Rating: 
Summary: Was "Moggy" real
Review: I remember the introduction given by Alistair Cooke about the many strange characters in the squadron. He said something like "Veterans of the time tell me that they recognised all the characters as people they encountered but not all at the same time and in the same squadron". This is confirmed by my own experience in Vietnam. I saw all the types over 2 tours, including a CO who insisted in tight formation flying. The typical helicopter pilot's idea of formation flying is "same day, same way". Eventually enough of the discontent of the pilots filtered upstairs and he was 'promoted' to a desk job. With that caveat, the series is well done and worth seeing. A point worth making is that at the begining of every war, the troops have to find out what works and what doesn't, often at the cost of lives. Tight formation flying was a case in point. Essential in WW1, deadly in WW2.
Rating:
Summary: Was "Moggy" real
Review: I remember the introduction given by Alistair Cooke about the many strange characters in the squadron. He said something like "Veterans of the time tell me that they recognised all the characters as people they encountered but not all at the same time and in the same squadron". This is confirmed by my own experience in Vietnam. I saw all the types over 2 tours, including a CO who insisted in tight formation flying. The typical helicopter pilot's idea of formation flying is "same day, same way". Eventually enough of the discontent of the pilots filtered upstairs and he was 'promoted' to a desk job. With that caveat, the series is well done and worth seeing. A point worth making is that at the begining of every war, the troops have to find out what works and what doesn't, often at the cost of lives. Tight formation flying was a case in point. Essential in WW1, deadly in WW2.
Rating: 
Summary: A quality show
Review: I saw this series on TV years ago and had been after it ever since. It is a great war story, but is not a typical 'action' war movie. The dogfights are good, but the main story is about the squadron itself, and so it has more to it than just the action. This is a favourite of mine that I am now very happy to have on DVD (and very happy that it is not encoded as region 1!)
Rating:
Summary: A quality show
Review: I saw this series on TV years ago and had been after it ever since. It is a great war story, but is not a typical 'action' war movie. The dogfights are good, but the main story is about the squadron itself, and so it has more to it than just the action. This is a favourite of mine that I am now very happy to have on DVD (and very happy that it is not encoded as region 1!)
Rating:
Summary: First class account of Battle of Britain
Review: Ignore the cover of the DVD. The love interest is really a minor part of this wonderful British miniseries which follows an RAF squadron through the "Phoney War" (September 1939 - May 1940), the battle for France (May-June 1940), and the Battle of Britain through its climax in the fall of 1940. This is not your usual squadron of movie heroes. For starters, the squadron commander seems to spend more time working on the wine list than thinking about strategy. As for flying, he wants them to fly into battle in straight, wingtip-to-wingtip formations like a marching band. The pilots are for the most part upper class elites happy with the leader's 'fox and hounds' demeanor. Some of the pilots are not especially likeable, particularly "Moggy" , a boarding-school bully who, it turns out, is an ace killer. The one "Yank", a Canadian socialist and veteran of the Spanish Civil War, gets to smirk at the upper crust poseurs. It's a good mix, and for the first six months of the war, there's not a lot of go at the Boche, and what is great about the series is the shock and surprise when the war begins in earnest. The battle scenes are as well done as the big screen "Battle of Britain", except we really know these characters by the time the real war hits. Some excel, some crack, and some pack it in. One character starts to speaking exclusively in quotes from Churchill speeches, unnerving the squadron adjutant. The final two episodes are very, very intense, and unlike Hollywood, the movie does not play favorites with who lives and who doesn't. The Spitfire was the most beautiful plane ever flown, and we get good long looks at the real thing. The flying scenes are a treat. Great for grognards, but the story is well rounded and a good time should be had by all.
Rating:
Summary: First class account of Battle of Britain
Review: Ignore the cover of the DVD. The love interest is really a minor part of this wonderful British miniseries which follows an RAF squadron through the "Phoney War" (September 1939 - May 1940), the battle for France (May-June 1940), and the Battle of Britain through its climax in the fall of 1940. This is not your usual squadron of movie heroes. For starters, the squadron commander seems to spend more time working on the wine list than thinking about strategy. As for flying, he wants them to fly into battle in straight, wingtip-to-wingtip formations like a marching band. The pilots are for the most part upper class elites happy with the leader's 'fox and hounds' demeanor. Some of the pilots are not especially likeable, particularly "Moggy" , a boarding-school bully who, it turns out, is an ace killer. The one "Yank", a Canadian socialist and veteran of the Spanish Civil War, gets to smirk at the upper crust poseurs. It's a good mix, and for the first six months of the war, there's not a lot of go at the Boche, and what is great about the series is the shock and surprise when the war begins in earnest. The battle scenes are as well done as the big screen "Battle of Britain", except we really know these characters by the time the real war hits. Some excel, some crack, and some pack it in. One character starts to speaking exclusively in quotes from Churchill speeches, unnerving the squadron adjutant. The final two episodes are very, very intense, and unlike Hollywood, the movie does not play favorites with who lives and who doesn't. The Spitfire was the most beautiful plane ever flown, and we get good long looks at the real thing. The flying scenes are a treat. Great for grognards, but the story is well rounded and a good time should be had by all.
Rating:
Summary: First class account of Battle of Britain
Review: Ignore the cover of the DVD. The love interest is really a minor part of this wonderful British miniseries which follows an RAF squadron through the "Phoney War" (September 1939 - May 1940), the battle for France (May-June 1940), and the Battle of Britain through its climax in the fall of 1940. This is not your usual squadron of movie heroes. For starters, the squadron commander seems to spend more time working on the wine list than thinking about strategy. As for flying, he wants them to fly into battle in straight, wingtip-to-wingtip formations like a marching band. The pilots are for the most part upper class elites happy with the leader's 'fox and hounds' demeanor. Some of the pilots are not especially likeable, particularly "Moggy" , a boarding-school bully who, it turns out, is an ace killer. The one "Yank", a Canadian socialist and veteran of the Spanish Civil War, gets to smirk at the upper crust poseurs. It's a good mix, and for the first six months of the war, there's not a lot of go at the Boche, and what is great about the series is the shock and surprise when the war begins in earnest. The battle scenes are as well done as the big screen "Battle of Britain", except we really know these characters by the time the real war hits. Some excel, some crack, and some pack it in. One character starts to speaking exclusively in quotes from Churchill speeches, unnerving the squadron adjutant. The final two episodes are very, very intense, and unlike Hollywood, the movie does not play favorites with who lives and who doesn't. The Spitfire was the most beautiful plane ever flown, and we get good long looks at the real thing. The flying scenes are a treat. Great for grognards, but the story is well rounded and a good time should be had by all.
Rating:
Summary: Great WWII Air Story
Review: In my war, the phrase was "It don't mean nuthin'." It meant that the topic of discussion was indescribably important. War does that to its participants. Hence the title. A simply awful aerial engagement -- planes falling on fire with the wounded pilots trapped in the cockpit -- is described to those who were not there as "a piece of cake." My favorite scene comes at the very beginning, as two Spits (yeah, I know they should have been Hurricanes, but so what?) suddenly and unexpectedly interrupt the tranquility of the English countryside as they come low over the ground. My favorite line? Squadron Leader Rex briefs the squadron before they leave for France ". . . over that way." I only wish that the producers could have kept the marvelous introductory comments of Alastair Cook that appeared on Masterpiece Theater.
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff!
Review: Loved this series and watched all 300 minutes in two sittings (was very sorry when it was over). Gritty view of the "phony war" in Northern France and the Battle of Britain as seen from the cynical pilots' points-of-view. Great photography, fine understated acting and TG, no grotesque Hollywood special effects. Underscores the swansong of the British class system as well. Characters with whom one can easily identify; not the vacuous ciphers that we see on the big screen today. Most importantly, the series led me to the written works of Derek Robinson who wrote the book on which this series is based. "War Story" and "Goshawk Squadron" are fabulous; the latter would make a great television series in its own right( also British made, hopefully - dare I say an HDTV bonanza -concentrating as it does, on WWI and the air war in fragile SE5a's, Pfalz and Fokker's over the trench-gouged terrain of France ().
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff!
Review: Loved this series and watched all 300 minutes in two sittings (was very sorry when it was over). Gritty view of the "phony war" in Northern France and the Battle of Britain as seen from the cynical pilots' points-of-view. Great photography, fine understated acting and TG, no grotesque Hollywood special effects. Underscores the swansong of the British class system as well. Characters with whom one can easily identify; not the vacuous ciphers that we see on the big screen today. Most importantly, the series led me to the written works of Derek Robinson who wrote the book on which this series is based. "War Story" and "Goshawk Squadron" are fabulous; the latter would make a great television series in its own right( also British made, hopefully - dare I say an HDTV bonanza -concentrating as it does, on WWI and the air war in fragile SE5a's, Pfalz and Fokker's over the trench-gouged terrain of France ().
| 
