The Thousand Plane Raid

The Thousand Plane Raid (1969)

This was the day the Allies turned the blitz on Hitler

In 1943, Colonel Greg Brandon, stationed at an United States Army Air Forces 8th Air Force, 103rd Bomb Group base in England, repeatedly attempts to persuade superiors that massive daylight bombing will hasten the end of World War II. In spite of the mission's extreme difficulty, his plan is finally put into effect against a German aircraft factory. During preparation for the raid, Brandon alienates his men by insisting that normal bombing operations continue. His disdain for cautious Lieutenant Archer and brash RAF Wing Commander Trafton Howard further antagonizes his associates, including his girl friend, WAC Lieutenant Gabrielle Ames. When his bomber crashes the morning of the mission, Brandon boards a bomber manned by Archer and Howard. During the effective air raid, he is impressed by Archer's courage and Howard's judgment.

Date of release
1969-07-15
TMDB
6.4 / 10 (8)
Runtime
1h 33m
Genres
Adventure, War
Director
Boris Sagal

Casting

Interesting facts

The Thousand Plane Raid is a 1969 DeLuxe Color film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Christopher George and Laraine Stephens. Although claimed to be derived from Ralph Barker's The Thousand Plane Raid, the storyline of the film inaccurately portrays the first raid as an 8th Air Force mission while the actual attack was undertaken by 1,047 Royal Air Force bombers against the city of Cologne, Germany in May 1942.

Production

The film was based on Ralph Baker's book of the same name which was published in 1966.

The film was made for the Mirisch Corporation. Shooting started January 16, 1968. The Mirisch Corporation signed George to a five-picture contract.

The film was shot in a budget-conscious manner. The main sets were in Santa Maria, California, and principal photography took place in winter 1968. The local village and airport realistically portrayed a typical British wartime base. Period-style maintenance shops, an operations center and a wartime-style control tower were added to re-create the fictional Steeple Bassington base.

Aerial sequences included a mix of stock wartime footage, including the Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944), some of it colorized to match original footage. The air-boss was legendary Hollywood stunt pilot Frank Tallman, but the most spectacular scene was a low-flying B-17 scene flown by Don Lykins.

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