Another Battle of Britain Movie Thread

[daveymac82c]

Ok, so last night my girlfriend and I watched the Battle of Britain movie.

I suggested we watch it and without hesitation she say "sure." I am very thankful for her loving aviation movies. It didn't hurt that she grew up enjoying war movies!!

Anyways, I got a question for all those in the know.

I know they used many different marks of spitfires in the movie and that there were only a few Spitfire Mk V's available compared to other later versions. And if I remember correctly most Mk IX's and after had the pointy tail versus the little rounded ones (That were the style during the Battle of Britain).

My question is, did they retrofit the later mark spits with the rounded tails for the filming? And if so, did they use original round spare tails or did they manufacture new ones for this purpose. And then, on top of those two questions, was there anything they needed to do with regards to satisfying the C of A with the new tail?

Oh wait, was it just the rudder they needed to change?

And while I'm at it, Bill, was your Spit involved in the filming back then? A Camera ship maybe?

Cheers,

David

P.S. This time watching I noticed the 109's dressed up like Hurricanes.

[Warbird Kid]

And while I'm at it, Bill, was your Spit involved in the filming back then? A Camera ship maybe?

I thought Bill's was the one used when the pilot had to bail out of his burning Spit. The fighter banked into the camera, showing the underside of the aircraft and then, all of a sudden a guy comes out tumbling towards the ground.

They dont make movies like that anymore.

Christopher

[daveymac82c]

Hmmm... I do remember a scene like that... jeez my memory... I can't remember exactly, but I do recall a fairly fake looking dummy coming out of the cockpit of a Spit as it banked away. Was that Bill's?

It would make more sense to toss something out of the back seat of a spit rather than carry a dummy in on your lap up to altitude. That would probably be pretty tough in a Spit's cockpit.

-David

[JDK]

Anyways, I got a question for all those in the know.

I know they used many different marks of spitfires in the movie and that there were only a few Spitfire Mk V's available compared to other later versions. And if I remember correctly most Mk IX's and after had the pointy tail versus the little rounded ones (That were the style during the Battle of Britain).

My question is, did they retrofit the later mark spits with the rounded tails for the filming? And if so, did they use original round spare tails or did they manufacture new ones for this purpose. And then, on top of those two questions, was there anything they needed to do with regards to satisfying the C of A with the new tail?

They had a range of Spitfires from Mk.Ia to Mk.19, but too few of the right period type, the I and II. So they decided to standardise on a 'look' which was known as the Mk.Addie after Hamish Mahaddie, the Scot who had collected and organised the aircraft. This was most like the long nosed Merlin version, like an VIII or IX, without cannon, high back, round rudder. They then ensured that the less appropriate versions, the Griffon Spitfires mainly, were used more in the background while the Mk.Addie was in the foreground. This meant they had enough similar-looking Spitfires to convincing as a squadron and also were able to use different aircraft with the same codes to stand in as one aircraft for different shots.

And while I'm at it, Bill, was your Spit involved in the filming back then? A Camera ship maybe?

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/spitregi ... te308.html

IIRC, cameraship for the pilots eye view shots. The bailouts were done with a dummy on the wing of the aircraft, photos obtained recently by Mark 12 on the Flypast Forum show this.

Mark 12 and Gary Brown are much better informed on this that I am.

P.S. This time watching I noticed the 109's dressed up like Hurricanes.

Well done. Enjoy:

http://www.gdg18.dial.pipex.com/battleofbritain.shtml

http://www.sonsofdamien.co.uk/BoBPG1.htm

And of course the two books by my late friend Robert Rudhall on the film.

[EDowning]

daveymac82c wrote:
(out of context of course)

but I do recall a fairly fake looking dummy coming out of the cockpit of a Spit....... Was that Bill

That's no way to refer to Bill Greenwood. But it is funny, nonetheless.

[daveymac82c]

Mr. Downing.... you didn't just take my quote out of context did you?

But d*mn, well played my friend, well played.

:):)

-David

[EDowning]

Never pass up the chance to take a good natured dig at Bill.

[John Dupre]

This is probably still my favorite movie and like so many got my interest in warbirds started.

Back in the late 1960's one of the TV stations in Boston had an afternoon movie program with a host. (Frank Avruch, one of if not the first Bozo the Clown!) He actually hosted his program from one of the fields where Battle of Britain was shot during the filming. So I couldn't wait for the movie to come out. The small Catholic grade school I went to used to take the whole school to a weekday showing of a movie once or twice a year. (The next year it was Tora, Tora, Tora.) So one day we all went and watched BoB in a great old theater with a big screen and a balcony. I bought a book from Scholastic Books on the battle. A couple of years later at the library I took out a book from the history section I thought was called Battle of Britain but turned out to be The Making of The Battle of Britain. I found that book just as fascinating as story of the battle. Especially the accounts of the Spanish 109s and Heinkels and Connie Edwards. I still remember that before the movie it was estimated there were 12 or so surviving Spitfires but during the search for suitable aircraft they identified 109 around the world. Years later I bought that book at a library book sale.

[retroaviation]

Never pass up the chance to take a good natured dig at Bill.

Heck, even the ill-natured digs at him are kind of fun too!

Gary

[gary1954]

Ok, so last night my girlfriend and I watched the Battle of Britain movie.

I suggested we watch it and without hesitation she say "sure." I am very thankful for her loving aviation movies. It didn't hurt that she grew up enjoying war movies!!

She.....is a Keeper man.. ...she's a keeper...take her flying.. ..let her stand near a radial at engine start.. .. *hangs head * wished mine appreciated these old airplanes as much as I... er.... uh ....We do.

[PeterA]

The bale out from the Spitfire.

Experiments were trialled using TE308, Bill's Spitfire, to try to eject a dummy from the front cockpit.

In the event a dummy was just strapped to the upper wing of a single place Mk V, AR501, and released whilst being filmed from below with the canopy concealed.

PeterA

[Jack Cook]

Watching Sgt Pilot Andy cutting throats on Deadwood is interesting indeed

[Bradleygolding]

The bale out from the Spitfire.

Experiments were trialled using TE308, Bill's Spitfire, to try to eject a dummy from the front cockpit.

In the event a dummy was just strapped to the upper wing of a single place Mk V, AR501, and released whilst being filmed from below with the canopy concealed.

PeterA

Hi Peter,

If you look at the movie, the a/c dropping the dummy in the Sept 15th sequence, is definitely a Mk IX (twin rads and four bladed prop). So maybe not Bill's, but not AR501 either.

All the best,

Steve.

[PeterA]

The bale out from the Spitfire.

Experiments were trialled using TE308, Bill's Spitfire, to try to eject a dummy from the front cockpit.

In the event a dummy was just strapped to the upper wing of a single place Mk V, AR501, and released whilst being filmed from below with the canopy concealed.

PeterA

Hi Peter,

If you look at the movie, the a/c dropping the dummy in the Sept 15th sequence, is definitely a Mk IX (twin rads and four bladed prop). So maybe not Bill's, but not AR501 either.

All the best,

Steve.

Steve,

It has been a while since I studied that portion of the film.

Here is a shot of the dummy being trialled on AR501.

Note five aperture wheels and external reinforcing of the wheel bay.

PeterA

[PeterA]

A Mk IX indeed.

Looks to be MK297 or MH415, the two IX singletons fitted with smoke pots on the starboard side.

PeterA