Target for Tonight: the classic RAF bombing-raid documentary turns 80

In the spring of 1941, director Harry Watt approached the Ministry of Information with plans for a “hitting back film”, depicting the planning and execution of a RAF bombing raid. Following the crew of ‘F for Freddie’ and portraying the calm, efficient processes of Bomber Command, the film would show Britain taking the initiative – a new departure from previous wartime documentaries (like Watt and Humphrey Jennings’ London Can Take It!) that had focused on the country’s doggedness and tenacity. 

When the idea was approved by the Ministry and the Air Force, Derek Twist (the editor of The 39 Steps and The Edge of the World but now serving in the RAF) was assigned as conducting officer to help get the project off the ground and, through him, Watt gained access to RAF headquarters and documentation that would help shape the film. Based at RAF Mildenhall with 149 Squadron, Watt read over 2,000 pilots’ raid reports, sat in on briefings and interviewed personnel at every level of service, in a bid to make his script as authentic as possible.

The hand-picked crew of ‘F for Freddie’ included servicemen from Scotland, Australia, Canada and England (including a former footman at 10 Downing Street), with Squadron Leader Freddie Pickard – brother-in-law of actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke but with no acting experience himself – chosen to play Captain Dickson. Sadly, most of the crew had perished before the end of the war, including Pickard who was shot down during a raid on Amiens prison in 1944.

In addition to location shooting at the aerodrome, sets were constructed at both Elstree and Denham, including the dismantled fuselage of a brand new Wellington (complete with top secret anti-radar technology that was quickly removed) and a full replica of the Bomber Command operations room. The latter greatly impressed then Commander-in-Chief, Sir Richard Pierse, who makes a brief cameo, as does Constance Babington Smith (one of the few women in the film), the celebrated WAAF intelligence officer who uncovered the V1 rocket.

With Leighton Lucas’s rousing march recorded in double-quick time by the RAF Central Band, and the film rapidly edited together by Stewart McAllister (with assistance from an 18 year old John Krish), Target for Tonight opened in the UK on 25 July at the Empire Theatre, London. The film earned rave reviews from critics and audiences alike and became an unexpected box office hit, grossing over £73,000 at the box office. The film also found success across the pond, reaching an audience of approximately 50 million and earning an honorary Academy Award, albeit one that Watt never actually received.