Band of Brothers

I thought that the P-47 sequences were flown by a pair of large R/C models by the Ghost Squadron who do displays on the R/C circuit.

I seem to remember watching a piece on tv about the making of which showed a pair of them flying up and down a runway in formation whilst been filmed.

If my brain is working properly according to the “making of” programmes the Dakota take off sequence is a number of overlay images to give the impression of many aircraft.

Weren’t some Dakota sections used for the filming and then dumped behind Aces High. I think they were supposed to have been sold in the deal with the Lincoln and B-25 Bedsheet Bomber which all went a bit pear shaped when the buyers went to jail.
Seems to ring a bell that someone eventually bought a cockpit section from these parts for restoration or is my memory playing tricks?

What exact date was that Hornchurch.
The filming was kept very secret, considering I was working in the area I never heard or saw anything about the production.
This contrasted with the making of Memphis Belle and Piece of Cake, both filmed pre main stream internet, yet news of their making seemed to be all round the area.

I had a search of the forum for threads on this subject but turned up
very little. I’m interested to know if G-DAKS was used? or any other
warbirds during production?

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I was outside North Weald (purely by chance) on the Friday, & returned with a mate & my Son on the Sunday (after attending the Barnet IPMS show), as they were starting to pack up & loading up the remaining ‘Deuce & a 1/2’ trucks onto Low-Loaders.

To this day, I bitterly regret NOT taking my camera along, but I didn’t fancy lugging it around the IPMS show, nor, leaving it in my wife’s crappy Ford Escort (God forbid, unsecure !), so I’ve no (personal) pictorial record.

Luckily, after scanning the internet over time, I’ve come across TWO images which sum-up what I saw that week-end.

Due to the fact I had a pass-card, I was able to get onto the Airfield on the Sunday (packing up day) – the film-set had taken part on the same part of the Airfield as where “No.39 Restoration-Group” (as the ‘then’ resident crew were named !) had their little ‘set-up’

Ironically, the guy who took the picture of the South-Coast Airways Dakota, was probably cursing me, as I’d actually parked my Wife’s Ford-Escort directly BEHIND where he’d taken the photo’….. ya gotta understand there was NO-ONE AROUND, at the time, except the crew Jet-washing the water-soluble 9th Air-Force paint/markings.

The Guy in charge of the Dak’ even asked if I didn’t mind the paint-overspray hitting her Escort, (after I’d checked to see if they didn’t mind me parking between themselves & the containers in the background)

I laughed & said ” the paintwork on her car’s crap, anyhow ” (we laughed !)

Great fun, walking round the Film-set, but we never knew (at the time) just how Big or impressive the Final-product would be; or, that it would become (to-date), THE most expensive T.V. mini-series ever !!!!!!!!!

The “scaffold-pole” C.47’s looked SO realistic, even from close range

Hopefully, that picture creates the illusion we saw…….

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I I remember correctly, the forest scenes were filmed indoors so I doubt it was a real P-47.

Filmed in hangar at Hatfield, though not every winter scene was filmed in doors, but the aircraft would have been superimposed whether it was CGI or a double-take on a real P-47.
Looking at the scene just now, it looks like TFC’s ‘No Guts, No Glory’, with it’s superimposed twin, and I just found the scene with the twin engined bombers, Marauders or Invaders I reckon, perhaps a multi take on our European based A-26.

I I remember correctly, the forest scenes were filmed indoors so I doubt it was a real P-47.

According to a previous posting, 4 Daks were used:-
N147DC
N47FK
G-DAKK
G-AMRA
I’ve just looked at the take off scene filmed at North Weald and it looks like at least 5 were used, but such is the use of CGI, it’s hard to tell, it’s pretty seamless.
Then in the credits there’s an overflight of a couple of P-51’s at North Weald or Upottery as its supposed to be, whether these were the real deal and flown in from DX or CGI again, you can’t tell, knowing Spielbergs enthusiasm, he would probably prefer the real thing if they were locally available.
Later in the film, set in Holland, theres an overflight of Mossies? I can’t remember exactly without finding the scene, but they were obviously CGI. Then during the Bastogne Forest interlude, I seem to remember P-47’s coming over, whether the then TFC P-47 was used and computer replicated I wouldn’t know.
Over to the experts.

Great series….

As far as I know these aircraft were used in the making:

G-DAKK
N47FK

Surely there were a few more and possibly a couple of airframes/cockpits.

Unfortunatly CGI can now cater for the non-enthusiast and is too widely used in movies. Think of the amada of aircraft used for BoB and A bridge too far…..we will never see that again. The new Dambusters movie might not even have any actual flying shots.

Generic

[QUOTE=Shkval1]Well-well, just got whole Band of Brothers serial…and guess what?

I’m going to torture you with stupid questions again!
[evil laugh here]

Thanks in advance!

1) “We were in a store, and a guy in that store told us to put our uniforms on. “What the hell are you talking about?” He says, “The U.S.A.’s in a war with Japan”. We couldn’t believe it.”

Bah, what did he mean by “store” – some kind of military storehouse (depot) or shop? And how the hell could you tell the difference between them without context?

Its the same thing as a shop. It doesn’t have to be differentiated , its just a generic title for all sorts of things. IE: Pet shop, Meat Shop. The man in question is Joe Lesniewski who is a friend of mine.

2) I know that as well as Marines, Airborne battalions consist of ~3 Comp., and Americans sighned them in alphabet system.
Is that true that Easy and Fox companies = “E” and “F”? (this question appear, because NATO codename E is “Echo”)

The phonetic system changed several times. It’s really not clear when changes were made because some organizations changed years ahead of others, causing much confusion.

……1917……………1950……………1963
A….Able……………Able…………..Alpha
B….Boy……………..Baker…………Bravo
C….Cast……………Charlie……….Charlie
D….Dog……………..Dog…………….Delta
E….Easy…………….Easy……………Echo

F….Fox………………Fox……………..Fox Trot
G…George………..George……….Golf
H….Have…………….How……………Hotel
I…..Item……………..Item…………..India
J….Jig………………..Jig……………..Juliet
K….King………………King…………..Kilo
L….Love……………..Love………….Lima
M….Mike…………….Mike………….Mike
N….Nan……………….Nan…………….November
O….Oboe…………….Oboe………….Oscar
P….Pup……………….Peter………….Papa
Q….Quack…………..Queen………..Quebec
R….Rush……………..Roger…………Romeo
S….Sail………………..Sugar…………Sierra
T….Tare………………Tare……………Tango
U….Unit………………..Uncle………….Uniform
V….Vice………………Victor………….Victor
W….Watch…………..William………..Whiskey
X….X-Ray…………….X-Ray…………..X-Ray
Y….Yoke……………..Yoke…………..Yankee
Z….Zed………………..Zebra…………Zulu

1) haven’t heard it. Which episode and time please?

2) Able, (Bravo?), Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox would be A, B, C, D, E, F companies. It’s outside of the phonetic system – why I can’t say.

3) Drill Sergenat is a senior NCO in charge of training, similar to the Resgimental Sergeant Major in the British Army. Imagine God, with a louder voice…

4) Cause in this case would be ‘the cause’ as an example, the anti-war demonstrators ’cause’ is to stop the war, the IRA’s fight was for ‘the cause’ – ie, for the fulfillment of their aims on a wide scale.

Thank you a lot, genlemen!
It is EXACTLY what I was searching for.
Thank you again.

I’m already horrified by the amount of references in BoB.

Next portion:

1) When the camera observes the praparations for the Invasion, one off screen voices says “I want a whiff of chicken pie.”

?

2) I know that as well as Marines, Airborne battalions consist of ~3 Comp., and Americans sighned them in alphabet system.
Is that true that Easy and Fox companies = “E” and “F”? (this question appear, because NATO codename E is “Echo”)

3) “Drill sergeants, take charge.”
drill seargeant = post?

4) And the last one for today – before the Invasion the personnel was looking film. What film were they looking?

“Well, I can’t see how you people can pass up $80,000 for the cause.”
“For whose cause? If you’re so interested in serving a cause, why don’t you join the Army?”

“cause” here means “just cause”?

The fellow in the the store/shop, by telling them to go put their uniforms on meant they should go and sign up for military service right away.

The designation 4F means that a person is unfit for military service. The times being what they were, if you could not join the military and serve you country was emotionally devestating. Many persons who were designated as 4F commited suicide. Others accepted it and did what they could on the homefront.

Like the man said, “it was a different time.”

Store is a shop, and 4-F is unfit for military service.

Superb series, which I have on DVD.