[Tyler109]

Originally Posted by SkyBuffalo

That kind of makes sense, Tyler109. I just read in a WW2 aircraft book that the Spanish got a license from the Germans to build and fly the Messerschmitt BF109s in Spain. The Spanish built them and still flew them until the mid-60s. Those Spanish 109s were called HA-1112-M1Ls.


Since we are on the subject of WW2 planes in movies, I was watching "A Bridge Too Far" last week. When the tanks begin to roll up the road toward Germany and the artillery starts laying down fire, several "British" planes come zooming overhead to attack the German emplacements. I can't recognize what planes these are. Does anybody know?

All of the He-111's and 109's (spanish variations) were active spanish air force aircraft loaned for the movie and repainted. Some of the 109's had to be modified to look like an earlier variant.

[Bluenosed Bastard]

Another thing you'll notive is that the exhaust stacks are in the wrong place, look when the 109's start firing up on "Adler Tag". It sounded as though they didn't have the Daimler-Benz engines but rather like Merlins!!!

[JC Woodman]

Originally Posted by AbbevilleReaper

Another thing you'll notive is that the exhaust stacks are in the wrong place, look when the 109's start firing up on "Adler Tag". It sounded as though they didn't have the Daimler-Benz engines but rather like Merlins!!!

Yes, the exhaust location and the size of the cooling intakes ID these Spanish variants... The 111's also appear in a number of flicks including Patton.
As a teen I had the great fortune to witness (over years) the restoration of a Hawker Hurricane by my school friends father Neil Rose. Neil had been a ground crewman in the RCAF and had worked on Hurricanes. In the early 60's (this from Neil) he was in Canada and while driving saw a farmer towing a familiar looking metal framework behind his tractor ostensibly to flatten out his field.
This "framework" was the battered airframe of a Hawker Hurricane. Neil purchased it and over MANY years personally restored it. As a teen I did whatever grunt work I could to be allowed in the hangar during the work. I remember vividly the day they received the round handled control yoke from England... Apparently extraordinarily tough to find! It has appeared @ air shows since... In the late 80's I saw Neil clip a post w/ his wingtip @ Boeing Field, Seattle during an air show... OUCH! I am told he has since sold it though and having lost touch w/ his son Scott am unsure of it's current home. Anybody know? I have a Polaroid photo from about 1976 of me sitting in the cockpit of the "skinless" Hurricane.
As to the Movie, the producers who offered to restore the Hurricane IF they could use it in the filming of the movie approached Neil in the mid 60’s. Neil declined apparently saying he did not feel they would do a proper, complete job in the restoration and choose to do it himself, which took MANY years.
Sorry to be so long winded, thought you all might find it of intereast.

[datacroft]

Originally Posted by AbbevilleReaper

It sounded as though they didn't have the Daimler-Benz engines but rather like Merlins!!!

If you weren't joking, I can confirm that both the Spanish built Hispano-Suiza HA.1112 Buchons (bf109's) and the CASA 2111 bombers (He-111's) all had Merlin engines. (Daimler Benz appeared to suffer some production difficulties post 1946 )

More trivia:
27 Spitfires in various degrees of repair were found for the film, 12 of which could be made airworthy. Only six Hurricanes where found, three of which were made flyable. The Buchons (bf109's) where all retired from the Spanish Air Force. The production company bought them all, about 50 of them, and put 17 of them back in flying condition. They are in the movie flown by Spanish Air Force pilots, and crop-dusters from Texas. The 32 CASA 2111's (He-111's), with crews, were on loan for free from the Spanish Air Force, where they were still used for transport and target towing. Two of them were eventually bought by the production company and flown together with the 17 Buchons to England for further shooting. The two Junkers 52 were also on loan from the Spanish Air Force.

[Taff the Terrible]

Anyone know what happened to the bombers? I understand that the Buchons were sold off but since no one wanted the 111's they were scrapped. If that is really the case then that is a crying shame.
Taff

[datacroft]

Courtesy of Llub Nitram where he nabbed this remaining survivor hiding within the depths of Duxford earlier this month.

[chiefs70]

Wow, great stuff guys. Now THIS is why I come to the hangar.

[admin]

Originally Posted by chiefs70

Wow, great stuff guys. Now THIS is why I come to the hangar.

Hear..Hear...

[Tyler109]

So did anyone ever figure out in that one scene if those were 109's??

[Flyboy]

I noticed when I watched it the 1st time that the noses of the 109's were wrong. It wasn't until years later that I found out they were not actually Bf-109's, but Spanish copies built with different engines.

Still one of my favorite WWII movies to watch, though!