Moving Image

Fra Canada til India med transport command, 1944

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Title
Fra Canada til India med transport command, 1944
Identifier
2022013_16
Date
circa 1943
Description
No description available. Video can be viewed online here.
Funding for digitization provided to NAHA by the Sons of Norway Foundation.
Extent
00:09:21
Format
Independent films
Rights
In Copyright
https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission for the rights-holder(s).
Table Of Contents
00:00:02 Opens with map background with white text: “Luftforsvaret viser” [“The Air Force presents”]. Music playing.

00:00:05 Man using pointer on map. Narration: “Fra Amerika til ? i Østen har det fløyet hundrevis av fly av ulike typer, og nordmenn også deltok i disse transportene. I alt fløy major omtrent tyve fly til Østen.” Translation: “From America to ? in the East, hundreds of different kinds of planes have flown, and the Norwegians also participated in these transports. All in all about twenty planes flew to the East.”

00:00:20 Men on the runway, getting onto a plane. Narration: “Det er den syvogtyvende november. I snarvei gikk starten fra Dorval flyplass ved Montreal i Canada.” Translation: “It is the twenty-seventh of November. As a shortcut the start was from Dorval Airport by Montreal in Canada.” Plane takes off from the runway.

00:00:34 Map of path over North America. Footage of pilot and propellers from inside the plane. Aerial views of landscape. Narration: “De bærer langs østkysten av USA, ned i Florence, og ut til Bahama-øyene nord for Cuba. Vi har allerede forlatt vinteren og møter regnværet på vei imot sol og sommer.” Translation: “They carry on along the East Coast of the USA, down in Florence, and out to the Bahama Islands North of Cuba. We have already left the winter and meet rainy weather on the way to sun and summer.”

00:00:56 Aerial views of coast, cities, ocean. Pencil over map. Narration: “Et smilende Florida drar ut seg underveis, Miami, med sine berømte badestrender. Utenfor Florida, er havet så grunt at du kan se bunnen hele veien mot de britiske Bahama-øyene, som forresten den gangen hadde meget kjent guvernatør, nemlig hertugen og hertuginnen av Windsor.” Translation: “A smiling Florida lies out underway, Miami, with its famous beaches. Outside of Florida, an ocean so shallow that you can see the bottom the whole way to the British Bahama Islands, which at that time had a rather famous governor, namely the duke and duchess of Windsor.”

00:01:17 Views of plane landing and vehicles on runway. Narration: “? på den vestlige øya New Providence, som ligger midt i denne øyegruppen. Øya ble i sin tid oppdaget av Columbus, og senere kolonisert av britene.” Translation: “? on the western island New Providence, that lies in the middle of this group of islands. The island was discovered by Columbus in his time, and later colonized by the British.”

00:01:32 Map of path over “Karabiske Hav” [“Caribbean Ocean”]. Aerial views of islands. Map of Trinidad. Narration: “Tvers over de vestindiske øyer med Puerto Rico, på vei mot den britiske koloniøya, Trinidad, på kysten av Venezuela.” Translation: “Across the West-Indian islands with Puerto Rico, on the way to the British colony islands, Trinidad, on the coast of Venezuela.”

00:01:45 Men on the runway, deboarding plane, making repairs. Vehicles nearby.

00:02:01 Map of path over Brazil. Aerial shots of coast, pilot flying plane, views out plane window. Men running out of the building towards the vehicle. Narration: “Neste morgen, går ferden videre over Orinoco-delta, og så vannet og urskoger i Guyana og Nord-Brasil. Dette er Helvete innsideshavet, den franske straffekolonien. Værkartet ser bra ut, det holdt altså stygt til å begynne med, men etter at vi hadde passert den veldig Amazon-kloden, svingte kompassen om plutselig rett mot nord. Det kom en tordensky som kom like bak oss før vi landet i Belem.” Translation: “The next morning, the expedition goes further over the Orinoco Delta, and then the water and primeval forests in Guyana and North-Brazil. This is Devil’s Island, the French penal colony. The weather map looks good, it was nasty to begin with, but after we passed the Amazon-sphere, the compass suddenly swung right North. A thundercloud came behind us before we landed in Belem.”

00:02:32 Shots of plane taking off. Aerial views of landscape. Men flying plane. More aerial views. Narration: “Det utmerkede flyet gikk jevnt og trutt, men så var Liberator også i sin tid ved siden av B29, det fly som hadde lengst rekkevidde, med hele fem tusen og seks hundre kilometer. Totalvekten var tyve tall.” Translation: “The remarkable plane went steadily, but the Liberator was also in its time beside the B29, the plane that had the longest range, with a whole five thousand and six hundred kilometers. The total weight was twenty numbers.”

00:02:58 Shots of plane landing. Men on plane wings at the airport. Map showing path over Atlantic Ocean. Narration: “På flyplassen sto den gang så moderne B29, eller flyvende festninger, som skulle videre til ? i Europa. Det var den gang hemmelige, og ble godt beskyttet for nærgående tilskuere.” Translation: “At the airport stood the modern B29, or the flying fort, which was going further to ? in Europe. It was at that time secret, and was well-protected from bold onlookers.”

00:03:09 Views from plane taking off. Aerial views of coast. Views of men inside plane. Narration: “Fra Brasil skulle vår neste stopp være den vestlige øya Ascension midt ut i Sør-Atlanteren, på kartet, bare et knappenålshode. Sladrekompasset ble innstilt med den automatiske pilot, motoren sjekket, og flyet styrte seg selv mot målet. I mellomtiden slapped mannskapet av, skiperen tar en lur mens mekanikeren smaker på den medbragte nisten.” Translation: “From Brazil our next stop was the western island Ascension in the middle of the South Atlantic, on the map, just a pinhead. The telltale compass was tuned to the automatic pilot, the motor checked, and the plane steered itself towards the target. In the meantime the crew relaxed, the captain takes a nap while the mechanic tastes the brought-along provisions.”

00:03:38 Map of Ascension island. Aerial views of island. Plane landing. Narration: “Ascension, som betyr oppstigning eller himmelfart, ble oppdaget av en portugiser i 1501 på Kristi himmelfartsdagen. Skulle kompasset slått lik, var det likevel like så vanskelig å finne øya, fikk vi vite. Vi kunne bare styre etter en sky i Atlanteren, så lå øya like under skyet.” Translation: “Ascension, which means rising or ascension, was discovered by a Portuguese in 1501 on Ascension Day. If the compass was set like this, it was still just as difficult to find the island, we found out. We could only steer towards a clouds in the Atlantic, the island lay right under the cloud.”

00:04:00 Men shaking hands on runway. Car traveling with several passengers. Narration: “? spilte ringe roller for vårt kompass, viste seg å være i orden. Her traff kapteinen vår en kjenning, sist de sås var på Grønland. Forandring ?, men det var noen sjelden å møte på en øde utpost, for så å møtes på et enda ødere sted. Denne vestlige vulkanske øya består av bare stein, untatt øverst oppe, der det vokser frodig. Det var sparsomt med befolkning på øya.” Translation: “? played a humble role for our compass, which showed itself to be in working order. Here our captain met an acquaintance, the last time they say each other was in Greenland. Change ?, but there were some few people to meet at a desolate outpost, and so to meet at an even more desolate place. This western volcanic island consists of just stone, besides the uppermost portion, where it grows lushly. There are scarcely people on the island.”

00:04:31 Map of path from Ascension to Ghana. Aerial views of the island. Men inside the plane. Views of the coast in Ghana. Narration: “På turen fra Ascension til Afrika-kysten over åpent, øde hav blir atter George, som den automatiske piloten ble kalt, satt på, og vi får oss et fredelig slag kort før vi går inn for landing i Akkra.” Translation: “On the trip from Ascension to the coast of Africa over open, desolate ocean, George, as the automatic pilot is called, is turned on, and we get a moment of peace before we go in to land in Accra.”

00:05:11 Map of Accra. Plane landing and men getting off the plane onto the runway. Ghanaians making repairs on plane. Narration: “Akkra er hovedstaden i Ghana, eller Guldkysten, som det ennå het den gangen, da det var britisk koloni. Men nå har vi fløyet i femti timer, og må ha et større ettersyn på flyet, det vil ta en dag.” Translation: “Accra is the capital of Ghana, or the Gold Coast, as it was still called at that time, when it was a British colony. But now we have flown for fifty hours, and we must have a greater inspection of the plane, that will take one day.”

00:05:28 Men cutting grass in field, some playing instruments. Narration: “Det var australiere som drev flyplassen med innfødte, smilende hjelpere. Mye av dem gjemte seg i gresset rundt flyplassen, og det gjaldt å holde gresset kort. Slåttekårene forlangte musikk til arbeidere skulle det bli noe sving på gressklippingen.” Translation: “There were Australians who ran the airport with native, smiling helpers. Many of them hid in the grass around the airport, and carried on keeping the grass short.”

00:05:47 People gathered on the beach. Boys pulling on rope. People carrying water containers over their heads. Narration: “Utenfor Akkra, levde landsbyfolket et tilsynelatende sørgløst liv. Hovedbeskjeftigelsen var fiske, som var felles for hele landsbyen. Tidligere ? og i aften var alle med, både unge og gamle, å dra ? på land. Og så ble utbytte delt på kollektiv måte.” Translation: “Outside of Accra, the village people lived a seemingly carefree life. The primary occupation was fishing, which was communal for the entire village. Earlier ? and in the afternoon everyone joined, both young and old, to draw ? on land. And then the yield was split in a communal way.”

00:06:16 Aerial views of the coast. Map of path over Nigeria. Propellers whirring with sound. Narration: “Fra denne vakre kystbyen gikk nå ferden inn over i fast landet, mot Maiduguri i Nigeria. Det veldig landet som var også britisk koloni den gang.” Translation: “From this beautiful coastal town the journey went over landlocked land, towards Maiduguri in Nigeria. This very land was also a British colony once.”

00:06:30 Aerial views of landscape and airport. Narration: “Vi passerer Niger, Afrikas tredje største elv, og forbi en kano i siktet, før vi lander på flyplassen in Maiduguri.” Translation: “We pass Niger, Africa’s third largest river, and by a canoe in sight, before we land at the airport in Maiduguri.”

00:06:43 Plane landing and people on the runway. Narration: “Alle flyplassene vi kom til var helt moderne, det nesten skulle ikke tro når en så annerledes maskineri de brukte.” Translation: “All the airports we came to were completely modern, you almost wouldn't believe it when they used such a different machinery.”

00:06:53 Soldiers walking down the path. Person walking with camel, others riding horses. Shot of safari. Narration: “Og her fikk vi også et glømt av folkelivet.” Translation: “And here we also got a glimpse of local life.”

00:07:10 Wing of plane in flight. Aerial views of landscape. Narration: “Stadig østover bærer det. Over ? franske kolonier, til Kartum, hovedstaden i Sudan. Kartum ligger akkurat ved møtestedet for Den Blå Nile, den til høyre, og Den Hvite Nile til venstre. Det ble ensformig lengden å fly dag etter dag, ut og inn med bagasjen, og på ‘n igjen. Ofte lot vi utsikt være utsikt og fordelt tiden med kortspill.” Translation: “We carry on steadily eastward. Over ? French colony, to Kartum, the capital of Sudan. Kartum lies right at the meeting place of the Blue Nile, to the right, and the White Nile to the left. It was monotonously long to fly day after day, take the baggage in and out, and back at it again. Often we let the view be the view and passed the time with card games.”

00:07:35 Wing of plane in flight. Plane landing on dusty runway. Aerial shots of town. Men sitting in plane. Narration: “Nå skulle vi lande på en øy utenfor sør-kysten av Arabia. Naturen er bare sand og stein, ørken så ? som et månelandskap. Og så er det full aktivitet til å få flyet ferdig til neste morgen, det er kvelende het, circa 45 grader, og meget fuktig luft. Atter på vingene mot øst, og vi begynner å nærme oss reisens mål, men først skal vi ned i Karachi. Navigatøren sitter frem i nesen, og finner faste holdepunkter på land, for å sjekke teorien med bestikker. På Karachi flyplass blir de fleste flyene levert, men de som skulle settes inn på Burma-fronten blir fløyet videre. Endelig, siste tappet, radiokompasset stilles inn på Allahabad, reisens mål.” Translation: “Now we were going to land on an island off the south coast of Arabia. The nature is just sand and stone, desert as ? as a moon landscape. And then there is full activity to get the plane done for the next morning, it is stifling hot, around 45 degrees, and very humid air. Once again on the wings headed east, and we begin to approach the journey’s destination, but first we are going down in Karachi. The navigator sits forward in the nose, and finds fast holding points on the land, to check the path with instruments. At the Karachi Airport, most planes are sent, but those who are going to sit on the Burma-front are flown further. Finally, the last projection, the radio compass is set in for Allahabad, the journey’s destination.”

00:08:19 Shots of landscape. Map over Allahabad. Aerial shots of planes and runway. Narration: “Flyværet er uforklarelig på disse kanter, klart og tørt, for jorden er det verre. Over store området ligger den ? og sprukken, helt til vi nærmer oss Ganges, den hellige flod. Og så er vi fremme, og ser rykken av fly som var tidligere levert for å settes inn på Burma-fronten.” Translation: “The flying weather is indescribable in these areas, clear and dry, for the earth it is worst. Over the large area it lies ? and cracked, until we approach Ganges, the holy flood. And so we have arrived, and see the row of planes who were earlier sent to be set on the Burma-front.”

00:08:37 Wheel of plane landing. Men on runway, exiting plane. Close-ups of crew. Map showing entire journey. Narration: “Det er godt å få strekke bena igjen, og vite at i morgen skal vi allefall ikke i lufta. Annen flygeren, Risan. Navigatøren, Gabrielsen. Flymekaniker, Pedersen. Telegrafist, Åsheim, og skiperen, Omtvedt. Vi har brukt femten dager på turen fra Canada til Allahabad, og vært i luften i 76 timer.” Translation: “It is good to get to stretch our legs again, and know that tomorrow at least we will not be up in the air. Second flier, Risan. The navigator, Gabrielsen. The plane mechanic, Pedersen. Telegraphist, Åsheim, and the captain, Omtvedt. We have spent fifteen days on the trip from Canada to Allahabad, and been in the air for 76 hours.”

00:09:18 Black screen.
Bibliographic Citation
[Indicate the cited item here]. Campbell Norsgaard Collection. Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, Minnesota.
Has Format
MP4

Citation

Norsgaard, Campbell, “Fra Canada til India med transport command, 1944,” Digital Collections, accessed October 16, 2026, https://norwegianamericanhistory.org/digital-collections/items/show/16011.