"The Lost Squadron" post-WWI film on BBC2

[Moonraker]

On BBC2 at 0725 on Saturday, September 21 there's a rare showing of the 1932 film "The Lost Squadron" about four men who are the last survivors of a WWI squadron. They're played by Richard Dix, Robert Armstrong, and Joel McCrea and, as their orderly, Hugh Herbert. They now make a living stunt flying for films, recreating some of the dangers they went through.

Mary Astor also stars, as does Eric von Stroheim as the tyrannical film director. (I think I can see where we're going with him in the film: I bet he expects his stuntmen to take more and more risks.)

IMDB

has more details, including a discussion about one pilot "giving the finger" to another.

Moonraker

[Moonraker]

As might be expected from a film made in 1932, it clunked a little. It started on November 11, 1918 with a fight between American and German pilots right up to 1100, when the enemies flew away with gestures of respect. (I believe that artillery guns fired until the last minute, but did planes fight?) Three of the American characters mentioned in my first post find peacetime life difficult, then join the fourth in a film company, where he seems to be having a good time - but is hitting the bottle.

One assumes that, 14 years after the war, the planes were reasonably authentic. I'm not completely sure that applying a smear of acid to a control wire would cause it to fray and snap?

Moonraker

[MikeMeech]

Hi

Trevor Henshaw's TSTB, page 455, has only one British casualty on 11 Nov. 1918, a 2 Sqn. FK.8 hit by MG fire that wounded observer 2nd Lt. s Soothill. There were 19 loss/damaged aircraft on the 10th. He has no US loss/damage for that day (page 472) and only one the day before. Salmson 2A2 of 91st Observation squadron, crew both KIA.

Mike