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Quote:
" Colin and Ewan McGregor follow up their BBC One “BATTLE OF BRITAIN” with a film exploring BOMBER COMMAND, a rarely told story of WW2. The film will focus primarily on the men who fought and died in the skies above occupied Europe - with numerous examples of individual heroism and extraordinary collective spirit.
But its also a story of a controversy that has lasted almost 70 years. The programme covers six years of wartime operations, and traces the obstacles, and challenges, that were overcome as the RAF developed and deployed the awesome fighting force that was Bomber Command."
Occasionally during the summer we get WW2 aircraft fly over BonC, in fact a couple of Summers ago I witnessed the Lanc take off from Southend (just across the estuary) and climb (gain altitude) and arc to the right over the country park , with a clear blue sky as a backdrop, boy, what a rush...
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Its a mustnt miss for me too, Stoo, what a wonderful sight and sound that plane is, brings a lump to the throat for sure.
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this could be worth watching ,...~
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sounds good Stoo.
I've just finished reading max Hastings' history of Bomber Command, so I'll try to catch this program.
I rememeber the Shackleton's flying along the coast on their patrols when I was a boy, and this morning I saw a Lockheed Electra fly over. Can't resist running out of the house when I here the sound of propellers.
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One of the few occasions I miss having a telly...
I can recomend two books for those who haven't already bought them...
Bomber Flight Berlin: Mike Rossiter - Corgi
Lancaster: Leo McKinsky - John Murray (???)
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And I'd recoomend 'Bomber' by Len Deighton. Absolutely rivetting, as is the Radio 4 adaption of it.
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Another book is The Dam Busters, by Paul Brickhill. This describes a Lancaster squadron's attack on dams in an industrial area in Germany and also many other missions which were just as dangerous or unusual.
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Have just remembered, one of that squadron's commanders was Leonard Cheshire.
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The whole history of bomber command is shrouded in myth and mystery. When you read into it, my Lord it's an eyeopener on the attitudes of the time.
Everything from the tactics to the people that flew to those who's cities were quite literally taken off the map.
It's good that the crews of bomber command are finally getting some recognition but in our politically correct day's some are going to be very upset by what they would perceive a "celebration". Each to their own that's a seperate argument.
The Lancaster was an amazing machine but we should also respect the crew of the "Hampden, Whitley,Wellington, Halifax and Stirlings as well as some of the lesser known light bombers that also gave their lives...
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Living in Lincs I guess we are rather spoiled. Seeing and hearing the the Arrows on practice sorties and the BBMF is quite commonplace.
I once nearly had an accident on my bike - too busy looking skyward to see what the arrows were doing. For many years my house was on the return flightpath to Conningsby and Id regularly see and hear the Lanc. Its a noisy beast yet a strangely comforting sound.
As a friend wryly remarked ,'not if you lived in Dresden'
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The guys at Hanger 11, North Weald Airport (not far from here) have an impressive collection that still regularly fly...A Mk11 Spitfire (only airworthy example), Hurricane Mk2B, P51D Mustang and finally a Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk.
I've been up close to Lanc NX611 at East Kirby, Lincolnshire, indeed I was allowed to take a picture of my bike under the cockpit, then later that day they fired it up for a taxi-run...Superb!
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Those four merlin engines in unison are indeed a unique and comforting sound, thats for sure.
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Lol l wonder if they'll feature the Avro Manchester (Good pub quiz question this one) who's failure in service nearly had the Lancaster project cancelled...
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I saw the Lancaster being flanked by the Spitfire and Hurricane at Waddington last year. Wonderful to still see them in the skies.
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If you want a truly awesome experience you want to get to East kirkby when they do the night run Stoo. Ive been several times for the day shows but had never seen a night taxi run. We were doing an Afghan Heroes fundraising stall at the bonfire night event last year and it was totally fantastic to see and hear. A gang of young blokes from down your way were dressed in bomber crew uniform and giving a talk - sadly I was too busy to listen but my god they looked the part.
I would not be exaggerating one bit if I say my blood ran cold that night. With the roaring of the plane and the 'crew' mooching round it was just so authentic Take away the visitors and we might have been back in the 1940s
BBMF is worth a visit. During the summer months you can only visit mon- fri as they do shows at the weeekend
Lincs Aviation Heritage Centre also worth a visit - loads of special events through the year
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jeeze, i so hope I have reception by then. I couldnt get the rugby today because of the snow.
when i worked down in Newport a guy had spent seven + years rebuilding one and flew it up to farnborough past my building. I ran the length of the building looking out of the window and pointing. nobody else was in the least bothered.
I also went to the largest display of airborne spitfire since the war at duxford... wonderful ... they had two wellington there as well . they flew past in formation spits and the two wellington.. I misted up...
I have never seen a sunderland in the air tho. (the flying boat)
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stoo where you are I assume that you see that two seater spitfire flown by.. cant remember her name, it was built by her husband and she finished it off when he died... its regularly in the air in east anglia.
also up in Norfolk lives the guy who built the strap on plane used in the bond film... he flies it near Denham in the summer months.
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If anyone is interested the Fleet Air Arm museum is fascinating too, its off the A303/A30 in Somerset.
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Yeah I was an excellent day out at East Kirby, one I won't forgert in a hurry...Alas the taxi-runs have to be pre-booked and at the time (2003-4) they were £150.00+ per person, which is a bit salty even for my taste, but 1-day...
Some of the locals here got brassed-off at the noise the Vulcan Bomber XH558 flew over BonC last May for the Southend airshow, yeah it was noisy, and that's saying something seeing as I lived under the approach-path for Heathrow and put up with Concorde for years, but the sight & sound of the Vulcan was awesome.
There's a regular on here who's name escapes me that worked with Vulcans, I wouldn't mind buying him a beer or two some day (if he'll agree) in exchange for a few of his memorys.
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" cant remember her name "
Carolyn Grace (widow of Nick Grace) who converted the plane, which is based at Duxford, serviced at Bentwaters (where Top-Gear is filmed) I believe.
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Be lots of planes this summer at the Cleethorpes airshow
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yes, that's the lady. its a nice part of the world. I used to run a pub at Linton.
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Just emailed details of this to my dad, thanks for posting.
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I'm a great fan of the Lancaster Bomber, and Spitfire too - I should be as I was Lancaster born and bred!
I have some videos of them doing flypasts at Morecambe-on-the-mud, which used to be a regular feature every year for a while until the accountants took control of our public pleasures!
I don't know whether its just childish hero worship, historical indoctrination, or what, but I do believe there is something majestic about those two machines!
Jason.
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the lancaster,spitfire,and hurricane,did a few laps round at woodvale rally at southport last year,hope so this year,the sight and sound was brilliant,got a video of them overhead,a sight for sore eyes i tell you
..was magic..:),one of my greatest wish is to go up in a spitfire,dont think that will ever happen,but can dream? cant i :)
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