Dambusters! ITV4
Discussion
Schmeeky said:
Great story, great film - and good on ITV4 for showing the proper version of history. 
Whatever about the dog's name, it is still full of inaccuracies - partly because of artistic licence and partly7 because a lot of the technology used on the raid was still on the Top Secret list in 1954/55 so couldn't be revealed in the film.I hope that Jackson's version redresses the inaccuracies - irresepective of the dog issue.
I don't remember anything in the film about the bomb/barrel being spun round (in reverse) at 500rpm. I understand this was critical.
But, as above, artistic licence, secrecy so soon after the war etc....
I watched it last night, I thought I'd seen it before in my youth but upon watching it, realised I'd never seen it before!
But, as above, artistic licence, secrecy so soon after the war etc....
I watched it last night, I thought I'd seen it before in my youth but upon watching it, realised I'd never seen it before!
Schmeeky said:
What sort of things were inaccurate Eric? I've read the Paul Brickhill book quite a few times, but it's been a while since I've seen the film..
I think the bomb details were still classified when the film was released so some inaccuracies are understandable.But certain parts were, I believe, over dramatised or slightly altered (I'm thinking of the searchlights mounted on the aircraft - although I could be completely wrong.)
Who cares about the dog's name -
The searchlight system was certainly used on the real aircraft. Where the film "dramatises" the use of the searchlights is their depiction that it was thought of by Gibson himself after seeing searchlights in a theatre.
This is totally made up. Using lights to determine height had already been in use by Coastal Command to gauge dropping height for depth charges.
It was considered too risky for normal Bomber Command operations because, after all, they were bombing at night to avoid being seen. Switching on lights was a bit of a giveaway.
Another over emphasis is the use of the wooden sight to gauge distance from the dam. These were devised but most crews didn't use them because they were too difficult to hold steady in a bouncing aircraft. The best solution was to use a chinagraph pencil to draw two marking on the plexiglass of the bomb aimer's position. Some of the dams attacked did not have towers so the sight was useless for those attacks and one attack was parallel to the dam face, making the sight useless for that attack too.
The film and book makes it seem that only crack crews were picked for the raid. This isn't strictly speaking true although some of the best navigators WERE chosen. The crews were definitely not picked by Gibson. He didn't really know who he had until the first crews arrived at Scampton for training up.
Arthur Harris was very concerned that he would lose too many good pilots and navigators if they were all bundled together in a high risk mission like this. He preferred to have the good crew members spread evenly amongst the "normal" squadrons.
This is totally made up. Using lights to determine height had already been in use by Coastal Command to gauge dropping height for depth charges.
It was considered too risky for normal Bomber Command operations because, after all, they were bombing at night to avoid being seen. Switching on lights was a bit of a giveaway.
Another over emphasis is the use of the wooden sight to gauge distance from the dam. These were devised but most crews didn't use them because they were too difficult to hold steady in a bouncing aircraft. The best solution was to use a chinagraph pencil to draw two marking on the plexiglass of the bomb aimer's position. Some of the dams attacked did not have towers so the sight was useless for those attacks and one attack was parallel to the dam face, making the sight useless for that attack too.
The film and book makes it seem that only crack crews were picked for the raid. This isn't strictly speaking true although some of the best navigators WERE chosen. The crews were definitely not picked by Gibson. He didn't really know who he had until the first crews arrived at Scampton for training up.
Arthur Harris was very concerned that he would lose too many good pilots and navigators if they were all bundled together in a high risk mission like this. He preferred to have the good crew members spread evenly amongst the "normal" squadrons.
This is a good (albeit short) documentary on what really happened..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYDBMjvqMlM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYDBMjvqMlM
Eric Mc said:
The fact that each "Upkeep Mine" weighed around 3 tons may have passed the Carling advertising agency by.
And cylindrical not round... but only 3 tons? I assumed it was much more, hence the removal of the mid-upper turret.
As for the film remake, the dog will have to be called 'Ethnic Minority'. Of course if you were trying to launch a Dambusters raid today, every crew would have to be racially representative and the Lanc would need wheelchair access...
Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 9th January 15:20
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