Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!cica!iuvax!att!cbnews!military From: adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk (Adrian Hurt) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Memphis Belle Message-ID: <1990Oct24.150252.15202@cbnews.att.com> Date: 24 Oct 90 15:02:52 GMT References: <1990Oct11.050931.29494@cbnews.att.com> <1990Oct15.033615.12299@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military-request@att.att.com Organization: Computer Science, Heriot-Watt U., Scotland Lines: 50 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Adrian Hurt In article <1990Oct15.033615.12299@cbnews.att.com> ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) writes: > >I still wonder where they got all those Mosquitoes for that >movie (I think it was called Squadron 603) about the attack >on the german heavy water plant in a norwegian fjord. I ex- >pect most were models, but.. That's "633 Squadron". 603 Squadron was a real live squadron of Spitfires; I don't know if it still exists, and what it uses today if it does. I think it's safe to assume that all the Mosquitos seen in combat scenes in "633 Squadron" were models, especially the ones that were damaged or destroyed! However, there is at least one Mosquito still flying, which has been used in films as well as air displays - I saw it last month at the annual air display at Leuchars. Here is what the leaflet from the show says. ---- "The Mosquito T Mk 3 on display served with Nos. 114 and 204 Squadrons, as well as numerous second line units until 1963 when Hawker Siddeley brought it to Hawarden. The aircraft starred in the big screen film "Mosquito Squadron", and subsequently in the television film "A Man Called Intrepid". Mosquito RR299 is now owned and operated by British Aerospace at Chester." ---- "Mosquito Squadron" is not the same film as "633 Squadron". However, this machine has the squadron letters HT, which also appeared in "633 Squadron", so it may have been in that film. Incidentally, the German aircraft in "633 Squadron" look like real Messerschmidts, but 108's, not 109's. The Bf 108 was a light transport aircraft, not a fighter. It looks a bit like a Bf 109, but with a different engine entirely. Mind you, even Bf 109's would have been wrong for "633 Squadron" - in the book, they were always opposed by Focke-Wulf Fw 190's, except for the attack on their own base which was carried out by Bf 110's. Presumably the makers couldn't get hold of any real Fw 190's or Bf 110's. "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott Adrian Hurt | JANET: adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian | ARPA: adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk