Angel In Overalls: This WWII Film Designed To Keep Aircraft Industry Workers On Task Is A Tribute To The P-38 Lightning


Angel In Overalls: This WWII Film Designed To Keep Aircraft Industry Workers On Task Is A Tribute To The P-38 Lightning

It’s always interesting to look back into WWII and see how the media was used to help bolster spirits, inspire work, and inform the public. In this film called “Angel In Overalls” we go right into the aircraft industry and specifically go right to those people who were responsible for making the P-38 Lightning which was a vitally important airplane in the war. This is a propaganda film that is designed to reinforce how important everyone’ job on the production line is and what their jobs mean for the war effort.

Major Dick Bong is featured in this film and for good reason. He was one of the greatest fighter ace pilots of the war and Bong recorded 40 air combat victories over the course of the war. The P-38 was the primary long range fighter plane of the Pacific campaign before being largely supplanted by the P-51 Mustang. It’s unique design gave it the nickname of the Fork-tail Devil, and it had the horsepower and the awesome forward mounted cannon to get the job done against the enemy.

This is not a film that says, “We’re winning, no problem, keep up the good work.” This is a film that is grave in its tone and pretty sad in some of its content.

We know if we saw it back then and had to return to our work stations, we’d be carrying more focus than what we left with.

Press play below to see this cool old film called “Angel In Overalls” from WWII –


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One thought on “Angel In Overalls: This WWII Film Designed To Keep Aircraft Industry Workers On Task Is A Tribute To The P-38 Lightning

  1. john

    Great video. Anyone with interest in the Pacific war, Ian Toll’s “Twilight of the Gods” is the final in his trilogy on the war. Worth your time.

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