Battle of Britain Film
It is interesting that this thread keeps going. I was at Primary School the year the film came out and can remember anticipating the film with excitement. An ME 110 flew over the house inbound to a local RAF base. We talked about that for days We used to play spitfires and Hurricanes in the playground and I still have the chewing gum cards of film scenes we collected. My collection was biggest because I hate chewing gum. In the mid 1960's, as a child, you could easily find people who recollected the battle. I collected a piece of Wellington Bomber from a spinney. Some locals recall a pilot who parachuted into a field. They found his body some months later when the horses refused to go into the field . . .
The film was part of my formative experience and directly influenced me towards learning to fly and joining the RAF etc. I take the point someone made about the film having less appeal to the under forties. My wife is in her mid thirties and the history of World War Two wasn't taught at Primary School. To her the Battle of Britain features with Trafalgar and Agincourt - dusty history. That decides it, I'll buy her the DVD for Christmas.
I hope to God they don't try a remake. Can you imagine how political correctness might distort it? There doubtless would be a 'gay' issue. Perhaps a Moslem Squadron could be featured. Computer graphics will never replace actual aeroplanes. Also, the lack of character actors would be an issue. The people making the film were of the time and knew how people spoke.
One thing that intrigues me is off duty pilots socialising. A very distant relative flew in the Battle. He recalled that if they were flying early necessaily they went to bed early and didn't drink. Letting off steam on days off was another matter. Locally in East Anglia the police were told to leave them along whilst they left of steam with the type of antics that, today, would get them an ASBO.
The film was a classic not least because it was so respectful to history. Nurture it please but don't mess up our memories with a modern remake.
The film was part of my formative experience and directly influenced me towards learning to fly and joining the RAF etc. I take the point someone made about the film having less appeal to the under forties. My wife is in her mid thirties and the history of World War Two wasn't taught at Primary School. To her the Battle of Britain features with Trafalgar and Agincourt - dusty history. That decides it, I'll buy her the DVD for Christmas.
I hope to God they don't try a remake. Can you imagine how political correctness might distort it? There doubtless would be a 'gay' issue. Perhaps a Moslem Squadron could be featured. Computer graphics will never replace actual aeroplanes. Also, the lack of character actors would be an issue. The people making the film were of the time and knew how people spoke.
One thing that intrigues me is off duty pilots socialising. A very distant relative flew in the Battle. He recalled that if they were flying early necessaily they went to bed early and didn't drink. Letting off steam on days off was another matter. Locally in East Anglia the police were told to leave them along whilst they left of steam with the type of antics that, today, would get them an ASBO.
The film was a classic not least because it was so respectful to history. Nurture it please but don't mess up our memories with a modern remake.
Last edited by Wig Wag; 21st Aug 2006 at 08:10.
BEagle: Beautiful shot of your aircraft 
. Is she easy to hand-fly? Multiple entries in logbook for "center engine needs oil [check]"?
What is also fun is to have the excellent Battle o. B. DVD and and at the same time, fly the Spitfire or Hurricane against He-111, Bf-110 or Ju-88 etc on the (Ubisoft) "Sturmovik Forgotten Battles AEP"
. If you are good, against the Me-109 or FW-190: the artificial intelligence (AI) for the enemy aircraft, is not too bad.
Among the many single-engine planes, you can also fly the twin-engine Heinkel and the BF-110, along with the P-38 and the German jets + the Komet rocket plane! Assuming you have a very good video driver and hard-drive space/good RAM etc, costs about $30 US.
When you continue well past Initial Operating Experience (now called simply OE), it is not very welcome by a girlfriend or wife
. 
The time of night can be a serious factor. An unwelcome "line check" at 0230 can threaten to 'revoke your license'.
The ease and simplicity of "quick combat", not only the graphics, operating flight instruments and unique characteristics of each type, is top-notch.
On the keyboard, as a minimum, only the "escape" button is required. You can easily record your mission. Keeping the mouse by the other hand allows you to look back or behind to plan where next tracers might come from.
After limited tng, the enemy will always have to "aufpassen" for you!
As a transport pilot, this WW2 "flying" is a refreshing change from an oversold plane which lately struggles in the southern heat to get above FL 290-at least before kids and others went back to school and lightened the loads on many. Recently saw the specials on the young guys who competed to fly the 2-seat Spitfire under tutelage of the lady Instructor (Carolyn Grace, who was widowed?), and the youngsters in the Lancaster-very good shows on the US History International Channel (Hint).
. Is she easy to hand-fly? Multiple entries in logbook for "center engine needs oil [check]"?What is also fun is to have the excellent Battle o. B. DVD and and at the same time, fly the Spitfire or Hurricane against He-111, Bf-110 or Ju-88 etc on the (Ubisoft) "Sturmovik Forgotten Battles AEP"
. If you are good, against the Me-109 or FW-190: the artificial intelligence (AI) for the enemy aircraft, is not too bad. Among the many single-engine planes, you can also fly the twin-engine Heinkel and the BF-110, along with the P-38 and the German jets + the Komet rocket plane! Assuming you have a very good video driver and hard-drive space/good RAM etc, costs about $30 US.
When you continue well past Initial Operating Experience (now called simply OE), it is not very welcome by a girlfriend or wife
. The time of night can be a serious factor. An unwelcome "line check" at 0230 can threaten to 'revoke your license'.The ease and simplicity of "quick combat", not only the graphics, operating flight instruments and unique characteristics of each type, is top-notch.
On the keyboard, as a minimum, only the "escape" button is required. You can easily record your mission. Keeping the mouse by the other hand allows you to look back or behind to plan where next tracers might come from.After limited tng, the enemy will always have to "aufpassen" for you!
As a transport pilot, this WW2 "flying" is a refreshing change from an oversold plane which lately struggles in the southern heat to get above FL 290-at least before kids and others went back to school and lightened the loads on many. Recently saw the specials on the young guys who competed to fly the 2-seat Spitfire under tutelage of the lady Instructor (Carolyn Grace, who was widowed?), and the youngsters in the Lancaster-very good shows on the US History International Channel (Hint).
Last edited by Ignition Override; 22nd Aug 2006 at 07:13.
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Originally Posted by Wig Wag
said in part....Am ME 110 flew over the house inbound to a local RAF base.
I hope to God they don't try a remake. Computer graphics will never replace actual aeroplanes.
I hope to God they don't try a remake. Computer graphics will never replace actual aeroplanes.
Did you mean a Merlin engined He111? Don't think there were any Me110's on the movie.
Computer graphics? Spot the deliberate mistake in the Spit pic
CGI artist is Dan Meyer.
Aviate1138
Last edited by aviate1138; 21st Aug 2006 at 09:06.
"No, them's not Messerschmitts, them's Oinkels"
You are probably right, aviate1138. However, a fleeting view thirty years ago might well be wrong !
Sorry, stumped by the graphics. Is one of the prop blades on the Spitifire for a counter rotational engine???
Put me out of my misery!
You are probably right, aviate1138. However, a fleeting view thirty years ago might well be wrong !
Sorry, stumped by the graphics. Is one of the prop blades on the Spitifire for a counter rotational engine???
Put me out of my misery!
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Spit Pic
All the BoB Spits were Mks 1, & the odd cannon-armed II, thus they were all three-bladed props. The piccie could be a Mk IX, but it doesn't look like its got a long enough nose for the new Merlin they put in (the 45 or the 60??)
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Originally Posted by treadigraph
Angels, the autographed blackboard was in the White Hart, just along from the Bull (which is an excellent little pub!) in Brasted. The White Hart, as you say, is a plastic "Pubco" place now, but a replica of the blackboard is still there. The real thing is in a museum - it should be at Hendon, but I don't think it is.
http://www.shoreham-aircraft-museum.co.uk/
The blackboard is visible in the bottom photo. I sometimes pop into the White Hart for a pint 'in homage' after the Biggin Air Fairs. A dreadful travesty of the cosy watering hole of yore it nevertheless is full of photographic and written memorabilia.
Check out also the Jackdaw near Hawkinge. It's the one they used in the film, unchanged, and also displays photographic memorabilia.
http://digiserve.com/peter/jackdaw.htm
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Originally Posted by johnfairr
All the BoB Spits were Mks 1, & the odd cannon-armed II, thus they were all three-bladed props. The piccie could be a Mk IX, but it doesn't look like its got a long enough nose for the new Merlin they put in (the 45 or the 60??)
Aviate 1138
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The '88 looks the biz!
About the same time as the film came out a book about the period was re-issued. It was by Elleston Trevor and was called Squadron Airbourne. It was one of the first paperback novels I read from cover to cover and boy, was it good! You could smell, see and hear everything, the writing is spot on. It follows a squadron of Spits, both air and ground crews, through their days of trial, through losses, loves, funny's and drudgery. It is a cracking read and would reccomend it highly. However, it's well out of print and I managed to loose my paperback version a long time ago.
But whilst ferkling around a secondhand bookshop recently I chanced upon a hardback first edition!
About the same time as the film came out a book about the period was re-issued. It was by Elleston Trevor and was called Squadron Airbourne. It was one of the first paperback novels I read from cover to cover and boy, was it good! You could smell, see and hear everything, the writing is spot on. It follows a squadron of Spits, both air and ground crews, through their days of trial, through losses, loves, funny's and drudgery. It is a cracking read and would reccomend it highly. However, it's well out of print and I managed to loose my paperback version a long time ago.
But whilst ferkling around a secondhand bookshop recently I chanced upon a hardback first edition!
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"Silence, in Polish!"
Just watching the DVD now.
Just got to the bit where the Poles have just been declared operational. In hte next scene, Dowding says to Park to make the following operational...."The second Polish squadron, the Czechs and the Canadians."
What language were the Canadians having problems with?????
Just watching the DVD now.
Just got to the bit where the Poles have just been declared operational. In hte next scene, Dowding says to Park to make the following operational...."The second Polish squadron, the Czechs and the Canadians."
What language were the Canadians having problems with?????
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Originally Posted by Gonzo
What language were the Canadians having problems with????? [/FONT]
Bearing in mind that Park was a Kiwi and Trevor Howard acted as the quintessentially British air officer in his attitude to protocol.
In otherwords what the Canadians did not understand English either.
"What language were the Canadians having problems with?????"
Perhaps it was just that no-one understood that god-awful noise sometimes termed 'French Canadian'? Eh?
Perhaps it was just that no-one understood that god-awful noise sometimes termed 'French Canadian'? Eh?
Weren't many ME-109 student pilots seriously injured or killed trying to takeoff and land, due to the narrow gear track?
How about the Spitfire's lack of fuel injection, in contrast to the ME-109's BMW engine-did this cost many RAF pilots their lives, or a victory in a dogfight?
The ME-109 pilot, if caught out in front, could push over with negative g's as the Spitfire was forced to roll then pull.
How effective were the defensive guns in the He-111, Ju-88, Bf-110/210 Zerstorer, Do-17/217 etc?
They appear to have had single-barrel guns, as with some British and American bombers. If so, were the calibers also about as small as the .303?
How about the Spitfire's lack of fuel injection, in contrast to the ME-109's BMW engine-did this cost many RAF pilots their lives, or a victory in a dogfight?
The ME-109 pilot, if caught out in front, could push over with negative g's as the Spitfire was forced to roll then pull.
How effective were the defensive guns in the He-111, Ju-88, Bf-110/210 Zerstorer, Do-17/217 etc?
They appear to have had single-barrel guns, as with some British and American bombers. If so, were the calibers also about as small as the .303?
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Please don't ask me to explain, but I thought a half flick solved the problem with the carburettor float in the Merlin that caused the engine to cut out under negative G
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The problem with the early merlins cutting under negative G was partially solved by the introduction of a restrictor in the entry to the carburettor float chamber. This was invented by a female scientist at Martlesham and was known from then on as 'Miss Schillings orifice'.
The final solution to the problem came with the downdraft carb first fitted to the Merlin 61 series engines.
Never been able to find a photo of Miss Schilling unfortunately.
The final solution to the problem came with the downdraft carb first fitted to the Merlin 61 series engines.
Never been able to find a photo of Miss Schilling unfortunately.
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Weren't many ME-109 student pilots seriously injured or killed trying to takeoff and land, due to the narrow gear track?
The pilot (some Air Marshal or other) said it was an irregularity in the grass runway. Everyone else said it was pilot handling (be fair it would have been a bloody hard job). Anyway the end result was a number of score marks in the grass, a bent prop tip, and a very nervous first circuit and land!
The old guy is the Australian engineering officer who helped to capture the thing in the North African desert.
A well-known TP once explained to me the likely cause of the smoke in the cockpit which caused the pilot to attempt his high speed landing at Duxford......
The AAIB report is here: http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...pdf_501760.pdf
The only good point to come out of the whole thing was that the senior Air officer concerned subsequently had a much greater appreciation of 'human error' - as he once candidly admitted to a packed meeting at Waddington.
Black Six is now restored and resting on static display at Hendon.
The AAIB report is here: http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...pdf_501760.pdf
The only good point to come out of the whole thing was that the senior Air officer concerned subsequently had a much greater appreciation of 'human error' - as he once candidly admitted to a packed meeting at Waddington.
Black Six is now restored and resting on static display at Hendon.
Last edited by BEagle; 22nd Aug 2006 at 10:38.
Originally Posted by Ignition Override
How about the Spitfire's lack of fuel injection, in contrast to the ME-109's BMW engine-did this cost many RAF pilots their lives, or a victory in a dogfight?
Originally Posted by allan907
And I wuz there when Bf109G "Black 6" took to the air at RAF Benson for the first time after its mega restoration.
The pilot (some Air Marshal or other) said it was an irregularity in the grass runway.
The pilot (some Air Marshal or other) said it was an irregularity in the grass runway.
