Original Dambuster film

Wondered what others think of this. Below is a (very poor) still taken from the original ‘Dambusters’ film and is from a sequence where a Lancaster comes up very sharp across the camera almost from a ‘hidden’ entry point. Quite dramatic. If you have access to a copy check it out for yourself. My interest in the shot initially came about from the location but then went on to ‘where does the plane come from?’ This is about the ‘earliest’ bit of the sequence where I could get a pic. Once I found it, what struck me was the initial height of the plane above the water. The reflection of the aircraft is easily picked out on the original and can just be made out on my very fuzzy picture. Using the wingspan of the craft as a starting point (102 feet) half the wingspan for convenience (61 feet) and then checking the distance between planes image and the reflection you can compare, and one is about a third of the other (20 feet) Given the prop radius (6 feet) and the fact that it is not level, then the chances are that maybe the left hand (as viewed) wing tip and prop tip are probably only ten feet from the water surface. Not being totally up on the science of reflections, if the reflection also reflects the distance of the craft above the water then this distance is reduced somewhat! Either way it was a fine bit of flying!

This link below shows a Lanc from the front for a sharper idea of size.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.military.cz/british/air/war/bomber/lancaster/lanc_front.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.military.cz/british/air/war/bomber/lancaster/lancaster_en.htm&usg=__gWH19ETnWJL79amDZCAEKQlnmaQ=&h=480&w=640&sz=27&hl=en&start=50&zoom=1&tbnid=wTRRaXy6dV2YuM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=206&prev=/images%3Fq%3Davro%2Blancaster%2Bin%2Bflight%2Bfrom%2Bfront%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1008%26bih%3D435%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1812&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=334&vpy=162&dur=16&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=158&ty=152&ei=WX3xTPvtC4-j4Abf_sjIAQ&oei=HH3xTOnoNYqLhQeT2ICtCg&esq=4&page=7&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:50&biw=1008&bih=435

Yes a fine bit of flying...... as I understand it the pilots in the film were mostly vets from WW2 and had probably flown lower than that up canals in Holland with real bullets flying around.

At the time of the film there was little idea of preserving airframe life for the future so they would pull quite a few G's when filming.

I well remember seeing a Shackelton display shortly before they were retired .... the pilot evidently had little thought for airframe or engine life.... his low pass was a sight to behold... passing speed was not far short of the previous Hurricane and as he climbed away all four engines were black smoking like they were running on coal...... he also performed a wingover that would have done a fighter proud :cool2:

I well remember seeing a Shackelton display shortly before they were retired .... the pilot evidently had little thought for airframe or engine life.... his low pass was a sight to behold... passing speed was not far short of the previous Hurricane and as he climbed away all four engines were black smoking like they were running on coal...... he also performed a wingover that would have done a fighter proud :cool2:

I only ever saw one Shackleton. In UNFICYP in 1976 not at all very long after the 1974 war, one of the patrol routes was BRITCON West, which involved leaving RAF Nicosia Airport Camp, following the (closed to air traffic) perimeter road to a checkpoint where we passed out into the ulu.

The perimeter road was some 20-30 feet below the level of the runway, which had been raised to counter the slight downhill slope toward the western end of the runway. After we passed through the checkpoint, clearly visible on the crest was the sad wreck of a dead Shackleton.

What was worse that was within hmm 1/2 mile of the checkpoint and southwest of the end of the runway, our patrol route passed through an orchard ... and a minefield, where the track took us within a few feet of a mine-victim Land Rover.

Sometimes our patrol took us along the northern edge of the airport (this BRITCON West patrol mainly focused on the DMZ out toward the DANCON (Danish Contingent) zone toward the west of the island) where we had a great view across the plain to the mountains* that separated the port of Kyrenia from the rest of the island. At the ceasefire, the Turks were only a few hundred yards from Nicosia Airport in places, kept at bay by the RAC Parachute Squadron. When we handed over our troop's Nissen hut to our replacements, our own A Squadron, their ex-Para Sqn troop sergeant saw it as a home-coming, even if our camp still looked like the refugee camp it had been last time he moved in.

Anyway. The northern perimeter. I was driving the troop leader as usual. He map-read and we led. The troop corporal followed. We followed the road as far as was necessary. He then directed me me to turn right, off the road and cut across a field back to the main road. As I bimbled across the field, I noticed 24 Bravo coming bombing back along the road we had gone down. It was only as we rejoined the road that Rommel said, over the I/C "Oops, that field was marked as a minefield. I'll see you in hell." Luckily Bravo pulled up alongside and its commander Chalkie had a right go at Rommel. Saved me getting out and snotting him.

_____

* There are pictures on the net of a hillside on the Turkish side, planted to create a massive Turkish flag clearly visible from the Greek side. I don't remember it being there in 1976: Baz to confirm?

I was wondering if I would ever see worse special effects than those used in Original Dam Busters...

Then I watched Coronation Street last night!

Truly abysmal wasn't it? I had to laugh!

Alien,

Re your post, The flag wasn't there when we were.

Alien,

 

Re your post, The flag wasn't there when we were.

Thought not. Cheers matey.

I was wondering if I would ever see worse special effects than those used in Original Dam Busters...

Then I watched Coronation Street last night!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Here's to dredging up an old thread.

Watched the film today and I was wondering if anyone would know whether any of the recconaisance film from after the attack was stock flooding footage or original?

My copy reads (enhanced by actual newsreel of the legendary raid). I always thought that they used the Derwent Reservoir For filming, same as 617 used for practice.

That's interesting. I only caught the last 20 mins or so yesterday and when it came to the credits it ran through who the main actors were, and filmed at 'wherever' studio. That was it. No production crews or locations listed.

Thanks for that.

I have some recolection of a dam in Wales on a redundant reservoir being blown up during bomb testing, the end towers are still standing.

I have some recolection of a dam in Wales on a redundant reservoir being blown up during bomb testing, the end towers are still standing.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2013-05-17/dambusters-bomb-had-welsh-roots/

Thanks for that Richard. My old grey cells are not as bad as I thought. When the original film was made in the early 1950s the Upkeep and smaller Highball projects were top secret. That is why the shape of the mine in the film is wrong. It is depicted as a sphere but in fact is a cylinder. I think storage for the mines was Wooky Hole. After production they took several days to cool.