Battle of Britain Film
Originally Posted by spekesoftly
For the nominal sum of £100. On the 12th July 1963, RR299 (now on the civil register as G-ASKH) was flown by Pat Fillingham to Hawarden, where it would reside for the next 33 years.
Originally Posted by possel
It was based at Hatfield when I worked there in 1973-75 (and still flown by Pat Fillingham, I think)
Re the photo of the B17 posted by GeeRam; it was taken from the control tower and the taxiway to the right passed behind the tower; being a bit narrow (there was a T2 the other side of the taxiway) 4 engined aircraft were prohibited from taxying through there! I've seen a photo taken a few seconds later where the obstructions are visible.
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Originally Posted by PPRuNe Pop
There were some marvellous flying sequences showing the Mosquitoes. All genuine stuff.
The owner of the 3 Mossie's was John Crewdson who had 'appeared' in a few films. He told me one day, on a visit to Biggin Hill with the three Mossies, that he wasn't in for the money, just the pleasure!
Sadly he was killed in Jet Ranger crash over The Wash.
The owner of the 3 Mossie's was John Crewdson who had 'appeared' in a few films. He told me one day, on a visit to Biggin Hill with the three Mossies, that he wasn't in for the money, just the pleasure!
Sadly he was killed in Jet Ranger crash over The Wash.
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Originally Posted by robin
I stand corrected, but I maintain that the majority of Mosquito Squadron aerial footage was lifted from 633 Squadron and BofB
The BofB Aerial Footage Cameraman was Skeets Kelly and I know he would be turning in his grave [while smiling his wry smile] if his and Johnny Jordan's efforts in capturing the magnificent aerial sequences had been screened in Mosquito Squadron prior to the premiere the BofB. Obviously the Mosquito Squadron bombing footage was model photography.
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If you can get the book DO!! There are a lot of facinating insights.... Galland taking umbrage at Milchs' Nazi salute...then watching the sequence then [grdgingly] accepting it
Hamish Mahaddie,,,"Accquiring"[sp] various a/c, the absolute cr@p wx in Spain for some of the flying. I bought mine in the early 70s, it's tatty, but not for sale.
I remember seeing some of the Spits at the Leconfield Air Display.....in 1966 much more interesting than a football match
Also as an ATC Cadet, doing circuits and bumps in a Shackelton at Dalcross in 1962 and seeing three Mossies there...filming 633 Sqn. Mistake in that, B25 in post War RCAF markings.
watp,iktch
Hamish Mahaddie,,,"Accquiring"[sp] various a/c, the absolute cr@p wx in Spain for some of the flying. I bought mine in the early 70s, it's tatty, but not for sale.
I remember seeing some of the Spits at the Leconfield Air Display.....in 1966 much more interesting than a football match
Also as an ATC Cadet, doing circuits and bumps in a Shackelton at Dalcross in 1962 and seeing three Mossies there...filming 633 Sqn. Mistake in that, B25 in post War RCAF markings.
watp,iktch
Originally Posted by spekesoftly
During its long display flying career, RR299 was flown by a number of Hawker Siddeley (and subsequently BAe) test pilots. Those based at Hawarden tended to concentrate on shows in North, and the Hatfield TPs on those in the South. In addition to Pat Fillingham, Ron Clear flew many displays in the 70s and 80s. So it was not unusual for the Mossie to spend periods of time at 'Hatters', but I think it's fair to say that Hawarden was always its main base. Even in the 90s, when flown by three or more of the Woodford TPs.
where are they now??
T.3 RR299 owned at the time by BAC/BAe and flown by Pat Fillingham
B.35 TA634 owned at the time by the Corporation of Liverpool
B.35 RS709 owned at the time by Peter Thomas (Skyframe Collection)
B.35 RS712 owned at the time by Grp.Capt. Hamish Mahaddie
IIRC RR299 was used on the display circuit but crashed.
Where are the others today?
B.35 TA634 owned at the time by the Corporation of Liverpool
B.35 RS709 owned at the time by Peter Thomas (Skyframe Collection)
B.35 RS712 owned at the time by Grp.Capt. Hamish Mahaddie
IIRC RR299 was used on the display circuit but crashed.
Where are the others today?
Originally Posted by Brewster Buffalo
T.3 RR299 owned at the time by BAC/BAe and flown by Pat Fillingham
B.35 TA634 owned at the time by the Corporation of Liverpool
B.35 RS709 owned at the time by Peter Thomas (Skyframe Collection)
B.35 RS712 owned at the time by Grp.Capt. Hamish Mahaddie
IIRC RR299 was used on the display circuit but crashed.
Where are the others today?
B.35 TA634 owned at the time by the Corporation of Liverpool
B.35 RS709 owned at the time by Peter Thomas (Skyframe Collection)
B.35 RS712 owned at the time by Grp.Capt. Hamish Mahaddie
IIRC RR299 was used on the display circuit but crashed.
Where are the others today?
RS709 United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson Ohio.
TA634 De-Havilland Museum
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Partly off thread but on the subject of remakes of films by the Americansd heree is one I'm surprised hasn't been here before...(Unless it has of course)
A major new Hollywood film...
DAM BUSTERS II or WHO YOU GONNA BOMB?
Hollywood's authentic story of the Six-Seventeenth Eagle Bomb Squadron Of the Royal British Air Corps.
THE INTRO....
It is 1941. Hitler has invaded Europe and England alone fights back Aided by a handful of international volunteers, including GI Gibson (Tom Cruise)an American pilot who had already had a key role in winning the Battle Of Britain.
Intelligence has identified that the destruction of a giant dam in central Germany is the key to Allied victory.
THE FIRST RAID....
A raid on the dam by the British Lan-Casters of the 6-17th is ordered, to be led by its war-weary cockney CO (Michael Caine). The crews are filmed boarding the Confederate Air Force's Liberator.
A background of sun-drenched Texan prairie substitutes for Scamppington
Air Force Base and the East Anglian Fens in January.
Colour-enhanced black and white library shots are then used for the Raid - DC-6 engine start, taxiing Halifaxes, Spitfire mass take-off, formation of B24s, Lan-caster at night, bombs dropping from a Mitchell, a B-17 and Focke-Wulf Condor being shot down, the FAA's Boeing 707 crashing in flames.
As with all US aviation films since the invention of "talkies", the aircraft soundtrack consists only of the roar of Pratt & Whitney radial engines, specially recorded during a Harvard mass flypast at the annual Oshkosh air show.
But the raid is a failure, and only GI and his crew survive to try again. Danny De Vito plays the part of the bomb aimer.
THE WEAPON....
After the disastrous first dam raid, it is obvious a new type of weapon Is needed. By chance Barn S. Wallace (Morgan Freeman), the leading US scientist And aviation expert, is in London explaining his invention of the jet engine to an unknown British engineer, Frank V. Tel.
Thinking back to his childhood, Barn remembers skimming rocks across a Lake in native New Hampshire, and quickly comes up with a design for a Bouncing bomb - but it is too large for any British aircraft to carry.
THE AIRCRAFT....
Fortunately, Wallace has brought with him to England the only example of his latest bomber design, the B-29. Cut to the CAF's B-29, painted gloss caramel and vivid green with French roundels, being pulled from its Hangar at Midland, TX, so that GI and his crew can test fly the new bouncing munition over the neighbouring Scotland, and prepare for the raid.
THE RAID....
Shots of Cruise and gang boarding the B-29, plus take-off shots over The American Midwest. Then computer-generated images for outbound flight, the final - and successful - bombing run using the last remaining weapon on board, and the dogfights on the return leg.
Throughout, the standard CGI conventions are used. All WW2 single-seat fighters fly at a minimum Mach 0.9 in +7g manoeuvres, while any multi-engine aeroplane drones along straight and level at 130 kt.
THE COMMAND CENTER....
In a map-encrusted bunker, Barn waits tensely for the results of the raid.
Although the news is of success, he starts to become saddened by the loss of aircrew involved. But, just at that moment, a well-spoken Home Counties WAAF officer (Catherine Zeta Jones) in a starched Virginia McKenna military blouse appears, bearing a tray of Starbucks mugs.
She utters that immortal line - "Cocoa Latte, Sir?" - and all is well.
Information comes in that the flooding from the broken dam has flooded Hitler's bunker (clip fromChaplin as the Great Dictator), thwarting the launch of a new V3 rocket aimed at the Summit Conference being held in buckingham Palace, London, England.
The water also slows the Russian advance, allowing Patton (Harrison
Ford) to capture Berlin and Eastern Germany for the Allies.
THE LANDFALL....
Meanwhile, with three engines blazing and feathered, Gibson and the surviving crew nurse the crippled B-29 back across the Channel.
They just manage to climb over the White Cliffs of Dover to see in the Near distance the welcoming runway lights of their Lincolnshire airfield.
Having studied brain surgery before joining up, the B-29's chirpy Australian assistant cook (Kylie Minogue) saves the lives of injured crew members as the bomber belly-lands onto its home base. It slides to a halt a few Feet from the control tower, where Winston Churchill (Dan Ackroyd) watches proudly.
Also in the scene, in a technology enhancement, is Ronnie Reagan on his horse Trigger.
THE FINALE....
GI stands framed by the blazing wreckage of a redundant Fokker Friendship airliner bought especially for this scene.
Since a wholesome happy ending is mandatory in today's commercial cinema, in a final shot he is joined by "Native-African-American", his loyal dog. Despite the pair of Artificial legs and prosthetic tail fitted after being injured in three major road accidents on the Great North Road during his master's absence, the Labrador bounds joyfully into the sunset with some dame called Vera Lynn singing about the White Cliffs.
A major new Hollywood film...
DAM BUSTERS II or WHO YOU GONNA BOMB?
Hollywood's authentic story of the Six-Seventeenth Eagle Bomb Squadron Of the Royal British Air Corps.
THE INTRO....
It is 1941. Hitler has invaded Europe and England alone fights back Aided by a handful of international volunteers, including GI Gibson (Tom Cruise)an American pilot who had already had a key role in winning the Battle Of Britain.
Intelligence has identified that the destruction of a giant dam in central Germany is the key to Allied victory.
THE FIRST RAID....
A raid on the dam by the British Lan-Casters of the 6-17th is ordered, to be led by its war-weary cockney CO (Michael Caine). The crews are filmed boarding the Confederate Air Force's Liberator.
A background of sun-drenched Texan prairie substitutes for Scamppington
Air Force Base and the East Anglian Fens in January.
Colour-enhanced black and white library shots are then used for the Raid - DC-6 engine start, taxiing Halifaxes, Spitfire mass take-off, formation of B24s, Lan-caster at night, bombs dropping from a Mitchell, a B-17 and Focke-Wulf Condor being shot down, the FAA's Boeing 707 crashing in flames.
As with all US aviation films since the invention of "talkies", the aircraft soundtrack consists only of the roar of Pratt & Whitney radial engines, specially recorded during a Harvard mass flypast at the annual Oshkosh air show.
But the raid is a failure, and only GI and his crew survive to try again. Danny De Vito plays the part of the bomb aimer.
THE WEAPON....
After the disastrous first dam raid, it is obvious a new type of weapon Is needed. By chance Barn S. Wallace (Morgan Freeman), the leading US scientist And aviation expert, is in London explaining his invention of the jet engine to an unknown British engineer, Frank V. Tel.
Thinking back to his childhood, Barn remembers skimming rocks across a Lake in native New Hampshire, and quickly comes up with a design for a Bouncing bomb - but it is too large for any British aircraft to carry.
THE AIRCRAFT....
Fortunately, Wallace has brought with him to England the only example of his latest bomber design, the B-29. Cut to the CAF's B-29, painted gloss caramel and vivid green with French roundels, being pulled from its Hangar at Midland, TX, so that GI and his crew can test fly the new bouncing munition over the neighbouring Scotland, and prepare for the raid.
THE RAID....
Shots of Cruise and gang boarding the B-29, plus take-off shots over The American Midwest. Then computer-generated images for outbound flight, the final - and successful - bombing run using the last remaining weapon on board, and the dogfights on the return leg.
Throughout, the standard CGI conventions are used. All WW2 single-seat fighters fly at a minimum Mach 0.9 in +7g manoeuvres, while any multi-engine aeroplane drones along straight and level at 130 kt.
THE COMMAND CENTER....
In a map-encrusted bunker, Barn waits tensely for the results of the raid.
Although the news is of success, he starts to become saddened by the loss of aircrew involved. But, just at that moment, a well-spoken Home Counties WAAF officer (Catherine Zeta Jones) in a starched Virginia McKenna military blouse appears, bearing a tray of Starbucks mugs.
She utters that immortal line - "Cocoa Latte, Sir?" - and all is well.
Information comes in that the flooding from the broken dam has flooded Hitler's bunker (clip fromChaplin as the Great Dictator), thwarting the launch of a new V3 rocket aimed at the Summit Conference being held in buckingham Palace, London, England.
The water also slows the Russian advance, allowing Patton (Harrison
Ford) to capture Berlin and Eastern Germany for the Allies.
THE LANDFALL....
Meanwhile, with three engines blazing and feathered, Gibson and the surviving crew nurse the crippled B-29 back across the Channel.
They just manage to climb over the White Cliffs of Dover to see in the Near distance the welcoming runway lights of their Lincolnshire airfield.
Having studied brain surgery before joining up, the B-29's chirpy Australian assistant cook (Kylie Minogue) saves the lives of injured crew members as the bomber belly-lands onto its home base. It slides to a halt a few Feet from the control tower, where Winston Churchill (Dan Ackroyd) watches proudly.
Also in the scene, in a technology enhancement, is Ronnie Reagan on his horse Trigger.
THE FINALE....
GI stands framed by the blazing wreckage of a redundant Fokker Friendship airliner bought especially for this scene.
Since a wholesome happy ending is mandatory in today's commercial cinema, in a final shot he is joined by "Native-African-American", his loyal dog. Despite the pair of Artificial legs and prosthetic tail fitted after being injured in three major road accidents on the Great North Road during his master's absence, the Labrador bounds joyfully into the sunset with some dame called Vera Lynn singing about the White Cliffs.
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There is of course one film which gives a sober and realistic reappraisal of the US contribution to the UK's war effort during the second world war. I refer of course to "Churchill: The Hollywood Years" in which Christian Slater plays the hero in a balanced way which reflects his transatlantic heritage. Anyone seen it?
Apparently it was never released in the US...
Apparently it was never released in the US...
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Minutes from a recent meeting of the British Film Development Company (BFD Co.), LTD. Abbreviations are: EP = Executive Producer (the money guy), D = Director, P = Producer (problem solving guy), F = Flunkie (self-explanatory):
D: "So, we've cast the female lead, Kiera is available and definitely interested in the Susanna York role. Clive might be on-board for Shaw's squadron leader chap.....what about the locations?"
P: "Well, we've thought about using some of the original Battle locations, like Biggin Hill or Hawkinge (sp?) or....."
F: "I'm afraid it's a no-go on those. Seems there's not a single Battle of Britain airfield still usable...."
D: "Damn!"
EP: "Oh well, no matter, we can set it in Scotland or some such, won't make much difference....."
D: "Ok, what about getting the aircraft? How did the BBMF take our proposal?"
P: "Well, bit of a problem there as well. Seems Public Affairs doesn't want the RAF to seem warlike, so they are not going to let us dub in the Spitfire and Hurricane going "takatakatakataka." Seems there some sort of anti-fighter gun push on over there......"
Worried looking F hands EP a scribbled note.
EP: "Damn! Damn! Damn!"
D, P look up startled: "What's wrong?"
EP: "Seems after all my investment we are still going to run out of funds by the end of the month, so it will all be for nought!"
After a few minutes, P comes up with: "Well, how about we ask Pprune to harness its power and get everyone who reads it to cough up a fiver? We could raise lots that way?!"
EP, D, and even F, in unison: "It's over, let it go......"
EP: "Well, what about my investment? Did we at least get the publicity stills of Kiera in her webbing we could make into a poster?"
Edited for atrocious spelling, the ones I caught anyway!
D: "So, we've cast the female lead, Kiera is available and definitely interested in the Susanna York role. Clive might be on-board for Shaw's squadron leader chap.....what about the locations?"
P: "Well, we've thought about using some of the original Battle locations, like Biggin Hill or Hawkinge (sp?) or....."
F: "I'm afraid it's a no-go on those. Seems there's not a single Battle of Britain airfield still usable...."
D: "Damn!"
EP: "Oh well, no matter, we can set it in Scotland or some such, won't make much difference....."
D: "Ok, what about getting the aircraft? How did the BBMF take our proposal?"
P: "Well, bit of a problem there as well. Seems Public Affairs doesn't want the RAF to seem warlike, so they are not going to let us dub in the Spitfire and Hurricane going "takatakatakataka." Seems there some sort of anti-fighter gun push on over there......"
Worried looking F hands EP a scribbled note.
EP: "Damn! Damn! Damn!"
D, P look up startled: "What's wrong?"
EP: "Seems after all my investment we are still going to run out of funds by the end of the month, so it will all be for nought!"
After a few minutes, P comes up with: "Well, how about we ask Pprune to harness its power and get everyone who reads it to cough up a fiver? We could raise lots that way?!"
EP, D, and even F, in unison: "It's over, let it go......"
EP: "Well, what about my investment? Did we at least get the publicity stills of Kiera in her webbing we could make into a poster?"
Edited for atrocious spelling, the ones I caught anyway!
Last edited by brickhistory; 12th Aug 2006 at 02:41.
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Tim Mills, who sometimes posts here, actually flew one of the Spitfires for the original "BoB" film.