"Caught in a Free State"

martinedwards

Cast your minds back to 1983.

RTE made a short series called "Caught in a Free State" about German spies trying to infiltrate Eire.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caught_in_a_Free_State

any idea how I would go about getting a copy?

I'm pretty sure it was never released on DVD/video and google has been little help other than info in the cast etc.

If anyone has it on video or DVD I'd happily pay you for a copy & postage....

Dr Strange

martinedwards wrote: »

Cast your minds back to 1983.

RTE made a short series called "Caught in a Free State" about German spies trying to infiltrate Eire.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caught_in_a_Free_State

any idea how I would go about getting a copy?

I'm pretty sure it was never released on DVD/video and google has been little help other than info in the cast etc.

If anyone has it on video or DVD I'd happily pay you for a copy & postage....

Agree, I think it woulkd be great if they could release a DVD showcasing all documentaries involving irish-German history during WWII. I remember that there was another documentray about German prisoners of war in the Curragh and how some of them stayed in Ireland after the war, got married, had children etc. Another documentary had the title The Swastika and the Shamrock (could've been the other way around) and I am sure there was something on the German orphans/children who were invited to Ireland and stayed in what is now the Glencree Centre for Reconciliation.

All of these on one DVD would be great.

marcsignal

I have that one 'The Shamrock and the Swastika' on VHS. It was broadcast on TG4 about 6 or 7 years ago, very good doc.

The Caught in a Free State one was great. They used an original, but barely flying, Junkers Ju52 for the parachute jump scene. I drink with the son of the guy who did the jump. He told me they had a number of oil drums on board, to feed oil directly into the engines, they were drinking so much of it. That aircraft was parked up in Dublin Airport for years after up until the late 80's, and I think it was eventually scrapped.

Probably worth making inquiries to RTE as regards a DVD release.

xflyer

Probably better if they remade it. I remember that Ju52. I saw it overflying Baldonnel back in the day. Couldn't believe what I was seeing. I don't think it was scrapped, even then the Ju52 was a rarity. I think it was actually a Casa or whatever the Spanish version was.
There is a great movie to be made about the Curragh. Particulary with the whole publicity around Bud Wolfe and his Spitfire lately.

Stovepipe

That Ju52 was an incredible piece of ****! When it took off from Baldonnel, after a prolonged effort to get all three engines to start, run and stay running, a large piece of the centre engine's exhaust fell off just after take-off and landed in a cornfield. The aircraft made it to Dublin Airport, by the skin of it's teeth and was grounded there. The drums in the cabin contained fuel and oil and the pumpers had to move from one to the other to keep up fuel pressure and to keep the oil tanks topped up.A storm tore the tail off it, some years later and it was eventually taken out of DUB on a trailer and went to America.

regards
Stovepipe

marcsignal

On reflection, a remake would probably be a better approach. With CGI and all that, there wouldn't be so much pressure to track down original aircraft. We certainly have all the necessary CGI experts here. Past pupils from the graphics crew from Ballyfermot College made a big contribution to (I think?) Avatar, or one such big movie, in the last few years, among other projects, so the resources are right here.

There are certainly a load of different aspects that could be explored, that would have the makings of a great movie. Especially the inclusion of the K-Lines Camp in the Curragh. I have a great old doc on that place too, broadcast on TG4 abut 10 years ago.

I was very very lucky to have had a short flight in a restored JU52 in 2007 from a former Luftwaffe base (now an Aviation Museum) in Schleissheim near Munich. The base is pretty close to the Alps, which added some spectacular views. At the time, they were also restoring a CASA He111 Bomber, and hoping to restore it to flying condition.

edit

Ju52 flies over my house (at the time) in Munchen, Allach, June 2007.

Jim S

When you think of some of the rubbish on TV that litle gem CIAFS does deserve a re run.

Fuinseog

martinedwards wrote: »

Cast your minds back to 1983.

RTE made a short series called "Caught in a Free State" about German spies trying to infiltrate Eire.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caught_in_a_Free_State

any idea how I would go about getting a copy?

I'm pretty sure it was never released on DVD/video and google has been little help other than info in the cast etc.

If anyone has it on video or DVD I'd happily pay you for a copy & postage....

maybe the the IFI in their archive section. It may have been erased. a friend for example went looking for Wanderly wagon, only to be told most of it had been erased. tapes were too expensive.

goldie fish

Stovepipe wrote: »

That Ju52 was an incredible piece of ****! When it took off from Baldonnel, after a prolonged effort to get all three engines to start, run and stay running, a large piece of the centre engine's exhaust fell off just after take-off and landed in a cornfield. The aircraft made it to Dublin Airport, by the skin of it's teeth and was grounded there. The drums in the cabin contained fuel and oil and the pumpers had to move from one to the other to keep up fuel pressure and to keep the oil tanks topped up.A storm tore the tail off it, some years later and it was eventually taken out of DUB on a trailer and went to America.

regards
Stovepipe

I remember hearing also that the centre engine was known to spray oil onto the cockpit window. Not the easiest thing to clean in flight..

Hangdogroad

There's some footage from Caught In A Free State on YouTube, including that of the Ju72.

https://youtu.be/QJGU9A1n8lI?si=rfG27uRU-Il6Fj5y