[BIGVERN1966]

The Way to the Stars was released in 1945 and tells the story of a fictional RAF Bomber Station from August 1940 to sometime in late 1943 / early 1944. Aircraft in the film are Anson (John Mills arrives at the station in one from flying training at the start of the film), Hurricanes (a detachment is based at the unit and are scrambled as the base is attached by German bombers (just after Mills arrives). Blenheim IVs (main type operated on the station as the first half of the film shows the operation of a 2 Group light bomber base), Blenheims are in turn replaced by Bostons which later go to the Mid East and the base is taken over by the USAAF with B-17's (Mills remaining there as an operations officer in between Flying tours, until he gets posted onto Lancasters). The film is set mostly in the Aircrew's quarters, Crew room and control tower, plus the bar of the hotel in the local village (the manager of which gets married to a pilot of the Blenhiem squadron (Michael Redgrave), has a kid, the pilot gets to be the CO of the Squadron and is then killed in a Boston while leading a daylight attack on a target in Europe (needless to say after forgetting to pick up his lucky lighter). She then gets friendly with Johnny Hollis, the B-17 pilot who is then killed trying to land a damaged B-17 with a live bomb on board). Yes the film does start with views of a derelict airfield, the camera shots focusing on items left behind by aircrew that were based there (aforementioned Lighter on the shelf of the crewroom, sign nicked out of the toilet of a German train by Redgrave’s character before the war in his room, hole in the wall by the dart board made and signed by Hollis before he takes off on the mission that results in his death, etc). While the film does end in Toddy, the Manager of the hotel locking up the building and looking up at the sky, while overhead you can hear the drone of a large RAF night bomber raid heading out towards the coast. A classic without doubt, however not much in the way of aerial photography as it covers the bits in between operations.