Wings Up
| Wings Up | |
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Media cover
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| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Capt. Clark Gable (as credited) |
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| Distributed by | Office of War Information, Bureau of Motion Pictures |
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Running time
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20 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Wings Up (aka Sustineo Alas in its release for the United States Army) is a short propaganda film produced during World War II, highlighting the role of the United States Army Air Forces Officer Candidate School. The film emphasized that while usually these courses would take up to a year in college, the country was at war now and needed all the qualified officers it could get and fast. The curriculum is briefly outlined in Wings Up as well as the kind of life a student would lead at this training center.
In 1943, a bombing mission by a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress that had successfully dropped its bombs on target, has degenerated into an emergency situation over the Pacific. The navigator on board has not been able to plot a course back to the bomber's home base. The lives of the crew and the loss of the bomber depends on the skill and training provided for the navigator who represents a "weak link" in the crew.
The one solution to a lack of readiness to go to war in the air is the selection, testing, training and preparation offered by the Army Air Forces Officer Candidate School found in Miami, Florida. The motto of the school is Sustineo Alas (translated as "I sustain the wings"). The selection and testing to qualify is rigorous; after a physical examination, test scores based on general knowledge, and a stint as a corporal in command of soldiers, only 23 out of 1,000 candidates are chosen to proceed to the Officer's Candidate School.
All of the candidates have a diverse background and experiences, some as entertainers such as Robert Preston, while others have been successful in sports, business, science and academia. Many have also had combat experience as well as leadership positions. The six-week course stresses discipline, efficiency and restrictions that combine to instil all the attitudes and ethos of the officer cadre.
Narrated by Captain Clark Gable, Wings Up informed the youth of America about the Officer Candidate School, which was the primary setting for the production. In 1942, following the death of his wife, Carol Lombard, Gable joined the U.S. Army Air Forces after the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces Henry H. "Hap" Arnold offered Gable a "special assignment" in aerial gunnery.
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Wikipedia