Helicopters in WWII films

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Interesting - any idea how accurate it is?

Mi

Oh dear, I hope I didn't influence your decision to buy the book mate. It's not a good one in my opinion - too much of the "Germans could have won WW2 if they had of built...(insert your your favourite unbuilt German aircraft project here)."
 
I don't mind movies with inaccurate portrayals of historical aircraft - I can get past it.
But documentaries, I expect better than this example...

"Swordfish attacking the Bismark..."

IMG_0875.JPG
 
So, is the Sioux in "Where Eagles Dare" the most gratuitous piece of aircraft miscasting in films? I can't offhand think of anything worse. By comparison, the ubiquitous Bf 108 as Bf 109, and T-6 as anything with a radial engine, seem almost accurate.

It's certainly up there. I'll try to find the episode of Baa Baa Black Sheep where they were intercepting Japanese bombers and it showed gun camera footage of them attacking planes with 4 engines....and they weren't flying boats.
 
I don't mind movies with inaccurate portrayals of historical aircraft - I can get past it.
But documentaries, I expect better than this example...

"Swordfish attacking the Bismark..."

Well, that's "almost" a Swordfish!!! LOL

Remember in the movie "Midway" all the Corsairs that were dive bombing the Japanese carriers? That was a great "HUH?" moment.
 
Wow..the ol' memory was actually hitting on all cylinders tonight...the movie was "Away All Boats" (filmed in 1956).

By the way, Tom, the jet seen in Garth's crash sequence was an F9F Panther.
I must be thinking of another movie, i'll remember it eventually .
In the Midway movie, it's Charlton Heston, flying a damaged Dauntless, then they show a Helldiver rounding out too low at the ramp, then the Panther doing the splash and burn that nobody could survive.
 
After great expectations when it was first announced, I wasn't too happy with Baa Baa Black Sheep when it started it's series on TV.

According to it VFM-214 spent most of the war drinking, fighting each other, romancing the nurses, and in their spare time winning the war in the air in the South Pacific.
When a former member of the real VFM-214 was asked how accurate the series was, he replied something to the effect that the errors were too numerous to get into.
 
Since we're on the topic, I think one of my favorite and close to realistic movies is Bridges at Toko Ri. Book by James Michener, both still hold up well. The carrier ops scenes are great. About the only departure from the book is Harry Brubaker's (William Holden) squadron flies Panthers in the movie vs Banshees in the book. Frederick March plays a role based on ADM Jocko Clarke.
 
Now for realism how about that movie made in 1933, Curtis Falcon's protecting Midtown Manhattan.
 

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A good friend of the family was from VMF-212, which actually saw more action in the areas depicted in "Black Sheep Squadron" than VMF-214. He started with the F4F and finished the war in the F4U and even survived the disaster at Samar in January '45.

When he was asked about the TV show, he said the only thing they got right, was the Corsairs - the rest was "bullsh!t"

One thing about a Marine, they are never shy about telling you what's on their mind! :lol:
 
633 squadron....mossies won the war...or should have anyhow....then there was mosquito squadron with man from uncle ( now ducky in ncis) david macallum
 
I don't mind movies with inaccurate portrayals of historical aircraft - I can get past it.
But documentaries, I expect better than this example...

"Swordfish attacking the Bismark..."

View attachment 359562
I think that's a Martin T4M, mainly because of the shape of the vertical fin, the port holes ( or whatever ) and the rear gunner way back there in another zip code.
 
I must be thinking of another movie, i'll remember it eventually .
In the Midway movie, it's Charlton Heston, flying a damaged Dauntless, then they show a Helldiver rounding out too low at the ramp, then the Panther doing the splash and burn that nobody could survive.

That is commonly known as a montage! hahaha
 
Oh dear, I hope I didn't influence your decision to buy the book mate. It's not a good one in my opinion - too much of the "Germans could have won WW2 if they had of built...(insert your your favourite unbuilt German aircraft project here)."
No worries Graeme - I suspected that but hope it does actually contain some good photos and some real technical details. At that price I can hopefully get a good laugh if nothing else
 

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