I have lived all my life 8kms away from the Naval Air Station Nowra. As a child they had the best air shows, Sea Venom, A4 Skyhawk, Gruman Tracker, Westland Wessex and Sea King. Now all in the excellent museum. As a police officer later in the 90s, we would spend a week each year doing courses and training with Australian, British and American troops - counter terrorism exercises and it was also in the days of the 3RAR parachute training school. I did the free fall course with them and also attended several aircraft crashes and parachute mishaps.

@ardshielcomplex8917

11 ай бұрын

Really ? BTW there was no "3RAR Parachute Training School" , and the ADF has never trained Police officers in basic parachute training, let alone Free Fall training.

@robot336

10 ай бұрын

This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂

@iffracem

6 ай бұрын

I think you're a bit confused, 3RAR were the Parachute trained Battalion around that time, taking over from D Company 6RAR (Parachute training moved from Williamstown to Nowra in 1986) but it was never the "3RAR parachute training school" it was just "Parachute Training School" now called the "Australian Defence Parachute Training School"

@grosey11

6 ай бұрын

@@iffracem to clarify I did an accelerated free fall course in ‘95 with the 3RAR sports parachute club. It was a few of the parachute training school instructors weekend side hussle. In the green parashack adjacent to the civilian airport side of the base at the time (now a big technology park). The parachute training school RSM Ockar Stevenson was my jump master.

Re Bren as an anti air weapon. A true story. The first German air raid on the U.K. was against the Rosyth naval base in October 1939. Britain’s first line of defence was my great uncle, an 18 year old private in the Black Watch, who was sat atop a linoleum factory equipped with a Bren gun ….and no ammunition

@JamesThomas-gg6il

Жыл бұрын

What was he supposed to do? Swing it at them, or just pose a threatening series of gestures? Dang give the man a fighting chance.

@MrGeneralPB

Жыл бұрын

man, that must have been a good joke after the fact, i can imagine just standing there and going pew pew pew you hun B's ^^,

@Theover4000

Жыл бұрын

@@JamesThomas-gg6il I mean, if I was in his situation I would've just thrown it at them if they did a low pass. LOL

@restitvtororbis5330

Жыл бұрын

Maybe they thought having someone up there would lead any informants or observation aircraft to conclude that this miniscule defense is just enough to not bother?

@JunkMan13013

Жыл бұрын

I'd just like to thank your great uncle for his service. Without his spirited defence of the lino factory, my grandad wouldn't of been able to have such a disgusting kitchen floor for so many years.

My father was flying Sea Furies at NAS Nowra (HMAS Albatross) at the time of this event. He has regaled us on many occasions with the story of how the RAAF were unable to defend Sydney from an unarmed pilotless Auster and how the Navy came to the rescue and saved the day. It is my understanding that the ground crew put together some webbing and cut up a bit of sheet metal and made a big scary looking "medal" they named something like "the Auster Cross"and awarded it to the two pilots. A minor point, you should know that RAAF is pronounced R-double-A-F and RAN is not pronounced as the word ran (past tense of run), but spelled out as R-A-N. (Ex RAN aircrew here...)

@arthurthomasware5004

Жыл бұрын

As I recall the RAN pilots were experienced fighter pilots, having served in Korea off the carrier, HMS Glory. There names were Bluitt, and McNey.

@lindsayrandall5488

Жыл бұрын

I live a couple of kilometers from HMAS Albatross at Nowra Hill and when we used to hold airshows there we once had a Sea Fury in the visitor line up (beautiful craft). As the Sea Fury was going through it's paces the show commentator narrated this story and described it as "the glorious swan song for the Furies"

@steveperreira5850

Жыл бұрын

Very good story. Pretty much all militaries are fairly incompetent. What we are really good at is sleeping on the job. And we get away with it, until something actually happens

@slickstrings

Жыл бұрын

Only civvies call the RAAF r double a f. Everyone in the RAAF calls it Raff.

@stevendephillips2490

Жыл бұрын

A well told funny story.

Airfix has immortalised this event by including the markings of the victorious Sea Fury in one of their 1:48 Sea Fury kits

@trevorhart545

Жыл бұрын

SEA FURY, the first, and possibly the only, propeller driven aircraft to have shot down an enemy Jet Fighter. A MiG 15 over Korea.

@Sokol10

Жыл бұрын

@@trevorhart545 Others propeller plane shoot down combat jets in real combat. Capt. Jesse Folmar, VMA-312 in an F4U Corsair shoot down a Mig-15 in Korea, and was shoot down by another Mig-15 moments latter. In Jun. 20, 1965 four 1-H Skyradier pilots engage two Mig-17 of VPAF in Vietnam and shoot down one. US Army OV-1 Mohawk twin engine plane pilot Ken Lee was credit in shot down on MiG-17 with Zuni (air to ground) rockets in October, 1967 in Vietnam.

@HauntedXXXPancake

Жыл бұрын

@@trevorhart545 Lots of Me262 were shot down by propeller planes. Granted, it was in a bit "un-cricket" way, in that Allied Pilots learned to nail them during landing, but hey-ho, that's war.

@rinzler9775

Жыл бұрын

Thats awesome.

@NCMA29

Жыл бұрын

Hilarious!!

Sea Furies, yay! One of the best looking aircraft ever. 🙂

@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire

11 ай бұрын

Definitely

Dad was in the control tower at Albatross that day and tells the story that there was 2 meteors. Nth sydney was out of range for comunications from nowra but the navy had another aircraft off kiama and for the first time a system of relay communications electronically was used by the navy. And dad remembers the navy pilots yelling Tallyho as they went into the attack and someone in the tower saying "Bloody Poms"

@cgross82

Жыл бұрын

LOL!

@malcolmwolfgram7414

Жыл бұрын

Hilarious! Love it!

@btipton6899

Жыл бұрын

😂

@garethmatthews7939

20 күн бұрын

🤣😂🤣🤣

One of the Sabre pilots was Peter Aubrey Bolin (deceased) who years later related this event to me at the Singapore Flying Club. The Sabre was too fast for the sighting of and engagement with the slow target. Irrespective, mortified by the loss of face to the 'Navy' the squadrons weekend leave's were cancelled and the pilots were made to stand runway readiness ie full kit in the cockpit for a month.

@David-wk6md

Жыл бұрын

😊

@malcolmgarrett1561

Жыл бұрын

Teaching few lessons around 😅, got to blame someone

Never underestimate the Australian ability to turn a very simple task into an international disaster.

@ChiChi-dy9qi

11 ай бұрын

At least nobody died... This time

@robot336

10 ай бұрын

This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂

@Eagle-od1im

8 күн бұрын

@@robot336 right down to two blokes with a machine gun

As a 12 year old, saw the Auster slowly flying over North Sydney.

A great story and a last Hurrah for the gorgeous Sea Fury

@robertpatrick3350

Жыл бұрын

They did get to shoot down some B-26 bombers as well flown by the CIA but that’s probably a sore subject….

@legoeasycompany

3 ай бұрын

@@robertpatrick3350 Hold up, what shady stuff did that certain alphabet agency do that involved the Sea fury getting a few more kills?

The Aussies, are really keen on calling the R.A.A.F. The “R double A F.

I'm an Aussie who was toddler when this happened, but have never heard the full story until now. I can however add a funny note from our cousins in New Zealand, courtesy of a Kiwi friend of mine who flew Vampire jets there back in the '50s. His squadron leader was such a muppet that he damaged two Vampires by forgetting to lower the gear on landing. Consequently when ever he took off in one, the ground crew would station a van at the end of the runway, which would flash its headlights if Squadron Leader Muppet did not have his gear down.

@robot336

10 ай бұрын

This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂

@garethmatthews7939

20 күн бұрын

thats why people like that go into the airforce and not the navy

Excellent ! As an Alaskan Bush Pilot (years ago) I flew Taylorcrafts and other small single engine aircraft. I love all the old radials and taildraggers . This is a great story of how such small aircraft aren’t taken seriously . That had to have had a lot of people laughing by the time they read the news accounts. I can picture the two guys with the Bren gun thinking “this will be great sport” . This made me smile ,thanks from the U.S. ( I’ve seen our military do equally silly stuff)

The RAAF had a better chance of completing that mission in the 1950s than the RNZAF has today.

@Torth121

Жыл бұрын

Your not wrong about that

@gerogegerog5926

Жыл бұрын

Funny thing is the of RNZAF had a better chance

@zathrasdotorg

Жыл бұрын

NH90 with a couple of GPMGs ought to make short work of it.

@marc21256

Жыл бұрын

Send up Eagle One (the Auckland police helicopter), who can get close and match speed (no minimum, which was a complicating factor for the RAAF), and with the AOS on board to lay into it with their M4s or whatever they carry that's a small full-auto, or similar. Being able to match speed and course at close distance should allow for an easier time getting a killing hit on the engine. Don't have to blow it up with a .50 or 20mm, just put a round through the oil pan, and some ancillaries, and it will be coming down.

@jamiesonsambarhunter

Жыл бұрын

​@@zathrasdotorgof

This is absolutely fantastic. It has had me in tears of laughter from start to near finish. Only in Australia can you get this level of humour. That proves that they can overcome adversity with humour

@francisbusa1074

Жыл бұрын

I'm a "Yank". My mom told me when I was a kid in the early '50s what great people the Brits were during the war. They never lost their sense of humor, and would not be whipped. I'm sure you could include the Aussies and the Kiwis as well. God knows they all did a great job against Japan in SE Asia and the SW Pacific. When my ship moored in Wellington in May, '68 during the Vietnam War, to participate in the annual Coral Sea observance, we found the folks in NZ to be sincerely welcoming and generous. The island reminded me very much of my home in Northern California. Such great Allies to have. It was such a shame all of the Allied nations were so unprepared to meet Axis aggression. Either the war could have been avoided, or it could have been over much sooner. Fun video.

@NinjaBrothersINC

Жыл бұрын

YeahNah mate.. I'm Australian.. the Former Prison Island has reverted back into its former Prison glory.. only this time it's in hand with the Chinese. The Australian Government of 2023 is the greatest shame.. Sucking off USA and be doing over for China to F us in the A. AustFAILURE

@MrOgyny

Жыл бұрын

That's how they coped with losing the emu war

Wasn't sure what to expect when I added this to my playlist but very glad I did. 😂 Very entertaining, now subbed.

Brilliant. I fly model planes. We had one fly away and although we did not shoot it down, it flew several kilometers until it ran out of fuel and quietly landed in a ploughed paddock. It was very similar to the Auster. Light and with very large wings. Great story and with a mostly happy ending. Mike in Oz

Wow, amazing how the little aircraft brought out the inefficiencies of the current leadership. Great training moment.

@LordZonaxe

Жыл бұрын

looks like nothing has changed..

Thanks for the memories! My father gained his commercial license with VH-AET and I received my first flight in that Auster a few months before the incident. I recall it was operated by Kingsford-Smith Flying Services.

Tongue in cheek aviation history at its best. Well done, mate! Will you be making a video about the German bloke who flew a rented Cessna Skyhawk, undetected, through Soviet defenses and landed in Red Square, standing around, signing autographs for the curious, until the police finally woke up and took him away.

@Internetbutthurt

Жыл бұрын

I think you've swallowed propaganda. That young man, Mathias Rust, was detected before he even entered Soviet airspace and he himself said he saw Soviet aircraft who intercepted him, but given what happened not long before with KAL007 there was extreme reluctance to shoot the aircraft down (and confusion around how to handle the situation) so the order was not given.

@ChiChi-dy9qi

11 ай бұрын

I remember that! Hilarious.

As the Kiwis would say, "It's so easy, even an Australian can do it". But not in this case, apparently! Great story and wonderfully presented. Loved it.

@skyislands8887

Жыл бұрын

Or as an Aussie would say, to hard for a k1w1, we'll get it done..... 😉

I had never heard this story, but it reminded me of the US story that you foreshadowed. Hilarious story and very well presented.

God I love this channel, it’s literally everything an aviation dweeb like me could ever want

"Unable Archer" I got a real good laugh out of that.

This plus the Great Emu War make Straya look hilarious.

Great story of aviation trivia with an excellent amount of humor thrown in.

Never heard of this upside down Palmdale precursor but your presentation was excellent.

@brettt8246

Жыл бұрын

It's worth reading about it on Wikipedia, makes the USAF look even more incompetent!

@JamesThomas-gg6il

Жыл бұрын

@@brettt8246 im a yank, and believe me the USAF doesnt need help in that aspect.

Wonderful! I joined the RAN in 1967, aged 16. I'd tried for the RAAF but my marks were not quite good enough. I'd never heard this story before. RAN 1, RAAF nil.

a great story, but I forlornly hoped for a happy ending for the little innocent runaway. very well told, thanks for sharing.

Just Brilliant and very Funny. Thanks very much from an Old Brit.

@notapound

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it :)

This is a great story that I'd never heard of, although I've lived in Sydney just after 1955. I wonder if the aircraft wreck was ever discovered? Must have sunk not far from the Japanese mini sub.

@arthurthomasware5004

Жыл бұрын

The irony was the runway was just about out of fuel when it was shot down anyway.

@cloreenbrown100

Жыл бұрын

@@arthurthomasware5004 Wreck was never discovered

I heard about this from a past member of a bushfire brigade in the 1980s. This presentation reminded me of him.

Dad was home guard . He had a Bren gun mounted above the fire place in his house on Kits Coty, awaiting German parachutists. I used to pick up the used rounds down in the chalk pits as a kid. Very light bullets!

@danny1983ish

Жыл бұрын

Kits coty that's down the road to me lol

What about the Fokke-Wulf 190 that landed at RAF Pembrey in West Wales during WW2 by mistake. That is an hilarious story too. The RAE Royal Aircraft Establishment then had a first chance to tear it to bits to see how it ticked.

A tip of the hat to the Archer which conducted itself with far greater aplomb without a pilot than most of it's opponents with one.

As a coincidence I just saw a video about the air battle of Los Angeles. 😂 It was just as hilarious as your fine recount of the air battle of Sydney Australia. Thanks for sharing.

This is why I love Australia. There’s such a level of incompetence and informality that’s just so funny

Another wonder into the stresses of unconventional battles in the air. Thank you. Ro

I visited Australia on an R&R flight in 1972 when I was in the USN. I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm a Texican & y'all had some of finest, friendliest, and most welcoming people I've ever met. Ended up leaving my Stetson Shorthorn with one your citizens. This guy & his wife seemed to find me all three evenings I was there & bought food & cold ones until I would have to say "No more." (Loved those roast beef sandwiches with the hot mustard on them. My choice. Missed my spices.) He kept looking at that hat. I could tell he wanted it. Their name was Campbell. His was Bill. Last night there I took a pen from the waitress and scratched out my name & wrote Bill Campbell under the crown & handed it over. His wife told me was one your combat vets from WWII. I'd studied all that. Somehow y'all get the hard stuff done. Anyway, your video gave me that memory. Thank you.

I was in sub-junior, Brisbane State High School that year. I don't recall even hearing about this episode. Makes two 'new to me' items in two months. The other? A Japanese Zero over Brisbane. Cobbled together from damaged aircraft captured in New Guinea. Hugh Lunn, author, newspaper reporter, wrote about it a couple of months ago.

What a story - and very well told, thanks.

The Brave Little Austen! An entertaining and factually detailed presentation of a humorous historical event. Well done!

02:00 "Unable Archer" 🤣🤣🤣 It would been a real Chad move by the RAAF to call it that way.

As an Australian, I found this very entertaining, if a bit embarrassing. The cliches were funny, light hearted and not at all jarring. What was very jarring, every time, was the pronunciation of RAAF. In Australia we say "are double ay eff" because it's easier to distinguish from the GBAF and it just sounds better. Letting you know in case the RAAF comes up in future videos. Otherwise, love your work! Subbed ❤

Being a storyteller, I've told this story to dozens of audiences down the years. Of course, I had a little extra here and there to spice it up. Nevertheless, it's a true story. I was a sailor on HMAS Sydney, the aircraft carrier at that time.

A wonderful telling of an amazing story.

Fabulous and humorous brief, BRAVO ZULU, and many thanks.😂🤣👍

I enjoy the way you present your stories. There is always an initial scenario, complete with foreshadowing, and this is followed by expositional background information, which in turn, leads you back to the initial scenario...then the conclusion. Well done. I enjoy what you present.

What a crazy story, suprised I never heard of it. Thankyou.

This is a highly entertaining video. So well produced, great commentary. Good for you!

You are a natural story teller. Wonderful episode.

I am very pleased with the gentle and dry humor delivered in this narration. Sea Fury: now your getting serious. 13:07 beautiful

Recently declassified documents show the trainer was being flown by an emu.

This is a brilliantly funny story delivered in a brilliant fashion. Thank you.

I do love these lighthearted tales of peacetime military ineptitude. And, yes, as your other video confirms in startling detail, the USAF really did top this with the Battle of Palmdale. First-class work.

This was great. Thank you.

Brilliant story and narration, thanks

What an awesome video, I’ve learnt something and had a good laugh too. Thank you 😂

Very well done narrative on one of the less glamorous examples of Aussie airmanship. Thanks for not sinking the boot in too much on the “old enemy”. btw Nice segue into the Battle of Palmdale…

@JamesThomas-gg6il

Жыл бұрын

Im glad ypu brought that up, so im not the only one who sees it coming. I really cant wait on his take of Palmdale.

We can only thank God that the emus never got wind of this.

@tacitdionysus3220

7 ай бұрын

Don't mention the war!

@perrydowd9285

7 ай бұрын

@@tacitdionysus3220 I... I'm sorry. 😔

Great story. Thanks for posting.

A Wirraway downing a Ki-43 Oscar would just about be the equivalent of a Gloster Gladiator downing an Fw-190. Altitude and the element of surprise was EVERYTHING when it came to dogfighting.

That was amazing Mr.

This is a fabulous story. 😊 I was born a year before this happened. I never heard of it until now. 🎉

Splendid. Subscribed about two minutes into this.

As an Aussie I really enjoyed your telling of this event. Liked & sub'd 👍

No comment other than this was very entertaining and educational at the same time. Good work.!!

Wonderfully presented and with a wry sense of humo(u)r. My late mother was born in Grimsby descended from an English adventurer who went to and struck rich in the Australian Gold Fields (and returned home with an Australian bride). She married an American who would land on Normandy beach D Day. I came along after the Korean. Das was an adventuresome as when he returned to the USA after the war, with mom and my oldest sister he had also had his mother in law in tow (she inherited a double helping of Australian DNA). I immediately hit the subscribed button.

I loved your story, your sarchasim was exceptional!!

I really enjoyed your commentary, especially the many tongue-in-cheek moments. Just got a new subscriber. Cheers!

Great story, and @14:15 I sat up straight as I saw the old Ent Air Force base in Colorado Springs. My father, who was an Army Lt. Colonel was assigned there. These days it's the Olympic Training Center. Very cool to see it again. Thanks! :)

What a great story told with humour.

What a hilarious story! Great detail and narration! Now subbed also

Fascinating Story. Thank you.

great video!! your commentary had me laughing my head off!! well done.

Excellent as always!

Great story, interesting subject, highly amusing! The best part, in my opinion, is your hability to maintain the viewer attention at all time, Subtle humor, never offensive, is another quality.

Great story - great story teller

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 OMG this was frickin hilarious. Better than the Battle of Palmdale! Yeah this is definitely something that you will always be reminded of if you're on the screwing up side. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Reminds me of the story of the runaway pilotless MiG-23 Flogger that flew all the way from East Gerrmany before crash-landing (and unfortunately killing a teenager) in Belgium.

These are great. Please more!

Had a good laugh watching this😂Thx for the good work,

never heard of, thank you for uploading it.

Excellent! quite a sea story.

What a story. Thanks.

I've listened to this more often than any of your (excellent) videos. Hilarious every time! (I'm an Aussie who was in the RAAF for a short time)

Superb video sir. Most entertaining.

Wonderful content. The best laid plans usually go astray. Like the recent downing of the balloon by a jet fighter.

Love it ! Beautifully presented and narrated. FAA rules !

Really great stuff. Thanks

That was amusing story, thank you sir

My husband sent me this and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! I am sitting here, wiping the tears of my face, because I laughed so hard!

Love the dry whit, great story.

that was great mate, really enjoyed it.

Very nicely told, with just the right amount of wry humour.

Great little story

Very interesting story..enjoyed the commentary much more..good job x

This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂

This was absolutely HILARIOUS! Well done! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I’d love to see a @Showtime112 breakdown of this epic battle! 🤣