EXT. LONDON - NIGHT 1 1

Black crosses litter the sky, a sky full of German bombers. The hum of the engines is deafening now. We are inside the cockpit of one of the bombers. A photograph of the pilot’s sweetheart is stuck on the side window. The scrambling sound of radio waves take over our aural attention. The GERMAN PILOT reaches out with his leather glove and turns a dial. The high frequency settles on a pinched BBC newsreader’s voice. -- 2 of 109 -- 2. All hell breaks loose as makeshift FIREFIGHTERS arrive at the scene, bells ringing. They work together unloading their equipment. They look no match for the giant pillars of fire. Explosions are heard all around as more bombs are unleashed from the sky. The distant rattle of anti-aircraft fire cries out in angry retaliation. SEARCH LIGHTS slice through the dark skies hunting for the assailants. We are now just above the bombers out of the chaos. We see puffs of smoke and flames as bombs hit their targets. More FIRE ENGINES arrive, their bells ringing. There appears to be a large number of firefighters scrambling at the scene. The whole street is now turning into an inferno. On the ground, a Fireman hurries his colleagues to take hold of the fire hose. He braces himself at the nozzle. Not knowing there are not enough hands to brace the force, another colleague twists on the squeaky water tap. Water rapidly inflates the hose and viciously jets out, knocking the Fireman backwards off his feet. It thrashes around violently, lifting itself like an angry spitting serpent. It swipes at an oncoming fireman, striking him hard against his temple with its heavy brass nozzle, knocking him out cold on the soaking wet ground. Bombs continue to fall on nearby houses. The chaos persists. Firemen wrestle with the hose, tackling it like a thrashing alligator and finally getting it under submission, refocusing the gushing stream up into the burning building in front of them. It feels futile, as if shooting a water pistol at a bonfire. Others attend to their fallen colleague. The team is joined by four other hoses spaced out along the street. The sound throughout all of this is unrelenting. More bombs are dropped and the devastation is overwhelming. The teams of firefighters plough on, risking their lives. It seems they are battling a ginormous fire-breathing dragon with primitive tools. We hear an almighty explosion as a building collapses. We see firemen, their faces already dirty from the noxious atmosphere, scurry like ants as a brick wall crumbles on top of them. In the near distance, a RED BRICK CLOCK-TOWER is illuminated by flames. 2. -- 3 of 109 -- 3. Miraculously, the only damage it has suffered is to the short hand which has been blown in half, as well as a small shattering of the clock face. In the distance we see the unscathed dome of ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL