driscollx The ME109s used in the series have a hidden irony. They were Hispano Aviación HA-1112 M. 1. L "Buchons" which had the "body" of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the "soul" of a Spitfire. They were powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin engine! This required significant modifications to the 109 fuselage. Look closely at the ME109s in the series and you can see the exhaust line at the top of the fuselage and the air intake under the spinner. The DB 601A used in Luftwaffe ME109s were mounted inverted. The exhausts are near the bottom of the fuselage. Also, there is no air intake directly under the spinner. The Buchons were retirees from the Spanish Air Force.

R. Hall "Piece of Cake" is a top notch production, excellently adapted from one of my favorite books by Derek Robinson. The acting is superb, the score, set designs, locations and period detail create a wonderfully full viewing experience.I first watched this show during its North American release in 1990 and promptly went out and bought the book. I since acquired the DVD set, and watch it a couple of times a year. Yes, there are some discrepancies with the book (such as the switch from Hurricanes to Spitfires) which are likely explained by budgetary and availability issues, and the aerial scenes may look a little dated by now. But despite these minor shortcomings, the series it not diminished in its quality.Some detractors (elsewhere on this post) seem hung up on political correctness and 'fact'. Ignore their remarks. "Piece of Cake" is a rousing good story, based on historical circumstances and, as the author states: "Hornet squadron is fiction. The places where it was based do not exist. All the characters in the story are invented. Everything else is a authentic as I could make it." These detractors obviously don't know the difference between documentaries and entertainment. We all know that "Bridge on the River Kwai", "Patton", "Apocalypse Now" and "M*A*S*H" were not representative of typical military 'behavior', but they all stand as excellent films by any standard.If you want to watch cold hard fact, watch the documentary series "World at War". If you want something to help put a human face behind the horror and the terror of war, watch "Piece of Cake".Apologies for the digression. Ten out of ten for "Piece of Cake".

jkholman Watching this television mini-series for the second time, I am enjoying Piece of Cake very much. Yes, the aircraft are not Hurricanes as they should be, possibly because they were unavailable. Maybe the production people used Spitfires because they were the only things on the shelf. I was relieved to find that after several minutes this technical defect did not detract from the film. It helps that the Spitfire is such a beautiful aeroplane (and I love the Hurricane) and is arguably as photogenic as Lana Turner. As mentioned elsewhere, the characters have their foibles, which make them that much more impressive to the audience. While Flying Officer Cattermole is given to deliberate cruelty, Pilot Officer Hart is no less (albeit unintentionally)so with his ill-advised intercourse with the enlisted person. Having been there myself, it is quite unpleasant. I had my druthers about the inclusion of an American in the story (many a good British film lost something by including an American not originally part of the book), but this one works. It does this by allowing Officer Hart to behave socially on a par with his Empire flying mates, although he botches it badly in the aforementioned incident. Yes, we Americans are naive. While it takes me awhile to warm to Officer Cattermole, he is easily the most reliable combat flier of the squadron. He seems to unreservedly accept the American (on equal terms) more than he does his peers. Not having read the book, I can only leave the detractors of this work to their own devices, but I will continue to enjoy this entertaining piece of cinematic work.

Scoopsrt I recently purchased the DVD set and couldn't wait to begin "the show". I stayed up one night and watched the complete series with no breaks in between discs. I thoroughly enjoyed this series! I also appreciate the time spent by the writers and director to introduce you to the personal lives of the individual of the pilots, friends and wives. By the end of the series I felt that I had begun to know them personally and as a result, shared in the losses and the hurt felt by the surviving kin. I almost felt that I would miss them as well and would now face a time of grief and mourning. Shifting over to the technical side of the production, although aerial combat scenes and special effects have progressed tremendously over the years, I was very pleased with the amount of "air time". Also, as a historical research photographer, I am quite concerned about historical accuracy and authenticity for any "period" type production. And since I am not an expert or authority on a large majority of WWII, much less the RAF, I hope that most of the period clothing, equipment...considering many years have passed...is very close to the "real mccoy." And even if most of the clothing and equipment might not be exactly "period correct", I was pleased to see that the producers and director attempted to focus my attention on the contributions and sacrifices of the brave men who willingly gave of themselves for a cause.