RAF RETURN TO GREECE [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: RAF RETURN TO GREECE [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: AAY 233
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: A sequence of staged shots intended to illustrate the enthusiastic welcome given to the RAF on their arrival in Greece.
  • Description: The film (which is not in the correct narrative sequence) shows an RAF Beaufighter crew linking arms with a group of young Greek women in national costume; various shots of Beaufighters taxiing in and stopping; RAF ground crew (in khaki) looking up (supposedly at the approaching aircraft); a lone airman struggling to gather up all the kit left under the aircraft; seven Greek women waving (supposedly at the arriving aircraft); aircrew climbing out and being greeted warmly by the women; various shots of Beaufighters flying over and landing; the lone airman carrying his colleagues' kit; pilots waving from their cockpits. Slates identify the material as coming from camera rolls 11 (14/11/1944) and 12 (15/11/1944) (it is assumed however from the reel's length that two other camera rolls (nos. 9 and 10) are also incorporated). A final shot (slated as "projection test") shows the RAF film crew loading their equipment into a Film Production Unit jeep.
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-11-15
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Royal Air Force (Production sponsor) RAF Film Production Unit No 2 (Production company) Coop, Eric W (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Air Force, FPU, 2 (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: aircraft, British - combat: Bristol Beaufighter (object name) Greece (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 16mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 370 ft; Running time: 10 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Notes: Production: Eric Coop apparently shot more than fifty 100 ft rolls of Kodachrome between late October 1944 and the end of the war (the last numbered roll held is No 51 - see list of subjects covered in Film Production Office). Some of the subject matter is also covered (often shot for shot) by b/w 35mm footage filmed by his colleagues. Only about half of the Kodachrome footage (which had been dispersed amongst the various RAF film collections) has been located by the IWM to date, although a dozen of the missing 25 or so rolls are covered by b/w 35mm 'blow-up' copies which were made from many of the originals. There is also an edited b/w compilation film of much of the material (AAY 246) which contains more of the missing footage. The 'camera original' of some of the surviving colour rolls has gone astray - such rolls are preserved as dupes of somewhat inferior quality. This reel is the earliest of the colour reels held. Summary: This material can be seen in its intended edited form (in b/w) in reel one of AAY 246. Title: title taken from dopesheet
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    AAY 233

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