Historic colour film about WW2 night bombing

[ricardian]

Night bombers duration one hour.

[MPN11]

Thank you very much for flagging that up.

Thank God I didn't have to do that.

[500N]

That is an great video.

It showed a lot of behind the scenes stuff that I hadn't seen before.

Thanks for posting.

[Wensleydale]

I believe that this film was shot at the end of 1943 by the Station Commander at Hemswell, Gp Capt Cozens, who was an amateur filmmaker. After the war his films were put together and released in 1981 under the title of Night Bombers. It is still commercially available on DVD. The raid is real and there were no actors! It remains the only "true" colour film of Bomber Command in action.

[500N]

Because of this great video I ended up watching one on Youtube
about Mosquitos.

Also very good.

[MPN11]

Not challenging Wensleydale at all, but the tail turret shown in that film raises a question on date.

The narrative at 10:26 says it's Hemswell in 1944. According to that Wiki-thing, the Rose turret (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_turret) (if that is what I saw in the film) didn't enter service until mid-44. But then the narrative at 28:08 calls the cutaway perspex "the Grantham Lodge modification".

I feel very anorak. Please excuse me. :O

[goudie]

Excellent film of men, calmly going about their very dangerous business
Remind me again, how long was it before they were officially honoured?

[airborne_artist]

"the Grantham Lodge modification"

Those Freemasons got everywhere ;)

[clicker]

goudie,

Far too long, at least 60 years in my books.

[SOSL]

Poppies fall from sky as Bomber Command memorial unveiled - YouTube

[kenparry]

"the Grantham Lodge modification"

Not quite.

Actually "Gransden Lodge" - a bomber field beween Cambridge and St Neots, these days still active as the base of Cambridge Gliding Club.

[MPN11]

My hearing as well as my eyesight (and everything else) is failing!

Thanks for the correction :cool:

[cuefaye]

Thank you ricardian. In my view, arguably the best Mil Aircrew post for several years.

[clicker]

Just sat down and watched the clip.

Didn't know how good it was. I had seen clips before but not the full length version.

Thanks ricardian for finding it.

[CoffmanStarter]

Many thanks Ricardian a wonderful film tribute to our brave WWII RAF Bomber Command Crews :D:D:D:D

[500N]

I watched the whole thing again today.

Some of that footage, the world should be grateful he took it.


I have one question re the taxiways. It stated that keeping the lancaster
on the 50ft Taxiway was not easy, yet when they showed the 40 Lancasters
all taxiing for take off, the Taxi way was a squiggly line, hardly a straight
piece of tarmac the whole way.

Any reason for this ?

[CoffmanStarter]

With tail wheel aircraft ... you need to weave to see what might be under your nose when taxiing.

[Tu.114]

This was the longest time I have spent on a Youtube movie yet. Worth every second.

I am under the impression though that the reality was even less suitable for the faint of heart than what was depicted here. Flak, night fighters and the massive losses were only mentioned "by the way".

[Ormeside28]

The wing commander waiting for his boys to return is basil templeman-rooke. He was my boss on 205 at changi in 1959. A great man and an excellent CO. He went from sergeant pilot to wing commander in three years,and his log book was brilliant.R I P T-R.i

[54Phan]

Yes, a wonderful video! I think that the pilot is pictured in "Lancaster At War".

[papajuliet]

The book "Bomber Intelligence" by W.E.Jones, who was the intelligence officer at Hemswell, states that the briefing part of the film was made on 9th. March 1945 after cancellation of an operation just before briefing.The Base commander, Air Commodore Cozens,made use of the cancellation to make his film sequences including a briefing session.
Station Commander at Hemswell was G/C W.C. [Wally] Sheen DSO.
170 Sqd. Commander was W/C Templeton-Rooke.

[Wander00]

I am confused - never heard of a 1* Base commander before - were they common?

[MPN11]

Thank you, Sir :ok:

It all looked a bit modern for my eyes!!

[CoffmanStarter]

Here's some info on the Air Commodore

Air Commodore H I Cozens (http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Cozens.htm)

During WW2, whilst in command of the Base at Hemswell, he made the only colour movie film of Lancaster operations entitled 'Night Bombers', now available on video. From 1969 - 1990, he was the Vice-President of the British Schools Exploring Society.

Coff.

[MPN11]

IIRC, a "Base" encompassed sub-Stations, or 'satellite airfields' if you will.

So "Base 54" could actually be 3/4 airfields, packed with more aircraft and squadrons than you could realistically fit in one place.

BC was a VERY sophisticated set-up in the latter years of 'The War'

[500N]

Coffman

Interesting his rank went up and down a bit mid war.

Anyone know the reason why ?

Sqn Ldr: 1 Dec 1936,
(T) Wg Cdr: 1 Jan 1940,
Act Gp Capt: xx xxx xxxx, (T)
Gp Capt: 1 Mar 1942,
Wg Cdr: 14 Apr 1942 [1 Jan 1940],
Act A/Cdre: 1 Dec 1943 - 45?,
Gp Capt (WS): 1 Jun 1944,
Gp Capt: 1 Oct 1946,
A/Cdre: 1 Jan 1949.

[Wensleydale]

I am confused - never heard of a 1* Base commander before - were they common?


The "Base" was an organisation of a main RAF Station with one or two satellite stations. The main station (usually a pre-war permanent airfield)supplied the main administration set-up for the smaller stations. Each station had its own group captain station commander but the "Base" was commanded by a one star. For example, RAF Waddington ran 53 Base (the 3rd base in 5 group) from the end of 1942 to the end of the war. The other two stations in Base 53 were Skellingthorpe (50 & 61 Sqns) and Bardney (9 Sqn). Together with Waddington's two Australian squadrons (463 & 467), Base 53 could call upon a force of around 100 Lancasters. Further examples include Base 54 (4th base of 5 group): Coningsby, Metheringham and Woodhall Spa, and 51 Base of Scampton, Fiskerton and Dunholm Lodge.

The link lists all of the bases: Bomber Bases_P (http://www.rafweb.org/Bases.htm)

[ricardian]

Glad everyone enjoyed the video. I was in the RAF 1959-73 but not aircrew (colour blind!), a mere Cpl Telegraphist who went on to work for 30 years in the Civil Service (GCHQ) thanks to my RAF training.

[Wander00]

Thanks for info on "bases" very interesting and something of which I was not aware. One learns something every day

[rolling20]

'Interesting his rank went up and down a bit mid war' T is Temporary, the WS is War Substantive. He may have dropped back to W/C to take Operational command of a squadron. Cheshire did it with 617.

[500N]

Rolling

Thank you. It was the drop back to Wg Cdr that I was stumped on.

:ok:

[rolling20]

500N, pleasure old boy!

[Prangster]

RAF Grantham-Vincent House 5 Gp HQ. RAF Gransden Lodge by 1944 was home to 2 Mosquito Squadrons of the LNSF (Light Night Striking Force ie the Mossie being a light bomber ) Quoting from Michael JF Bowyer's Action Stations Revisited, Crecy Publications 2001.

The entymology suggests Grantham modification may therefore be the right one!

[Dan Gerous]

Well that was an hour well spent. Very informative, with all the pre flight details, arming the aircraft, etc.

[Dave Wilson]

The other two stations in Base 53 were Skellingthorpe (50 & 61 Sqns)

I live on the former RAF Skellingthorpe. Not in a Nissan hut I may add. I was visiting Sherburn Aero Club last thursday (excellent caff) and noticed a group of elderly gentlemen talking, one of them making the hand signs of air to air combat. I enquired as to who they were and was told 'Oh it's Bomber Command thursday...'

[Rosevidney1]

I continue to be surprised at the ways of the world. I was fortunate to see the original showing on TV and bought the DVD as soon as it became available. That said, I continue to learn film names and book titles on our forum that have mysteriously passed me by. ;)

[Danny42C]

Well worth watching ! But why, oh why, did they all have to be wearing band-box fresh uniforms in these films ? (Having said that, the production is so far ahead of anything turned out from Hollywood or Pinewood, that there is no comparison).

D.

[Dave Wilson]

But why, oh why, did they all have to be wearing band-box fresh uniforms in these films ?

With the greatest respect, perhaps a lot of them didn't live long enough to get them scruffy.

[Danny42C]

Dave,

Point taken, but in the war I was in, our original uniforms (mine was part-worn on issue) were in a sorry state by the time we reached the killing fields.

And there were an awful lot of survivors (among them my humble self), from whom I understand the cast were recruited.

D.

[Chugalug2]

Danny, as I understand it this was very much a fly on the wall documentary made by the Base Commander (a cine enthusiast) in order to show new joiners how their job (cook, armourer, ground/air crew, etc) fitted into the business of launching, carrying out, and recovering a raid.

Whether it existed as the complete production, complete with (excellent) commentary, that we see here, I very much doubt. More likely someone (himself?) would have been commenting live to the silent movie scenes.

Whatever the facts, this is surely unique for British Wartime Operational Colour video (where the heck did he get all that film stock for a start?). Both German and US colour wartime video is plentiful, but not so British. Makes one wonder how he managed his day job as well as producing this!

[Dave Wilson]

Danny,

Point taken! Never realised that they issued part worn stuff. My comment was more a reflection on those poor guys who were taken so young, my uncle one of them. He never even got onto ops; killed when his Albemarle spun in after he lost a donk on a night take off.

[Cricket23]

Thanks to the OP for putting this link up. Really good viewing!:ok:

[polecat2]

Whatever the facts, this is surely unique for British Wartime Operational Colour video (where the heck did he get all that film stock for a start?). Both German and US colour wartime video is plentiful, but not so British. Makes one wonder how he managed his day job as well as producing this!

Unofficial photography was an offence during the war and for along time afterwards. Wg Cdr Cozens probably only got away with it due to his rank and position.
I remember the TV series "Britain At War in Colour" included some colour footage of the army in Burma. It transpired that the this film was taken by an army officer who did a lot of private filming in theatre but, come the end of the war, was unwilling to take the risk of upsetting the authorities by trying to bring his reels of film home so got rid of them, except for the footage shown on TV.
On the other hand, nearly every US and German serviceman seemed to have a personal camera, and some of their efforts can be seen in many military and aviation books today.

[OilCan]

I don't think I've ever seen such comprehensive coverage of the 'behind the scenes' preparation for a sortie. Even by modern standards, it's striking how little has changed.

Ironic that I sat and watched this for the first time today; my last day of service after 38+ years. Oh the memories. :uhoh:

Thank you for posting. :ok:

[WhiteOvies]

Dave Wilson,

My great Uncle was also killed in an Albemarle accident following an engine issue, it seems to have been a common problem. His brother (my Grandfather) flew with Bomber Command on Wellingtons and Lancs until the end of the war, mostly with 44(Rhodesia) Sqn.

The video gives a great insight into what his life must have been like at that time, he rarely spoke about his experiences until his much later years when he went to local schools to talk to the kids.

It's a shame that he died before the wonderful Memorial was put in place, at least his medals (inc DFC) now have the Bomber Command Clasp.

[Boy_From_Brazil]

A truly amazing documentary. With the amount of constant stress, it's no wonder the guys looked much older than their early twenties!

From a personal perspective, it was inspiring to see what my Father (a Lanc W/Op) and my Mother (a WAAF in Intelligence) had to endure. My Mum used to dread looking daily at the wall charts showing which crews were presumed missing.

One poignant part where the commentator stated that the Lancasters rarely wore out, most of them only lasted 40 flying hours!

Thanks for posting ricardian!

[Chugalug2]

The scene showing an Airman tidying up the mess in the Intelligence Debriefing Room at Hemswell reminds us that those taken off Ops for a "Lack of Moral Fibre" were often reduced to the ranks and given such menial tasks while remaining at their Station. The idea being that it encouraged other aircrew to keep the terror they felt to themselves and "Carry On Regardless".
Not saying it was the case with this guy of course. That would be a Cinéma vérité too far!

[Load Toad]

...I was under the impression from books I've read that 'LMF' (PTSD) victims were taken ASAP OFF station. Quite understandably.

[Chugalug2]

LT, you are of course absolutely right, I was getting my wires crossed. Having surfed around various sites that Google threw up, it seems that the handling of such cases varied wrt "previous" episodes, the possibility of "rehabilitation" (for which a spell at the Aircrew Correction Centre Sheffield was prescribed) or blatant refusal to fly (in which case cashiering of Officers and reduction to the ranks for NCOs was very likely, and all being stripped of flying brevets).
In all cases as you say, swift removal from the Station was a common factor. If any sweeping of floors or cleaning of loos was to follow, it would be elsewhere!
Thank you for correcting me.

[Danny42C]

Chugalug (your #40) and polecat2 (your #43), both p.2,

Yes, I've been thinking about colour film stock (I suppose it would have been 8 or 16mm Home Movie stuff) at that late stage in the war. And how did they get round the security problem ? IIRC, it was forbidden to have even a still camera in your possession in a war zone, although many did, and we are grateful for it now. I suppose being a one-star would help.

And Chugalug will remember that wonderful b&w footage of Vultee Vengeances in India, which he found for me last year, and of the very existence of which I'd been ignorant for 70 years. It makes you wonder how much more hidden stuff is lying about in a drawer somewhere.

Strangely enough, I can remember little of any US "home made" variety of colour footage reaching the silver screen (apart from "Memphis Belle" - of which there were two versions, the Hollywood one, and the "real" one).

I must say I join one recent poster: how did Hemswell come to have such a wiggly taxiway ? I know taxiways often had to be belled-out to accommodate runway extensions, but this is frankly ridiculous !

Having got that off my chest, it was a marvellous production. Well done, Air Cdr. Cozens (RIP).

Danny.

[Rakshasa]

Wriggly taxiways due to the bombers being on air raid dispersal pans to prevent a single strafe or stick of bombs wiping out more than one or two aircraft. The dispersals often resembled a bunch of grapes when viewed from the air and the taxiways would have to both connect and loop around them.

[MPN11]

I do believe that the layout in those days wasn't so profound, but more a case of following the hedge-lines of the land the Government had sequestered. It was a matter of fitting as much as possible into a certain space, without devouring agricultural land that was also desperately needed.

Dispersals were another matter ... Just to avoid too many assets being in the same place. Aka 'dispersed' as far as possible within geographic constraints.

In those days, sticks of bombs didn't follow neat straight lines. They were 'dumb' and spread themselves all over ... Anywhere, on a bad day.

[papajuliet]

A look at the layout plan of Hemswell shows that the peritrack is not so wiggly as it looks in the film. I suspect it's a trick of the camera.
When this film was first released on VHS tape- that must have been early 1980's - I paid over £49 for it, thinking it would be rare and unobtainable. Just one of the wrong guesses I've made over the years!

[Danny42C]

Rakshasha,

Certainly dispersals were scattered right round the taxiways, and did indeed resemble "bunches of grapes" as you say. But they all hung from one "stem" - the taxiway itsellf.

Once you had pulled out of dispersal onto the "open road", you usually had a straight run round to marshalling point. The line of Lancasters were clearly out of dispersal and "following my leader" round the taxiway. The curious thing was: why did that wiggle so at Hemswell ? (there may well have been empty dispersals on the way, but you wouldn't dive in and out of them for fun).

As with so many things, there are people reading this who knew Hemswell and could tell us, but........D.

EDIT: papajuliet,

True, foreshortening is having an effect - but this is no optical illusion - watch the aircraft.....D

[papajuliet]

The Airfield Information Exchange site, Lincolnshire airfields/ Hemswell thread has some good aerial photos which, clearly, show the peritrack in question.

[Chugalug2]

Is this the thread you mean, PJ?
Hemswell (http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?760-Hemswell)
the old peri track is only part there now, it seems, but it does have a bit of a wiggle past the C type hangars and watch office that was so typical of a/f layouts of the period.
I rather go along with MPN11, the perimeter track was exactly what its name implied, ie hugging the boundary to leave the maximum space possible for the a/f, especially when it was all grass before being paved, which happened relatively late in the war on average. On large tail wheeled multi engine aircraft you never taxied in a straight line much anyway, as has been mentioned before, in order to see that all was clear ahead and beneath the a/c nose.
As to the dispersals, they tended to come in after the original a/f construction (perhaps when paved r/w's went in?) when much more of the surrounding land was requisitioned for that purpose. At Bicester, for example, you can make out the "ghosts" of them in modern aerial photos, deep into the surrounding farm land.

[papajuliet]

Yes Chug - that's the one. What does strike me as unusual is the way the peritrack winds round the control tower - why didn't it take a straight line past the tower, leaving the tower on it's own island as can be seen on many airfield layouts?

[Chugalug2]

I'm not sure that was the case, was it? The "island" on which the watch office, or later Control Tower, stood was formed by the Hangars' Apron behind it and the Peri Track in front of it (which "through" traffic took). Certainly Bicester is like that:-

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x199/chugalug2/ARP63.jpg

[Hipper]

The film is available here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightbombers-DVD-H-I-Cozens/dp/B0001GNJK6/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1383505209&sr=1-1&keywords=H.I.+Cozens

In the comments on my little review, the grand daughter of the pilot, Bob Chandler, responds!

[Rakshasa]

Speaking of bombing raid documentaries, does anyone happen to know if the unedited recordings of Wynford Vaughan-Thomas' night trip to Berlin are available anywhere at all? I've kept my eye on the BBC online archive but it doesn't have them online, just excerpts in various programmes.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Many thanks Ricardian- an excellent find.:D

One of my grandfathers was a rigger - specialist sheet metal worker - who used to patch up Lancasters. It sometimes involved clearing out the bits of the poor unfortunate on the inside of the hit, so he didn't like to talk about it.

[Ian Lambert]

Dear All,
I'd like to get a DVD copy of this for my father-in-law (65 ops - 56 over Germany Primary Blind Marker - Nav.Bomb Aimer) 156 Squadron Pathfinders 'We Light the Way'
How can I go about it? I don't think I can download it from here can I?
Ian

[Kitbag]

Check pms


Posted from Pprune.org App for Android

[Wander00]

IL-Have you read/got the book "They Led the Way" by the former vicar in Cambridgeshire whose father was lost as a rear gunner when the son was 10 months old. I will be home next week and can let you have ISBN etc if necessary

[1066]

In late72/early73 I was at a RAeS branch meeting in the Whittle Hall at RAFC when Air Cdre Cousins showed this film. He provided a limited commentary as the film speaks for itself.
In the Q&A session afterwards he was asked how he was able to use colour film. He replied with a smile that colour film was available for training purposes!
My recollection, from the meeting, could be wrong but records somewhere will provide the truth, was that he had been Stn Cdr at Hemswell but was SASO at 1Gp, Bawtry, when the film was made.
Also the film had been kept in a bank vault or deposit box since the war and this viewing at Cranwell was if not the first, a very early viewing for some time.
Thank goodness it was preserved. Parts are recognisable in various documentaries produced since.
Hemswell I think, had the same layout as Lindholme. 2 runways at right angles, not the more common 3 runway triangular pattern. Again like Lindholme the taxiway wiggled round in front of the 3 front hangars, total of 5, arranged in a curve. There is not much margin to weave when taxying a 4 eng tail dragger and certainly not when in front of the hangars. This is based on taxying a Hastings, which had the same or similar landing gear geometry and wing span as the Halifax. I'm guessing it was similar for the Lanc. Looks like they were departing on 05 or whatever it was then.

[1066]

Further to my previous posting, and checking my 2001 photographic atlas of England it looks as if Hemswell had 4 permanent hangars adjacent to a bending taxiway. Departure rw looks more like 33. My recollections of Hemswell, early 70s, are limited to driving past and visiting the MQs, used then as an overflow for Scampton. Standing by for further corrections!

1066

[1066]

A bit more re Hemswell
http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/bombercommand/Hemswell.html

This shows that again I was wrong re number of runways.
Looks like a standard 3 runway triangle but shows the taxiway snaking past the 4 hangars as seen in the film.

Must do more research before I post next time!

1066

[PPRuNeUser0139]

Humbling radio programme here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039lmkg) that describes the events covered by Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-tv/berlin-burning-seen-19000-feet-5935351)' historic commentary during a Lancaster raid on Berlin on 3 Sept '43.

[kiwicris]

Hello,
I came across this forum. Parts of this movie were made at the end of the war.The taxiing if the Lancasters was staged.This is what my father told me.He was Flying Officer Derek Clarke 150 squadron and remembers staging this taxi footage for this movie.His Lancaster was S for Sugarbaby