NEW DAMS RAID DOCUMENTARY
My own view was that after Chastise, none of the aircrew should have operated again, they had done their bit, regardless that many of them hadn't even done a first tour.
Subsequent ops were just as dangerous, down right reckless in the case of the Dortmund Ems op.
As for Gibson, as Mick Martin said, there wasn't a target left worth risking his young life for.
Subsequent ops were just as dangerous, down right reckless in the case of the Dortmund Ems op.
As for Gibson, as Mick Martin said, there wasn't a target left worth risking his young life for.
I watched the first two parts, amid some interruptions, so I may have missed it - but I don't recall any mention (even while we watched Dan Snow gently rotating the Upkeep outside the hangar at Scampton) that it had to be spun up to 500 rpm before being released from the aircraft.
That, despite a clip that clearly showed the mechanism for doing so, albeit without any explanation.
Maybe it will be remarked on in tonight's final part?
That, despite a clip that clearly showed the mechanism for doing so, albeit without any explanation.
Maybe it will be remarked on in tonight's final part?
It beggers belief that they are telling the story yet again. Nothing new in the two episodes so far other than rather sad snips of how sad Scampton looks today.
I saw the movie again the other day, unfortunately the sanitised PC version, but it still stands up so well and should never be re-made.
I saw the movie again the other day, unfortunately the sanitised PC version, but it still stands up so well and should never be re-made.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Sad to see Scampton.Mess in that state. I went past Syerston a couple of years ago, and the Mess there is even worse. All the windows broken, the roof falling in. Remembering the graduation ball back in '66, it brought tears to my eyes.
Apart from Dan's rather gushing manner, I've enjoyed the first 2 episodes.
But what has shocked me most was the deplorable state into which Sunny Scampton has now fallen. RAFAT do at least keep some of it alive, but the state of the Officers' Mess is quite appalling. I served 3 years on 35 Sqn and again when I did a CFS course 10 years later - but the state of most of the station now is awful.
Looking forward to episode 3 tonight!
But what has shocked me most was the deplorable state into which Sunny Scampton has now fallen. RAFAT do at least keep some of it alive, but the state of the Officers' Mess is quite appalling. I served 3 years on 35 Sqn and again when I did a CFS course 10 years later - but the state of most of the station now is awful.
Looking forward to episode 3 tonight!
Avoid imitations
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Beagle, yes I was horrified to see how bad the Mess looked. I lived therein late 1988/ early 1989, during my CFS course. Great days.
Much as I expected with all the presentation gimmicks that annoy me (and I expect others of my generation) such as the use of the Historic Present tense, intrusive music, re-enactors and little or nothing new despite stretching it to three hour-long installments.
Lots of gee-whizz cliches from Snow and two of the three others, but Max Hastings was rather better and said all that needed saying.
Lots of gee-whizz cliches from Snow and two of the three others, but Max Hastings was rather better and said all that needed saying.
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As for the remake of the film, last I heard Peter Jackson still had the rights, so let's hope it never gets made: he would make it into a video game experience.
I first saw Dambusters at school sitting on the floor of the gym, the film having been introduced by a Flt Lt looking terrified ...
He wasn't terrified of us, but of the Marshal of the RAF Lord Tedder sitting on the tiny seats a few rows back!!
Poor devil he must have drawn a very short straw indeed!!!
He wasn't terrified of us, but of the Marshal of the RAF Lord Tedder sitting on the tiny seats a few rows back!!
Poor devil he must have drawn a very short straw indeed!!!
"he would make it into a video game experience"
Well in many ways I can see why - steaming in, down a valley, in the dark, grazing the water and then turning your lights on to drop a weapon that no-one was sure would actually work.................. really there wasn't another operation in WW2 on either side that matched it
All the others had at least tested SOME of the variables
Well in many ways I can see why - steaming in, down a valley, in the dark, grazing the water and then turning your lights on to drop a weapon that no-one was sure would actually work.................. really there wasn't another operation in WW2 on either side that matched it
All the others had at least tested SOME of the variables
Thought police antagonist
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Back to the programme.....watched the start of the second one and when Snow decided to do his "impression " of Gibson, with a pipe, rapidly selected another channel.
Watched again last night, but again, nothing new emerged at least in the 20 mins I watched.
Last edited by Krystal n chips; 4th Dec 2020 at 08:32.
The other thing that irritated me was the inconsistent pronunciation of German names.
I know we British are supposed to be poor at speaking foreign so we had Mohne rather than Möhne but at least the "e" was sounded where it wasn't in the German gunner's name Schütte. As for Eder we have a couple of ways of pronouncing the "Ed" bit as per Edward or Eden and they used the latter where the former would be correct. If they'd wanted the pronunciation used, it would have been called the Ider Talsperre
I know we British are supposed to be poor at speaking foreign so we had Mohne rather than Möhne but at least the "e" was sounded where it wasn't in the German gunner's name Schütte. As for Eder we have a couple of ways of pronouncing the "Ed" bit as per Edward or Eden and they used the latter where the former would be correct. If they'd wanted the pronunciation used, it would have been called the Ider Talsperre
The other thing that irritated me was the inconsistent pronunciation of German names.
I know we British are supposed to be poor at speaking foreign so we had Mohne rather than Möhne but at least the "e" was sounded where it wasn't in the German gunner's name Schütte. As for Eder we have a couple of ways of pronouncing the "Ed" bit as per Edward or Eden and they used the latter where the former would be correct. If they'd wanted the pronunciation used, it would have been called the Ider Talsperre
I know we British are supposed to be poor at speaking foreign so we had Mohne rather than Möhne but at least the "e" was sounded where it wasn't in the German gunner's name Schütte. As for Eder we have a couple of ways of pronouncing the "Ed" bit as per Edward or Eden and they used the latter where the former would be correct. If they'd wanted the pronunciation used, it would have been called the Ider Talsperre
And who decided on the incessant use of the word mission(s) instead of operation(s)? I'd have thought any primary-source reading of the subject would have revealed standard Bomber Command, not USAAF, parlance.
