My Uncle Blue was a tail gunner on a B-25 in the Pacific. When I joined the Air Force during Vietnam he gave me a ring he made from a Japanese Zero from one of the air fields they destroyed. When he gave it to me he said from airmen to another. Now 72, I still have that ring.

@thurin84

3 жыл бұрын

thats awesome! what a piece of history!

@jasonjones3

3 жыл бұрын

Thank You for your Service!

@-NateTheGreat

3 жыл бұрын

My grandmother has a ring made from a downed Japanese zero that my grandfather made while working stateside in world war 2. They would study the planes they could find intact. The Japenese were so short on metal that the airframe was mostly wood and canvas. Pilots claim when the sun was behind a Zero you could nearly see right through them.

@larrymoran_THE_CODGER

3 жыл бұрын

Hey Brother😊 My Dad served in the U.S. China-Burma theatre during WWII. Over the years my mom lost all of the things from his time in the service, because of moving a number of times. I'm happy that you have your memories of your dad and his ring. I served in the U.S. Army 1960 into 1963, and I salute you for your service to our country. Stay well and vertical 👍👍😉

@Downloading1

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you for your service!

I read bed time stories to my kids using the narrator's precise and exact tone and cadence. Terrifies them to sleep.

@goodtreeministries3751

2 жыл бұрын

I like his style!!

@arthas640

2 жыл бұрын

I love how he feels like a stressed whistleblower, like how I imagine Deep Throat sounded when he talked about Nixon for the first time. Like a rushed, urgent, terrified whisper, like how Fox Mulder talked when he wasnt being all laid back

@mikepreciado7807

2 жыл бұрын

Thats funny. I love his delivery on narrating. Makes the story more intent. Yur poor kids😂 b25 nightmares. The b25 gave the bad guys nitemares also

@akyukon

2 жыл бұрын

Gotta grow up some time!

@Vktor676

2 жыл бұрын

Cruelty

B-25G is one of my all time favorite military aircraft. A lot of crews dropped the 75mm and added 4 more 50 cal machine guns and later production went with the same. While trying to get out of China after the Tokyo raid, Doolittle was depressed and talked to one of the crew members saying he expected to be court martialed since none of his aircraft survived. The crewman replied that, to the contrary, they were going to give him the Medal of Honor and promote him...and that's what they did! Keep in mind that hundreds of Chinese were executed for not cooperating with Japanese efforts to capture these airmen. Blessings to those who do the right thing.

@robbybee70

2 жыл бұрын

I believe it was actually thousands of Chinese :o(

@peterlee4682

2 жыл бұрын

@@robbybee70 It could well be true; if I had the means, I would establish a permanent memorial to honor those those who suffered because they helped us. In my heart I already have.

@robertdeen8741

2 жыл бұрын

Not to be a smart ass but I believe it was thousands of Chinese were killed because of the raid. Has been some time since I read about it but 250,000 is the number that comes to mind. Perhaps someone not as lazy as myself can check the number. I can see how that could haunt the pilots. Something I don't understand is why they were ordered not to aim for the palace?

@robbybee70

2 жыл бұрын

@@robertdeen8741 I'm not sure hard numbers are available but I recall the estimate being in the high thousands as well

@davidelliott5843

2 жыл бұрын

The film Midway said 25,000 Chinese were killed as a result of the Doolittle raid. However the Japanese were operating a genocidal policy. It’s likely they needed no excuse to kill those people.

My Dad flew in B25's in WWII in New Guinea and the Philippines with the 5th & 13th Army Air Corp. He was a waist gunner. He was hit by flak once, (he lies in his grave today with Japanese steel in his chest that they were afraid to try to take out,) and they crashed one time when landing (the landing gear folded up,) and I remember him telling me the last thing he remembered before waking up in the hospital was chunks of the runway coming up through the fuselage. Those guys all had massive guts in those days, and they got the job done. I'm very proud of him, and to all who served to win our freedoms!!

@tryscience

Жыл бұрын

We need to always remember their sacrifices and protect the democracy they fought for

@davidnorthover2812

Жыл бұрын

Your Father was part of the greatest generation,my Father fought in Burma in WWII we would not be in this great country without men like our Fathers,god bless them all who fought for the freedom we now enjoy 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

I have always had a soft spot for the humble B-25. When I was a kid I had a framed print of a B-25 on my wall. Her name was "Executive Suite", with a woman painted on her nose. I went to bed dreaming of flying her. When I woke up she greeted me and I started my day, day dreaming of flying. Although I logged many hours of flying "Executive Suite" In my head, I never flew her in real life. That B-25 was one of the biggest reasons why I became a pilot when I was 16. Thanks Executive Suite. Maybe ill see you again, if only in my dreams.

@snakerstran9101

3 жыл бұрын

My father was a B25 radio operator in the Pacific. Pre WW2 he had never flown or even had a interest in aviation. He only flew once post WW2, one round trip in the 80's. And again showed no interest in flying.

@FunkMasterJunk

3 жыл бұрын

@@snakerstran9101 wow! Well Snaker Stran, count your Dad as one of me heroes. My wife's grand father was the same. He was a PBY Pilot and did Atlantic patrols. When he left the Air Force, he did the same thing. Never flew again. No interest. Different circumstances I guess. They were all real Aviators though.

@Stenn333

3 жыл бұрын

@@FunkMasterJunk ....I've always LOVED the PBY ! ❤....along with the Northrop P-61 and the P-38 (I had flying over my bed as a kid! 🙂)....then comes the C130 and the A10 from our day....wish I could win the lottery and buy any one of them .🙂

@DGrin79

3 жыл бұрын

Although you haven't flown her yet, you can still take rides, I've been up 3 separate times, great plane.

@FunkMasterJunk

3 жыл бұрын

@@Stenn333 man, lucky! I would freak out even today, to see one of those planes fly by. I like your list! Couldnt agree more. The P-38!!! Man! What a cool plane. The A-10, YES!

"Some of them crashed in china and russia because they run out of fuel. As a result, the B-25C incorporated more fuel tanks and more .50 caliber machine guns" - that's gotta be the most american thing ever. Like, "Hey Joe, our bombers are crashing because they are running out of fuel, how do we fix it?" "Well you see Tom we just gotta add some more machine guns"

@pauliepecans4213

3 жыл бұрын

"Well Tom, we just add a little more 'Merica to her and that should be fine" *adds 14 new .50 caliber machine guns*

@zzyzxRDFwy15

3 жыл бұрын

Th B25s were launched at a point beyond their maximum range for the bombing mission becuase the Hornet was spotted by the Japanese and needed to withdraw or risk being sunk. The .50 calibers were added to provide the most effective weapon for their South Pacific strafing missions.

@bobhotchkiss2438

3 жыл бұрын

They expected the Doolittle raid to end with all aircraft lost. The plan for after the raid was for the crews to jump over China, and ditch the planes. They had a navigation failure of some sort, and the squadron got split apart. Some planes didn't make it over land before they ran out of fuel. iirc they actually carrier launched the B-25's with a reduced bomb load, knowing full well the closest allied airstrips were in China at the very edge of their range.

@edmondmcdowell9690

3 жыл бұрын

@@bobhotchkiss2438 They split up because they all weren't targeting Tokyo some bombed other cities like Nagoya and Kobe.

@Lrr_Of_Omikron

3 жыл бұрын

Lol. I came to the same conclusion.

My grandfather flew b25s in wwii. He dreamed of being a fighter pilot but being born in Germany barred him from flight school. As a teenager he started out as a ball gunner but had his crew teach him how to fly. During a rough mission his pilots and most of the other crew were killed in air and he had to climb into the pilots seat and take control. He successfully landed the plane and when higher ups asked how he was able to return to base with both pilots killed he answered that they had taught him how to fly. After some discussion they essentially told him “well it sounds like you’re up kid”. Later in the war the us mostly ran out of hard targets in the pacific for the b25 to strike, they decided to mount something like 10 50 cal machine guns encircling the cockpit to take on strafing runs instead of running with bombs. They would go into some arenas that were absolutely nuts. My grandfather went through a good number of aircraft in his year. I saw a photo of one that he landed where the whole left wing up to the engine was missing and the rest of the plane was shot to hell. Incredible aircraft that took an hell of a beating. Grandfather was a hell of a guy and I’ll always be thankful for the sacrifices he made.

My great grandfather was in a position of power at the base Gunn flew into one time, in a clearly stolen B-25 and asked for fuel and ammo. Many wanted to arrest him, but Arthur Rogers told them to do as he said and sent Gunn on his way. I can get the full story again next time I talk to my grandfather if y’all would be interested.

@pauliepecans4213

3 жыл бұрын

You should get his stories recorded!

@donbrecker8982

3 жыл бұрын

Yes would really like to hear that , American history at our finest !!!!

@thethunderofwarmachines8374

3 жыл бұрын

Definitely, would love to hear them, wish I had recorded the stories my neighbor told me growing up, he and his brothers were at D-Day, one of them jumped in and the others on the beaches. Save all the stories of these heroes and please share them.

@seniorspaz8754

3 жыл бұрын

@The Man Delorean haha, I’m at his place now. If I get the chance I’ll do just that

@truck6859

3 жыл бұрын

Very much so!

"how many guns do you want in the tip?" *yes*

@richardgarowski.5161

3 жыл бұрын

Can you make it look like a porcupine?

@AdmiralJT

3 жыл бұрын

Offensive armaments: B25-J1 - (5) 50cal B25-J20 - (6) 50cal PBJ-1J - (12) 50cal PBJ-1H - (8) 50cal, (1) 75mm Cannon

@dukecraig2402

3 жыл бұрын

Pilot; More guns? Mechanic; Hold my K-Rations.

@The_Mimewar

3 жыл бұрын

18 50 cal machine guns. For fuck sake. Anything NEAR it will die a fast death.

@INWMI

3 жыл бұрын

@@The_Mimewar just imagine the shake during fire, horse kick hah

Its absolutely astonishing the balls it took for those men to go on the Doolittle raid. To take a bomber off of a carrier not knowing if they would immediately crash into the ocean and also knowing they only have enough fuel to go one way and then intentionally have to ditch in the damn ocean or Japanese occupied areas!!! Also knowing that this wasn't some strategic bombing to directly save lives like taking out a factory or military installation but just as a "show of force". That type of courage is just indescribable. The airmen of WW2 were another breed of human. A handful of American pilots actually did "kamikaze" attacks when their planes were damaged notably at Midway. I cannot wait for the "masters of the air" series!!!

@rudyyarbrough5122

2 жыл бұрын

One of Doolittle's planes forgot to put down its flaps and almost hit the water on takeoff. There is a video of the plane dropping out of sight in front of the carrier but then reappearing staggering upward. BTW, the tail guns were removed and broom handles put in their place to fool any enemy fighters and to allow more fuel.

@JoeOvercoat

2 жыл бұрын

Knowing they went early because they stumbled into a Japanese commercial vessel must’ve been haunting. And then many didn’t make it to an airfield. We owe those Chinese people more than just our gratitude.

@tela-vgaming4793

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoeOvercoat your right cause my great grandpa was a man who was saved after a crash after the doolittle raid

My Dad's business partner flew the gunship version of the B-25 during WWII. He told me that when the 75mm cannon fired, it felt as if the plane stopped moving momentarily. The noise was so deafening to the crew that they never fired it again.

@lollardismontop1026

3 жыл бұрын

My grandfather was a b 25 tail gunner be shot down more then 10 bf 109s

@billhamilton2366

3 жыл бұрын

Wimps

@Paladin1873

3 жыл бұрын

@@billhamilton2366 The 75mm gun worked but it proved to be less effective than hammering a ship with eight or more forward-firing .50 caliber machine guns, rockets, and bombs. Our friend was flying anti-submarine patrols off the east coast of the US and during his tour of duty I believe he only got one crack at a sub. The question of whether or not he hit it, sank it, or even if it was a sub and not a whale, remains a mystery to this day. By the way, I had another friend who flew P-38s, and he made a similar claim off the California coast. Of course, I suppose they could have been Japanese and German whales.

@machintelligence

3 жыл бұрын

I had a neighbor who flew a B-25G on anti submarine duty in WWII. He had a 75 mm shell casing with a turned walnut dummy projectile on his mantle. He never had cause to fire a shell in anger.

@Paladin1873

3 жыл бұрын

@@machintelligence Small world. I wonder if he and John knew each other.

The first solid nosed B25s where developed by the U.S. 5th Air Force in my home town of Townsville Australia.

@deano501st

3 жыл бұрын

Very interesting Jim! Such a small world to. I’m from Townsville myself

@Mitch-b727

3 жыл бұрын

Cairns here

@callancaustic9355

3 жыл бұрын

Oh no the townsvillians are rising up

@norrinradd3549

3 жыл бұрын

Didn’t you mean the 5th Army Air Force, because the US didn’t have an Air Force until September 1947..........

@christianporter3638

3 жыл бұрын

Norrin, you’d be correct sir

An A-10 goes to an aviation museum looks at the B-25G and exclaims "Gwand-Pa!" 😎

@deplorable_bitter_clinger7482

3 жыл бұрын

Actually that would be the P-47 Thunderbolt. The B-25 is the A-10's crazy uncle.

@josefschmeau4682

3 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣🤣 Either way, I agree . The best engineering of its day . Hats off to the Airmen and Engineers.

@ffjsb

3 жыл бұрын

@@josefschmeau4682 Done without a single digital computer, just slide rules, rulers and mechanical pencils

@joesantamaria5874

3 жыл бұрын

A-10s fly over my house very regularly. I live near Dover AFB. Looking at them overhead, I’m sure glad they’re friendly.

@dukecraig2402

3 жыл бұрын

@@ffjsb And lots of test flights, I watched a documentary about these planes years ago, probably on the History Channel, and one of the guy's involved in developing them said on the version with the cheek guns he had to watch from a chase plane when they'd fire the guns to see where they had to put stiffener's inside the fuselage in the area of the guns muzzles because when they'd fire the .50's the fuselage skin would "oil can" and they knew it would eventually fatigue the aluminum skin and cause that piece to blow out.

Glad you covered Pappy Gunn's contribution to the evolution of the B-25. A lot of the gun additions were his and his team's doing. North American and the Army wanted to court martial him for destroying Government property. Until it worked and the pilots & other outfits wanted as many as possible. The cannon especially, threw the CG out of spec making it a handful to fly. NAA engineers were better able to integrate Gunn's airfield mods. Read his biography written by his son.

@dustykiser1

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve read his biography by his son. Also if you ever get the chance read Indestructible by John R. Bruning. It’s an awesome book!

@chrisfreemesser5707

3 жыл бұрын

I seem to recall that the addition of four forward firing "cheek guns" on either side of the nose (2 on each side) was a field modification that caused a ton of stress on the airplane's skin next to the muzzle. It was really effective though (how would a total of 8+4+2=14 forward firing .50cals not be?) so North American reinforced the frame in that area and started installing those cheek guns at the factory

@allangibson2408

3 жыл бұрын

@@chrisfreemesser5707 Some B-25 were fitted with six cheek guns before they deleted the bombardiers position. The cheek guns were close to the center of gravity so the only issue was blast and increased weight.

@pattonpending7390

3 жыл бұрын

Me too. I read the title and said to myself, "I hope they mention the job that P I Gunn did in the South Pacific". That man hung himself out to help his country and save his captured family in Manila, and was a tireless hero in designing and flying all kinds of planes to end the war and go home. It's sad to see that most people don't know who he was or what an impact he made.

@35within57

3 жыл бұрын

For anyone who is interested, the book is called "Indestructible". This book is the most amazing thing I have read to date. It goes in depth with the ways he cut through the red tape to acquire parts for his planes, and his actions prior to the invasion of the Philippines including how he was caught in the middle of it.

My father worked for North American Aviation at the Kansas City, Kansas plant during WWII. He was an armorer and helped install, test and provide input to the designers. He helped build the B-25J and was very proud of his work.

@michaelbeloff3505

2 жыл бұрын

I'm proud of your father as well. My father flew B-25s for training before moving on to B-17Gs in Europe and finally B-29s over Japan. The "Great Generation". We owe them much!

@jordansmith3721

2 жыл бұрын

I'm going on a b25j maid in the shade. Maybe ur dad worked out on

Fun fact. Doolittle's raiders took off without guns, to shave weight and increase their range. In place of them ,they painted broomsticks black,and poked them out the gun ports.

@Skinflaps_Meatslapper

3 жыл бұрын

That's an oddly popular misconception. A more accurate fact is that they DID take off with guns, nearly all of them actually. The only guns they removed were from the ventral turret, all other guns on the aircraft were retained. The reason for this is because the remote ventral turrets were having reliability issues, so Doolittle decided they could do without those two guns and the turret mechanism to free up extra weight for payload. Had they taken off without any guns, they wouldn't have needed an extra crewman to serve as a gunner, and that weight could've been used for more payload. The broomsticks were indeed part of the story...however, the reason for this is because the B-25B never came with tail guns in the first place. The intention from NAA was that the upper and lower turrets would take the place of a tail gunner and the tail gun position could be removed entirely as it was redundant. In its place was a simple streamlined observation window; it is this window in which they installed the broomstick(s). Some had a single broomstick, some were twin broomsticks, some painted strips over the plexiglas to give the appearance of traverse gap seals. The idea was simply something done to give the appearance of more firepower, but it had nothing to do with saving weight. The tail position was too small to be manned as a gunner position, that much is apparent when you compare it to other B-25 variants that do have a tail gunner position. The B-25A had a narrow but much longer tail cone for a prone firing position, while the H and J are taller for a seated position. Check historical photographs of the bombers on the carrier and you'll see live guns in the nose and turret positions, as well as the small observation window in the tail prevalent in the B/C/D/G models.

@bosconti1979

3 жыл бұрын

That's exactly what my dad said. He said the tail guns "broomsticks" we great at keeping the Japanese off their tails!!

@edmondmcdowell9690

2 жыл бұрын

@Dick Johnson whats in a. Name? Anyhow you can trust him on the topic he is giving the strait skinny.

@jld593

2 жыл бұрын

I suspect it was part of a larger plan to sweep the skies of Japanese.

@MPee76

2 жыл бұрын

Fun fact. You just watched Pearl Harbor didn't you?

The term "just the tip" took a whole new meaning with this airplane

@billhamilton2366

3 жыл бұрын

You muppets don't study history. It's always God Bless America and nobody else.

@imaguy123

3 жыл бұрын

@rockoorbe LOLL

@b.a.m.5078

3 жыл бұрын

The "Swiss-cheese-inator"

@leepeel7129

3 жыл бұрын

@@billhamilton2366 Plenty of good history channels that I watch based out of the UK. I could suggest a few.

3 жыл бұрын

@@billhamilton2366 that was when Americans prayed and God blessed America. Now God cursed America, and Hollywood is the mouth of Hell

About 15 years ago I had the honor to talk to the retired luitenant general mr. Hansen of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. I want to share his story with you as it is nearly forgotten. He was a regular soldier in the Duch East Indies (Indonesia today) when the Japanese invaded in 1941. In the commotion that followed he managed to flee after the Dutch forces were defeated but his fiance was caught and interned by the Japanese for the rest of the war in a concentration camp as well as many people of European descent. The Dutch refugees sailed with a convoy of 52 civilian ships to Australia, only 3 of them arrived. The rest was bombed or torpedoed by the Japanese. He recalled that he saw women and children jump from the burning hulks to flee the flames, only to burn to death because all the water was on fire because of burning oil, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. To make things worse, lifeboats and people were strafed afterwards. In Australia he wanted to fight back beause of wat he had witnesssed and to get back to his fiance. She knew he had made it to Austraila because he sent a letter to her that was smuggled into the camp. He, and many more Dutch young men, got a pilot training and a Dutch B-25 squadron was formed. From 1944 onwards they flew very dangerous fast low level strafing and skip bombing missions aganst Japanese shipping from Australian bases. Although succesful the risks were high and they served losses during the campaign. He told me the Japanese attached mortars to the railings of their cargo freighters and fired pieces of anchor chain with it at the incoming B-25’s just after they dropped their bombs and came right over the masts. When hit, the planes would lose an entire wing and crash into the sea instantly with all hands aboard as on this altitude there was no way to bail out in time. Apart from the mortars the ships were heavely armed with anti aircraft guns and at several times his plane took hits. On one occasion they lost one engine and flew just above the waves and the plane could barely be kept at sea level as the controls were also damaged by anti aircraft fire. They could see shark fins between the waves and he told the copliot, “well, this is it then.” Despite this, they somehow managed to reach their base in Australia. Mr. Hansen told me he loved to fly the B-25. It was fast, manouverable, packed a punch and could sustain lots of damage and still bring her crew home. Late in the war some of their B-25’s were modified to the 75 mm AT gunship version this video recalls. It was much safer than strafing or skip bombing as the target could be fired at from long range and the rounds packed quite a punch but it had one severe disatvantage. Mr Hansen told me that after each round was fired, the fumes filled the cockpit for ten minutes and it was very hard to breathe and see. I recall his words “They put an enormous gun in an unventilated cockpit, clearly they dind’t realise you couldn’t simly open up a window in an entire solid nose! We kindly thanked the Americans for the idea but we resorted to skip bombing for the rest of the war.” After the Japanese surrender in 1945 he returned to the Dutch Indies and found back his fiance. When I met them they were still happily married after so many years! After the war he flew about every plane in the Royal Netherlands Air Force untill the Lockheed Starfighter when he retired as a pilot. He told me with fire in his eyes that his dreams about what he had witnessed still hounted his dreams every night and he would never buy a Japanese car for obvious reasons. This is what struck me the most, that a hero that fought for freedom and a better world was damaged by what he had witnessed and was in some way still partially stuck in the war that ended 60 years ago at that time...

@peterharrison5833

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing that story.

@yahwehsonren

2 жыл бұрын

Hi from Indonesia

@rnedlo9909

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for that sharing of his story. My father fought in the Pacific Theater for the USA. He saw a lot but was reluctant to talk about it. He was a top truant gunner in B25s flying The Hump and then bombing raids from Tibet into China where he was shot down. He never said anything bad about the Japanese but got very quiet if the subject came up.

@AnthonyTobyEllenor-pi4jq

2 жыл бұрын

I was working for a Japanese Engineering Company and we were based in Dusseldorf, we had many European Vendors to visit and one day we arrived at a Vendor in Rotterdam greeted by the Quality Manager who spoke perfect Japanese, he told me he learned Japanese in a Camp during WW2, it was all a bit embarrassing.

@olafsavelkouls2260

2 жыл бұрын

@@rnedlo9909 The people of my own family don't talk about the war, even my father doesn't tell much about my grandpa who was part of the resistance, his brother was shot by German soldiers in may 1940 in front of his house seen by his pregnant fiance. It was the result of an act of defiance that saved the lives of two Dutch military servicemen. The Germans were about tot execute them despite they were unarmed. He jumped in and got shot instead. I found out by digging in some info I found about this. The my dad told me where he was buried after I told him what I found. He was buried in a national Honor field among other Dutch people who showed great acts of bravery in the war. As a result of this, some part of my family (the fiance) located elsewhere in the country. They couldn't live in the place where this all had happend. Impressing what your father got trough, hope he may someday find peace in his heart and mind and he will someday tell you his entire story. I share the stories as I want them to live on. That's the best way tot honor brave people. Just like our old ancesters did before we were able to write and read

My grandfather was a tailgunner on a B25. His crew met up annually for many years after the war until they could no longer travel and stayed in touch long after. I never realized how astonishing and the extent to which this platform was used until now. I still have his recorded runs. 29 in total over France and Germany.

@brett4264

3 жыл бұрын

When you say you "have his recorded runs", what do you mean? Text on paper? Audio of some type? Video of some type? If you have audio and/or video, upload them and share. I'd love to see that!

@jche64

3 жыл бұрын

@@brett4264 it's a copy from his logbook. It shows the run numbers, dates, bombload types, flak intensity, damage sustained. Pretty cool piece of history.

@haroldburrows4770

3 жыл бұрын

@@jche64 , great piece of history he left for u, thats cool

@jche64

3 жыл бұрын

If anyone could help to decipher. What is pff in the logs? It's mentioned 10 times

@danfallsfriend

3 жыл бұрын

@@jche64 Does the context indicate that it might be referencing the RAF's Pathfinder Force which was also referred to as PFF?

My great-grandfather was the pilot of a B-25 bomber in the pacific. Sadly he died a little before I was born so most of his stories are lost to time. I would have loved to learn about flying during the war.

The b-25 strafer version was a brainchild of Paul "Pappy" Gunn which was during his past experience in the Royce mission(a week before Doolittle Raid) diving and strafing japanese shipping's on the harbors of Cebu and Davao in the Philippines, using nose machine gun of his b-25. When he got back to Australia he began modifying B-25's as well as A-20 havocs...

@smith5796

2 жыл бұрын

A true Man of War.

@smith5796

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrSEANDEERE Haha lol😆😆

They were the brainchild of Pappy Gunn. He was the genius behind the Pacific Air forces' gunship Mitchells, Marauders and Invaders. He also Frankensteined derelict wrecks and patched aircraft remnants together to keep airplanes in the air in order to maintain pressure on Japanese forces. The guy was phenomenal. The USAAC sent engineers from Wright-Patterson in Ohio to try to figure out how he did (with the aircraft CG) what they all thought was impossible.

My Great Grandfather was a Major General in the US Army Air Corps and flew a B-25. My Grandpa would retell stories his father told him of flying escort for transports and if they flew over friendly troops in contact he would come around and strafe the Japanese lines. Have always loved the B-25.

A lot of the gunships were modified at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins Georgia,my brother lived acroos the street from one of the engineers on that project.He showed us beautiful poster sized black and whites pictures of them modifying the aircraft and detailed drawings he had retained after his career.He was a wonderful man to talk to about those times and I will never forget him nor his wife.They were simply wonderful people.

I saw Doolittle's grave at Arlington Cemetery, on the way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he is just off the path on the left.

The B-25s in the Doolittle raid launched further out in the Pacific than planned, which was another, key, reason behind their 'running out of gas and crashing...'.

@nunyabidness674

3 жыл бұрын

Well, that and the only practice data they had to go with was from a high mountain desert, and then they flew from sea level off the ship. Also, yes, there is still a fiberglass B25 on a pole outside the air national guard station in Pendleton, OR. where the Doolittle raiders trained. As much as I hate to put it out there, the monstrosity of a film Pearl Harbor at least got the background for that right. Still a couple B 25s and B17s up in the Blue Mountains too, pilots were training on the 17's out of Walla Walla, WA. about 40 miles north of Pendleton

Always been a fan of the B-25, built models of them as a kid. Never knew they put a 75 in it ... wow.

@rahkinrah1963

Жыл бұрын

I'm 68 now. I still build some models. Last month I bought a 1:64 scale B 25.

During WWII my dad spent much of his time in the cockpit of a B29. A year after the war ended, he was invited to join the newly formed USAF and spent the next 10 or 15 years piloting and training other pilots in mamy of the big, heavy multi-engined bombers and, eventually, refuelers. But he often said one of his favorite airplanes was the B25. After all that time in the big boys, he said the B25 was like getting into a flying sports car... Fast, nimble and just plain fun. I am pretty sure he didn't get to fly one often and was never in combat in a B25.

"..And rained hell everywhere they went." My quote of the day!

My late grandfather flew in the B-25 during The Pacific Theater. The B-25 will always be my favorite bomber.

One of my college professors, Frank Morello, worked on field modifications of the early model B-25's, that were incorporated into the factory-built gunship models. He also mentioned the problem of the loosening fasteners caused by the 75mm firing.

@tomlucas4890

3 жыл бұрын

what is new, the UK Mossie was fitted with a 6 pounder, and it worked against U Boats.

@MrPh30

3 жыл бұрын

@@tomlucas4890 There is also the movie of the Mossies after shipping in Norwegian fjords,,you can see the Tsetse in action there aswell as the rocket planes and light bombers.

@rickklein7792

2 жыл бұрын

I can "fact check" your statement. My Father in Law was an armorer with VMB613 based at Kwajalein and Iwo Jima. That whole squadron employed the 75mm in the nose. And yes they did use it. He told me that part of the debriefing after every mission was to check every rivet in the airframe. Those that were loose were hastily replaced. They also had 4 50s mounted just below the cockpit on both sides in addition to 4 more 50s mounted in the nose just above the 75. They didn't even use the top turret or the tail gunner.

That plane smacks tanks in war thunder

@alexhall7944

3 жыл бұрын

It does tho

@jehoiakimelidoronila5450

3 жыл бұрын

B-25: "so anyway my gun 🔫 goes 'BLAM!'"

IIRC one of the things that made the B-25 so rock solid to fly was that the engines (and therefore propellers) turned in opposite directions (causing the plane to naturally want to fly straight). Making it much more naturally stable, and a fantastic gun platform.

@gregedwards1087

2 жыл бұрын

Wrong, actually, both props on the B-25 production aircraft turned Clockwise when viewed from behind the engines, the only WW2 American twin engined aircraft that had Counter rotating propellers that I am aware of was the P-38 "Lightning". The F-82 "Twin Mustang" had counter rotating Props but was not entered into service until 1946.

@bricefleckenstein9666

2 жыл бұрын

@@gregedwards1087 The OV-10 also had counter rotating props but it came LONG after WW II. The only other US propeller-driven aircraft that had them that I know of that haven't been mentioned were civilian or transports (and I'm not sure about the C130).

My grandfather was a gunner on many bombers during WW2 and Korea including the B-25. He was friends with men on the Doolittle raid.

My dad was in the 12th Depot Repair Squadron at Townsville Australia from early 1943 until mid 1945. He was a machinist and usually ran screw machines and lathes. He told me that he spent a lot of time making parts to mount extra guns in the noses of bombers.

I was told once that a B25 was one of the few med bombers with non-sync engines that gave it it's unusual angry sound. Regardless of how true that is, hearing it for myself, I can tell you that it has an ominous rhythmic chant; not unlike a Ford big-block 427 engine with glass pipes. Damn thing is a hot rod in the air that shakes the ground and doesn't have to drop things to scare the crap out of you! Fell in love with it first time I heard it.

As a young USAF lieutenant, my uncle got to fly the Mitchell sometime around 1956 in a training exercise. USAF instructors set up runway markers to show them where the end of Hornet's carrier deck was as a way to give them an appreciation for just how daring that raid was. My uncle said that of course, they all went WAY beyond those markers went they took off but it really made them appreciate the guts it took to take off from such a short distance on a pitching carrier deck.

@bricefleckenstein9666

2 жыл бұрын

The 30+ knots over the runway helped a lot, vs a regular airfield.

My Grandfather had a wild time working with Pappy Gunn. Unauthorized field modifications was the name of the game. He said the early 75mm cannon was worthless, only 1 (less than effective) shot was all you got. The early 12-16 .50 cal birds were over-gunned but astonishingly effective at tree top level air field raids, every 2-3 missions thousands of rivits had to be tightened or replaced. They even tried grenade bombing (hand grenade in a mason jar), basically the crew would drop grenades out a back hatch while the .50's were chewing up the enemy air field. many many more stories, I'm so lucky he survived it all to have kids. Real lucky!

I had a customer named Peppy Blount that wrote a book called "We band of brothers" that was about his B-25 squadron in the Pacific Theater. He piloted a B-25 gunship and mentions attacking airfields and army supply dumps at tree top level with impunity because their bombers came and went too fast for the Japanese AAA to react so made several passes from different directions until their ammo rn out.

The Doolittle Raid was also a push for the Japanese to lunch the Battle of Midway. You skipped over Puff The Magic Dragon in Vietnam and didn’t touch on the B-26.

@boston7704

3 жыл бұрын

Plus the A-26 which was a beast in Korea. Basically making a medium bomber into a heavy fighter.

@logisticsnail5014

3 жыл бұрын

They’ve done puff the magic dragon on Dark Docs Im pretty sure

@pat36a

3 жыл бұрын

Puff was the Grand father of the modern AC gunship. (Side firing) The B-25 Would be the Grandfather of the A-10 Warthog. (Forward firing)

@johnkelinske1449

3 жыл бұрын

@keith moore Not quite. The A-26 became the B-26 in 1948 when the USAF declared the Martin B-26 Marauder obsolete and abandoned the "A" or Attack designation for several years. The Douglas B-26 was known as such from then all the way to it's final B-26K version used in Vietnam.

@johnkelinske1449

3 жыл бұрын

@@boston7704 It was a heavy attack aircraft from the outset, not a medium bomber. The A-26 changed to B-26 in 1948 when the USAF retired the Martin B-26 Marauder.

Most of your recent videos were usually about 5-8 min I believe but this was almost 15 min long but it felt like at least 30 min long. Great video. Keep up the good work

@A6Legit

3 жыл бұрын

Cuz he talks so fast

Had a ride in one when I was 14. When light, it accelerates faster than a jet airliner like a B-767.. First time in my life I was ever pinned to the seat by the acceleration! One of my all-time favorite warbirds.

Thank you for this overview. I was fortunate enough to have been taught by one of Gen. Doolittle's grandsons (himself a decorated glider pilot during the Vietnam War). The B-25 is among the best aircraft ever developed, easliy as sucessful and iconic as the A-10.

This is by far my most favorite aircraft in world's history. This thing could take on an entire air force by itself. Even the jet powered air planes had to perform hit and run maneuvers to combat it and they had to be very strategic about that.

8:27 - As I recall the story, the Navy had issues that forced Doolittle to launch prematurely, thus having to travel farther than planned. Doolittle & company knew that they'd run out of fuel earlier than expected before they took to the air, and perhaps be killed or captured as a result. Thank God for brave men like Doolittle and those who flew with him! We need them once again, now, in a different context...

When serving as a VA Hospital Chaplain I met a man who flew the B-25 over the "Hump" in Indo-china. He suffered from significant lung damage as the B-25 was flown at extremely high altitudes. He loved the B-25 configurations. He said that one of the weaknesses was a weak nose gear that would collapse during landing. On one flight his B-25 and his Squadron Commander's plane were the only two that landed without collapsing the nose gear.

I remember reading about this in a book I had. The soldiers totally modified the B25 on their own! Sticking as many guns as they could fit in the nose, on the sides of the nose, on the wings, anywhere they could put them. They even put a Howeser cannon in the nose. The aircraft had so much fire power it almost came to a stop when firing!

@BatCaveOz

2 жыл бұрын

Maybe in a comic book. "Soldiers" haven't modified combat aircraft by adding guns to "the nose, the sides of the nose, and the wing" for about 100 years.

@ChaJ67

Жыл бұрын

I think that is one point missed is the talk of pilots and crew breaking ribs and knocking out teeth when firing the tank cannon due to the recoil of the tank cannon.

@jonathanoconnor9546

Жыл бұрын

The addition of the 75mm cannon was never a field modification. Same gun as an M-24 Chaffee tank. If firing that gun almost brought the plane to a halt, so much damage would be done to the airframe that plane would need to be scrapped.

All my likes goes to the narrator. He is one of a kind.

@jonkomatsu8192

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Fully! 🤙

@patrickmclaughlin61

3 жыл бұрын

I could listen to that voice even more than I do.

@nicholasmazzarella2720

3 жыл бұрын

So true. I am not sure why these people comment about his pace. The narration fantastic in every way.

@mikepette4422

3 жыл бұрын

He makes way too many careless errors in his research

@babakbandpey

3 жыл бұрын

@@mikepette4422 hey, I have read in some comments that he is visually impaired and the text is handed to him in braille. He is not in charge of the research nor the editing. 🙏🏼

Your videos have the best soundtracks and are so freaking detailed! Bravo 👏

Your children must love your bedtime stories.. so efficient in that double time pace..

The B-25 was one of the aircraft my grandfather flew in, at least a few times. His main job was as an instructor for ball-turret gunners on the bigger bomber types, but he was an amateur pilot in the late '30s, so he got to ride shotgun on all kinds of aircraft. He really wanted to go to Britain and try out the RAF's planes, but he wound up stateside for virtually his entire service. As many people have commented, he lost most of his flying enthusiasm after the war, though he and his buddies built an ultralight in the mid 1970s. Kind of an interesting phenomenon. My father, his eldest son, got to fly on several Vietnam era aircraft in the Navy, including a very brief flight between bases on an A/C-130. He described it as "a big stack of guns and ammunition with wings". I believe he said that particular aircraft was named "Puff the Magic Dragon", after the popular song. It seems the flying bug skips a generation though, because I really hate heights!

These mostly unknown bits of history are great. Awesome job.

Read Doolitle's autobiography :" I Could Never Be So Lucky Again" superb.

@stevensatak1592

3 жыл бұрын

Have it in my bookcase. Re-read every couple of years. Excellent, wonderful life. An example to us all.

@adamfrazer5150

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers for the recommendation 🍻👍👍

@billgund4532

3 жыл бұрын

Martin Caidin wrote an excellent novel (Whip) about the B-25 "Gunship." Very good read.

@adamfrazer5150

3 жыл бұрын

@@billgund4532 many thanks for this, I'll look forward to reading it 👍🍻

In the late 50’s one B25 was flown to Odessa, Texas . Towed to the nearby park. For years we kids crawled all over the plane. In the 70’s it was sold, towed back to the local airport. Refitted and flown to the new owners.

I used to live in Pebble Beach, CA, Gen. Doolittle was a resident there as well. I was present at one of his birthday parties, when in tribute to his achievements, 6 B-25's, and 6 P-51's flew overhead. The B-25's bomb bays were filled with rose petals, and they "bombed" the gathered people. An early, and very fond memory of my childhood, and an honor to have met such an important man in our country's history.

I waited through most of the video for you to say who it was that actually designed and up armored the B-25 in the field which you finally did, but only superficially. Pappy Gunn is one of the most important characters of WWII and his accomplishments are as astounding as it is tragic for him and his family who were held hostage by the Japanese from the fall of the Philippines to the end of the war. His personal fight with the Japanese using the B-25 with his adaptations and modifications throughout the war is the stuff of legends!

Alot of interesting info here if this is what floats your boat . I Like It .

@musewolfman

3 жыл бұрын

I kinda thought the idea was to un-float boats with this plane...

@No_Feelings

3 жыл бұрын

I hate that i chuckled at this

@tonypoore440

3 жыл бұрын

It floats my boat being an ally...🇺🇸Good info as usual.

@domenicdangelo777

3 жыл бұрын

It floats my boat so fuckin hard!

The B-25 in "IL-2", the PC combat flight simulator, gives an appreciation of how good this aircraft actually was (and still is). With it "unloaded", even I could get it off a carrier. Admittedly the carrier was at full speed. However the feeling of driving a luxury car is very real. The steerable tricycle undercarriage is another good feature. First became really aware of this aircraft with the book and then the film of Catch-22. Worth watching, for what was at the time, the best aviation footage ever.

My dad flew those in Burma. They'd strafe at tree top level and splatter Japanese soldiers when they were lined up in chow lines.

@jim99west46

3 жыл бұрын

He also flew the other model without the Cannon but with 8 50s in the nose. Troops, trains, even skip bombed 500lbers into train tunnels.

As someone who can name all the combat aircraft from WW2 to the present, the B-25 is a favorite. Of the history and stories I've seen, I was not fully aware of this combat role and/or how wide spread this amazing aircraft was. Excellent video with awesome footage! This is why I'm subscribed to all of the Dark channels, keep up the good work.

2:34 That is a 30mm MK 103 2:46 That is a 37mm Bordkanone 3,7 on an Hs 129 B-2

@morelenmir

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, I noticed that too. I guess there are very few good pieces of footage showing the actual 75mm autocanon outside its port.

@JNM11787

3 жыл бұрын

I learned about planes from books, I got to know them through war thunder.

@troygroomes104

3 жыл бұрын

I am surprised that they didn't add the experimental 105mm B-25G (it was my grandfather's field modification to a standard G model

@STHV_

3 жыл бұрын

@@troygroomes104 Ooooh? Do tell! I have never heard of it, can't find anything with a quick google search either

@troygroomes104

3 жыл бұрын

@@STHV_ cause the airframe was built off the records and used in Italy by my grandfather against the heaviest of German armour in Italy, and in a secret retaliation airstrike to cover Patton's rescue attempt at his son in law. All of my grandfather's field modifications are highly highly modified airframes. In fact the only reason no knew of the 105mm gun test airframe was because of the contrast that the allied powers had with my grandfather's pmc group

My uncle was in China after the end of WWII. He was sent there as a P61 pilot. There were some B-25Gs where he was. He found some ammo and some one who would load for him. Then flew along one of the rivers firing the 75mm at small islands, etc....

This presentation underplayed the role that Pappy Gunn had in pushing the B-25 as a gunship. He was the driving force in developing that innovation in spite of opposition from his early commanders. After his modified gunships had great success in New Guinea, he took his plans to the manufacturer and they incorporated them into factory production.

"Better than the mustang." Me: "Blasphemy!"

My most favorite designated bomber of all time!

@3v4761

3 жыл бұрын

I made four different versions of this as a model...

My grandfather was a navigator on the G when it was being developed. He said he held the record for having 6 shots on a ship in a single run. (The navigator loaded the 75mm)He said that the mountings had to be replaced after every flight because the recoil broke them. I didn’t think they saw combat, he went on to b-17’s and c-47’s in the pacific.

A girl that I dated back in the mid-70's father, Budd Logan, was a pilot of a B-25 gunship in the Pacific War. A decent good, "old school" guy, Budd helped me put in a new transmission in my Mustang.(actually I helped him as I had no clue in that task). One evening up at the family cabin in Crestline California we were drinking beers when Budd opened up a bit about his experience in the war. His eyes lit up at the memory of missions where he'd fly low over long lines of Japanese troops caught on exposed mountain trails in their attempted invasion of New Guinea, unloading on them with the full armament of his aircraft.

Gun ships are so cool! Maybe the ac-130 or the p.108?

My mom and dad met at a defense plant in Memphis that built major components for the B-25.

@mikej9470

3 жыл бұрын

Bet they christened one or two of them on the showroom floor!

That modified 75mm was the basis of the gun employed on the M24 Chafee light tank. The weight was about half of the standard 75mm guns (M3 or M4) Skip bombing was developed by different air forces independently of each other. Although the B-17 was too slow, the A-20 used it as well. Training was done against a beached freighter on the Australian coast. The Italians also used skip bombing with Ju-87 Stuka that they obtained from Germany. They flew both the B and G variants.

My dad was on the team that set up B25G production at the Fairfax Plant in Kansas City, Kansas. On the first 75mm gun mount test flight over the bombing range at Fort Riley, Kansas, Dad had the dubious honor of firing the first test round on a glass-nosed unit from the assembly line that had been adapted for the 75mm mod. When he pulled the firing lanyard, the ship lost 50 MPH of speed and the glass nose blister blew off pinning Dad to the bulkhead behind him. Apparently someone accidently provided a standard-issue Sherman Tank round instead of a round with a smaller explosive charge round required for B25 operation. Several WWII B25G pilots that I had the good fortune to visit with over the years said that the use of the 75mm cannon was so damaging to the airframe that many units had to be scrapped after extensive use in combat. As far as I know, there may only be one flyable G model in existence at this point.

Good Vid. But you need to do some fact checking. The requirement for more of a strafing role in the Pacific was due to concealment and hard-to-see targets in the Jungles and tree cover. Targets not being properly sighted till the last moment. The AC-47 and AC-119 came long before the AC-130 in Vietnam.

@WALTERBROADDUS

3 жыл бұрын

Not many ships in jungles.

@WALTERBROADDUS

3 жыл бұрын

@@VFRSTREETFIGHTER Never get off the boat.......

@joshschneider9766

3 жыл бұрын

I wasnt aware of the ac119 tyvm for new data.

@roberthutchins1507

3 жыл бұрын

Spot on! The B25 was essentially a really big fighter bomber with bombs, rockets and machine guns for strafing attacks. The AC gun ships are a totally different animal.

@petersouthernboy6327

3 жыл бұрын

I’m not so sure about the jungle cover BS. I read Pappy Gunn’s book and the gunship conversions were more about anti shipping and airfield

That tail design looks to match the original tail design of the B-17 before full adoption of the military just prior to WWII. The bigger, beefier tail design was adopted to allow better control of the big aircraft. If I remember reading somewhere, a flight of 4 or 5 aircraft took on a mission to fly basically around the world showing off this new marvel of an airplane, all with a similar tail design.

A B-25 flew over a Festival I was working at years ago in Texas. (Airshow I close by I guess), knew it was a WW2 plane when I heard it and I knew what it was when I saw it. What a majestic aircraft. First and only time I've seen one in the air and it went right over us, low altitude and hauling ass! Loud! Made my day!

6:55 those are the forward firing 0.50 cal machine guns of the "commerce destroyer" B-25. Not 0.30's as the narrator says. Just sayin"

@puppylovera

3 жыл бұрын

early varopmts had .30s, instead of .50s, he was talking about the earlyer variants

@skibob6

3 жыл бұрын

He talks about 75mm anti-tank guns and shows a toward .50 and maybe 20mm cannon. How you gonna miss that but call out a .30 vs .50 lol

@wwiiinplastic4712

3 жыл бұрын

@@skibob6 He also mentions 'Japanese Zeros and Mitsubishis' when Mitsubishi wasn't a type of plane, it was the company that built the Zero. There are actually plenty of actual military aviation channels on KZread that do this better. I thought he was going to focus on "hidden untold true stories", not well-known subjects like the B-25.

@s.marcus3669

3 жыл бұрын

@@wwiiinplastic4712 He makes a ton of mistakes, I've seen most of his videos...

@wwiiinplastic4712

3 жыл бұрын

@@puppylovera Please define: 'varopmts'. It doesn't come up in a search.

I recommend the book "Whip" by Martin Caidin, which is a novel set in WW II featuring B-25s with piles of machine guns.

@JimmyNelson251

3 жыл бұрын

Flying Buccaneers by Steve Birdsall. Non-fiction about the 5th Air Force in WWII covers this extensively.

@generalvictorironraven.1347

3 жыл бұрын

I can't find either of these books.

Proto A-10, the A-10's primordial form

The B-25 has always been my favorite WWII bomber- thanks for giving me more background on this iconic aircraft!

I remember a fiction book by Martin Caiden called “Whip” which was about a B-25 squadron in the Pacific theater that converted to this configuration, has to be at least 35 or 40 years ago.

@tomstarcevich1147

3 жыл бұрын

That was a good book 👍

@billgund4532

3 жыл бұрын

Just made a post about "Whip." Caidin wrote some good airplane yarns.

@trob1173

3 жыл бұрын

Good book. Went and got a B-25 gunship model and painted it dark sea blue like Whip's plane on the cover.

@Spectre-wd9dl

3 жыл бұрын

Read that book in high school. And another one about an Avenger that I could never find again.

Whenever I see one, I just marvel of how small the B25's really are.

@kdrapertrucker

2 жыл бұрын

About the same size as an F-15 fighter Jet.

Many people seem to forget that it wasn’t just the Doolittle Raid that boosted moral, the first battle of Wake Island was the first

@bricefleckenstein9666

2 жыл бұрын

The Doolittle raid did in fact raise moral - Wake we LOST, did not hurt morale. Our first actual victory was months later at Midway.

The first model I built as a kid. The aircraft responsible for getting me interested in WW2 warplanes... A pure thoroughbred and absolute hot rod when flown hard, it was a badass from the get.

Back on the PlayStation 2 there was a game called Heroes of the Pacific and one of these large bombers that you got to pile it was one of these Doolittle gunships. I tell you what you ain't kidding when you talk about that 75 mm. And that thing goes to town on anything in its way is dead. In game when you give it a few levels of armor it legitimately turns into a flying tank. I've been able to hold off 15 aircraft batteries and about 25 airplanes while doing needle runs through hillsides with that thing and it's a sturdy little SOB

@dasji2

3 жыл бұрын

Wooooooo! Someone else who remembers that gem

@togglefire3537

3 жыл бұрын

@@dasji2 it was a good game wasn't it?

@dasji2

3 жыл бұрын

@@togglefire3537 Hell yeah it was

The B-25's on the Doolittle used only one turret! That model of B-25 did have two turrets a top turret and a bottom remote control one but only the top turret was used and the bottom one was removed to save weight!

@Skinflaps_Meatslapper

3 жыл бұрын

They likely would've kept that ventral turret if it functioned properly, but at the time it was unreliable, so it was the first thing to go.

This was extremely well done! The narrative is most captivating, accelerated by a well timed cadence that makes the reader hang on every word as though one was hearing that in real time on a wireless. The narrator is a very talented “story teller!” Goodonya mate!

My father flew B-25's in the Pacific for a total of 64 missions. He was a strafer and skip bomber against Japanese shipping for most of the time, describing how a ship could literally be cut in half after a couple of passes with 12 .50 cals. by a couple of planes. He returned to the US and was assigned to training Nationalist Chinese on the B-25. If I recall correctly, he flew the B-25 in the Dayton museum from Arizona.

I love this channel so much❤!

@jameshelton2161

3 жыл бұрын

U AND ME BOTH !👍👍👍👍

Dark skies: 'Releases video about pappy gunn' War thunder players: *I am three parallel universes ahead of you*

@wolfer3283

3 жыл бұрын

Pappy Gunn? NEVER HEARD OF IT! SOUND THE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY ROCK LAUNCHER

@MistrDoping

3 жыл бұрын

Pbj1h *Reed* noises

My granny flew a hospital bed during the war. Fully armed with a quick wit & dry sense of humor, she devastated her opponents.

Who is this narrator?!? With respect, his approach to narration is just grating on the ears.

Axis be like: ENEMY GUNSHIP INBOUND! INCOMING ENEMY GUNSHIP!!!

Lmao "they ran out of fuel?!" they're gonna need more 50. Cals" Murica🇺🇸

I read the book in 5th grade called "Thirty seconds over Tokyo" it was about the Doolittle raid. that's when the Hornet aircraft carrier became my favorite ship and the B-25 my favorite medium bomber.

I have up close photos of a few of these b25 gunships. That are still surviving. They were gathered at an airfield in urbana ohio in 2017 for the 75th anniversary to the dolittle raiders. Definitely amazing to see one of the cannons in the nose!

8:34, 8:46, 11:09 are not B-25s. Those are A-26 Invaders. The 8 50cal solid nose was unique to that aircraft. The B-25G was the only one with a solid nose which had 4 50cals mounted in a row over the cannon. All other variants had a glass nose with pilot controlled 50cals in side pods on either side of the nose. You can see these at 6:53 where the narrator mistakenly calls them 30cals.

Not everybody was totally enthused about the 75 mm installation. Jock Henebry who led a B25 squadron at the Battle of the Bismark Sea, while all in for the multiple 50 caliber installation, found that the time it took to line up a shot accurately with the 75 was too long in the face of accurate ground fire. He was also not an enthusiast of the A26 as B25 replacement. See his book, "The Grim Reapers", John P. Henebry.

the B-25J is my favorite plane of all time, glad to see it featured here!

My grandfather flew the Martin B-26 Marauder as an instructor, right out of flight school! Henry Wallace Harty. He told me he once had an opportunity to fly a B-25, and said unlike the Marauder, the B-25 "just about flew itself". I still don't know why (the Air Force told me many personnel records were destroyed by fire), but grandpa wound up transferring to the Second Combat Cargo group, flying C-47's and a few C-46 runs, over the "Hump" in the CBI. November 1943 to September 1945. Yes, they did fly some emergency supply missions after the war ended. Wish I'd thought to ask grandpa what that transfer was all about.

3:28 the Zero was a Mitsubishi plane my dude

@dc5050

3 жыл бұрын

If this isn’t a joke He’s saying that they used to dominate the sky

@tanegashima5395

3 жыл бұрын

@@dc5050 the phraze "Zeroes and Mitsubishis" doesn't make sense because the Zero was the only dominant Mitsubishi aircraft (excluding the G4M Betty which really wasn't that useful). A better phrase would probably be "Zeroes and Oscars" (Ki-43, another plane that was dominant in the pacific for the first part of the war)

@KermitFrazierdotcom

3 жыл бұрын

@@tanegashima5395 ☆ The Betty served its Purpose in Killing Yamamoto.

@tanegashima5395

3 жыл бұрын

@@KermitFrazierdotcom fair enough. I stand corrected.

@garypulliam3740

3 жыл бұрын

It would have been right to say Zeroes and OTHER Mitsubishis.

As far as I know C 47 were the first gun ships used in Nam spooky

@seanthompson8071

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I think we need some clarification of the term "gunship"