Combat Squadron 633
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Combat Squadron 633 |
| Original title | 633 Squadron |
| Country of production |
UK , USA |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1964 |
| length | 91 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Walter Grauman |
| script |
James Clavell , Howard Koch |
| production | Cecil F. Ford |
| music | Ron Goodwin |
| camera | Edward Scaife |
| cut | Ben Bates |
| occupation | |
| |
Kampfgeschwader 633 (original title: 633 Squadron ) is a British-American war film by Walter Grauman from 1964. The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Frederick E. Smith. The premiere took place in Great Britain in April 1964 and in the USA on June 24, 1964. In Germany the film was released in cinemas on October 30, 1964.
action
Norway occupied by the Germans in World War II. The resistance fighter Erik Bergman informed the British via radio about the location of a fuel factory for V2 rockets . The Royal Air Force Kampfgeschwader 633 was ordered to destroy the factory. The squadron's commander is Roy Grant, an American serving in the British Air Force.
The fuel factory seems unassailable. It lies at the end of a long and narrow fjord under a rock overhang. To do this, it is secured by anti-aircraft guns . Only a collapse of the overhang promises success. Squadron 633 with its fast and agile machines of the type de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is intended for the attack. The pilots train for their mission, while Grant and Bergman's sister, Hilde, develop a cautious relationship.
The Norwegian resistance fighters are supposed to destroy the German anti-aircraft guns. However, Bergman is captured by the Germans. Under torture, he speaks about the plans of the British and Norwegians.
Grant is sent out to destroy the main Gestapo building where Bergman is tortured. In fact, he manages to break through the German lines and bomb the building. Bergmann is killed, Grant reaches home base with a damaged landing gear.
The secret mission of Kampfgeschwader 633 is brought forward. The very next day, the pilots are sent out to collapse the rocky promontory that is supposed to bury the German fuel factory using "earthquake bombs". The Norwegian partisans - now without their commander Bergman - are supposed to destroy the German anti-aircraft positions beforehand.
The attack by the Norwegians fails and the partisans are ambushed. All men are killed. The Combat Squadron 633 now has to carry out its attack under flak fire, the mission becomes a suicide mission. Grant draws the defensive fire with his machine, the other pilots can destroy the camp. Except for Grant's machine, which is also badly hit, all British planes are shot down. Grant also has to make an emergency landing with his plane. With the help of a Norwegian, his navigator can rescue the wounded commander from the burning wreck.
The mission was successful, Grant's Navigator survived. It remains to be seen whether Grant will faint or die after being rescued. The film ends with the words of British Air Marshal Davis: "A squadron doesn't die."
Reviews
The lexicon of the international film about the film: “Brilliantly photographed war adventure of questionable construction with a tendency to persevere.” The magazine Cinema draws the following conclusion about these “Conventional, but with explosive action scenes. Technically solid, with gripping pictures. ” The Variety praised the “ spectacular performance and the technically explosive presentation ” , but at the same time criticized the “ shallow character drawing. ” The TV Guide judged similarly. The action scenes are “breathtaking” , but the film is hampered by “absurd dialogues and an unnecessary romance” .
background
Filming took place in Scotland and at the closed RAF base in Bovington, Hertfordshire . Although the film is set in Norway, it was not shot there.
Seven mosquito machines were used, four of which were airworthy and only three were movable on the ground. The attack on the tank farm was carried out with 1:48 scale models, while most of the flight sequences in the film are excerpts from archive footage. The German aircraft depicted in the film were Messerschmitt Bf 108 machines that were repainted to become Messerschmitt Bf 109 .
Cliff Robertson, Donald Houston and director Grauman served in the Air Force during World War II. Robertson didn't get his role just because of his piloting skills. He was also hired to find international (primarily American) financiers for the film. His reservations about the script were dispelled by the engagement of the American screenwriter Howard Koch.
The film is the first color film to be filmed in the widescreen format developed by Panavision .
Web links
- 633 Squadron in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Kampfgeschwader 633. In: Lexicon of international films . Film service , accessed June 3, 2017 .
- ↑ http://www.cinema.de/kino/filmarchiv/film/kampfgeschwader-633,1308753,ApplicationMovie.html
- ↑ http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794931.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://movies.tvguide.com/633-squadron/review/117939
- ^ Walter Mirisch: I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History. University of Wisconsin, 2008, p. 201.
