Many times we find ourselves discussing the best strategy or tactics for our carrier operations. There is often more than one way to skin the proverbial cat. Carrier Command is fluid and dynamic enough for there to be no one single rote strategy to achieve an objective. Skill and planning can combine in many ways to influence an outcome.
We talk about tactics and strategy not just like “remember what we did last week at Duessa?” or “launch a shield bug” or “bear drop”. The words and past experience of being in a crew are the foreground to how we communicate, but the background and atmosphere are equally important. They come from another shared space.
Movies!
The GRNO crew are mostly a little older than you might expect. There is still quite a wide range but we often all refer to the same kinds of movies and TV series. That this is is mostly war movies and sci-fi will not probably be a shock to you. But this is my list of essential viewing for any crew!
Top Gun (1986)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/
No list of good aviation/naval related movies would ever really omit this.
It is essential viewing, not for the tactics. It is required reading for the quotes.
633 Squadron
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057811
The movie is excellent, but the soundtrack is legendary. Once you watch this, every single low level bomb run you do, you’ll have the 633 Squadron theme in your brain.
The film’s plot is also kind of similar to another…
Battle of the River Plate
This is one of my personal favourites, it’s not that easy to find it to view online but it really is an excellent film. Made just after WW2 most of the ships involved are genuine combatants (Though the Graf Spee is played by the USS Salem
Star Wars episode IV
No list of big battle movies could be without star wars (twice), the trench run attacking the death star is essential material!
Much like Top Gun, this is a good source of quotes!
Babylon 5
Full of large scale space warfare, a film with the ultimate enemy in the Shadows but also with these fantastic scenes.
The fight doesn’t always go to plan though, sometimes you just need to scream
Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan
As well as being an excellent film, with some fantastic space combat. It has the best single rendition of a one word line in any film!
Other Trek films brings us some excellent scenes from some fast paced combat, and some more excellent quote material.
But we a carrier crew after all. So some more essential study from the crew of the Galactica. We really wish launches were like this.
Galactica showcases action, skill, misdirection and surprise!
The Hunt for Red October
A commander needs gravitas. When we wish for subs, this movie is why.
When someone calls out a torpedo. These counter methods actually work. THIS IS HOW YOU FIGHT TORPEDOS!
Speaking of Torpedoes, a mention has to go to this old gem.
Operation Petticoat
Sees the crew of a US submarine in the pacific tasked with transporting a team of nurses. In common with us, they manage to sink non-ships with a torpedo attack.
Battle of Britian
With good music and epic air battles, when dogfights get tense it’s hard not to think of the ariel melee like this scene in this classic.
CC2Maps.com 