 firing the guns from a Handley Page Hampden rear position. 16:11 Title: With the first Flying Fortress Operational Squadron. Wing Commander Webster. Squadron members posing. Men outside building talking. MSs & CUs Crew wearing special suits just before flight; off in cars & trucks to planes. 18:30 Title: An American Passenger - to Heligoland, Wilhelmshaven and Bremen! POV following pilots in car; pose in front of B-17 & climbing aboard. Ext. B-17, boarding; adjusting oxygen mask, men helped into plane. Pilot in cockpit & looking down on people on ground. Taxi & rev motors for takeoff. Takeoff seen from outside & inside heavily loaded plane. View of other bombers; above blanket of clouds. CU crew w/ oxygen mask; propellers. 19:45 RAF Fortress 1, AN525 WP-D of 90 Squadron. Based at RAF Polebrook. AN525 was the first B-17 to be shot down in WW2. 24:52 Title: Mission Completed - Returning to Base. CU crew. POV plane low over water; view of coastline, English countryside from plane. Bomber seen. Flight crew on ground talking. 27:08 Illustration heroic-looking pilots & Churchill quote. 27:29 Bomber taking off. The End. For broadcast quality material of this clip or to know more about our Public Domain collection visit https://footagefarm.com/ or contact us at [email protected]