Battle of Britain pics

[Tiger_mate]

Hosted on behalf of "You want it when?" I will post the photographs sent to me from the 1968 film Battle of Britain. The originals are so large in size that they take forever to download and then resize, but I will post them all asap.
http://www.artistic.flyer.co.uk/BOB1.jpg

& a Polish Sqn Hurricane with some Spitfires in the background

http://www.artistic.flyer.co.uk/bob3.jpg

[treadigraph]

Those Merlins are practically making my monitor vibrate!

If file size is a problem, I will happily edit anyone's pics to a reasonable pixel size/resolution using Photoshop. Email me and I'll send you the best address (ie my work one which links through broadband!).

Thanks for all the pics on the various threads - cheers up the winter days no end!!!

Cheers

Treadders

[You want it when?]

Thanks again Tiger_Mate - I really must get the hang of this web! Before someone at work notices...

[Philip Whiteman]

Nice pictures!

Has anybody seen that super Czech film Dark Blue World ? (It's now out on DVD.) The makers used a fair amount of Battle of Britain footage, but added very realistic bullet/cannon shell smoke trails, cartridge cases being ejected and wonderful sound.

New scenes included a heart-stopping engine seizure/crash landing sequence with a Spitfire and some very atmospheric - and beautiful - aerial sequences shot in the Czech Republic.

This is one flying film well worth looking out for. My feeling is that it did great justice to the Czech and British pilots of the period, and it stands head and shoulders above the ever more flakey efforts that followed the Battle of Britain (so good, it now looks like a documentary).

[Tiger_mate]

There are a few more to come, but at this time "I must fly..." will be back here asap with the rest. The photos on this page have been reduced by 75%!!!

Regards to all

T_M

NVG Snow landings, mmmmmmmmm my favourite :O

[DamienB]

I look forward to seeing some more...

Second the recommendation for Dark Blue World - top movie, great flying sequences and sound is fantastic. Colloquially referred to as "Spits 'n' tits" on accord of the female lead's brief nudity.

Tiger_mate - come on then, what does snow look like in NVG-o-vision? If the answer is 'air' then I salute you ;)

[John Eacott]

TM,

NVG Snow? Swap you Mk-1-eyeball-through-the-smoke-finding-the-active-flames-with-a-50ft-line.......

[Tiger_mate]

Tiger_mate - come on then, what does snow look like in NVG-o-vision? If the answer is 'air' then I salute you

It looks Green of course, just like everything else!!

http://www.artistic.flyer.co.uk/nvg1.jpg

[ShyTorque]

'Ere Tiger Mate!

I do believe you just posted a picture of the "other" squadron!


Keep it Kita Chari Jauh, can't cha! :yuk:

[DamienB]

Ta Tiger_mate - fascinated to discover green choppers also look... well, green.

[Tiger_mate]

http://www.artistic.flyer.co.uk/bob2.jpg
http://www.artistic.flyer.co.uk/bob4.jpg
Interesting to see a 2 seater [Spitfire] hiding in the crowd.

[FNG]

All jolly good stuff, and I agree that "Dark Blue World" is worth seeing. Looking at the photos above, the Spitfires look like they are in something approaching a finger four, or schwarme (OK I know that there are five of them: the fifth might be the unlucky weaver about to get it in the neck) but they are not obviously in a vic (might just be the angle of the shot). The 109s appear to be in sort of, er, lines abeam. I recall reading in various sources that, although some of the Brits realised that the finger four, as developed by the Germans in Spain, was the way ahead, many of the RAF squadrons were constrained by pre-war doctrine to operate in vics, line astern etc, at least initially.

[Groundgripper]

Those pictures reminded me of my copy of "Battle of Britain The making of a film" by Leonard Mosley - and I actually found it! It was published by Pan in 1969 as a paperback for five bob.

Makes a very interesting read with much background info on the film including what "Jeff" Hawke did to the B-25 The Psychedelic Monster to get some of the shots(!). The book includes a shot of Me109s very similar to that above but apparently a few seconds later as they started to break for an attack.

[Reichman]

I remember reading my dad's copy of that book when I was a kid - absolutely brilliant.

One of the Buchons used in the film is currently being restored to flying condition up in Yorkshire. Saw it last weekend. Fuselage complete, with engine bearers and undercarriege in place.

Can't wait to see it flying again.

[seafuryfan]

Great pics Tiger Mate. Funny that - I know of one current B of B fan on 230 (he watches the vid continuously) but I don't think you are he!

Damien B - you wil be familiar with the 'Flypast' Forum get-together at Duxford in the New Year just gone. For those that are not, Robert Rudhall gave an excellent talk on the film with lots of goodies such as out-takes, the end titles accompanied by the Sir William Walton music score, and the fact that there is about 50 hours of stored B of B film archived. Which is why DBW got so much good footage.

I have not seen DBW yet, but have bought the Region 1 DVD and seen the special effects section. They show a bit of B of B footage before and after digital cleaning. Very impressive! Oh yeah, and they show how they made the .303 incendiary ammo effects. This is a DBW special edition on DVD and I recommend it because it is packed with extras.

[poetpilot]

Wow, thanks for those.... brought back happy memories of when I were a spotty air cadet, gliding at Bovingdon. When they finished filming, many of the a/c were brought to Bovingdon prior to disposal. The noise and sight when they arrived was fantastic.

Later,as our gliders shared the same hangar as the "Luftwaffe" we got to see many of these aircraft at very close hand.

As well as the 2-seat Spitfire (G-AVAV ???) there was also a "Proktuka" (A stuka made from a Percival Proctor, poss used for ground shots ..... was it airworthy? I never found out) and a big pile of proctor and prentice bits. Somewhere in my attic is a school notebook with various details written down about them all.

Happy days.

[DamienB]

Sure I remember reading that the 'Stuka' was theoretically airworthy but they never actually flew it. Probably a good job really!

[seafuryfan]

If I may interject Damien, Robert Rudhall told us at the flypast BB Get-together that Viv did actually fly it, but the handling characteristics were so poor that he was content for it not to be flown again! I wonder if it survived in any other form? It would have made a fascinating piece of aviation heritage in its own right.

Another of those amazing episodes that will become, if it is not already, legendary.

[DamienB]

I sit corrected!

And have to type another line of nothing in particular because otherwise the forum software won't let me make the post. Hmm.

[BEagle]

Nice piccies from the movie - but how about Susannah York in suspenders from the hotel scene..........?


Will the movie ever be available on DVD??

[Tiger_mate]

I have the means to get the pic, next time its on television. Cant promise to much in the way of quality, but imagination after that scene is enough for any hot blooded male.:O

[jumpseater]

I can remember being at school in mid-herts and aged 6 at the time of the film, and being an aircraft nut even then, watching various formations of aircraft going past from time to time. Oddly enough my daughter aged 6 now learns in the same classroom!