Re: Battle of Britain (1969) with Laurence Olivier!


"Enzo Matrix" <enzo55@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:6jveltF57p1tU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
michael adams wrote:
"Enzo Matrix" <enzo55@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:6juuk0F53sk7U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dry Gulch Pete wrote:
In 1940 Germany launches a dawn raid on England with Stukkas,
Heinkels etc. and keep on coming - the RAF decide to fight back!

EXCELLENT with a fine low-key performance by Laurence Olivier as Air
Chief Dowding.


Air Chief *Marshal* Dowding.

Trevor Howard also gave a very accurate character portrayal of Air
Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park, but without the New Zealand accent.

Patrick Wymark plays AVM Trafford Leigh-Mallory, but the portrayal
isn't quite accurate. Douglas Bader doesn't appear anywhere in the
film. This is no doubt because there was a lot of political
in-fighting in Fighter Command at the time. AVM Sholto Douglas
wanted Dowding's job and he recruited Leigh-Mallory and Bader as his
sidekicks. They conspired to undermine Dowding's authority and
flagrantly disobeyed his orders to deploy 12 Group aircraft south to
join the battle in squadron force. Instead they insisted on using a
"Big Wing". On the one occasion that the Big Wing was able to engage
an enemy formation, it was found to unable to maintain cohesion in
battle. The Big Wing was a failure in defensive operations and
Leigh-Mallory and Bader's actions definitely increased the
casualties among 11 Group pilots. Nevertheless, the Big Wing was a
media success and when it is shown in the film, everyone is
impressed.


I think on its first day of operation, the Big Wing took so long to
assemble
in the air that they completely missed the waves of bombers that were
their original objective and gave them a free run at their target.

That's correct. Given enough notice, the Big Wing could have assembled in
time to meet the attacking bombers en masse, but they were rarely given that
notice. On the one occasion that they did have that notice, the tactics
failed. Tactics required all aircraft to maintain formation and make a
section attack. These tactics had already been discredited earlier in the
battle by 11 Group. 12 Group learned the same lessons over again. Once
attacked by enemy fighters, no RAF pilot was so disciplined at to maintain
formation and take hits. Every single one made a defensive break and the
formation lost cohesion. Once lost, the cohesion could never been regained.

Late in 1944, the Luftwaffe attempted to use similar tactics. Their Sturm
aircraft would form up into large box formations of up to sixty aircraft.
Their problems were slightly different. A large proportion of Luftwaffe
pilots by then were barely trained recruits who had no knowledge of combat
at all. They did stay with their formation, because they simply didn't know
what to do, and so they were cut to pieces by the US escort fighters.

But they still managed to put
up some impressive figures by luckily catching them unawares on the
way back.

Contemporary figures always over-estimated the number of kills. The Big Wing
would have got more kills if their aircraft had had a greater range and
endurance. The problem was that they used a lot of their fuel in climbing
to combat height and forming up. Even more fuel was used in a tailchase
trying to catch up to the retreating bombers. By the time combat was joined,
the 12 Group aircraft were down to bingo fuel. Many stayed to make what
kills they could but had to divert to 11 Group airfields.




One of the things I forget to mention about Dowding is that from 1936 onwards
he was instrumental in getting the Chain of Coastal Radar stations set up,
along with a co-ordinated reporting system which were so important in providing
an early warning. He was probably booted out because he was being proved right all
the time and he knew it. And so his continuing presence when no longer absolutely
vital to the war effort threatened to undermine the chain of command all the way
up to Churchill. A bit like the penultimate stages of the "Weakest Link" maybe.

Loads of books on The Battle of Britain appeared in the Charity Bookshops last
year for some reason, so I filled my boots and buried my head for a couple of
weeks. "Fighter Boys" was a good one and "The Few" for some good photos,

Eagle Day stuck in my head but I'd have to look it up, plus the fact
that acording to the pilots immediately after engaging another fighter
such were the speeds that looking around the sky often looked completly empty.
Plus how young a lot of them were and yet achieved both decorations and
high active rank.


michael adams

....








--
Enzo

I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.





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