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Squadron 992

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Squadron 992
Title frame
Directed byHarry Watt
Written byW.D.H. McCullough
Produced byAlberto Cavalcanti(credited as Cavalcanti)
Narrated byLionel Gamlin
CinematographyJonah Jones
Edited byR.Q. McNaughton
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 13 June 1940(1940-06-13)
Running time
22 minutes, 51 seconds
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Canada
LanguageEnglish

Squadron 992is a 23-minute 1940 Britishpropaganda filmproduced by theGeneral Post OfficeGPO Film Unitof the BritishMinistry of Informationand re-distributed by theNational Film Board of Canada(NFB) as part of their wartimeCanada Carries Onseries.[1][Note 1]The film was directed byHarry Wattand produced byAlberto Cavalcanti.[2]Squadron 992describes the training and operations in 1940 ofNo. 992 (Barrage Balloon) Squadron RAF,aRoyal Air Force(RAF)barrage balloonunit stationed in the United Kingdom.[3]The film'sFrenchversion title wasEscadrille 992.

Synopsis[edit]

By 1940, in theSecond World War,40,000 RAF personnel are in theRAF Balloon Command,created to protect urban centres and key targets such as industrial areas, ports and harbours. Balloons were intended to defend againstLuftwaffedive bombersattacking from heights up to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The balloons forced the bombers to fly higher and into the range of concentratedanti-aircraftfire. A third of the balloon barrage were deployed over the London area.

Specialized training was involved in learning about riggings, how to secure the rope ties, inflation and maintenance of the balloons that included patching the outer skin when tears or leaks were detected. The entire Squadron 992 also had to be mobile and able to set up and maintain the balloons, using a convertedCrossleylorrythat not only carried the balloon but had the winch equipment to raise it to height.

In 1939, the Luftwaffe attack on theForth Bridgein Scotland ended withSupermarine SpitfiresfromNo. 603 RAF "City of Edinburgh" Squadronintercepting the raiders. During the low-level attack, the Spitfires shot down the firstGermanaircraft downed over Britain in thewar.

Although the enemy raid was countered, Squadron 992 was rushed to the north to protect the coasts, estuaries and harbours in Scotland. Within a day, the 50 lorries from the squadron immediately created a barrage balloon area near the strategic Forth Bridge, setting up a headquarters and operations centre, designating varied sites for balloons to be located (including in farmers' yards) and establishing a supply depot to maintain the balloons.

Cast[edit]

  • Jock Harrison as Himself
  • Tommy Evans as Himself
  • Jim Gilder as Himself

Production[edit]

The General Post Office Film Unit (United Kingdom) was originally set up to makeshortinformational filmspublicizing the work of the Post Office, but by the late 1930s, had widened their scope to include documentaries about other aspects of life in Great Britain. After the outbreak of war in 1939, the GPO Film Unit concentrated on makingpropaganda filmsabout various aspects of the war effort, of whichSquadron 992was one of the earliest productions. A request from the squadron commander to make a film publicising the role of his squadron, precipitated the production.[Note 2]

Squadron 992incorporated scenes of the training of the balloon squadron as it was being formed then recreates an incident involving a Luftwaffe attack on the Forth Bridge on 16 October 1939.[5][Note 3]

When acquired by the National Film Board of Canada,Squadron 992was released as part of theCanada Carries Onseries of morale-boostingpropagandashort films.[6]The film series was made in cooperation with the Director of Public Information, Herbert Lash.[7]

Reception[edit]

As one of the earliest GPO Film Unit's wartime productions,Squadron 992was previewed for the French Minister of Information in early April 1940, before being issued as a theatrical release in Great Britain. In a contemporary review inThe Spectatorby Basil Wright, he noted that the documentary was very effective and, "... there are many points which all film-goers will recognise with that special delight which real screen mastery always brings."[8]

As part of theCanada Carries Onseries,Squadron 992was produced in 35 mm for the theatrical market. Each film was shown over a six-month period as part of the shorts or newsreel segments in approximately 800 theatres across Canada. The NFB had an arrangement withFamous Players theatresto ensure that Canadians from coast-to-coast could see them, with further distribution byColumbia Pictures.[9]

After the six-month theatrical tour ended, individual films were made available on 16 mm to schools, libraries, churches and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two. They were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. A total of 199 films were produced before the series was canceled in 1959.[10]Squadron 992was later released in the BFI DVD compilation,If War Should Come: The GPO Film Unit Collection, Volume Three(2009).[4]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^The NFB was still known at the time, as the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau.
  2. ^By the end of theBattle of Britain,Luftwaffe bomber tactics had changed drastically with dive bombers withdrawn, resulting in less emphasis on a barrage balloon defence.Squadron 992was subsequently withdrawn as "out-of-date".[4]
  3. ^The aircraft used in the simulated attack included aBristol Blenheimbomber, a Spitfirefighter aircraftand inadvertently, through stock footage, aHawker Hurricanefighter.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^"Squadron 992".onf-nfb.gc.ca.National Film Board of Canada.Retrieved1 April2023.
  2. ^Lerner 1987, p. 75.
  3. ^Khouri 2007, pp. 132–133.
  4. ^abStewart, Jez."Squadron 992 (1940)."BFI Screenline.Retrieved: 21 March 2016.
  5. ^Paris, Michael."The RAF on Screen 1940-1942."History Today,8 August 1990. Retrieved: 19 March 2016.
  6. ^Morris, Peter."Film Reference Library: Canada Carries On."[permanent dead link]Canadian Film Encyclopedia.Retrieved: 19 March 2016.
  7. ^"Recognize leadership of Winnipeg women."The Winnipeg Tribune,18 April 1941. Retrieved: 19 March 2016.
  8. ^Wright, Basil."The Cinema: 'Squadron 992' —At the Regal and London."The Spectator,13 June 1940. Retrieved: 19 March 2016.
  9. ^Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 122.
  10. ^Ohayon, Albert."Propaganda cinema at the NFB".National Film Board of Canada,13 July 2009. Retrieved: 19 March 2016.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane.New History of Documentary Film.London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005.ISBN0-8264-1750-7.
  • Khouri, Malek.Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46.Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary Press, 2007.ISBN978-1-55238-199-1.
  • Lerner, Loren.Canadian Film and Video: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature.Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997.ISBN978-0-8020-2988-1.

External links[edit]

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