Lancaster
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- 125,000 men volunteered to fight for RAF Bomber Command during World War II. 55,573 never returned.
From the dusky English coast to the flak filled night skies of war-torn Europe, 'Lancaster' tells the story of a young bomber crew as they fly one final daring night raid over occupied France in the face of insurmountable odds.
‘Lancaster’ explores the human, personal experience of the war that raged in the skies during WWII, the reality of the bravery and fear, the indiscriminate nature of combat and the impact on the individual.
From award-winning director Philip Stevens and award-winning producer Tom Walsh, ‘Lancaster’ is a powerful and moving portrayal of the courage and sacrifices of the men who took to the air in the name of duty during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War.
Written and Directed by Philip Stevens
Produced by Tom Walsh
Director of Photography - Stewart MacGregor
Production Designer - Amy Nicholson
Editing and VFX - Tom Walsh
Music - Lee Gretton
Sound Design & Mixing - Chris Hainstock
Colourist - Boyko Stankov
Executive Producers - Sam Wardhan & Lorrie Stock
Boy - Lincoln Cupples
Pilot/Skipper - Mark Burman
Bomb Aimer - Philip Stevens
Flight Engineer - James Richards
Navigator - Joe Richardson
Wireless Operator - Lewis Gemmill
Mid Upper Gunner - Giles Kristian
Rear Gunner - William Clayton
Eleanor - Kirsty Averton
Just had me in tears~ I lost my dad over Harburg, Nov 11,1944, in Lancaster DX-H 57 Sqd. He was the rear gunner. What stunned me was that in the movie the Rear Gunner was nicknamed Titch, the same as my dad, The real shocker was to hear another says his wife was Maisie, my mothers name! I lost it right there. I have often visited "Just Jane" at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage museum while attending 57 Squadron Reunions from the USA! Wow did this bring it home again! It looked like the gentleman that spoke at the end was wearing a 57 Sqd Lapel pin, can anyone confirm please. A wonderful tribute and so well done, Thanks to all involved in this wonderful production!
My God, how heartbreaking. One day I pray we will all be united in peace and there will be no more loss of precious lives.
I'm so sorry for your loss. It must have deeply affected your life, I can not imagine your loss or pain.
Your father was a good man, you should be proud to be his son mate.
The comments here sound so staged , its just like hassbar shills, 😊
War is shit.😢
My Dad was a tail gunner, I have his log book, 300 miles on one engine, shot up by FW, etc, He was an Irish volunteer, ended up in the RCAF, flew one tour and a bit, a stint in the pathfinders, etc, came home to Ireland and treated as less than dirt. The tried for a time to talk about it but none was interested. Lest we forget!
I salute your Dad.
My great uncle survived the war flying as a wireless operator, my uncle died in the rear turret of a lancaster, I joined in 76 till 85 and this really moves me because I know that I could never be as brave as these men. Never forget.
My father flew the Lanc on many dangerous missions over the Atlantic into battle with the enemy. Thankfully he survived. 🇬🇧
Honour our heroes.
my dad was a twenty year old navigator on halifaxes in the later parrt of the war when their odds were a little better , a mixed crew of aussies and poms. no safe spaces ove the night skies of germany. will a always be my hero . RIP. luv u dad. so happy to come across this , the tears are pouring out as i write this.
Bill Hunter my wife's uncle was mid upper gunner in 466 Squadron. Killed on bombing raid to Magdeburg Germany.
Well said Bill, we had many Aussies,Kiwis, Poles, Canadians and Rhodesians and South Africans at the airfields around where I lived in Britain, all fighting for the same cause. We should thank all these amazingly brave individuals. Terry Offord
to me they were all heroes, amazing how all the different commonwealth nations flew in the crews
Bill, my Dad was also a navigator on Halifaxes. He was born in 1912, and was definitely one of the older members of aircrew. He did 32 trips [actually 34 but trips to the French coast were only counted as half a trip]. He survived.
My granddad was also a 20 year old Halifax MkIII crewman in the later stages of the war- 1944 onwards with 578 Squadron based at Burn in Yorkshire, with a Canadian bomber squadron. He was the signaller. Thank God for all the heroes from around the Commonwealth who took up arms alongside our grandparents. May their sacrifice never be forgotten.
Most of the crews were barely out of their teens, yet proved themselves to be men of the highest order. I am humbled at their selflessness.
You call these men of the highest order? I don't see how cowardly blowinf up cities and people from the air is in any way glorious.
@@removankebabzic887
When you learn how to spell feel free to get back to me.
In the meantime why don't you educate yourself and learn who started this carnage.
Here's a hint, it wasn't the British.
@@davewilson9772 In my little village in the Netherlands we have 4 British airman buried at the graveyard. They got shot down in 1940 close to my home in a Handley Page Hamden , every 4th of May ( our memorial day ) we honor them for giving their lives for our freedom. they were all in the early 20s
@@bertstokroos6138 That's why I have a problem with the above video. The pilot looks like he's over 40. Rarely were they over 30. Bad casting.
All wars are bankers wars , international zionist bankers the Rothchilds declared war on Germany in 1933 after Hitler took back control of the German central bank from rothchilds and locked one up ( Kennedy was about to take back the federal reserve from international zionist bankers), because hyper inflation was making Germans walk with a wheel barrow full of paper money to buy a loaf of bread , do some research try Churchills " zionism vs bolshevism " or Henry Ford's " The International Jew " then just research Rothchilds front man George Sorros who's, funding NGOs like IsraAid and then just listen to Barbara Lerner Spectre, also research the USS Liberty ect .
My uncle volunteered and completed 32 Ops as a Navigator in a Lanc. My Dad said he was never the same afterwards, he wouldn't drive at night for example. An intensel private and quiet man, he never, ever discussed his wartime experiences. He died in his 60's. I loved him.
My Uncle Billy flew the Lancaster's as well as other bombers in WW2. He was 20 years old at the time. He made it home in one piece. He was a patriot and a gentleman. RIP Ernest William
My Dad and Granddad were both RAF.
The lads that went up in those tin cans, getting strafed and and taking flack. No idea if this was the last mission, where they give all they have to give.
Nerves of steep. Greatest generation!
An excellent film, my thanks to the writer, director and everyone involved with making it. My Dad, Gordon Craig, was Flight Engineer with Lancaster C-Charlie, 44 Squadron, RAF Waddington. They were shot down over Osnabrück on 6th October, 1942 - two crew lost, the rest taken prisoner. My Dad went to Stalag Luft III, then after several escape attempts he was moved to the harsher Stalag VIIIB in Upper Silesia. With the advancing Eastern Front, the guards used their prisoners as human shields and forced them in freezing conditions onto what became known as the Lamsdorf Long March, or as he always called it, the Death March. They were being held in a marshalling yard on the outskirts of Dresden during the awful firestorm, which they witnessed at close range. He told me that they all cheered at first as the Allied bombers appeared, but fell silent as the full horror of the raid became apparent.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this. There are so many remarkable stories. Incredible for their bravery, resilience, triumph and indeed horror. It’s so important that these stories remain alive. And important to remember that these soldiers were so often boys being sent to war with no control or real understanding of the reasons for going or the terror they were to face. Thank you.
Well done film. For those who have actually been in combat, they recognize the detachment of the crew to the danger they face. It is testament to their courage and their dedication that they flew into battle night after night doing their jobs with professionalism and energy. Thank you, Royal Air Force, for your service and your sacrifice. I agree with the previous comment. This deserves a full feature treatment.
My father was a country yokel from Hinderwell , North Yorkshire and went to join the R.A.F. at Binbrook as a teenager where he was trained as a wireless operator /air gunner on Lancasters other wise known as a WOP/AG . He met my mother at Grimsby . The last words I ever heard him say was that he has a WOP/AG on Lancasters whilst some youth made fun of him at Princess of Wales Hospital , Scartho , Grimsby after he had a heart attack ! Next thing I got a phone call from the hospital to say he had passed away ! Only 57 ! So proud of his service !
My Dad was a Navigater on Lancastors in WW 2 ;- they sure had guts to do what they did.. He survived the War and Died in 2004, R. I. P Dad..
Mine too. I wish he was still here.
My father was an instrement mechanic on Lancasters.
He loved that aircraft and especialy the brave crews that served on them .
He lost many friends ,,, " Over There " !
Canada.
My dad was a Lancaster pilot in WWII. He also in the 1970s/80s played bass and drove the van for my rock band. He would often move his head in a circle whilst driving and then suddenly display a grimace on his face. Another guitar player and me worked out that he was unconsciously looking for Messerschmitts but then his conscious mind would kick in and create a conflict - thus the grimace. So 30 or so years on that dreadful experience still effected him.
I am a volunteer at the Commemorative Air Force in Mesa AZ where we are so fortunate to have TWO B17G pilots still with us Every Saturday. They both flew 25 or more missions over Europe and take precious tome at their age (98 and 100) to spend with visitors and tell stores about their experiences. God Bless their humble dedication 🙏 thank you for sharing your stories!
I have had the privilege of meeting a Lancaster pathfinder navigator who flew 35 missions, he was so humble. he received the DFC but said he was just doing his job. RIP Don Cruden.
My best friends father was transferred from the Infantry to the RAF to be a rear gunner in a Lancaster because of the heavy losses of bomber crews. He survived the war but suffered from " nerves" for the rest of his life.
My father was a navigator in the RCAF and finished his tour on August 8th, 1944 which was also his birthday. He was 24. He was awarded the DFC.
My father flew 57 missions in the second world war and died this week aged 97
Nick Taylor I am sorry for your loss I’m sure he was a great man
Thank you for his service he's a hero among many others
Rest in peace sir
I wish you long life and the blessing of happy memories.
my grandfather Sgt A.J. Laney was at normandy beach, got shot 8 times and kept going. he died in 95.
Here in France we know how high has been the price paid by the RAF to free France. As a former NCO of the French Air Force, I salute each and all of those who have fought and died for our freedom.
Thank you. My dad always felt bad about bombing France, but he saw it as one of the ways to flush out and drive back the Germans in order to end a war. Unlike many (mostly post War generation with connections with the Army) he never called the French cowards, but quietly said being occupied is an unpleasant experience (he was a master of the British understatement), and we should not judge people trying to survive. RIP Dad.
I recently discovered my great uncle who I was told was lost is actually buried in a French cemetery. Thank you to your country for looking after him and his crew. It means a lot.
While serving in the Royal Navy I was assigned to H.M.S. Mersey, a Royal Navy Reserve minesweeper for special exercises. After, three minesweepers went to St. Malo, north France and spent a week there. I went to a quiet bar by myself one evening and started talking to the owner/bartender, a lady of about 40 years of age. During our talk, I noted a Croix de Geurre propped up on the bar. I mentioned that and she told me the story of how she had been part of the French Resistance and she told me that many people in St. Malo had done the same. Many people, especially the great unwashed in England, poo-pah the bravery of the French during WWII. While talking to her, a few others came in the bar and they had also been in the Resistance. I learnt many things from them, especially that they appreciated what the British did to help them during the war, and their disdain for many of the French politicians during the war who mainly did nothing to help their war effort and that included de Gaulle who they considered as a runaway because he went to England and really did nothing to help them, only himself.
'nuf sed
Thank you !!
Both my Grandfathers were with the BEF & evacuated at Dunkerque . Both of them told me the French Army fought like lions to hold back the germans . Even tho they knew they were on a loser. So a force could get back to the UK & regroup. Then eventually liberate France & the rest of occupied Europe . The French are far from pushovers & despite our history & differences.. They remain one of our biggest allies to this day.
“When you go Home, tell them of us and say,
For your Tomorrow, we gave our Today”
We will remember!!
Agreed more stories and movies need to be told about the RAF crews in WWII.
There is still so many untold acts of bravery and heroism that are not known, so important to get the stories from these vets before they leave us. I was stationed in the UK with the USAF and had the awesome opportunity to meet and talk with aircrew vets and normal citizens who lived through the blitz on the ground. I salute my RAF brothers in the sky and on the ground.
Cheers Lads
Whoever the Producer and Director of this short film is should seriously think of producing a full length film! The filming, framing, costuming and atmosphere is done so very well!
Remarkable short film. There are surviving recordings of Lancaster crews made during their missions, and the actors in this short sound exactly like them. Very casual and laid-back, very matter-of-fact, like they're commenting on a cricket match as opposed to a situation in which their lives could end at any moment. They sound unflappable. This is an excellent recreation.
All air crews were volunteers, if they showed the slightest bit of fear/ nerves or refused to fly they were convicted of LMF (lack of moral fibre) stripped of their rank and sentenced to 2 years hard labour for cowardice if face of the enemy. Many were scared witless to go up time after time but they had to hide it
@@cgmillington that doesn't sound like volunteering to me.
@@enriquemunoz704 yup no-one was drafted into the air force
My Grandfather was a rear gunner for Lancs He survived the war. Being a rear gunner he saw the mesesmits coming at him, prayed to god he would not be hit, for out of all the crew, his compartment was so tight he had no parachute. Thank you Grand Pa and all who served to keep us free. We will never be able to repay the debt.........bowing.
The Doctor My biological father was also a rear gunner. I only remember meeting him once when he was in hospital I was maybe 5-6. He died not long not after that. I remember that he had horrible scarring across his torso from from being shot up in the war. Seems he was quite a character and lived a colourful life. I would have loved to have got to know him but sadly never had the chance.
My best friends father enlisted as a pilot with about 30 guys from his home town. His graduating class at flight school had over 170 guys just as pilots. He was shot down on his first mission over Germany and was the only crewman from his airplane that survived. After the war was over, he returned home to find out that out of his flight school class and all of the guys he enlisted with, he was the only one who survived the war. His entire life after the war was fairly typical, got married, raised a family, had a good job teaching math and coaching football at a local school. But just before he died he told his children the stories of his captivity and the guilt he felt being the only survivor. Sadness followed him daily, even though he tried bravely to not show it. My father, who was his best friend at work, once told me that the man carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, I never really knew what that meant until I heard the final stories of my friends fathers service. The pain of war will never replace the woe of the aftermath. Those men saved a nation.
This short movie far outstrips any previous efforts portraying BOMBER COMMAND or EIGHTH AIR FORCE. A brilliant and moving work. I worked for a man who had been a pilot of a Lancaster in BOMBER COMMAND, he was Australian. My memories of him was he was always a nervous and somewhat distracted bloke, who never liked to talk about his experience. I am an honorary member of 463 and 467 Squadrons, having helped organize their reunions. Few are left now and being with these gentlemen was a privilege.
My late grandfather, Stan Jones, was the radio operator on 101 Sqn RAF's 'Bad Penny', part of the two-ship Lancaster recce drop for Operation Manna in Holland. An amazing storyteller with many a tale from his time in the war. Miss him. This film does a good job of realizing the circumstances he'd share in those tales of boredom and terror.
Pity about the use of the term 'bombardier' for that chap's role, as it is an Americanism. That man was called the 'bomb aimer' in commonwealth aircrews. Fantastic effort regardless. Well done!
I spotted that too. Glad they got the correct 'left-left' instruction though. Mostly well done.
We cannot today speak for those who died. Why they fought and what they would think of the world since.
I have a DVD of some bomber command recordings made on actual missions and one of those also uses the term bombardier. I do know that some USAAF crew were seconded to the RAF for various reasons and I wonder if the bomb aimer on that aircraft was actually American. On the other hand, the recordings were made specifically for radio broadcast, so I wonder if the term was used deliberately for the benefit of American listeners.
Thank you so much for making this film. My father joined the RCAF in Canada during the war and was trained as a navigator and I love keeping the memory of those planes and their service alive. During training he got very good marks, and they transferred him into the RAF 12th Squadron that flew out of Wickenby. He said a very similar thing about the casualties. "We treated it like a job. You went to school during the day, and flew the missions at night, and sometimes when you got up for breakfast the next morning, there just weren't as many guys there."
He also flew the raid to Berchtesgaten, ferried prisoners of war out of Brussels, and then later the food drop to Holland. When the rest of the world celebrates the end of the war when the cease fire went into place, Holland celebrates it a few days earlier, when the Lancasters dropped food to their starving people before the cease fire was in place.
You are probably familiar with the quote from the British Leadership ( I don't remember the source off hand.) that it is possible that the Lancaster Squadrons were perhaps the single most effective weapon in winning the war. When you consider a single Lanc could carry 22,000 pound bomb load capacity over the B-17's 4,800, and the B-24's 8,000, it is easy to see why it was the standard of "Heavy Bombers."
I have done a fair amount of research as to the procedures and tools he used, and as a fellow film maker, love the authenticity of your dialogue (no comment on the bombardier thing.) My only comment is I think you may have mixed two periods of time here in your presentation. During the beginning of the war the squadrons went out in large groups, but when fighters found them as a group, casualties were very high, so they first went to night bombing and then adopted a strategy a mathematician came up with they refer to as "the bomber stream" My father flew the bomber stream, which involved each plane navigating their own course separately to the target. The advantage to this approach was based on the limited time enemy fighters could stay in the air. If a plane was discovered, it was almost certain death, but the planes in front could not be found, and the planes behind would alter course. the fighters only had so many minutes of time in the air, and then had to land and refuel, and the rest of the stream would get by. My father to told us that they were given a 3 minute window to be over the target, and it was imperative they be over the target during that window as group bombing sometimes resulted in bombs being dropped on other bombers.
So I think the anachronism here is that when they were flying in a squadron formation as you show here, they had a master navigator that gave direction and heading for the entire group, as the Americans did with their "flying box" formation, and the adjustment in course would come from the wireless operator from the master. If they were flying bomber stream, course corrections would come from the nav. We can only assume that our heroes here had the master navigator, and we didn't here the wireless op relaying the order. One plane making course adjustments on its own in a squadron formation that tight at night would be disastrous. Please don't take this as a big criticism of the film, I love it, and I think for dramatic purposes, it doesn't diminish the story at all. Just adding some historic perspective. _ .... ._ _. _._ ... ..._._
Insiderinciter: Excellent information and write up. much logic applied here a great write up, Thank you. EX RAF.Terry Offord
InsiderInciter great comments/critique. I was disappointed by the formation flying and bombardier as these are USAAF aspects, but other than that a good sense of how it was. There were in a sense master navigators, Pathfinders marked turning points and the target for the bomber stream and a number of navigators throughout the stream were tasked with sending back (home) found winds, which were then broadcast to the stream. For the record my uncle lost his life in a Lancaster over Peenemunde, one of the many.
It's amazing how a film so short can have such a lasting impact.
These men are so damn brave. I can't imagine the feeling of being up in the air knowing that with just a blast you and your crew will be toast.
Brave men they are.
Our father Group Captain N.S. Dickie Dower passed away at Christmas 2020 at 99 years-old. RIP Dad ❤
Thank you for service sir! HOORAH
@@EVERYDAYLAWNCARE Thank-you 🍻
Group Captain N.S Dickie Dower I salute you and your comrades RIP sir and thank you for your magnificent courage
Our Accountant at the Tenterfield Shire council NSW did 70+ missions as a Pilot Officer. I only found out when he marched on Anzac Day one year and saw his medals . He was so unassuming I even was in his daughters class at school
Last year in spring I cycled through France from Toulouse. My goal was the Normandy Beaches. It is one thing reading and dreaming about what it must have been like in my youth, and surreal to be in the very locations. At a campsite in Esnandes, I met an older couple scouting out their retirement in an RV. In a chat over beer and sodas, the burly Englishman told me his grandfather was a tailgunner on a Lancaster. He is buried somewhere in Germany. He passed along to me wisdom only realized and understood by survivors of those noble young men.
I would love to hear
My 6th class reacher was a Lancaster navigator. When I was a kid - 11 yrs old (am now 71)we went on a school excursion to the Australian War Memorial. My teacher just stood beside the Lanc on display for about 15 mins and did not speak or move. I can only imagine what was going through his mind.
That is an exceptional short film. The tension of the flight and the personal moments are amazing.....
One of my uncles piloted a Lancaster. He survived being shot down once, and flew again, in a brand new Lanc. He and his crew were all Australian.
461 460 RAAF ?
"One of my uncles"; not very believable: name, squadron, can the affiliation to yourself be checked, etc?
@@elrjames7799 Gee what an arse you are
@@d.thomasmoore3020 Thanks: very much appreciated, I'm sure.
@@elrjames7799 There's an excellent book titled LANCASTER, written by M Garbutt & B Goulding, the contents include Names/Ranks of the Major Australian Squadrons who fought As Australian Squadrons and also Aussies who flew with Mixed Crews, Poms Canucks, Aussies,Kiwis Poles,etc listed also are the Air Bases they flew from, the Aircraft Registration Numbers/Sqdns and where known, Crashes/shot downs and accidents are listed, some with photographs of the actual aircraft. Quite a few with Photographs of the crews. As a Pom, I had relations who lived near a few Bomber stations where I was, as a kid, able to see/meet the brave and amazing men who flew from Lincoln bases and some Yorkshire bases, I actually lived four miles from the Yeadon A>V> Roe Factory where the Lancs were built. hence my particular interest, I respectfully suggest that you try find the book Originally written 1971 but reprinted seven times, the latest being 1999. ISBN 1- 85648-055-0 The book actually includes a picture of a Lancaster shown in Leeds Yorkshire, P-Peter 97 Sqdn Straits Settlements B1 Model Reg No R5552 OF-P (This aircarft did 47 Sorties.I can not forget that I recall seeing this as a very small boy (6 years old) that was 77 years ago!!!Best of luck. Terry Offord
My history teacher at school had been a tail gunner in Lancaster. He was part of the Pathfinder squadron(s). They had a special insignia on their uniform but the Germans figured out what it meant and it resulted in much harsher interrogations for any aircrew captured. So they took off the insignia but then the Germans realized that if there were two holes in the uniform in just the right place that was where the pathfinder insignia had attached. So they had to get new uniforms.
Amazingly, Mr Lewis said he never even saw a German 'plane, due -- in his telling -- to the excellence of their navigator who kept them right in the middle of the formation. He was a hero to us 10 year olds.
My father in law flew 26 missions as a tail gunner in a Lancaster.
I remember him telling me that his job when over the target was to watch for bombs from above. He had the pilot do a hard left one night and bombs from above fell through the gap between the right wing and the tail. He saved them all that night.
Ex Military myself, my Ex Fiance her grandfather was a navigator he was lost on a raid on konigsberg- 50 Sqn, Skellingsthorpe - lancaster NF921 - VN-Q 30.08.1944 - Even after all these years I have never forgotten him……they say to remember means they will live forever
A powerful punch of a film. A tribute to those brave men. To put that much emotion in 12 minutes is a credit to the whole cast
There was an unusually large draw of young men from my high school who served as bomber crews in the Royal and Royal Canadian Air Force in WW2. A documentary entitled 'The Boys From Kelvin High' is heart breaking as mere teenagers and the senior 'old' guys of a mere 21 years-old went into the meat grinder night after night losing 50% of the crews during the course of WW2. Following in their footsteps two generations later, 30+ years of military service cannot measure up to their sacrifice.
Proud Canadian veteran saluting those who served before us.
Which "high school" would that be then, eh?
@@elrjames7799 Kelvin High School. It's in Winnipeg.
@@andrewcharles459 "How far is Winnipeg from Montreal?"
@@elrjames7799 A little over 2,200 km.
This is a marvelous short film. Very well done and very haunting. One of my relatives was a wireless operator/gunner on a Lancaster. His crew was flying on a mission when they was shot down over Holland. He did not survive the crash. I hope someday to visit his grave to pay my respects.
Some of the bravest men crewed those bombers and they are probably the least recognised, gratitude to all of them.
The courage of these men is incredible. We own our freedom to these brave men. Thank you for your service and we will never forget.
Thank you for this. My great uncle was a Navi in the Lancaster. Said he was part of the day raids... Said he wished he died with his mates... He passed on at 95 years old. I am grateful for this snippet because I often wonder how it must have been...
Andre McBurney I know exactly what you mean! My father survived 50 missions as the tailgunner in B24 (U.S. 8th Army Air Corps). It has always been hard for me to grasp the reality.
Andre McBurney I
The Courage these chaps had is just mind boggling. There is an airfield near East Kirkby that was set up by two brothers in memory if their older brother who was killed on a raid to nuremberg in 1943. It is an amazing place and I recommend going especially to the airshow there. It is the ultimate memorial to these brace men.
This. Is the same. Airfield. My. Uncle flew out of 630sq 5 group. East Kirby.
18 months ago I had a taxi run in the lanc at East kirkby it was a wonderful experience. They are tiny inside, the crew where heroes for what they did. I thank them all
It is called The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Center . It was home base to 57 and 630 Squadrons. On the first Sunday In July each year, there is a Remembrance Ceremony held for the 57 /630 Sqrdn Association. I attended many to pay tribute to all the crews, The first time I attended I stood transfixed thinking about my dads Lancaster DX-H taking off at 540 PM on November 11, 1944, to bomb the oil refineries at Harburg, Hit by flak it crashed at Beckdorf, about 25 miles south east. My dad never came back. He is buried in Ohlsdorf cemetery. Hamburg along with his other crew members. I have visited the grave 4 times and its still hard to do,
Amazing courage of all those brave men. Thank you for your service guys!
Wow…thanks for the service and sacrifice of these men and their loved ones. Thank you for this video.
Excellent! This Director and production crew should make a full length film. WELL DONE!!!!!!
Why would anyone give this a thumb down? Brave young men, all of them heroes. Gone but never forgotten.
Germanphiles
RIP boys, Lest we forget. From Australia, with sincere love.
In Australia we DO NOT FORGET God Bless them all.
We never forget down here. Keith Miller was a Mosquito Bomber pilot before he was a test cricket hero. More heroism than I will ever possess. God Bless.
Thanks to the Aussies for all that they did.
Ditto for us Kiwi's.
@@terryofford4977 Not true we forget the Korean War servicemen and we have forgotten about the Boer War servicemen during ANZAC days
Just completed research into an RCAF pilot who flew the Lancaster in 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron, RAF......He flew nine combat bombing missions....his last being a night bombing raid on the German Navy U-Boat pens at Lorient, France in February of 1943. After dropping their bomb load, their Lancaster was hit by Anti-Aircraft fire and then seen turning away from the U-Boat pen target area, heading due west out over the Atlantic and........was never heard of again. No crew remains nor aircraft parts were ever seen and thus they "failed to return" to their station at RAF Waddington. The crew were comprised of the pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force Flying Officer John Millar, six other RCAF aircrew and two RAF aircrew. John's older brother, Lieutenant William Millar of the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE) had been captured as a Prisoner of War during the 19 August 1942 Operation Jubilee raid on Dieppe......then repeatedly attempted escape as a POW no fewer than four times, ending up in the Oflag IVC POW camp, Colditz (the highest level of security camp for officers who had a record of attempted escapes)....where in January 1944, he successfully escaped, travelling to Czechoslovakia, where he was recaptured from his fifth escape, and subjected to the German state security service (SD) order "Kugel Erlass" (Bullet Decree), whereby all recaptured escaping POWs were ordered into Gestapo custody, taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria and shot by the SS, body cremated and ashes scattered in June 1944. Thus he, like his brother John, has no known grave......
May they both rest in peace, never forgotten.....
Absolutely correct Scott Fuller:: Amazingly ,the simple minded 'Revisionists' who show a tendency toward being pro NAZI' would deny this information or perhaps even turn it around to show how 'evil' those brave bomber crews were Terry Offord.
Can we ever honour such men enough? No, but we can actively fight for the same values they sought to preserve. Particularly now there is a serious attempt to foist by subversion, Islam with it's barbarous Sharia laws onto our societies and our children.
Amazing story Scott. And a very sad one. I'm always amazed by these stories of bravery. Thanks for sharing this one with us. It keeps their memories alive and in a way, gives John Millar and Willaim Millar a place to be remembered.
Bless em 😢💔..
(/-\)..
@@terryofford4977 they weren't evil guys.just normal guys in their 20s who fought in their opinion the nazis and probably they werent thinking about whom they actually killed.
But even if you despite the missions they had you have to admit they must have had enormous balls going in this flying coffins over germany.
My dad was a Lancaster pilot. Did 40 missions. Never really talked about it
This film induces a suffocating feeling of terror in me. Though I've seen it before and know the ending, watching it again is a form of paying respects to these lads. Well done guys, well done. And thank you, from the USA.
My mates dad was a tail gunner in a Wellington in a pathfinder squadron, took some guts for these young men, bally heroes all of them
Absolutely Stunning, bought a tear to my eyes. True Hero's should never be forgotten.
Well done
should be a short in before every movie shown in the theater for a least a yr.
76 years ago tonight, 27th April 1944, my father piloted LL903,166 sqd, on a mission to Friedrichshafen. His plane was shot down by an ME110. He and the Bomb Aimer were the only ones that managed to get out. I suspect this film is the closest I’ll ever get to understanding what it must have felt like that night. He never talked about it and I never asked.
Thank you gang for making this film. My grandfather was KIA Stirling over Frankfurt 1942. The most terrifying place requires the greatest courage. Big hearts, big balls, the lot of em. RIP
my neibour was a Lancaster Pilot and then flew for BOAC, he had nerves of steel, and would help Dad with the bees without veil or gloves, totally rock solid.
May all those brave men.
Rest in peace.
Their likes will never come again.
Bless them all.
Lest we forget.
Well done. Made my eyes damp. Grandfather was a FE at Bardney. Survived the war and died in 1980. Never forgotten.
My granduncle was a tailgunner in a Lancaster. His crew flew a dozen missions, but all were K.I.A. after being shot down on Dec.31, 1944.
Should be shown in every British and American high school
How can you disrespectfully put a thumbs down to this you should be ashamed of yourself
Skipper looks old. My Mums cousin was 22 and a Lancaster Squadron Leader shot down over Holland by German night fighter. A group we should never forget.
Being in that cockpit probably adds about 10 years to you. Ever notice how in old war photos all the boys going off to fight look like teenagers but all the ones just coming out of combat look 40?
John Everidge what village did the plane crash?
Rather suspect a "my mum's cousin" assertion because that would be your cousin also, if true.
@@elrjames7799 True wasn't thinking of my place at the time.
Being on any bomber crew is WW2 would have been balls to the wall, my hats off to these men. I'll take my chances on the ground boys 🇺🇸🇬🇧
Medic Randy until the 88mm mg34 and fighters open up on your ass
Mmm, quite moving. My dad was a young pilot In 61 Sqn during the war. His second tour of ops was on Lancasters. He was a lucky chap and never lost any crew, though his aircraft often came home slightly ventilated. The letters he sent to his father are fascinating and full of detail of his experiences. So many young men were, sadly, not so lucky...
My dad became a POW but lived to father me post war. Horrible horrible waste the war was
Certainly makes you think watching this. And fathers day of all days i watch this. Hearts go out to the thousands of children who last their fathers due to ww2. Xxx
God Bless each and every one of you that served, fought, died, or survived - your efforts, your sacrifices, your duty well done, will never be forgotten. This nation owes you a debt of gratitude.
This is effective- and moving- as a short film. The restraint and the quiet add to the tension, and the result is a great story. That said, I would love to see this as part of a full-length film.
Excellent work. Top-notch stuff!
I think it is hardto do a full length film without falling into the Hollywood trap of over playing the patriotism. We were not that way.
This broke my heart. My great uncle was killed over Sterkrade in Germany. He flew in a Lancaster with the 576 squadron and was an Air gunner. He was killed on his 21st birthday. He was originally from Dunfermline and flew from Elsham Wolds on that fateful night of 13th June 1944. 2 members survived and were taken as POW.
My father piloted a Lancaster from Elsham Wolds. His name was Kenneth Charles Murray and survived.
@@stephenpage-murray7226 Hi Stephen, your dad and my great uncle were great friends! My great uncle Charles was part of Alec Puttocks crew. I read that Ken Murray and Alec Puttocks crew were really close. In fact when the Murray crew came back off their end of tour leave to find the Puttock crew had gone missing, it was a quite a blow for them!
I’ve seen a pic of your dad and his crew.
@@susanwaugh9711
Wow I had no idea. Is this on a forum or FB group or something?
Please let me know if you received my reply. 😊
My grandad flew lancasters in the war! Im very proud of him and his friends! And the guys who did not come back! Heros all! and i thank you.
Muy English teacher, named William Williams, from Belize, was a tail gunner in a Lancaster. He flew many times over Germany. He did not like to talk about his time in the RAF.
What a Great short film. These young gentlemen flew countless missions with the odds greatly stacked against them . Still they stepped up with conviction and without question. Truly admirable, totally devotional and beyond heroic. The generations that you fought and died for owe you a huge unrepayable debt of gratitude. We are left to pay our respect by keeping your valiant efforts alive in our hearts and minds, which seems such a small effort for such great loss.
55.573 killed, including my uncle April 1943 (my mother still talks about the last time she saw him). Their graves are scattered throughout Europe, please take the time to pay your respects. We will remember them.
'Enemy Coast Ahead' by Guy Gibson is an excellent source if you really want to understand the RAF (and Bomber Command) during the first years of war.
There are 3 outstanding books - generally considered as classics - written about Bomber Command in WWII. They are essential reading on the subject:
1) "Enemy coast ahead" - Guy Gibson.
2) "No moon tonight" - Don Charlwood
3) "Lancaster Target" - Jack Currie
yep, we got one close by me in denmark. every year we get a scotsman out that stands in the bell tower playing his bagpipe for the crews that were shot down and killed over the area. and im pretty sure the homefront fly a missing man formation as well to honour them
My dad served in bomber command , over the years I have been to various renunions of aircrew association with him , their all very cool guys and a bit crazy !!, getting thin on the ground now but tales they told , fascinating , so glad dad was one of them , would love to have flown with him , camaraderie was fantastic , we owe them
Respect to those who volunteered for bomber command.....I had an Uncle who's Lancaster was shot down over Bremen 1943...he didn't survive, he was only 21.
God bless bomber command.
Why should god bless somebody dropping bombs on a city?
@@Horsti2307
You stupid asshole
@@Horsti2307 You can thank the arsehole Churchill for that. They should have concentrated on German airfields.
@@thierryruellan6581 :*
"I had an uncle", presumably your mothers brother since you didn't mention what your dad did. Do you expect us to believe that simple assertion just on your say so?
Thanks Reg, Stan, Tony and John ... best of the best.
I Brought a Cobra Mustang form a B 17 bomber captain, he lived to 92, got info on him flew 37 missions over Germany and another 6 over oil fields from in Romania. So proud to have it.
That is some stat ! 55 000 never came home, Respect to these brave chaps, true heroes one and all.
Winning a world war is not done by the feint hearted, not without great sacrifice. Lest we forget - all of them!
Wow Tom
You and your crew did a fantastic job on this short film. An excellent story, well told.
Dear Nick, I offer my condolence, but it is really interesting to hear there are still alive witnesses of World War II among us!
Every Veteran and Active Duty Personnel deserve respect and compassion for their invaluable and selfless heroics, bravery and patriotism. Their stories must live on generation after generation to remind us about the true meaning and embodiment of Honor, Service and Leadership.
Man has never seen such courage and bravery since these men.
My uncle was blasted out of his Halifax over Germany....Survived, but nightmares until his dying day.
I shouldn't be here to comment. My dad, B-29's, Japan, two tours, navigator/bombardier. One mission, they lost the inboard stbrd engine to flak, popped right off the mounts, outboard strbrd engine a little later to an accidental ram by a fighter. Took the pilots and flight engineer all the way down to ground effect to relearn how to fly the plane. Came back to Tinian at wave height.
fifthof my uncle was a flight engineer in 49 sq, unfortunatley his aircraft was lost on the way back from a run on Wismar. They were never found. Glad to here your dad got through without harm.
jeff theriault I think anyone who flew in a bomber should be praised for their courage regurdless which aircraft they were in.
All the Allied aircrew who flew those missions deserve our respect and eternal gratitude.. (in alphabetical order): Americans, Aussies, Brits, French, Irish, Kiwis, Poles, Rhodesians, S Africans, etc etc.
My great uncle was a RAAF pilot assigned to RAF Bomber Command "Pathfinder" SQN flying a Lancaster. He was not required to fly since he completed his tour with the RAF, and just waiting on his transportation papers to return home. But he decided to go on one more mission to Berlin while he waited, and on the return leg was intercepted over Holland by a German night fighter. His Lancaster was hit, and Dutch villagers reported the crippled bomber was deliberately steered away from the town it was flying over, before crashing just outside of town. Instead of bailing out and letting the bomber crash inside the town the pilot and crew sacrificed themselves. People from the town retrieved the bodies and gave them a proper burial, and even today they still tend to the graves of those men.
AUSSIEDAVEROCKS m
That's an amazing story. My respect
AUSSIEDAVEROCKS That’s a great story.
A true story......
Dambusters pilot Les Knight honoured by Dutch village
Remembering Dambuster Les Knight DSO permanent memorial to Australian pilot Les Knight can be seen in the village of Den Ham where he is buried A memorial service has been held to commemorate a pilot who saved his seven-man crew and a Dutch village during World War Two.
Flt Lt Les Knight was killed during a Dambusters raid on Germany in 1943.
After his Lancaster bomber was badly damaged he is said to have steered the aircraft away from Den Ham, in the Netherlands, before crashing outside the village.
The service was held in Den Ham to mark the 75th anniversary of his death.
Les Knight was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery
Flt Lt Knight was a member of 617 Squadron, based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, and had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery during raids on three German dams four months earlier.
The 22-year-old Australian was taking part in another raid on 16 September 1943 when his low-flying aircraft hit a tree.
He told his crew to bail out and flew his aircraft away from Den Ham, saving its inhabitants, said Melvin Chambers, who organised the memorial service.
"We regard Les Knight as a saviour of our village," he said.
"The local villagers actually hid five of Knight's crew and helped them get back safely to England.
"We're very fortunate to have traced family members of some of the crew. They are in the village right now and it's the first time they've been together since Les Knight sacrificed his life."
Fred Sutherland was one of the crew members saved by Knight during the Dambusters air raid 75 years ago.
Les Knight was also a Dambuster, that's how he got his DSO. Knight was killed later the same year while taking part in Operation Garlic, the Dortmund Ems Canal raid. His aircraft hit a tree and after ensuring the crew bailed out, he could not land the aircraft. It was Knight's bouncing bomb that finished off the Eder dam during Operation Chastise.
It was kill or be killed worker against worker. Dad did 2 tours of ops. Looked for a better way to arrange things for the world post war. He died at 65yrs in 1990, disillusioned with society, still largely at war. Ashes scattered from the Southern Cross replica aircraft, over the ocean, off Kapiti Is, to join his comrades, no marker a requirement of his will. Mission accomplished.
My granddad was a rear gunner on a Lancaster. Killed in action in the skies above Normandy in July-44.
This film affects me, even though I am German. It's just crazy how many people who lost their lives in this crazy war. In my hobby of metal detecting I found the remains of a Lancaster bomber. The complete story that led to the crash is much more interesting.
This was only possible because the rear gunner SGT - A.F.C. Smith survived the crash. I found his statements in an Australian Air Force archive, as the navigator was an Australian. The bomber belonged to the 90th Squadron and was hit on March 9, 1945. The pilot was F/Lt. B.J. Aldhous.
Proud that my dad was a navigator on Wellingtons. Very moving and gripping little film. Thank you.
My Dutch friend showed me the prop of a Wellington, I think it was, in one of the Dutch towns. They still remember the plane that got shot down there.
the steadfast Bravery of these
young men cannot be described
adequately.....
there resolve to do there Duty for
the good of all beyond words
of gratitude.....
GOD BLESS ALL THE BOYS
ALWAYS & FOREVER
THANKYOU
As a member of succeeding generations I am very much aware that I owe my current freedoms and lifestyle to these men who fought to win WWII - and it's very sad that many gave their lives and futures, to ensure mine are safe. It is something I have not ever forgotten. RIP brave men - and thank you!! 🌹
Superb. No bravado, no heroic rhetoric - just the raw truth.
In later years all of us who have ever been aircrew in the military will always honor their memory and the raw bravery they must have had.God bless them,for today we are free
Incredibly moving. I'm watching this after reading 'The Dambusters' book upon which the 1955 film was based and I am numb. I feel such a mixture of emotions from guilt to admiration. How do you live a safe, comfortable life when you know what these people did to enable it to happen. I think they would say, 'Live your life to the full, and remember us from time to time.'
On one day, during the three years that I was stationed in Lahr, West (then) Germany at the end of the 1980s, I overflew two of those dams.
In broad daylight, in an agile helicopter, with an extremely low chance of being shot at.
I have a fair amount of night time. I was always comfortable at night.
But navigating to those dams, and negotiating the valleys in the final run to each dam in a much larger and faster machine, and maintaining the precise altitude required and releasing the bomb at the correct distance, all in darkness, was far beyond anything that I ever attempted.
I knew how much training and rehearsal went into that operation, I knew about the innovative solutions devised to enable altitude maintenance and bomb release distance assessment, and I knew how much sheer human effort, determination, and courage was necessary for success and survival, (I'd read the book and watched the film several times each), but that brief opportunity to retrace those two attacks really brought that all home.
I remain forever grateful for the opportunity to have done that, and forever in awe of those crews who did it over forty years before me under so much more challenging conditions.
One of the best quotes I have seen went like this..." We tried not to think about it too much and certainly didn't talk about it. The end if it came would come quickly, and in the meantime we had bacon and eggs for breakfast and slept in clean sheets". Amen.
So, so many people post negative judgemental comments about these brave young men. All I can say is if YOU were not there, you have no right whatsoever to judge anyone!
I would add too that, the critics and other left wing idiots who criticise the RAF Crew and their amazing courage appear not realise nor appreciate that THEY, (the warped critics of our Bombers crews) wouldn't be alive today to make such inane comments. AS Ex RAF myself, I have always been proud and will remain proud of what the RAF (and Army and Naval allies of many nations) achieved against an insane, heroin addled Nazi Leader.Those who comment against the Bomber crews are oblivious to the atrocities of the Nazis with their DEATH CAMPS,Organised to kill, in a factory style purge MILLIONS of Jews, Poles,Gypsies and indeed, ANYONE not of Aryan descent. I suggest to such individuals that they read up (assuming they are capable) the history of WW2.
The right wing twats who feel a need to bash today's generation for no reason are no better in my opinion. Seemingly the greatest generation didn't fight for us to be free after all according to them, they fought so that we should live exactly as they want us to lest we get called snowflakes, cowards and whatnot.
this warrants a full movie
scott garvey
Yes! Defiantly!!! This is an excellent short film with great potential for a feature film!!!
I humbly offer my utmost respect to all the aircrews of Bomber Command who fought and died in the skies over Nazi Europe and elsewhere.
A production of this quality based on the Novel 'Bomber' by Len Deighton would be a great tribute.
my uncle was a navigator on bombers, he was shot down twice, survived, but the war got him in the end , commited suicide in the 80's. very sad,
Huge thanks to you for uploading this. I wished it was a full length movie. My Grandfather was an engineer's fitter at the Avro shadow factory in Yeadon, Leeds. They built the Lancaster and the Anson.A fantastic aeroplane, flown by incredible young men. God's speed,
Phil O'Shaughnessy I was a kid of five, living near the A.V.Roe factory at Yeadon, I had two Aunts who worked there making the wiring looms for the bombers. I recall seeing the bombers taking off from what is now Leeds and Bradford International Airport. probably flown by ATA Girls at that time, the Anson aircraft engines were built in a factory near Leeds, and were transported to Yeadon on Trucks, nearby was the Barn Bow Factory Kirkstall Forge where Tanks were being built, as a kid,with three uncles in the RAF, another Uncle in the Welsh Guards,I was 'drafted' into the world of Bombers and tanks etc.,These are things kids of today will, hopefully,never have to worry about.Terry Offord