World War Two blockbuster Fury depicts the last days of the war – and an American tank crew’s mission in an all-hell-breaking loose apocalyptic Nazi Germany.

Its tanks sourced from the Bovington tank museum and a former paratrooper who used to be stationed at RAF Brize Norton onboard to offer advice, the film sets out to show the horrors of war in the most authentic manner.

I was interested to read about the aforementioned military adviser Paul Biddiss from Charlbury, who offered his considerable expertise to the film’s main actors. Importantly, war veterans were also consulted and offered invaluable real-life advice to actors Brad Pitt et al about the demands and horrors of tank warfare.

Moreover, it seems the film shot in our own neck of the woods in Watlington, South Oxfordshire, is not a typical Hollywood gloss-over – but a raw depiction of one of history’s darkest periods – the dying days of World War Two.

Countless hours of research and rolled-up sleeves were de rigueur on the set. It is films like Fury and Steven Spielberg’s equally gritty Saving Private Ryan with their close attention to detail – that give us (the viewer) a taste of war’s devastating impact and offers a profound insight to new generations to the huge sacrifices made by Allied forces during World War Two.

David Tinson, Moorland Road, Witney

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