Battle of Britain film

Stuka [Henlow Camp]

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A proper one.

Proctor/stuka

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If I knew how to rotate this I would !!

Fascinating stuff, and many thanks to John for joining and posting with your memories!

As an aside the link to the CASA restoration in Germany is a great read with lots of detail photos, it’s just disappointing it seems to end halfway through the project?

I bet a P-51Buchon on the airshow scene would get some folk REALLY riled up!!

Thanks for that. Interestingly enough the picture of the glider mentions my ATC squadron, 1476 Rayleigh.
We also went gliding at North Weald, and I can’t remember if that was before or after Debden.

I’d love to know if a picture exists of the BoB aircraft lined up at Debden ? I was there for a wing parade when I was an
ATC cadet.
Nobody thought there would have been a need to take a camera 🙁

I have seen a web site with a photo of i think the Casa [he111 ] parked there but i can’t find it ,it may have gone ,but i have found this

http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=RAF%20Debden,%20Essex&u=location so there are photos about.

I’d love to know if a picture exists of the BoB aircraft lined up at Debden ? I was there for a wing parade when I was an
ATC cadet.
Nobody thought there would have been a need to take a camera 🙁

Just One Mustang was available for the Patton filming….http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/aviation/warbirds/mustangs/rcaf-part01/must006.html
and heading back to topic, several of the large scale RC models from the B of B film were displayed in Talbot Square Blackpool for the switching on of the Illuminations,in 1969 when a Canberra switched on the lights by dropping a photoflash just offshore near the North pier.

The Proctuka, as I recall, had a new centre section to achieve the Stuka shape. The original wings were simply bolted onto it. They didn’t appear in the final cut of the film because they weren’t pleasant to try dive-bombing with!

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This shows a Buchon all dolled up as a P51 whilst clearing customs at Manston after leaving Bovingdon en-route to Spain. I have no idea who to give credit to for the photo.

Baz62 – They probably applied the ‘Wolf in Wolf’s clothing’ cosmetic change as they were a) imminently making a movie (Patton) and needed some US WWII single engined fighters, and b) the Buchons were ready/available for further screen work. I don’t believe that there were many real-live Mustangs available in Europe in 1969.

John – I recall having a good look over the ‘Pruka’ in the hangar at Bovingdon. Ignoring the length of wooden dowel (was it a broomstick painted black?) sticking out of the rear of the canopy, It looked reasonably flyable – did you crank up the Proctor’s wings at all to achieve the Stuka gull wing profile? Also did you utilise the Mosquito there as a camera plane?

Barry

Wow great stories! More please! Why paint a Buchon as a Mustang? Was there no Mustangs available at the time in Europe? Or were they specifically trying for a P51B/C looks? (Cos I’m sure there were none of those to be had then.)

At that time I was an instructor at the ATC gliding school you shared the hangar with. Some happy memories sitting in those classic cockpits of yours having lovely dreams, including the 2 x Heinkels out on the peri track by Bluebell Wood. I recall one day the whole wood had a false ‘skyline of London’ erected in front of it and a Heinkel, trailing smoke, seemed to be having lots of fun diving down into the valley behind the wood to simulate it ‘crashing’ in the middle of London. I seem to recall one of those Buchons had quite a large mag drop when running up pre-takeoff en route to Manston. Funnily enough in less than a year we were relocated down to Manston when they closed Bovingdon to all active ops.
Cheers
Barry

Hi Seagull,

I remember working on these, we worked all night putting false fairing on them to look like Mustangs with the promise that if we did it on time they would treat us with a bonus and a bottle of champagne. We did the job and got £5 and a bottle of cheap pomagne.
Regards
John

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Bovingdon 1969. Two of them in USAAC livery to look like Mustangs about to depart for Manston, and then Spain to film the movie ‘Patton’.

Thanks for your reply Mike,
Unfortunately I don’t recall Tom Kilcoyne and I was mostly out on location for the film so I didn’t stay long at Elstree.
What I do recall from the time I was there, was that in the event of a shout at the airfield it fell to us to man the Land Rover truck as an emergency vehicle and fire tender.
Regards
John

Thanks Jeepman

My pleasure – although perhaps it should be me who is thanking you for playing an important part in keeping the true stars of that seminal film in the air

Moving the CASAs from Bovingdon.

When the film was winding down I had about 40 hours flying tuition [in broken Spanish/English] in the CASA. This meant that when the Spanish went I was the only person in the UK with any knowledge of the planes.
They found a pilot who I gave instructions to, and they wanted us to do circuits at Bovingdon with de-synchronised engines [to get the droning sound effects], however, because of a difference of opinion between myself and the pilot we had to abort this after take-off. [He insisted that I get the U/C up and I said ‘no’ for they were on the same hydraulic system as the flaps], he lost his temper and tried to lift the U/C, this set off alarms and claxons and as a results one leg was locked down and one was blowing in the slipstream. We had no radio but a ‘spotter’ plane was supposed to guide us to West Malling, of course that was nowhere to be seen either over the airfield or over Enfield reservoirs which was our emergency rendezvous. We decided to head to West Malling and landed successfully after I hand-cranked the landing gear. That was just the pilot and myself. The second CASA went directly to West Malling with ‘passengers’ in every nook and cranny.
Regards
John

Thanks Paul,
Yes I did know they’d been sold. I have tried to get in touch with Connie Edwards in Texas but with no luck.
I was the last person to see these in the UK, it fell to me to remove the wings etc, inhibit the engines and crate them for shipping.
By the way did you know that the wings were held on by just one bolt?
Regards
John

Thanks Jeepman

Thanks for that Andy,
Unfortunately I don’t have any photos.
Well thats a bit of a lie, I haven’t any photos of Bovingdon and I have just one picture of me on a Messer and two ‘stills’ from the camera ship showing the East End of London where I grew up apart from the pre-flight checkbook.
I also have two grainy black and white photos 1/ Stuka. 2/ Proctor modded to look like the Stuka from when I first joined the film at Henlow Camp.
Thanks again.
John

One of my favourite shots by Simon Morrison.

Tablada, with over 20 Casa Heinkels in frame.

Mark