The sole American participant in the Dam Busters raid was Joe McCarthy, who traveled to Canada to enlist in the RCAF prior to his own country's entry into WW-II. McCarthy, who is barely mentioned in the film, became the pilot of the ONLY aircraft to succeed in bombing the third dam, called the Sorpe Dam. Although he did not succeed in breaching the dam he was awarded the DSO for his courage in persevering to attack the target on his own. McCarthy also remained with the squadron after the raid, taking part in numerous other dangerous missions, and became one of the few original Dam Busters pilots to survive the war. Equally unusual was that McCarthy remained in the RCAF after WW-II, became a Canadian citizen and eventually retired with the rank of Wing Commander. I presume that the reason that portion of the mission was completely omitted from the film was because the film focused on the experiences of Guy Gibson, who was not involved in that part of the operation.
Ken Brown RCAF and his crew also successfully bombed the Sorpe, he made numerous runs over the dam until the bomb aimer was satisfied the aircraft was in the correct position
A well crafted series with plenty of good clear stills. Subbed. Re the dog's name: why should current feelings about the word be pushed back into history to alter it. People can't learn from history if it is painted over with modern politics.
The guard who shoos away the black-lab-that-shall-not-be-named and returns to duty outside the door of the briefing room, when the squadron finally learn their targets, is Patrick McGoohan in his first (uncredited) cinematic role.
Quite right - that is addressed near the end of the review (along with the debut of Robert Shaw!) Interesting as someone just gave me the full set of McGoohan's Danger Man series as well.
"Top Gun: Maverick" uses the same plotline. Low flying aircraft to avoid radar and a designated target. I wonder what happened to Peter Jackson's planned"Dambusters" movie? To me the "633 Squadron" is the top war movie theme. The way they used staccato with the horn section for machine guns and the swirling of the violins for aircraft going down. Ron Goodwin at his best!
@@Vlad65WFPReviewsand @cliffedward I love many of Ron Goodwin's theme tunes, including 633 Squadron, my favourite is probably the theme from The Battle of Britain. However, while it was apparently not composed especially for the film, I think the Dam Busters March is one of the best movie themes ever. It has moments of dynamic action yet manages to capture the bomber-paced drama of determined steadiness as displayed in the film's climactic scenes, it also gives a sense of the cost of victory, loss, and remembrance rather than simply trying to thrill the listener. Secondly, in a personal observation, I have a copy of a 1962 recording of the tune by the band of the Grenadier Guards that includes a much longer introductory drum roll than that heard in the film and, to my ear, the kettle drum seems to be preceded by the exactly matching tone of a Lancaster in flight.
Hello from the UK. When this film is shown on TV here, the scene with the N word is not cut or over dubbed, but warnings are give n at the start and just before coming back from ads.
Thanks for the info. Sadly, the term is now super-charged over here, which makes it hard to see. I actually recall hearing this word growing up but didn't have a clue what it meant. I honestly understand the concern but it's a pity more can't see this great movie. Hope you enjoyed the review!
I watched this movie several times on the telly and always enjoyed it. I was fascinated with the science at the beginning, a great example of outside of the box thinking. Then the action part was also exhilarating. I did shed a tear when the dog dies though. I was young at the time so the dog's name went in one ear and out the other, it did not register with me at the time. The only thing that I found odd was how they filmed night scenes in the olden days, the long long ago, the before times, filming in daytime with a night filter. Back then, I always thought that they have really bright nighttime's in Europe. As always, you have again displayed your beautiful talent with your analysis and selection of a great British Movie from my youth. I look forward to your next project. Cheers Mate!
Thanks so much. Interesting how we all react to the death of a dog compared to over 1,500 deaths of crew and civilians - but that's always the case in movies and life, it seems. Yes, I recall "the word" when I was very young in school "eenie, meenie..." but I had no idea what it meant back then. I will probably only do 1 or 2 reviews a month going forward, to allow proper time for research and to try to keep up standards. Great hearing from you!
Well done. Just one point, though: RAF squadron numbers are spoken by enunciating the word for each number, ie Six-One-Seven Squadron. Apologies if this is brought up elsewhere in the comments.
Yes - that has been pointed out. Had I been an Air Force cadet instead of a Sea Cadet as a young Canadian, I would have known better. Thanks for watching.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews yep, the 6-17 is rather american. Jarring...but pretty good doco. In fact 617 missons following the da buster raid were as if not more significant.
The Ruhr dams were always priority RAF targets, so getting the project approved was not as difficult as the movie indicated, Harris was forced by his superiors to go along and Churchill was not involved. The spotlight triangulation scheme was borrowed from coastal command (who could not used it due to wave action), and it was tested on a runway, not a lake as in the movie. As explained in James Holland's excellent book (which also details the night of the attack from the horrified German defender's perspective), the attacks hindered production of Panther and Tiger tanks delaying Hitler's Kursk offensive to the Soviet's advantage. And the thousands of enslaved men needed to repair the dams before winter snows had to be pulled from the Normandy beaches, which is why Rommel was aghast to find how little had been done when he took charge near the beginning of 44, and the defenses were never fully completed, making things a lot easier for the Allies on D-Day. Why are the bomber pilots shown wearing oxygen masks when the mission was all low altitude? Opposite of how B-17 crews were typically not shown wearing the gear on high altitude missions in movies and TV shows.
Fascinating details. I seem to recall the actor playing Rommel complaining about the state of the coastal defences in the good but "flawed" Longest Day (no Canadian Juno Beach content).
A great doco about a great film! One minor criticism - The Squadron's name was, and still is, pronounced "Six One Seven" not "Six Seventeen". One extra fact that you could've included is that the raid brought about a change in Geneva Convention. It is now a war crime to bomb dams etc!
Yes, I wish I could update the Six One Seven issue - it has been noted. I now put the blame on being a Sea Cadet in my youth instead of the Air arm. Thanks for the info on dams, although I note the Kremlin ignored that about a year into the Ukrainian invasion.
Gibson was always getting a VC, as PR. But he earned it. After his bombing run, he turned round and escorted other bombers in to draw anti-aircraft fire.
I’ve been looking forward to viewing this review and you didn’t disappoint. I’ve watched this film many times, and I’ve no doubt that I’ll be viewing it again in the future. I’ve read a few books about 617 Squadron, Operation Chastise and the squadron’s war record. As you say Gibson was certainly not the all round good bloke portrayed in the film. The non commissioned aircrew hardly knew him. He could be quite harsh and judgemental. One example is that one of the aircraft on the raid sustained damage over the North Sea and had to return to base. Gibson accused the pilot of flying too low and wasn’t interested in hearing anything else. However, in fairness, Gibson was quite young for the rank of Wing Commander, and the responsibility must have weighed heavily upon him. As to the moral rights and wrongs of saturation bombing. I don’t think there is any moral high ground in war. If you are brought to war, you must prosecute it as effectively as you can in order to end it quickly and with as few casualties as possible. Afterwards you can pick at your moral scabs. Whilst I’ve heard and read much criticism of Bomber Command and Harris, I’ve not seen the same level of criticism directed at Goring and the Luftwaffe. Perhaps this self criticism is a luxury for the winners? The film is also available for streaming on Apple TV+. Thanks for this review, I enjoyed watching it.
Thanks, Roy. I appreciate your comments. I find Bomber Harris to be an interesting figure, though I am not as well read on Bomber Command as you seem to be. I was struck by the fact that he was reluctant to provide bomber support to hit railways and other strategic assets leading up to D-Day - though, of course, he ultimately had to do it. The Bomber Mafia book, which covers lots of ground, looks at how Harris acknowledged the Blitz had pull Britain together, yet he insisted that the bombing Germany could yield different results (which, of course, it didn't). The book is a very elegant read, based on a podcast, and can even be appreciated by non-history types. One other thing. I had a close relative who was a forced labourer from another country in Germany during the war, and they were subjected to an RAF bombing which I know had a long-term impact on them. But as you say, it's easy to cast stones many decades later while those at the time were fighting for survival in a conflict that claimed over 20 million souls.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I can’t imagine there being many things worse than suffering a bombing raid, and of course there was very little in the way of understanding and support for the survivors. I’ll look out for that book, hopefully the local library will be properly stocked.
@@royfernley3153 The book is a very quick read and far from a standard history. Meanwhile, knowing what my relatives endured, I am so grateful that I was "smart" enough to be born in North American as a boomer - I totally realize how fortunate I am but it also gives me a great respect for history. Always good to read your comments.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews thank you for your last comment. I enjoy your reviews and try to be constructive in the discussion. Keep up your good work, it’s certainly appreciated.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews a thought has just struck me when we consider Harris. The received wisdom and strategy of the 30s was “ the bomber will always get through”. The only counter to this was to build bigger and better bombers to deter an enemy. Between the wars the bulk of RAF budget went to Bomber Command. As late as 1937/1938 RAF Fighter Command flew open cockpit biplanes. The only unintended positive from the policy of appeasement was the time gained to order closed cockpit single wing fighters, and there were voices in the RAF opposed to this. In fact, single wing enclosed cockpit fighters, radar, the entire system by which Fighter Command faced the Luftwaffe in July 1940 were the result of a man who was unorthodox in his views and willing to embrace what might be referred to as WTF is he thinking. Whilst I cannot claim to be an expert on Harris’ career I do wonder if he had been so steeped in “the bomber will always get through” in the 1930s that it was almost impossible for him to change.
Some analysts consider the raid to be at least an indirect success. The repairs and improvements to the dams and their defences redirected a lot of resources (much of it slave labour used by the Organization Todt, Speer was in charge of Todt at that time, this explains his comment) from the construction of the Atlantic defences, thus they were not nearly as robust as they would have been should the raid have not taken place
Bomber Harris always seemed fixated on winning the war with his own bomber offensive and didn't even want to detach planes for missions supporting D-Day so it's not surprising he downplayed the effectiveness of the raid.
7:25 - During this scene, a black dog can be seen running across the fields behind Richard Todd. It's also well known; there were actually no dogs at RAF Scampton on the day this was filmed . . .
Quite a lot of the film was dramatic license . At the beginning Wallis never used a tin bath to calculate the speed etc to make the bomb work . That was all done at a government water tank , which later is depicted in the film. Again with Wallis , he never went out on the mud flats of Reculver lookinig for fragments. Gibson never picked the crews for 617 , squadrons were told to send their most experienced crews for special training , some used the opportunity to offload deadwood , as Gibson was to find out sending many packing. Gibson was an odd ball , born in India to British parents , He told comrades in 1940 when flying Hampdens , he would get the VC . His death was strange , he crashed his Mosquito into a low hill in Holland , It was thought that he prefered to go home on the deck , and misjudged it. The only Pilot he personally chose was S/L John Hopgood DFC & BAR a fellow pilot at 106 sq . Gibson picked him as his deputy . The American McCarthy was the only surving crew to reach his mission target , the others were all shot down crossing the coast at the wrong place. If the Sorpe Dam had been breached the damage to the German war industry would have been huge , Wrong type of bomb for an earthen dam , Wallis would later design a bomb that would have succeeded , the Tall Boy .
Ken Brown RCAF of the reserve formation successfully attacked the Sorpe. Sgt Anderson also of the reserve formation was detailed to bomb the Sorpe as well but due to being on of the last to take off found the target obscured by early morning mist and was one of two aircraft who returned with their bomb intact.
I have seen it on TV and its one of those Movies that sticks in my mind its as you say classic movie. Some time ago there was a TV commercial for beer I think the raid its self was a feature of the ad the bouncing bomb was replaced with a football and the German guard who is on patrol on the dam catches the bouncing/football to save the day.
Most interesting. I knew about the beer ads based on Ice Cold in Alex but, not living in the UK, I did not know about the Dam Busters ad. Perhaps I can find it online.
Szkoda że nie mogę znaleść tego filmu z polskimi napisami. To jest kawał historii i lotnictwa i II wojny i kina. Szkoda że taki klasyk musi być cenzurowany bo Amerykanom znowu coś się nie podoba. To stary film i jeśli jest w nim coś kontrowersyjnego to powinno być na początku emisji zastrzerzenie. Udawanie że w przeszłości było tak samo jak teraz to zwykłe fałszowanie historii i traktowanie ludzi jak skończonych idiotów. My w Polsce mieliśmy narzuconą przez Związek Radziecki cenzurę i dlatego jesteśmy tak wyczuleni na nią. Jakby powstał remake Dam Busters z 2024 roku to jak nabardziej można zmienić imię. Ale nie udawajmy że w latach II wojny światowej były identyczne obyczaje jak obecnie
Oh it's not just america but many woke countries. The UK is mainly at fault , it was a UK film. A film celebrating the ingenuity of Barnes Wallace and the heroic sacrifice of so many airmen to achieve a goal that they were given. They didn't choose that goal, but it was given. Such is war (before anyone kicks off, I did 26 and been in, how can I say it? Unfriendly places) The dog was called nigger, so what? Why change a classic film to conform to your norms that YOU think are relevant? Stop trying to change history! Stalin did a very good job of making people disappear and rewriting history, as did Hitler. So stop it or you will go the same way.
In war, you do something...or nothing. If you do something, you may win; if you do nothing you won't. Chastise wasn't the only collateral-damage mission...almost every bombing mission was. War is, at once, the most silly, childlike, asinine endeavour you can possibly think of......it is also the most necessary to avoid subjugation.
Well put. And I understand all too well - a family member was a forced labourer in a German factory which was bombed by the RAF in 1943 and it was very traumatizing. Today Putin is doing the same thing.
when looking at the cost of forming a special squadron - and taking them off other mission, it should be considered that the squadron went on to perform a number of specialist missions, most notably, the sinking of the Tirpitz
Yes Harris did come to the conclusion that having a Precision Strike Heavy Bomber Squadron to employ specialist weapons was actually a very good idea and that Wallis Heavy Bomb concept should be put on the front burner.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I remember towards the end of the 20th century quite a few people played down the significance of the raid saying its main success was just that it was a morale booster and little else because the damage was minimal and didn't harm the German industries very much at all. I think it was then that people started looking closer at its impact and it was found out that workers had been moved from the Atlantic defences to fix the dams, and so made Rommels plans for the defences take longer to complete. It's partly because of this realisation that the raid is rightly deemed to have been a massive success after all.
The Squadron became national heroes. Night low level flying can be very challenging. USN Aviator retired years ago. The British Air Force was "the " top notch Air Force in the world at that time.
I was recently watching The Battle of Britain and was impressed by some of the low-level work in that film, even a strafing attack before the first credits.
yes, thank you - that has been pointed out. I aimed for accurate written information but as a non-Brit didn't get that correct. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the presentation nonetheless.
Another great review, but I think you will find it said as, "six one seven." There is a brilliant video using Star Wars sound over The Damn Busters, on HenreyvKeiper channel.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. There were a lot of hard fact in this one which I aimed to get right , so if "six one seven" is the only massaged term, I will take it.
Hello , thank you for the very good video, to be correct 617 squadron should be be referred as 6-1-7 Squadron , each RAF Squadron as it its own method of identifying itself.
Thanks so much. Yes, the 6-1-7 issue has been mentioned. Well, this channel looks at British content from a North American perspective so I wasn't familiar with that approach.
It was great that Sean wanted to step away from Bond for a gritty drama. But the so-close yet so-far ending makes it just so painful and heartbreaking that it is hard to watch once you know what is coming.
There appeared to be five real Lancasters in the film, with only three of them flying. At this time, most of the RAF Lancasters were in poor condition and being scrapped, the ones in the film looked pretty moth-eaten. To me, some of the best parts of the film is during the training exercises, there are two scenes that are very evocative, one with an aircraft swooping up off the dam and up a hill, and the other, the trio of Lancasters flying into the Dawn (dusk?). There was a lot of realism in the film, such as the sound of the Merlins being pushed well past the limit into WER when trying to pull up before hitting the hills, and the one that didn't manage it. There is no proof that Gibson was shot down when flying the Mosquito, the wreck was exhumed and no combat damage was found. Also, it does not appear that the aircraft was directly at fault. One of the more likely explanations is; due to inexperience in flying the Mosquito of both Gibson and the navigator, they made a fatal error in operation of the aircraft. Although a great aircraft, you still had to have your wits about you when flying it. It may have been as simple as not operating the fuel changeover properly. We will never know.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews It is quite a good film, I have always liked it, I remember reading Brickhill's book just after I first saw the film, I was a teenager, um, quite some time ago. I think the film owes a lot to Brickhill's book. Brickhill also wrote the books "The Great Escape" and "Reach for the Sky". This is where the realism comes in, Brickhill was an Australian Spitfire pilot who went through the Empire Air Training Scheme, was shot down over North Africa, ended up in Luft Stalag III, and had a number of roles in the actual great escape, although he didn't go out - claustrophobia, I wonder, Charlie Bronson's role, hmmm. The only annoying part is the showgirl-spotlight part, which is pure fabrication, the 'Boffins' worked that one out. Anyhow, Barnes Wallis was, in many ways, the focus of the book, Brickhill spent some time with him. I believe Michael Redgrave spent quite some time with Wallis trying to get the character down. The book covered 617 to the end of the war, when 617 was dropping Wallis's camouflet (earthquake) bombs. The whole thing really didn't need any embellishment, the story stands on its own two feet. Such a treat to see those Lancasters, flying like that, 10 years after the war had ended, if the crew were WWII vets, I wonder what memories it brought back, if not vets, then a bit of derring-do was to be had.
@@robertnicholson7733 Yes, the largely straight-forward approach showed great respect for the mission and the sacrifices it required. Annoying the dog-name issue has made this film even harder to be shown on North American old movie channels.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Just to clarify. I grew up with The Dambusters. It would be on UK TV on Saturday daytime/ public holiday rotation with films like Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare through the 70s and 80s. Hearing the unexpected dog's name was a bit of a startling moment. I did rewind to hear if I'd heard wrong.
That's very unfortunate. You would hope that a number would be preserved for posterity. I recently received the new blu-ray transfer of Dam Busters and now need to get a new player to watch it - looking forward to it.
The lancs used in chastise were too heavily modified to be refitted to drop normal bombs, I expect they were not actually scrapped but reduced to workshopsalvage and parts like wings and engines reused on othe aircraft
Another great review Vlad! Interesting discussion regarding civilian casualties. My father would rarely talk about his time flying Lancs but when he did he would always speak of two things. One, the 'bouncing bomb'. I think he might have been a second stringer on this as he was strangely proud of it. Two, he would hang Bomber Harris out to dry as a butcher and a villain for incendiary bombings against civilians. Crews were sent out with industrial targets as 'primary' and civilian targets that were easy to locate in poor weather as 'secondary'. Of course the forecast for poor conditions over the primary target was already known so the load was dropped on people and firestorms were started. It was just a shell game to excuse slaughter.
TR, thanks a ton for your insights. I had no idea your father flew Lancs! His "been there, seen it" views on Harris carry a lot of weight. My close relative was in Braunschweig as a forced worker when it was bombed in 1944 - that, and Stalin's famine, left a lot of scars. Also, I wonder about your father's connection to Wallis' bomb. Truly glad you enjoyed the vid! Keep well!
Great video again Vlad, thank you. I think we have to remember that we are discussing a movie here which was made to entertain, it is not a factual documentary so criticising small inaccuracies isn't really fair of us to do. In relation to the "N" word, it is totally abhorrent today, I am old enough to remember it being commonly used and acceptable .We have come far in changing attitudes and behaviours, and need to go further and rather than hiding these unpleasant facts we should probably acknowledge and challenge them?
You are very welcome - and thanks for your comment. Of course it was more fun using the chorus line scene for the search lights, I simply wanted to flag that (and cleverly link it to Knute Rockne!) And yes, language evolves and can be hurtful so it is important to address it and change attitudes.
"Chastise" by Max Hastings (William Collins hardback, London 2019) is a no-punches-pulled account of the raid. It contains a story how a woman---long after 1943, and described as being considerably intimate with Gibson---observed that Micky Rooney would have captured Gibson's character more truthfully that Richard Todd did in the film. I once met Barnes Wallis. He seemed more of an edge to him than the slightly dreamy portrayal of him by Michael Redgrave.
Sir Tristram, I am most intrigued by the Rooney comparison. I am thinking she means his off-screen behavior which was often very difficult (eg multiple marriages) as opposed to his fun-guy movie roles. Also interesting you met Wallis and were able to get an impression of him. I didn't have a direct connection to this raid but my poor mother was a forced labourer in another German city which was bombed by the RAF in 43 and it was one of the experiences that negatively impacted her for life. Also tough to look at the footage of WW II bombed cities given what the Russians are doing in 2022.
One of my favourite all time movies. RAF Scampton is an iconic place. Richard Todd is just amazing, and I think he is simply playing himself in many movies. As a real time war hero, it comes naturally. My eldest brother was a recruit at RAF Scampton and was detailed to the upkeep of the dogs grave, which was still there the las time I visited.
We Brits and our Commonwealth cousins were so proud of what we did during these dark days. Now we are made to feel ashamed of ourselves.
The sole American participant in the Dam Busters raid was Joe McCarthy, who traveled to Canada to enlist in the RCAF prior to his own country's entry into WW-II. McCarthy, who is barely mentioned in the film, became the pilot of the ONLY aircraft to succeed in bombing the third dam, called the Sorpe Dam. Although he did not succeed in breaching the dam he was awarded the DSO for his courage in persevering to attack the target on his own. McCarthy also remained with the squadron after the raid, taking part in numerous other dangerous missions, and became one of the few original Dam Busters pilots to survive the war. Equally unusual was that McCarthy remained in the RCAF after WW-II, became a Canadian citizen and eventually retired with the rank of Wing Commander. I presume that the reason that portion of the mission was completely omitted from the film was because the film focused on the experiences of Guy Gibson, who was not involved in that part of the operation.
Ken Brown RCAF and his crew also successfully bombed the Sorpe, he made numerous runs over the dam until the bomb aimer was satisfied the aircraft was in the correct position
A well crafted series with plenty of good clear stills.
Subbed.
Re the dog's name: why should current feelings about the word be pushed back into history to alter it. People can't learn from history if it is painted over with modern politics.
The guard who shoos away the black-lab-that-shall-not-be-named and returns to duty outside the door of the briefing room, when the squadron finally learn their targets, is Patrick McGoohan in his first (uncredited) cinematic role.
Quite right - that is addressed near the end of the review (along with the debut of Robert Shaw!) Interesting as someone just gave me the full set of McGoohan's Danger Man series as well.
John Fraser played Hoppy Hopgood whose Bomb Aimer was called John Fraser.
"Top Gun: Maverick" uses the same plotline. Low flying aircraft to avoid radar and a designated target.
I wonder what happened to Peter Jackson's planned"Dambusters" movie?
To me the "633 Squadron" is the top war movie theme. The way they used staccato with the horn section for machine guns and the swirling of the violins for aircraft going down. Ron Goodwin at his best!
@@cliffedward yes, great theme. I have listened to bands playing it on RUclips
@@Vlad65WFPReviewsand @cliffedward I love many of Ron Goodwin's theme tunes, including 633 Squadron, my favourite is probably the theme from The Battle of Britain. However, while it was apparently not composed especially for the film, I think the Dam Busters March is one of the best movie themes ever. It has moments of dynamic action yet manages to capture the bomber-paced drama of determined steadiness as displayed in the film's climactic scenes, it also gives a sense of the cost of victory, loss, and remembrance rather than simply trying to thrill the listener. Secondly, in a personal observation, I have a copy of a 1962 recording of the tune by the band of the Grenadier Guards that includes a much longer introductory drum roll than that heard in the film and, to my ear, the kettle drum seems to be preceded by the exactly matching tone of a Lancaster in flight.
Hello from the UK. When this film is shown on TV here, the scene with the N word is not cut or over dubbed, but warnings are give n at the start and just before coming back from ads.
Thanks for the info. Sadly, the term is now super-charged over here, which makes it hard to see.
I actually recall hearing this word growing up but didn't have a clue what it meant. I honestly understand the concern but it's a pity more can't see this great movie. Hope you enjoyed the review!
I recently saw the film on British TV where the dogs name was dubbed in as "Blackie".
I watched this movie several times on the telly and always enjoyed it. I was fascinated with the science at the beginning, a great example of outside of the box thinking. Then the action part was also exhilarating. I did shed a tear when the dog dies though. I was young at the time so the dog's name went in one ear and out the other, it did not register with me at the time. The only thing that I found odd was how they filmed night scenes in the olden days, the long long ago, the before times, filming in daytime with a night filter. Back then, I always thought that they have really bright nighttime's in Europe. As always, you have again displayed your beautiful talent with your analysis and selection of a great British Movie from my youth. I look forward to your next project. Cheers Mate!
Thanks so much. Interesting how we all react to the death of a dog compared to over 1,500 deaths of crew and civilians - but that's always the case in movies and life, it seems. Yes, I recall "the word" when I was very young in school "eenie, meenie..." but I had no idea what it meant back then. I will probably only do 1 or 2 reviews a month going forward, to allow proper time for research and to try to keep up standards. Great hearing from you!
Well done. Just one point, though: RAF squadron numbers are spoken by enunciating the word for each number, ie Six-One-Seven Squadron. Apologies if this is brought up elsewhere in the comments.
Yes - that has been pointed out. Had I been an Air Force cadet instead of a Sea Cadet as a young Canadian, I would have known better. Thanks for watching.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews yep, the 6-17 is rather american. Jarring...but pretty good doco. In fact 617 missons following the da buster raid were as if not more significant.
@@connell212 thanks, though I am not "American"
The Ruhr dams were always priority RAF targets, so getting the project approved was not as difficult as the movie indicated, Harris was forced by his superiors to go along and Churchill was not involved. The spotlight triangulation scheme was borrowed from coastal command (who could not used it due to wave action), and it was tested on a runway, not a lake as in the movie. As explained in James Holland's excellent book (which also details the night of the attack from the horrified German defender's perspective), the attacks hindered production of Panther and Tiger tanks delaying Hitler's Kursk offensive to the Soviet's advantage. And the thousands of enslaved men needed to repair the dams before winter snows had to be pulled from the Normandy beaches, which is why Rommel was aghast to find how little had been done when he took charge near the beginning of 44, and the defenses were never fully completed, making things a lot easier for the Allies on D-Day.
Why are the bomber pilots shown wearing oxygen masks when the mission was all low altitude? Opposite of how B-17 crews were typically not shown wearing the gear on high altitude missions in movies and TV shows.
Fascinating details. I seem to recall the actor playing Rommel complaining about the state of the coastal defences in the good but "flawed" Longest Day (no Canadian Juno Beach content).
A great doco about a great film!
One minor criticism - The Squadron's name was, and still is, pronounced "Six One Seven" not "Six Seventeen".
One extra fact that you could've included is that the raid brought about a change in Geneva Convention. It is now a war crime to bomb dams etc!
Yes, I wish I could update the Six One Seven issue - it has been noted. I now put the blame on being a Sea Cadet in my youth instead of the Air arm. Thanks for the info on dams, although I note the Kremlin ignored that about a year into the Ukrainian invasion.
Gibson was always getting a VC, as PR.
But he earned it. After his bombing run, he turned round and escorted other bombers in to draw anti-aircraft fire.
Bravery and dedication.
Well I like UK filmsv
I’ve been looking forward to viewing this review and you didn’t disappoint. I’ve watched this film many times, and I’ve no doubt that I’ll be viewing it again in the future.
I’ve read a few books about 617 Squadron, Operation Chastise and the squadron’s war record. As you say Gibson was certainly not the all round good bloke portrayed in the film. The non commissioned aircrew hardly knew him. He could be quite harsh and judgemental. One example is that one of the aircraft on the raid sustained damage over the North Sea and had to return to base. Gibson accused the pilot of flying too low and wasn’t interested in hearing anything else. However, in fairness, Gibson was quite young for the rank of Wing Commander, and the responsibility must have weighed heavily upon him.
As to the moral rights and wrongs of saturation bombing. I don’t think there is any moral high ground in war. If you are brought to war, you must prosecute it as effectively as you can in order to end it quickly and with as few casualties as possible. Afterwards you can pick at your moral scabs. Whilst I’ve heard and read much criticism of Bomber Command and Harris, I’ve not seen the same level of criticism directed at Goring and the Luftwaffe. Perhaps this self criticism is a luxury for the winners?
The film is also available for streaming on Apple TV+.
Thanks for this review, I enjoyed watching it.
Thanks, Roy. I appreciate your comments.
I find Bomber Harris to be an interesting figure, though I am not as well read on Bomber Command as you seem to be. I was struck by the fact that he was reluctant to provide bomber support to hit railways and other strategic assets leading up to D-Day - though, of course, he ultimately had to do it.
The Bomber Mafia book, which covers lots of ground, looks at how Harris acknowledged the Blitz had pull Britain together, yet he insisted that the bombing Germany could yield different results (which, of course, it didn't). The book is a very elegant read, based on a podcast, and can even be appreciated by non-history types.
One other thing. I had a close relative who was a forced labourer from another country in Germany during the war, and they were subjected to an RAF bombing which I know had a long-term impact on them. But as you say, it's easy to cast stones many decades later while those at the time were fighting for survival in a conflict that claimed over 20 million souls.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I can’t imagine there being many things worse than suffering a bombing raid, and of course there was very little in the way of understanding and support for the survivors.
I’ll look out for that book, hopefully the local library will be properly stocked.
@@royfernley3153 The book is a very quick read and far from a standard history.
Meanwhile, knowing what my relatives endured, I am so grateful that I was "smart" enough to be born in North American as a boomer - I totally realize how fortunate I am but it also gives me a great respect for history. Always good to read your comments.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews thank you for your last comment. I enjoy your reviews and try to be constructive in the discussion. Keep up your good work, it’s certainly appreciated.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews a thought has just struck me when we consider Harris. The received wisdom and strategy of the 30s was “ the bomber will always get through”. The only counter to this was to build bigger and better bombers to deter an enemy. Between the wars the bulk of RAF budget went to Bomber Command. As late as 1937/1938 RAF Fighter Command flew open cockpit biplanes. The only unintended positive from the policy of appeasement was the time gained to order closed cockpit single wing fighters, and there were voices in the RAF opposed to this. In fact, single wing enclosed cockpit fighters, radar, the entire system by which Fighter Command faced the Luftwaffe in July 1940 were the result of a man who was unorthodox in his views and willing to embrace what might be referred to as WTF is he thinking. Whilst I cannot claim to be an expert on Harris’ career I do wonder if he had been so steeped in “the bomber will always get through” in the 1930s that it was almost impossible for him to change.
Some analysts consider the raid to be at least an indirect success. The repairs and improvements to the dams and their defences redirected a lot of resources (much of it slave labour used by the Organization Todt, Speer was in charge of Todt at that time, this explains his comment) from the construction of the Atlantic defences, thus they were not nearly as robust as they would have been should the raid have not taken place
Bomber Harris always seemed fixated on winning the war with his own bomber offensive and didn't even want to detach planes for missions supporting D-Day so it's not surprising he downplayed the effectiveness of the raid.
Great review, one of my favourite movies. I did not realize 1/4 of the air crew were Canadian, wish they could have highlighted that a bit more.
7:25 - During this scene, a black dog can be seen running across the fields behind Richard Todd.
It's also well known; there were actually no dogs at RAF Scampton on the day this was filmed . . .
What about Guy Gibson's dog, N/@gg@r ?
Quite a lot of the film was dramatic license . At the beginning Wallis never used a tin bath to calculate the speed etc to make the bomb work . That was all done at a government water tank , which later is depicted in the film. Again with Wallis , he never went out on the mud flats of Reculver lookinig for fragments.
Gibson never picked the crews for 617 , squadrons were told to send their most experienced crews for special training , some used the opportunity to offload deadwood , as Gibson was to find out sending many packing. Gibson was an odd ball , born in India to British parents , He told comrades in 1940 when flying Hampdens , he would get the VC . His death was strange , he crashed his Mosquito into a low hill in Holland , It was thought that he prefered to go home on the deck , and misjudged it.
The only Pilot he personally chose was S/L John Hopgood DFC & BAR a fellow pilot at 106 sq . Gibson picked him as his deputy .
The American McCarthy was the only surving crew to reach his mission target , the others were all shot down crossing the coast at the wrong place.
If the Sorpe Dam had been breached the damage to the German war industry would have been huge , Wrong type of bomb for an earthen dam , Wallis would later design a bomb that would have succeeded , the Tall Boy .
Ken Brown RCAF of the reserve formation successfully attacked the Sorpe. Sgt Anderson also of the reserve formation was detailed to bomb the Sorpe as well but due to being on of the last to take off found the target obscured by early morning mist and was one of two aircraft who returned with their bomb intact.
I have seen it on TV and its one of those Movies that sticks in my mind its as you say classic movie.
Some time ago there was a TV commercial for beer I think the raid its self was a feature of the ad the bouncing bomb was replaced with a football and the German guard who is on patrol on the dam catches the bouncing/football to save the day.
Most interesting. I knew about the beer ads based on Ice Cold in Alex but, not living in the UK, I did not know about the Dam Busters ad. Perhaps I can find it online.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I think the brand of the beer was "Carling Black Label".
Szkoda że nie mogę znaleść tego filmu z polskimi napisami. To jest kawał historii i lotnictwa i II wojny i kina. Szkoda że taki klasyk musi być cenzurowany bo Amerykanom znowu coś się nie podoba. To stary film i jeśli jest w nim coś kontrowersyjnego to powinno być na początku emisji zastrzerzenie. Udawanie że w przeszłości było tak samo jak teraz to zwykłe fałszowanie historii i traktowanie ludzi jak skończonych idiotów. My w Polsce mieliśmy narzuconą przez Związek Radziecki cenzurę i dlatego jesteśmy tak wyczuleni na nią. Jakby powstał remake Dam Busters z 2024 roku to jak nabardziej można zmienić imię. Ale nie udawajmy że w latach II wojny światowej były identyczne obyczaje jak obecnie
Oh it's not just america but many woke countries. The UK is mainly at fault , it was a UK film. A film celebrating the ingenuity of Barnes Wallace and the heroic sacrifice of so many airmen to achieve a goal that they were given. They didn't choose that goal, but it was given. Such is war (before anyone kicks off, I did 26 and been in, how can I say it? Unfriendly places)
The dog was called nigger, so what? Why change a classic film to conform to your norms that YOU think are relevant? Stop trying to change history! Stalin did a very good job of making people disappear and rewriting history, as did Hitler. So stop it or you will go the same way.
In war, you do something...or nothing. If you do something, you may win; if you do nothing you won't. Chastise wasn't the only collateral-damage mission...almost every bombing mission was. War is, at once, the most silly, childlike, asinine endeavour you can possibly think of......it is also the most necessary to avoid subjugation.
Well put. And I understand all too well - a family member was a forced labourer in a German factory which was bombed by the RAF in 1943 and it was very traumatizing. Today Putin is doing the same thing.
I would also recommend Reach for the Sky 1956 movie for those who haven't seen it :)
Mr. More directed by Lewis Gilbert - how could it go wrong? Thanks for the suggestion.
Leggless Bader was a bigger shit than Gibson.
This movie always remind me the video game on C64 in the 80s..
when looking at the cost of forming a special squadron - and taking them off other mission, it should be considered that the squadron went on to perform a number of specialist missions, most notably, the sinking of the Tirpitz
Yes Harris did come to the conclusion that having a Precision Strike Heavy Bomber Squadron to employ specialist weapons was actually a very good idea and that Wallis Heavy Bomb concept should be put on the front burner.
Europe
The dam repairs were given high priority and significantly reduced the Atlantic Wall preparations before D-Day.
I had not heard that but it makes sense. Great post!
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I remember towards the end of the 20th century quite a few people played down the significance of the raid saying its main success was just that it was a morale booster and little else because the damage was minimal and didn't harm the German industries very much at all. I think it was then that people started looking closer at its impact and it was found out that workers had been moved from the Atlantic defences to fix the dams, and so made Rommels plans for the defences take longer to complete. It's partly because of this realisation that the raid is rightly deemed to have been a massive success after all.
The Squadron became national heroes. Night low level flying can be very challenging. USN Aviator retired years ago.
The British Air Force was "the " top notch Air Force in the world at that time.
I was recently watching The Battle of Britain and was impressed by some of the low-level work in that film, even a strafing attack before the first credits.
Its 617 (six , one , seven ) Squadron not 6-17.
yes, thank you - that has been pointed out. I aimed for accurate written information but as a non-Brit didn't get that correct. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the presentation nonetheless.
Another great review, but I think you will find it said as, "six one seven." There is a brilliant video using Star Wars sound over The Damn Busters, on HenreyvKeiper channel.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. There were a lot of hard fact in this one which I aimed to get right , so if "six one seven" is the only massaged term, I will take it.
Hello , thank you for the very good video, to be correct 617 squadron should be be referred as 6-1-7 Squadron , each RAF Squadron as it its own method of identifying itself.
Thanks so much. Yes, the 6-1-7 issue has been mentioned. Well, this channel looks at British content from a North American perspective so I wasn't familiar with that approach.
Another very good film to review is The Hill starring Sean Connery.
Brutality in the British Army.
It was great that Sean wanted to step away from Bond for a gritty drama. But the so-close yet so-far ending makes it just so painful and heartbreaking that it is hard to watch once you know what is coming.
There appeared to be five real Lancasters in the film, with only three of them flying.
At this time, most of the RAF Lancasters were in poor condition and being scrapped, the ones in the film looked pretty moth-eaten. To me, some of the best parts of the film is during the training exercises, there are two scenes that are very evocative, one with an aircraft swooping up off the dam and up a hill, and the other, the trio of Lancasters flying into the Dawn (dusk?).
There was a lot of realism in the film, such as the sound of the Merlins being pushed well past the limit into WER when trying to pull up before hitting the hills, and the one that didn't manage it.
There is no proof that Gibson was shot down when flying the Mosquito, the wreck was exhumed and no combat damage was found. Also, it does not appear that the aircraft was directly at fault. One of the more likely explanations is; due to inexperience in flying the Mosquito of both Gibson and the navigator, they made a fatal error in operation of the aircraft. Although a great aircraft, you still had to have your wits about you when flying it. It may have been as simple as not operating the fuel changeover properly. We will never know.
Thank you for all that information! I liked the fact they did not use music to "juice up" the very serious business of the historical raid.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews It is quite a good film, I have always liked it, I remember reading Brickhill's book just after I first saw the film, I was a teenager, um, quite some time ago.
I think the film owes a lot to Brickhill's book. Brickhill also wrote the books "The Great Escape" and "Reach for the Sky". This is where the realism comes in, Brickhill was an Australian Spitfire pilot who went through the Empire Air Training Scheme, was shot down over North Africa, ended up in Luft Stalag III, and had a number of roles in the actual great escape, although he didn't go out - claustrophobia, I wonder, Charlie Bronson's role, hmmm.
The only annoying part is the showgirl-spotlight part, which is pure fabrication, the 'Boffins' worked that one out. Anyhow, Barnes Wallis was, in many ways, the focus of the book, Brickhill spent some time with him. I believe Michael Redgrave spent quite some time with Wallis trying to get the character down. The book covered 617 to the end of the war, when 617 was dropping Wallis's camouflet (earthquake) bombs.
The whole thing really didn't need any embellishment, the story stands on its own two feet. Such a treat to see those Lancasters, flying like that, 10 years after the war had ended, if the crew were WWII vets, I wonder what memories it brought back, if not vets, then a bit of derring-do was to be had.
@@robertnicholson7733 Yes, the largely straight-forward approach showed great respect for the mission and the sacrifices it required. Annoying the dog-name issue has made this film even harder to be shown on North American old movie channels.
There is also a credible theory that Gibson's Mosquito was shot down by the rear gunner of a Lancaster who mistook his plane for a Ju88 night fighter.
If you have watched these WFP videos and enjoyed them, please remember to SUBSCRIBE to get notifications of new videos and to support this content.
I happened to watch this the other day and the fact I was watching the American dub explains a lot.🤣
@@deadkennedy9140 interesting. How do you mean?
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Historically inaccurate dog's name
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Just to clarify. I grew up with The Dambusters. It would be on UK TV on Saturday daytime/ public holiday rotation with films like Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare through the 70s and 80s. Hearing the unexpected dog's name was a bit of a startling moment. I did rewind to hear if I'd heard wrong.
Great review on DB. Enjoyed that thanks
Thanks so much - glad people are still enjoying the reviews.
This is my all time favourite film the Lancaster's are wonderful, sadly after this film was made the planes were taken away to be scrapped, sacrilege!
That's very unfortunate. You would hope that a number would be preserved for posterity. I recently received the new blu-ray transfer of Dam Busters and now need to get a new player to watch it - looking forward to it.
There's one in Canada in flying condition.
The lancs used in chastise were too heavily modified to be refitted to drop normal bombs, I expect they were not actually scrapped but reduced to workshopsalvage and parts like wings and engines reused on othe aircraft
Another great review Vlad!
Interesting discussion regarding civilian casualties. My father would rarely talk about his time flying Lancs but when he did he would always speak of two things.
One, the 'bouncing bomb'. I think he might have been a second stringer on this as he was strangely proud of it.
Two, he would hang Bomber Harris out to dry as a butcher and a villain for incendiary bombings against civilians. Crews were sent out with industrial targets as 'primary' and civilian targets that were easy to locate in poor weather as 'secondary'. Of course the forecast for poor conditions over the primary target was already known so the load was dropped on people and firestorms were started. It was just a shell game to excuse slaughter.
TR, thanks a ton for your insights. I had no idea your father flew Lancs! His "been there, seen it" views on Harris carry a lot of weight. My close relative was in Braunschweig as a forced worker when it was bombed in 1944 - that, and Stalin's famine, left a lot of scars.
Also, I wonder about your father's connection to Wallis' bomb.
Truly glad you enjoyed the vid! Keep well!
Great video again Vlad, thank you.
I think we have to remember that we are discussing a movie here which was made to entertain, it is not a factual documentary so criticising small inaccuracies isn't really fair of us to do. In relation to the "N" word, it is totally abhorrent today, I am old enough to remember it being commonly used and acceptable .We have come far in changing attitudes and behaviours, and need to go further and rather than hiding these unpleasant facts we should probably acknowledge and challenge them?
You are very welcome - and thanks for your comment. Of course it was more fun using the chorus line scene for the search lights, I simply wanted to flag that (and cleverly link it to Knute Rockne!) And yes, language evolves and can be hurtful so it is important to address it and change attitudes.
Way!!!!
Thanks. I hope you enjoy some of the other history film reviews here too
"Chastise" by Max Hastings (William Collins hardback, London 2019) is a no-punches-pulled account of the raid.
It contains a story how a woman---long after 1943, and described as being considerably intimate with Gibson---observed that Micky Rooney would have captured Gibson's character more truthfully that Richard Todd did in the film.
I once met Barnes Wallis. He seemed more of an edge to him than the slightly dreamy portrayal of him by Michael Redgrave.
Typo: He seemed TO HAVE more of an edge...
Sir Tristram, I am most intrigued by the Rooney comparison. I am thinking she means his off-screen behavior which was often very difficult (eg multiple marriages) as opposed to his fun-guy movie roles. Also interesting you met Wallis and were able to get an impression of him.
I didn't have a direct connection to this raid but my poor mother was a forced labourer in another German city which was bombed by the RAF in 43 and it was one of the experiences that negatively impacted her for life. Also tough to look at the footage of WW II bombed cities given what the Russians are doing in 2022.
One of my favourite all time movies. RAF Scampton is an iconic place. Richard Todd is just amazing, and I think he is simply playing himself in many movies. As a real time war hero, it comes naturally. My eldest brother was a recruit at RAF Scampton and was detailed to the upkeep of the dogs grave, which was still there the las time I visited.
Germans never said sooty I'm a rurapian so I no