A movie that has been flying a bit below the radar surfaced in mid-January 22, 2022, with the announcement by Grindstone Entertainment Group that it had acquired the film Wolf Hound for distribution. To quote from the Variety news release:

The film is inspired by the real-life Nazi special operations unit KG 200 that shot down, repaired and flew Allied aircraft as Trojan horses. “Wolf Hound” takes place in 1944 Nazi-occupied France and stars James Maslow (“Big Time Rush”) as Captain David Holden, a Jewish American fighter pilot, and Trevor Donovan (“90210”) as Nazi ace Major Erich Roth. Ambushed behind enemy lines, Holden must rescue a captured B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew, evade the enemy stalking him at every turn and foil a plot that could completely alter the outcome of World War II.

Internet Movie Data Base Entry

Of interest here is that, according to the IMDB entry for the film,

“Real WWII Period Aircraft featured in this film include a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, North American P-51 Mustang fighters, Supermarine Spitfire fighter, Hawker Hurricane fighter, North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, and Messerschmitt Bf 109 (ME 109) fighter.” and “The filmmakers used all real, authentic WWII Aircraft, both in aerial/dogfighting sequences and on the ground, not a single computer generated (CG) plane is in the movie. For Aircraft destruction/explosion shots, detailed scale models where filmed and then further enhanced with Visual Effects, but no shot is 100% computer generated.“

One source states that Variety.com reported that:

“The Yankee Air Museum in Michigan allowed the filmmakers to utilize the original “Rosie the Riveter” bomber plant hanger as a major filming location. The museum also offered their North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber, of which there are only 10 still flying in the world.

Filmmakers also plan to shoot footage with P-51 Mustangs, a Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, and either a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 or Focke-Wulf Fw 190.“

The movie stills released earlier this month certainly show both B-17G Yankee Lady (44-85829, N3193G) and what appears to be the inside of the bomber plant. The still seen above would indicate that B-25K Wild Cargo (44-30129, N7947C) was also used in the production.

Yankee Air Museum Involvement

One source with knowledge of the filming recalled that the scenes involving the Yankee Air Museum facilities and both B-17 Yankee Lady and the museum’s B-25D Rosie’s Reply (43-3634, N3774) were filmed in August and September 2018. Ground scenes utilizing the museum’s hangar and the old Ford bomber plant were shot, including use of the B-17 and B-25 in ground shots. Yankee Lady was flown to Virginia earlier in August 2018 for 3-4 days of filming that included air-to-air filming. Details of that filming have yet to surface, but a museum flight crew flew the airplane for the filming. It appears that B-25 Rosie’s Reply was used minimally for the filming sequences.

Military Aviation Museum Involvement

Another source provided information that Wild Cargo, from the Military Aviation Museum located at Virginia Beach, Virginia, was used for the movie, with some scenes shot in early 2021 at the Suffolk Airport located about 20 miles east of Virginia Beach. A museum flight crew flew the B-25 for the filming.

More Information Wanted on the Fighters

Reports of using Mustangs and Messerschmitts, Spitfires and Hurricanes, and/or other fighter-type aircraft have not yet surfaced. The movie still at the top of this post does show what appears to be close-flying Messerschmitt Bf-109 so we await more information.

We await the release of the film with interest and, perhaps, a bit of trepidation. These things don’t always turn out so well for the aviation-minded.