TV, Movies, and Games
Talk about TV, Movies, Gaming or anything entertainment related.
most accurate film for WW2 military hardware?
sprue
Visit this Community
California, United States
Member Since: August 06, 2006
entire network: 13 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 - 02:16 AM UTC
Which film would you say has the best representation of WW2 hardware?

I saw "A Bridge Too Far" over the holidays and it was cool to see sten guns, universal carriers and such but I didn't recognize two vehicles. One was the command vehicle Michael Caine was in and the other(s) were the German tanks. Could anyone tell me what they are?

Thanks,
Andy
ShermiesRule
Visit this Community
Michigan, United States
Member Since: December 11, 2003
entire network: 5,409 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 - 02:31 AM UTC
Back in the 70s A Bridge Too Far makes an honorable attempt for accuracy. However the German tanks are modern tanks mocked up with side skirts. I think they are Leos underneath the mock up

THe command car is a Humber. Check out this link to the kit:

http://www.accurate-armour.com/ShowProduct.cfm?manufacturer=0&category=19&subcategory=64&product=53
Sabot
Member Since: December 18, 2001
entire network: 12,596 Posts
KitMaker Network: 2,557 Posts
Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 - 02:48 AM UTC
Humphrey Bogart's Sahara has good M3 Lee footage, but the "German" halftrack is a US M3.
Hollowpoint
Visit this Community
Kansas, United States
Member Since: January 24, 2002
entire network: 2,748 Posts
KitMaker Network: 841 Posts
Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 02:23 AM UTC
Cross of Iron has some nice T-34/85s (Yugoslav, IIRC) and lots of other German and Soviet military hardware.

From the bargain bin at Wal-Mart -- The Bridge at Remagen. The high-speed attack of the Chafees always makes me laugh!
Tojo72
Visit this Community
North Carolina, United States
Member Since: June 06, 2006
entire network: 4,691 Posts
KitMaker Network: 668 Posts
Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 06:43 PM UTC
I enjoyed a foreign film called The Winter War,about the Russo-Finnish War of 1939 and it features T-26's + T-28's right from Russian Museums.I don't know if the I-16 attack planes were authentic ,but they looked great.
Drader
Visit this Community
Wales, United Kingdom
Member Since: July 20, 2004
entire network: 3,791 Posts
KitMaker Network: 765 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 09:09 PM UTC
The German tanks in A Bridge Too Far were Dutch Army Leopards and the Stugs were played by a 105mm SPH on the chassis of the AMX-13.

David
NebLWeffah
Visit this Community
Alberta, Canada
Member Since: October 13, 2004
entire network: 1,683 Posts
KitMaker Network: 284 Posts
Posted: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 05:23 AM UTC
"Where Eagles Dare" did a pretty good job. They had Kubelwagens, BMW (I think) motorcyles with sidecars and other German support vehicles. Even the bus with the snow shovel was 'of the period' (lol). The best though was the JU-52 transport, it was really great to see that flying.

It all fell apart though when the T-6's showed up disguised as Luftwaffe fighters and then there was the helicopter.........
DUBDUBS
Visit this Community
Missouri, United States
Member Since: September 29, 2005
entire network: 624 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 02:28 AM UTC
Saving Private Ryan and the Band of brothers tv show were 100% accurate to my knowledge
acav
Visit this Community
Auckland, New Zealand
Member Since: May 09, 2002
entire network: 517 Posts
KitMaker Network: 183 Posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 02:39 AM UTC
One of my favourite WW2 films - and one featuring a wealth of period detail - is the little seen but quite excellent They Were Not Divided.

Dating from 1949/50, this film follows the Guards Armoured Division through various events in WW2, culminating in the NW Europe campaign.

Real Shermans and associated vehicles, even a Tiger in one all too brief scene - I guess the flim makers were able to use Brit Shermans before they all were turned into Morris Eights and lawnmowers...

I've "never' seen the film on DVD, but have an old video recording from the only time I've seen it broadcast - it was a lucky catch..!

((UPDATE - have just found this film on DVD! It's a Billy Bargain @ GBP9.99 here.))

Also, the excellent The Way Ahead is far better than it's roots as a wartime propaganda/morale booster would suggest - top performances from David Niven and a cast of great British actors, but also featuring real vehicles and weapons (Carriers, scout cars, 6 pounder a/t gun, etc) as used by the Rifle Brigades in North Africa.
Available for GBP9.99 at this site

More recently, Band of Brothers has it over Saving Private Ryan - SPR ruined it for me with that godawful mooked up 'Tiger' rearing up over a gravel bank and slamming down like Godzilla's paw; a 'real' Tiger just wouldn't react to that obstacle like that - besides, it looked like a t34 in drag, which it was...

$0.02

acav out

USArmy2534
Visit this Community
Indiana, United States
Member Since: January 28, 2004
entire network: 2,716 Posts
KitMaker Network: 531 Posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 07:10 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Saving Private Ryan and the Band of brothers tv show were 100% accurate to my knowledge



not quite. If I believe the Tigers used were based on T-34 chassis among other things. They are very accurate, no doubt, but not 100%. Honestly, Hollywood has neither the time, resources, nor motivation, to make a war movie 100% accurate.

Blackhawk Down was pretty good too, using 160th SOAR to recreate themsleves. A lot of the script was condensed and combined for time and continuity's sake, but as far as hardware goes, they did a pretty good job.

Jeff
Drader
Visit this Community
Wales, United Kingdom
Member Since: July 20, 2004
entire network: 3,791 Posts
KitMaker Network: 765 Posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 01:34 PM UTC

Quoted Text

One of my favourite WW2 films - and one featuring a wealth of period detail - is the little seen but quite excellent They Were Not Divided.

Dating from 1949/50, this film follows the Guards Armoured Division through various events in WW2, culminating in the NW Europe campaign.

Real Shermans and associated vehicles, even a Tiger in one all too brief scene - I guess the flim makers were able to use Brit Shermans before they all were turned into Morris Eights and lawnmowers...

I've "never' seen the film on DVD, but have an old video recording from the only time I've seen it broadcast - it was a lucky catch..!

((UPDATE - have just found this film on DVD! It's a Billy Bargain @ GBP9.99 here.))




Putting on my anorak, I have to say there is one gaffe in the film, the unit portrayed is the Armoured Welsh Guards (spot the Welsh character actors like Desmond Llewelyn) and they were the only part of the Guards Armoured Division to have Cromwells.

Wins my prize for the greatest bailout scene ever captured on film.

David
klingsor
Member Since: February 27, 2007
entire network: 6 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Monday, February 26, 2007 - 09:42 PM UTC
Where Eagles Dare
The Luftwaffe did have a few helicopters so the inclusion of one was not too far out of line, it was just such a distinctive American model they used in the film. I assume it was based on a book so I suppose there was a helicopter in it.

Saving Private Ryan
Very good apart from the Tiger and even that was a good effort.

Stalingrad
I think they had some authentic looking half tracks in this but it is a long time since I saw it and I have no intention of doing so again.

Battle of the River Plate
Well it was an American cruiser pretending to be the Graf Spee but at least one of the RN ships was the one who had been there (Achilles and Cumberland).

Band of Brothers
Usually very good. I do not think I can remember any glaring mistakes at all.

A Bridge to Far
The German stuff is pretty poor though I think some decent PaK 40s are seen but there are lots of M4s, unfortunately lots of different models of M4 but a good attempt and nice to see so many gathered together even if they are the wrong models.

Battle of Britain
Surprisingly good. I believe they used a lot of Spanish air force bombers and 109s for this. I wonder where they all went?
Vadster
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Member Since: June 28, 2004
entire network: 987 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Monday, February 26, 2007 - 10:04 PM UTC
The Keep - not a war film ,but set during ww2 and, to my knowledge, everything in the film is legit. Props, costumes, vehicles, everything.

The Keep


Sluff
Visit this Community
Oulu, Finland
Member Since: August 10, 2005
entire network: 77 Posts
KitMaker Network: 32 Posts
Posted: Monday, February 26, 2007 - 11:13 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The Winter War,about the Russo-Finnish War of 1939 and it features T-26's + T-28's right from Russian Museums.I don't know if the I-16 attack planes were authentic ,but they looked great.



Actually, those tanks were from a Finnish museum.

The planes were R/C, IIRC... Anyways, the movie is good. I think I've seen it too many times because I start to see some minor mistakes in it. In one scene you can see Camel Boots logo on a shoe bottom of a finnish soldier. On another scene you can see telephone poles standing with wires and all, right after a ferocious artillery bombardment. Still, the movie is the best war movie made in Finland IMHO
Emeritus
Visit this Community
Uusimaa, Finland
Member Since: March 30, 2004
entire network: 2,845 Posts
KitMaker Network: 424 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 12:13 AM UTC

Quoted Text

not quite. If I believe the Tigers used were based on T-34 chassis among other things. They are very accurate, no doubt, but not 100%. Honestly, Hollywood has neither the time, resources, nor motivation, to make a war movie 100% accurate.


I think that T-34 dressed up to look like a tiger was simply for the sake of keeping the expenses at sane levels. Movie makers just can't make a call and order a couple of running condition Tigers to be blown up during filming.

But what about that halftrack that got destroyed by bazooka hit? Was that a dressed-up vehicle or what? I remember it looked pretty authenthic.
Davester444
Visit this Community
England - West Midlands, United Kingdom
Member Since: March 09, 2005
entire network: 850 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 12:50 AM UTC

Quoted Text


I think that T-34 dressed up to look like a tiger was simply for the sake of keeping the expenses at sane levels. Movie makers just can't make a call and order a couple of running condition Tigers to be blown up during filming.

But what about that halftrack that got destroyed by bazooka hit? Was that a dressed-up vehicle or what? I remember it looked pretty authenthic.



There is only one running condition Tiger, at the Bovington Tank Museum, and that one is pretty fragile. I know the halftracks weren't actually skdfz 251s, they used very similar Czech OT810s, but it's almost impossible to tell the difference.

Just watched 'Enemy at the Gates' and couldn't spot any errors in that one. Maybe there were some wrong model T34s, but I'm not sure.

Dave
airwarrior
Visit this Community
New Jersey, United States
Member Since: November 21, 2002
entire network: 2,085 Posts
KitMaker Network: 559 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 03:17 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Saving Private Ryan and the Band of brothers tv show were 100% accurate to my knowledge



Saving Prvate Ryan was wrong from any different levels. From what I have read, there were no Tigers in the American sectors. The P-51s wouldn't be supporting an infantry attack either, that was job for P-47s. I could go on, but I won't

The Halftrack is a converted post war Chechoslovokian halftrack. They are converted all the time for reenactments because they are much more easily obtained than a real Sdkfz. 250.

Band of Brothers was pretty good. The tanks are all mockups though, and you can tell when looking at the running gear. The Shermans are Canadian Rams.
Drader
Visit this Community
Wales, United Kingdom
Member Since: July 20, 2004
entire network: 3,791 Posts
KitMaker Network: 765 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 01:57 PM UTC

Quoted Text



Band of Brothers was pretty good. The tanks are all mockups though, and you can tell when looking at the running gear. The Shermans are Canadian Rams.



The Cromwell was real.

David
james_mcdougall_85
Visit this Community
Scotland, United Kingdom
Member Since: May 07, 2006
entire network: 169 Posts
KitMaker Network: 72 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 03:57 PM UTC
In the Carentan episode the Jagdpanther was a converted T-54.



Jamie
novembersong
Visit this Community
Ohio, United States
Member Since: July 03, 2006
entire network: 370 Posts
KitMaker Network: 0 Posts
Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 08:44 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Just watched 'Enemy at the Gates' and couldn't spot any errors in that one. Maybe there were some wrong model T34s, but I'm not sure.



Thats just what I was thinking. If there are any flaws, they are lsight at best.
Hollowpoint
Visit this Community
Kansas, United States
Member Since: January 24, 2002
entire network: 2,748 Posts
KitMaker Network: 841 Posts
Posted: Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 10:48 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Band of Brothers was pretty good. The tanks are all mockups though, and you can tell when looking at the running gear. The Shermans are Canadian Rams.



Close, but no cigar. The Shermans were Canadian Grizzlies, not Rams.
hellbent11
Visit this Community
Kansas, United States
Member Since: August 17, 2005
entire network: 725 Posts
KitMaker Network: 320 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 11:17 AM UTC
It is pretty amazing how realistic they can get if Hollywood wants to! That "Jagdpanther" was really very close ( as close as we'll reasonably get!)

I felt that the vehicles iin "Flags of our Fathers" were very close. IIRC the LVT's were the real thing and they had several of them up and running.
FAUST
#130
Visit this Community
Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Member Since: June 07, 2002
entire network: 8,797 Posts
KitMaker Network: 1,186 Posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 01:08 PM UTC
the movie "Zwartboek"

A Dutch production from last year featuring original Opel Blitz trucks several styles from Holzgas, troop/cargotransport, Firefightingengine, Real Kubelwagens, I even saw some stoewer kubels, Real BMW and Zundap Motorcycles with or without sidecar, and all the Allied vehicles used in the liberation scenes at the end are all original and correct.

With friendly greetz