Heads Up...UK members, TV show on Monday 29th

[PADDY]

Guys...

Looks like an interesting show on Monday night in the UK where a modern day RAF crew, plus some civvies who had WW2 relations serving as bomber crews, learn to fly a WW2 Lancaster bomber and go through all the training...etc.

No idea what it will be like, but the premise is pretty good!

Enjoy it if you manage to see it!

 

[MikeyB17]

Hi Paddy, yep, saw the ad for that-I shall be watching, looks good. Paddy, please go and join in the 'If you can pick one girl' thread in 'The Golden Era' and post your pic of Carole Landis in the A-2-I've been dying to but didn't think I'd better half-inch your pic out of the VLJ files! How are you doing, BTW?

 

[PADDY]

Hiya Mike, good to hear from you...

Funny you mentioned Carole, as I was just about to load her up! she seems to have that 'gal next door' look that I like. There's another girl, who I think is pretty well unknown outside of the 30's, but just seems to catch my eye.

The bod is healing by the way. Police have arrested a guy in Sunderland and putting pressure on him to talk and drop the other assailants in it. But I'm not holding my breath for that to happen, to be honest. Things physically are getting better, I notice little improvements now, so that's all well and good I guess.

Hope you are well and that the winter weather hasn't set in on Cornwall too early into the season! I might be going to a wedding in Penzance in February by the way!

 

[MikeyB17]

Well, what did you think?

I always have a bit of a problem with programmes like this, because they're never going to find out what it was really like to fly in a WWII bomber-they're never going to get shot at! Nevertheless I enjoyed it-anything on terrestrial television about WWII aviation is better than nothing! All I can say about it is-LUCKY SODS! For the benefit of those in the US who won't know what we're on about, the show takes five people whose grandfathers were WWII aircrew, three of them pilots, and put them through training to try and show what it was like to fly bombers during the War. They get to train on Harvards (AT-6 Texans), what I think is a Beech 18 and the B-17 Sally B!! The winning pilot gets to fly the Lancaster, and the 5 of them take various roles on a simulated mission. this week they all got to fly in the B-17 and climb all over the Lancaster. What wouldn't I give to be able to do that! Of course the training is all very laid-back and civilised with none of the Wartime military discipline that real aircrew were subjected to! Still as I said it's all quite entertaining , and I shall be watching again next week. One of the 'trainees' Grandfather was a pilot on Mosquitos-flew a lot of missions, I forget how many, until his undercarriage collapsed on takeoff, the aircraft caught fire and his Navigator dragged him out just before the bomb load went up! Not surprisingly he didn't want to fly Mossies again after that, in fact he never flew again. Stories like that make it worth watching. Oh, and the Instructor has a horrible modern cut A-2 with nose art all over it!

 

[Matt Deckard]

You are right. We will never really know the daily grind of those men who risked their lives and saw their own friends shot from the sky. As long as the stories are told we can remember if not relive what they went through. My interest in the subject is just being ignited.

 

[PADDY]

Keeping history alive via TV..

The plus point of it (no matter what bits make you cringe as being overly cheesy and playing to the cameras), is that it may just ignite interest in this era for some young person, who hadn't given it much of a thought before hand.

Looks more promising than the TV series "Spitfire" where they were getting trained up in a twin cockpit spit. That programme just didn't do it for me at all, and I see that even the spin off book is knocked down in price in the bookshops now!

 

[MikeyB17]

You are quite right of course

It's also easy to forget that these programmes are aimed at the general public, not the likes of us who know all there is to know about WWII (or like to think we do ). If it stimulates interest, great.

 

[Wild Root]

Hey guy's I know what you all mean! I love history and I am always wanting to talk to any Vet that I come in contact with! I love the stories! Wile most of my Gen, sit there and nod and wait for the perfect time to bail out. Such ill manners for our Vets!

Any way, Paddy, like your self, I like Carole Landis! She was really hot! To bad that she died young. Sad story about that young lass. Here is a super web site that I'm sure you and others will enjoy!

http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/cl/clx5.htm

It's nothing but Landis! Color and B/W.

Root.