Lancaster Squadron | "Journey Together" (1944) *new version available*
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Audio fixed version here: • Lancaster Squadron | "...
"A story dedicated to the Few who trained the Many...."
This 1944 dramatisation follows Royal Air Force recruits through their training to deployment to the front-line 522 Squadron of Avro Lancasters (fictitious at that time) and their first night-mission over Germany.
Titled "Journey Together", this propaganda film was made to tell the story of Flying Training Command. And the final combat scene over Germany leaves most modern productions in its dust!
(Sorry about uploading without sound earlier!)
Hey all: I've uploaded a video-improved, audio-enhanced version of this movie here: czcams.com/video/1xLMgWtfc68/video.html
Outstanding, it takes the British to make real war films, WW2 in the RAF, every aircrew member was a volunteer, I am so proud of them all.
The "accused" at the beginning is Richard Attenborough who was actually in the RAF
I saw him and spent the rest of the film waiting for his pal John Mills.@@jamesross1799
I have seen British war films, Russian War films, Chinese war films , Korean War films. and American war films. You as a Brit you should feel the way you do. As an America I have seen very good War films from all the Countries I mentioned. I would say it all comes down to ones tastes and any bias they may have as to which is best. The Korean War films about the student soldiers would be a match for any war films made elsewhere.
@@carlreed6186 No disrespect to the US services was intended.
@@jamesross1799
from "In which we serve" 1942
to "Jurassic World" 2015..... what are great career
What an EXCELLENT film. And a bonus to see dear old Arthur Daley as Curly. Very good indeed. Many thanks. My dear old dad flew in Lancasters as a Rear Gunner.
1:35:08 thought I’d seen all the war films going, especially flying ones. What a surprise then to see Lancaster Squadron for the first time. All in all very impressive especially as it was made during the war and not post-war. So many well known actors who served in the RAF, I really didn’t know that. As an ex ATC cadet (120 Hendon and 1374 East Barnet Squadrons) and flying in Chipmunk T10 training aircraft perhaps twice a year (early 70’s to early 80’s) the flying training scenes really brought back exciting memories.
I recommend you check the replacement version (I botched the processing of this one). Link in the notes.
My Grandad was Bomb Aimer in the 149 Squadron flying in Lancasters un WW2. He was an extra in this film waving off the crew in the truck as they went off. I found a newspaper article talking about the lump he had in his throat seeing the film, watching colleagues he would never see again. On his last flight his plane was shot down over Niederbrechen and him and two others managed to parachute down but eventually became POW. He said somethings he would always remember, some he would rather forget. A very good film, treasured not only as he is in but as its wonderfully done.
Was this filmed at Lakenheath?
From the newspaper article writing about it, it was from Methwold Nov 1944, but obviously training done all over so filming may well have. He did his training all over as suggested in the film including Canada as well other places in the UK, not named.
@@wendyhughes8740 It was the UK RAF bomber base used for the film i was particularly interested in. I noticed the OJ 149 sqdn codes on the Lancasters and wondered which airfield it was. Many thanks for your reply. If this film was released in 1944, they had left it a bit late in the day, Nov 44 to be filming dont you think?
Perhaps I did not make clear - I dont know what point the film was taken and whether it was during my grandpas training elsewhere or whether at Methwold, I just know that my grandpa was in the film (I can see him there) as well as the article quoting confirmed by family and that, when qualified, my gpa was based at Methwold.
So glad your Grandad survived the war. RIP to all those brave volunteer aircrew who gave their lives for our freedom. I wonder if looking down on our society now what they would think of our situation, versus their 55,573 collective sacrifices? Would they think it was sacrifice squandered by later politicians who get us into all sorts of messes? I for one am grateful to all of those brave boys, to have given me a peaceful upbringing, all be it during the Cold War that fortunately never was.
This was certainly one of the best of the best of all World War II films. It was fabulous seeing Richard Attenborough. Talk about a courageous young man and to think he'd already earned his stripes on actual bombing missions as a member of a film unit. I came across some great leaders in my own 20 year military career, but that line from the Aircrew Selection/Training Instructor was perfect; "The training is only ever over when you are dead". Can't get any more to the point there. The need to avoid any inattention, complacency or boredom setting in was paramount, no matter how qualified one felt they'd become. It was the authoritarian leaders like this that truly saved many lives. I imagine this film must have been very effective in reaching and inspiring all stratas of society; embedding in them a confident belief in themselves no matter how many pitfalls of training/washouts they might have to cross before attaining their qualification badge.
My dad used to say "only a fool stops learning".
and Democrats..@@martinsims1273
👍👍❤️
The credits mentioned that some filming was done at Falcon Feild, Mesa, AZ. It is still a very active training airfield. I flew there with CAE as a Flight Instructor / Flight Examiner. I recognised the local mountains. We trained pilots for commercial ratings for major carriers from all over the globe. It was a very busy training field for British Airmen During WW2. The stone remains of the fireplace of the officer's mess can be found. The local authorities tend a separate plot in the local graveyard known as the English graves containing the bodies of young men who died while carrying out their training. There is a memorial service every year. The RAF send a representative.
Great input. Merci beaucoup !
Tom, Very interesting regarding the graves in the local cemetery. Normally all Commonwealth war graves are tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who operate out of London and are tasked with looking after over 20,000 cemeteries or an individual small group of graves in perpetuity, irrespective whether it's an enormous purpose built WW1 cemetery in France or Belgium, or just a few graves adjacent to some remote river, or village clearing, in the heart of Thailand or Burma.
Normally the CWGC appoint a maintenance contract to either a local person / village, Company or Local Authority to actually look after the graves and I would think that this is probably the case here. The ode/ poem/ prayer of the British Legion is,
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Nice to know this act of remembrance is still being honoured and kept alive and is not, just as they call it nowadays, "word salad".
@@stuartmccall5474 Thank you for your reply. As a management team member, I attended several memorial services with some of our British Students in the college uniform to lay wreaths. A section of fourteen graves was separated from other graves. All were very well tended. A thoughtful, respectful ceremony was conducted with a pipe band and a fly past by the local Confederate Airforce in WW2 aircraft complete with missing ship echelon. There were representatives from various local military organisations, including a visiting RAF deputation. The words you annotate were read out, and a rifle salute. Very impressive and very moving.
@@tomarmstrong1281 : Thank you for that information, very interesting. There is a video on CZcams entitled, "Festival of Remembrance 2018" (the Centenary of the end of WW1) which, towards the end, has elements you would definitely recognize from earlier days. The "festival" is an annual event organised and run by the British Legion, via the BBC, and the video is quite informative as to the way a people continue to remember their war dead. Respects to you.
@@stuartmccall5474z Beautiful. Thanks for the info. Love the history.
I love these old wartime British movies, Especially the ones with actual flyers rather than just actors! Great stuff! Must need some real brains to be a navigator back then, finding places by time and wind with compass and maps AND AT NIGHT!!! AMAZING!
My Uncle was a Squadron Leader in Bomber Command during WW2 . He was a navigator and reading his diaries where he wrote that he may not come back has resonated with me to this day .
Perhaps you have viewed the recently posted YT documentary video, "Last Flight to Berlin The Search for a Bomber Pilot", in which the son of a Halifax pilot killed on a raid to Berlin seeks the story of his father's last journey - and amazingly gets the whole story. Very moving narrative and graphics. Kudos to your heroic Uncle.
@@freddiefreihofer7716 Thanks so much . Yes , I will watch that . 👍
@@freddiefreihofer7716Worth a good viewing?
This is an outstanding piece of authentic story telling…told at the time by many of the men who actually did it.
The Lancaster flew over my house a couple of times this past weekend. Still a wonderful plane to hear and then see after 80 years!
Are you sure cos It's grounded
@@warrenpreece-ez8hb The Canadian Lancaster is busy flying this spring. Just completed a visit to Goderich, Ontario this weekend. You can’t mistake those 4 merlin engines that you hear before the plane comes into view.
As a ATC Cadet, during late 1970's, 955 (Stevenage) Sqn's C.O. (Flt/Lt Wilkins) and his Adj (Flt/Lt Thomas) were both navigators in the RAF during the later stages of WW II (mister Thomas later took part in the Berlin airlift).
Both these gentlemen were an inspiration to me when I served in the RAF during the 1980/90's, and this film has given me an insight in how they gained their Navigators brevet.
Top film! Reminds me of a dear old friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. He went to Canada to train as a pilot but instead became a navigator just as our Richard Attenborough character. He became a very good navigator topping his course and was much in demand when he formed up with a Mosquito squadron when he returned to UK. He became the squadrons lead navigator attending to all things involved with this role. He spent the whole war in 2TAF on some pretty hairy ops, and at wars end continued in the RAF till 1950 in various Mosquito squadrons, particularly being stationed in Germany. He said the low level ops were the most frightening as you didn't have time to get out if hit. Miss them both, his wife was ex WAAF, they met on the squadron and she passed on not long after he died.
❤️
Nice to see Edward G. Robinson support this outstanding cast. The first time I saw "The Navigator" was many years later in "The Great escape". Another wonderful all-star cast. Thanks for the movie post.
When I first went to Denmark, my father in law showed me where bomber went down with Canadian crew, in middle of Jutland. RIP.
Most likely someone on this thread has mentioned already about the silver whistles clipped on the bomber crew's shirt collars or top button hole.
They are for......................
"The signalling whistle, or 'ditching' whistle, was used by downed RAF aircrew to signal the attention of rescue craft or passing vessels. It was typically attached to the wearer's flying clothing."
When you fly commercial these days, you're life vest has the same equipment and an added flashing light on it.
Of course the bright yellow duck head with sailor's hat on it also helps as a visual aid to spot.
An additional rubber bag to put your lower body into would also be a good thing to have as it keeps sharks from thinking you're a couple of white seals dangling in the water.
IN the Boy Scouts, I earned swimming and life saving merit badges and one of the most important and useful things to know was the "dead man float".
You can stay afloat with no life preserver for hours and hours without using the tiring water treading technique.
They also showed me how to make a flotation device from my pants if need be by tying up the legs and then catching air in it.
IF things get worse, you can always use your dead buddy as a life preserver.
I'd say you got about 4 or 5 days tops to hang on to him till the body parts start coming off.
Then, he becomes shark bait so SWIM AWAY! FAR FAR AWAY!
My Dad was a radioman, and gunner, on the Lancasters 458 group American Army Air Corp. Horsham St. Faith, England 1943-1944, and was the finest man i ever met
I think you meant B24 Liberators, not Lancasters
you are correct not Lancasters
Wonderful film! Thanks for downloading AC.
God bless the brave young men of the RAF and US Army Air Corp. that sacrificed their lives, and those that survived protecting freedom.
I was so surprised to see Richard Attenborough as the Navigatior in the credits. All the while wondering how familiar he seemed while watching the film.
Great British actor!
Cool thing about this film is all the players were in the RAF during the war.
Thanks to the poster's commentary on their family members service! Bless them all!
The best film I've watched in many a long time. Brilliant many thanks...
It is a shame CZcams keeps promoting this poorer quality version. Perhaps I should delete it.
The best war film I have ever seen. Thank you RAF, RCAF and RAAF.
Curious no RNZAF or RSAAF?
Check out The Dam Busters & 633 Squadron.
Some real intense moments…this director let situation and emotion build the drama. Well done
Absolute masterpiece depicting aircrew training , forming a crew and the trust and pride in oneself and fellow crew members , thankyou for posting this ,I thought I had seen all the films , am now in my 50s . Thanks ..
This is great. My uncle Bart was a tailgunner in Lancasters in the war and he was sent to Love Field in Texas for pilot training for Lancasters and B24s
Many young and upcoming actors that became famous in the 50s David Tomlinson Richard Attenborough and several others who became household names in the British film industry I remember very well.
Brilliant movie. It had the gritty feeling of reality, particularly in the second half.
Nice touch, the framed picture of Sheila Sim as Attenborough's intended!
First WWII Movie I have seen paying Homage to the unsung Heroes, the Navigators.
You know the saying: "Both fighter and bomber pilots make movies, navigators plot a course to history."
Many moons back, my history teacher, Mr Russell, was a nav on RAF liberators initially. Later on in the war he was RAF liason and was attached to Comd. at the signing of the surrender of the Japanese land forces in SE Asia. All officers there were presented with Japanese officer swords. He would bring it into school for the SE Asia potion of ww2 history lessons. After 35 + years it could slice through paper as if the paper wasn't even there. He was a brilliant teacher, no-one messed around in his classes.
Sobering thought 1 in 3 survived at the height of the battle. Aircraft and crew where built faster than they could be shot down. Lost crew would be replaced instantly. Rooms cleared overnight.
Umm, yes but...
My great uncle died on his first operational flight - he was with his operational squadron for two days…
@@allangibson8494Poor bugger. May he RIP.
@@markfryer9880 The First Pilot and Tail Gunner had marked graves (they died of burns in hospital, the rest of the crew have no known graves but there are seven “unknown” graves between the pilot and tail gunners. (The plane ditched and burned in Tripoli harbor).
That reminds me of working in a care home during COVID. The residents would die and be replaced by another discharged from hospital.
The actor Reginald Tate, who played a training commander, was an R.A.F. volunteer who had become a Squadron Leader by 1944. He had significant small parts in several other prominent wartime films and went on to become Professor Quatermass in the first B.B.C.
t.v. series before he died suddenly in 1955.
What was significant with his small parts?
@@harryzero1566 they was tiny, BUTT it was very cold,,???
Quite a few famous actors in this, George Cole was better known as Arthur Daley, from the 1980's series Minder. Jack Witing returned to Bomber Command in the ITV series "The Pathfinders" in the early 1970's. David Tomlinson was the lead Actor in Mary Poppins and the Villain in the Love Bug. He was also in "The way to the stars" a 1945 film about an RAF Station in WWII and the 2 Group RAF Blenheim / Boston and USAAF B-17 squadrons based there and the 1950's Stalag Luft III escape film the Wooden Horse. Two of his Brothers were also in the RAF and they both ended up being Personal Assistants to Bomber Harris, one at the start of the War at HQ 5 Group and the other while Harris was AOCinC at High Wycombe.
@@bobmiller7502 😂🤣🤣
@@harryzero1566 (see below)
This is why i love CZcams. Terrific ww2 film! If you ‘re a pilot this is riveting. I love love loved it.
Check the notes. I botched the quality of this first upload. I've put up another higher resolution and cleaner sound version.
Great old film. Nice to see the focus on a navigator instead of the usual dashing pilot.
What a great film! It really gave me the feel of what these men must have experienced, and what an amazing effort it took to win WWII. Thanks for showing it.
What a fantastic film, many thanks for the upload. As someone with no flying experience whatsoever it seems to me that the navigator had just as much responsibility as the pilot, possibly a little more too.
Absolutely brilliant - certainly didn’t expect the quality of the Berlin scenes. Thank you !! 👍🏽🇦🇺❤️
That’s a very young Dickie Attenborough…great post thank you for posting.
Wow that was brill. Edward G as well. I could watch things like this forever.
Almost a story of my father’s life, except he passed out as a pilot, and went on to captain Stirlings as a single pilot. I remember someone asking him about a second pilot, and he offered the info that the Flt/ Eng was trained and had done 20 minutes in a Tigermoth.
Well worth watching. Some serious acting talent, very authentic, and the climactic operational sortie is excellent. Much more realistic and genuinely dramatic than a certain WW2 US bomber miniseries.
Interesting to see pioneering TV producer, director and writer Fletcher Markle in this movie. He played the Canadian Anson pilot who fooled Attenborough's character into taking his job as a navigator seriously. He was definitely in the RCAF during the war, though I'm not sure it was as a BCATP training pilot.
Over 55,000 aircrew were killed, which was brought home to me with another statistic, that every squadron had a loss rate of 900 aircrew. So 20 aircraft each squadron, 7 men to a crew= 140 men. Devide 900, by 140 = 6.4 squadrons turnover for the duration. Staggering.
20 x 7 = 140
It was incredibly difficult for most of the crew to bail out of a Lancaster.
Must have been a brain fade, yes 7x20 = 140, not 120. as I said!!. Duly ammended
@@lamwen03 No action was taken to enlarge the tiny escape-hatch in the nose, despite the crews finding it very difficult to pass through when they were wearing parachutes.
@@None-zc5vgCompared to the multiple large hatches on the B-17. That and the lack of armor and system redundancies leads me to believe they just didn't care much. Or didn't think they had the time or resources to protect the crew.
To say this is an Outstanding tribute to the pilots of WW2, would be the Understatement of the Century. Countless thanks for sharing this marvelous historical film with us all. 👍👍 10⭐
Outstanding film, great to see what the officers and men went through in those days, they did well in my opinion.
As a Yank , the B-17 owns my heart , however, the Lancaster possess my imagination .
Jolly good show. Cheers.
Brilliant realism...A Classic that needs more exposure.
Never heard of this film but enjoyed it greatly. Thanks for posting
Great film and the great George Cole who played the loveable rogue Arthur Daily in minder was in this .
Thanks for putting this on, I've been searching for this for quite some time
I have sent hundreds solo. Even if there was slight doubt. But every single one made a perfect landing. There is something that just clicks and tells you, they will be ok. You never look back, just tell them to go and walk away. Best feeling for a instructor, with slight apprehension..
Excellent, well made, very humane, good cast including unstarry down the list EG Robinson, Attenborough showing his ability.
Our finest years.
I really enjoyed that. Surprisingly good dialogue and character actors
I saw this many years ago, and the only part I remember was when the signal of 'well done navigator' came down. Great film.
thanks so much for the load. really enjoyable movie.
Bloody great movie.. Thank you.. A1
British Bomber Command's casualties were even more appalling than the 8th Air forces. For every 100 men who served, only 44, could expect to survive, unscathed!
Thank you for sharing this. It was Great.
Really great Movie! So realistic! Good Show!
❤ 🎥
Good grief, it was George Cole 'Arthur Daley Minder' that was the injured bomb aimer, Curly. Thought he looked familiar. He must have been only about 17 then, in 1944.
Well spotted :}
At 1:04:47
What a great film ... Thanks for Finding & posting :)
great film!!!! thank you for sharing it!
Magnificent. Thanks a lot for uploading.👍👍
Great old film ,enjoyed it from start to finish.
Spotted a young george cole ( Arthur daily) in the bomber crew. 😊
At the beginning, the scene of the interview with the top brass made me think it was filmed by Kubrik.
Plus: there's Edward J Robinson . Surely before he visited troops in my beloved Normandy in July and August 44 .
This is an excellent film! I wanted to see them get picked up and fly another mission!
Nice to see a young George Cole as the bomb aimer.And Edward G Robinson did a good job too as the instructor.The best film I have seen him in is Scarlet Street.A superb film.
Thanks for sharing it! I always enjoy watching Great Old Movies though. 👍👌👏
And of course, I'm a subscriber!
Thanks Again Though.
Thanks for this. Fantastic stuff!
Thanks for the post...a very good film!👍👍👍
Imagine if there were men like that around us now,the whole world would be a better place. ✌️
Great film thanks
Look how many actually served. Reminds you of THE BIG LIFT about the Berlin Airlift. Most of the characters were actual military personnel.
Thanks to the uploader for all these fine films. Propaganda or no they are incredibly well done... and in 1080. So many upload good films in silly resolutions which makes them unwatchable except on phones.
First Dickie Attenborough, the the father from Mary Poppins. How young, how proud!
Then Eddie G. Robinson!
Brilliant job, very satisfying, and to do the other aircraft and vehicles would be a bonus, well done, cheers .
What a great film, never seen it before.
Oh so very true and realistic.
Lest we Forget
Started off as a Corporal,went into aircrew training as an LAC,then suddenly became a Sergeant,the rank structure of the RAF must've changed somewhat since then,great film though,and a host of wonderful actors,bringing home the message of what aircrew went through,both in training and on ops.
That is the way the RAF works, Remuster into a new Trade and in phase 2 training your rank drops to AC or LAC.
Great film!! Thnx!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Great movie!... great cast... realistic... great planes including the A-20 HAVOC / BOSTON at the end!
Thanks for posting!
Look at Richard A...In less than 20 years in 'The Great Escape'...
I’ve come to really appreciate British war movies, and British movies in general.
For all war film lovers Sea of Sand is a brilliant portrayel of the LRDG with Richard Attenborough.
The best of us. Great lads all.
Flight instructor Edward G. Robinson WOW...!
Retied , and an EX WW1, Navy man , due to age, he could not qualify for military service during WWII. Yet he still served, in a military film unit, and in early July 1944, less than a month after the Invasion of Normandy by Allied forces, Robinson traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO. He personally donated $100,000 ($1,500,000 in 2015 dollars) to the USO. ........
A college professor of mine was a WWII navigator and said one of his final tests was they would blind fold him, fly out from their base in Calif. and in a couple of hours later, he had to find their way back to base. Pass/Fail..He said he passed...lol
Actors in this film who became popular later: Richard Attenborough, ( David's brother ), David Tomlinson, George Cole, Jack Watling, John Justin and Ronald Adam...maybe more I didn't recognise. One notable absentee...where was the ubiquitous Sam Kydd, who was a mainstay in many films?
Sam Kydd was a brown job and was captured in 1940. He was still a POW when this film was made,
@@Tim091 Cheers.....maybe because he had been a POW, film roles came his way so often...unheralded, but an enduring presence in British cinema back then.
@@Tim091 Peter Butterworth was a FAA Pilot in the RN, shot down and captured, he became a POW, after the war he auditioned for a role in the Great Escape and they said "sorry but you do not look like a POW". As POW's came in all shapes and sizes i found it incredible that they refused someone who could have added authenticity to the role.
Love this film have it on DVD, Richard Attenborough at his best . The music is great as well .
All very jolly, but...
Its like an A to Z of actors then - Attenborough, Tomlinson, etc..
George Cole
Flash harry
Why do the British like to be all nostalgic about murdering. How many civilians got killed? They even murdered Russian POW s during the Dambuster raids, but that didn't get a mention in the film.
@@jablot5054well it was not us the British that started the war …but what a bloody mess the world would have been in without these pilots….my mother and father helped build the Lancasters during the war….And I was born during the war ….
Great film and it appears that over half of the cast was actually in the R.A.F. including Attenborough.
That was great! Many thanks.
You'd really have to struggle to land a training aircraft that badly time after time. Those aircraft would practically land themselves.
What a gem 😊
Great stuff, thank you for putting it out there.
For Americans who may have thought Smyth (David Tomlinson) looked familiar, he was George Banks, the father in 'Mary Poppins.' Most of Mr Tomlinson's work was in British films and television and so, I assume, recognizable to people from the UK.
I wonder how many pilots in ww2 never wanted to fly again after the war. Crazy fact 15,000 men died in airforce training in America for ww2.
In percentages right about 40% of all USAAF losses were "non-operational" or non-combat losses. During pilot training, ferrying, deliveries, just plan crashes..Very high cost of the accelerated training and moving planes around..
@@janvanvNot to mention engine fires in B-29s, especially early on.
Yes, have a friend whose dad flew Liberators in WW2 and was asked to go back in for Korea, but declined. It wasn't the enemy he was worried about, it was dying in an accident.
That was excellent!
#2.35 is not the V -Victory sign, laughs, doing that to someone in Britain, Australia or New Zealand will get you into a fight.
So Churchill was told!😅
When did Richard Attenborough leave the Royal Navy and transfer to the RAF?
his brother David was in the RN after the war,
Though the his first film was as a RN Sailor, he was in the RAF for most of the War.
@@richardvernon317
"In Which We Serve"
Read a book Lancaster matches film almost exactly. Selection training and operation.
One helluva good movie!