| Murphy's War
|
|
Theatrical Poster
|
| Country
|
 United Kingdom
|
| Directed by
|
Peter Yates
|
| Release Date
|
1971
|
| Language
|
English
|
| Studio
|
Hemdale
|
| Distributor
|
Paramount Pictures
|
|
|
Murphy's War is a 1971 war film directed by Peter Yates (Bullitt) starring Peter O'Toole, Philippe Noiret and Siân Phillips. Mostly shot on location on the Orinoco River in Venezuela, with the Venezuelan Navy providing the submarine used in the film.
The following weapons were used in the film Murphy's War:
MG 34
The unnamed German U-boat is armed with twin MG 34s in an anti-aircraft mount for anti-aircraft and anti-personnel use.
A gunner fires on an attacking Grumman J2F Duck.
A gunner with MG 34s at the ready.
A gun crew preps the MG 34 for use.
A gun crew starts breaking down the MG 34 mount.
Oerlikon 20mm Cannon
The unnamed German U-boat is armed with twin Oerlikon 20mm Cannons in an anti-aircraft mount.
Oerlikon Cannon - 20 x 110mm RB Oerlikon
A gun crew with their Oerlikons at the ready.
The twin Oerlikons open fire.
Bofors 40mm
The unnamed German U-boat is armed with one Bofors 40mm, which appears to have been knocked out of action by Murphy's air attack.
Bofors 40mm L/60 AA gun in a Boffin mounting - 40x311mmR
The 40mm Bofors firing. This appears to be fake muzzle flash, since the ammo hopper appears to be empty.
The knocked out Bofors 40mm.
.30 AN/M2
The Grumman J2F Duck is armed with a damaged .30 AN/M2.
.30 AN/M2, flexible mount - .30-06 Springfield
The Browning in the rear seat of the Grumman J2F Duck. The damaged barrel is seen here.
MP40
German sailors are armed with MP40 submachine guns.
MP40 submachine gun - 9x19mm
A German sailor armed with an MP40 guards Dr. Hayden (Siân Phillips, who was Mrs.
Peter O'Toole at the time).
Another sailor guards Dr. Hayden in another scene. (All this fuss over a female Quaker doctor.)
A sailor armed with an MP40 searches the hospital ward.
A sailor disables native canoes with his MP40. He's going to find out really quickly why no one holds an MP40 like that.
Luger P08
Captain Lauchs (Horst Janson) carries a Luger P08 as a sidearm.
The business end of Lauchs' Luger.
Karabiner 98k
German sailors are armed with Karabiner 98k rifles.
Karabiner 98k - German manufacture 1937 date - 7.92x57mm Mauser
Members of a landing party armed with K98ks. Many of the extras playing German sailors were local Peace Corps volunteers who donated their pay to local charities.
Lauchs issues orders to crewmen armed with K98ks.
Mauser HSc
One of the sailors is armed with a Mauser HSc.
A Nazi Germany Mauser HSc World War 2 Production - .32 ACP (7.65x17mm)
Trivia
Grumman J2F Duck
Half of the film involves Murphy (Peter O'Toole) repairing and flying the Grumman J2F Duck attached to his former ship. The aircraft used in the film is now on display at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
Murphy learning to fly the J2F. Much of the actual flying was done by pilot Frank Tallman, who flew for many productions such as
Catch-22 and
Baa Baa Black Sheep.
"U-boat"
The unnamed German U-boat was "played" by ARV Carite (S-11) (formerly the USS Tilefish (SS-307)), provided by the Venezuelan Navy.
The streamlined sail is a post-war featured fitted to many
Balao-class subs.
A "cigarette deck," just aft of the sail, was added to the sub for filming. This was the location of the twin Oerlikon mount.
Torpedo
Murphy makes use of a beached torpedo fired by the U-boat.
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