SwiftBlog

The real-life inspiration for Tom Hardy's character in Christopher Nolan's epic war movie Dunkirk was a remarkable fighter pilot out of New Zealand.

Tom Hardy's character in Dunkirk faced a different fate than the real-life inspiration behind the character. In the movie, Hardy's Farrier is a Squadron Leader and a pilot in the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. He and two other pilots, including a soldier named Collins, head for the evacuation site at Dunkirk in the film but one of them gets shot down early on in the mission. Farrier takes command and successfully shoots down a German bomber plane despite his fuel gauge being broken and his cooling system compromised. Eventually, he runs out of fuel, and he is taken as a prisoner of war.

The real history behind Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is put on display with masterful attention to detail, varying the perspectives between soldiers on land, in the air, and at sea. The evacuation of Dunkirk was one of the most pivotal moments in World War II for the Allied Forces. Farrier's fictional sacrifice in the movie was representative of the selflessness that was required by many efforts to rescue more than 330,000 stranded French and British soldiers. As a prisoner of war in the hands of Nazi Germany, Farrier was likely taken to a war prison or concentration camp to wait out the remainder of WWII, or worse.

The Real-Life Inspiration For Dunkirk's Farrier Survived World War II (& Wasn't Taken Prisoner)

Tom Hardy's Dunkirk character Farrier most closely resembles the true story of World War II pilot Alan Deere. Deere is one of the greatest fighter pilots to ever come out of New Zealand although he fought for Great Britain during WWII. He was known thanks to several near-death experiences throughout his illustrious career in various battles, one of which was famously depicted in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed film Dunkirk. Hardy's character Farrier, while fictional, is technically not based on just one soldier or pilot, but the heroism of both the fictional Farrier and the real-life Deere has several significant parallels. Deere documented his war stories in his autobiography Nine Lives: Fighter Pilots.

During WWII, Deere's plane was damaged while fighting the Germans over Dunkirk. He was forced to make an emergency landing on a Belgian beach, which was similar to Dunkirk's Farrier. However, unlike Farrier in the movie, Deere wasn't taken as a POW by Germans after he crashed. Instead, Deere made his way to a nearby town and was later rescued by the British Army. He survived World War II and died in 1995 at the age of 77. Remarkably, Dunkirk was Deere's first combat experience during the war. By shooting down the German Bf 109, Deere became the first ever Spitfire pilot to achieve a victory in aerial combat over the common German plane (via New Zealand Herald).

Collins' Dunkirk Ending More Accurately Reflects Alan Deere's True Story

Farrier's fellow Dunkirk pilot, Collins, more accurately reflects Deere's true story. Collins takes harsh comments from fellow soldiers about what the Royal Air Force was doing during the evacuation, which was similar to the insults faced by Alan Deere when being transported by the British Army. After his plane crashes into the ocean after combat, Deere received medical assistance for his wounds before rendezvousing with British troops, who scorned him and accused him of not showing up when they needed air support (via History vs Hollywood). Although Deere's heroic skill was portrayed by Hardy's Farrier, the real-life soldier's ending was more accurate to that of RAF pilot Collins in Dunkirk.

Source: New Zealand Herald, History vs Hollywood

ncG1vNJzZmirk6eyprrRmqWtZpOkunDDx5qrZqCRpb2musSdZK2nXZnCr7fIq6JmpZ%2BrtqZ5z6KjqKxdp7KiuIyloJ%2BdXZa5orqMnZyeqpVk