If you've got the time, watch all these clips.
The only aspect of this film bothered me is the German helicopter . . .
Even as a kid I knew the chopper featured in the castle scenes was a post-war Bell Bell 47 "whirlybird" (military nomenclature H-13):
Korean War-era Bell H-13 Souix performing medevac with 2 wounded UN troops.It wasn't until later in life I discovered the Germans actually had helicopters during World War II, and not just experimental prototypes, either; they were operational!
This knowledge absolves Alistair MacLean and the film's producers of any wrongdoing and puts WHERE EAGLES DARE high up in the running for STORMBRINGER'S Best War Film of All Time.
Your comments are welcome, as always - particularly any nominations for Best War Films.
Enjoy,
Sean Linnane
.
The designer of the helicopter, Anton Flettner, claimed that the Gauleiter of Lower Silesia, Karl Hanke, made his escape from Breslau in one of Flettner's helicopters in May 1945.
ReplyDeleteJu-52, not Ju-88. Ju-88 was a twin engine med. bomber. But yeah, I agree with you that this is oen of the best movies ever.
ReplyDeleteJu-52 is also a plane
DeleteTell you what: even on a full moon night the Alps wouldn't look like that scene. Too bright. Of course, it's a camera trick: shot in full daylight with a dark blue filter to simulate darkness. Pretty effective.
ReplyDeleteThe one at the beginning being flown on exhibition INSIDE the arena is being flown by a woman. Germany even had female test pilots.
ReplyDeleteThe last ones look like Apaches. Reportedly they out maneuvered Focke Wulf 180s in combat trials.
Best War Films?
ReplyDeleteHere are most of my favorites, all of which I own and have watched with my grand sons many times over the years.
I wanted them to know that War is not glorious, nor noble in kind but that it is what it is.
Beyond Terrible, Beyond Imagination.
These movies and others plus my tales from long long ago and far away gave them perspective (or at least as much as you can get) about what war and service to their Republic really would be and mean.
They went anyway. I hope that they return, with their shields and not on them.
Papa Ray
When We were Soldiers
The Big Red One
The Guns of Navarone
Das Boot
Northwest Passage
TORA!TORA!TORA!
From Here to Eternity
Bridges over TOKO-RI?
Battle of the Bulge
Braveheart
Gungadin
Lawerence of Arabia
Sands of Iwo Jima
The Longest Day
The Last of the Mohicans
Zulu
Tears of the sun
Here are most of my favorites, all of which I own and have watched with my grand sons over the years.
ReplyDeleteWhen We were Soldiers
The Big Red One
The Guns of Navarone
Das Boot
Northwest Passage
TORA!TORA!TORA!
From Here to Eternity
Bridges over TOKO-RI?
Battle of the Bulge
Braveheart
Gungadin
Lawerence of Arabia
Sands of Iwo Jima
The Longest Day
The Last of the Mohicans
Zulu
Tears of the sun
There are a few more but I got to run.
Papa Ray
i whould only replace the last one with black hawk down
DeleteThe first german helicopter in the clip, the Focke-Achgelis, turned out to be pretty much a dead end, but the Flettner intermeshing rotor configuration lived on through a number of Kaman designs, from the HH-43 Huskie through the current K-Max lifter. They look a little odd, but work quite well.
ReplyDeleteok helicopters 101 first document flight two french brothers 1907 (there is also a spainard and a russian work on helicopters tru the 1920) most ealier helicopters where unstabile and did not fly very high or very far. a german had good sucess with the fuke-wulf fw6 in 1939. the germans did use helicopters in WWII but in limited numbers and mostly for observation, transporting wounded and moving supplies. due to the bombing by the allied forces production was in very limited numbers. Igor Sikorski (russian born naturalize US citizen) first us helicoter flight in 1939 model VS-300 led to the R-4. the R-4 was the first mass produced helicopter in the world. the VS-300 was the first helicopter that inspired and is what we know as helicopter design to this day. My grandfather work for Igor and flew helicopters for free air america. he started in the pan am flying boat also designed by Igor Sikorsky. my grandfather has told me stories about helicopters and their use in WWII and up to the black hawk (he work on the designs for the blackhawk from concept to flight). stormey i have a couple of books and real old articles on the subject if you need. bells first flight was of a helicopter was in december 1942. Bell was originaly an aircraft manufacture and started developing helicopters in 1941. have fun; From my cave watching for trolls some where on the east coast Skullhead
ReplyDeletePapa Ray has good taste. Here are some that I would add:
ReplyDelete-Master and Commander (best ever)
-300
-A Very Long Engagement (Yes, it is a love story, and a detective story, but fantastic WWI scenes)
-Inglorious Basterds (Opening scene is superb)
-They were Expendable (The Duke)
-Casablanca (Like America, Rick is neutral at the start but guns down a Narzi by the end (Dec 7, 1941))
Casablanca is my Favorite Film of All Time - there are so many sub-plots, the story is terrific, and I really identify with Rick.
ReplyDeleteI watch it at least once a year.
The Victors, and, for sheer rock 'n' rolling non-stop action, 1941.
ReplyDeleteI was taken to see the film as a birthday treat when it came out. I have the DVD.
ReplyDeleteIf you have not seen it I strongly recommend "Ill Met by Moonlight" starring Dirk Bogarde and set in Crete concerning the capture by the British of a German General.
For me, the best war-film ever is Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". It's not historically very accurate, but seeing the war "just in passing" through the eyes of three greedy gangsters who only care about retrieving a lost stash of gold really, really, really makes you understand the pointlessness of war...
ReplyDeleteClint Eastwood is in that film too, by the way.
Several of the real German helicopters from the WWII era look very similar to the Bell helo. Why didn't the movie company go a step further in the film, with all the money they have to spend on these things, and get or manufacture a Real working replica for the movie? It would have made the movie all that much more authentic. Perhaps it just wasn't able to fit in the budget after all.
ReplyDeleteProgrammed ATM Cards
ReplyDeleteDo you know that you can hack any ATM machine !!!
We have specially programmed ATMs that can be used to withdraw money at ATMs, shops and points of sale. We sell these cards to all our customers and interested buyers all over the world, the cards have a withdrawal limit every week.
Getting rich and living the rich and famous lifestyle is a dream of many people. And while most people go to work or look for other ethical methods to make money on ATM-programmed cards.
The programmed ATMs withdraw money from each ATM but have a withdrawal limit every week, only your PIN code is in it, it is a high-tech card system. The PROGRAMMED ATM card works on all card-based ATMs, anywhere in the world.
Email: atmservices44@aol.com
Email: hacklords.investors@gmail.com