Jump to content

617 Dambuster film accuracy


One 48

Recommended Posts

On 02/04/2022 at 01:09, Jo NZ said:

The original film was made at MGM studios, Borehamwood (Elstree). Model Lancasters ran down a wire to drop their bombs into a water tank. I'm told that this rig was right beside Elstree Way, so easy to see.

Peter Jackson, AFAIK, won't make the movie if the name of the dog is changed...

The water tank (also used to film Moby Dick, India Jones and others) has gone now and was replaced with the Big Brother House 😟 . If you watch the scene where Wallis is testing explosives against scale model dams, there is a row of trees in the background. Those trees are still there and I can see them from my house.

https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/4448083.tanks-for-the-memory/

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The original design was definitely spherical - being based on tests done at the Kingston water tank which used spheres of various sizes (starting with marble and golf balls). In the end, the spherical casings tended to disintegrate and it was found that the "mine" bounced just as effectively as a cylinder. 

 

Smaller versions of the bomb, such as Highball, retained the spherical shape.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ironically the Germans had an intact bomb for examination the next day after the raid - one of the Lancs (Burpee's I think) came to grief in Holland and the bomb was salvaged and examined. The details were still classified when the 50s film was made.

 

SD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/12/2022 at 12:29 PM, Jure Miljevic said:

Hello Justin

The dog's name was also a code word for breaching the Möhne dam. I think Stephen Fry changed it into Digger in a script for the mentioned remake. Cheers

Jure

Oh yes, I'd forgotten that. Makes it slightly more tricky! 

 

Pity that the film, from what others have said here, looks to be stalled, perhaps permanently. I see elsewhere on BM however that a Mr J Travolta, an American gentleman as I understand, is working on a film of Frederick Forsyth's The Shepherd. If that goes well perhaps that will help other British-flavoured projects.

 

Justin

Edited by Bedders
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are the pics I promised of Barnes Wallis and his autograph dated 16th October 1967!

 

kEUGV2.jpg


IIQfuS.jpg

Front cover of the book. its a bit loose but all still complete.

I am now considering parting with it .

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...