Flying Fortresses – 'My Mother And Other Strangers'

At least one of the Jeeps is a post war French Hotchkiss, but don’t let the details spoil the series!

Close to the Enemy had a scene shot in front of the wreaked hangars at Hooton Park and one with a dismantled Replica Spit in one of the usable hangars.
However the use of a Jeep with Airborne Divisional signs rather grates with me.

I’ve been watching ‘Close To The Enemy’ too, very exciting stuff!
The BBC have certainly done a good job with these two series, both very good viewing.

Hi All,
SouthernAir99,
I was going to ask exactly the same question and like other replies have also been watching this rather surprisingly good show :eagerness:

So while we are on the subject anybody watching the post war ‘Close To The Enemy’ ? another fine BBC2 series about the UK’s race for aircraft technology from a German scientist they smuggled to the UK with his daughter. Only one complaint the wardrobe department and the actors need to dress the part a bit better
i.e. Ill-fitting clothes and the actors (Robert Glenister) do not seem to be able to tie knots for their ties especially the main characters Army boss the Brigadier.

The main character Cpt Fergusson-Jim Sturgess coincidently is the lead actor in the film I recently watched about the Nth.Ireland troubles ’50Dead Men Walking’ an excellent biopic with the trailer posted in the last film you watched thread…..:eagerness:

Geoff.

All CGI from what I saw, and based on the author’s own experiences (I think)…

It appears to be mainly if not all CGI work I think, maybe some cutouts were used for the bombers on the ground, but it looks pretty fluid like CGI so yeah, I don’t think ‘Sally B’ was called on, a shame, but it would’ve been very pricey. That said the CG looks marvelous.

It is a good series 🙂

Is all the B17 content CGI, or were any real B17s used?

That’s fantastic, they really thought it through. I have to say I really like it, it’s truly enthralling.

The USAAF established a number of training and aircrew replacement bases in NI – with a function exactly as outlined by the TV drama (excellent Sunday evening fare): http://ulsteraviationsociety.org/usaaf-in-n-ireland-1942-1945/4537284067 covers it, on page 3. Bases were Toome, Cluntoe, Greencastle and Mullaghmore. One group used B-17s, No. 4 at Cluntoe – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Cluntoe – From the geography it looks like this was the basis for the fictional station.

My question is, although the story and location are fictitious, were any B17s stationed in Northern Ireland during the war, maybe just as part of a training or fitting out unit?

RAF 220 Squadron Fortress IIs flew on detachments from Nutts Corner, Ballykelly and Aldergrove at various times.