New air combat movie

[Pigslilspaz]

A movie version of the book "Aces"

[jimson]

The worst thing about the old classic air combat movies, (besides the overacting and corny dialog) is the lack of credibility.

Clips of Spitfires in a move about a P-40 squadron, the Hollywood Zero (T6 Texan with meatballs)

With Digital technology, they can basically put the real aircraft in nowadays and have it look very convincing.

[Grayeagle]

Aye jimson .. they can do camera angles and effects that you would not be able to do with 'real' planes ..put you right into the action.

With Avatar tech, they can *have* Erich Hartmann in his 109G doin what he did.. or Marseille, or Johnson .. etc.

So many great stories to tell.

-Frank aka GE

[cpxxx]

Clips of Spitfires in a move about a P-40 squadron, the Hollywood Zero (T6 Texan with meatballs)

Possibly the worst I've ever seen in a movie was of RAF pilots dashing to board 109s(actually Spanish Buchons painted as British). Bad enough but once airborne when inevitably they had turned into unrealistic models. The unrealistic Luftwaffe models appeared and they were Spitfires painted in German markings. It was utterly hilarious. Can't think of the name of the film but it was British (who really should have known better!)and black and white.

[Guppy35]

Possibly the worst I've ever seen in a movie was of RAF pilots dashing to board 109s(actually Spanish Buchons painted as British). Bad enough but once airborne when inevitably they had turned into unrealistic models. The unrealistic Luftwaffe models appeared and they were Spitfires painted in German markings. It was utterly hilarious. Can't think of the name of the film but it was British (who really should have known better!)and black and white.

Try Fighter Squadron, about a Jug Squadron.  It was made using wartime combat film from the MTO, but was supposed to be an ETO story.  They had Air National Guard Jugs so that was cool, but the '109s' were Air National Guard P51Ds painted in German markings.

That was tough to buy

[Brooke]

Considering how butchered VMF-214 got by the TV show,

Say what you will, but I *loved* that series when I was a kid.   I still have very fond memories of it. 

[Brooke]

I always wished that maybe starz or HBO would to a series on the airmen of ww2 (similier to band of brothers)

Could maybe follow 2 brothers? one that becomes a bomber pilot in the 8th. (possibly 91st?) And the other becomes a fighter pilot.

Not sure if it was mentioned already in this topic, but there is the miniseries Piece of Cake, about pilots in Battle of Britain.  I like it a lot.

Edit:  I see it was mentioned already.

[Brooke]

OK, guys.  Favorite WWII-aviation-related movies or series?

For me:

Midway (one of my favorite movies of all time, despite inaccuracies folks can cite)
30 Seconds Over Tokyo
Piece of Cake
Twelve O'Clock High
Battle of Britain
The Blue Max (not WWII, but I just have to put it in here)
Grave of the Fireflies (not a perfect fit for the category, but sort of, and awesome -- and very, very sad)

I hear that the following are good, but haven't seen them yet:

Dark Blue World
The Dam Busters (yes, I know I should have seen this by now)
633 Squadron
Task Force
Dive Bomber
I Wanted Wings

[Guppy35]

The only air combat movie I can watch multiple times is a wartime pic called "Air Force".  It's so over the top it's enjoyable.  The B17D Mary Ann flies into Hawaii just as Pearl Harbor is attacked.  Then she's off to the Philippines with a quick stop at Wake Island on the way.  On her first mission in the Philippines she's shot up so bad that the crew bails except for the wounded pilot, and the bitter pilot wash out, gunner who somehow bellies the 17 in.  The wreck is moved off to the side but the crew won't let her die and repair her while the bullets are flying.  They then get up just as the Japanese are overrunning the field and head for Australia.  They managed to find a Japanese task force on the way, call in the cavalry and bomb it to oblivion.

Great early B17 film, all shot with B17Bs at a training field in Florida, with a fair amount of P39s showing up too.

An old 50s film called "Angels One Five" is pretty good too, made with borrowed Portuguese Hurricanes.  Good old P/O Septic fighting the Battle of Britain til his demise.

Other then that I think most of the good aviation war films are the 50s carrier based films with the F9Fs "Bridges at Toko Ri" comes to mind, and some of the Air Force based F86 movies like "The Hunters".  "Battle Hymm" about Dean Hess and the RoK F51Ds and the Korean orphans is a good one too. 

[Brooke]

The only air combat movie I can watch multiple times is a wartime pic called "Air Force".  It's so over the top it's enjoyable.  The B17D Mary Ann flies into Hawaii just as Pearl Harbor is attacked.  Then she's off to the Philippines with a quick stop at Wake Island on the way.  On her first mission in the Philippines she's shot up so bad that the crew bails except for the wounded pilot, and the bitter pilot wash out, gunner who somehow bellies the 17 in.  The wreck is moved off to the side but the crew won't let her die and repair her while the bullets are flying.  They then get up just as the Japanese are overrunning the field and head for Australia.  They managed to find a Japanese task force on the way, call in the cavalry and bomb it to oblivion.Other then that I think most of the good aviation war films are the 50s carrier based films with the F9Fs "Bridges at Toko Ri" comes to mind, and some of the Air Force based F86 movies like "The Hunters".  "Battle Hymm" about Dean Hess and the RoK F51Ds and the Korean orphans is a good one too. 

That sounds awesome!  I will definitely put that and the others you mention on my list of movies to watch. 

[cactuskooler]

Try Fighter Squadron, about a Jug Squadron.  It was made using wartime combat film from the MTO, but was supposed to be an ETO story.  They had Air National Guard Jugs so that was cool, but the '109s' were Air National Guard P51Ds painted in German markings.

That was tough to buy

Saw that for the first time about a month ago. I was too mesmerized by all those beautiful P-47s to notice anything else - like their aversion to drop their belly tanks.

Liked the scene in the beginning where our ex-Flying Tiger hero is hiding his wounded Jug under the wing of the B-17 to avoid the Bf 51s. Then he barely makes back to base, belly lands her in, jumps out as if he crashes a plane every day of the week, and asks the tax payers for another one! Reminds me of somebody.

[Guppy35]

Saw that for the first time about a month ago. I was too mesmerized by all those beautiful P-47s to notice anything else - like their aversion to drop their belly tanks.

Liked the scene in the beginning where our ex-Flying Tiger hero is hiding his wounded Jug under the wing of the B-17 to avoid the Bf 51s. Then he barely makes back to base, belly lands her in, jumps out as if he crashes a plane every day of the week, and asks the tax payers for another one! Reminds me of somebody.

Noted in the 405th FG history I've been reading, was one pilot who used up seven P47s during the course of his tour due to damage in combat

Remember I own stock in Cyber Lockheed.  I have to keep production up to improve profits!

[jimson]

As far as Pearl Harbor is concerned, ya gotta admit that the first few minutes of this clip is about as good a air combat scene you will see on film.

I don't know how much is computer generated, but it beats the heck out of ridiculous substitute planes standing in for the enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6mPEuBverI

[des506]

i tot you'd never ask

pathfinders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Onvv41zEpHc

The red baron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er--DLaG7SM

Tuskegee airmen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er--DLaG7SM

Memphis belle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14raZmLIyaM

Black sheep squadron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14raZmLIyaM

For those we love ( this move is real close to my heart)
http://youtu.be/UVlZizY_ubw

[F22RaptorDude]

As far as Pearl Harbor is concerned, ya gotta admit that the first few minutes of this clip is about as good a air combat scene you will see on film.

I don't know how much is computer generated, but it beats the heck out of ridiculous substitute planes standing in for the enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6mPEuBverI

Its weird how he can shoot down a 109 easy breaking of wings and such and all a 109 can do to him is explode his fuel tank and send him crashing very slowly.