A Bridge Too Far aircraft question.

[lestweforget]

I am sitting watching A Bridge Too Far (again!) What a movie for a Sunday afternoon. There is a scene that shows RAF marked aircraft attacking ground positions. These look like T-6/Harvard's that have been altered to look like P-47's. Does anyone have any more info on them? The first person that I thought of that would have modified them was Viv Bellamy. Would be most interested to know more.

[Boghopper]

I'm watching this aswell at the moment. I made a question on ukar http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17023 about the C-47' / Dakota's

[JDK]

They are a group of Dutch Harvards (T-6s) that were mocked up with racks and a sloped back single seat set up. They were then painted as 'Typhoons' and 'Thunderbolts'. Viv wasn't involved.

There's a bit published on the film here if you use the search, and also, IIRC on the Key forum. Best reference is the After the Battle Special on Market Garden and the film.

HTH!

[Steve Nelson]

I remember seeing a photo of one in a magazine at the time..the caption called it a "Thunderharvard."

SN

[Coert Munk]

Back in 1976 these Harvards came from Vliegsport Gilze-Rijen, the organisation that is now the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historical Flight with 28 aircraft, 18 airworthy.

[Robbo]

Here they are:



Photo from "After the Battle"

[k5083]

I have an old magazine somewhere that has photos of the a/c in their various guises for the film as Typhoons, P-47Ds, and IIRC also Fw 190s and Fokker D.XXIs. I believe it was one of the Air Enthusiast or Air International publications. Couldn't for the life of me find it at the moment.

August

[JDK]

...and Fokker D.XXIs. I believe it was one of the Air Enthusiast or Air International publications. Couldn't for the life of me find it at the moment.

There was a Harvard (T-6) mocked up as a Fokker in Holland, but nothing to do with this film, IIRC, it was later and for a museum, and a static rather than airworthy conversion.

[DarenC1]

I have seen a photo of the Fokker D.XXI mod in flight - and there were two of them...

Also there were some of these "Bridge" aircraft painted up as FW-190s. They can be seen more clearly in the film Soldier of Orange (which I believe the Fokkers were converted for, but not used).

[DarenC1]

Thinking about it, early on in the film, a brief appearance by one of the "P-47s" is made (on the ground).

Also, thinking about it, at the very end of Soldier of Orange, a "Typhoon" Harvard is seen parked alongside a Dakota. Sadly I can't get a screengrab of it just now, though.

[Coert Munk]

Our Harvards flew as Fokker D.21 in a documentary for the AF. Movies were Bridge Too Far & Soldaat van Oranje (Soldier of Orange).
In recent years we flew for Zwartboek (Blackbook) with the Mitchell and in several series with other a/c from the fleet.

[corn cob R4360]

Up to the present time, and world-wide, the Harvard has been the trainer built in the largest numbers, a total of over 20,000 examples having been produced. In the Netherlands the KLu owned 220 Harvards in the post-war period, within the framework of the “Target One”agreement. A number of them, however, never flew,as these aircraft were immediately used for the provision of components. Up to 1962 the KLu used the Harvard primarily as a trainer for the Advanced Flying Training (VVO) and the flying instructors’ training (VIO) at Gilze-Rijen Air Base. On this aircraft the trainees got their Major Military Flying Certificate. The aircraft could be recognised by their conspicuous canary-yellow livery, with dayglow (orange) bands around their engine cowlings, fuselages and wing tips. At the beginning of 1968 the BAFO was the last unit to hand over the camouflaged Harvards to the Aircraft Materiel Depot (DVM). These machines had been used for aerial photography, operating from Deelen Air Base.

The SKHV has operated Harvards almost from the time of its foundation. The aircraft were used in the shooting of various feature films, often disguised as Fokker D.XXI, Thunderbolt, Typhoon or Focke-Wulf 190A. From a technical point of view a considerable number of tricks had to be devised to subject the aircraft to such a metamorphosis. The Harvards are featured in “Waakzaamheid”, “De Prijs van de Vrijheid”, “Soldaat van Oranje”, “De Aanslag”, “A Bridge Too Far” and the musical “Joe”.



“Harvard” and the SKHV
Serial no. KLu type Civil type Year of construction KLu registration PH registration
14A-1467
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-118
PH-IIB

14A-1444
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-71
PH-MLM

14-641
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1942
B-64
PH-LSK

14-543
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-181
PH-IBI

14A-1100
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-184
PH-IBY

14A-808 Harvard IIb AT-16ND 1943 B-182 PH-TBR
The following ex-SKHV aircraft are no longer owned by the foundation:

14A-1216
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-56
PH-KMA

14A-1184
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-59
PH-KLU

14A-1020
Harvard IIb
AT-16ND
1943
B-135
PH-BKT


http://www.skhv.nl/frameset_en.html

[Mark Allen M]

Here's the Harvards used in “A Bridge Too Far”











And here's one of the Harvards used in the “Soldaat van Oranje” movie.

[Mark Allen M]

The Harvard Fokker D.XXI's













And the Real Fokker D.XXI's for comparison.

[C VEICH]

Those "Thunderharvards" look pretty dang legit. Is there any single engine type that the T-6 has not portrayed at some point!