Author Topic: "War in the Air" - BBC  (Read 1453 times)

Offline Scherf

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"War in the Air" - BBC
« on: January 05, 2014, 05:50:52 AM »
Have just come across this 50's era B&W series of films on YouTube. Lots of stiff-upper lip BS about how the Air Ministry won the war, and standard inaccuracies, however some good original wartime footage of both the RAF and the USAAF.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg6vMJyq8rC5IiVNu4_XTAFEYqUR8dh6s
... missions were to be met by the commitment of alerted swarms of fighters, composed of Me 109's and Fw 190's, that were strategically based to protect industrial installations. The inferior capabilities of these fighters against the Mosquitoes made this a hopeless and uneconomical effort. 1.JD KTB

Offline morfiend

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2014, 06:02:25 PM »
  Nice find,as if I need more "stuff" to waste my time on!!! :furious



    :salute

Offline Scherf

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2014, 06:17:18 PM »
Heheh, I know what you mean.

There's tantalilsing little shots of Mossies which, despite my addiction, I'd never seen before.

For example, in this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPv0rZf1EVI&list=PLg6vMJyq8rC5IiVNu4_XTAFEYqUR8dh6s  at 3:30-ish, there's a shot of a Coastal Command Mossie in squadron markings I'd never seen before, also seems to have lost the upper part of its canopy.

Bloody learn something new every day...
... missions were to be met by the commitment of alerted swarms of fighters, composed of Me 109's and Fw 190's, that were strategically based to protect industrial installations. The inferior capabilities of these fighters against the Mosquitoes made this a hopeless and uneconomical effort. 1.JD KTB

Offline MiloMorai

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2014, 06:53:24 PM »
great link  :aok

The Mossie is from the   Station Flight, RAF Moreton-in-the-Marsh. (south of Birmingham).

Offline bozon

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2014, 03:38:56 AM »
Heheh, I know what you mean.

There's tantalilsing little shots of Mossies which, despite my addiction, I'd never seen before.

For example, in this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPv0rZf1EVI&list=PLg6vMJyq8rC5IiVNu4_XTAFEYqUR8dh6s  at 3:30-ish, there's a shot of a Coastal Command Mossie in squadron markings I'd never seen before, also seems to have lost the upper part of its canopy.

Bloody learn something new every day...
AWESOME!!!!!
thanks for posting.

The photos at 3:56 are great - so many splashes of rockets and 20mm on the water that the ship completely disappeared in them.
Mosquito VI - twice the spitfire, four times the ENY.

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Offline Scherf

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2014, 04:32:00 AM »
Yeah, some rather frightening stuff there.

I think the footage at 3:56 is sliced from the attack which also appears from 4:26 onwards, which IIRC is off the Gironde estuary, in western France.

I also think WR-X is from 248 Squadron, before they headed north to Banff, in Scotland. "Mosquito Squadrons of the RAF" says WR is a code worn at one point by 248. Their first sortie from Banff was on 12 September, and there's a photo in Andy Bird's excellent "A Separate Little War", which shows a 248 Mossie with a DM code on the 19th of that month.

LR352, LR362, and LR363 are all listed by Air Britain as having been on 248 Squadron, and LR363 seems to have been X on 15 July. I suppose I'll have to download the Operations Record Book for 248 for July and August to be sure, though the ORBs can something of a minefield if one wants to tie up serials and squadron letters, as I'm finding out to my cost with the 23 Sqn docco.

Edit - The Imperial War Museum has a couple of useful photos.

Mass attack;

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205023331

WR codes:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205094133
« Last Edit: January 06, 2014, 04:40:18 AM by Scherf »
... missions were to be met by the commitment of alerted swarms of fighters, composed of Me 109's and Fw 190's, that were strategically based to protect industrial installations. The inferior capabilities of these fighters against the Mosquitoes made this a hopeless and uneconomical effort. 1.JD KTB

Offline MiloMorai

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2014, 07:25:07 AM »
248 Squadron codes

WR (Oct 1939 - Oct 1943)
DM (Oct 1943 - 1945)

248 didn't start to receive Mossies till Dec 1943.

Offline Bruv119

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2014, 10:57:25 AM »
stiff upper lip BS???

we did win the AIR war in 1940 single handed you know!  :D
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Offline Fulcrum

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2014, 11:22:16 AM »
I believe Britian had a bit of help, admittedly not direct combat support but rather materials, from the US even during BoB.

No combatant nation "won" any phase of the War "single handed"....
Going by "Hoplite" now. :)

Offline Scherf

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2014, 05:30:50 PM »
248 Squadron codes

WR (Oct 1939 - Oct 1943)
DM (Oct 1943 - 1945)

248 didn't start to receive Mossies till Dec 1943.

Yes, I'm aware of that, however as I've no Mossies listed for Moreton on the Marsh (the only connection being training aircraft of the Central Flying School which crashed there post-war), I'm going with 248, especially as that one is over the water, appears to have battle damage, and has white dots on the spinners, same as other 248 Mossies had.
... missions were to be met by the commitment of alerted swarms of fighters, composed of Me 109's and Fw 190's, that were strategically based to protect industrial installations. The inferior capabilities of these fighters against the Mosquitoes made this a hopeless and uneconomical effort. 1.JD KTB

Offline GScholz

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2014, 08:59:02 PM »
I believe Britian had a bit of help, admittedly not direct combat support but rather materials, from the US even during BoB.

No combatant nation "won" any phase of the War "single handed"....

America wasn't a combatant at that time. The US allowed the Brits to buy supplies and equipment, but that's not the same as aiding an ally. Lend-Lease didn't get going until 1941.
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Offline Fulcrum

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2014, 11:16:38 PM »
America wasn't a combatant at that time. The US allowed the Brits to buy supplies and equipment, but that's not the same as aiding an ally. Lend-Lease didn't get going until 1941.

Regardless, support even if paid for.  Not taking anything away from the Brits, mind you.
Going by "Hoplite" now. :)

Offline LCADolby

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2014, 11:51:50 PM »
Regardless, support even if paid for.  Not taking anything away from the Brits, mind you.

That must mean that the Soviet Union supported Germany in the BoB with all that oil they were supplying!!  :O
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Offline GScholz

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2014, 03:56:21 AM »
Regardless, support even if paid for.

I beg to differ. You can't sell something and call it charity. If you can then America "supported" Germany as well before Britain got involved; most of the trucks carrying German troops into Poland had Ford or GM stickers on them.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2014, 03:58:38 AM by GScholz »
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

Offline bozon

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Re: "War in the Air" - BBC
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2014, 06:01:29 AM »
I beg to differ. You can't sell something and call it charity. If you can then America "supported" Germany as well before Britain got involved; most of the trucks carrying German troops into Poland had Ford or GM stickers on them.
Opel was owned by General Motors since 1929 or so... I think. The US was not quick in taking sides and no one knows how longer it would have stayed out without direct involvement had the Japanese not decided for them. OK, it was pretty clear which side the US will support, but they took their time about it - I can understand the reasons though.
Mosquito VI - twice the spitfire, four times the ENY.

Click!>> "So, you want to fly the wooden wonder" - <<click!
the almost incomplete and not entirely inaccurate guide to the AH Mosquito.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGOWswdzGQs