Nightbombers film- WW2 colour film of Lancaster operations, maintenance, bomb loading, briefing etc

[Troy Smith]

Just ran across this on Youtube

 

 

 

Quality is OK,  if of particular interest,  seek out the DVD, as it is shaper in picture quality.  . The commentary is OK, but has errors.    I remember this being shown in the late 70's or early 80's on TV, it was only then the material was declassified! this from an Amazon review of the DVD

 

"The wartime colour film of Lancasters used in in this now re-mastered DVD is the only known to exist. It was de-classified under the "Thirty Year's Rule" in 1978 and so was not available for use in earlier documentary programmes such as "The World At War". Since release, parts of the film have appeared in other Video/DVD's and used on TV. For example, footage was shown by BBC TV last December in their "RAF at 90" programme.

Viewed as a whole, the film reflects a full day of activity at a front line RAF Bomber Base. It shows ground crew changing a Merlin engine, replacement of a rear turret with twin 0.50 inch machine guns rather than four 0.303 inch guns and then the fuelling and bombing up of aircraft. Bombs of various sizes are shown being manhandled on to trolleys then moved by tractor from the bomb dump to have fuses attached before being taken to aircraft and winched up into the bomb bay. Aircrew are shown being fully briefed and getting into flying gear prior to taking off "for a mission to Berlin". The latter section appears "staged" but still reveals what it was like to be in a Lancaster and the near impossibility of getting out if an aircraft was hit by shell or cannon fire from anti aircraft guns or night fighters.

The quality of the footage is astonishing given that the bulk was filmed using a 16mm camera. The interior shots of a fully operational Lancaster (and perhaps the reason for the ban on release until 1978) show the use of all the electronics that became available later in the war for navigation and early warning of night fighter attack.

The commentary is informative and the DVD also has some wonderful extra's that highlight the life of the late Air Commodore H I Cozens who made the film at his own initiative in 1944. In doing so, a moment of history was preserved for those involved and for future generations."

 

 

Shot in late 44, on 16 mm colour, this is the only lengthy piece of colour film of an RAF bomber base.

It is for the modeller an information fest,  as it has maintenance and bombing, as well as ground checks.  

 

if you right click a YouTube clip, you get a 'copy video URL at current time" which take you to a specific point

 

this,  shows the rear fuselage interior to be aluminium, note the grey green at turret doors

https://youtu.be/xAztJVoBTKE?t=1695

 

in the shot of the filled bay , note the mix load of British and US bombs

https://youtu.be/xAztJVoBTKE?t=1007

 

replacement of rear turret with the Rose turret with 2 x0.50 guns

https://youtu.be/xAztJVoBTKE?t=127

 

interesting section on FIDO , Fog Intensive Dispersal Operation,    with troughs of burning petrol....

https://youtu.be/xAztJVoBTKE?t=3036

 

but there is much more,  an entire book of details in this film,  in colour, if someone wanted to do the relevant screenshots and captions. 

 

Finally, This is a screenshot off the DVD,  if anyone wants idea of the clarity upgrade in comparison,  showing a refueller in SCC15 with a micky mouse disruptive in SCC14 black I believe,  the colours being the purpose of this image originally.  Note also the lighter colour of the canvas cab roof.

 

 

[Mancunian airman]

I personally thanked Iffie Cousins for making this film for my generation and for those future ones.

I had a long chat with him at a squadron reunion at Hemswell about the film and although most of it was filmed at Hemswell, Elsham Wolds and Ludford Magna (FIDO) are also included . . . .

[Pete in Lincs]

4 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

Elsham Wolds and Ludford Magna (FIDO)

I didn't know that. Thanks. Elsham is now the home of Pipers crisps, BTW

[sprue]

am I correct in thinking that the 500lb bombs are American type?

[Troy Smith]

4 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

I had a long chat with him at a squadron reunion at Hemswell about the film

any detail you may remember would be of great interest here. 

5 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

I personally thanked Iffie Cousins for making this film for my generation and for those future ones

I would as well.   It is a fascinating time capsule, and for the modelmaker has so many details. 

 

Note, the Lancaster landing via FIDO is  from 101 Sq,  it's just possible (on the DVD at least) to see the SR codes. 

1 minute ago, sprue said:

am I correct in thinking that the 500lb bombs are American type?

the ones with the square fin are, the circular fin are British,  I did mention the mixed loads , this is link to time of the filled bomb bay.

5 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

in the shot of the filled bay , note the mix load of British and US bombs

https://youtu.be/xAztJVoBTKE?t=1007

 

but they are seen being taken from the bomb dump, not also the different colours of the various bombs.

[BobCNutt]

There's a section of this film which is almost certainly staged. 

 

One of the flight-planning staff is doing a pencil and paper calculation while smoking a cigarette with a mug of tea at his desk.

 

The narrator remarks how such tasks require incredible concentration as the man absent-mindedly taps the ash off his cigarette into his mug of tea. He then takes a swig of the tea, grimaces at the taste and then the scene cuts to something else. 

 

Made me chuckle. 

 

[Ossington 2]

I watched the Youtube version in full just a couple of weeks ago. It kept appearing as a 'watch me' for weeks, for some reason. I occasionally gave it a few minutes of my time before eventually running it through from start to finish. I am so glad it survived long enough to appear on TV in the 70's. I wished such documentaries were common-place as "Memphis Belle" was. How criminal to consider all film recording at the time as tantamount to spying. The comentary I thought was particularly crisp and matched the visuals quite well.

It did repeat something that was 'common knowledge' when I was growing up, that the Germans were unable to replicate a pink pansy. Odd, how a country with a better chemical industry than ours could not soak cotton waste in potassium permaganate and ignite it convincingly. Was this genuinely so, or just something to make the crews feel better, like scarecrows? 

[brewerjerry]

Hi Troy

             many many thanks for posting the link,

    i have been trying to find a copy for months

 

     eventually hopefully i have a dvd coming from Oz 

 

  meanwhile i have this to watch 

 

   cheers

      jerry

[SafetyDad]

Thanks Troy for this. I had seen parts before, such as the changing of the rear turrets, but not the complete film.

As others have said, how fortunate that this film has survived. Very evocative in terms of recreating the feel of those times

 

SD

[Coors54]

This film is also available on Amazon Prime, I watched it a couple of weeks ago.