The Dambusters.

[Triton II]

Re: The Dambusters.

Wg Cdr Guy Gibson VC RAF, named his Labrador "******" because it was a black coloured dog, not because of any racial prejudices. Regarding "war stories", I too have plenty including a couple of interesting A10 Warthog ones - though I never knew they were in Vietnam, I thought they were a late 70's era aircraft... and a bloody good one too!

TII

 

[Triton II]

Re: The Dambusters.

If I have offended anyone, my apologies. That is who I am.

Good on you JB... If everyone felt the same passion and had the same level of integrity, then the World would be a far better place.

TII

 

[45Auto]

Re: The Dambusters.

My Junior year of HS, the school hired a new History teach. Retired A.F. LtCol, who flew A-10 Warthogs in 'Nam. LOVED to tell war stories.

Sounds like your history teacher had a vivid imagination. How much of the stuff he "taught" you was actual history or just his imagination? Or I guess you could look at it as just another minor "history re-write"!

The U.S. got out of Vietnam in early 1975 (Saigon fell in April 1975).

Vietnam Era Service is defined as:

A Vietnam era veteran is a person who

1. served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days, any part of which occurred between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975

The first production A10 didn't fly until 6 months after Vietnam.

From Wikipedia:

The first production A-10 flew in October 1975, and deliveries to the Air Force commenced in March 1976. In total, 715 airplanes were produced, the last delivered in 1984.

 

[reddogg]

Re: The Dambusters.

How's that saying go? "those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it". I'm a vet, and I love history, esspecially millitairy history and I really hate what hollywood does to it in the name of the allmighty dollar and PC. That these guys flew those giant lancasters so low and droped such revolutionairy ordanance on such dangerous missions is heroic and deserves to be preserved intact. Allot of people don't know history so they will go see this movie and take whatever crap hollyweird gives them as the gospel truth and that's just plain wrong. If anyone wants to see a good, true accounting of them, the millitairy chanel has a good show on about them now and again.

red

 

[JB]

Re: The Dambusters.

For the most part I agree with you, reddog, about The History Channel. Mostly good, accurate reportage. I find their story about The Dambusters credible. There is no mention of the dog that I recall.

For the most part, take what is on The History Channel and History International as true, but accept that the work is done by human beings who have imperfect memories and sometimes an axe to grind.

 

[royal0014]

Re: The Dambusters.

Sounds like your history teacher had a vivid imagination. How much of the stuff he "taught" you was actual history or just his imagination? Or I guess you could look at it as just another minor "history re-write"!

The U.S. got out of Vietnam in early 1975 (Saigon fell in April 1975).

Vietnam Era Service is defined as:



The first production A10 didn't fly until 6 months after Vietnam.

From Wikipedia:

Hmm, seems my memory is faulty. Don't blame the teacher. Never said I was (or am) a good student


<<)))(((>>

 

[Tig]

Re: The Dambusters.

I remember "The Dambusters". I enjoyed that movie and I've seen it a few times, but not in the past 30 years.
Movies of historical events have lost most of their appeal to me now that I am more conscious of how historically inaccurate they can be. Generally speaking, I feel that while glorifying a story the writer/producer can dishonor the event. IMO

 

[aspeck]

Re: The Dambusters.

"Historical Fiction" can be the worst...

Just finished reading some of Gingrich's historical fiction books. I liked the PERSPECTIVE it gave of the people of the era and what they were going through, but when you miss battles, attribute to non-fictional characters the work of other non-fictional characters, and start changing FACTS, then something is wrong. I liked the books I read but it got me to research the era a little more, and then I didn't like the books so much because of the inconsistencies with the truth/research.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: The Dambusters.

History vs Hollywood.
What concerns me are movies like U-571 from year 2000, even won an oscar for it.
The story was just that, a story with no truth what so ever.
Complete fiction.
The disquised American sub and crew never captured the German Enigma Cipher machine from U-571.
HMS Bulldog captured U-110 and their Enigma a year ealier.
As kids, we were raised on the story.
The real U-571 was sunk - wait for it - by an Australian Sunderland Flying boat off Ireland in 1944.

I saw and enjoyed this movie, but I couldn't believe what Hollywood had done to history, and I say history because the workers here actually talked about it thinking it was fact.
If that is the case here, then there are probably 100m Americans believing the same too.
I really do enjoy a good story tho.
Just my views.
Cheers
Phillip

 

[Smuggler's Blues]

Re: The Dambusters.

I think people need to understand that Hollywood makes movies just to make money. Anyone that watches a movie and quotes it as the gospel truth has far more issues that we can address here. I personally do not have a problem with a slight name change as long as it does not alter the main story. In this case I think the name would overshadow the story and take away from it. Just my $.02

 

[OldePharte]

Re: The Dambusters.

Going back to the original post -

I guess I don't see the big deal about changing the name of the dog. I also have seen the 50's version of the movie several times and I don't remember there even being a dog in it. Is the dog, never mind it's name, all that important to the actual events? Would you guys be all that upset if they showed the bomb inventor driving the wrong model of car? Did the light focusing (to tell altitude) idea really come from the pilot attending a musical review? If so, did they get the name of the theater correct?

To me just getting this story of inventiveness and courage out with the all players and events correct is what is important to me. Not the name of a dog.