In the big dash for the airfield at the end Burton, Eastwood, Beatty and a couple of improbably glamorous doxies use a mail bus with a snowplough to demolish a trio of German aircraft that look uncannily like T6s painted in green over white cammo.
Odd aircraft, in that having their tails hit by a snowplough cause them to burst into flames at the wing and cockpit area. Looks like a major design shortcoming to me.
Question: Were these genuine airframes or not?
If genuine, it seems a bit wasteful. If not, why were they designed to look like T6 and not something more appropriate?
Moggy
Did we all spot the wonderful continuity errors with the folding stock machine pistols?
Still a fun film though 🙂
By: skypilot62 - 22nd April 2004 at 00:19
Been away so only just catching up….
The novel is pretty much just as daft but in the “ripping yarn” sense.
I always thought the Ju52 shown was one the the 3 that used to be parked at Blackbushe in the early 80’s, which i used to see most days in my youth. If it wasn’t one of those aircraft, what were they and why were the painted in winter camo? I presumed they were part of Doug Arnold’s W of Gt Britain collection – there used to be a B25 parked with them too.
Would love any info on them.
By: Moggy C - 6th April 2004 at 15:54
I remember Richard Burton being asked why he’d accepted the part in the movie (W.E.D)
His answer was that his children wanted him to star in an adventure movie in which he was the hero. This one came along, so he took it.
IMO it wasn’t a bad movie.
He later went on to do the ‘Cross of Iron’ sequel. That was a pile of poo. By then he was far too old to carry it off.
It might as well have been called ‘Mr Magoo storms Moscow’
Moggy
By: VoyTech - 6th April 2004 at 15:27
Originally posted by Eric Mc
I think historical accuracy has grown in importance since the 70s – mainly becuase there is a greater body of historical work on WW2 now and more “experts” out there who’ll notice. Having said that, Hollywood never lets accuracy get in the way of the story, with the odd exception, of course.
I would say that historical accuracy has grown in terms of getting the right hardware in right markings and right-uniformed people in it, but not in terms of actual historical events.
When “Pearl Harbor” was released everybody complained about the thin story, many people complained about the green on Zeros or the codes on Spitfires, but how many people noticed that a serving USAAF officer could not join the Eagle Squadrons as this would be a federal offence?
By: Eric Mc - 6th April 2004 at 14:48
In 1969, I don’t think anyone cared. To me, it’s a James Bond film in a World War 2 setting.
I think historical accuracy has grown in importance since the 70s – mainly becuase there is a greater body of historical work on WW2 now and more “experts” out there who’ll notice. Having said that, Hollywood never lets accuracy get in the way of the story, with the odd exception, of course.
By: JDK - 6th April 2004 at 14:40
Hmmm. Good point.
By: VoyTech - 6th April 2004 at 14:25
Originally posted by JDK
Great film. Don’t make ’em like… Actually, we just had ‘Pearl Harbor’ din’t we.
Well, I am too young to remember I am afraid, but I wonder: at the time when “Eagles” were released did anyone claim this was a historically accurate story?
By: JDK - 6th April 2004 at 14:10
How could you have not comminted on my fave moment? Clint’s DA wobbling up and down as he plies his machine gun on the enemy.
Great film. Don’t make ’em like… Actually, we just had ‘Pearl Harbor’ din’t we.
By: Ant.H - 6th April 2004 at 00:20
Cheers again Geoff,I had an idea all the Swiss machines were German built,but wanted to be certain. 🙂
By: von Perthes - 5th April 2004 at 22:37
Ant,
In 1939 the Swiss Air Force received three JU52s from Germany, serialled A-701 to A-703. All have survived and are now operated by JU-Air as HB-HOS, HB-HOT and HB-HOP.
Geoff.
By: Ant.H - 5th April 2004 at 21:24
Blimey,swift response Geoff! Cheers for that,I had wondered if she was still flying today. I presume this means she is a genuine Ju52 rather than a Spanish or French example?
By: von Perthes - 5th April 2004 at 21:21
Ant,
Re the Swiss Ju52, the following is taken from the WED website.
‘The Ju-52 used in WED had the civillian code of HB-HOT. The code is visible under the horizontal tail planes and will be easy to see in the opening scenes of the DVD. HB-HOT is now coded A-702 and is still flying today as one of the stable of JU-52s flown by Ju-Air.’
No info on the T-6s though.
Geoff.
By: Ant.H - 5th April 2004 at 20:38
On a similar note,does anyone know the identity of the Ju52?
By: von Perthes - 5th April 2004 at 20:00
Ingrid Pitt & Madeline Smith 😉 😉
Just off for a cold shower.
Geoff.
By: Moggy C - 5th April 2004 at 17:10
Ah! Vampire Lovers 🙂
Remember it well 😀
Moggy
By: Transall - 5th April 2004 at 16:51
Hello,
One of the fascinating things in this movie to me is that one of the actresses spent 3 years of her childhood in a concentration camp.
Ingrid Pitt, who plays “Heidi”, was born in Poland in 1937 and survived 3 years in a concentration camp. After the war, she lived in East Germany and escaped to the West.
During the 1960’s-70’s, she became a cult actress in vampire/horror movies. I think she lives in London now.
Cheers, Transall.
By: Tony Williams - 5th April 2004 at 13:56
I recall one good bit from my viewing of many years ago, when the good guys fired at a pursuing armoured car with an SMG – and sent it off the road in flames…..with SMGs like that, why bother with anti-tank guns?
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion
forum
By: Learning_Slowly - 5th April 2004 at 13:50
That film was indeed the end of the Swiss airforces stock of Harvards.
The last ones destined for scrap were painted up and then pretty well destroyed.
By: Firebird - 5th April 2004 at 13:42
Re: Re: Re: Where Eagles Dare question
Originally posted by Moggy C
Watch the early scenes where they have been dropped into the Alps and are positioning to observe the Schloss Adler.As they trudge along through the deep snow, the folding stocks on their machine pistols appear to be in the firing position or the folded position, totally at random, from one second to the next.
Moggy
Well, I’ve never noticed that, should’ve really as I can’t think of many ‘war’ films where MP40’s have ever been shown with the stocks extended. Seems ‘Hollywood’ loves the macho idea that all Germans fired MP40 with stocks folded.
Reality being of course, firing an MP40 with stock folded means you might hit a barn door from 10ft…..if it’s a high barn door of course:rolleyes:
By: Eric Mc - 5th April 2004 at 13:23
Obviously, if a story is fiction, there are no “facts” on which to base it. However, if a story is fiction but set in a factual period of history, against which the accuracy of background details can be checked – then some attempt should be made to at least give the story an air of realism. I’m not one of those who jump up and down when the wrong Mark of Spitfire is used, or a Harvard masquerades as a P-47. These are compromises which sometimes have to be made because the original artefacts are no longer available. However, a blatant use of a post war American helicopter is just plain dumb. If anything, they could have substituted a Fieseler Storch or Nord equivalent. There were plenty avaialble when the film was made in 1969.
What is used in the book for that scene? A Flettner or Focke Achgelis perhaps?
By: Moggy C - 5th April 2004 at 13:12
Re: Re: Where Eagles Dare question
Originally posted by Firebird
Err….what would that be then Moggy..?…:confused:
Watch the early scenes where they have been dropped into the Alps and are positioning to observe the Schloss Adler.
As they trudge along through the deep snow, the folding stocks on their machine pistols appear to be in the firing position or the folded position, totally at random, from one second to the next.
Moggy
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April 5, 2004 at 8:18 am