Rent I Was There: The Battle of Britain (2000)
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1h 0min
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- Synopsis:
On August 9th 1940, three hundred German aircraft flew over South-East England and the Channel coast - their targets were the radar stations at Portland Bill and Weymouth. In the ensuing "dog fights" with British fighters sent to intercept them, eighteen German aircraft were shot down. On August 11th and 12th there were further attacks on radar targets along the coast line. These were the final preliminaries for the main assault, code-name, "The Day of the Eagle", August 13th. Operation Sea Lion had begun in earnest. As the Battle of Britain was being fought over the skies of southern England, an invasion force was being assembled on the other side of the Channel. Goering had promised the Fuhrer that his pilots would deliver to the Fatherland the "greatest of all victories", it was simply a matter of time. However, he hadn't counted on the bravery and the determination of the outnumbered over-stretched pilots of the Royal Air Force, those whom Churchill proudly and affectionately called "the few". "If the British Empire lives to survive a thousand years, men will still say that this was their finest hour!" This is the true story of one of those squadrons, 501 Squadron, as told in their own words, who flew from the Battle of France through to the end of the war. But it is dedicated to every Spitfire pilot and every Hurricane pilot; British, Polish and Canadian. Pilots such as Sgt "Ginger" Lacey, one of Fighter Commands "top scorers" and whose personal "kills" included the He 111 which bombed Buckingham Palace on 13th September 1940. Pilots such as K.W. Mackenzie who "knocked" a Messerschmitt Bfl09 out of the sky, rather than let it escape and V.R. Snell, "Fats Waller on the ivory keys" in the Mess, quite a character. Due to courageous young men like these, and their countless feats of heroism, Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely on September 17th. Great Britain, for the moment at least, was safe. "I Was There: The Battle Of Britain", gratefully tells their story. A story of daring, of bravery. A story of camaraderie and humour, even in the darkest, lowest hours. This is the real story of the Battle of Britain. - Actors:
- 'Ginger' Lacey, K.W. Mackenzie, V.R. Snell
- Studio:
- Prism Leisure
- Genres:
- Documentary
