Commandos Strike at Dawn

[Finn]

Fill in planes for the movie:

 

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/150df83a749a8171.html

 

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/1f1a71617de3b215.html

 

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/24d340b5bd5781e5.html

 

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/8a8257a1c24bd269.html

 

Jari

[stevehnz]

Not heard of this before, a propaganda film made during ww2??

Steve.

[brewerjerry]

Hi

   Yep ww2

    pretty certain the aircraft were filmed at patricia bay vancouver island

  I always fancied doing a lizzie in luftwaffe markings, and maybe even a bolingbroke 

   cheers

     jerry

Edited December 10, 2016 by brewerjerry
typo

[DennisTheBear]

47 minutes ago, brewerjerry said:

Hi

   Yep ww2

    pretty certain the aircraft were filmed at patricia bay vancouver island

  I always fancied doing a lizzie in luftwaffe markings, and maybe even a bolingbroke 

   cheers

     jerry

Wonderful name.

 

DennisTheBear

[tonyot]

The RCAF provided aircraft for quite a few films,.....there was this one,.....of course the well known `Son of Lassie' filmed in technicolour and there was at least one more with a blue painted Hurricane wearing German crosses playing a Geramn fighter over the Atlantic (!) I think it was intercepting Hudson`s being flown from Cananda to the UK!  

 

[HansReggelsen]

Hi Tonyot - I seem to recall this as well!

Wasn't it with James Cagney? Something about canadian bushpilots who were too old to become fighterpilots, but who then could ferry planes to England? 

 

Cheers 

Hans J

Edited December 10, 2016 by HansReggelsen

[Paul J]

Tony, the one you speak of featuring the Hudson and Hurri is 'Captains of the Clouds'. It was a bout bush pilots in Canada who join in the war effort.  Starred James Cagney and in one scene Billy Bishop takes the passing out parade.   Greta colour footage of Ansons, Yales, Harvards, Battle trainers etc....

[HansReggelsen]

Hi Paul J!

Yep - that's the one! 

 

Cheers 

Hans J

[RJP]

Captains of the Clouds was shown occasionally on late night TV when I was growing up, special dispensation from mother for late night viewing and not on a school night.  Television was all black and white back then and it was years later I discovered it was actually shot in Technicolor.  I guess the family B&W TV didn't help either.

 

It featured much gorgeous footage of bushplane activity on lakes in northern Ontario.  Then they did a lot on active BCATP bases.  Ansons, Battles, Harvards and Yales, Douglas Nomads and Finches.  The Hudson sequence was indeed the climax, a delivery of Lend Lease machines over the Atlantic.  The Hurricane from Yarmouth or Debert stood in for a 109.  There is a story the pilot decided to beat up Halifax before he went back to base, causing much consternation.  

 

It is available on DVD and well worth the price.

Edited December 10, 2016 by RJP

[tonyot]

Captain of the clouds,......thats the one,.....here is the Hurriscmitt,......I could have sworn that it was blue,......oh well;

 

Like you say,.....some great colour footage;

A photo of the wings parade being filmed;

And filming a Fairey Battle;

The film in the can,.....

 

Son of Lassie has some great colour footage of RCAF Ventura`s, Kittyhawk`s and of course the Bolingbroke`s wearing an iffy representation of RAF Blenheim`s wearing TSS.......another one well worth looking up;

 

 

There is a Canadian company that sells excellent colour DVD`s featuring wartime colour film of RAF/ RCAF aircraft, some of which feature on U Tube too,...excellent stuff including Hurricane`s in Tunisia, Halifax over the UK, RCAF Canso, Dakota, Digby, Hudson and many more.

 

Cheers

             Tony

Edited December 11, 2016 by tonyot

[airjiml2]

The Captain of the Clouds Hurricane is most likely a Sea Hurricane from 118 Squadron, and it possible it was painted overall Extra Dark Sea Grey.  I need to find the time to dive into the 118 Squadron and Dartmouth diaries to see if more info can be gleaned from those sources.

 

Jim

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    Son of lassie was filmed at patricia bay, vancouver island as well.

    not sure where captain of the clouds was filmed

   cheers

      jerry

[RJP]

The bush pilot portion of Captains was filmed on Lake Nipissing at North Bay Ontario.  Ottawa had some scenes, outdoor stuff around Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier and the War Memorial.  Uplands made an appearance and so did Trenton and Jarvis.  I believe the ranges on Lake Erie (near Jarvis) were used for the bombing training scenes.  When James Cagney and Alan Hale reported to No 1 Manning Pool that really was the Canadian National Exhibition grounds with the grandstand visible in the background.

Edited December 11, 2016 by RJP