Nightmare Fuel / Battle of Britain

• More than once in the film, pilots and aircrews are shown desperately trying to escape from their crippled or burning aircraft as they descend inevitably to the ground or sea. Sometimes they make it out, sometimes they don't, and at least once we see someone almost make it only for the plane to crash before they can get out. And more than once we see the plane abruptly explode before the pilot even has a chance.
  • And there was one pilot who managed to bail out... only to discover that he's got a faulty parachute which fails to open. For a few following moments, we can see him plummeting down helplessly like a ragdoll.
• When Adolf Hitler is shown giving a speech announcing that they will retaliate for the RAF bombing Berlin (conveniently forgetting to mention that the Luftwaffe accidentally bombed London first), there is an extended shot of the massed crowds of fervent followers cheering for him. It's chilling to behold considering that it really happened, and it was for Hitler.
• Berlin and London both get subjected to air raids, and we get to see the civilian reaction to these in a rare break from the film's military POV characters. From the initial reaction of the Berliners panicking when they realize they're under attack, to the shell shocked Londoners trying to maintain their Stiff Upper Lip while variously seeking shelter or helping to dig others out, it is shown to be an incredibly harsh experience.
• A fair share of natural fears in the film as well, from one young pilot stressing over keeping his family safe from the dangers of the war and failing, to the strain the war puts on the Harveys' marriage, due to their being based in separate parts of the country and both knowing their partner is in mortal danger.
  • Turned up to eleven when the young pilot's family is killed when their air raid shelter in London gets a direct hit.
• Late in the film, we see Londoners sheltering in a subway station, with one kid trying on a gas mask.
• Early in the film, the British and French are forced to abandon an airfield in the face of advancing German troops. The pilots are left to scramble with whatever fuel happens to be in their serviceable planes (leaving several more broken down planes to be burned by their ground crews), but an easy to miss line reminds the viewer that not everyone at the airfield can escape so easily, and the implication is made that many of the ground personnel will be captured or killed by the Germans.
  Colin Harvey: Get all the transport you can, try to get the men out of here.

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