Scenes staged by USAAF pilots and ground crews on a foggy day at Debden airfield...HD Stock Footage

The Color of History
Sep 24, 2026

CriticalPast is an archive of historic footage. The vintage footage in this video has been uploaded for research purposes, and is presented in unedited form. Some viewers may find some scenes or audio in this archival material to be unsettling or distressing. CriticalPast makes this media available for researchers and documentarians, and does not endorse or condone any behavior or message, implied or explicit, that is seen or heard in this video.
Link to order this clip:
Historic Stock Footage Archival and Vintage Video Clips in HD.

Scenes staged by USAAF pilots and ground crews on a foggy day at Debden airfield during World War II

P-51 airplane, of the U.S. Army Air Forces 334th Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, piloted by Lieutenant Timothy J "Tim" Cronin of Oconomowoc, WI., taxis and parks on apron, at Debden Airfield in England during World War 2. Six ground crewmen run toward plane and greet the pilot. Scene is repeated close up. Pilot in cockpit of plane uses starter to turn the propeller a bit to make it appear he has just taxied in. Again, the ground crewmen run to and surround his airplane. Lieutenant Cronin standing between two other pilots. One of them, Maj Howard "Deacon" Hively, of Athens, Ohio, holds a wad of British currency, which he shares with the other two. They shake hands. Lieutenant Clifton and Captain David W Howe, of East Hickory, PA., conversing and.Looking skyward determining weather. Lieutenant Clarence L. Boretsky, of Milwaukee, WI, talking and laughing with two other pilots. Captain Carl F. Brown of Huntingdon, PA..shows patch on his leather flying jacket displaying the 334th Logo superimposed on an American Eagle (Alluding to the Eagle Squadron beginnings of the 4th Fighter Group.) Location: Debden England. Date: January 15, 1945.

57,000+ broadcast-quality historic clips for immediate download.
Fully digitized and searchable, the CriticalPast collection is one of the largest archival footage collections in the world. All clips are licensed royalty-free, worldwide, in perpetuity. CriticalPast offers immediate downloads of full-resolution HD and SD masters and full-resolution time-coded screeners, 24 hours a day, to serve the needs of broadcast news, TV, film, and publishing professionals worldwide. Still photo images extracted from the vintage footage are also available for immediate download. CriticalPast is your source for imagery of worldwide events, people, and B-roll spanning the 20th century.