Active bush pilot in alaska. He drove here from alaska by himself and will be on board one of the b17s. Rear admiral Edward Whitey fatener shot down nine enemy aircraft wildcats and f6 hell cats for the navy. Today hell be flying in one of the texans that comes by early in the flyover. Al tucker flew the p38 lightning in europe during world war ii before being shot down over germany on his 22nd git gatcombat mission. He was a prisoner of the germans. Mr. Tucker will be in one of the steerman biplanes during todays flyover. Weldon briton lives in virginia, but in 1945, he was a p51 mustang pilot based in the Pacific Theater and hell be participating in the flyover as a passenger in one of our b17 flying fortresses. Also with us today on the ground are foreveterans who participated in a Discussion Forum last night at the national air and space museum. Many thanks to bud anderson for joining us last night and again here this afternoon. As grateful as we are for their bravery, sacrifice and service, were here to celebrate not just the in a speech that he made in december of 1940, president Franklin Roosevelt recognized that the great arsenal of democracy would play a pivotal role in our countrys anticipated involvement in the war that was already raging across much of the globe. President roosevelt understood the raw power of the United States and its people, when they focused their will and resources on a single common goal. He knew that once this country became involved in hostilities the immense u. S. Industrial complex would transition from peace time manufacturer of automobiles, tractors, bicycles and airliners to the war time production of jeeps tanks, machine guns and warplanes. And he was right. For the second time in less than a quarter of a century the American People were called on to help save the world from the forces of tyranny and oppression and in the battlefields of europe, the waters of the south pacific, and the factories throughout this great country of ours, they responded to that challenge as americans always have. In the intervening years, the stories of what those brave americans did and how they did it have been told less and less frequently. In the schools and the history books in our schools the narrative of world war ii has been reduced to a few paragraphs or a day or two of instruction. Those stories deserve more. Americans should know that not so very long ago our way of life, our freedom and the fate of much of the world hung in the balance. And the resolve with which this country rose to that challenge is even 70 years later quite remarkable. Over the last several months as we prepared for this commemoration of ve day and the historic flightover that will begin in just a few minutes, several themes emerged. First, everyone participated. If not in uniform, then working in the factories, building the machines, and producing the munitions and supplies that our boys put to such effective use on dozens of different battlefields around the world. Second, there is a genuine heart felt humility among these men who walked into harms way to protect and defend this country. As recently as yesterday evening, i had a personal hero of mine tell me and a small group of people that he was just doing his job. And finally and most poignantly, the deep respect that the veterans here with us today have for those they consider to be the real heroes of world war ii those men who didnt come home. The warriors who gave their last full measure of devotion to the epic struggle that took place seven decades ago and far away places like burma, baston casino, and the coral sea, and like tinian, tunisia. Today it is our challenge and our great honor to use a remarkable collection of vintage military aircraft to tell their stories. Well start the arsenal of democracy with the airplanes that taught our boys to fly, the trainers. In 1938 when general hap arnold the commander of the u. S. Air forces considered this countrys preparedness for war, he recognized that america did not have nearly enough airplanes or pilots to fly them. Three years before the japanese attack on pearl harbor the u. S. Army air forces was comprised of 21,000 airmen and 1800 aircraft. But by the end of the war, the Army Air Forces included 2. 3 Million People and production of aircraft of all types reached nearly 300,000. In a war that military leaders learned would be determined by air superiority, this unprecedented, almost inconceivable increase in american air power was widely recognized to be one of the most important factors in the allies victory. The three years before pearl harbor, that challenge had not yet been solved and the United States was looking at an immense disparity between what it had and what it would soon need. So drawing on the expertise of prominent aviation leaders the military created what would become the civilian Pilot Training program. By this time by the time the program ended, it had trained 435,000 pilots including senator john glenn. The nations top ace richard balm and one of our guests here today, tripolis colonel bud anderson. Now, ladies and gentlemen approaching are the trainers, all u. S. Military pilots completed a Training Program accomplished in three phases primary, basic and advanced. These two warriors learned to fly a wide variety of aircraft among the grasshoppers, like the l16 champ known as a piper cub. Here they come now. Ladies and gentlemen, those in the plaza, please kneel down or find a seat so youre not blocking the view behind you. Thank you. In addition to training the aircraft, all the planes have war time functions. One Army Air Force pilot recorded six confirmed kills of german tanks while flying a piper grasshopper outfit with a bazooka. These two aircraft flying over a part of that lbird gaggle. All nicknamed grasshoppers and all having a top speed of a blistering 90 to 95 miles an hour. All u. S. Military pilots completed a Training Program that was accomplished in three phases. Primary, basic and advanced. This process was designed to gradually increase the complexity of a pilots training. One of the iconic trainers was the boeing steerman biplane, an open cockpit aircraft constructed of wood, fabric and tubular steel, there were more than two dozen different variants and more than 2,000 built, used also by the rca another well known nickname, the kdebt. These are the steerman biplanes. Primary training introduced the principles of flight, basic training introduced them to the complexities of Radio Communication and flying in formation and advanced training was designed to prepare the air crews to go into combat. Another primary trainer was the fair child pt19, a plane that was used by the Army Air Forces the British Royal air force and the Royal Canadian air force. Like the steerman, the pt19 was an open cockpit design. Advanced training was accomplished in aircraft like the north american at6 texan, weighing in at three tons with a 600 horsepower radial engine and retractable landing gear the t6 was designed to prepare pilots to fly state of the art aircraft they would use in combat. By the end of the war, north american aviation had built more than 15000 texans including the at6 variant for the Army Air Forces and the snj version for the u. S. Navy. When world war ii began, the Bendix Corporation was a big name. They manufactured parts for the b25. The company is now bendix king part of honey well aviation one of our sponsors of the arsenal of democracy flyover. There was perhaps no Single Company that made a bigger contribution to americas success in world war ii in the air than the grumman corporation. Grumman designed and built the f4 f wild cat and f6 f hell catfighters. In 1994, the company merged with northrop to form northrop grumman, a sponsor of todays democracy flyover. Well see several planes in the formation flyovers today. When the group acquired vot aircraft industries, they acquired a part of aviation and world war ii history. A critical tool in the war against japan and after several name changes and acquisitions the company that was once chance bought is now part of the triumph group, a sponsor of todays flyover. General Electric Company was a vital part of the american arsenal of democracy, and in addition to groundbreaking research and development of the first jet engine designed in the United States ge pioneered the development and integration of turbochargers into aircraft engines. Many thanks to ge for also being a sponsor of todays flyover. In just moments, the t6 flight will be coming over, the texans. Also used by the Royal Canadian air force and the Royal Air Force, they called it the harvard. It was indeed an aircraft of higher learning. Here come the texans, the 600 horsepower, two flights of four, listen to the sound that they make as they go over. There were also multiengine trains. One was known as the at11 kansasen built by beechcraft. Also had a light cargo designation of c45, the twin beech as it was known in civilian life also served many functions, including as a training platform for bombing, navigation and gunnery. With two 450 horsepower pratt and whitney engines, it will have a great sound all its own. Look over the memorial. Its inbound now. Ladies and gentlemen the at11 the twin beech. Inbound right now are two p40 war hawks. A 1937 design that at the time of pearl harbor was our number one fighter in the pacific. Directly to our left the two p40 war hawks with allison b12 engines in them, liquid cooled. In april of 1942, after a series of stinging setbacks in the pacific, Lieutenant ColonelJimmy Doolittle led 16 b25 mitchell bombers off the uss hornet on a bombing raid to tokyo and four other cities. The raid was american improvisation at its finest. The b25 wasnt designed to fly from an Aircraft Carrier and American Strike on the heartland of japan so soon after the attack on pearl harbor provided americans with a much needed boost in morale. Although the raid resulted in minor damage to its targets, it had a profound impact on japanese strategy. Causing military leaders to be more concerned about attacks on japan than they otherwise would be. The two surviving doolittle raider raiders commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the raid just last month. Ladies and gentlemen, three b25 mitchell bombers, two of them b25s, one actually a marine corps pbj 1 livery. In early june of 1942, as the japanese and american navies converge on a tiny volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean the stage was set for a dramatic shift in the momentum of the Pacific Theater. Tipped off to japanese plans by u. S. Cryptographers, they searched hundreds of miles of ocean for enemy ships. One found a japanese fleet storming toward midway and radioed the information to American Military planners. This ladies and gentlemen is the pby catalina. From three u. S. Carriers, wild catfighters flew escort for slower devastator and dauntless bombers but problems and bud luck plagued americans as they began their attack. Most of the american torpedo bombers were shot out of the sky, in the first three hours of the battle, not a single u. S. Bomber torpedo hit a japanese ship despite eight separate attacks by a total of 94 airplanes. Then, the tide turned. As the japanese focused their attention on the torpedo bombers flying just off the surface of the water sbd dauntless dive bombers attacked from a higher altitude fatally damaging three of four japanese carriers. An hour later a Second Attack destroyed the fourth japanese carrier. The balance of naval power in the pacific had shifted permanently. Right now, awaiting the sbd down the dauntlesses and the wildcats. Wildcats were designed by grumman as the f 4 f but were produced in great numbers by General Motors under the designation fm2 wild cat. The wild cat and the dauntless. When the u. S. Marines stormed the shores of guadalcanal in august of 1942 japanese conquests had reached their peak. This bold, unexpected offensive would prove to be a critical turning point in the war in the pacific. A small but Strategic Air field on the island was the focal point of six months of fierce battles on the ground in the air, and on the sea. By the time the japanese conceded the island in february of 1943, nearly 25000 japanese and 1600 americans had been killed with thousands more dead from malaria and other tropical diseases. Central to the battle was the venerable wild cat, which operated from carriers by u. S. Navy pilots and from henderson field by marine corps pilots throughout the guadalcanal campaign. Though badly outmachd by the faster and more agile mitsubishi zero the wildcats were able to hold their own because of their Rugged Construction and the unique battle tactics developed by the naval aviators who flew them. By the end of 1943, the first grumman hell cats were being deployed to the Pacific Theater, but during the early critical battles in the pacific in 1942 and 43 it was the wild cat that shouldered the burden as americas principle carrierbased fighter. The wildcats youll see here today are the fm2 variant built by General Motors and deployed on smaller escort carriers, for antisubmarine and picket duty. Interestingly, pilots of the wildcats told me that rather than flipping a switch to raise the landing gear after they took off they maintained about 90 or 95 miles an hour put their left hand on the stick, instead of the right hand and took the right hand and had to crank the landing gear up 29 turns to get it up. It was not a fun airplane in the pattern pattern. Ladies and gentlemen, here come the wildcats. Admiral kumomoto was commander in chief of the japanese combined fleet and mastermind behind the attack on pearl harbor. American code breakers intercepted and decoded a message with his itinerary for an airplane trip, between two islands in the Solomon Islands area of the south pacific. On april 18th, a flight of 18 lockheed p 38 lightnings was dispatched from guadalcanal on a long low altitude route to evade enemy radar and maximize the element of surprise. Here comes the forked tail devil, the p38 lightning, which shot down yamamotos plane. The mission nicknamed operation vengeance not only avenged the deaths of 2400 americans at pearl harbor, but also deprived the japanese of one of their finest military strategists. Known as hitlers gas station playesty was a huge complex of Oil Refineries that supplied germany with more than one third of its fuel. After identifying it as a high priority target, military strategists initially opted for a single large raid by b24 bombers attacking from an altitude of just 200 feet. Flying the mission at low altitude would help the americans avoid enemy radar and increase the accuracy of their bombs, but the low altitude would also put the aircraft and crews at greater risk. The b24 was selected for the mission because it was the only u. S. Bomber that could manage the 2400 mile round trip from libya to playesty and back. Though complex and finicky to fly, we produced more b24 bombers than any other. And Assembly Lines rolled out a new one every 58 minutes at plants in san diego, ft. Worth tulsa, and detroit. The americans lost nearly a third of their bombers and 500 airmen during that low level raid on august 1st of 1943. Military leaders adopted a new strategy of daily raids from a higher altitude, with long range fighter escorts like the p51 mustang, destroying the Production Capacity over a period of 14 months. As attacks on the Oil Refineries of romania continued during the summer of 1944, American Forces pushed into france, Army Air Forces commander general hap arnold noted the increasing number of vehicles along the side of the road that had just run out of gas. Here is the liberator with the mustangs. In the early days of the war after the allies had decided that the british would conduct nighttime bombing raids on german targets and the americans would bomb during daylight hourss, mission losses were horrific. Without escorts, the u. S. Bombers suffered unsustainable losses to german fighter and antiaircraft flack. By some estimates, the fatality rate of b17 and b24 crews was put at nearly 50 . That began to change with the introduction of the p51 mustang as a long range fighter. When outfitted with external fuel taverns made of a kind of papiermache here come the mustangs mustangs also flown by the 332nd Fighter Group the Red Tail Squadron of the tuskegee airmen. By 1944, the German Air Force was struggling to survive, in a single week that february the allies sought to hasten the end. Operation argument bet northern as big week was a series of large scale Royal Air Force and bombing raids on german aviation factories. On several raids, more than a thousand bombers were sent against their targets. Together, the allies dropped over 20 Million Pounds of ordinance between february 20th and february 25th, the raids were intended to bait german fighters into the air where nearly 900 p47 and p51 mustangs engaged them. The German Air Force lost a third of its remaining single engine fighters that month. And 18 of its pilots. But u. S. Forces suffered as well. In more than 3,000 sorties 247 b17s were lost despite the bombers almost uncanny ability to withstand damage and bring our airmen home. Outfitted with 13 50 caliber machine guns and eight different locations on the plane the ten member crews of the b17 flew this aircraft earning the nickname flying fortress with the ability to fly long distances with a bomb payload of about 6,000 pounds these four engine aircraft were the work horse of the Strategic Bombing campaign in europe. Four 1200 horsepower motors allowed the b17 to lumber at High Altitudes, but it was not a pressurized aircraft. When they had8 was cooled literally crew members wore suits that had electric wires in them to keep them warm. They wore oxygen masks and they would come back from missions with marks on their faces from frostbite that was created from being such High Altitude and such low temperatures. In all, over 12,700 b17s were built, remaining flying today anywhere in the world somewhere around a dozen. It is part of the reason that we love to see these airplanes fly, so few are still in existence today. The p51 mustang long range fighters had a production total of somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 and about 160 are still flyable around the world today. Were still waiting for the two b17 bombers that will be coming across here very, very shortly. They were part of our heavy bomber fleet along with the b24 liberator we saw fly by earlier. There are about 18,000 b24 liberators made, more than any other american aircraft during the war. Here come the b the first b17. And the second. The flying fortress, ten crew members in each aircraft. The first allied soldiers in france on dday arrived by parachute just after midnight on june 6th, 1944. 13,000 paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions made the trip in more than 800 c47 transport aircraft. These lead elements jumped into normandy to secure a series of bridges, causeways and crossroads vital to the success of the allied invasion of france. It began its life as the douglas dc3, an airplane credited with revolutionizing the airline industry. And with the outbreak of hostilities, the plane was reconfigured as a military transport. C47s kept in china in the war flew supplies, fuel and weapons and personnel from muddy air fields in india across the himalayan range to places in china. It was called flying the hump. After dday, the c47 supported the ally drive into germany including flying Critical Resupply Missions to surrounded u. S. Forces during the battle of the bulge. Here comes the c47. After 1945 general dwight d. Eisenhower credited four weapons to winning the war, the bazooka, the jeep the atomic bomb and the c47. About 11000 of those were built and about 1100 remain flyable around the world, today, some with turban conversions on their engines. The june 19th, 1944 battle of lady gulf was the largest carrier to carrier battle in history. In a flotilla that included 15 Aircraft Carriers and more than 100 supporting ships, the u. S. Navy arrived to capture the island of saipan as a fus for. By night fall in the 19th, japan lost two thirds of the 400 carrier aircraft committed to the battle, one pilot shot down six japanese dive bombers in less than eight minutes. American losses were 29 aircraft, plus damage to a single battle ship. The superiority of u. S. Pilots was so dramatic that the battle came to be known as the great marianas turkey shoot. It include the loss of 11 japanese ships and three Aircraft Carriers. The u. S. Navy aircraft attacked enemy ships with hell cats, dauntless dive bombers grumman avenger torpedo bombers and curtis sb 2 ch divers. The only hell diver of over 7,000 built that is still flying today. The battle was decisive and eliminated the japanese navys ability to conduct large scale carrier operations. Giving the u. S. A new level of naval dominance that lasted until the end of the war. Ladies and gentlemen, we have two special guests with us today, two special states men, two veterans, senator robert dole and senator warner here in the front row. Lets hear it for them. Ladies and gentlemen, here come the two 2 bm avengers. The battle of the of the bulge was germanys last major offensive campaign in world war ii. Beginning in mid december of 1944 as a surprise attack on American Forces in belgium. Before it was over, the battle involved more than 500,000 germans, 600,000 americans and 50,000 british troops. Characterized by cold temperatures and overcast skies the battle demonstrated how air support has been ingratetegrated into military operations. The inability to win in the air prolonged the battle. It helped the allies achieve victory in the battle. December 16th a german attack was designed to catch the allies unaware and split the forces in half. They wanted to capture antwerp. It created an 80 mile wide bulge in the allied ones. One of the aircraft that drove the germans back was the a26 invader built by douglas. Eformal eforal immortalized forever, it provided the United States with a staging area for the much anticipated invasion of the japanese homeland. It is a testament to the frosty of the fighting on iwo jima. Nearly 19,000 japanese soldiers were killed. The only battle of the war in which u. S. Casualties exceeded japanese. The air force was critical to the air. The pilot sat far back in the fuselage and view was restricted because of the horsepower motor, the 13 plus foot diameter and huge fuel tank. Makeing landings difficult. Early models went to land based marine pilots who put the heavy armament to effective use in dog fights and ground support. Eventually, air pilots shot down 11 japanese aircraft for every course air lost. By 1945, marine corps pilots were flying low level missions with their fellow marines on the beaches and the islands throughout the south pacific. The japanese called this airplane whistling death. Some of you remember bma 214, led by boeington. He was it will28. He racked up 28 kills during his career. Ladies and gentlemen, from the right, and directly in front of you all here come the f4u course air. The bent winged bird. The b29 superfortress could carry at an altitude of 30,000 feet. It flew above most of japans palm island defenses. Instead of gun turrets, it poached from blisters on the fuselage linked through a Remote Control system that was a marvel of technology in the 1940s. By the time b29s entered the war, an earlier generation of heavy bombers leveled much of germany. The super forces were deployed to china. The move to the islands put the aircraft within 1500 miles of tokyo, well within the bombers range. With their large numbers and vast payloads it wasnt long until they destroyed every strategic target in japan. The only aircraft then capable of delivering the worlds First Nuclear bombs modified super forces joined their standard comerades in 1945. It dropped a bomb on the japanese city of here ro seeiroshihiroshima. Later, nagasaki was destroyed. Japanese surrendered. It was on board the uss missouri and tokyo bay of 1945. Compared to the 12,000 plus b17s and 18,000 plus liberators built, production of the b29 super fortress was about 4,000. It was rushed into service. It was fraught with engine problems. So great that engines were routinely swapped out after only 25 hours of flying time. Just shy of 4,000 b29 super fortresses were built by boeing. Also by bell. And also martin aircraft. The ability for the b29 to fly at such High Altitudes is because it was the first u. S. Aircraft that was pressurized, enabling the air crew to be operating the aircraft in normal kinds of temperatures. Ladies and gentlemen, here comes the b29. Over 12 million americans answered the nations call over the course of the second world war. Were going to have now what is known as a missing man formation. It serves to remind us of those who sacrificed their future for that of our nation. And its a tradition which dates back to world war ii. This symbolic moment when a single aircraft breaks formation and soars skyward, leaving behind his comrades in arms. Lanl ladies and gentlemen, help us recognize our fallen heros and stand while taps is being played. Taps ladies and gentlemen, you may be seated. Thanks to the texas flying legends for performing the missing man formation. 70 years ago, the world rejoice rejoiced, ladies and gentlemen. Londons square was the scene of an immense street party. Joyful frenchmen celebrated in paris. Vast crowds gathered in moscows red square. The United States, although the country knew in the United States, the country knew there was much work to be done in the pacific, huge celebrations were help in chicago, los angeles, miami and especially new yorks time square. Every contributor to the arsenal of democracy had done their part. From the servicemen fighting for their country overseas to the factory workers and businesses providing those servicemen with the weapons of war so vital to their success. To the families who went without so that the boys overseas could have all that they needed. Victory was a collaborative effort. A triumph that the entire country could be proud of. Seven decades later, we are no less proud. For all those here today who played a role in americas victory in world war ii whether in military or civilian capacity, thank you for your service. For everybody else thank you for joining us here today to commemorate our countrys victory in world war ii. Today at 10 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv, an nbc news special report. Communist saigon. Nbc news reported on the capture of south vietnams ca