GB
1943
1hr 20mins
Dir: Sergei Nolbandov
Starring: Godfrey Tearle and Mary Morris
In occupied Yugoslavia, partisans fight the Nazis
This major war propaganda film was made by Ealing Studios at the height of hostilities and part of the story involves the sabotage of Nazi supply trains. With filming in Occupied Europe completely out of the question British rolling-stock was used, and although a German ‘Pacific’ does appear in one shot, it is thought to be a model. One, maybe two, LNER A3 Class 4-6-2’s were modified with smoke deflectors and stovepipe chimneys to appear as Continental locos (somewhat ironic of course, given that German style smoke deflectors were fitted to the A3’s during the 1960s) and in various shots the loco appears to be numbered ‘274’ and ‘743’ so it is probably just 2743 Felstead with one number blacked out in different takes so as to give the impression that it is a different loco. Incidentally, all the original A1 Class locomotives were rebuilt to the improved specifications of the A3’s, but Felstead was the first of the A3’s as built from new when delivered in August 1928. There are some shots that appear to have been filmed in the sidings of a quarry with an LNER J52 Class 0-6-0ST in the background, and some other shots were filmed in a tunnel at night. A later scene where the ammunition train was blown up was filmed at Ravenscourt Park coal sidings in west London.