Flyboys - don't bother!

[snapper41]

Saw the new 'Flyboys' movie last night. Utter drivel; how the US won the WW1 air war, cliches, predictable and unrealistic CGI flying sequences. Ever seen a Fokker Triplane with a rate of climb equivalent to a Typhoon? I have! This is up there with U-571 and Peal Harbor; don't bother. The saving grace was seeing Halton airfield and Mess take a starring role.

[mutleyfour]

On the subject of Hollywood drivel, whatever happened to the movie about the American Pilot who won the Battle of Britain (Ok I know he didnt but that was the supposed gist of the movie) and wasnt it due to have Tom Cruise as the pilot?

Or was I told that tale on April 1st?

[Wader2]

The British and French wanted the United States to send its infantry to reinforce their troops already on the battlelines, and not use scarce shipping to bring over supplies. Thus the Americans primarily used British and French artillery, aircraft and tanks.

German casualties between March and April 1918 were 270,000, including many of the highly trained stormtroopers. Their best soldiers were gone just as the Americans started arriving.

Wilfred Beaver was born in Kingswood, Bristol on 10th May, 1897. Beaver emigrated to the United States but during the First World War joined the Royal Flying Corps.
During the First World War he won the Military Cross and scored 20 victories. Captain Edward Rickenbacker and Captain Frederick Gillet were the only USA pilots with a better record than Beaver. After the war Beaver became a member of the Royal Air Force but eventually returned to the United States. Wilfred Beaver died at West Point, Mississippi on 19th August 1986

Frank Luke was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on 19th May, 1897. He joined the United States Air Service and after aerial combat training at Issoudun, France, he was assigned to the 27th Pursuit Squadron under Harold Hartney on 25th July, 1918. During the next seventeen days he shot down 18 enemy balloons and planes and obtained the nickname, the Arizona Balloon Buster. While flying a Spad S.XIII he was shot down by ground fire while flying over the Western Front on 29th September, 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

William Lambert was born in Irontown, Ohio, on 18th May, 1897. He joined the Royal Flying Corps in Canada and was sent to France in March 1918. Flying a S.E.5a he had 18 victories over the Western Front before being sent to England suffering from combat fatigue. After the war Lambert returned to the United States where he wrote two books about his experiences in France, Barnstorming and Girls and Combat Report. William Lambert died on 19th March, 1982.

Francis Warrington Gillet was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 28th November 1895. After attending the University of Virginia Gillet joined the United States Air Service on 1st April 1917. On 25th July, 1917, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. After being trained in Canada and England, he was posted to the Western Front in March 1918. As a member of the 79 Squadron Gillet scored 20 victories. Captain Edward Rickenbacker was the only USA pilot with a better record than Gillet. He also won the Distinguished Flying Cross after successfully destroying three German aircraft and two kite balloons in one flying expedition. Other awards include the Belgian Croix de Guerre and the British War Medal. Francis Warrington Gillet died on 21st December, 1969.

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