The War Lover part 1, all war no love

[mvies77]

I suppose a huge airplane that drops bombs and shoots bullets could make Steve as happy as driving a muscle car. Interesting aeronautical scenes. Never saw this movie before. Thanks for posting.

[KB4QAA]

Wow, Steve McQueen agreed to do a movie without a muscle car or a motorcycle? Incredible. :)

[barbra271]

Thanks for posting!!

[johosjokers]

Current issue of 'after the battle' has good write up on this movie

[RM4FS]

One year before Steve Mc Queen became a fighter pilot as Hilts The Cooler King in The Great Escape

[thegoosebrain]

I was born in the wrong era.

[m9078jk3]

The Engine starting sequence is wrong.Number 3 engine is started first.

[irish89055]

@m9078jk3 that's what I thought. My father, a B-17 pilot said the generator was there but I've seen some restored Forts on here starting up otherwise..

[m9078jk3]

@irish89055 Your father also was a B-17 Pilot (Aircraft Commander) too (just like mine).Lucky kid.

[russlander227]

"Listen you...when you've made a bomb big enough to kill Rixon, come back and blow up the world!"

[carrick58]

I always wanted to cut down this one. good job

[SlotraceDK]

Great movie about a B-17 BG!!

[kasparthedman]

most of the allied fighter planes did not have the range that the b17 and b24s had, so they could not escort them all the way to the target. only the p51 and its external fuel tanks could. other fighters would eventually become escorts later in the war, as fighter bases were built in france and belgium

keep in mind this film is about bombers in the early part of the war, when the p51 was not yet in mass production

[irish89055]

@kasparthedman P-51's were in production but it was drop tank development for 51's and P-47's that gave them the range..

[kasparthedman]

@irish89055 i know. i said that.

[whiskeyify]

they flew in tight formation, if one plane was hit and was not able to keep up then it was tough luck for that crew.

[whiskeyify]

what no fighters along side? usually the B-17's had fighters that would fly along with them to protect them from zeros and german fighters.

this must be when they were making high altitude bomb runs. They often missed their target or maybe could not see it. Later on they changed tactics and did low altitude bombing.

[MrSulake]

Allies didn't have a fighter capable of escorting B-17's all the way to the target until p-51 became available in quantity.

[whiskeyify]

I seem to remember reading fighters didn't have the range so they could only fly escourt part way.

but the P-51 did?

[MrSulake]

Well, P-38 could act as an escort, but there just wasn't enough of them. Also they were large with 2 engines so it took more resources to build than the P-51.

Also it's important to remember that even if P-51 is seen as the top fighter of WW2, the plane that had most kills in the European campaign was the P-47 AKA "The Jug".

[MrSulake]

@whiskeyify True, the fighters before P-51 did not have the range for deep penetration missions over Europe. Even the P-51 had to operate in waves. As one wave ran out of fuel due to weaving around the slow bombers, another group would take their place. So no mater when the Luftwaffe hit them, the P-51 pilots had 20mins or so of fuel left to dogfight. You could say that the P-51's are the granddaddies of the modern finger four formations.

[whiskeyify]

my best friend's dad flew in B-17's. he was shot down over Germany and was a POW for 4 years.

Probably one of Steve's best films, he's a loner and a troubled person on the ground, but in the air he's a first rate pilot.

[brokencasket]

beautiful aircraft and nice shot of the Bofors AA.....thanks for posting.

[jerryaltman]

This film was restored and colorized in High Definition more 5 years ago. But the colorized HD versaion was never realised on DVD or whatever.

[cosmicdingo]

Interesting character study. McQueen is an excellent pilot who's also a psychopath. What do you do?

[winterover79]

If you want a little more information about the planes they are mentioned in a couple of books by Martin Caidin. Ghosts of the air and Flying Forts.

[smgjerald]

Great movie, strange i havent seen this as i tend to watch every war movie i come across..

Now if someone could make a movie about "old 666".. Has that been done, couldnt find anything.

[Andypilot333]

RAF Bovingdon, south west of Hemel Hempstead. Used in '633 Squadron' the following year and 'Mosquito Squadron' in 1968, and 'Hanover Street' in 1978.

[TJDOZIER1]

Fuddy Duddy is alive and well. She now resides at the Lyon Air Museum at John Wayne Airport in Calfornia. Fuddy Duddy also appeared in the movie, "Tora, Tora, Tora". #44-83563 did not see combat but served as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's aircraft when he toured the pacific. Also at Lyon Air Museum is a B-25, A-26, 2 C-47's and a DC-3. One of the C-47's saw combat as a troop drop ship for the 101st Airborne Division on D-day,

June 6th, 1944. The museums A-26 served with the French in Indochina.

[Deadsurfr]

Must say, probably my favorite WW II movie about flying and B-17's. Didn't go too much into the whole propaganda thing (guess cause it was after the war) but seemed more realistic

[infantedelara]

Hi, Kevlar727, can you tell something about the history of the film "Memphis Belle". Wich is the origin of the B-17 bombers that appear in the film?

[Andypilot333]

Memphis Belle was 1989, and featured several B-17's. F-BEEA and F-AZDX came from France, Sally B G-BEDF from UK, and N17W and N3073G from the USA. Initial filming took place at Duxford (as a flying base for the 'fighter' shots) then the main set was RAF Binbrook, but during a takeoff here F-BEEA swung off and crashed and was destroyed by fire. The crew extracted themselves unhurt.

[iesvilaseca]

Good information. Thanks

[cosmicroy]

Buzz rickson my main man !!!

[Kevlar727]

The producers did a good job rehabbing and putting 3 old war horses back in their old fighting colors. This film was made in the early 1960's and the aircraft had been sitting in the bone yard for 15 years or so. Everything looks G.I. except the top turrets, not even close, and the chin turrets. Sad to say only one aircraft survived. After filming, one flew back to the states to promote the film, the other two were broken up for scrap.

[1339LARS]

What´s wrong with the chin turett? The topturret may be a bit high. But what the heck, a great movie all in all!

[freiherrudet]

Damn fine movie. I toured Fuddy Duddy years ago and was told by a crewmember it was the one used by Steve McQueen in this film.

[hibob418]

If you can find it, Martin Caidin's book, "Everything but the Flak," chronicles the finding and refitting of 3 B-17's, and then ferrying them across the Atlantic to England to make this movie. Watch, and you'll never see more than 3 bombers in the same shot while on the ground. Thanks for the post.

[hibob418]

If you can find it, Martin Caidin's book, "Everything but the Flak," chronicles the task of finding and refitting 3 B-17's and ferrying them across the Altlantic to England to make this movie. When you watch, you'll never see more than 3 bombers together in any shot on the ground.

[utubeworms]

Who does number 2 work for?

[RMCDOXX00]

Thanks for this mate, cheers :P

[fordroad]

The procedure to start a B17 I do not thank so, Steve McQueen in a good but not great role.

[thegoosebrain]

Its a movie for god sake! Ever hear of time limits?