Best War Film Part 2

[BFMF]

Starting this weekend on CBS is a show called 'Hitler, The Rise Of Evil'. Anyone planning on watching it?

[fisharno]

Sorry if this was already said, but I couldn't bring myself to read all 16 pages of this thread....

"Flight Of The Intruder" with Danny Glover and this other well known actor. (Can't think of his name).

Viet Nam film about what else? A-6 Intruder crew. Also, there's another film with, my boy, Tommy Lee Jones and Nicolus Cage, about an Army helo pilot trying to get his cert. "Firebirds", I think.

[HawkerTempest5]

Was down at Blockbuster today and came across one of those "obscure" titles in the area well away frrom the "quality New Releases" called "Dark Blue World".

On the cover was a Spitfire and a pic of an WWII RAF Officer. Obviously I had to pick it up and see if it was something worth seeing.
But after reading the usual "wonderful dogfight sequences, superb cinematography blah blah blah" I also read "SUBTITLED".
It is apparently a Csech movie withEnglish subtitles.

I can't stand subtitled movies, but I'll see this one if the aircraft stuff is plentiful and decent.

Has anyone seen it. Can someone recommend or debunk?

Well, it's nice to see "Best War Films" is still alive and well. This must be the biggest and most long running topic on the the SimV forum!

Anyway, way back in "Best War Film Part 1" I mentioned Dark Blue World but no one commented on in. I've not seen the film because it did not make our local cinemas but I am sure it has a number of British cast members (Terrence Stamp and Susanna York I think) so I'm a bit surprised to hear that it is subtitled.
I read a bit about it in the monthly Warbird mags about a year ago. It uses out takes from the Battle of Britain movie and a couple of the UK based Spit MkV's were used to film some new bits also.
Let us know if it's any good!

[Professor Brensec]

I think I will get it next time I'm down there ( I have to return the Star Trek "Enterprise" series cassettes I borrowed to catch up on, I think in a week).

I did almost grab the movie but I thought to myself "if it's only got 5 minutes of action and the rest is romance, ala Pearl Harbour" (the dust cover actually mentions it is ostensibly a romance involving 2 pilots and 1 woman, much like Pearl) I really don't see it being worth $6-00 overnight (as a New Release).
So I thought, I'll see if anyone on the forum has seen it and take it from there.

Yes, Hawker. This must be the longest thread including the 15 or 16 pages of Part 1 before it over loaded and Pete had to start up another topic (this one), WHICH REMINDS ME PETE! Are we likely to lose this any time soon?
I'd hate to loose my baby! Hagar and I nearly had heart attacks when it just disappeared last time due to too much postings (and pics).

Any how..........................

Oh yeah. My beloved History Channel has come up with a new concept. Called "Battle Front". Each episode features a particular place and battle (me thinks strangely similar to "Line of Fire") in WWII and does a reasonably in depth study which features at least one vet from that battle.
I saw "Guadalcanal" last night. Not bad. Believe it or not, a good amount of the shots were "first timers for me" along with the ones we've all seen a million times.

P.S. Just a quick question. There was a night sea battle in which the US lost 4 Heavy Cruisers. Was one of these the Chicago? I know the Chicago was in Australia when the midget Sub attack took place in Sydney Harbour. It was actually the target of the attack. The torpedo fired by one of the sub that sank a ferry and killed over 100 Australian sailors (it was being used as a berth) went under the Chicago an hit the ferry behind it.
The Chicago, I believe, went on to Guadalcanal from Sydney, when the Marine left New Zealand for the Solomons.  ;D

[ATI_7500]

"Flight Of The Intruder" with Danny Glover and this other well known actor. (Can't think of his name).

Viet Nam film about what else? A-6 Intruder crew. Also, there's another film with, my boy, Tommy Lee Jones and Nicolus Cage, about an Army helo pilot trying to get his cert. "Firebirds", I think.

a) Brad Johnson

b)hm,here in germany the film was called "airborne - wings of steel"

[ATI_7500]

PS. Your excellent English is better than some on this forum for whom it's their mother tongue. You & Bonzonie make me ashamed that I know no German, Japanese or other languages.

he,he,thanks,i feel very honored. i speak english for seven years now, but i couldn't practice using it,until i came here. a nice location to improve foreign languages.

p.s:sorry for double post!

[BFMF]

Did anyone watch the CBS show "Hitler: The Rise of Evil"?

[Professor Brensec]

Did anyone watch the CBS show "Hitler: The Rise of Evil"?

Sorry Andrew, haven't seen mention of it here.

Have seen a couple of further History Channel doco's.
One of the "Battlefront" ones I mentioned, about BoB.
Completely new doco, considering all the others that have been presented in some form or another on the Channel.
It was more about the Planes than anything else. gave alot of comparative info between the Bf109, Fw190, Spit and Hurri.
Also alot of info concerning losses on each side on given days or during particular engagements.
I remember the overall total for the Battle being 1400 German planes lost against 600 British fighters. not bad going considering the 109 was 'supposed' to be such a superior machine! (not by my estimation).

I saw a few 'gun camera' shots (which from memory I haven't seen before) which quite clearly show 109's being shot at. It looks pretty obvious to me that in these shots the pilot is struggling to keep the 109 from stalling while trying to out-turn the attacking plane. The 109 seems to be pulling out of sight for a few seconds and then suddenly a wing drops and it slows and falls, almost sideways, downward, giving the attacker another 'plumb' shot.
I seems to me that they really must have been a real bugger to to maneuvre at slower speeds in tight situations. I have found that this is exactly how I find them in the CFS Sims.
As far as I'm concerned, especially after seeing these confirming shots, that the Hurricane especially was a 'dream' to fly compared to the 109.

Also another 'quaint' comment was made regarding the cockpits of the 109 versus the British fighters.

Kinder historians refer to the Bf109 cockpit as a "glove-like fit", while the more realistic refer to it as "coffin-like"

Obviously referring to the very tight fit of the 109 cockpit. Exactly the feeling I get when I've got the 109 Sim on Virtual Cockpit.................lol

[Hagar]

Also another 'quaint' comment was made regarding the cockpits of the 109 versus the British fighters. ........
Obviously referring to the very tight fit of the 109 cockpit.

Have you ever seen a Bf 109? The first thing that struck me is how small it is. It did have the reputation of being difficult to fly well but was liked by experienced pilots. Although the Spitfire has a sliding one-piece canopy compared with the side-hinged "glasshouse" on the Bf-109, I don't think there's any more room for the pilot. The all-round visibilty might be better on the Spitfire.

It should also be remembered that the Luftwaffe escort fighters were under the handicap of a limited time over target. They would have to watch their fuel & break off from combat if they wished to get home.

[ATI_7500]

yeah,the Bf-109 was a very small plane. just look at the -K-version with its ugly bumps ,because of the wep-injection mechanism and cannons. but it was an awesome airplane. i think the american pilots had a lot of trouble with them.

[HawkerTempest5]

It was more about the Planes than anything else. gave alot of comparative info between the Bf109, Fw190, Spit and Hurri.
I seems to me that they really must have been a real bugger to to maneuvre at slower speeds in tight situations. I have found that this is exactly how I find them in the CFS Sims.
As far as I'm concerned, especially after seeing these confirming shots, that the Hurricane especially was a 'dream' to fly compared to the 109.

Hum, the Fw190 did not turn up until '41 so they got that a bit wrong!
I think I've said before that I enjoy flying (vertually that is) both the 109 and 190 and I prefare both to the Mustang. You can't fly them like a Spit or a Hurri, but they are just superb at shooting dowm bombers.

[BFMF]

Sorry Andrew, haven't seen mention of it here.

It's been mentioned a couple times since the last page

btw, when you're talking about the '109', which one

There were to my knowledge 'FW', 'ME', & 'BF' models, but could never get them straight.

[Hagar]

It's been mentioned a couple times since the last page

Hi Andrew,. By "here" I think Brensec meant in Australia.

btw, when you're talking about the '109', which one

There were to my knowledge 'FW', 'ME', & 'BF' models, but could never get them straight.

OK, you're confusing 2 completely different types by different manufacturers. The Bf 109 was an inline engined fighter designed by Prof. Willy Messerschmitt, then chief designer of the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Works) hence the Bf prefix. The Bf 109 is sometimes referred to as the Me 109 but never had this designation. The Bf 109E (Emil) was the version used during the BoB. The company name was changed to Messerschmitt AG in 1938. Aircraft developed after this date use the "Me" prefix (Me 110, Me 262 etc.) http://www.shanaberger.com/messerschmitt.htm

The Fw 190 (not Fw 109) was the high performance radial engined fighter designed by Dipl. Ing. Kurt Tank of Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau (not Fokker or Fokker Wolf). http://www.cropp.demon.co.uk/FW/INDEX.HTM
The Fw 190A entered service in the summer of 1941.

[Professor Brensec]

[quote]
Hi Andrew,. By "here" I think Brensec meant in Australia.

quote]

I did. Thanks Hagar.

In reference to the Fw190, Hawker. Even though the "Battlefront" episode I am talking about, was titled 'The Battle of Britain", they did, in the last 10-15 mins or so, cover the Fw190 and the later models of the Spits.
They often go past the actual event to give a perspective or include events etc from before to give an understanding of the lead-up (you'll note I also mentioned the Polish campaign, that was covered briefly in the beginning to..........set the seen, so to speak).
They didn't infer that the Fw190 was flying during the BoB, they just included it in their comparisons with the other planes and also in some of the "overall discussions re figures etc.

As far as seeing a Bf109, yes I have. There was one in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra until they disassembled the old "Aircraft Gallery" about 5 or 6 years ago, in order to refurbish all the planes.
They have opened a new "Gallery" and there are some good planes (but my beloved "G for George" is not back yet )

I remember the Bf109 being very small (I'm sure it was an 'Emil'). I think the thing that makes the cockpit of the 109 so claustrophobic is the flat roof in the canopy. In the Sims, that's the most noticable thing to me.
I believe the Spit originally had a lower canopy and it was made higher because some of the pilots were having trouble with headroom. Hence the "Bubble" on the front section.  ;D

[HawkerTempest5]

[quote author=brensec
In reference to the Fw190, Hawker. Even though the "Battlefront" episode I am talking about, was titled 'The Battle of Britain", they did, in the last 10-15 mins or so, cover the Fw190 and the later models of the Spits.
They often go past the actual event to give a perspective or include events etc from before to give an understanding of the lead-up (you'll note I also mentioned the Polish campaign, that was covered briefly in the beginning to..........set the seen, so to speak).
They didn't infer that the Fw190 was flying during the BoB, they just included it in their comparisons with the other planes and also in some of the "overall discussions re figures etc.


I remember the Bf109 being very small (I'm sure it was an 'Emil'). I think the thing that makes the cockpit of the 109 so claustrophobic is the flat roof in the canopy. In the Sims, that's the most noticable thing to me.
I believe the Spit originally had a lower canopy and it was made higher because some of the pilots were having trouble with headroom. Hence the "Bubble" on the front section.