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I would like to find someone that would be interested in helping me complete a movie script I have written about my father, A WWII Glider Pilot. I have found a producer that is interested in it and has been helpful with some suggestions about the plot but I still need an experienced writer. A movie has never been produced with a story line of a WWII glider pilot and I think my fathers story is interesting. I have 75 pages written so far. I would like to join this group. thank you.
I have a degree in history and have written about a dozen features, none produced. I might consider joining the project, but I would only drop other things I am working on if the job pays. If that might interested you, I can show you sample work and we can talk, see if you think I can help.
If that's not something you want to consider, best of luck. I do think it could be good idea. The real compelling part of the story, of course, would have to come from your father's life, or some adapted(partly finctionalized) character based on things your father did.
When I think of glider pilots, I think of D-day and the battles to break out of the beachhead. I also think of the disastrous "bridge too far" campaign, but that might have been all British pilots. Not sure if your Dad is Brit or American. Regardless, you must be proud of him.
I can vouch for Kevin's knowledge of history and his understanding of format and structure in screenwriting. He also has a feature optioned. It might not get produced, but it was optioned and read by some high profile actors. You would be in good hands working with him.
In the early morning hours of June 7, 1944 my father was landing his glider in a flooded field just outside of the town of Sainte Mere Eglise, France in three feet of water. This is his account of the mission: As the glider settled on the water, I removed my flak vest, tore a large piece of fabric off the side of the cockpit and rolled out into the water. The other pilot and I waded to dry land and headed for the nearest hedgerow for protection. Once on the ground, so to speak, the glider infantrymen quickly located the source of nearby ground fire. It turned out to be a bunker containing about a dozen conscripted Polish soldiers with a German sergeant in charge. After the glider troopers from several gliders, including me and my thompson machine gun, directed a hail of rifle and bazooka fire at the bunker the resistance ceased. Then a single shot was heard inside the bunker, followed by laughter. Soon the Poles emerged with their hands held high in surrender. They weren’t about to fight the Americans. They simply shot the German sergeant. Myself, and some other pilots took refuge in a thatched roof farm house. We were surprised to find an American paratrooper with a broken leg on one of the beds. He had jumped the night before and had fractured his leg when he fell though the thatched roof of the farm house. A young French girl was caring for him, so he just lay there waiting for the war to come to him. I wondered afterwards if he made it back home okay. By nightfall, a group of us began looking for a safe place to catch a few winks. We came upon several other Americans busily digging holes in a small field, so we likewise began digging in the same area. “Hey, you guys can’t dig there,” said one of the Americans. “Why,” we asked. “Because we’re starting a temporary American cemetery here,” was the reply. They were burying several dead American paratroopers. That did it. We went elsewhere. For the next 24 hours we spent some time with a 105mm artillery crew, providing perimeter guard, and then joined a communications outfit. There was considerable confusion for the next two days since there were no distinct battle lines, and the war consisted of a number of small skirmishes between Americans and Germans. We learned that the troops had moved off the beach and the Americans appeared to be winning their skirmishes. I and most of the surviving glider pilots began to assemble at the 101st command post. On the third day we made the 3 mile trek to Utah Beach where the beach master assigned them the job of guarding German POWs (Prisoners-of-War). Later that day, glider pilots and POWs were loaded aboard an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) and then onto an LST (Landing Ship Tank) for the trip back to England. The LST was a mess. We had 1,200 German prisoners on the main tank deck and only 4 GI cans to serve as toilets. Among the 1,200 were several officers who were pretty subdued, except for a Nazi Stormtrooper. This lieutenant insisted that every German prisoner passing by him give him the Nazi salute. One of the glider pilots finally tired of this and told the corporal to tell the lieutenant-without the preliminary Nazi salute- that if he, the Nazi, saluted one time, he, the glider pilot, intended to emphasize his point with a bayonet on the end of his rifle. That was the end of the saluting. A little excitement occurred while we were on the LST. It was anchored next to an American oil tanker that subsequently attracted the attention of a German E-boat (similar to an American PT boat). The E-boat launched a torpedo that struck the oil tanker below the water line and it exploded. There was only one survivor, a man and his dog. Moments later a British ground attack aircraft fired on and sank the E-boat. I thought it was much like watching a newsreel as the incident unfold before your eyes. Miraculously, the German commander of the E-boat was rescued by crewmen from the LST I was on. He had a severe leg wound. I helped carry him to the operating table below deck where an American medic tended to the wound. When the medic indicated that he wanted to cut apart the officer’s sealskin trousers, the latter exploded with anger. The medic retorted, “If he wants them all that bad, let him keep them.” So I and the medic, with the help of the German removed his trousers. It must have been dreadfully painful, but the German never uttered a word. He sat stoically as the medic tended to his wound. One of our Kraut prisoners was an overaged German Major who had been stationed in Normandy to recover from wounds received earlier on the Russian front. When we passed out the dreaded K-rations for a midnight meal, the Major refused to eat. We ask an English speaking German corporal what the Majors complaint was, and we were informed that the Major was used to good meat and dairy products of Normandy and he didn’t appreciate our canned products. One of the other glider pilots told the corporal to inform the Major that it was K-rations or nothing, and of he didn’t eat that we might stuff them right down his throat, cans and all. In another instance while on the LST a German POW caught his ring on a nail while descending the ship’s ladder. The ring tore into the flesh so badly that the same medic had to take a surgical saw and remove the ring. He did it without a painkiller, which for some reason the German refused. Once again, the pain must have been terrible, but there was not a peep out of the prisoner. The Germans were obviously well disciplined when it came to pain, I thought to myself. When the LST landed in England the prisoners were turned over to the British military. I got fairly well acquainted with the German corporal that was my interpreter, helping me for 2 days. I discovered he was the son of a German father and British mother. At the outbreak of war in 1939 when he was still a youngster, the family was visiting and got stuck in Germany. He was eventually drafted into the German army. I believed his story enough to give him a note of appreciation to take along with him to his eventual prison camp in England. I hope he was able to regain his English citizenship, because that’s what he wanted. As I record this on April 4, 1988, this is what I remember as a Glider Pilot on the invasion of France in June 1944. Our instructions were to get back to the coast as best we could and get on a ship for return to England. We landed a mile and half from Sainte Mele Eglise, the scene for the movie ”The Longest Day” wherein actor Red Buttons witnessed a Day-long battle while swinging in his parachute from a church roof. I saw a burning C-47 aircraft on the edge of the field where I landed. I could still make out the number on the tail and I knew it had been flown by a good buddy of mine. All aboard were killed, I later heard. As I stepped off the ship I gave thanks that I had survived my first combat mission against the enemy. I guess I was just lucky to get off so easy, a lot of other guys weren’t so lucky. Flight Officer Charles E. Skidmore Jr. - 91st sqdn 439th TCG
Life Expectancy of US Army Air Corps Pilots in Combat During World War II Bomber Pilots….. 1 Hour, 46 minutes Fighter Pilots….. 19 Minutes GLIDER PILOTS….. 17 Seconds
My fathers "Operation Market Garden" Mission Sept 17, 1944: Training continued at Upottery until 8 September 1944 when the 439th was alerted to move to Juvincourt, France (ALG A-6 as the vanguard of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing. The movement of equipment and personnel took several days, but the air echelon returned to England the following week to take part in the invasion of Holland scheduled to begin on 17 September 1944. Chuck flew the D-Day mission in a CG-4A as pilot, departing from Balderton Airdrome. He said later that the mission was strange from the very beginning and almost humorous.
The day of the mission he was driven out to his glider in a jeep. During his preflight check he noted that his load was a ¼ ton jeep trailer that was covered with a tarpaulin. Skidmore asked the loadmaster what was in the trailer and he told him 800 pounds of land mines. He was told not to worry because it would take the weight of a sizeable vehicle to detonate them. Small consolation, Chuck mused. Three gliders troopers of the 82nd Airborne Division were also included in his load.
Chuck waited outside of his glider for some time for his copilot who never appeared. When he queried the crew chief he smiled and said that the Colonel Young had decided against using two glider pilots on this mission. Just prior to his glider being pulled into position for hookup a fourth soldier sud-denly showed up at the glider. He wore full combat dress and was carrying a Thompson submachine gun. He climbed over the jeep trailer and sat down in the copilot’s seat. Chuck was surprised to see that it was Warrant Officer Walter F. Domanski, the assistant engineering officer of the 91st TC Squadron. After a brief conversation Chuck learned that he was an unofficial passenger, in essence, a stowaway.
The four hour flight to Holland was boring and tiring, Chuck admitted later that it was a pretty hairy flight after passing over the Dutch coast. A tow plane just ahead of him went down in flames after being hit by ground fire. He watched for parachutes but saw none as the plane plummeted to earth. He felt his heart racing, he said, and he began sweating so profusely that beads of water were showing in-side his watch crystal. Near the end of the 90 mile overland portion of the flight his glider began to take ground fire from a windmill but fortunately no one was hit. Moments later he received the green light from his tow plane and released his glider. Turning to the left he quickly spotted his landing zone. As he circled towards the field below more ground fire was directed at his glider. As he made his approach he saw another tow plane go down trailing fire. In an effort to evade the enemy fire coming up at him he dove towards the ground, quickly picking up speed. One of the glider troopers aboard sensed that he was exceeding the usual rate of descent and decided to take action. He climbed over the trailer, rapped on Chuck’s steel helmet and shouted, “Slow this S.O.B. down!”
Not knowing quite how to fly the glider and defend himself at the same time, Chuck did the best he could under the circumstance… he flew the glider. The trooper suddenly shoved him in the back which caused the glider to begin descending even faster. Fortunately, W/O Domanski came to his rescue. He shoved his Tommy gun into the soldier‘s shoulder and said, “Get back in your seat or I’ll sit you down permanently.”
Since the trooper had left his weapon in the back of the glider, and probably because he sensed that discretion was the better part of valor, he beat a hasty retreat to his seat in the back of the CG-4A. Chuck landed the glider on the proper landing zone, but it didn’t fair too well. The giant beets growing on the landing zone pretty much destroyed the bottom of the glider. Chuck helped unload his glider and moments later a jeep arrived to tow the trailer. Within several days he was back in France. In October, November and December 1944, Chuck flew resupply missions to Holland as copilot aboard the squad-ron’s C-47s. On 4 December 1944, he was awarded an oak leaf cluster to the Air Medal and the Distin-guished Unit Badge for his participation in Operation “Market.” He was also awarded the orange lan-yard by the Dutch, and belatedly was also awarded the Willemsorde, the Netherlands highest award.
And thanks, Mike, I read every word. Love those stories!
The hard part is this: a story has to be built around a character. Generally that character has to begin the story with some flaw or weakness that he has to overcome in order to triumph. For example, last year there was a film where a pacifist goes through army training and then joins the fight. Not that being a pacifist is a flaw, but if you're going to be soldier, it kind of is a big thing that gets in the way. I did not see the movie, so I'm not sure if there was anything else he had to change about himself. But before we even see the story, we can feel the conflict: a pacifist goes to war, faces bullying from his fellow soldiers, and becomes a war hero while maintaining his principles.
It can be hard to do these things with a real hero like your dad. If he didn't have a flaw, do you want to give him one?
In what you posted here, there was a great example: the German prisoner your dad used as an interpreter. That kid had a Brit mom, was from Britain, was visiting Germany when war broke out and was drafter. That's great internal conflict! How does he fight his own people? What does he do to survive?
There was another recent WWII story where the main character was an Olympic champion before the war. This enables them to show more of his personal story, how he overcame a difficult youth and how the resulting changes made him unbreakable in war when he was captured by the Japanese.
I explored doing a biopic a few years back on a character who came from poverty in the south, became a lawyer, enlisted in wWII, was a hero, then returned to run for governor against the corrupt old machine. He won, under the threat of violence, and he stood up for the poor and for Civil Rights. He served 2 terms as governor, then returned to fight in the Vietnam War!
This was a GREAT man. Seems like a great biopic, right?
The problem was I could find no flaw in this man. To his dying day he was gentle and kind and unselfish. I couldn't locate an internal battle around which to center the drama. And I didn't want to invent one. So I didn't do it.
That's the stuff of drama. Much harder to do a story if you don't have it.
Unless you're willing to fictionalize it more. That's a hard choice.
Kevin can you email me at mskids001 on AOL. so I can send my dads bio. lots of plot lines like you mentioned,1941 joins the army air corp as a air cadet...washes out- honorable discharge, 1942 joins for 2nd time as bombardier, resigns honorable discharge, re joins 1941 june for the 3rd time in a year as a glider pilot, is involved in 3 training accident , saves the life of his best friend in the 2nd accident. meets/marries my mother in 3 weeks ( she is 17) in 1943 , goes overseas early 1944....meets young girl in london has romance, goes on 2 combat missions. his 3rd training accident happens after d-day ( his tow line breaks soon after takeoff and the glider falls 90 feet pancake into the ground) suppose to go on 3rd combat mission battle of the bulge but gets hurt the day of the mission and is replaced. comes back after the war and suffers from ptsd.
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Help w/ WWII Glider Pilot Script - Cowriter needed
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as the vanguard of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing. The movement of equipment and personnel took several days, but the air echelon returned to England the following week to take part in the invasion of Holland scheduled to begin on 17 September 1944. Chuck flew the D-Day mission in a CG-4A as pilot, departing from Balderton Airdrome. He said later that the mission was strange from the very beginning and almost humorous. 
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