The Thousand Plane Raid

The Thousand Plane Raid title screen.

Movie (1969)

Starring:
Christopher George (Col. Greg Brandon)
Laraine Stephens (Lt. Gabrielle Ames)
J.D. Cannon (Gen. Cotton Palmer)
Gary Marshal (Wing Cmdr. Taffy Howard)

Despite the first air raid of 1 000 bombers was a RAF Bomber Command action, this movie is about the struggle of fictionous USAAF Colonel Brandon to achieve such goal. He must face hostily of the HQ and loss of motivation from his men. The day his project comes alive in 1943, the bomb group and Brandon himself must face extraordinary bad luck and fiercest german defenses.
(In fact, at the end of the war, daily air raids with much more bombers have became routine for both USAAF and RAF).

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress

Please note that a high part of the B-17 shots are from wartime footages or of the 1944 Billy Wider's The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress like this one :

324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group.

or these another ones :

324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group.

Of the three Boeing B-17 used in 1969 for this movie, only one was really a B-17F : registered N17W (s/n 42-29782), he acted as Can Do.
Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Boeing B-17G-85-DL Flying Fortress

Reg. N83525, this B-17 (s/n 44-83525) was adorned with Balls of fire, KY-L, 25053 on the tail.
Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Reg. N3713G, the other B-17G of this production was this Boeing B-17 s/n 44-83684. For the movie he was baptised Bucking Branco and worn code A-DF / 124485 (in fact the serial of real B-17F Memphis Belle)

From the 379th Bomb Group, 1944.

Messerschmitt Bf 109G Late

Mock of the Messerschmitt's fighter with a type of canopy not used in 1943.

SNCAN Nord 1002 Pingouin II

During the battle, the 109 becomes this Messerschmitt Bf 108 successor.

Supermarine Spitfire

Spitfires with "bubble" canopy were not in service in 1943.

coded AE-G.

Vought F4U Corsair

Close-ups on he Spitfire cockpit dislay ... the canopy of a Vought F4U Corsair !

Unidentified Aircraft

When the escort fighter shoot down the german one, this fixed landing gear model is visible. Perhaps a Tachikawa Ki-36 ?

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The single one; to illustrate the crash of Col. Brandon's B-17 !

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See also

• The Thousand Plane Raid at Aero Vintage Books
• The Thousand Plane Raid at IMDb
• The Thousand Plane Raid at Wikipedia