THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

The Aircraft Fleet, Then and Now

Major British aircraft type used in the film was the Supermarine Spitfire. A round dozen were able to fly for the cameras, while seven were brought up to taxying status. The remaining seven were used as static dressing. All of these airframes came to the film from a host of different locations, far and wide. Most of the fighters still survive today and are spread throughout the world.

Over the ensuing years a myth has been perpetuated regarding the two-seat Spitfires used in the production. Several previous accounts of the filming have stated that Spitfire Tr.8 MT818 (G-AIDN), the prototype two-seat variant of the famous fighter, was used by the film company. As has been mentioned elsewhere in this book, the two examples of Spitfire trainers utilised during the filming were both Tr.9s. At the time of the making of Battle of Britain, G-AIDN was owned and flown by John S Fairey, the younger son of Sir Richard Fairey, founder of the Fairey Aviation Company. Despite what has been suggested in the past, G-AIDN was probably the only airworthy Spitfire in Europe not to take part in the film. In 1999 John Fairey recalled the reasons why: Hamish Mahaddie made several approaches to lease the aircraft. but due to one reason or another we could not agree on a suitable set of terms and conditions for the aircraft to be used by the film company. I remember a few years later when 1 sold the aircraft, 1 was very tempted to offer it as 'The only Spitfire not to be used in the Battle of Britain film', just as a bit of a sales gimmick.

Of the entire Spanish Air Force fleet of 32 Heinkel 111s utilised, sadly very few are left today, the vast majority of the bombers being scrapped in the 1970s. Spitfire Productions secured some 27 Hispano Buchons, and six Hawker Hurricanes brought up the rear in terms of airframe numbers used. Virtually all of the latter two types are still extant.

Spitfire 'Extras'

Hawker Hurricane

While the British aircraft used in the film have been relatively easy to keep track of, it is a totally different story for the 'German' aircraft. It has proved to be very difficult, in some cases impossible, to ascertain the correct identities and current locations for some of the Messerschmitts and Heinkels, so much that it is highly possible that several more airframes exist than those included in the following listings. The author would therefore be very interested to hear "from anyone who may be able to elaborate, with conclusive proof, on the information contained within this section of the book.

Messerschmitt Bf 109/Hispano HA 1112 M1L Buchon

CASA 2111/Heinkel 111

Although the entire Spanish Air Force complement of 32 Heinkels were utilised in the filming, it has often been said that better use could have been made of them in the finished film. Post filming the Spaniards retired the remaining Heinkels and put them up for sale. Sadly the then high asking price of around $6,500 (a mere drop in the ocean in prices of vintage aircraft these days) proved to be too much and few buyers came forward. Hence, the bulk of the fleet was scrapped, with only a few being saved for future preservation.
It is without doubt that the all of the world's surviving Spanish Heinkels almost certainly 'starred' in the film, and with this criteria the following list includes those currently extant airframes. B2=Medium Bomber, D1=Reconniassance/Bomber, T8=Command Transport/Dual Control Trainer.

It seems tragic that out of the flying Heinkels used in the film, just one, the Arizona Wing of the Confederate Air Force's T.8B-124 (N72615), is currently airworthy. The Dallas-based Cavanaugh Flight Museum's (CFM) example (N99230) is the other of the pair ferried out to the USA, via Doug Arnold's Warbirds of Great Britain collection at Blackbushe, in the mid-1970s. Initially on display at the Wings and Wheels Museum at Orlando, Florida, it eventually passed into the hands of David Tallichet's Military Aircraft Restoration Corp and moved to Chino, California. After spending several years dormant at Chino, it was ferried down to Texas in 1996 after a spell residing at Topeka's Combat Air Museum, Kansas, and work on putting this bomber back to fully airworthy is currently taking place. After restoration it will fly alongside CFM's Hispano Buchon C4K-I72 (N109GU).

In Europe the only hope of ever seeing a Spanish Heinkel take to the sky again rests in the hands of the Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford. B2.1-103 arrived at the Cambridgeshire airfield on March 27, 1998, as the underslung load of a German Army CH-53G helicopter. The Heinkel had been 'flown' all the way from Tablada, Spain, in a series of hops, which took four days to complete. An epic flight, to say the least!

Since arriving at Duxford, the Heinkel has been held in storage and in late 1999 was offered for sale. Speaking personally, the author would obviously like to see the bomber fly again. If that is beyond the realms of possibility, then at least it would be gratifying to see it restored to static condition, perhaps with the IWM at Duxford, and returned to the colours and markings it wore during its 'bout of stardom' in 1968. One can but hope.

They Also Served

Battle of Britain also utilised several other aircraft in minor roles, in front of and behind the cameras. A pair of Spanish Air Force Junkers Ju 52 (CASA 352) tri-motor transports were used, one in Luftwaffe colours, for the opening title sequence and another during the Berlin scene. Both of these aircraft may still be in existence as a good number of Spanish Junkers' have survived. Not appearing in front of the cameras, Sud SA 318C Alouette II helicopter G-AWAP was used for much of the air to ground filming, as well as a 'launch platform' for some of the models which were crashed or blown up during the shooting. Used on a number of other film projects, the Alouette crashed on Gat Sand in The Wash on June 26, 1983, and was eventually cancelled from the British Civil Aircraft Register as destroyed on July 11, 1984.

In the early days of the project the Ministry of Defence made available its Heinkel 111H-20 701152, Junkers Ju 87G-2 494083, Junkers Ju 88R-l 360043 and Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 10639 (the later eventually becoming the famous airworthy Black Six G-USTV), but with the advent of the Spanish 'Luftwaffe' these genuine German aircraft were not used. All of them still survive and, with the exception of the Bf 109G-2, are on static display inside the Battle of Britain Experience at the RAF Museum, Hendon. The Bf 109 came to grief in a landing accident in October 1997. At the time of this book going to press it was being restored to museum display standard at the IWM Duxford, and when compete is scheduled to go on display with the RAF Museum's collection. Three complete Percival Proctors were purchased G-AIAE, P6227 (G-AIEY) and LZ589 (G-ALOK), along with the (so far unidentified) fuselage of another. As related in the main text, Vivian Bellamy converted two of the Proctors to Stuka 'lookalikes'. Only G-AIEY actually flew, but it was not used in the film. At the end of filming all three Proctors were reportedly acquired by John Hawke. Subsequently put into storage, it is believed that the trio was eventually
scrapped.

The gathering together of all these airframes and their subsequent disposal throughout the world gave the historic aircraft preservation movement a significant 'kick-start', and undoubtedly led to the increase of interest in restoring and flying former World War Two combat aircraft. Thus the global warbird movement we have and enjoy today can really be traced back to Saltzman and Fisz's 'private air force'.


 

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