# WW 2 Footage With a Helicopter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 29, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878 "2010-08-29T12:46:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878/1 "2010-08-29T12:46:26Z")
I was watching an episode of "Last Days of WW2 " tonight on the History Channel. It was the episode that dealt with the death of Ernie Pyle. Anyway, it was dealing with the capture of a small close by island and the heavy casualties. As the program wound up, the footage showed a helicopter flying over the scene. It was in the distance but unmistakeably a helicopter. I replayed it a few times and their was the rotor on the top- it looked to me like a Whirlwind (I am no helicopter expert). So, these things weren’t around until the time of the Korean War I understand. Was it just splicing of old film? (I have retained my recording but I am not sure how I could display it for anyone). ---
**Author:** ![CWN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@CWN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CWN)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878/2 "2010-08-29T13:08:49Z")
No, they did use helicopters in WW2 [American WW2 aircraft](http://www.military.cz/usa/air/war/default_en.htm) scroll down the page for links to photos ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878/3 "2010-08-29T13:09:58Z")
There were some operational helicopters from 1944 on, though not in widespread use - German Kolibri and Drache in European Theatre, American [R-4](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sikorsky_R4B.jpg) in SE Asia/Pacific (R-5 did not make it to frontlines ops before war’s end IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878/4 "2010-08-30T00:04:40Z")
Thanks. I never knew any were operational. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878/5 "2010-08-30T01:11:44Z")
[Here’s a clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARN2kjjL6So) of an R4 in WWII. [Article](http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Medevac-From-Luzon.html). > [@](#): > > From June 15 to July 29, 1945, Carle and five other pilots evacuated 75 to 80 wounded soldiers, one or two at a time, from the highlands northeast of Manila. Although they were not the first helicopter pilots to fly in combat—that distinction belongs to Lieutenant Carter Harman of the First Air Commando Group, who flew the first medical evacuations, in Burma on April 23, 1944—they were the first to be targeted by enemy fire: Japanese soldiers tried to shoot them down with machine guns. Their six-week effort constitutes the largest combat helicopter operation before the Korean War, yet their contributions remain largely unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ww-2-footage-with-a-helicopter/551878/6 "2010-08-30T01:47:51Z")
You know that German operation to rescue Mussolini from a prison in the mountains? That was in '43 and a helicopter was supposed to pick him up, but broke down on the way. Now I picture the helicopter showing up, hovering over the place and while all the guards look up astounded to that _thing_ Mussolini sneaks out the back door.