Fantastic, Airframes, looking forward to seeing more.
During the time that Hamish Mahaddie was travelling the world looking for aeroplanes, Spitfire Productions were searching for suitable airfield locations in the U.K. Obviously modern day airfields with their vast expanses of concrete hard standings would not be suitable to represent the 1940's grass aerodromes of the Royal Air Force's Fighter Command. Harry Saltzman knew of RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire which at that time was still owned by the Royal Air Force and was under a 'Care and Maintenance Order'. Upon surveying Duxford Saltzman found it to be the ideal location for filming and the generous hangarage still available meant that Duxford could be used as a base of operations, there being ample living accommodation and engineering workshops just across the road. Negotiations between Spitfire Productions and the Ministry of Defence were entered into and in March 1968 the film company were given permission to use Duxford airfield and all of its facilities at a reported cost of £6000 per month excluding any repair, alteration or decoration work that the airfield needed to bring it up to 1940s standards.
This extra rebuilding work at Duxford is thought to have cost the film company £38,000. Other locations during filming were RAF Debden, RAF Northolt, and ex RAF airfield at Hawkinge. RAF Debden was the home of the film's 'flying unit', whilst filming flying sequences for the film, the airworthy aircraft would operate out of Debden, leaving Duxford free to assume the mantle of the main airfield location. North Weald was the other main airfield location. During the 1960s the army were resident here, but for the summer of 1968 it seemed as if Fighter Command had regained control when the airfield was taken over by the film company and. Like Duxford, North Weald was dressed as a 1940s Fighter Command station.
Spain: March 1968. Director Guy Hamilton calls "ACTION!" for the cameras to start shooting the first scenes for Battle of Britain. The first sequences to be filmed were the re-creation of the British withdrawal from Dunkirk, which was actually filmed on a suitably dressed Heilva beach near the Spanish city of Seville. The German airfield scenes were filmed at Tablada and El Corporo airfields, and on March 18th the B-25 Mitchell camera ship arrived from the U.K., fully equipped and ready to start the aerial filming of the mass German bomber and fighter footage. On board the Mitchell were cameramen 'Skeets' Kelly and 'Johnny' Jordan two of the best aerial cameramen in the world. Sadly these two masters of their craft died soon after the making of the film, John Jordan disappeared from the bomb bay of a B-25 Mitchell during the filming of Catch 22, and Skeets Kelly was killed when the Stampe biplane in which he was a passenger collided with another Stampe during filming of the movie Zeppelin.
From the day of the Mitchell's arrival it was a time of high activity for the flying unit, for all the Spanish aerial shots had to be 'in the can' by the end of April 1968, in order for the film crews etc. to get back to England in time for the filming of the RAF sequences. It must have been quite a sight as formations of 30 plus Heinkels, in company with escorting fighters, were filmed in various numbers and angles for the camera. A solitary Spitfire Mk IX was fitted with long range fuel tanks and flown to Spain in order to film the RAF flying through the mass German formations.
The filming in Spain also utilised a Junkers Ju 52 trimotor – actually a CASA 352-L. Modifications to make the Spanish built CASA resemble the German Junkers were easy, recalls Hamish Mahaddie … "I only had to remove the chintz curtains favoured by the Spaniards and repaint the aircraft. It then became the personal transport of Fieldmarshal Milch, Inspector General of the Luftwaffe and as such it appeared on the screen at the start of the film title sequence, as Dietrich Frauboes, playing the part of Milch, inspects the rows of Luftwaffe Heinkels and Messerschmitt's.' At the end of the filming in Spain two Heinkels were purchased by Spitfire Productions, the remainder were returned to their previous Spanish Air Force markings and handed back to the Spaniards.
The two Heinkels, along with 17 Buchons, the Spitfire and B-25 camera ship then prepared to transit to the U.K. to take part in the aerial scenes with the Spitfires and Hurricanes that had been gathered there.
During April and May there had been an intensive programme of practice flights with the Spitfires and Hurricanes, in order to bring the formation flying up to standard and to get the pilots used to positioning the aircarft so the cameras could get the best possible shots. On the 11th May the Mitchell, a Heinkel (one Heinkel had gone unserviceable en route, arriving the following day) and the 17 Buchons arrived at RAF Manston in Kent. After clearing customs and undergoing an inspection by the air registration board the aircraft were issued with a restricted permit to fly in the U.K. This was to cover flights being made for the purpose of 'air to air' filming, practice flights, and transit flights to other locations in the U.K.
The Messerschmitts and Heinkels were then entered on the British Civil Aircraft Register and on May 14th the gaggle of Luftwaffe aircarft flew from Manston to Duxford. The English sequences could now begin in earnest. For the duration of filming in the U.K. the Luftwaffe aircraft would continue to be flown by Spanish Air Force Pilots, the job of maintaining the aircraft being the responsibility of the Spanish Air Force.
In order to film the complex aerial scenes a segment of official airspace was set aside for film company use. The space allocated to the production covered three areas of the East Midlands and East Anglia, each of which was approximately three miles long and 10 miles wide. NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen) were issued to all flying units, warning pilots to stay clear of the areas. However one Canberra jet is reputed to have broken cloud amidst a Staffel of 109's his remarks are said to be unprintable!
The summer of 1968 was most unlike that of 1940, rain and low cloud bases hampering the flying and the filming day after day. The staff had to be paid despite the bad weather and is thought that at this stage the film was costing £55,000 a day to produce. The original film schedule had allocated 10-12 weeks to film aerial sequences in England. Due to poor weather conditions it actually took twenty weeks and involved some 5,000 flying hours to complete the aerial scenes. This was only possible due to the fact that in August, in sheer desperation to get some air to air filming 'in the can' the air unit flew nine Spitfires, three Buchons and the B-25 down to Montpelier in Southern France for three weeks. This drastic measure paid off, for the remainder of the dog fight scenes were captured on film over the Mediterranean.
Back in England meanwhile, Duxford had to have a large contingent of police to control the large crowds of sightseers that trampled the surrounding cornfields in order to get a view of the filming and the aircraft in action. The South-western end of Duxford doubled for France, with a mock-up of a French chateau and that corner was adorned with tents and other artefacts to resemble a B.E.F. airfield at the time of the British withdrawal from France in May 1940. Hurricanes, real and replica, were placed around the 'French' airfield and it was here that the spectacular low level strafing of the airfield by Bf 109s took place.
By clever positioning of cameras, Duxford played the part of two airfields in the film and it was also the location of one of the films most controversial talking points, the destruction of hangar 3.
The bombing raid on Duxford airfield was to be one of the most exciting parts of the finished film, but the film company had not been given specific permission to destroy the hangar during filming. Nevertheless, in a classic case of 'blow now and ask questions later', mid-June saw the hangar disappear in a sheet of flame and smoke when, during the filming of a bombing raid a ton of gelignite surrounded by three tankers of oil, was ignited in a tremendous climax to the airfield attack. The hangar disappeared in a sheet of flame and huge palls of thick black acrid smoke.
In late summer when the scheduled filming of the RAF 'big wing' scenes took place it quickly became obvious that three airworthy Hurricanes all alone on the big screen would not be credible, so several Hispano Buchons were given a coat of washable paint and assumed RAF colours. These aircraft flew behind the three Hurricanes and with the use of special effects and superimposition etc., a credible 'big wing' formation emerged. The same system of superimposing images on top of each other was used with the Spitfire 'big wing' when 12 Spitfires became 24 and then 36, all part of the movie magic industry.
During the time that Hamish Mahaddie was travelling the world looking for aeroplanes, Spitfire Productions were searching for suitable airfield locations in the U.K. Obviously modern day airfields with their vast expanses of concrete hard standings would not be suitable to represent the 1940's grass aerodromes of the Royal Air Force's Fighter Command. Harry Saltzman knew of RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire which at that time was still owned by the Royal Air Force and was under a 'Care and Maintenance Order'. Upon surveying Duxford Saltzman found it to be the ideal location for filming and the generous hangarage still available meant that Duxford could be used as a base of operations, there being ample living accommodation and engineering workshops just across the road. Negotiations between Spitfire Productions and the Ministry of Defence were entered into and in March 1968 the film company were given permission to use Duxford airfield and all of its facilities at a reported cost of £6000 per month excluding any repair, alteration or decoration work that the airfield needed to bring it up to 1940s standards.
This extra rebuilding work at Duxford is thought to have cost the film company £38,000. Other locations during filming were RAF Debden, RAF Northolt, and ex RAF airfield at Hawkinge. RAF Debden was the home of the film's 'flying unit', whilst filming flying sequences for the film, the airworthy aircraft would operate out of Debden, leaving Duxford free to assume the mantle of the main airfield location. North Weald was the other main airfield location. During the 1960s the army were resident here, but for the summer of 1968 it seemed as if Fighter Command had regained control when the airfield was taken over by the film company and. Like Duxford, North Weald was dressed as a 1940s Fighter Command station.
Spain: March 1968. Director Guy Hamilton calls "ACTION!" for the cameras to start shooting the first scenes for Battle of Britain. The first sequences to be filmed were the re-creation of the British withdrawal from Dunkirk, which was actually filmed on a suitably dressed Heilva beach near the Spanish city of Seville. The German airfield scenes were filmed at Tablada and El Corporo airfields, and on March 18th the B-25 Mitchell camera ship arrived from the U.K., fully equipped and ready to start the aerial filming of the mass German bomber and fighter footage. On board the Mitchell were cameramen 'Skeets' Kelly and 'Johnny' Jordan two of the best aerial cameramen in the world. Sadly these two masters of their craft died soon after the making of the film, John Jordan disappeared from the bomb bay of a B-25 Mitchell during the filming of Catch 22, and Skeets Kelly was killed when the Stampe biplane in which he was a passenger collided with another Stampe during filming of the movie Zeppelin.
From the day of the Mitchell's arrival it was a time of high activity for the flying unit, for all the Spanish aerial shots had to be 'in the can' by the end of April 1968, in order for the film crews etc. to get back to England in time for the filming of the RAF sequences. It must have been quite a sight as formations of 30 plus Heinkels, in company with escorting fighters, were filmed in various numbers and angles for the camera. A solitary Spitfire Mk IX was fitted with long range fuel tanks and flown to Spain in order to film the RAF flying through the mass German formations.
The filming in Spain also utilised a Junkers Ju 52 trimotor – actually a CASA 352-L. Modifications to make the Spanish built CASA resemble the German Junkers were easy, recalls Hamish Mahaddie … "I only had to remove the chintz curtains favoured by the Spaniards and repaint the aircraft. It then became the personal transport of Fieldmarshal Milch, Inspector General of the Luftwaffe and as such it appeared on the screen at the start of the film title sequence, as Dietrich Frauboes, playing the part of Milch, inspects the rows of Luftwaffe Heinkels and Messerschmitt's.' At the end of the filming in Spain two Heinkels were purchased by Spitfire Productions, the remainder were returned to their previous Spanish Air Force markings and handed back to the Spaniards.
The two Heinkels, along with 17 Buchons, the Spitfire and B-25 camera ship then prepared to transit to the U.K. to take part in the aerial scenes with the Spitfires and Hurricanes that had been gathered there.
During April and May there had been an intensive programme of practice flights with the Spitfires and Hurricanes, in order to bring the formation flying up to standard and to get the pilots used to positioning the aircarft so the cameras could get the best possible shots. On the 11th May the Mitchell, a Heinkel (one Heinkel had gone unserviceable en route, arriving the following day) and the 17 Buchons arrived at RAF Manston in Kent. After clearing customs and undergoing an inspection by the air registration board the aircraft were issued with a restricted permit to fly in the U.K. This was to cover flights being made for the purpose of 'air to air' filming, practice flights, and transit flights to other locations in the U.K.
The Messerschmitts and Heinkels were then entered on the British Civil Aircraft Register and on May 14th the gaggle of Luftwaffe aircarft flew from Manston to Duxford. The English sequences could now begin in earnest. For the duration of filming in the U.K. the Luftwaffe aircraft would continue to be flown by Spanish Air Force Pilots, the job of maintaining the aircraft being the responsibility of the Spanish Air Force.
In order to film the complex aerial scenes a segment of official airspace was set aside for film company use. The space allocated to the production covered three areas of the East Midlands and East Anglia, each of which was approximately three miles long and 10 miles wide. NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen) were issued to all flying units, warning pilots to stay clear of the areas. However one Canberra jet is reputed to have broken cloud amidst a Staffel of 109's his remarks are said to be unprintable!
The summer of 1968 was most unlike that of 1940, rain and low cloud bases hampering the flying and the filming day after day. The staff had to be paid despite the bad weather and is thought that at this stage the film was costing £55,000 a day to produce. The original film schedule had allocated 10-12 weeks to film aerial sequences in England. Due to poor weather conditions it actually took twenty weeks and involved some 5,000 flying hours to complete the aerial scenes. This was only possible due to the fact that in August, in sheer desperation to get some air to air filming 'in the can' the air unit flew nine Spitfires, three Buchons and the B-25 down to Montpelier in Southern France for three weeks. This drastic measure paid off, for the remainder of the dog fight scenes were captured on film over the Mediterranean.
Back in England meanwhile, Duxford had to have a large contingent of police to control the large crowds of sightseers that trampled the surrounding cornfields in order to get a view of the filming and the aircraft in action. The South-western end of Duxford doubled for France, with a mock-up of a French chateau and that corner was adorned with tents and other artefacts to resemble a B.E.F. airfield at the time of the British withdrawal from France in May 1940. Hurricanes, real and replica, were placed around the 'French' airfield and it was here that the spectacular low level strafing of the airfield by Bf 109s took place.
By clever positioning of cameras, Duxford played the part of two airfields in the film and it was also the location of one of the films most controversial talking points, the destruction of hangar 3.
The bombing raid on Duxford airfield was to be one of the most exciting parts of the finished film, but the film company had not been given specific permission to destroy the hangar during filming. Nevertheless, in a classic case of 'blow now and ask questions later', mid-June saw the hangar disappear in a sheet of flame and smoke when, during the filming of a bombing raid a ton of gelignite surrounded by three tankers of oil, was ignited in a tremendous climax to the airfield attack. The hangar disappeared in a sheet of flame and huge palls of thick black acrid smoke.
In late summer when the scheduled filming of the RAF 'big wing' scenes took place it quickly became obvious that three airworthy Hurricanes all alone on the big screen would not be credible, so several Hispano Buchons were given a coat of washable paint and assumed RAF colours. These aircraft flew behind the three Hurricanes and with the use of special effects and superimposition etc., a credible 'big wing' formation emerged. The same system of superimposing images on top of each other was used with the Spitfire 'big wing' when 12 Spitfires became 24 and then 36, all part of the movie magic industry.
I don't believe I have seen the movie but will find it and have a watch.
