Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow

[John in Covina]

I am sure the Totenkopf scientists were able to get the jump on that industrialist bad guy as they were working since WWI.

 

[Silver Dollar]

What in the world are you talking about?lol

Just one of those weird goggle facts.

 

[MisterCairo]

This is one of those movies I think I will and should love, but am afraid to see lest it disappoint. I should rent it, what'll I lose, $3 and 90 minutes?!

 

[Edward]

 

[John in Covina]

I have to say I enjoyed it, but know people that were not enamored with it at all. look at the discussion of Public Enemies and you will see some of the most stratified comments of any film you could imagine.

I find that for a film to not be enjoyable to me it really has to be pretty bad. I try to come in with little to no expectations and let the film unfold and entertain me. I try not to take it apart as it goes.

There are a number of films that I have never seen simply because the overwhelming, gushing adulation of the fans makes it so I cannot disconnect my expectations to view it and few films can hold up to the expectations I have for these. I try to think of Ed Wood who said something along the lines of "I always applaud at the end of a film because I know how hard the work was to bring it to the screen."

 

[Silver Dollar]

I just found some information (new to me) that gives credence to Sky Captain flying with Chennault in the late 30's. The group was called the 14th Volunteer Bombardment Squadron and it's considered the first type of volunteer group that went to China in 1937. The group consisted of foreign pilots, many who were American and Chinese gunners. There were some fighters used but they were old like the Pea Shooter and Curtiss Hawks. Wouldn't it be weird if they found some Nazi documents and blueprints for big flying robots?

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I just found some information (new to me) that gives credence to Sky Captain flying with Chennault in the late 30's. The group was called the 14th Volunteer Bombardment Squadron and it's considered the first type of volunteer group that went to China in 1937. The group consisted of foreign pilots, many who were American and Chinese gunners. There were some fighters used but they were old like the Pea Shooter and Curtiss Hawks. Wouldn't it be weird if they found some Nazi documents and blueprints for big flying robots?

SD & FL'rs - here is that infor on the 14th:

Brief History of the 14th Volunteer Bombardment Squadron:
Organized under Chennault's leadership in the autumn of 1937, the 14th Volunteer Bombardment Squadron (which some sources refer to as the International Air Squadron) was the first predominantly American volunteer combat group in China. Chennault's pilot roster never numbered more than a dozen, even counting the odd French or Australian adventurer who occasionally would show up. The hard core of the 14th VBS pilot cadre consisted of James W.M. Allison, a veteran of fighter operations in the Spanish Civil War, Billy MacDonald, Luke Williamson, and George Weigle all of whom were handpicked by Chennault. Most of the rest who scrambled to join up in the 14th were not of the same high caliber. Its commander was an American WWI veteran, Vincent Schmidt, and its air gunners and ground staff were Chinese. The squadron's equipment was equally cosmopolitan: Vultee V-11 and Northrop 2E light bombers, a couple of Martin 139 medium bombers, an armed Bellanca 28-90 racing plane, and a pair of Dewoitine D-510 fighters.

The combat history of the 14th is described only in pilot diaries. The 14th Squadron's Northrop bombers carried out some of China's first offensive actions when they bombed Japanese lines on August 14, 1937. One surviving account records that the 14th was in heavy action during the winter of 1937-1938. On Feb. 27, 1938, Vultee and Northrop bombers attacked Japanese troops and convoys in the vicinity of Loyang on the Yellow River. After bomb release, the formation's gunners administered a heavy strafing to troop concentrations near boats drawn up on the shore, apparently in preparation for a river crossing.

Although the combat history of the 14th was short, it was intense. In the five months the outfit was a formal entity, one pilot recorded that he flew 116 sorties, which included 28 bombing missions and 15 night missions. Most of these missions were to targets in northern China and involved round-trip flying times as high as nine hours. Bombers weren't very fast in those days.

The 10th Squadron under the command of Vincent Schmidt and manned with non-Soviet volunteers (including several Americans) received Vultee V-11s during January. The 14th VBS was stationed at Hankow in 1938 at the same time as a large Soviet contingent. The Soviet commitment in China consisted of twin-engine Tupolev SB-2 bombers and Polikarpov I-15 biplane and I-16 monoplane fighters. In January 1938 Japanese aircraft repeatedly conducted attacks on Nan Ning. On one occasion five V-11 light bombers rose to intercept Japanese bombers and shot down two aircraft, losing their own aircraft No. 507. Western pilots also served on Hawk IIIs at Hanchow (4th Wing) and on D-510s at Kunming.

The 14th VBS was disbanded March 22, 1938, and, though it was gone, some of its pilots soldiered on in China. A letter written by Chennault records that, on April 29, 1938, his pilots participated with Soviet airplanes and pilots in an action that enticed the Japanese to fall into a trap prepared long in advance. It must have been some fight since eight enemy bombers and 13 fighters went down, accompanied by the loss of nine CAF fighters. Pilots of two of those nine CAF aircraft bailed out safely and two others made successful forced landings. This "fur ball" included 60 fighters in the Chinese force against 12 bombers and 25 fighters in the Japanese force.

-dixon 'sky captain' cannon

 

[Wally_Hood]

Kudos for the amazing research, DC.

But just how possible is it that Kerry Conran had this background in mind when he used references to the Flying Tigers in his story line?

But wait, the whole movie is in a sort of alternate universe, so maybe the AVG were active in the thirties in Sky Captain's world... if we're going to allow gigantic flying robots to tear up NYC streets, and zeppelins to dock atop the Empire State Building, then fudging with facts in a historical timeline is completely acceptable.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hey Dixon, that's the exact reference I was talking about. It's right off the good ol' Google. When I came up with the info, I was speaking more tongue in cheek than in actual historical references. The similarities here are coincidental. Also, the Empire State Building was originally built as a Zeppelin dock. It just didn't work.