Face à l'Est / Facing the East

<p> <img alt="Face___l_est_anglais_-_620x376-1434487014" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/210700/Face___l_est_anglais_-_620x376-1434487014.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>MY GOAL :  TO MAKE A HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY FILM </strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="304" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FCPmUryMZQyk%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCPmUryMZQyk%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" width="540"></iframe></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>HISTORICAL BACKGROUND : </strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Qjmorris-1434439043" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/210420/QJMorris-1434439043.jpg"></p> <p> Lieutenant Quentin MORRIS while based in Chambley, France, in the mid-50's</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>In the early 1950's, hundreds of young american fighter pilots were sent to France and Germany to defend Western Europe in front of the soviet threat.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Their mission : intercept potential raids of soviet bombers and <strong>launch nuclear strikes beyond the iron curtain in case of world war III</strong>. </p> <p>  </p> <p> Although this conflict never blew up in Europe - we know it now - NATO pilots stood their daily alert in front line, <strong>not knowing what would happen on the following day</strong><strong>…</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> They left behind them their comfortable America to spend 3 or 4 years of hard living conditions, on muddy air bases built in a hurry, and often unfinished.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Chambleytrailer-1434439299" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/210421/Chambleytrailer-1434439299.jpg"></p> <p> The "trailer park" was a constant on NATO air bases in Europe in the early cold war.</p> <p>  </p> <p> At that time, Europe experienced a great housing crisis : living conditions for the GI's and their families was close to what they would have been in a real war. Moreover, they were unfamiliar with the french-german border weather, really different of sunny Arizona or California… Rain and fog was usual; and if you add flying in a crowded sky, close to a border (the iron curtain) not to be crossed, never... <strong>you will not be surprised to learn that many pilots lost their life during the cold war too, to defend Europe.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Aurel-1434440548" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/210430/Aurel-1434440548.jpg"></p> <p> Headstone honoring memory of Lieutenant Aurel who died in 1958, near Rosières en Haye where his F-86 crashed</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>PURPOSE OF THE FILM : </strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Fifty years later, I wish to collect the testimony of these former pilots, while it is still time...</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Rls-1434811909" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/212024/rls-1434811909.jpg"></p> <p> Former astronaut Russell Schweickart (Apollo 9) was based in Phalsbourg Air Base, France.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Five decades later, it will be interesting to <strong>discover what feelings these warriors experienced</strong> while facing a nuclear threat, puting their own lives in danger in order to defend Europe, once more. Many of them were also in charge of a nuclear strike mission... A<strong> one way ticket in case of war... How did they handle that?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Cold war history was also written along the french-german border, even people do not know it because of more exposed (and effective) conflicts (Korea, Hungary, Egypt, Viet Nam...). So it is <strong>urgent to highlight this unknown episode, while actors of this adventure are still able to share their memories with us...</strong></p>