World War I · Film · 1930
Hell's Angels
Two very different British brothers join the Royal Flying Corps and fall for the same woman, in Howard Hughes' lavish aviation epic of Zeppelin raids and roaring dogfights.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 3 places.
Stop 1: Oxford
At Oxford, the idealist Roy, the womaniser Monte and their German friend Karl hope a war between their countries never comes.
Stop 2: Munich
Caught with an officer's wife, Monte flees a duel, and Roy takes his place and his bullet.
Stop 3: Zeppelin raid on London
Key location
Karl, now a Zeppelin observer, is lowered below the clouds to guide bombs onto Trafalgar Square while the brothers take off to intercept.
What really happened
Howard Hughes spent three years and nearly four million dollars on the film, assembling a private air force of vintage aircraft; three pilots and a mechanic died during filming. Begun as a silent picture, it was largely reshot with sound, and made Jean Harlow a star.
Its Zeppelin raid recalls a real campaign: from 1915 German airships bombed London and other British towns, killing more than 500 people, until improved fighters armed with incendiary bullets began shooting them down in flames from late 1916. The final mission against a German munitions dump and the clash with Richthofen's 'Flying Circus' are fictional.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Hell's Angels
- Directed by
- Howard Hughes
- Countries
- United States
- Languages
- English, German
- Released
- 1930
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe
- Themes
- Air war
- Romance
