battleofbritainb

DUXFORD

Battle of Britain (United Artists 1968) Page 2 of 2 (Go to Page 1)

The aerial filming for the Battle of Britain was carried out using a B-25 Mitchell, belonging to and piloted by specialist John R Hawke, who had served in the RAF. The B-25 had flown over the Pacific on missions for the USAF but now where cannon and machine-guns had been, camers postions had been built instead. The front fuselage had been replaced by a cowl of plexiglass big enough and clear enough to allow a 65 mm widescreen colour camera to shoot through. The end of the tail had been taken out completely and a camera rigged up in the rear-gunner's postion. There were also places for cameras to shoot through the side windows; and when the bomb-bay doors were opened a camera could be lowered capable of shooting over a 360 degree field, controlled by a cameraman sitting just above it.

(left) John Hawke's multi-coloured B-25 Mitchell camera-plane and a squadron of Spitfires filming over Duxford.

Prior to UK filming, the B-25 arrived at Marshall's airfield
along with some of the other aircraft (below left). The B-25 landing back at Duxford after a hard-day's filming (below right).

Filming in the South Cambridgeshire sky carried on from May - August 1968. The following set photographs was taken from the ground at Duxford during this period.

Hurricane (left) and Spitfire (below left) returning to Duxford after working all day (below right).

A lone Hurricane closes in on a damaged 109.

Messerschmitt 109 preparing to land after spending the day filming.

The most dramatic day's filming on the ground at Duxford was 20 June 1968, when the single-bay Belfast hangar (seen in this still on the far right) was blown up during the impending air-raid that the look-out is signalling.

Two explosions were actually filmed, on consecutive days, because the first did not completely destroy the building. This picture shows the one that worked!

All that's now left of the single-bay hangar.

Whilst the ground shots were being filmed at Duxford, the "air force" was based at nearby Debden airfield. From here the unit flew out east for filming over the coast and the North sea. This final set of pictures was taken on the ground at Debden during this period.

The largest collection of Second World War aircraft seen since 1945, gathered at Debden.

The two Heinkel 111 bombers that flew to the UK from Spain along with seventeen Messerschmitts. Note that the far Heinkel has its propellers turning.

The main hangar at Debden. Seems uninteresting but if you look closely you can just about make out the multi-coloured tail of the B-25.

I am greatly indebted to Mr Peter Barlow for allowing his personal photographs of the filming of the Battle of Britain to be published on this site. Please feel free to download as you wish, but we do ask that you acknowledge the source.

Click Here for page 1 of Battle of Britain filming

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Second World War

Battle of Britain

Imperial War Museum*

References and acknowledgements

(1914-1918)
(1919-1938)
(1939-1945)
(1939-42)
(1943-45)
(1946-1974)
(1968)
(1975-present)

*in association with Duxford Aviation Society and Cambridgeshire County Council. The contents of this UNOFFICIAL website does not in any way reflect the opinions or ideas of any owner or operator present or past involved with the location popularly known as Duxford Airfield.