Donald S. Sanford (1918–2011)

Typical Hollywood style rewriting of history - the first 1,000 plane raid was undertaken by the Royal Air Force in May 1942 when 1,047 bombers attacked Cologne. That aside this entertaining air-war effort sees American Colonel Greg Brandon (Christopher George) trying to persuade his superiors of the merits of a massive bombing campaign against the German aircraft manufacturing facility. Unfortunately Brandon alienates and antagonise everyone around him including his girl friend, WAC Lieutenant Gabrielle Ames (Laraine Stephens) and brash RAF liaison officer Wing Commander Trafton Howard (Gary Marshal). Some stereotypical characterisations and situations slightly undermine the film, but director Boris Sagal makes up for this with some good aerial photography, which is interspersed with well-integrated wartime combat footage. Although Christopher George's performance is strong, his character, the driven and relentless Colonel Brandon, is hugely unlikeable. Gary Marshal is a stock cliché as the RAF officer and Laraine Stephens seems to have little purpose other than to sleep with Brandon. Despite it many flaws and historical inaccuracies "The Thousand Plane Raid" is still an entertaining enough war film of its type.… (mere)