The three Gloster Gladiators based in Malta in 1940 when Italy declared War, conspicuously named, Faith, Hope, and Charity, were the first to spring in action to defend the island, as they were the only fighters defending the island at the period. Due to the valiant effort of their pilots in defending the island against all odds, they achieved legendary status in the history of Malta, and are remembered to this day.

@PaulP999

2 жыл бұрын

There were more than three but it was good publicity to maintain that view, doesn't take away their great achievement anyway!

@dirkusmaximus9268

2 жыл бұрын

Fighting the Italians in WW2 must have been the absolute blessing compared to other adversaries. Only the Bersaglieri got really famous as fearsome warriors, even earning a lot of respect by the Germans lancers of the DAK.

@Wilko710

2 жыл бұрын

Did you just copy word for word a War Thunder loading screen? 😂

@gnas1897

Жыл бұрын

@@Wilko710 he did 😂

@bronsonperich9430

8 ай бұрын

Any Allied force fighting against Italy had a ridiculous advantage. The Italians had the best biplanes in the war and they still couldn't beat the Galdiators.

The British jumped from the Gladiator to the Meteor in like 6 years.

@LogieT2K

2 жыл бұрын

Its actually incredible to think about Nothing like total war to fuel innovation

@garryjacky577

2 жыл бұрын

@@LogieT2K to be fair there was research 15+ years in the making over in Britian on jet engines before the meteor was made. so really it's not all that shocking. It's not like they used biplanes cause they had to. They just are cheap and handle well. And it's not like they just invented jet engines all of a sudden cause of ww2.

@tmclaug90

2 жыл бұрын

@pisswobble not really.

@garryjacky577

2 жыл бұрын

@pisswobble curiosity, sex drive, social status, recognition and approval, power, self mastery and growth, passion, and rewards/money. Just to name a few. This guy doesn't know what hes talking about.

@99IronDuke

2 жыл бұрын

Both the Gladiator and the Meteor being made by The Gloster Aircraft Company (1917-63).

A heartfelt thank you for mentioning Pat Pattle. Sadly this brilliant high-scoring fighter ace does not get the recognition he deserves.

@robindavis3667

2 жыл бұрын

Very true, if Pattle the squadron records weren't lost, and Pattle wasn't killed in Greece, he would have been officially credited with 50 + confirmed kills.

What a company Glosters were, the last biplane fighter in the RAF and the first jet, the Meteor...

@swimmad456

2 жыл бұрын

And all within 8 years

@johnbockelie3899

2 жыл бұрын

The mighty Bismarck was taken down by bi planes. Plus the Royal Navy.

@garryjacky577

2 жыл бұрын

First jet in the RAF but not the first jet in the world. The germans had the first jet aircraft.

@neilturner6749

2 жыл бұрын

Well, they had little else to develop in the meantime did they? Making other manufacturers’ aircraft as a sub-contractor meant their own design team could get on with experimental work without affecting war production, unlike supermarine or hawkers

@neilturner6749

2 жыл бұрын

@@garryjacky577 Er who said the world? You’re correcting something you just made up in your head...

15 and 1/2 kills in a gladiator! Impressive!

@johnbockelie3899

2 жыл бұрын

Luftwaffe pilot " Ach !!!, ist dis some kind of joke, I vil make match sticks out of dis."

@UGotSimmonSized

2 жыл бұрын

What does half a kill imply? He did damage to a plane and someone else finished it off?

@grumpyboomer61

2 жыл бұрын

@@UGotSimmonSized Pretty much. Probably shared with his wingman.

@PassportToPimlico

2 жыл бұрын

@@UGotSimmonSized Shared the kill with someone else.

@UGotSimmonSized

2 жыл бұрын

Right on. Thanks guys!

I remember the stories of these defending my home town of Plymouth from RAF Roborough! As a young adult it was the story of my home town during the war which got me engrossed into military history a couple years ago , something which I’m still in love with today!

@mashbury

2 жыл бұрын

Protecting Guzz 👍👍

@simonbird1973

2 жыл бұрын

Ahem, Plymouth became a city in 1928

@carltonleboss

2 жыл бұрын

Nice profile pic

@l-russell3949

2 жыл бұрын

ayy a fellow janner

@mashbury

2 жыл бұрын

@@l-russell3949 Ansome ..

My mothers uncle (a Dutch pilot) joined the Brits and was decorated for his Bravery. His name was Jan de Wit.

@theoriginaldylangreene

2 жыл бұрын

Do you know any more about his story? Why was he decorated?

@SGortelli

2 жыл бұрын

@@theoriginaldylangreene I believe for bravery but i will try to verify with the family. I can not seem to find any sources online about him.

Lest we forget these brave hero's who stood up to be counted in our hour of need.

@AtheistOrphan

2 жыл бұрын

Heroes*

@TheTenthLeper

2 жыл бұрын

@@AtheistOrphan pashol na hoy

@matthewcaughey8898

2 жыл бұрын

They stood up with whatever weapons they had

@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647

2 жыл бұрын

Here here.

@samuelelder9434

2 жыл бұрын

Here here

The career of Eric "Winkle" Brown should be the subject of a future video. A one-of-a-kind legend.

@nialldoyle8206

2 жыл бұрын

I read his autobiography. “Wings on my sleeve “Super interesting. You will enjoy it. Shalom.

@hifives2

2 жыл бұрын

Look up his wikapeada profile , an astonishing list of every type flown the only allied pilot to to complete a successful test flight of the Messershmitt 163

@nialldoyle8206

2 жыл бұрын

@@hifives2 yes indeed. He was a phenomenal aviator. I doubt his record will ever be beaten. In his autobiography he tells a tale of knowing the difference in sounds between missing the carrier arrester hook and the cable snapping. That’s how many carrier landings he made. . I have a sneaking suspicion they don’t make people like that anymore. He also comes across as quite a nice easy going bloke. Some man.

@shaunmcmillan6791

2 жыл бұрын

It’s already been done, a very good documentary.

@kirklenagh3095

2 жыл бұрын

What an extraordinary life he led.

Roald Dahl flew gladiators before he got a hurricane in Greece.

@bernardthedisappointedowl6938

2 жыл бұрын

He was a very tall fella - I'd imagine the Gladiator was a bit more comfortable! ^oo^

@redwingrob1036

2 жыл бұрын

YES. He crashed in one in the N African desert, being wrongly directed to what was supposed to be his first posting. His resulting head injury, concussion, & the effects of it prematurely ended his career as a fighter pilot. SMALL & tragic world. In the aerial battle over Athens between the RAF & the Luftwaffe in April 20th 1941 DAHL wrote : "THEY GOT FIVE OF OUR 12 HURRICANES...FOUR WERE KILLED. AMONG THE DEAD WAS THE GREAT PAT PATTLE..." (Going Solo 1986). HAVE you done a prog on the Lysander, Doc?

@redwingrob1036

2 жыл бұрын

@@bernardthedisappointedowl6938 LOL. He crossed the Med to Greece 'scrunched' up in a Hurri, & had to be lifted out of the cockpit! "YOU OUGHTN'T TO BE FLYIN FIGHTERS A CHAP OF YOUR HEIGHT," he said. "WHAT YOU WANT IS A RUDDY GREAT BOMBER WHERE YOU CAN STRETCH YOUR LEGS OUT." "YES," I said. "YOU'RE RIGHT." 😅🤣😂 (Dahl, R. Going Solo. 1986)

@lopezmt5

2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if he called his plane the Giant Peach…

@bernardthedisappointedowl6938

2 жыл бұрын

@@redwingrob1036 Brilliant, ^oo^

perfect timing while building a model kit

@pervertt

2 жыл бұрын

Tip to my 8 year old self: Never again buy a 1:72 scale kit of a Gladiator. It is impossible to glue the upper wing into place.

@Spitfiresammons

2 жыл бұрын

@@pervertt I did build a new tool airfix gladiator and its well glue the upper wing with masking tape for a hour

@letoubib21

2 жыл бұрын

The 1:32 model? Is that good? 'Cause I'd like to build either the _Gladiator_ or the Fiat CR.42 _Falco_ *. . .*

@Spitfiresammons

2 жыл бұрын

@@letoubib21 well I'm never build a 1/32 gladiator or fiat cr.42 but that well do that in a future

@ianbaird1774

2 жыл бұрын

I have one in my stash waiting to be built

This plane was the first scale model that I ever built at the age of 5. A gift that my brother gave me. An 1:72 scale matchbox... What a beautiful plane.

@Ndlanding

2 жыл бұрын

I fear you have memory problems.

@lauriecroad3186

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ndlanding I built several - but I think they were Airfix Models - in the '50s.

@Ndlanding

2 жыл бұрын

@@lauriecroad3186 Exactly. Matchbox made diecast models, not kits.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

Жыл бұрын

@@Ndlanding Pity your wrong though. Matchbox made plastic kits through the 1970s, 80s & 90s. I bought MANY of their WW2 aircraft and vehicle kits. They made 1:32, 1:35, 1:43, 1:72, 1:76 and 1:700 scale tanks, aircraft, car, lorry and ship models. Simply google image "matchbox model kits" to see your error.

@denispatry6934

5 ай бұрын

For me too, the Airfix 1/72nd Gloster Gladiator was the first I built, followed by the Beaufighter.

Imagine the nuts you need to fly a Gladiator against a 109.

@logoseven3365

2 жыл бұрын

I think Pattle scored against them. Edit: I was wrong. He shot them down after his transition to Hurricanes. Still a monster.

@Dishol

2 жыл бұрын

"That's a lot of nuts!"

@wbnc66

2 жыл бұрын

The cockpit was specially modified to fit the massive brass balls of the pilots :D

@marmite8959

2 жыл бұрын

@@wbnc66 that's why the Swordfish was open cockpit; so the pilots could hang their colossal balls over the side and out of the way

@sobrevalorado

2 жыл бұрын

Malta is not in the Eastern Meditetranean, it's in the Central Mediterranean

Did you ever create an episode for Faith, Hope and Charity? The Malta Gladiators? Thanks for the amazing work.

@philipjooste9075

2 жыл бұрын

Please no! Do not perpetuate the myth!

@PassportToPimlico

2 жыл бұрын

@@philipjooste9075 Perhaps an episode explaining the reality?

@teaandmedals

2 жыл бұрын

War thunder loading screen in a nutshell.

@firemonkeyzodiac1018

2 жыл бұрын

Malta was actually defended with Seafires and Hurricanes, not Gladiators.

@s208richard8

2 жыл бұрын

The Half Far flight - though there were more than 6 of them, only 3 flew at any one time. Some Phantoms and Tornadoes also took their names, aircraft tailcodes F H C and D (Desperation) , and carry the Maltese Cross on their fins.

Some Gladiators were also sent to Norway during the British/French participation in that campaign. The Italian CR 42 biplane saw action in The Battle of Britain as well.

@kaletovhangar

2 жыл бұрын

Don't forget massive use of I-153 biplanes by red army air force in 1941&2.Obe of best Soviet fighter pilots, Gregory Rechkalov, started his combat debut flying I-153,saving his comrade from German BF-109s.

@knutberg6764

2 жыл бұрын

The Gladiator was also the best known fighter plane of the Norwegian air force during the invasion.

I believe the Italians also used biplanes during the battle of Britain. The CR42.

@xmaniac99

2 жыл бұрын

Yes they did, Mark did a video about them last year. It wasn’t a success.

@Pitcairn2

2 жыл бұрын

@@xmaniac99 A neighbour of mine was Sir Alan smith, one time wing man to Bader.. He well respected the Falco.

@xmaniac99

2 жыл бұрын

@@Pitcairn2 He must have had quite the stories to tell.

@wideyxyz2271

2 жыл бұрын

They did I think they attempted a raid on the north east and faired really badly!

@robertjames6640

2 жыл бұрын

True but the Italians did not fly in the actual battle until the very end when they contributed around 170 mixed aircraft to the effort. Italy did not enter WW2 until June 1940. The Fiat CR42 was an exceptional plane used by the Italians throughout their time in the war.

Great to hear the Irish Air Corps get a mention! There is a great story about the flight of Gladiators that were based on Gormanston Airfield in Co. Meath in 1940 in the event of a British Invasion from Northern Ireland into Éire, which was a possibility at that stage of the war. The Officer Commanding of the flight was asked by a senior Air Corps officer how he felt they would fair against the 2 Squadrons of Hurricanes based in the north should the British Invasion come, his reply was ‘I’m sure we would give a great account of ourselves, but it would be an interesting 20 minutes!’ Great Video as always Mr Felton.

The only thing I know about the Gladiator is that Roald Dahl was assigned to a squadron of it, before he was assigned to a Hurricane squadron in the Mediterranean theatre. So this was a welcome video!

@vanpenguin22

2 жыл бұрын

Roald Dahl? Okay, I cant help myself. I wont a Gloster Gladiator daddy, and I wont it NOOOOOW!!! 😅😅😅

@vanpenguin22

2 жыл бұрын

The Gloster Gorcock, No kidding, look it up. Was an ALL STEEL airframe. They managed a single copy and thought better of it after the first test flight.

What a remarkable story about a forgotten piece of equipment. This is a testament to Mark Felton to bring it to light.

Please do a piece on "Pat" Pattle, the Forgotten Ace. The top scoring western ace. His story deserves to be told.

@robindavis3667

2 жыл бұрын

There is a book on Pat Pattle titled 'Ace of Aces', very good read.

First time I ever saw a bi plane with a full cockpit. Sir Mark you never disappoint. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇺🇸

@michaelmclachlan1650

Жыл бұрын

There were more than you might think; the Avia B-534 had a fully enclosed cockpit as did the Grumman FF, F2F and F3F of the US Navy though almost all photographs of the Grummans show the canopy back on its slides to leave the cockpit open.

@marshaldillon4387

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelmclachlan1650 Thanks I didn’t know that.

"completely outclassed", tell that to anyone who was hit by a torpedo from a Fairey Swordfish.

@maisonraider4593

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. Like the German ships that managed to run the gauntlet of the English Channel during operation Cerberus and shot down every swordfish without sustaining a single torpedo hit.

@simonh317

2 жыл бұрын

@@maisonraider4593 Bismark would like to have a word......

@roberthoward9500

2 жыл бұрын

@@simonh317 As would all those Italian ships anchored at Taranto.

@coling3957

2 жыл бұрын

@@maisonraider4593 there were dozens of ships in that dash, not just the 2 battle-cruisers.. it was a failure of the RAF who detected them too late, the Swordfish were rushed in without support.. they tried... in 1940 they knocked out the Italian battle fleet at Taranto and in 1941 damaged the Bismarck, leading to its doom. .. brave men flew in those planes. Bismarck didn't shoot down a single aircraft.

@maisonraider4593

2 жыл бұрын

@@simonh317 Bismarck AA gunners led their targets too much as it seems, not expecting they would be attacked by such a slow flying model. In the attack on Bismarck not a single swordfish went down. In the attack on the German ships during the channel dash, not a single swordfish survived. The plane was simply too slow and poorly manoeuvrable. No need to take it into mythic territory for a couple of successes they had. After Bismarck and Taranto, and the channel dash I never heard of another swordfish attack.

The nicest sounding engine ever, it simply purrs around the sky.

@negativeindustrial

2 жыл бұрын

At the end of the video it sounds more like a long flatulence.

@SgtSteel1

2 жыл бұрын

@@negativeindustrial I think that's an aircraft on the ground taxiing. If you go back about 5 mins you can hear one on it's own. Fantastic sound :) edit: 1:55

@Ndlanding

2 жыл бұрын

@@SgtSteel1 If you trust ANY of the sound or video in this episode, you're walking on thin ice.

@SgtSteel1

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ndlanding Ok

@grahamwood9428

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ndlanding True, the video does not catch the sound but I live in Duxford and when the Gladiator based there last flew (about 4 years ago) it really did purr.

My late step father flew the Gladiator prior to WW2; loved it but considered it quirky.. From 1939, as an RAF reserve pilot he would fly Wellingtons and Lancasters until 1945.

any day that Winkle Brown gets a mention from Dr F is a good day :)

Everyone forgets about the Biplanes. German deployed the He51, and Hs123 in many theaters of the war, including Russia, Poland, the Balkans, Mediterranean, including North Africa, France, Italy.

@paulmaul2186

2 жыл бұрын

The Italians used them for the duration of the war, if I am not mistaken.

@m9078jk3

2 жыл бұрын

Especially during the Spanish Civil War

@Alte.Kameraden

2 жыл бұрын

@@paulmaul2186 Yes, so did France and Russia. Pretty sure Japan was still using Biplanes in many theaters as well. Biplanes were common during the early years of the war. Similar to old vintage WWI small arms. Despite what the propaganda footage tells you, older equipment was far more common place than nations involved in the war wish to admit. They always want to show off their fancy toys, to present some kind of superiority. However, they never completely disappeared, if they still had them, they were still in use somewhere.

@peterharrington8709

2 жыл бұрын

Iirc the Yugoslav Air Force operated a couple of Hawker Fury squadrons at the being of the war and I think there were still a few operational Harts and Gauntlets in service with the RAF in the middle east.

@paulmaul2186

2 жыл бұрын

Was the Fiat CR42 the fastest mass-produced biplane fighter? I can't think of any that were faster.

Gladiators were used also well in Winter war by Finnish Air force and Swedish volunteers. That plane model affected in the WW2 surprisingly more than expected.

This ties in nicely to "the forgotten turning point of WW2, the battle of Malta"

@alastairbarkley6572

2 жыл бұрын

Except that by that time, there was a huge rift in Anglo-American agreement about the overall strategy of the war. Deep down, the Americans had ZERO INTEREST in the Mediterranean, viewing it as a secret Churchill campaign to protect the Empire and acquire territory in the Balkans via costly operations in very difficult terrain. The Americans went along with N. Africa, Sicily and Italy because they had no better options but have complained ever since about how they were 'duped by the British'. I doubt you'll find many Yanks thinking Malta was important, let alone a turning point.

RIP Eric "Winkle" Brown who died last year, the greatest naval aviator who ever lived.

Thanks for digging the historical soil Mark and showing there was a lot more to the battles than the popular. There are some great accounts of the Gladiator fights over Greece and North Africa. One book I read was about and Ace who was thought to have died by falling asleep from mission exhaustion during the Greek Campaign. The book I read was from a second hand bookstore but gripping in it's account, 'Ace of Aces' The Story of Pat Pattle

Thanks for your homages to the Gladiator and the Swordfish. Such tough and handsome craft deserve respect--and the crews inspire awe. Thanks, Mark.

I grew up on stories of Faith Hope and Charity, so always nice to see the Gladiator properly commemorated! Thanks

Impressive speed and ceiling for that plane. Many Men with superior weapons fell to Arrows, Hammers, Knives and Shovels in the past several centuries.

Another fascinating and nearly forgotten piece of history. So often you get me to say “I had no idea”.

My first Airfix kit was a Gladiator way back in the 1950's when I was a schoolboy, it is still my favourite biplane. The Shuttleworth example is magnificent.

As a child in the '60's my two most loved airfix biplane fighters were the Gladiator and the CR42.

The South African pilot, Squadron Leader Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle, DFC & Bar, is surely worth a video in his own right. He never seems to garner the acclaim he deserves and I am surprised to hear his name mentioned here. Although it is far from certain, his final kill total may have exceeded forty, although some historians place it as high as fifty-one. As Mark mentions, 15 kills were achieved on the Gloster Gladiator. He also flew Hawker Hurricanes. The famous writer and RAF fighter pilot, Roald Dahl, paints a poignant portrait of the final days of the British Forces in Greece in 1941; his description of Pattle in "Going Solo" is sensitive and generous. Dahl describes him thus: "He was a very small man and very soft-spoken, and he possessed the deeply wrinkled doleful face of a cat who knew that all nine of its lives had already been used up." He further describes him as being naturally aggressive in combat and very talented as a pilot. He was killed in action on 20 April 1941, off Piraeus Harbour, on a doomed sortie against superior numbers of Me-109s and Me-110s. He was 26, and sick on the day with a fever. He had earlier been rejected by the South African Air Force at 18, but was determined to become a combat pilot. I wish his exploits and life were better known and celebrated.

The British children's author, Roald Dahl, (also husband to actress Patricia Neal), flew Gladiators in the Eastern Mediterranean theater and North Africa. When he writes of crashing, it was in a Gladiator.

The Gladiator was only 50MPH slower than the first Hurricanes . A really beautiful aircraft and the absolute pinnacle of biplane fighters.

Mark, very happy to see a video about my favorite the Gloster Gldiator. Little bit let down by the fact you mention them in service with Sweden a non combat country and not that Norway used them fighting the German invasion of Norway, Oslo in particular, in April 1940.

Norway had Gladiators in 1940. The wing was based at Fornebu Airfield outside Oslo. The Gladiators did a good job in fighting the german planes.

This man deserves so many more subscribers. Glad he’s at least at a million.🔥🔥🔥

I LOVE that their are people out there that love the classic warbirds and their history. Keep up the great work. Thank you Mark.

A fantastic video. As a Devonian, I had never heard about them flying protection duties on the dock yard. Your a ruddy legend Mark 😍

what great timing! i just sat down in my garden with a bottle of san migel, CHEERS MARK!

@christinebiada1292

2 жыл бұрын

I thought your profile picture was a hair/eyelash on my screen 🤣. I kept trying to remove it until I realized it’s your profile pic! Love it!

@SgtAndrewM

2 жыл бұрын

@@christinebiada1292 😂😂😂😂

@tonys8243

2 жыл бұрын

How excellent...cheers 🍺

@SgtAndrewM

2 жыл бұрын

@@tonys8243 thanks mate

@nemosis9449

2 жыл бұрын

Me too but with a Cider.

Shout-out Pat Pattle, 15 kills with the gladiator

@MorrowMatty

2 жыл бұрын

South Africans make damn good pilots.

@CPiGTi

2 жыл бұрын

@@MorrowMatty 2 out of the 3 top Commonwealth aces were South Africans flying for the RAF. Sailor Malan was the other one

@michaelrabie1833

2 жыл бұрын

@@MorrowMatty Pat Pattle was born in Keetmanshoop, Namibia. This from a proud Namibian! :) Ooops! Self edit: Pat was born in SA, but grew up in Namibia.

@RedRocket4000

2 жыл бұрын

Well 14 Italian Fiat 42's a bi plane fighter but some of the Italian's could fight and he got shot down probably by a Spanish Ace in one. Still impressive he could have gotten 60 total. Note despite click bate like titles on many kills not being recorded by the enemy read deeper and most of the reported kills were actually damaged aircraft so hitting the enemy plane and it vanishing from the fight were correct reports it just that a good amount of hits turned into damaged craft that made it back. I figure almost all pilots when hit dive till they can figure out what got hit some probably even fake a death spiral for a short bit. And of course some do really lose control from the hit but recover control. As there is no actual score for damaged they probably would have given at least half a kill for these things and as no one had free time to watch what happened to planes hit and dropping from the battle this discrepancy very understandable.

I WAS AN APPRENTICE AT GAC in the 1950-1960's. One of our projects was to rebuild the gladiator for the Shuttleworth collection. MY LIMITED EFFORT was cleaning up the engines exhaust pipes. The day the gladiator was officially handed over to the Shuttleworth collection I was at college so I missed the event. However the day before the gladiator was flown into Brockworth by test pilot Dicky Martin. Upon arrival at the airfield he gave a fantastic air display. "Beating up" the airfield many times. I was fortunate to view this display from the apprentice school which was adjacent to the airfield. .

My favourite Airfix kit.

I'm sure commando comic books did a gladiator story when I was a kid .

@shanemcdowall

2 жыл бұрын

War Picture Library did "The Vicious Circle" 1970 something. I have a copy because it featured New Zealand soldiers. Set in Greece 1941.

Dr. Felton with a great assist in kicking off the week with another great video.

It's amazing how far into the war they remained in production and how many were ultimately built. They were a great aircraft.

I read in a book about critical battles of the Mediterranean about how several of these defended Malta for a few months until spitfire reinforcements arrived. Those that flew them were doing so many missions a day that it was mentally exhausting them to the point of breakdown.

Great video! Some Norwegian Gladiators managed to get a couple of kills over the Oslo-fjord, during the first day of the invasion.

@LNDEB

2 жыл бұрын

And one of these Norwegian Gladiator (423) is curently under restoration to flying condition.

@paulshearer9571

2 жыл бұрын

The gladiator torpedo planes were also instrumental in crippling the Bismarck.

Wow! What a shot! Directly into the bomb bay, exploding it all and killing two bombers in the process? Insane.. whoever shot that shell must have been bought so many beers that night.

@gdutfulkbhh7537

2 жыл бұрын

Some crews in Bomber Command thought the Germans had a secret weapon called the ‘Scarecrow’ that sent up a pyrotechnic that looked just as if a Lancaster had been destroyed by a direct hit that set off the bomb load, plus fuel. The reality was one of these direct hits, sadly.

@CliSwe

2 жыл бұрын

The manpower for Anti-Aircraft Command was very low-quality in the early years of the War. Rejects from the Army, mostly. But once they'd mastered the superb 3.7" HAA Gun, they provided a formidable defence against the Luftwaffe.

@andrewdking

2 жыл бұрын

That's what my Dad did in WWII, Royal Artillery on the south coast anti aircraft batteries

@RedRocket4000

2 жыл бұрын

@@CliSwe IQ tests poorly accurate on actual field intelligence and misfits often make great solders with good leadership. In many cases the misfits have talents very good in war but bad in peacetime in example ADHD which is actually hyper focus in areas of talent and inability to focus outside of hyper focus areas. It really should be called Attention Inconstancy disorder. Plus people with ADHD need stimulus which war is very good at providing. I know as someone with ADHD when everyone in a restaurant froze including management over a dangerous patron I easily moved to escort him out and Judo him into submission outside. Will also credit US Army Infantry Officer training, ROTC, JROTC and Jujitsu and Judo training. It is freaky it was a totally full restaurant after a concert that I attended and to see everyone including staff waiting tables frozen in place was freaky as they stayed frozen for at least two minutes I think. My companions followed me along but did not do anything leadership effect I figure this pre cell phone days.

@CliSwe

2 жыл бұрын

@@RedRocket4000 Couldn't agree more! Quite often, so-called 'brainy' people do the 'freeze' when confronted with a crisis. Whereas simple creatures like myself always seem to pick the right option. In a 30-year career in Law Enforcement, I've always responded positively and decisively in a crisis. But that wasn't the point I was making: The men of Anti-Aircraft Command during the Battle of Britain had failed physical, not intellectual, entry tests for the Army. One, for example, had no thumbs! They were a motley crew thrown together onto a steep learning curve. But they got it right fairly quickly - as I said, they were not lacking in intellect.

What a fascinating video about the last of the RAF's biplane fighters. Thanks Mark!

During the Winter war Swedish volunteers (Flygflottilj 19) were assigned to aerial defense of Finnish Lapland with significant contribution. They downed eight Soviet aircraft with their 12 Gladiators.

@yewisemountaingoat528

2 жыл бұрын

Eight downed Soviet aircraft doesn't sound like a "significant contribution" to me. And since they were 12 themselves... even less. Sounds like a marginal contribution.

@MS-Fin1917

2 жыл бұрын

@@yewisemountaingoat528 Sure it doesn't sound like a Battle of Britain, but we need to put things in proportion: In the beginning of the Winter was Finnish air force had 51 combat ready fighter planes. Every single one of them was needed in southern Finland, so the Flygflottilj 19 had the entire responsibility of air operations in northern Finland. For all enemy actions, their presence needed to be taken into account, and they also operated against ground forces with the Gladiators and five Hawker Hart light bombers, with quite fair results.

@andreassoderholm3870

2 жыл бұрын

We where about to send some B3's (Ju 86) but the winter war ended before we had time to send them.

Malta's three RAF Gladiators named "Faith, Hope and Charity" gained immortality in the island's defense against the Axis.

@ohgosh5892

2 жыл бұрын

defence not defense.

My goodness! By far my favourite episode yet. Love of the underdog I guess. Thank you for this!

As an RAF cadet in Norfolk in the latter part of WW2, my father recalls watching a Metrological (sp?) Service Gladiator take off each evening to gather readings at various elevations. He described the pilot's descent "like a leaf fluttering to the ground'.

Remarkable planes flown by remarkable pilots. Thank you for telling their tale.

Thank you, Dr. Felton, for your continually fascinating content.

For this year's anniversary of the Atomic Bombings, could you make a video on the experiments/nuclear drills/explosions that the US government did on soldiers in the mid-west during the 1950s? Thanks!

@bigmikeobamas69inch3rdlegpenis

2 жыл бұрын

Aka Desert Rock Exercises. Specifically Operation Buster Jangle

@genes.3285

2 жыл бұрын

Of course, that's already been done by the Atlantic magazine and the Smithsonian Museum.

@Crunchifyable2

2 жыл бұрын

@@genes.3285 but without dramatic intro music.

@Ndlanding

2 жыл бұрын

I'd vote for that in a heartbeat.

Beautiful Aircraft. I may be in a small minority, but I love the Gloster Gladiators. I think they don't get enough love for what they accomplished.

With its enclosed canopy, 0.303-inch machine guns , and three blade prop, it was an airplane in transition. Keep in mind that the development in aeronautics really made progress in leaps and bounds during the 1930's, and that the biplane construction had been successful for several years. Thanks again Dr. Felton for bringing this to our attention. I love this period of aviation transition, sort of like the paddlewheel steamers reluctant to give up their sails. : )

flying this thing in war thunder and knowing what you’re doing, you’re a god at dogfighting

@dannythomson5239

2 жыл бұрын

@Jan Brady true that but still, flying bi-planes in warthunder is so much fun, especially if you do come up against some one on the same level of skill as yourself.

@Mouxbar

2 жыл бұрын

What it lacks in speed is turned on its head when you get into a turn fight. I had success patrolling at 5000ft behind my lines and pouncing on low level raiders. Good fun to fly :-)

@dannythomson5239

2 жыл бұрын

@@Mouxbar the thing i love about flying biplanes is how slow they are allowing for almost slow motion fights very low to the ground and hugging terrain adding new dimensions to the thrills. i liked flying them in 3rd person view allowing to see the whole battle and fly from as far out as possible.

@chrisreynolds7164

2 жыл бұрын

You dont actually understand the word "reality" do you?

@hexadecimal7300

2 жыл бұрын

Just like the Hurricane in MCFS

“They gamely gave chase but couldn’t catch up to the bombers.” 🤣 Still got to hand it to the brave boys! For King and Country!

Devoted fan level starts when Mr. Felton makes an episode about my favourite British fighter plane.

Always my pleasure to watch Mark.

The stones required to fly your Gladiator into a fight with a 109 ,,, oh my

Keep up the excellent work Dr Felton!

This silver Gladiator was the first plastic model I owned. But my father build it for me. I've never heard about the German Gladiators. One learns allways something new by watching Mark Feltons channel! :-) Greetings from Germany

Last flew in 1953 , as a serving war plane . I was born in 1952 , it makes me feel quite old . But still , a very deadly fighter in the right hands .

You are a great teller of these stories and a great person please keep up the great work Mark !!!

Anyone else feel that sense of disappointment when they hear Mark say: “Thanks for watching….” and you know yet another episode has come to an end?

For those who state otherwise, the Faith, Hope and Charity catchphrase was no myth. The Local population in Malta came up with such during the early days of World War Two. Faith, Hope and Charity were actually four Royal Navy Gloster Gladiators biplanes still packed in crates, the fourth Gladiator was used for 'spares' for the other three biplanes. The gallant pilots (there were several) flew these three Gladiator biplanes from their base on Malta and fought alone against the Italian Regia Aeronautica during 1940. Hurricanes and Spitfires replaced the ageing Gladiators after 1940. Another fascinating biplane was the Fairey Swordfish, 'The Stringbag' as they used to call it. It was used as a torpedo bomber by the Royal Navy. The crew of two or three who flew such slow and antiquated flying machines faced certain death, yet they bravely persevered albeit with a high casualty count yet achieving successful hit rates to the detriment of the Axis forces.

Awesome video! I always had a soft spot for the odd ball early war British aircraft like the Gladiator (and the Battle, Defiant, etc.).

Thanks Mark. Once again, another small piece of history I did not know.

I'd prefer to believe that the Heinkel exploded because Winkle *wanted* it to, and because no feat of flying seems to have been beyond that incredible man ! 😁

@oldfatbastad6053

2 жыл бұрын

it was suicide actually. "gott in himmel, its Vinkle"

@chrismaguire3667

2 жыл бұрын

In Spike Milligan's 6-part trilogy about his time in WW2, after his mob landed in North Africa, they were having some free time on a beach when a German airplane flew low overhead. Apparently, it didn't attack, but one of Spike' mates, one Pvt. Edgington, shook his fist at it and yelled "I hope you bloody well crash!". At that, the plane's engine stuttered and, to their astonishment, nosedived into the sea! You'd have to read Book 2, I think, to get the full story, but it's the only time (and, yeah, I know it's Spike's writing 😂) that the downing of an airplane from a soldier cursing it that I know of...

@wideyxyz2271

2 жыл бұрын

@@chrismaguire3667 One of my favourite Spike stories was when he was in the western desert in the dead of night crossing into no mans land laying a comms cable for a FOP with a very squeaky cable drum! Its hilarious!

I’ve flown in a biplane a couple times. Beautiful flights. Amazing.

Dad enjoyed flying Gladiators in Cyprus, they were part of a Met Flight which was tasked each day with flying up to 20,000 feet and taking meterological readings such as temp and press. It was also a useful way of getting a few bottles of beer chilled by putting them in the vacant gun ports.

Read Pattles book. Really good Always thought they were metalized.

@thisisnev

2 жыл бұрын

Only the forward fuselage and landing gear.

@estobart

2 жыл бұрын

Do you mean 'Ace of Aces' by ECR Baker? I don't think Pat Pattle wrote a book, he was killed April 1941.

@logoseven3365

2 жыл бұрын

@@estobart I am so sorry, Bill ‘Cherry’ Vale. Pattle is mentioned. It’s been a while since I read the book.

@nickcollins843

2 жыл бұрын

Pattle was South African!

I wonder if they could have mounted rockets on the Gladiators? The slower moving gladiators could have fired rockets at enemy bombers. Or as ground support against infantry or tanks.

@CliSwe

2 жыл бұрын

I don't think the wings were strong enough. Unlike the sturdy naval Swordfish - which weighed nearly 1.5x the Gladiator's MTOW - it was enough to just get those 4x .303 Brownings into the air.

@RedRocket4000

2 жыл бұрын

Might have been effective vs 110's assuming the 110's engaged as it was slower it could not force a fight but bombers escorted by 110's as reported here the 110's might fight. The true obsolete part was they could not even catch the bombers only attack them on a pass. Like the Swordfish why even produce them in 37? Swordfish lucky that the Bizmark's firing computers did not have a setting for them and the night port attack a special case in that torpedo nets not use. Both cases of Swordfish success enemy incompetence. Otherwise the Swordfish range tiny and useless in the Pacific.

Curiously enough, my first introduction to knowing about the Gladiators was through the flight sim video game Wings of Steel. In the initial campaign you get to fly one against the Italian Falco (or vice versa) during the battle for the Island of Malta. It is a very engrossing game and shows the detail and flight characteristics of these planes. But best of all is the historical value on learning about these planes and their contribution to the war.

*THE GLOSTER GLADIATOR!* Myeesssss thank you Mr. Felton!

Well, this is Mark Felton I like and whose documentaries I respect.

It's amazing how fast airplanes progressed from the first World War to the end of second World War

@dmg4415

2 жыл бұрын

Just see 1914 to 1919, that was an enormous development. The 1939 to 1945 no bigger development just very high rate of improvement, until You start to look at Jet engines.

@genes.3285

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, the progression could have stopped long ago. Orwell's "1984" was based on the premise of weapons development stopping circa 1944.

@maximilianolimamoreira5002

2 жыл бұрын

@@genes.3285 if this happened, we would still be using bolt action rifles as the main weapons of choice.

@navyreviewer

2 жыл бұрын

@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 that is perhaps the best idea I've heard in a long time

Thanks Mark, always loved that beautiful bird.

Monday just got better, thank you Mark.

The Gladiator was a neat, nimble little bus. Also, glad you mentioned Pat Pattle; his story as the top Western Allied ace deserves to be more well-known.

@robindavis3667

2 жыл бұрын

Would be nice if Dr.Mark Felton did a video on Pat Pattle. A true unsung hero of the war.

Excellent. May I suggest an episode on the Polish biplanes? On the whole they were no match for modern monoplanes, but the Germans seemed to have sorely underestimated them. If I recall correctly, according to one of my old Squadron books, some were even faster (on paper, at least) than some of the Luftwaffe planes. Thank you again!

@jeffpollard7304

2 жыл бұрын

Some good post war books, on brave Polish pilot exploits and their excellent contribution to the RAF!

Once again Thank you for the amazing video Mr. Felton!

Thank you! I needed a break from catching up on the news in this insane world.

Oh snap! Our limey narrator is cranking out the content at supraphysalogic levels!

Excellent video Mr. Mark! I was wondering, have you ever heard about the air battle over the Serbian town of Niš during WW2? It was the only instance where US and USSR fought one another during the war.

My dad was ground crew in Malta during the blockade ,He was an electrician and worked on the Gladiators and the Hurricanes when they arrived

I have a 1/32 scale Gloster Gladiator I built in my collection of models. It's one of my favorites. A very cool looking craft indeed.

Maverick, you have a ME 109 on your tail! No worries, I will throw on the brakes, he'll fly right past my Gladiator!

“Joey, do you like videos about Gladiators?”

@mrrandom1265

2 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣

@jaybee9269

2 жыл бұрын

Too funny…

@kirklenagh3095

2 жыл бұрын

Just made my day

@jcz232321

2 жыл бұрын

ROTFLMAO

Famed writer Roald Dahl crashed in a Gloster Gladiator in North Africa -- misdirected and running out of fuel. An Italian platoon ignored his burning plane, figuring he was dead. British came by later and found he was still alive. Roald had a permanent back injury from the crash and fire. To write he modified an old upholstered chair to suit his back. Roald wrote an excellent true account.

Thanks for giving some love to the Gladiator. It was an excellent airframe that came out just a few years too late. It is always glossed over as if an afterthought when discussing the aircraft used during the early days of the war, "Blah, blah, Hurricane, blah, blah, Spitfire… oh, yes, and there was the silly Gloster Gladiator… blah, blah…" so that it is rare to read any information on these planes unless one specifically looks them up, which few do. In the great theater of WWII aircraft, it lives in the wings, always waiting for an entrance cue that never comes. Good video, sir.