Battle of Britain (1969)

Trevor Howard: Air Vice Marshal Keith Park

Photos 

Quotes 

• Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : [Seeing an unknown marker on the strategy planning board]  T-5, what's that?

  Wing Cmdr. Willoughby : Training squadron, sir. They're the poles.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : Get them out of there. Get them down.

  Wing Cmdr. Willoughby : Blackhawk leader. Vector two, three zero and return to base immediately. Over.

  Squadron Leader Edwards : Blackhawk leader. Received and understood. Out. Blackhawk leader to A flight. Turn to port, and steer two, three, zero.

  Polish R.A.F. pilot : [In Polish]  Germans! Germans on the right!

  2nd Polish pilot : [In Polish]  I don't see. Where?

  Polish R.A.F. pilot : [In Polish]  Down there on the right.

  3rd Polish pilot : [In Polish]  I see the Jerries! I see!

  Squadron Leader Edwards : Stop that Polish chatter and steer two, three, zero.

  Polish R.A.F. pilot : [Peals off to engage the Germans]  Repeat please.

  Squadron Leader Edwards : I say again, two, three, zero.

  2nd Polish pilot : [Peals off to engage the Germans]  Repeat please.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : For crying out loud, two, three, zero.

  3rd Polish pilot : [Peals off to engage the Germans]  Repeat please.

  4th Polish pilot : [Peals off to engage the Germans]  Repeat please.

  5th Polish pilot : [Peals off to engage the Germans]  Repeat please.

  Squadron Leader Edwards : Now just shut up the lot of you. And follow me unless you're blind as well as... Oh

  [Sees that all the Polish pilots have left to fight the Germans] 

  Squadron Leader Edwards : God's truth!

• [With the aid of an interpreter, Edwards has berated the Polish pilots for attacking German bombers against orders, before pulling a telegram out of his pocket] 

  Squadron Leader Edwards : Finally, and God alone knows why, I've received the following signal:

  [looks down] 

  Squadron Leader Edwards : "Congratulations! As of today, this Squadron is operational." Signed, Air Vice Marshall Keith Park, AOC 11 Group

  [the men start cheering, and Squadron Leader Edwards smirks, before the scene changes to Dowding's office] 

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : I was wrong about the Poles.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : We also have the second Polish Squadron.

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : [Donning his cap]  I *thought* you'd mention them. Allright, make them operational.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : And the Canadians?

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : And the Czechs. We need them *all!*

  [They exit] 

• Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : Looks like London again, sir.

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : Yes.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : And there's nothing we can do about it.

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : But if Goering should - concentrate on London by day - it's another matter.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : If it means he leaves my airfields alone, I shan't complain. Even a few days would give me the chance to get back to full strength.

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : He'll have farther to come.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : And to go back. We'll have more time to intercept.

  Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding : What's more important, Park, his fighters have only fuel enough for ten minutes over London. His bombers will lose much of their protection. For the first time, they'll all come within the range of 12 Group. Perhaps now, at last, we shall see what Leigh-Mallory's Big Wings are made of. Turning on London - could be the Germans' biggest blunder.

• Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : [during the raids on September 15th]  Is everything up?

  Wing Cmdr. Willoughby : The lot, Sir!

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : Reserves?

  Wing Cmdr. Willoughby : None!

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : That's what I've just told the Prime Minister!

  [walks back into office with Winston Churchill watching the progress] 

• Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : [on being told that the radar stations are out of action due to German bombing]  So we're blind, so now we've only got the Observer Corps!

• Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory : [protesting to Dowding]  We were up, sir, trying to knock out the enemy air mass. It takes time to assemble forty or fifty aircraft at...

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : [interrupting]  It takes far too long! By the time your "Big Wing" is up, the enemies have already hit their targets and are on their way home.

  Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory : All that matters is to shoot them down in large numbers. I'd rather destroy fifty after they've hit their targets than ten before.

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : Don't forget, the targets are my airfields, Leigh-Mallory. And you're not getting fifty. You're not even getting ten!

• [Park has just landed, to be met by Group Captain Hope] 

  Group Capt. Hope : Bad as we thought, Sir?

  Air Vice Marshal Keith Park : [upset]  Worse! Kenley and Biggin are a *shambles* and the rest not much better. God Knows how many aircraft we'll have in the morning! All because 12 Group couldn't do their stuff. Leigh-Mallory and his big wings! Might as well stay on the *ground* for all the *use* they are!