IWM film and video archive

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

daniel dahiot
Films cinema machine-gun of the RAF
Tue Mar 6 07:56:18 2001


Hello,

Aerial combats and interventions on objectives of pilots of the RAF were they recorded on films cinema machine-gun.
And if yes where can one to find its films.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:


Keith Buckman
RAF film
Thu Mar 8 20:45:35 2001


The best source of information about RAF film is the film and video archive at the Imperial War Museum:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/lambeth/film.htm

I know that No.4 Film Production Unit covered the invasion, and some of the most impressive footage (on 35mm) was taken during rocket attacks on ground targets by
Typhoons and Tempests. There is for example a brief sequence incorporated in the film The True Glory.

Some of this stuff can be found in the DD Video catalogue:

http://www.ddvideo.co.uk/

This will be on the PAL television standard, so it's best to see if it's compatible with your system.

Let me know if you need any further info.

Regards,
Keith

[This message has been edited by Richard T Eger (edited 06 April 2001).]

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

David Pausey
Gun Camera film, identities of Lufwaffe A/C help!
Sun Jul 7 17:58:12 2002
195.92.67.65

Hello everybody
I have been researching RAF Gun Camera films,Photos & the Luftwaffe loss returns held at the IWM London.I have been unable to find matching Luftwaffe losses for the following:
24-5-40
F/L Malan 74sqn claimed a Do17 E of Calais.
Film shows a Bf110 being hit & bits coming off,then the same or another Bf110 with a Spitfire on its tail.The Spitfire pulls up & the 110 crashes into the ground.
27-5-40
F/O Freeborn 74sqn claimed a Me109 5m from Dunkirk.
Film shows a Bf109 hit in the R/H wing & a lot of smoke comes from the wing.
17-8-43
F/L Gaze 129sqn claimed a Fw190 W of Antwerp.
Film shows a Fw190 hit in R/H wing & part of the wing comes off (aileron?)& a lot of smoke.
21-8-43
F/O Stover 414sqn claimed a Ju88 Enghien/Moisselles A/D?
Film shows hits round fuselage & bits flying off.
10-9-43
F/O Carlson 400sqn claimed a Ju52 St Germain sur Morin.
Poor film but does show hits on R/H side of fuselage & inner wing root with lots of smoke.
23-1-44
Lt Col Birksted North Weald wing claimed a Fw190 Breteuil.
Photo shows Fw190 being hit in the fuselage & the belly tank explodes.Photo caption says "a Norwegian pilot D.F.C. leader of a Spitfire squadron claimed a Fw190 over Northern France".I know this is not a lot to go on but I am sure this is the pilot & date.I have gone through the combat reports at the PRO & this CR fits.He was leading 332sqn.
9-4-45
S/L Mackie 80sqn two Ar96's Fassburg A/F.
Film shows hits all over A/C & then bursts into flames.
2-5-45
S/L Sheddon 486sqn U/I F/B Heiligenhafen.
Shows a Bv138 hit lots of times on R/H wing round the engine & also the L/H engine with lots of smoke.

I need info on units,pilots,damage etc
I know this is a lot to ask for & that Luftwaffe records are not complete,especially the last two!
Thanks for any info
David

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Robert Romero
Me-262 Gun Camera Shots
Tue Oct 28 23:57:52 2003
216.194.25.229

Are there any existing VERIFIED gun camera clips or stills of Me-262 attacks? I remember coming across one photo in a book of a B-24 coming apart (taken from another bomber) in which it was claimed the Liberator was a victim of an Me-262 attack.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Xtrav
Re: Me-262 Gun Camera Shots
Wed Oct 29 20:52:22 2003
65.34.98.75

Do you mean the one where the plane has the wing fold up after a hole opens up at the wing root?

On the History Channel the other night a film was shown purporting to be from a 262. It looked right, i.e., only large caliber tracer rounds from 4 guns mounted in the nose, low velocity with a pronounced looping trajectory, and astonishing explosions from the hits. One shell blew the entire elevator and part of the stabilizer off a B-17, another hit between the engines seemed to blow a hole completely through the wing (seeing daylight) of the same plane. Closing speed wasn't that great though so...who knows?

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

NickM
I know of only a couple...
Sat Nov 1 13:38:19 2003
64.85.229.223

Xtrav:
My copy of 'Top Secret Bird' has pix of an Me163 attacking a bomber that sounds just like the one your talking about: It the film's perspective from around 5 O'clock position diving downward?
Now...during those Discovery/History channel documentaries, I think that I have seen a gun camera film of what was purported to be a Me262 shooting down a recce spitfire: one minute it's there, then it takes a couple of hits & it's lost in a cloud of glycol...

nickm

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

John Foreman
262 kill
Sun Nov 2 21:19:43 2003
80.3.0.40

That film is in Imperial War Museum. It doesn't give a unit or aircraft type, but it does give the date - 5th September 1944 and the pilot's name - Leutnant Schreiber. It was Alfred Schreiber's fourth kill (Ekdo.262) and was Lt Robert Hillborn of the 7th PRG.

[Richard T Eger]

From within a thread on 12 O'Clock High!:

Dunash
Why no RAF gun camera footage
Sun Jan 18 04:11:27 2004
217.132.166.194

There is very little RAF gun camera footage in existence. Is it true that Churchill ordered it all destroyed in 1950? Why?

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

TColvin
Gun camera footage
Sun Jan 18 04:47:00 2004
209.90.135.126

I put that question 25 years ago to the Imperial War Museum (IWM).
I was told that gun camera footage was on some kind of film - its late and the term is on the tip of my tongue - that is unstable. I believe I was told that some footage existed in store but no one knew what to do with it.
The question needs to be put again to the IWM.
My interest was and is Typhoon rocket attacks. In that case, I was told, the camera ran only when the guns were fired, and therefore pictures of rocket strikes would only exist if the guns were being fired at the same time. That happened infrequently.

[Richard T Eger]

From further within the thread on TOCH!:

martin
Gun camera footage
Sun Jan 18 18:10:37 2004
81.152.117.88

The film is acetate. The IWM has a number of spools. I've had some transferred to video. The quality of image is sometimes very good, bearing in mind the technology that existed.
The film only rolled if the guns were fired.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Ged
Gun Camera Footage
Sun Jan 18 18:26:41 2004
193.188.97.151

In the mid 70's, I spent a whole day in a booth set up specifically at the Imperial War Museum, watching camera footage from German fighters. Amazing. I think they were spools of 32 or 35 mm film.

I came in one week and looked through their long list of topics from the various fronts, and gave them my choice. A week later, I was shown into a room/booth and ran one spool after another - including on the Eastern and Western Fronts - B-17s, Russian Il-2s, etc being shot and/or being shot down.

One pilot emptied all his guns at a Il-2, and it just kept flying along.

At the time, nearly 30 years ago, the viewing was available to anyone who was interested.

Ged

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Christer Bergström
Il-2 - the Cement Bomber
Sun Jan 18 21:08:19 2004
81.225.209.126

"One pilot emptied all his guns at a Il-2, and it just kept flying along."

That reminds me of an interesting discussion that was held on the "Allied" board around Christmas.