Red Rose of Normandy

[O-1Driver]

While at the WW II reenactment this weekend Friday thru Sunday I was asked to participate in the filming of the yet to be released film Red Rose of Normandy. The film has been in production for two years with scenes shot in Europe and here in the US. The footage shot this weekend is for the breakout from Normandy as the Allies move inland.

Footage was shot of me and my plane as we flew missions and of take off and landings. One very good scene will show the L-4 taxiing up and being met by a four star General and his staff for an urgent briefing on the current positions of German armor. We had to do three takes to get the scene right which involved hand propping the aircraft three times and taxiing back and forth.

Here is and old trailer that will soon be updated and the movie also has a face book page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB5bX...eature=related

I was flying from a 900 ft grass strip right next to the 400 acre "battlefield".

As I made low passes over the German troops and armor in the woods I could hear the pop, pop of small arms fire directed at me.

Here are a couple of pics posted by someone on the film face book page. Plus one or two that I took. My observer was a 1st Lt. Army aviator from Ft. Rucker who was there as a reenactment participant. The 900 ft grass strip was so short I had to go to a nearby paved airfield to load him

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[Dave(Dangerous)Boynton]

Hey Steve,

Man it looked awesome, bet you had a great time and to partisipate in a film, awesome.

Some great shots there too.

Dave

[Pat Pattle]

Shame, I was expecting to see you in the vid Steve!

I take it that this is various bits of the series stuck together? the Russians weren't in Normandy.

[MajorMagee]

At least they didn't make you paint over your insignia, and put on invasion stripes.

[O-1Driver]

Shame, I was expecting to see you in the vid Steve!

I take it that this is various bits of the series stuck together? the Russians weren't in Normandy.

Clive, I will post the next trailer that has me in it. I think this is one of those films that goes straight to video and will never make it to the theaters. There certainly are no big name actors in it.

I have no idea why he had those Russians in the trailer, surely he will edit out any footage with them in it before release.

Steve

[O-1Driver]

At least they didn't make you paint over your insignia, and put on invasion stripes.

Roger that, while the stripes would have been removed on the Artillery Aircraft a couple of weeks after the invasion during the breakout the red surround would be totally inaccurate for that date. Also a sharp eyed historian would spot the aircraft unit markings and the name "Janey" and know that Janey was not used during the D-Day invasion and was still in Italy. Janey did participate in the invasion of Southern France in August 1944.

I like most historians love to nick pick war movies. The epic "Battle of Midway" is full of errors but the worst I have ever seen was the "Battle of the Bulge" with Henry Fonda. The famous scene where he is riding in a spotter plane and spots the German tanks in the fog used a Korean War vintage L-19 Bird Dog and not an L-4 as it should have been. The first Bird Dogs did not even enter service until well after WW II ended.

Steve

[O-1Driver]

Hey Guy's,

Here are a few more photos that I just received. You can see the full package uploaded here on our new L-4 Club Face Book page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Piper-...65932753435388

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[MajorMagee]

That fourth shot is quite the dangerous looking bunch.

[Murray Cod]

There certainly are no big name actors in it.

Steve

so there is no big love scene with you and Angelina Jolie then? Oh well, such is life.

cheers
Murray

[O-1Driver]

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so there is no big love scene with you and Angelina Jolie then? Oh well, such is life.
cheers
Murray

No AJ but here is the leading lady:



They were filming a solid three days. All of the D-Day invasion footage was shot on the coast of France last year.

Steve