617 Squadron - After The Dams

[Phileas Fogg]

Hi Phileas - not really sure when/if it will end up on YouTube to be honest.

But it will be on Nat Geo in the next few months if that is any use?

Thanks, I'll monitor

[DaveReidUK]

Down here in NZ I hear Peter Jackson is about to remake the classic movie.

One of the 10 fibreglass Lancaster replicas built in preparation for the filming:

[Phileas Fogg]

One of the 10 fibreglass Lancaster replicas built in preparation for the filming:

Where are they going to source the flying examples from as there are only two, possibly a third, flying examples remaining?

Or is this to be a movie of less than ideal special effects whereas we're supposed to believe that fibreglass models are bombing the dams?

[FlightlessParrot]

This is Peter Jackson. It will be all CGI, no narrative, annoying in-jokes, and an intrusive appearance by the auteur himself.

Let's hope he never gets round to it.

[John Nichol]

If anyone missed it, you can see this doco running on National Geographic most of this week. Now titled, "Dambusters' Secret Missions"

Twitter @JohnNicholRAF

[ian16th]

John,

It does not appear in the listings of the flavour of National Geographic that is received here in Southern Africa, via DSTV/MultiChoice

If you have any contacts with NG, could you please ask if and when we might be getting it?

TIA

[John Nichol]

Sorry Ian, I have no contacts with NG at all - they didn't even tell the production company they were airing it! I only found out 'cos someone tweeted me.
@JohnNicholRAF

[Peter-RB]

My family have a long association with the RAF especially 617 and 272 Sqdns, having been brought up as a "Boomer" listening to the tales told to me by my much respected Uncles and father, I find it difficult to listen and even accept the new and modern day slant of how historians and film makers see things now and try to re-write history after a frame by frame dissection of grainy old films taken at the height of some serious military operations, wartime films and Sqdn diaries of events that happened 70 years ago will be inaccurate, but at the time that was all we had to try and record what had happened only a few hours earlier.

I don't think we are quite as bad as the Yanks making a film about "they were the ones to discover and get hold of the Enigma decoding machine" sadly in that era there was a lot of Flawed thinking in planning and expectations of just what could be achieved , after all even Bader was shot out of the Sky and he was supposed to be a super hero!.

I enjoyed the film that was narrated by Jon Nichol, and possibly like many people on this small Island of our I have a great respect for his ability, and even a greater repect for him and his fellow pilot who both went to hell and back, during the episode of Mr Blair's war on Iraq.

What is also nice is that he is able to answer critics who seem to feel indignant at comment made in the recent showing of the film about the flyers of 617 Sqdn, who will forever be a much respected Squadron like all the rest who have some history of action taken against the bad guys.

Some of us have the benefit of knowing what happened because we were around at the time, but accuracy of War facts is something that history cannot guarantee..... ref the recent comments of the dribbling Generals of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflict...!

Peter R-B
Lancashire