Ok I have to ask who saw Red Tails

[Jesse C.]

Ok, ok, I put him in Carbonite so he will do no more harm!

[Steve T]

Jesse--

That's hysterical...bet Mr Lucas didn't realize he'd be retiring in that manner...!

Interesting to see that this thread has now run to a sixth page, and has not degenerated into a slanging match nor (excepting a suggestion to that effect) has it come under threat of being locked. That despite the divergent, and sometimes fiercely held, opinions on Lucas' film, the earlier one, the historical record of the 332nd, the paintjobs of surviving P-51Cs, et cetera. I think this bodes well for WIX in general; hope things continue along these lines, in this thread and boardwide.

S.

[Pathfinder]

I have heard the Normandy comment several times on national news reports covering the film's opening as "news".

Even if this is supposedly "inspired by" true events...touting the FALSEHOOD that this historical organization WAS involved in Normandy is a disservice to the true history of the Tuskegee Airmen...when that non-fact is constantly repeated. It would appear that it is a function of the PR department rather than the script...but even so....really Mr. Howard?!

I had the exact same reaction to the "Doolittle fighter pilots"....and that WAS the script!

[Mudge]

Ok, ok, I put him in Carbonite so he will do no more harm!

Now that there's funny. I don't care who ya' are.

Mudge the laughing

[MKopack]

I have heard the Normandy comment several times on national news reports covering the film's opening as "news".

Even if this is supposedly "inspired by" true events...touting the FALSEHOOD that this historical organization WAS involved in Normandy is a disservice to the true history of the Tuskegee Airmen...when that non-fact is constantly repeated. It would appear that it is a function of the PR department rather than the script...but even so....really Mr. Howard?!

I had the exact same reaction to the "Doolittle fighter pilots"....and that WAS the script!

Blaming incompetent reporting on the movie? Seriously? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?

[Lynn Allen]

Should have said "Why" did I go see it. With that much history, they could have done a much better job. The Double Victory special was way better...

[Mike]

I will say this, if it helps tell the story to a generation that would never hear it, then it will do some good.

At last!

In among all the p1ssing and whining about the wrong model P-51s, wrong style of markings, and other irrelevant trivia, somebody gets the point!

[Pathfinder]

I have heard the Normandy comment several times on national news reports covering the film's opening as "news".

Even if this is supposedly "inspired by" true events...touting the FALSEHOOD that this historical organization WAS involved in Normandy is a disservice to the true history of the Tuskegee Airmen...when that non-fact is constantly repeated. It would appear that it is a function of the PR department rather than the script...but even so....really Mr. Howard?!

I had the exact same reaction to the "Doolittle fighter pilots"....and that WAS the script!

Blaming incompetent reporting on the movie? Seriously? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?

I blame hype...the Normandy statement does not appear in the film!

What would be a stretch would be to ASSUME that every news/reviewer--and the instances WERE in the NEWS segments--were the result of mass stupidity on the parts of individual "news readers" (to use the British title).

The false reportage is the result of the PR/talking points distributed by the studio PR departments with the comp tickets...and that no one in PR, or at the networks, checked facts. Thus a completely incorrect perception (the participation of the T/A) in a documented historical event (Normandy)) is created...by the talking heads who parrot back what is written for them.

No one will go back and correct it--to do so becomes a free-standing NEGATIVE STATEMENT on the legacy of the T/A, and that, prima facie, becomes racism. Anzio, Normandy...its a freeking BEACH--there were bad guys there---what's the difference!?

So BFD...its just a great big historical fart....everybody eat from the same bowl of beans...if everybody does it, no problem...it must be good, right? Da*n all those historians who never mention the glorious contribution of this unit in the greatest invasion known to man....I'm going to drop $12 bucks to LEARN THE TRUTH. It must be true I heard it on the news...Terrence Howard said so..he is the STAR...and so familiar with the history and FACTS....cha-ching!

....more beans anyone?

"The Red Tails cleared a way on the beaches of Normandy. Without them, Germany would still occupy most of Europe and would be controlling the economy of the world today. The whole world owes its salvation to the Red Tails."

[The Inspector]

I have heard the Normandy comment several times on national news reports covering the film's opening as "news".

Even if this is supposedly "inspired by" true events...touting the FALSEHOOD that this historical organization WAS involved in Normandy is a disservice to the true history of the Tuskegee Airmen...when that non-fact is constantly repeated. It would appear that it is a function of the PR department rather than the script...but even so....really Mr. Howard?!

I had the exact same reaction to the "Doolittle fighter pilots"....and that WAS the script!

Blaming incompetent reporting on the movie? Seriously? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?

I've never seen the truth interfere with a story in the media. Turn on the TV or radio and listen to the shaded, twisted, distorted crap that falls out of the speakers no matter who you listen to.

[the330thbg]

and on this website:

http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?op ... c&Itemid=8

The National Black Chamber of Commerce states:

As documented on the Military Channel and Fox News War Stories, it was the Tuskegee Airmen who wiped out the German artillery units and freed our troops from harms way.

and

From Sicily and the mainland of Italy, they went to southern France and knocked out the German radar stations that supported the Normandy beaches. Without the success of this, there would not have been a D-Day. Not much is said about this exploit as well as the aggressive action in Italy. They want us to think that the Tuskegee Pilots simply escorted bombers back and forth and protected them from enemy planes.

Well if it is on 'FOX NEWS' then it HAS to be true!

[CoastieJohn]

and on this website:

http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?op ... c&Itemid=8

The National Black Chamber of Commerce states:

As documented on the Military Channel and Fox News War Stories, it was the Tuskegee Airmen who wiped out the German artillery units and freed our troops from harms way.

and

From Sicily and the mainland of Italy, they went to southern France and knocked out the German radar stations that supported the Normandy beaches. Without the success of this, there would not have been a D-Day. Not much is said about this exploit as well as the aggressive action in Italy. They want us to think that the Tuskegee Pilots simply escorted bombers back and forth and protected them from enemy planes.

Well if it is on 'FOX NEWS' then it HAS to be true!

Below is the rest of that first paragraph for full context and accuracy. To me it looks like that paragraph is talking about action in Sicily and Italy, not Normandy.

COL Ollie North has been hosting the award winning War Stories on Fox News since 2001. He does a real good job telling the stories. I can't speak for the Military Channel nor the NBCC.

The Tuskegee Airmen were well motivated and anxious to get into the fighting. They had a little activity in Northern Africa but the real test came in Italy. When General Patton led our troops onto Sicily, they encountered a major challenge. The Nazis assembled a formidable counter attack with fierce artillery bombardment. We couldn’t move another inch. As documented on the Military Channel and Fox News War Stories, it was the Tuskegee Airmen who wiped out the German artillery units and freed our troops from harms way. From there the beginning of the end of the war began. There is film that shows the return of the Tuskegee Airmen from that heroic bombing raid. The first plane lands and out pops Charles DeBow in all his glory. Man that makes my family so proud to see over and over again. One of the commanding generals sent a message to “thank those colored pilots for saving the battle”.

[Mudge]

Well if it is on 'FOX NEWS' then it HAS to be true!

C'mon...don't start that crap!

Mudge

[Django]

And isn't that the real point of the movie? It's not about B/C vs. D Mustangs, or red borders around the national insignia - if you even notice those things, then you likely already know the Tuskegee Airmen's story and this movie wasn't really aimed at you.

I couldn't agree more. I tried really hard to turn off my brain on so many of the technical flaws, some of which have already been stated, and also including, no B-24s at all, little friends flying inside the bomber formations, 262/P-51 rate of closure in a head on pass, a CBI B model (Polar Bear perhaps?) at the award ceremony and on and on. It was hard to NOT notice those things though!

With that said, it was worth my $7. I knew it was based on a '40s war movie in style, so I wasn't expecting Saving Private Ryan.

At the viewing I went to, I was one of the few non-African Americans in attendance, (and I got some funny looks when I walked out wearing my B-3 coat and B-2 cap... ). There were lots of younger people there too, which is great. There was applause in a few scenes too. On the news here in Chicago, every single day, there is a story about teens in the predominately black areas of the city committing heinous acts. Hopefully one of the effects of this movie is to provide some kind of role model for these young kids who isn't a rapper/thug. The actors in the movie (one of which is also a pop music star) have already stated that the majority of them had never heard of the Tuskegee Airmen. If it gets people talking and interested in WWII history, then only good can come from the movie. And the rest of us can go back to devouring every little detail that we can find on a subject that I'm sure most of us know more about than your average 20-30 something high school teacher.

I enjoyed it for what it was, not what it wasn't or should have been. Think of it as a modern "Black Sheep Squadron" or "Top Gun". Both horribly inaccurate, but both definitely cemented my obsession with aircraft and history.

[the330thbg]

and on this website:

http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?op ... c&Itemid=8

The National Black Chamber of Commerce states:

As documented on the Military Channel and Fox News War Stories, it was the Tuskegee Airmen who wiped out the German artillery units and freed our troops from harms way.

and

From Sicily and the mainland of Italy, they went to southern France and knocked out the German radar stations that supported the Normandy beaches. Without the success of this, there would not have been a D-Day. Not much is said about this exploit as well as the aggressive action in Italy. They want us to think that the Tuskegee Pilots simply escorted bombers back and forth and protected them from enemy planes.

Well if it is on 'FOX NEWS' then it HAS to be true!

To me it looks like that paragraph is talking about action in Sicily and Italy, not Normandy.

Here is the quote from the website. It states "From Sicily and the mainland of Italy, they went to southern France and knocked out the German radar stations that supported the Normandy beaches. Without the success of this, there would not have been a D-Day."What don't you understand about what it states on the site? It is as much of an exageration as the 'no bombers lost'.

By the way, I contacted the NBBCC and asked them where they received their information about the Tuskegee Airmen saving Normandy and they replied back calling me a 'German' and that I must still be mad about the war and to get over it you 'German'.

What a racist site!

On a GREAT NOTE!
My 7 year old son absolutely loved the movie. So if this is the 'targeted' audience, then Lucas nailed it. My son now wants to get back into building more models and wants a redtail P-51.

Last edited by the330thbg on Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Nathan]

By the way, I contacted the NBBCC and asked them where they received their information about the Tuskegee Airmen saving Normandy and they replied back calling me a 'German' and that I must still be mad about the war and to get over it you 'German'.

Trying to keep away from this thread. But got to say that is sad.