Nova "Great Escape"

[FUNKED1]

Really cool show tonight on the escape from Sagan.  They actually found and excavated one of the tunnels, and brought the surviving vets out to see it.

[mason22]

was good, i caught the tail end of it too.

man, how many movies have been made about that escape?

The Great Escape
Harts War

etc etc ?

[Tinpot]

Though the movie was as accurate as that u571 thing. The geat escape was carried out by RAF personell and commonwealth allies etc. No Americans. Bit like Hollywood making out that we have the USA to thank for breaking the enigma code!!!!

If the soviets had made movies like that we'd have called it propaganda.

[Tinpot]

The bike chase was cool.

[wklink]

Originally posted by Tinpot
Though the movie was as accurate as that u571 thing. The geat escape was carried out by RAF personell and commonwealth allies etc. No Americans. Bit like Hollywood making out that we have the USA to thank for breaking the enigma code!!!!

If the soviets had made movies like that we'd have called it propaganda.

That's not true.  Obviously you didn't watch the program.  There were Americans involved in the plot, involved in the digging.  The Americans were moved to another camp before the escape occurred.

So your statement is incorrect, Americans were involved, they helped with everything but they didn't get to go out the tunnels.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Tinpot
Though the movie was as accurate as that u571 thing. The geat escape was carried out by RAF personell and commonwealth allies etc. No Americans. Bit like Hollywood making out that we have the USA to thank for breaking the enigma code!!!!

If the soviets had made movies like that we'd have called it propaganda.

Odd I dont remember a single movie that made the claim the USA broke the enigma or that anyone had the USA to thank for doing so.
Care to point these movies out to me?
I must have missed them

and in the movei "the Great Escape" while not entirely accurate which is not uncommon in movies no matter who makes them the escape itself was planned and lead by the Brits.

[OIO]

well the brits had cracked enigma before the submarine was captured.

the fear of allied command was that the nazis would change their enigma codes if they knew the submarine had been captured.

[rpm]

It was a great show. I was shocked they found the right barracks so quickly. When I saw them using a backhoe to excavate the site, I was sure they would destroy any artifacts. Boy, was I wrong. Seeing the old Klim cans still pieced together for ventilation in the tunnel was amazing.

The show on the RAF Dambusters that followed was just as interesting. One of the planes had to make 10 passes over the target before he dropped his bomb just 60 ft over the target. I don't want to hear any more whining in the MA when Lanks divebomb. They were VERY capable of the job.

[FUNKED1]

Originally posted by Tinpot
If the soviets had made movies like that we'd have called it propaganda.

Over here we call it "fiction".  You might have heard of this genre.

[Airhead]

Tinpot, I have two Mel Gibson classics- "Braveheart" and "The Patriot"- on DVD. I watch them every day to remind myself how brutally England treated those peoples they conquered, then I thank God America threw off the yoke of British oppression.

[Hawklore]

Was a good show...

I only caught the tail end..

But I loved the one vet who was cussin up a storm, he couldn't belive they found the site after so many years..

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Tinpot
Though the movie was as accurate as that u571 thing. The geat escape was carried out by RAF personell and commonwealth allies etc. No Americans. Bit like Hollywood making out that we have the USA to thank for breaking the enigma code!!!!

If the soviets had made movies like that we'd have called it propaganda.

It certainly was Hollywoodized, as it was aimed at primarily an American audience.  At the same time, the technical advisor on the film was Wally Floody, a Canadian who was involved from the beginning and a primary mover in the tunnelling.  He was removed from the camp prior to the escape so he missed the actual event, but he probably spent more time in the tunnels then anyone else.

If you've done any research on the actual event, you'd see that there were Americans involved in the project.  Davy Jones, who was on the show last night, and also a Doolittle Raider, was one of the tunnelers.  George Harsh, who wrote the introduction to Paul Brickhall's book "The Great Escape" was also highly involved as were others.  

Part of the rush to get 'Tom" done was to let some of the Americans get out.  After it was found, the Yanks were moved to a seperate camp.

Back to the movie, if you are going to rip the movie version of the Great Escape, then you might as well rip "The Battle of Britain" where they did the same thing, changing names, compressing stories to fit the film etc etc.

My biggest beef with the movie was that it didn't do a good enough job focusing in on Roger Bushell and his role in masterminding the entire project.  That and that the prisoners looked way too well fed and healthy compared to the real guys.

BUT!  There were Americans involved and to claim otherwise is downright silly.

Dan/Slack

[lazs2]

airhead... I petitioned our public schools here to show Braveheart and the patriot as part of their history program.  

I am pleased to say that both movies are now shown in high school in both english and spanish and that they will suffice as all that is needed for urop and early American history.    

lazs

[Airhead]

Lazs, the Brits have always been braggarts. Did you know that the RAF claimed more victories than the Luftwaffe even had planes? Thank God gun cameras were introduced halfway through the War or the Brits would have had several dozen 100 kill aces.

[Guppy35]

When the name fits, wear it .

Where did that notion come from Airhead? Having spent a good deal of time corresponding with and meeting former RAF Spit pilots, I don't recall ever coming across anything like that anywhere.

You base your comment on what exactly?

Dan/Slack

Originally posted by Airhead
Lazs, the Brits have always been braggarts. Did you know that the RAF claimed more victories than the Luftwaffe even had planes? Thank God gun cameras were introduced halfway through the War or the Brits would have had several dozen 100 kill aces.