R/T chatter?

If anyone wants to read it (with a couple of edits), PM me your e-mail address and I’ll fire it off 🙂

I found some “banter”:
Jones: Morning, Squadron Leader.
Idle: What-ho, Squiffy.
Jones: How was it?
Idle: Top-hole. Bally Jerry, pranged his kite right in the how’s-your-father;
hairy blighter, dicky-birded, feathered back on his sammy, took a waspy,
flipped over on his Betty Harpers and caught his can in the Bertie.
Jones: Er, I’m afraid I don’t quite follow you, Squadron Leader.
Idle: It’s perfectly ordinary banter, Squiffy. Bally Jerry, pranged his kite
right in the how’s-your-father; hairy blighter, dicky-birded, feathered
back on his sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harpers and
caught his can in the Bertie.
Jones: No, I’m just not understanding banter at all well today. Give us it
slower.
Idle: Banter’s not the same if you say it slower, Squiffy.
Jones: Hold on then — Wingco! — just bend an ear to the Squadron Leader’s
banter for a sec, would you?
Chapman: Can do.
Jones: Jolly good. Fire away.
Idle: Bally Jerry… (he goes through it all again)
Chapman: No, I don’t understand that banter at all.
Idle: Something up with my banter, chaps?
Palin: Bunch of monkeys on the ceiling, sir! Grab your egg-and-fours and
let’s get the bacon delivered!
Chapman (to Idle): Do *you* understand that?
Idle: No — I didn’t get a word of it.
Chapman: Sorry, old man, we don’t understand your banter.
Palin: You know — bally tenpenny ones dropping in the custard!
(no reaction)
Palin: Um — Charlie choppers chucking a handful!
Chapman: No no — sorry.
Jones: Say it slower, old chap.
Palin: Slower *banter*, sir?
Chapman: Ra-ther.
Palin: Um — sausage squad up the blue end?
Idle: No, still don’t get it.
Palin: Um — cabbage crates coming over the briny?
The others: No, no.
Idle (voice-over): But by then it was too late. The first cabbage crates hit
London on July the 7th. That was just the beginning.

(Chapman seen sitting at desk, on telephone)

Chapman: Five shillings a dozen? That’s ordinary cabbages, is it? And what
about the bombs?… Good Lord, they _are_ expensive.

Has anyone got any clips of actual/live WW2 ‘combat chatter’ they could post a link of here?

I am also interested in any clips of actaul WW2 ATC chatter.

MM

YES!!!!!!

The flip side is you then have to read my short fiction based on The Malta Story

Fair enough! 😉

You really want to read this?!

YES!!!!!!

The flip side is you then have to read my short fiction based on The Malta Story

Right – let’s hear it then ! 🙂

You really want to read this?!

Strictly the report should have been “Bandits! Nine o’clock low” (or level, or high). The lack of relative altitude information could be crucial in a combat situation.

However I’m sure none of us believe that book-correct R/T procedure was followed in every instance.

Moggy

Ah yes, I never thought of that! :rolleyes:

Quick question:

While reading out a short piece I’d written at my writers’ group last night, someone picked up on the fact that one piece of dialogue (from one pilot to another) said something along the lines of “Bandits to port”, and a little later again said “Break left”

Strictly the report should have been “Bandits! Nine o’clock low” (or level, or high). The lack of relative altitude information could be crucial in a combat situation.

However I’m sure none of us believe that book-correct R/T procedure was followed in every instance.

Moggy

Quick question:

While reading out a short piece I’d written at my writers’ group last night, someone picked up on the fact that one piece of dialogue (from one pilot to another) said something along the lines of “Bandits to port”, and a little later again said “Break left”.

Someone mentioned this was inconsistent, and that they should say one or the other. To me it looked fine and sounded fine, but it threw up thoughts on which one should be correct. Should the pilot have said “Break (to) port” instead? Or is the way I’ve written it correct?

:confused:

(BTW, apart from that, they loved it! :D)

Right – let’s hear it then ! 🙂

That was my exact point.

In fact, early in the film they do refer to it as RDF but later on, the word “Radar” starts being used.

For most people, even in 1969, the terms RDF or Radio Location would have meant absolutely nothing.

Even thjough it wasn’t quite right, I can fully understand why film makers sometimes take this form of “artistic” licence.

B of B has lots of technical inaccuracies in it – referring to Radio Location or RDF as “Radar”. for instance. However, these can be forgiven in that the script had to be understanable to an audience not familiar with the terms in use at the time.

Good point, but I suspect “Joe Public” wouldn’t have had a clue if they’d said Radio Location instead of radar.

B of B has lots of technical inaccuracies in it – referring to Radio Location or RDF as “Radar”. for instance. However, these can be forgiven in that the script had to be understanable to an audience not familiar with the terms in use at the time.

Just referring to my copy of ‘The Big Show’, I can’t find any references to pilots using ‘left’ or ‘right’ in the air, which suggests that even in the heat of battle, using the technical terms was second nature. Cf. p.236 ” ‘Break port, Talbot!’ I just jad time to shout in the mike. There were the Wunsdorf ‘109s 3,000 feet above…” and p.187 ‘The first fifteen Huns released their auxiliary tanks, fanned out, and dived towards us.” ‘Break Port! Climbing!’… we faced the avalanche.”

…That said, it does seem to be splitting hairs somewhat. I can’t believe that no-one ever used ‘left’ or ‘right’ once or twice when things got hairy.

I should have had a look last night when I got home, but it was rather late to be diving through the books!

I do think, though, that people would have used either term in the heat of battle.

In fact, thinking about it (and to be fair, it is a film, but they DID have technical advisors…), Robert Shaw says to his pilots in “Battle of Britain”:

“Roger, Red 3, I see them. Rabbit, break right and climb.”

Surely, had it been incorrect, the likes of Bob Standford-Tuck would have picked them up on it?

Just referring to my copy of ‘The Big Show’, I can’t find any references to pilots using ‘left’ or ‘right’ in the air, which suggests that even in the heat of battle, using the technical terms was second nature. Cf. p.236 ” ‘Break port, Talbot!’ I just jad time to shout in the mike. There were the Wunsdorf ‘109s 3,000 feet above…” and p.187 ‘The first fifteen Huns released their auxiliary tanks, fanned out, and dived towards us.” ‘Break Port! Climbing!’… we faced the avalanche.”

…That said, it does seem to be splitting hairs somewhat. I can’t believe that no-one ever used ‘left’ or ‘right’ once or twice when things got hairy.