There are reports that up to 10 Lancaster replicas are to be created for the film. I wonder what their fate will be after filming is concluded? Will they be sold off or even donated to aviation museums around the world? One of them would make a splendid gate guardian for RAF Scampton.

Colin

This film was shown on ITV yesterday afternoon, yes I’ve seen it many times before including being at the late nght press premier when it first came out.
Father in law had never seen it before and couldn’t believe that it wasn’t archive footage, especially the scene when the Japanese a/c were taking off from the carrier.
Question is, were real a/c destroyed during the making of this film. I know that the P-40’s were dummies and that some of the scenes went nearly tragically wrong, but looking at the Catalinas being blown up and set on fire, well, they didn’t look like mock ups to me, nor did some of the smashed up B-17’s. Was the hangar that was blown up, at Hickam. It was a real hangar as it featured in a previous scene and was not a stage set as it was a steel framed building and had all the hall marks of a seriously damaged stuctural building.
Thinking about it, the film must have cost a fortune when it was made, did they get their money back.
Incidentally, some of the low level flying is well dodgy, especially when they strafe the truck, that really looks a close call.

Two aircraft were destroyed during the production. Jack Canary ,in charge of producing the airworthy Japanese replicas,was killed while ferrying a “Kate “replica. One of the “Val” replicas crashed into Pearl Harbour during the making of the film.

All the destroyed Catalinas were derelict hulks found in California which were patched up and cosmetically modified to resemble 1941 versions.

Colin

[QUOTE=633squad;1108983]Hello again,

In regards to “Memphis Belle”, I beleive David Putnam did want to make a film about bomber command ( There are some similarities in the Memphis Belle script to a Novel by Spencer Dunmore called “Bomb Run”)

How interesting! I remember reading “Bomb Run” in the early 70s. I recall it was similar to Len Deighton’s “Bomber”.

Colin

I have a 1969 edition of Airfix magazine which has an article about the “Battle of Britain “film. In the part of the article which mentions the plastic replica Spitfires used in the film the author mentions that “Gordon’s Aerolite”, a material rather like Bakelite , was considered as a material for building Spitfires duiring WW2.

Colin

I’m surprised that a major film was never made of the event, or was it, it doesn’t spring to mind, I can imagine Johnny Depp and Keith Richards standing on the bridge of the Campletown and Silvester Stallione orchestrating the raid, lets do it boys.[/QUOTE]

The 1967 film “Attack on the Iron Coast” starring Lloyd Bridges had a fictional storyline, but one which was based on the St Nazaire Raid.

The story covered all the main points of the St Nazaire Raid i.e. 4 funnelled destroyer used to ram dock gates,small launches carrying commandoes etc.

It was a pretty poor B movie which even re-used some incidental music from “633 Squadron”. It is a pity they could not have made an accurate film about the St Nazaire Raid instead

Colin

In “Enemy Coast Ahead” (by Guy Gibson) he mentions an incident in which the gunners on his Hampden brought down a Do 17 by flying alongside it and hitting it with their dorsal and ventral Vickers “K ” guns.

Colin

Would be good to see Airline again, would look very dated production wise tho.
Secret army is another series I’d like to see

“Secret Army” has been available on DVD since 2004 . I recently bought the entire series (42 episodes) for £39.99. It was a special offer from DD video.

One episode of SA features “Sally B”” circa 1978 and a (taxying but not flying) Lysander features in a few episodes.

Colin