Hi there
I only saw this film once many years ago. I think I remember seeing what looked like helicopters being used by the RAF at the very end of the film. I didn't know that helicopters were used by either the allies or the axis during 1944. I did know the Germans invented the first properly working model in 1938. What model were the helicopters that appeared at the end of the movie? And were they accurate for 1944?
"Be seeing you!"
No6.
The only working helicopters in WWII were crude, experimental ones developed by the Germans. The one in the movie was an anachronism, the British had nothing like that until the 1950's.
shareThink you are wrong on this one,if you look up helicopter history on the internet you will see that the Americans built SIKORSKY x R4 helicopters from 1942 and used these in the Burma/India theatre of world war 11 in 1944.
The British RAF used a later model of this called the SIKORSKY R4B called the HOVERFLY.
I agree that the early use of helicopters by the allies was small scale,the machines were weak and unreliable,but they did exist.
The use of the helicopter in the film is pointless and probably historically wrong,a beautiful flying boat would have been more realistic.
Agreed, but more difficult and expensive to use in the movie. The helicopter was a neat idea by the film maker.
shareWrong. America used Sikorsky R-4s in the China-Burma-India theater in early 1944. They were used as rescue craft , medical evac and for ferrying supplies. The Brits didn't start training helicopter pilots until '45, so they wouldn't have been flying them in early '44.
The Germans used the Flettner Fl 282 beginning in 1942 for much the same duties.
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The vehicle at the end of the film is not a Helicopter. It's an Autogyro. A Widgon G-ANLW to be exact. Here's a picture for you.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=104120
It's the craft standing in the background. In fact, it is exactly the same Widgon G-ANLW that appeared in the film.
Intreresting...but that is a helicopter, not an autogyro.
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Somewhat bizarrely,the helicopter (and it IS a helicopter, NOT an autogyro) is a 1955 Westland Widgeon, but with a false nose added to make it look like an earlier Westland Dragonfly/Sikorsky S-51 of 1950 which of course would still be incorrect for a film set during WW2.
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And the 'Jeep' in this film is in fact a German-made DKW Munga first produced in 1956 - and he didn't have any war-time headlamp covers fitted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKW_Munga
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