- For the 1943 Frank Capra documentary, see The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the fourth of Frank Capra's Why We Fight series. It was released in and concentrated on the German bombardment of the United Kingdom in anticipation of Operation Sealion during the Second World War.- See also :...
.
Battle of Britain is a
1969The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1969.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Anne of the Thousand Days...
film directed by
Guy HamiltonGuy Hamilton is a noted English film director.Hamilton was born in Paris, France where his English parents were living. Remaining in France during the Nazi occupation, he was active in the French Resistance...
, and produced by
Harry SaltzmanHarry Saltzman was a Canadian theatre and film producer best known for his mega-gamble which resulted in his co-producing the James Bond film series with Albert R...
and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the
Battle of BritainThe Battle of Britain is the name given to the air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The objective of the campaign was to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force , especially Fighter Command...
. The script by
James KennawayJames Kennaway was a Scottish writer. He was born in Auchterarder in Perthshire and attended Glenalmond College....
and
Wilfred GreatorexWilfred Greaterox was an English television and film writer, script editor and producer. He was creator of such series as Secret Army, 1990, Plane Makers and its sequel The Power Game, Hine, Brett, Man At The Top, Man From Haven and The Inheritors...
was based on the book
The Narrow Margin by
Derek WoodDerek Wood was the author of Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook. ISBN 0-7106-0343-6. Wood was the editor of "Jane's" the publishers of a wide range of military handbooks and weekly defence newsletters until he retired in 1993...
and Derek Dempster.
The film endeavoured to be an accurate account of the Battle of Britain, when in the summer and autumn of 1940 the British
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
inflicted a strategic defeat on the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
and so ensured the cancellation of
Operation SealionOperation Sea Lion was Nazi Germany's plan to invade England during World War II, beginning in 1940. However, to have any chance of success, the operation required air supremacy over the English Channel...
- Hitler's plan to invade
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. The huge strategic victory of the outnumbered British pilots would be summed up by
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
in the immortal words: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
The film is notable for its spectacular flying sequences, echoing those seen in
Angels One FiveAngels One Five is a 1952 film directed by George More O'Ferrall, and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond, and also featuring Bill Everett. The plot centres on a young fighter pilot immediately before and during the Battle of Britain in the Second World...
(1952) but on a far grander scale than had been seen on film before; these made the film's production very expensive. It is shown regularly on British television.
Plot
The film opens with the
Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
in May 1940 as RAF pilots flee the German
BlitzkriegBlitzkrieg is "a headline word applied retrospectively to describe a military doctrine of an all-mechanized force concentrating its attack on a small section of the enemy front then, once the latter is broken, proceeding without regard to its flank."During the interwar period, aircraft and tank...
. RAF Air Chief Marshal
Hugh DowdingAir Chief Marshal Hugh Caswell Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB, GCVO, CMG was a British officer in the Royal Air Force. He was the commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain....
(
Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
), realizing that an imminent invasion of Great Britain will require every available aircraft and airman to counter it, stops additional aircraft being deployed to France so aircraft were available to defend Britain. In neutral
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
, the German ambassador (Curt Jurgens) officially proposes new peace terms to his British counterpart (
Ralph RichardsonSir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
), stating that continuing to fight the "masters" of Europe is hopeless. The Briton replies that his country will fight to the end, but privately admits to his wife that the German is very likely correct.
British Prime Minister
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
declares the end of the fight in France and the start of the Battle of Britain. The Germans have decided that for an invasion to be successful it will be necessary to wipe out Britain's air capability. Thus the campaign begins with the
Luftwaffe launching an early morning assault, the plan being to destroy the RAF on the ground before they have time to launch their
Supermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries through the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used into the 1950s both as a front line fighter and in secondary roles...
and
Hawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. Some production of the Hurricane was carried out in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry Co Ltd....
fighters.
The Luftwaffe are give the order to attack British
radarRadar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for RAdio Detection And...
installations and airfields, resulting in high casualties and the destruction of hangars and material. Taken by surprise, the British, Commonwealth and Allied pilots fight back but many of them lack combat experience and are killed in large numbers.
As the raids continue over the next few weeks the RAF starts to employ
Free PolishPolish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies. The formations, loyal to the Polish government in exile, were first formed in France and its Middle East territories following Polish defeat and...
and other forces from German-occupied countries. There is some initial reluctance due to the language barriers, but the non-English speakers soon prove their worth.
The real turning point, however, comes when a small, inadvertent attack on London causes the RAF to bomb Berlin in retaliation. German leader
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
orders London to be razed as revenge. London takes the brunt of the German air armada's attacks, but this gives the RAF the time they need to rebuild their airfields and installations such as the radar picket stations thus allowing the besieged pilots to build up their strength and fight back.
On the German side the increasing number of casualties leads to a fall in morale. The RAF and its Spitfires are proving more of a challenge than was first expected. A naval invasion of the British Isles is finally called off.
The film ends with the campaign drawing to a close at the end of 1940 and Churchill's declaration about the "Few" and their role in saving Britain from invasion.
Cast
The film has a large
all-starAll-star is a term with meanings in both the worlds of sports and entertainment.-Entertainment:In the chris sense , it is used to describe the cast of a movie in which most of the speaking parts, even relatively minor ones, are played by motion picture stars who are generally associated with...
international cast. It was notable for its time for the portrayal of the
GermansGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
by subtitled
German-speakingGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
actors.
Commonwealth
- Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
as Air Chief MarshalAir Chief Marshal is a senior air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Hugh DowdingAir Chief Marshal Hugh Caswell Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB, GCVO, CMG was a British officer in the Royal Air Force. He was the commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain....
, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
Fighter CommandFighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the Royal Air Force for much of the mid-20th century...
.
- Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
as Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-Marshal is an air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries...
Sir Keith ParkAir Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War senior Royal Air Force commander. He was in tactical command during two of the most significant air battles in the European theatre in the Second World...
, Air Officer commanding No. 11 Group RAFNo. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-World War 1:No. 11 Group was...
.
- Patrick Wymark
Patrick Wymark , born Patrick Carl Cheeseman, was an English stage, film and television actor.-Biography:...
as Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-MalloryAir Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO & Bar was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. Leigh-Mallory served as a Royal Flying Corps pilot and squadron commander during the First World War...
, Air Officer commanding No. 12 Group RAFNo. 12 Group RAF was first formed in April 1918 at Cranwell, Lincolnshire, within No. 3 Area. On 8 May, 1918 the group transferred to Midland Area, and then to Northern Area on 18 October 1919. On 1 November that year it became the RAF College....
.
- Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer, CC is a Canadian theater, film and television actor. In a career that spans over five decades and includes substantial roles in film, television, and theater, Plummer is perhaps best known for the role of Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music...
as CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
fighter pilot, Squadron LeaderSquadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Colin Harvey. Since Plummer is Canadian, he asked for his character's RAF uniform to display the "Canada" shoulder flashes.
- Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English film actor. Caine has appeared in more than 100 films, and is one of only two actors to have been nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade since the 1960s Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Jr.; 14 March 1933) is an...
as Squadron Leader Canfield
- Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
as the British ambassador to Switzerland.
- Robert Shaw
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting, From Russia with Love, A Man for All Seasons, the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , and in particular, Jaws, where he played the working-class fisherman Quint.-Early...
as an unnamed Squadron Leader, referred to as "Skipper": RAF slang for a commanding officer. The only other appellation he is known by is his call sign, "Rabbit Leader".
- Susannah York
Susannah York is an English film, stage and television actress.-Early life:York was born as Susannah Yolande Fletcher in Chelsea, London in 1939. The daughter of businessman Simon William Peel Vickers Fletcher and his wife Joan Nita Mary Bowrig, York was raised in Scotland where she attended Marr...
as Section Officer Maggie Harvey, Colin's wife.
- Ian McShane
Ian McShane is a Golden Globe-winning English actor. Although he has starred in a number of films, it is by his television roles that he is generally best known, starting with the BBC's Lovejoy and particularly in the HBO Western drama Deadwood...
as Sergeant PilotFlight Sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
Andy
- Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More CBE was an English actor.-Early life:More was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the only son of Charles Gilbert More, a Royal Naval Air Service pilot, and Edith Winifred Watkins, the daughter of a Cardiff solicitor. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey...
(who had portrayed Douglas BaderGroup Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War....
in Reach for the SkyReach for the Sky is a 1956 British biographical film of aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film of 1956.-Plot:The film tells the story of...
12 years before) as Group CaptainGroup Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore...
Barker, Station Commander at RAF Duxford.
- Edward Fox
Edward Fox may refer to:*Edward Fox , American judge*Edward Fox , English actor*Edward Fox , American author*Edward Long Fox , British psychiatrist*Ed Fox, photographer and video director...
as Pilot OfficerPilot Officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below Flying Officer...
Archie.
- Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.He twice won Best Actor trophies in the Evening Standard Awards and twice received the Variety Club of Great Britain 'Actor of the Year' Award...
as Air Vice-Marshal EvillAir Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Claude Strathern Evill, GBE, KCB, DSC, AFC, RAF was a Royal Naval Air Service pilot during World War I and senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II.-Early life:...
German
- Curt Jürgens as Baron von Richter (actually Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.- Early life :...
. Ribbentrop had been Ambassador to Great Britain 1936-38. When Ralph RichardsonSir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
as the British Ambassador in Switzerland argues with von Richter over Hitler's appeal to reason, Richardson tells von Richter that von Richter's years in England had left him none the wiser.
- Hein Riess as Reichsmarschall
Reichsmarschall was the highest rank in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II after the position of Supreme Commander held by Adolf Hitler....
Hermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring was a German politician, military leader and a leading member of the Nazi Party. Among many offices, he was Hitler's designated successor and commander of the Luftwaffe...
, the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe
- Manfred Reddemann as the cigar-chomping Major
In many European languages, the term Major is a military rank, implying seniority at one of usually various levels of rank. For example:*"General-Major" or "Major-General", denoting a senior ranking general officer....
Falke, a role inspired by wartime Luftwaffe aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of air victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.It is said that fighter aces are a dying...
Adolf GallandAdolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a World War II German fighter pilot and commander of Germany's fighter force from 1941 to 1945...
, who at the age of 30 was to become the youngest man to hold the rank of general in the Luftwaffe. One scene in the film is said to have been based on a meeting between Galland and Göring: when Göring asks Falke what he needs, Falke (like Galland) answers: "a squadron of Spitfires!"
- Wilfried von Aacken as Gen. Osterkamp
Theodor "Theo" Osterkamp was a World War I and World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace. He flew alongside Oswald Boelcke and was a friend of Manfred von Richthofen during the first World War, scoring 32 victories...
- Karl-Otto Alberty
Karl-Otto Alberty is a German actor.He started out as an amateur boxer before discovering a talent for acting, making his debut at the City Theatre in Konstanz in 1959. He then began to take supporting roles in films...
as Gen. JeschonnekHans Jeschonnek was a German Generaloberst and a Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe during World War II. He committed suicide in August 1943.-Biography:...
(Luftwaffe chief of staff) (as Karl Otto Alberty)
- Helmut Kircher as Boehm
- Alexander Allerson as Major Brandt
- Paul Neuhaus as Major Föehn
- Dietrich Frauboes as Field Marshal Milch
Erhard Milch was a German Field Marshal who oversaw the development of the Luftwaffe as part of the re-armament of Germany following World War I.-Early life:...
(Inspector General, Luftwaffe)
- Malte Petzel as Colonel Beppo Schmidt (Luftwaffe Intelligence)
- Alf Jungermann as Brandt's navigator
- Peter Hager as Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring was a Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. In a military career that spanned both World Wars, Kesselring became one of Nazi Germany's most skilful commanders, being one of 27 soldiers awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and...
- Wolf Harnisch as General Fink (as Wolf Harnish)
- Rolf Stiefel as Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
Production
The film required a large number of period aircraft. In September 1965 producers
Harry SaltzmanHarry Saltzman was a Canadian theatre and film producer best known for his mega-gamble which resulted in his co-producing the James Bond film series with Albert R...
and S. Benjamin Fisz contacted former
RAF Bomber CommandRAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II, the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s was at the peak of its postwar power with the V bombers and a...
Group Captain Hamish Mahaddie to find the aircraft and arrange their use. Eventually 100 aircraft were employed, called the "35th largest air force in the world". With Mahaddie's help, the producers located 109 Spitfires in the UK, of which 27 were available although only 12 could be made flyable. Mahaddie negotiated use of six Hawker Hurricanes, of which three were flying. The film helped preserve these aircraft, including a rare Spitfire Mk II which had been a gate guardian at
RAF ColerneRAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield is a former World War II RAF Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield located on the outskirts of the Village of Colerne, Wiltshire...
.
During the actual aerial conflict, all RAF Spitfires were Mark I and II. However, only one Mk Ia and one Mk IIa (the latter with a Battle of Britain combat record) could be made airworthy, so the producers have to use seven other different marks, all of them being post BoB. To achieve commonality, the production made some standardized modifications to the Spitfires, including elliptical wingtips, period canopies and other changes. To classic-aircraft fans, they became known as "Mark Haddies" (a play on Grp. Capt. Mahaddie's name). A pair of two-seat trainer Spitfires were camera platforms to achieve realistic aerial footage inside the battle scenes. A rare Hawker Hurricane XII had been restored by Canadian Bob Diemert, who flew the aircraft in the film. Eight non-flying Spitfires and two Hurricanes were set dressing, with one Hurricane able to taxi.
A North American
B-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
N6578DNorth American B-25 Survivors is covers flying and static display B-25 Mitchells in the United States and those on display around the world.-Individual histories:B-25D Tin-Liz, 345th Bomb Group, 501st Squadron, 5th Air Force, The AIR APACHES...
, flown by pilots John 'Jeff' Hawke and Duane Egli, was the primary aerial platform for aviation sequences. It was painted garishly for line-up references and to make it easier for pilots to determine which way it was manoeuvring. When the brightly-coloured aircraft arrived at Tablada airbase in Spain in early afternoon of 18 March 1968, the comment from Derek Cracknell, the assistant director, was "It's a bloody great
psychedelicThe term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλείν , translating to "mind-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters...
monster!". The aircraft was henceforth dubbed the
Psychedelic Monster.
For the German aircraft, the producers assembled 32
CASA 2.111The CASA 2.111 was a medium bomber derived from the Heinkel He 111 and produced in Spain under license by Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A.. The 2.111 models differed significantly from Heinkel's original design, featuring heavier armament and eventually Rolls Royce Merlin engines.-Designa and...
twin-engined bombers, a Spanish-built version of the German
Heinkel He 111H-16The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
. They also found 27
Hispano Aviación HA-1112 M1L 'Buchon'The Hispano Aviacion HA-1109 and HA-1112 were license-built versions of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 developed in Spain during and after WWII.-Design and development:...
single-engined fighters, a Spanish version of the German
Messerschmitt Bf 109The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear...
. The Buchons were altered to look more like correct Bf 109Es, adding mock machine guns and cannon, redundant tailplane struts, and removing the rounded wingtips. The Spanish aircraft were powered by British
Rolls-Royce MerlinThe Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British, liquid-cooled, 27-litre capacity, V-12 piston aero engine, designed and built by Rolls-Royce Limited...
engines, and thus almost all the aircraft used, British and German alike, were Merlin-powered. After the film, one HA-1112 was donated to the German
Luftwaffenmuseum der BundeswehrThe Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr , together with the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, is one of the major military history museums in Germany....
, and converted to a
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear...
variant, depicting the insignias of German ace
Gustav RödelOberst Gustav Rödel was a German World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace. He scored all but one of his 98 victories against the Western Allies in over 980 combat missions whilst flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109.-Biography:Gustav Rödel was born on 24 October 1915 in Merseburg, Saxony...
.
To recreate
Junkers Ju 87The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-seat German ground-attack aircraft....
Stuka dive-bombers, the film company converted two
Percival ProctorThe Percival Proctor was a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with seating for three or four, depending on the model.-Design and development:...
training aircraft into half-scale
Stukas, with a cranked wing, as "Proctukas". To duplicate the steep dive of Ju 87 attacks, large models flown by radio control were used. Radio-controlled Heinkel He 111 models were also built and flown to depict bombers being destroyed over the
English ChannelThe English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover...
. When reviewing the footage of the first crash, the producers noticed a trailing-wire antenna; this was explained by an added cutaway in which the control wires of a Heinkel are seen shot loose.
Two Heinkels and the 17 flyable Messerschmitts (including one dual-controlled HA-1112-M4L two-seater, used for conversion training and as a camera ship), were flown to England to complete the shoot. In the scene where the Polish training squadron breaks off to attack, ("Repeat, please"), the three most distant Hurricanes were Buchons marked as Hurricanes, as there were not enough flyable Hurricanes. In addition to the combat aircraft, two Spanish-built
Junkers Ju 52The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Lufthansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
transports were used.
Filming in England was at Duxford,
DebdenRAF Debden is a former RAF airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles SE of Saffron Walden and approximately 1 mile north of the village of Debden in North Essex.- RAF Fighter Command use :...
, North Weald and
HawkingeRAF Hawkinge was an airfield in Kent, near to the south coast and the closest airfield to the French coast.It took part in the Battle of Britain and it was home to No. 79 Squadron RAF...
, all operational stations in 1940 — one surviving Second World War hangar at Duxford was blown up and demolished for the
Eagle Day sequence. Some filming also took place at
BovingdonRAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located at Bovingdon, two miles south east of Berkhamsted and 7 miles west of Watford in Hertfordshire, UK....
, a former wartime bomber base.
Poor weather beset filming in the UK; to reflect the cloudless skies of summer of 1940, many upward-facing shots were filmed over Spain, while downward-facing shots were almost all below the clouds, over southern England, where farmland is distinctive. However 1940 camouflage made it difficult to see the aircraft against the ground and sky, so a cloud background was used where possible. Only one Spitfire was relocated to Spain to stand in for the RAF defenders.
Another early scene was the
DunkirkThe Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940, when British, French, and Canadian troops were cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk in the...
recreation which shot at the beachfront at
HuelvaHuelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 145,150 inhabitants. The town...
, Spain. Only later did the directors find out this was where
The Man Who Never WasThe Man Who Never Was is a nonfiction 1954 book by Ewen Montagu and a 1956 World War II war film, based on the book and dramatizing actual events...
deception had been carried out. The Germans were deceived by counterfeit documents purporting that the Allies were to invade
SardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . The area of Sardinia is . The nearest land masses to the island are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia, and the Spanish Balearic Islands...
rather than
SicilySicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
, planted on a drowned man dressed as a
Royal MarinesThe Royal Marines are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service. They are also the United Kingdom's specialists in amphibious warfare, including the operation of landing craft; mountain warfare;...
Officer, Major Martin, allowed to wash up on the beach in 1943.
Location filmingA filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
was carried out mainly in the
St Katharine DocksSt Katharine Docks, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, were one of the commercial docks serving London, on the north side of the river Thames just east of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge...
area where older houses were being demolished for housing estates. Partly demolished buildings represented bombed houses and disused buildings were set on fire. St Katharine Docks was one of the few areas of London's East End to survive
The BlitzThe Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, in World War II. While the Blitz hit many towns and cities across the country, it began with the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights...
. Many extras were survivors of the Blitz.
Aldwych tube stationAldwych tube station, originally Strand, is a disused station formerly on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground. It located at the corner of Strand and Surrey Street and is surrounded on either side by the buildings of King's College London. It was the terminus of a short branch from...
, used as a wartime
air-raid shelterAir-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
, was also used as a filming location. Almost all the period equipment from the
London Fire Brigade MuseumThe London Fire Brigade Museum covers the history of firefighting since 1666 . The museum houses old fire appliances and other equipment. It is also possible to see fire brigade recruits training....
was used in the film. The night scenes of wartime Berlin were filmed in San Sebastian, Spain.
The scenes at
RAF Fighter CommandFighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the Royal Air Force for much of the mid-20th century...
were filmed at
RAF Bentley PrioryRAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was famous as the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and the Second World War. The RAF Bentley Priory site includes a Grade II* listed Officers' Mess and Italian...
, the headquarters of Fighter Command. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding's original office, with the original furniture, was used.
Historical accuracy
The film is generally faithful to events and although merging some characters, it sticks to the orthodox view — that the Germans threw away tactical advantage by switching bombing from RAF airfields to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in revenge for RAF raids on
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Some later scholarship has cast doubt on one or another aspect of the orthodox view, arguing either: (a) that the switch to bombing London was made not for reasons of revenge but because the Germans thought they had already defeated RAF Fighter Command, or (b) that accelerated British aircraft production meant that the prospect of a German victory was never likely (this view seems doubtful, however, in part because the key issue was the number of available pilots).
The film includes a sequence which relates the events of 15 August 1940, on which the
Luftwaffe attempted to overwhelm fighter defences by simultaneous attacks on northern and southern England. The northern attack came over the
North SeaThe North Sea is a marginal, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than long and wide, with an area of around...
from Norway and consisted of Heinkel He 111 bombers escorted by
Messerschmitt Bf 110The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
long-range escort fighters. The attack force was intercepted by Spitfires of
No. 72 Squadron RAFNo. 72 Squadron Royal Air Force is currently a training reserve squadron based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse using the Short Tucano T1, a modified version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB-312 Tucano training aircraft.-First World War:...
, and suffered heavy losses, prompting the
Luftwaffe to abandon daylight raids from Norway. The film's producers did not have access to Bf 110 aircraft, or replicas, and the Heinkels are described as unescorted, the
Luftwaffe reasoning that "even a Spitfire can't be in two places at once."
The Robert Shaw character "Squadron Leader Skipper" is based loosely on Squadron Leader
Sailor MalanAdolph Gysbert Malan DSO & Bar DFC , better known as Sailor Malan, was a famed South African World War II RAF fighter pilot who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the height of the Battle of Britain. Under his leadership the 74 became one of the RAF's best units...
, a South African fighter ace and
No. 74 Squadron RAFNo. 74 Squadron RAF, also known as a "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger head motif, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s.-First World War:...
commander during the Battle of Britain. The scene in the operation centre in which the British listen to their fighters' wireless transmissions is for dramatic reasons only. In reality, the operations centre received information by telephone from the sector airfields. The scenes at the end, where the RAF pilots are seen suddenly idle and left awaiting the return of the
Luftwaffe raids are more license; the fighting fizzled out through late September, although daylight raids continued for some weeks after the 15 September engagement. 31 October is regarded as the official end on the British side.
The confrontation between Dowding and
Keith ParkAir Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War senior Royal Air Force commander. He was in tactical command during two of the most significant air battles in the European theatre in the Second World...
, on one side, and
Trafford Leigh-MalloryAir Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO & Bar was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. Leigh-Mallory served as a Royal Flying Corps pilot and squadron commander during the First World War...
on the other is fictitious, though there were undoubted tensions between the two sides. The film doesn't mention that, following the Battle of Britain, Dowding and Park were replaced by Sholto Douglas and Leigh-Mallory, despite Dowding and Park having demonstrated that Leigh-Mallory's "Big Wing" theories were unworkable.
One omission is at the end of the film, when casualties are listed. The film does not mention losses by
Corpo Aereo ItalianoThe "Italian Air Corps" was an expeditionary force of the Italian Royal Air Force that participated in the Battle of Britain during the final months of 1940 during World War II. The CAI supported the German Air Force and flew against the British Royal Air Force...
, an
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
expeditionary forceExpeditionary Force is a generic name sometimes applied to a military force dispatched to fight in a foreign country. The term was particularly common in World War I and World War II...
that took part. Corpo Aereo Italiano is not mentioned during the film. One anomalous entry in the list of pilots who served with the RAF is a lone pilot described by the credits as
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
i, although the state of Israel did not in fact exist during this period.
There was no attempt to recreate tracer rounds.
Göring's train in the film is Spanish and not French and this steam locomotive did not come into service on Spanish National Railways (
RENFERenfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .-History:The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
) until 1951 (the RENFE markings are just visible on its tender).
Memorable quotes
- Boys spotting approaching German raiders:
- Boy 1:"Messerschmitts!"
- Boy 2:"'Einkels!"
- Boy 1:"Messerschmitts!"
- Boy 2:"No they ain't, they're 'Einkels!"
- The British Ambassador's response to a German ultimatum:
- "We're not easily frightened. Also we know how hard it is for an army to cross the Channel — the last little corporal to try it came a cropper. So don't threaten or dictate to us until you're marching up Whitehall! ...and even then we won't listen!"
- The Ambassador's coda (to his wife): "It's unforgivable. I lost my temper."
- When troubled English pilot, "Simon," returns to land, he is forced to do a "go-around" because he had failed to put down his landing gear. Two of the more experienced pilots launch into an evidently familiar routine:
- Sergeant Pilot Andy: "You can teach..."
- Pilot Officer Archie joins in: "...monkeys to fly better than that!"
- A group of German prisoners have been brought to a bombed airfield:
- Squadron Leader Skipper: "Corporal? Where are you taking those vultures?"
- RAF Police NCO: "Officers to the mess, NCOs to the guard room, Sir."
- Squadron Leader Skipper: "Like hell you are. They're responsible for all that (turning and gesturing to the ruined field), get 'em to clear it up!"
- Police NCO: "But, what about the officers, Sir?"
- Squadron Leader Skipper: "Give 'em a bloody shovel!"
- Leigh-Mallory and Park, in Dowding's office:
- Leigh-Mallory: "It's better to shoot down fifty bombers after they hit their targets than ten before."
- Park: "Remember that the targets are my airfields, Leigh-Mallory, and you're not getting fifty, you're not even getting ten!"
- Sergeant Pilot Andy, having been shot down in combat, appears in the doorway of the hangar.
- Squadron Leader Skipper: "Where the 'ell have you been?"
- Sergeant Pilot Andy: "Learning to swim."
- Squadron Leader Skipper: "Did you get him?"
- Sergeant Pilot Andy: "All I got was a bellyful of English Channel."
- Summoned to Berlin to be disciplined for accidentally bombing London, Major Brandt and his navigator drive through the brightly lit city. (Dialogue is in German, text given is that of the English subtitles.)
- Navigator: "Haven't they heard of a blackout?"
- Brandt: "You heard what Göring said — 'If one enemy bomb falls on Berlin, you can call me Meier'".
- Street lights suddenly go out, air-raid sirens sound and there is panic in the streets. Searchlights sweep the sky as anti-aircraft guns begin firing. Brandt and his navigator get out of their car and look up at the sky.
- Navigator: "You may call me Meier..."
- Göring, gazing with pride at a huge fleet of German aircraft heading for England:
- "If we lose the war now, they'll tear our arses asunder!." (Dialogue is in German, text given is that of the English subtitles; a literal translation would end '...they'll tear our arses out!').
- After the airfield bombing raid, Warrant Officer Warrick, a typically aggressive senior non-commissioned officer but junior in rank to Section Officer Harvey, shouts an order to her from a distance:
- Warrick: "Put that cigarette out! The mains have gone. Can't you smell gas?"
- Harvey (pausing two beats), screams back: "Don't you yell at me, Mr. Warrick!"
- Being told by the Air Minister that the Americans are having trouble believing the pilot's claims of numbers of German aircraft shot down, Dowding pauses and then replies, "Minister, I'm not much interested in propaganda. If we're right, they'll give up. If we're wrong, they'll be in London in a week!" He then hangs up without waiting for a reply.
- Late in the battle, when the Nazis are taking terrible losses, Göring chastises a group of high-ranking Luftwaffe officers for cowardice. Relenting from his tirade, he turns to two front line fighter squadron commanders, "Is there is anything you want? Föehn? Falke?" and Major Falke replies, "Yes, sir, a squadron of Spitfires.", wiping the smile off Göring's face.
Musical score
As recounted in Mervyn Cooke’s
A History of Film Music (2008), the film has two musical scores. The first was written by Sir
William WaltonSir William Turner Walton OM was a British composer and conductor.His style was influenced by the works of Stravinsky and Prokofiev as well as jazz music, and is characterized by rhythmic vitality, bittersweet harmony, sweeping Romantic melody and brilliant orchestration...
, and conducted by
Malcolm ArnoldSir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was bracketed with Benjamin Britten and William Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
. However, the music department at
United ArtistsUnited Artists Entertainment LLC is an American film studio. The current United Artists was formed in November 2006 under a partnership between producer/actor Tom Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, and Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Studios Inc., an MGM company...
objected that the score was too short. As a result, a further score was commissioned from
Ron Goodwin
Ronald Alfred Goodwin was a British composer and conductor known for his film scores.-Life:...
. Producer S. Benjamin Fisz and actor Sir
Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
protested this decision, and Olivier threatened to take his name from the credits. In the end, one segment of the Walton score, titled
The Battle in the Air, which framed the climactic air battles of 15 September 1940, was retained in the final cut. The Walton score was played with no sound effects of aircraft motors or gunfire, giving this sequence a transcendent, lyrical quality.
Prime Minister
Edward HeathSir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, MBE , often known as Ted Heath, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975...
retrieved Walton’s manuscript from United Artists in 1972, presenting it to the composer at Walton’s 70th birthday party held at
10 Downing Street10 Downing Street is the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury and hence Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
. Tapes of the Walton score were believed lost forever until being rediscovered in 1990 from the sound mixer’s garage. Since then the score has been restored and released on compact disc. The option to watch the film with the complete Walton score was included on the Region 2 Special Edition DVD of the film, which was released in June 2004.
Very little attention has been paid to the comparative quality of the scores produced for the film. Walton's music was composed with considerable help from Malcolm Arnold, who was responsible for producing the orchestrations. Aside from the undoubted originality and impact of 'The Battle in the Air' sequence, much of Walton's score is derivative, including references to Wagner's 'Siegfried', and a main march which follows a well-worn template: Walton himself admitted that he had basically revamped his Orb and Sceptre march several times over.
By contrast, Ron Goodwin's score, which has always been regarded as a poor relation, encapsulates the atmosphere of the film perfectly: For the opening theme, Goodwin composed the
Aces High March in the style of a traditional German military march in 2/4 time. The march places heavy emphasis on the "oom-pah" sound of tubas and lower-pitched horns on the first and second beats and has the
glockenspielA glockenspiel [German Glocken + spielen ] is a percussion instrument, composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal, thus making...
double the horns in the melody. Because of the great length of this sequence, which shows a Luftwaffe general's inspection of a Heinkel squadron in occupied France, the
Aces High has three separate bridges between choruses of the main theme, one of which recurs several times in a gently sentimental variation. Despite its origin in a representation of a tyrannical threat to democracy, the march has become a popular British patriotic tune, like the
Dambusters marchThe Dambusters March is Eric Coates's theme for the 1954 film The Dam Busters.-Popularity:It is critically and popularly acclaimed, made a tremendous contribution to the film, achieving iconic status. For many, it is synonymous with the film - indeed, with the exploit itself...
, and is frequently played at military parades and air shows. American radio personality and convicted Watergate conspirator
G. Gordon LiddyGeorge Gordon Battle Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed during several years of Richard Nixon's Presidency. Along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy masterminded the first break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building in 1972...
has used the march as
bumper musicBumper music is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of music used to buffer transitions between programming elements...
on his syndicated radio program.
The remainder of the score is distinctive in its careful underpinning of the visual action and musical characterisation of the opposing sides, each of which is retains its own thematic material.
Influence
Both a hardcover and paperback book on the making of the movie were published in 1969.
The use of actual aircraft in flying sequences has led to a number of subsequent productions utilizing stock footage derived from the
Battle of Britain:
- The scene of a damaged Heinkel bomber emitting smoke and losing altitude was used in the Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall is a film adaptation of the similarly titled first volume of Spike Milligan's autobiography. It starred Jim Dale as the young Terence "Spike" Milligan. Spike played the part of his father, Leo Milligan....
(1972).
- Short clips from the main "Battle in the air" sequence were used in the Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa Baa Black Sheep is a television series that aired on NBC from 1976 until 1978. Its premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Pappy Boyington and his World War II "Black Sheep Squadron". The series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell...
television series (1976–1978).
- A fragment of the soundtrack of one of the dogfights is used on the album The Wall (1979) by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band who, in the late 1960s, earned recognition for their psychedelic and space rock music, and in the 1970s, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. Pink Floyd's work is marked by philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album cover art,...
, right at the start of the track "Vera".
- Footage of Bf-109s exploding and crashing into the English Channel was inserted into the opening "Skeet Surfing" music video in the parody film Top Secret!
Top Secret! is a 1984 comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. It stars Val Kilmer , Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough and Jeremy Kemp. The film is a parody of WWII-era and Elvis films. The original music score is composed by Maurice Jarre...
(1984).
- "Newsreel" footage shown in the cinema in the film Hope and Glory (film) (1987) was air combat footage from the Battle of Britain.
- Some of the Stuka footage was re-used in the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
drama series No Bananas (1996).
- Footage from the film was incorporated in the Czech
The Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
film Dark Blue WorldDark Blue World is a 2001 film by Czech director Jan Svěrák about Czechoslovak pilots who fought for the British Royal Air Force during World War II. The screenplay was written by Zdeněk Svěrák, the father of the director....
(2001).
- Much aerial footage was cut into the USA film Midway
Midway is a war film directed by Jack Smight and produced byWalter Mirisch from a screenplay by Donald S. Sanford. The music score was by John Williams and the cinematography by Harry Stradling, Jr...
(1976) where Spitfires and Hurricanes were masquerading as F2A Buffaloes and F4F Wildcats.
- A shot of the attacking bomber formation inexplicably breaking up in the final scene of the German film Das Boot
Das Boot is a 1981 feature film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, adapted from a novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Hans-Joachim Krug, former first officer on U-219, served as a consultant, as did Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, the captain of the real U-96.The film is the story of a...
(1981) is from a sequence in Battle of Britain.
A summer 2008 episode of the BBC show Top Gear featured numerous references to the movie during a contest featuring the hosts of the respective British and German car shows. References included the BBC show's three presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond each arriving in Spitfires with the movie score accompaniment and Clarkson quoting from the movie, "We're on our own, we're playing for time and it's running out!"