Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain (1969)

Battle of Britain is a 1969 World War II film that depicts the events surrounding the British RAF's defence of London against the German Luftwaffe in 1940. The film was directed by Guy Hamilton and featured an all-star cast including Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Ian McShane, Edward Fox and Robert Shaw (Fox and Shaw would reunite with Guy Hamilton for Force 10 from Navarone.)

The following weapons appear in the film Battle of Britain:

MG15 Machine Gun

During the Battle of Britain, Heinkel He-111 bombers can be seen armed with MG15 machine guns as defensive armament. The He-111s in this film were actually Spanish Air Force CASA 2.111s, which were still being used in auxiliary roles at the time.

MG15 machine gun 7.92x57mm Mauser

This is an excellent shot of the Rolls Royce Merlin engines of the CASA 2.111, which distinguishes it from a real He-111.

Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20mm cannon

Like almost all post-war movies featuring the Messerschmitt ME-109, the ME-109s in this film are "played" by Hispano Aviación HA-1112s, which are ME-109s which were license-built in Spain during and following the war. HA-1112s were armed with Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20mm cannons in the wings, which can trace a common ancestry to the Oerlikon FF 20mm cannon with the German MG FF 20mm cannon that it was meant to portray.

Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20mm with ammo drum

Also note the mocked up MG17 barrels on the engine cowling.

Browning AN/M2 Machine Gun

The RAF Spitfire and Hurricane fighters can be seen armed with Browning .303 Mk II machine guns, the British version of the American Browning AN/M2 machine gun as the main armament, chambered for the .303 British round instead of the American .30-06 cartridge.

Browning .303 Mk II - .303 British

Hawker Hurricane fighters in flight. Each wing contains a cluster of four Browning MGs each.

MG34

An MG34 is briefly seen in a bunker on the German airfield. Two can also be seen being carried by German soldiers marching into Dunkirk.

MG34 light machine gun

Twin MG34s in an AA mount in Calais.

M43 Spanish Mauser

German soldiers and Luftwaffe personnel are seen armed with M43 Spanish Mauser rifles.

Spanish Mauser M43 - 7.92x57mm Mauser

MAS-36 Rifle

French troops are seen on the Allied airfield armed with MAS-36 Rifles.

Browning M2 Quad Mount

What appears to be Browning M2's in a Quad Mount is seen on a German transport train. Probably meant to represent a Flakvierling 38, which were often mounted on German trains.

SMLE No.1 Mk.III

SMLE No.1 Mk.IIIs are seen in the hands of several members of an LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) unit.

Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - .303 British. This was the main battle rifle of British and Commonwealth forces during the First World War, introduced in 1907 it has seen action throughout the 20th century.

An SMLE can be seen in the hands of one of the LDV unit members.

Double-barrelled Shotgun

A number of members of the LDV unit are armed with double-barrelled side-by-side shotguns of various models and configurations.

LDV soldiers armed with double-barrelled shotguns.

Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* Signal Pistol

Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* Signal Pistols are used at various points in the film.

Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* Signal Pistol - 1 inch

A Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* is used to warn the incoming pilot he's about to belly-land his Spitfire.

Trivia

Although the producers were able to obtain real German aircraft (or at least their variants) courtesy of the Spanish Air Force, real German armor was a bit more difficult to come across. (Some of the footage of the Germans rolling into Dunkerque was reused in Trail of the Pink Panther.)

M37 Howitzer Motor Carriage

An M37 Howitzer Motor Carriage, based on the M24 Chaffee, was mocked up as a German assault gun/tank destroyer.

M3 Half-track

An M3 Half-track stands in for a German Sd.Kfz. 251.

Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch

A British Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch armed with a Ordnance QF 2 pounder and a Besa machine gun.