military_branch frederick e. smith
633 ___MASK71___ is a 1964 British film , which depicts the exploits of a fictional World War II British fighter - bomber ___MASK71___ and stars Cliff Robertson , George Chakiris and Maria Perschy . The plot was based on a novel of the same name by Frederick E . Smith , published in 1956 , which itself drew on several real ___MASK58___ operations . The film was directed by Walter Grauman and produced by Cecil F . Ford for the second film of Mirisch Productions UK subsidiary Mirisch Films for United Artists . " 633 ___MASK71___ " was the first aviation film to be shot in colour and Panavision widescreen . Plot . When the Norwegian resistance leader , Royal Norwegian Navy Lieutenant Erik Bergman , travels to Great Britain to report the location of a German V - 2 rocket fuel plant , the ___MASK58___ ' s No . 633 ___MASK71___ is assigned to destroy it . The ___MASK71___ is led by Wing Commander Roy Grant , an ex - Eagle ___MASK71___ pilot ( an American serving in the RAF before the US entered the war ). A fighter - bomber is a fighter ___MASK44___ that has been modified , or used primarily , as a light bomber or attack ___MASK44___ . It differs from bomber and attack ___MASK44___ primarily in its origins , as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles , whereas bombers and attack ___MASK44___ are developed specifically for bombing and attack roles . The ___MASK58___ ( RAF ) is the United Kingdom ' s aerial warfare force . Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918 , it is the oldest independent air force in the world . Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as , at the time , the largest air force in the world . Since its formation , the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history , in particular , playing a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign , the Battle of Britain . Frederick Escreet Smith ( 4 April 1919 -- 15 May 2012 ) was a British author , best known for his 1956 novel 633 ___MASK71___ about a Second World War RAF Mosquito ___MASK71___ undertaking a seemingly impossible mission to bomb a well protected German factory at the head of a Norwegian fjord . The novel was made into a successful film in 1964 . He also wrote the original 1951 story that the film Devil Doll ( 1964 ) is based on . The ___MASK96___ ( Norwegian : Sjøforsvaret , " the naval defence ( forces )") is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of the state of Norway . , the RNoN consists of approximately 3 , 700 personnel ( 9 , 450 in mobilized state , 32 , 000 when fully mobilized ) and 70 vessels , including 5 heavy frigates , 6 submarines , 14 patrol boats , 4 minesweepers , 4 minehunters , 1 mine detection vessel , 4 support vessels and 2 training vessels . The navy also includes the Coast Guard .