Keep the recommendations coming!

@willy_b_coyote

8 ай бұрын

You should do the story of the mutiny onboard a Russian frigate that inspired the Hunt for Red October (look up the Storozhevoy Mutiny).

@deadlyred0112

8 ай бұрын

Sr71 black bird. The whole story. Everyone deserves it and I remember the poll you put out and we got the mosquito which was awesome but the black birddddd

@insaniam_convertunt_scientiam

8 ай бұрын

How about the Alamo?

@Garrettthebanana

8 ай бұрын

Not sure if you’ve already done this although you probably have so you should do the story on the one Russian dude in a submarine the was an admiral or something for a submarine he basically stoped ww3 from starting

@114Riggs

8 ай бұрын

Thank you I Needed this as someone with shitty eyes.

Honestly Im surprised the plane could even fly with the sheer amount of balls it had to carry

@andrewwilliamson9544

7 ай бұрын

LOL

@riphopfer5816

5 ай бұрын

Seriously.

@dj_duplicity4862

5 ай бұрын

I'd agree but I'm pretty sure those balls were not affected by gravity due to a lack of fucks given.😂

@kentleytaggart5816

5 ай бұрын

Fantastic reply 😅😅😅😅

@dadofamadhouse4194

5 ай бұрын

That b17 had an amazing Ball Load lol

To be completely honest, I don't think she could've had a better name than Old 666. This crew and plane deserve a movie

@michaelbarnes7351

8 ай бұрын

A mini series like Band of brothers and the pacific would be better, that way you could properly tell the story.

@dafender

8 ай бұрын

​@michaelbarnes7351 your getting my hopes up

@AngelDame17

8 ай бұрын

A Movie and a Sabaton song.

@stargate525

8 ай бұрын

You try pitching this and I think every executive would shoot it down as too over the top and unrealistic.

@orthy853

8 ай бұрын

@@stargate525The truth is often more profound then anything they could imagine

My neighbor is a 89 year old gentleman that is completely blind and he loves to listen to The Fat Electricians videos, and he is blessed with a special kind of memory so when play list is over the material is all new to him again and he enjoy it all over again.

@ahnessa

2 ай бұрын

This is so sweet 🥲

@user-rs8on5pd7d

Ай бұрын

this is somehow sad and wholesome at the same time, and i love it

@milldawgj9598

Ай бұрын

That is awesome!

@Crossword131

Ай бұрын

That special memory lets him meet new friends all the time, too. You're awesome for sharing this.

@dtaylor10chuckufarle

Ай бұрын

May God bless you both, and the Fat Electrician too.

As the grandson of a B-17 tail gunner who survived 3 yrs in a Nazi POW camp and lived to tell the tale, I love stories about B-17 bomber crews. This one might be my favorite (next to my Grandpa's). Seriously, all of the those bomber crews were such incalculable badasses, especially those that went on daytime raids. Great video. Apparently my house is also infested with onion-cutting ninjas as well

@lancerains7297

Ай бұрын

Need to watch masters of air if you haven’t me and my wife did was fucking amazing

@Crossword131

Ай бұрын

Naw, bruh. It's the pollen. Allergy season. My eyes are all red, too.

@RayvenTheNight

Ай бұрын

​@lancerains7297 definitely agree. Watched it like 3 times back to back. Gonna order the book soon.

Hell yeah, giving the military anti heroes the respect and recognition they deserve, these long videos are the best bro

@the_fat_electrician

8 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it

@azazel-jr1bn

8 ай бұрын

im not ruining the 69 likes bro

@chase1914

8 ай бұрын

Amazing story! True hero's

@tompatchak8706

8 ай бұрын

Add them to the list,

@alphacentary

8 ай бұрын

I don't think of them as anti heroes at all. Just Heroes.

I was curious to read what happened to the plane and- "By March 1944, Lucy had been returned to the US to be used as a base transport aircraft and later as a heavy bomber trainer. It was finally flown to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 1945 to be sold for scrap." Damn shame because that plane deserves a spot in a museum.

@stratigangames508

7 ай бұрын

That's some bull. She should be in a museum.

@ZeamersEagerBeavers

7 ай бұрын

What's remarkable-and telling about the state of things in the SWPA at the time-is that '666 was repaired and returned to active service within months, though without the Eager Beavers' modifications. By September it was back in combat with the 63rd BS. There is a photo available of the plane in flight from the starboard side with obvious repairs done around the nose.

@oz_jones

5 ай бұрын

I mean, it's kind of poetic that she was scrapped. From rust to rust, scrap to scrap

@HANKSANDY69420

2 ай бұрын

*Same thing happened to that sub that Pool was on. The government can be pretty fucking stupid*

@matthewirizarry8467

Ай бұрын

​​@@oz_jonesshe was a vessel for the spirit that had gripped her crew. A suit of armor animated by sheer will power. At the pinnacle of their greatness, the devil took his fee and left. Without them, the magic is gone. It is right to let Lucy return to that from which she came.

The interesting thing is the average lifespan of a bomber in WW2 was like 3 runs, and the last recon mission was in fact the third mission between the eager beavers and the 666. They also had to wait Months for weather conditions to be right for the final mission. The final mission is also the one they had all 19 50 cal on. 20 missions was enough for a bomber pilot to end his tour of duty, and Jimmy Stewart was one of the relatively few to make that number (though reportedly he completed more missions without permission of command).

@boydsinclair7606

4 ай бұрын

I'm thinking Jimmy Stewart would have been so polite and easy going it would have been hard to say no to him.

@aaronnelson7702

8 күн бұрын

Imagine Jimmy Stewart infront of another officer talking him into letting him go on missions... Lol.. "Aw c'mon, Billy's going, and Pete, and milly sue just wrote me a letter saying Tommy wants me to make sure his big brother Jake is safe..." The poor guy would be getting an Oscar performance.

Wow. How does one even comment to that? As a US Navy FireControlman that phrase "Putting warheads on foreheads" is f'ing gold. Brother your narration of this story is beyond perfect. My grandfather was an Aviation Machinist in the US Army Air Corp in WWII and worked on a bunch of these B17's. Like most of those incredibly strong and badass men he never really spoke to us about what he did over there. Although he did receive several awards, medals, etc for some pretty brave stuff he did under fire. I can't I'ma trying to work on my Harley with guys shooting at me with machine guns and just continuing to turn wrenches. That's the breed of man that made this country so great. I can only pray that we can find those few amongst these younger generations that still have that type of heart, drive, and integrity in order for us to retain our nation. Because let's face it, a lot of the younger kids out there now are weaker than wet toilet paper. God bless these heroes and the freedom they sacrificed so much for in order for us to live under the blanket of. Godspeed to each and every one of them! Killer job on the video sir.

@HANKSANDY69420

2 ай бұрын

*Wet single-ply toilet paper at that*

Holy balls. How has this not been made into a 3-hour action-adventure movie yet?

@oz_jones

5 ай бұрын

"too unrealistic"

@trikstari7687

5 ай бұрын

Because the government and Hollywood are assholes.

@TheAzureNightmare

4 ай бұрын

Not enough Alphabet People.

@libertybell8852

4 ай бұрын

Too many Alpha males in this story. Not enough actors to fill those roles anymore. 😂😂

@daiganmonceaux7347

4 ай бұрын

"Fighter pilots make movies, bomber crews make history"

Old 666 is the most gangster name for a plane EVER.

@zoopdterdoobdter5743

8 ай бұрын

Well, yeah and hell _was_ coming with them. 😏

@dannymcreynolds1060

8 ай бұрын

I love that Lucy was more than likely short for Lucifer, because they were about to rain almighty hell down on the Japanese.

@ryoga8170

8 ай бұрын

​@@dannymcreynolds1060Exactly what I thought! 💕🇺🇲😎👌🇺🇲💕

@SecNotSureSir

8 ай бұрын

There was a cargo plane(C-47 I think. I can’t remember) called “Big Nigger”.

@cleverusername9369

8 ай бұрын

​@@SecNotSureSirdude. Just say n-word

This is the first time I've heard of these guys and Im pissed. These heroes need to be in every textbook

My Dad, Jim Cobb, was a radioman on a B17 plane called the Eager Beaver.

There is a story about a Wildcat pilot during Guadalcanal who, when out of ammo, lowered his landing gear and clubbed a Japanese bomber repeatedly, finally knocking it out if the sky. Japan didn’t learn until far too late that Americans also have a *Samurai* spirit-we just express it differently!

@SovereignwindVODs

6 ай бұрын

Looking at history, it feels like the Japanese followed the thought process of "I will die to kill as many of you as possible" while the Americans followed "If I'm gonna die, you're all gonna join me in hell". Very similar thoughts, wildly different implementation

@projectdeveloper9311

6 ай бұрын

And them they tell me that I can't do that in War Thunder because it's "unrealistic"

@dillonpierce7869

6 ай бұрын

​@@projectdeveloper9311I've survived a few mid airs with enough damage to limp away..... Couple have knocked one wheel off so landing hasnt been better than ground looping but hey who cares. They still count as landings for some reason too.

@rawchicken3463

6 ай бұрын

​@@dillonpierce7869most ppl just belly land in wt

@dillonpierce7869

6 ай бұрын

@@rawchicken3463 shame. But makes sense given the way they give the 15-25 min match timer depending on match type and they can be over inside of 4 mins.

Jay Zeamer really is the embodiment of "DO NOT DENY ME MY FREE BIRD SOLO" for not letting the copilot do his thing whilst bleeding out and doing all other kinds of shaboingery.

@tommydotyjr.2966

8 ай бұрын

I'm sorry... shaboingery???? I'm using that now 😂

@G-Cole-01

8 ай бұрын

@@tommydotyjr.2966 first heard it in a therussianbadger video and now it's just baked into my ROM for slang terms

@Volvith

8 ай бұрын

@@G-Cole-01 I was thinking that sounded weirdly familiar. To be fair, it's up there with SwawS.

@ruralandroid4984

8 ай бұрын

​@@G-Cole-01"imagine being brought in on felony tomfoolery charges"

@cornholio069

7 ай бұрын

​@@ruralandroid4984that happened to me once

I'm 73 and a WWII aviation buff since I was 12. I knew this story but have never heard it told so well and completely. I love the way you present these stories. One small point, they could not have damaged both rudders since the B-17 only had one. B-24 had two. But that didn't hurt your great story-telling. Oh, and one other thing. Where was your wife? I always get a kick out of her little interruptions.

Can I just thank you. One of my grandfathers was army in WWII. While the other was Civilian construction in the pacific. Your stories bring back some of the stories my father (a marine) would tell me of their histories. All three are now deceased so this channel brings a smile to my heart in remembrance.

If you haven’t heard, Qatar threatened that they would stop oil production due to the Israeli Gaza war, committing the cardinal sin of raising gas prices. Nothing could go wrong with that plan.

@marcmichaud1643

8 ай бұрын

The response will definitely be "proportional"

@the_fat_electrician

8 ай бұрын

Cant wait to make that video …. A “Senile” response

@smoogs1841

8 ай бұрын

The U.S. hands out fractions, proportions and meat bag misting technology like no other. Interested to see how the Dementia Man handles this.

@zacharyfreelove6101

8 ай бұрын

​@the_fat_electrician it's funny because our president is a corpse

@GuadalupeF.Arredondo

8 ай бұрын

It’s not like gas in California is already 7 dollars a gallon 🤷🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

How has this story NOT been turned into the best WWII movies ever. If Spielberg had made this his follow up to Saving Private Ryan, it would have made 500 million dollars and won 5 Oscars.

@ericyirka684

6 ай бұрын

Lets be honest. Who would believe this if hollywood made it lol. Personally i feel stories like this shouldnt be made into movies because the truth gets so lost in movies it, in my eyes at least, tarnishes the actual legacy

@Hsnyd

6 ай бұрын

​@@ericyirka684good point

@justincarrel7930

6 ай бұрын

People would call BS until they looked it up, it literally needs no fluff, just the record of his service is a stellar war flick

@IIMoses740II

6 ай бұрын

I get where you're coming from, but I don't want Hollywood butchering these stories, either (and we all know they would)

@stevetheduck1425

6 ай бұрын

He would have made it a comedy. - and failed.

Every time I listen to your videos I'm like, "wow this HAS to be the craziest WW2 story". Then you find one that tops it in the next video

Great Story. The Army in the 80's and 90's was pretty much the same way. Soldiers left on their own devices always do amazing things.

My 13 year old daughter has a tendency to watch these video with me.. her comment was, "If history class was like this, I'd be acing the course." (she has a B in it, so I'm okay with that). That said, your methodology of storytelling history is bar none some of the most informative and engaging education I've ever taken part in. I'm a 50 friggin years old ex-grunt, and I look forward to seeing what I'm gonna learn with each video. Thank you for all of this.

@QargZer

8 ай бұрын

The good news is he is going for a degree in history so that he can write history books for teaching. He talked about this on a podcast

@dosentmatter1593

8 ай бұрын

@@QargZer im assuming its the unsub podcast but. do you know which one?

@dravenocklost4253

8 ай бұрын

​@@dosentmatter1593how about you just watch all the ones he's in and find out.

@dravenocklost4253

8 ай бұрын

Swimmers still work you old grunt, huh? Lol

@QargZer

8 ай бұрын

@@dosentmatter1593 kzread.info/dash/bejne/oZNom5quYbKam6Q.htmlsi=AhRbtDJn2NnZEEtj at 1 hour mark "fat electricians getting masters"

“Hindsight being 20/20” I *see* what you did there 👀

@the_fat_electrician

8 ай бұрын

Honestly it was an accident lol

@brian-8814

8 ай бұрын

​@@the_fat_electriciandad jokes become instinctual.

@bilboes6634

8 ай бұрын

@@brian-8814 How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it...

@legallyblind3781

8 ай бұрын

@BrandonHerrera have you made it to be our first trustable politician yet?

@aznravechild6i9

8 ай бұрын

Today we're talking about the guy who successfully ran for congress and never finished the AK50.

My dad was part of Operation Cartwheel which was a multi island landing scheme , the islands of Kiriwina, Woodlark and others were occupied. His seabee unit 20 NCB with NCB 60 buiilt the airfields on those islands and in Munda and Bougainville later. Many " fly- fly boys" as they were dubbed never returned from those missions from the airdromes dads unit built. Those were dark days early in the war .

@ZeamersEagerBeavers

4 ай бұрын

Your dad and the Seabees were rock stars, and did as much as anyone to save the war in the Pacific. You can't have an air force without air strips, and the crazy speed they created the airstrips on the islands and at places like Iron Range, Milne Bay, Dobodura, and beyond was almost miraculous under the circumstances they were working under.

@conniefoxx9813

28 күн бұрын

SEABEE'S......we need some stories about the SEABEES TOO!!!

I really enjoyed this one, my Great Uncle Richard "Buzzi" Davis was a waist gunner in a B-17 during WW2, he flew missions out of England (I can't remember the name of the Air Base) he passed away several years ago and I so badly miss talking with him and hearing the stories about what he did and what they all went through together. Truly the Greatest Generation, thank you to all who served, those who made it home and all those who didn't, America is forever in your debt.

Not going to lie, I'm a pretty stoic man, but I got a bit emotional at the parts where Joe Sarnoski refused to bomb where the Japanese officers were because he wanted to save the innocent geisha girls. It's good to see real *chivalry* in action and with boldness. It's so horrifically rare these days.

@zacharysnyder2520

4 ай бұрын

Ignore civilian target, bolster the war effort. We aren’t demons.

@SirMattomaton

4 ай бұрын

@@zacharysnyder2520 Exactly. Military "brass" across the world tends to become more psychopathic and deranged the longer a war goes on... And the more an opposing side is dehumanized.

@fearthehoneybadger

4 ай бұрын

They knew they were going to win and they wanted the geisha girls for themselves.

@jarlathquinn2628

4 ай бұрын

@@zacharysnyder2520except there were several high ranking generals there that if killed could have caused fewer deaths

@firepilotfilson3881

4 ай бұрын

Its amazing the plane was able to get airborne carrying the brass balls on board

This is the best video you've made so far and the fact that their isnt a feature length movie about these men is a war crime.

@DragunovJ

8 ай бұрын

The first time it was actually a war crime...

@MadDog-1961

8 ай бұрын

Exactly my thought!! I was going to post but started reading comments first...

@maxlvledc

8 ай бұрын

This...that last mission alone has Oscar written all over it.

@MetalManiac1911

8 ай бұрын

@@maxlvledcgood title for the movie too, “The Last Mission”.

@maverick1685

8 ай бұрын

somebody needs to write a movie script and submit it........ to who?

Never stop doing what you do! I watch these videos with my daughters and they are also thoroughly loving it. The12 yr old has spent most of the day laughing about the absolute insane things these people do and learn history in the process. I lived in Illinois over 20 yrs and didnt know we had a german sub!

A lot of the stories you’re telling I’ve heard about through the history channel or other shows like that, but the way you tell the story is not only hilarious, but makes it so much more memorable. I love what you’re doing. You keep making them I’ll keep watching them.

My Dad was in the Signal Corp and spent the whole WW II in the Solomon Islands. He was tasked to set up radio comms on Bouganville after the Marine invasion. He and another soldier were clearing a cave when a booby trap exploded and killed the soldier in front of him. He said he remembers a blinding light and then a seering hot burning pain, and then went into shock and passed out. The next thing he remembers is waking up at a hospital in Australia. He had suffered multiple shrapnel wounds to his chest. He was told he would be issued a Purple Heart Medal, his family would be notified, and he would be returning to the States very soon. He got angry, said he wasn't going home, declined the Purple Heart and demanded he be returned to his unit to "finish the fight'" And that's exactly what he did. He returned home after the Japanese surrender and married my Mom whose name, coincidentally is ... Lucy.

@TRUMP_WAS_RIGHT_ABOUT_EVRYTHNG

8 ай бұрын

awesome story! we Enjoy when people share family history like this!

@johnathanblackwell9960

8 ай бұрын

Hell yeah my kind of man

@16rumpole

8 ай бұрын

God your father was a badass. You must be proud

@andyhelipilot3528

8 ай бұрын

🫡 to your father another true war hero

@lonyaidaniel

8 ай бұрын

Thats badass!😎

Bud after the war became a police sgt in Pacific Grove CA. He was my dad's Sgt when he started in 1966. Bud's hair turned white while in theater almost overnight. I was lucky enough to know him as well until he passed in the 90s. He was a really cool guy

@GTGibbs

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing this with us.

@jroar123

4 ай бұрын

That is incredible to find out, thanks for sharing.

Discovered this channel about a month ago while searching for videos on the Benelli M4. Since then, I've watched multiple videos per day and learned quite a bit while having some pretty good laughs and picking up some new favorite phrases like Yeetus Deletus. This video is by far the best content I have seen from this channel, and I dare say KZread as a whole. Great content, sir. There may or may not be onion cutting ninjas in my home as well. Definitely stirs emotions. Keep it up, and thank you.

I cant even convey the emotion I feel when hearing this and so many other unbelievably brave and heroic stories. I had uncles who fought in WWII and none of them would ever talk about their missions or battles they fought in, just get real quiet like they didnt want to or couldnt relive the events or......??

The CH 47 I flew in to Iraq on, had the tail number 666. It had a recliner and 240B ratchet strapped to the tail gate.

@davidsimmons7359

8 ай бұрын

Hooker mafia, hell yeah

@daviswhite3591

8 ай бұрын

My 3rd deployment I had a custom high back humvee. Only fit for 2 Marines. The back was full of gear and equipment. Our standard stuff buuuuut we also had television, a sound system, an Xbox, DVD, coolers, fans and a BBQ pit. We had a slave cable that ended in a 110 DC power converter box so we could run everything on our engine. We had a place to call home "The Titty Twister" but we were rarely there so we started carrying our own beds with real mattresses and we created a hot water shower system. I tried to get us a door gun for the passenger side but the grunts would not let us have one. So we got lots of personal firepower instead. Everything but a belt-fed. Our mission was simple and also difficult in that simplicity. Bring joy to Marines living way outside the wire. We're talking small unit elements snooping and pooping. No more than 25 Marines at a time. We'd feed them, let them watch movies, give them our Satphone and fill in where needed so some poor crusty bastard could have a hot shower and a decent night's sleep. Feed them till supplies ran out, hook up with a patrol going back to the rear, load up fresh supplies, find another patrol headed out. Repeat. Extremely dangerous. Extremely fun. They called us ------ The Chuck Wagon. We flew The Jolly Rodger on our antenna.

@JeffChapa

8 ай бұрын

​@@daviswhite3591 That's Awesome!!! Aid and comfort to the frontline soldiers

@ch.r8285

28 күн бұрын

I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds bada$$. Thank you for your service!

I’m in the middle of the book “Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission” and it’s truly unbelievable what all Jay and Joe went through. They also have a display at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. They have the jackets of some of the crew and a map that takes you through the mission. Worth the trip if you can go

@DutchTraveler

8 ай бұрын

Time to go book searching.

@gotmike

8 ай бұрын

Nice! I just bought it! Looking forward to this one

@coalman124

8 ай бұрын

I live an hour north of that museum. I have gone dozens of times and every time I go a new exhibit makes me tear up. This was one of them

@The_cestelin_Holland

8 ай бұрын

To bad they scraped old 666

@ZeamersEagerBeavers

7 ай бұрын

The first couple of chapters and the last chapter of Lucky 666 are pretty solid. The middle, especially once they get in theater, is an absolute historical mess. It's *a* story of the crew, but it's not the actual story. They don't even get the crew right, and muff the story of the plane itself. Great read, poor history.

“The Larry Bird of putting warheads on foreheads” is absolutely one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a good bit!

Been listening to these for the last 2 hours and I’ve caught 4 black drum and a mang snapper, all keepers. You sir, are my new lucky charm.

1) Please never stop the long form 2) History has never been so fun (I still love you @kingsandgenerals) 3) The humanity you bring to these experiences is incredible. Thank you.

@Pr0toPoTaT0

8 ай бұрын

This. 100% this. Gave him a thanks because of it lol. Want it to keep going!

@GTGibbs

8 ай бұрын

This was one of his top stories, and that’s a seriously hard list.

I knew a couple of things about these guys. I knew they were the most decorated aircrew, I knew they flew a customized B17, and I knew that their pilot was easily one of the most scarily competent pilots to have ever flown anything. I did not know that the 'customized' b17 they flew was effectively custom built from a literal skeleton. I did not know just how scary the good Captain's competence really was. and I didn't fully appreciate just how tightly knit that crew was. Now, I'm sitting here wondering why TF we don't have a movie about these guys. And if we do actually, I want to go watch it.

@1975Paladin1

7 ай бұрын

Why we don't have a movie of them? BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE IT! Seriously, it's the same reason why they had to tone down the movie about Desmond Doss. People tend to not believe the actual reports because they are so hard core that they seem to be fantasy.

@jenniferhanses

7 ай бұрын

Definitely, we need a movie about them. But you know the movie could not possibly convey the whole story, particularly the ending. 45 minutes of air combat is too long to film as well as unbelievable. They'd probably have to abbreviate it to 15 minutes, and even then, people might start getting bored in terms of entertainment quality because that's very different than direct experience. I can see how to script it though. Needs a bit more research on the rest of the crew, and some stuff would probably have to be changed for dramatic effect since we can't hear the inside of people's heads thinking.

@samuraigaming3042

7 ай бұрын

whos dez doss?@@1975Paladin1

@raymondwallace1031

7 ай бұрын

Would’ve been better than Memphis Belle

@WhiteIkiryo-yt2it

7 ай бұрын

Mel Gibson needs to direct it. We Were Soldiers and Hacksaw Ridge were awesome!

I had never heard about this. Great account of a great crew; it's a shame they're most likely all gone but they will be remembered.

Thank you for keeping history alive. These men were part of The Greatest Generation.

They didn't steal all the gear for their bomber. Some of the other crews were putting in false requisitions to make new parts get ordered. The old ones went to Jay's crew. The other crews knew they were good and effective and didn't want them sidelined. Plus I imagine they wanted to see what would happen next. It gets boring on a base when you're not on.

@ColburnFreml

6 ай бұрын

I would assume a fair number of them enjoyed knowing there was a crew that would volunteer for the most absurd/dangerous missions.

@mrmabyr

6 ай бұрын

Either way, good sketchy work. Takes nothing away.

@prestongarvey57

6 ай бұрын

That’s good. I’m glad they weren’t just being assholes

@texvanwinkle

5 ай бұрын

There was no need to steal anything. Zeamer was the squadron executive officer of the 65th BS in May 1943 when '666 was returned to the squadron by 8th Photo, plus the 65th was transitioning to B-24s at the time, which meant Fortress parts were more available. Zeamer wouldn't have had any issues obtaining whatever parts he needed.

@texvanwinkle

5 ай бұрын

@@ColburnFreml "I would assume a fair number of them enjoyed knowing there was a crew that would volunteer for the most absurd/dangerous missions." That is undoubtedly true. No one dreamed of turning down missions, but no one was judged harshly for not wanting to volunteer, especially for the long-distance mapping missions. Zeamer just wanted to fly and be doing something, as did Sarnoski. There's a reason they handpicked the crew they did.

Oh hell yeah, you know it’s going to be good when it’s a 35+ min video, this has quickly turned into one of my favorite channels after seeing you on demo ranch

@B.E.Z.nOtLayZ

8 ай бұрын

This!

@jackclark1994

8 ай бұрын

I swear, if he had taught my history class i would have aced it.

@steve390gold

8 ай бұрын

What? He was on demo? He need to go to Matt's abandoned resort and give it a colonoscopy, I mean go spelunking in Matt's holes. I mean explore Matt's caves!!!

@iansullivan7777

8 ай бұрын

Yes. Greatest war stories I’ve ever heard, also maybe the funniest YT channel.

@pabloavalos8153

8 ай бұрын

I was so entranced by how amazing this video was, that when you said it was 35 minutes. I couldn’t believe it.

The funniest part of this story is that the sideways tilt you describe is called "attitude". Command told them the only way to do this mission would be with zero attitude lol

My dad worked with Joe Sarnoski's brother, Val. When I was a kid we would visit him all the time in Binghamton, NY...

My uncle was a ball turret gunner and survived dozens of missions before being shot down and taken prisoner by Japan. He was tortured but never talked about it, all we ever knew was his head was so scarred he couldn’t grow hair and wore a toupee his whole life. Those men were basically sitting ducks on every trip they took, but they’d till went. The epitome of big balls and nerves of steel. Thank god men like that existed when they did.

For joe to be hit with 20mm and still kill a couple more planes before passing on is unbelievable. He didn’t want to leave those men for anything. Same for jay to make it back after nearly bleeding out the whole time.

I don’t usually like history but I glued to this story as I once wanted to be a o pilot in the Navy. You had me at the beginning wanting more of his story! No one cried at the end here someone shot tear gas in my room while I watched till the end!

I don't know why, but I just LOVE these stories. My dad was Army during Korea then changed his MOS to USAF for the next 20 years through Vietnam era. Uncles USAF, my son straight up Army, and both of my husbands were Navy. I grew up watching the old tv shows like Combat, Rat Patrol, and 12'Oclock high. I love my men being men and am so damned proud of all who serve. THANK YOU!

So as my wife was in labor. I was looking through KZread because why not. I started watching this video and much to my surprise my wife wanted to watch it as well. Needless to say we put off having a baby to watch this. Well done my friend. Oh and I didn’t shed a tear when the baby came. But I did for the ones that were lost.

@The_cestelin_Holland

8 ай бұрын

Congrats

@infpail7232

8 ай бұрын

Congratulations sir

@zippymoons2124

8 ай бұрын

Congrats! Name the Baby Lucy!

@maxpower4584

8 ай бұрын

Congratulations man

@jordanlarson8310

8 ай бұрын

If she's having a girl you really should name her Lucy

My grandfather was a mechanic on B-17's in England, some of the stories of having to cut the aircrew out of the wreckage and flak damage were horrifying, braver than brave.

@ghomerhust

8 ай бұрын

yeah those b17 crews were insanely brave guys. but what an airframe! they took so much damage before they'd actually go down. the men really felt like they could rely on the old bird to get them home

I too went to Culver Military Academy. thats pretty cool that this badass of history shared the same campus

What a story. Wow. My husbands grandfathers both served in the Pacific... One was a radioman on the USS Missouri, the other a Marine. He fought on Saipan ax=s well as other islands. But he only ever mentioned Saipan,. The only thing I ever heard him say about his experiences in WWII was, "On Saipan, the Japanese were really dug in."

Along with Jay Zeamer, Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa was one of the best bomber pilots in history. Using an SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber, he shot down 2 Zeros with guns and took another in basically a knife fight in the sky. He slamming his wing against the last Zero's during a roll, ripping the top of the Zero's wing off, without any significant or visable damage to his Dauntless. They transfer him to an F4F Wild Cat and he becomes an Ace in a Day with another 7 air to air kills in a single mission. Guy had no chill in a pilots seat.

@krautyvonlederhosen

7 ай бұрын

Swede’s rear gunner wrote that he was barely able to avoid throwing up during the fight. Sparks should do a story.

@kw3023

7 ай бұрын

Yes! Do a video on Swede!

@trcslythriller1128

7 ай бұрын

@the_fat_electrician PLEASE

@lsswappedcessna

7 ай бұрын

to be fair the Dauntless was a great plane

@drewsmith5675

6 ай бұрын

I fifth the motion

Jay Zeamer-"If you want your stuff back you can try it. But the guns are loaded. " Other bomber crews- "He's bluffing." Jay- "also you have to fight Willey." Everyone else- "Nah, we're cool!"

This is the third story I’m watching and it’s interesting that in every one of them there is a Polish dude assisting with some weird American plans. In the u-boat was the polish mechanic, Virginia Hall was married to a Polish spy and now Sarnowski. It’s like every time people come out with some crazy plan they get a polish rep for good luck lol

The story deserves a movie honestly, and to be fair, old 666 is probably the best name they could have given it

Holy hell.. if even only half of this story was true, it's still epic. This guy's story needs to be made into a movie.. problem is no one would believe it because it's so hard core out there.

@richardhicks5031

8 ай бұрын

There's a lot of war stories Ike this that are to absurd to believe

@musewolfman

8 ай бұрын

And it would have to be 6 hours long just to do the story justice.

@jedi_country_boy1703

8 ай бұрын

Mini series on HBO

@JohnDoe-dr9ff

8 ай бұрын

@@jedi_country_boy1703Like Band of Brothers. Could definitely see this story as a mini-series.

@nicholasmosley2851

8 ай бұрын

Just like in the movie hacksaw ridge where Desmond daws’ feats had to be down played and or omitted because the writers said no one would actually believe one man accomplished them by himself.

As a veteran myself x combat engineer I promise you disassembling and reassembling a f****** 50 while blindfolded under a minute is wildly impressive

@678rwhp

7 ай бұрын

12B's rule!

I just found you and gave subscribed. You mix facts and humor and “real information” such as how the way things really get done by the actual fighters. Thank you.

I don’t actually learn much from your videos more than I already know but the way you tell it is better than I could ever remember it, always look forward to your videos

Y’all “Willie” is my uncle and he was the absolute sweetest, most humble and unassuming man you ever met! No way you would ever see him as a straight up assassin! LOL Unbelievable badass!! Thank you for highlighting this amazing crew- all heroes for this country! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus

2 ай бұрын

The kindest people can be the most dangerous, glad you got to spend time with family and that family was a real American hero.

As an amateur WWII historian myself, I’ve read/heard countless stories about individuals and small teams of men doing extraordinary things during the war. This story of the Eager Beavers is one of my absolute favorites. It also helps that the fat electrician is absolutely hilarious and I thoroughly enjoy how he tells stories!

@cdpgeorge

5 ай бұрын

I will accept interpretations if they're this entertaining. It's a damn wonder, it wasn't made a movie. Makes me think Hollywood hates telling patriotic stories.

@dracodraco1982

3 ай бұрын

@@cdpgeorge >.> Actually, I think it's the exact opposite. They don't tell a lot of these stories because it highlights just how bad leadership was. These characters are heroes, yeah, but when most of the story has these guys struggling against US brass instead of actual enemies, it puts the military and government in a bad light. It's sort of like those "feel good" stories you see from time to time, where a kid does a bunch of work to help a friend with a medical problem; or a bunch of teachers donating sick days to a colleague battling cancer, yet who has run out of leave. Yeah, people are being heroes, but it kind of begs the question: why do we accept a system that demands such heroics from disparate people, rather than implement a system that alleviates the need for such heroics in the first place, leaving kids to be kids and teachers to their own sick days? You can frame it just right for 80% of people not to notice, if you keep it to like 3 minutes. Make it a two hour movie, though, and a lot more people are likely to notice a problem. Seeing as we had the Red Scare (where questioning the military/government carried very real risks of getting blacklisted), and now any major military movie relies on cooperation from the relevant military branch, and given the top brass of such arms won't back a project that portrays their branch in a negative light, there just wasn't a lot of time between the two for this story to get told. >.o The only way this gets made, then, is if the story gets heavily changed for political reasons; or is backed with enough funding that cooperation from the military isn't needed.

@stormmorrell7583

2 ай бұрын

Off the top of your head any good ones I could read ?

@willymac5036

2 ай бұрын

@@stormmorrell7583 there are a ton of heroic stories of American service members throughout the years. Just off the top of my head, a few that come to mind are Lyle Bouck jr. and his band of 18 soldiers that stopped the entire German 1st SS Panzer Division in their tracks for more than 18 hours, essentially SEVERELY hampering German efforts during the battle of the bulge. These men were absolute warriors, and after they were taken prisoner the Germans just could not believe there were only 18 of them. Lt Lyle Bouck Jr was only 21 years old at the time. Another is Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman jr, who posthumously received a Medal of Honor for his actions on Tarawa. He had already fought in the Guadalcanal campaign as well. I can’t remember the name of the man, but there is another one about a private during the Korean War who, while his unit was retreating, decided he had just had enough, and he wasn’t going to retreat one more step. He told his battle buddies what he was doing, and many of them gave him all the ammunition they could spare. He set up his machine gun for a final stand and held back an entire Chinese division, by himself, so that his unit could withdraw. He was never seen again, but after the war the US government was able to find out that he stood his post until he ran out of ammunition, and only had two grenades left. He used one on the enemy, and the other on himself when several enemy soldiers rushed him, taking them with him. This kid of only 19 or 20 years old took something like 125 Chinese soldiers out before he ran out of ammunition. If you do just a little digging you will find there are literally thousands of stories like this from every branch of the military, from every war America has ever been involved in.

"...the best at putting warheads on foreheads." Top notch narration!👍

You can't hide the respect you have for this crew. Thank you for telling this history.

My great grand father is Jonnie Able I am glad to finally here your take on this story. I still have all his medals in my house and like to revisit his history

@kylemoore687

8 ай бұрын

Must be awesome to have such a badass in the family tree that people are still making videos about him today

There was a bomber named "Patches" -- for all the repairs it needed. Despite being shot up, none of its crew were ever severely injured, so it was a unit favorite. Eventually Patches was so beat up it took off at a crab angle -- unfortunately a general saw it taking off and ordered it taken out of combat. The unit kept it, though, using it for "supply" and R&R runs to Egypt.

@DonBell-tt9cm

4 ай бұрын

376 th liberondos

@paulzammataro7185

3 ай бұрын

Wasn't that a B-24?

@MANTUEFLIE2

Ай бұрын

Plane of Theseus

This might be the most deserving to be a movie video you have done!!

This is the Reason Why I LOVE Boeing B-17B Bomber Planes..!! They’re so Customizable and you can basically turn them into a GUNSHIP..!! That’s why Jay was able to Gather over NINETEEN Fifty Caliber Machine Guns for the Plane..!! Also, Nic..!! You NEED to cover the Story about “The Bloody Hundredth”..!! The 100TH Bomber Crew who were Responsible for Bombing the Heart Of Nazi Germany during WWII..!!

Lately I have the attention span of an ADHD suffering fruit fly on crank and you do the near impossible and hold my rapt attention for over 30 minutes straight. You may well be making the best long form content on this entire site. Another moving and inspiring story, sir.

@samblundell1872

8 ай бұрын

Ha ha underrated comment!

You sir, are the only man who can do these men justice and share their tales of bravery. I loved how this was a 35 minute video, and it was EXCELLENT the whole way.

I've only just discovered your channel. This was brilliantly researched and presented. I've seen a couple of other videos on Old 666 before but you covered much more detail of the plane, the mission and the personal background of the crew.

Beating the sun in a staring contest is the most Army thing I've ever heard, and it came from a civilian doctor

The part where he mentioned Jay had to receive his award posthumously i started getting teary eyed, not quite crying but that was hard to accept and think about.

@righteousviking

6 ай бұрын

Those onion cutting ninjas were in my house too

@duelgundam

6 ай бұрын

Joe was the one who "bit the bullet", so to speak.

My grandfather was a DC-3 pilot in WW2. He had a photo of him and his crew standing next to their plane and the plane was shot to shit but they made it back safe. After the war, he went on to work for NASA and JPL. His name was George Petrovich. I haven't seen that picture since i was a kid, and since his passing, no one knows where it went. EDIT: I really appreciate you telling these stories. It reminds me of when I used to sit on his lap when I was a kid and he told me all these stories of places he's been and all the crazy things he'd done. Thank you.

@pauld6967

8 ай бұрын

You are fortunate Brian. My father was in the Army Air Corps/Army Air Force during W.W. II and he steadfastly refused to tell war stories. All I know comes from an off-hand comment he would make from time to time & the rare times I heard him reminiscing with other veterans when he didn't know I was around. He would immediately stop and leave the talking to the others if he noticed I was around. I suspect he didn't want to glorify combat. That said, he also didn't try to talk me out of joining the military and was proud to have me follow his footsteps in donning the uniform.

@JohnnAlaniz

7 ай бұрын

@@pauld6967 that’s man saw hell and kept marching , my grandfather was they guy they sent out to find booby trans and disarm bombs in ww2 , he said they called em hounds he also did say one time he missed one and stepped on the mine but it’s just went click no boom , we are big hunters but when he would go with us he would just say he’s done enough killing already

I read the Art of Seeing in college and I can attest the bates method does improve eyesight to a slight degree.. as it reduced my prescription by whole numbers. It doesnt advocate staring at the sun but rather 'sunning' your eyes, which is just exposing them to indirect full sunlight during the exercises (for short periods).

Genuinely thank you for posting this kind of content, I listen to this at work and the layman's terms of what actually happened in the past is indescribable

So command not only drew up a mission where they had to make themselves a sitting duck and couldn't move for 20 minutes straight, but while on their way they were also ordered to "Hey, do a flyby over the island to make damn sure everyone knows your there first". They were obviously trying to kill these guys.

@sword_racer185

4 ай бұрын

Yet only 1 man died on the mission. I swear history can be way more absurd than fiction

@jeice13

4 ай бұрын

​@@sword_racer185 given enough time and people you get lots of lottery odds

@doesntmatter4477

4 ай бұрын

They weren't obviously trying to kill those guys. Killing your own men on purpose in a war like that, simply over not like their attitude is nonsense. They would have been sacrificing multiple service men but also the mission itself completely, plus all the Intel gained as a result of mission success. All that and much more, would have knowingly been sabotaged with those men

@doesntmatter4477

4 ай бұрын

They weren't obviously trying to kill those guys. Killing your own men on purpose in a war like that, simply over not like their attitude is nonsense. They would have been sacrificing multiple service men but also the mission itself completely, plus all the Intel gained as a result of mission success. All that and much more, would have knowingly been sabotaged with those men

@devinlewis3096

4 ай бұрын

People have been fragged for less​@@doesntmatter4477

I've asked this question for years, ever since I first heard this story. . . . *_WHY IS THIS STORY NOT A MOVIE!?!?!?!?!_*

@the_fat_electrician

8 ай бұрын

Thats a great question

@internetzenmaster8952

8 ай бұрын

Default answer: Because Hollywood couldn't list it as "based on a true story" because it sounds too ridiculous to be true."

@raikbarczynski6582

8 ай бұрын

isnt that what Reagan told the press about Roy benavidezs story as he presented him with his MoH?@@internetzenmaster8952

@kyleaugustine6886

8 ай бұрын

@@the_fat_electrician There is another war story is also tied at number one for WW2 stories I think should be made into a movie... Scratch that this one is getting a movie here soon. *The Battle of Castle Itter.* It was literally one of the craziest battles to happen in all of WW2 where US troops, Wehrmacht deserters, and a mix of Freed French and Austrian political prisoner including the former French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, Charles de Gaulle's sister, and a tennis star by the name of Jean Borotra.... I know, your asking, why specifically mention a tennis star, I don't know, every rendition of this story always makes special mention because it's just that weird. Anyways, this ragtag team of unlikely allies had to defend a medieval castle which used to be the prison for these French political prisoners in order to servive a force of several hundred Waffen-SS who where out to unalive those prisoners. . . You can't make this shit up.

@Yuracirlce

8 ай бұрын

Fat electrician made it all up that’s why. Haha jk

Great history lesson! Thank you for sharing this with us!👍🏽😀❤️🇺🇸

This story had me more on the edge of my seat than a $400 Million Budget Hollywood Blockbuster!

As a pilot in training. I find it highly impressive that he maintained PERFECTLY level flight for 22 minutes straight. The B17 had only a very basic autopilot so my assumption* is that the pilot did that manually, accounting for wind, pressure differences and weight change never letting a single degree of turn, pitch, or yaw occur. If that does not speak mastery. Nothing does

@ok-qz7cx

8 ай бұрын

i mean, this is perfect weather, so that might help quite a bit

I'm a 67 year old Veteran and absolutely love your videos. You're a natural at story telling. I found you and subscribed several months ago, and have went back to view all of your content. Can't get enough! This video however, may be your best one yet. I was a Tank Crewman and Drill Sergeant while serving and now retired HVAC Technician. My best friend is an Electrician. You bring great credit to the trades as well as inspiring people to be proud of our military and country. Bless you and much continued success!

@kramreklaw3535

7 ай бұрын

Well worth it to go back and watch especially the one about military mechanics

@chrisban6007

7 ай бұрын

I've done the same sir, and have watched most several times.

This is my absolute favorite video so far. Thank you for your service and these amazing videos. My grandfather was an aviator and engineer… he told many many great stories.

Dude this account is awesome!!! I came across it this morning and have been hooked. Great work and thank you

@the_fat_electrician

4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoy it!

@paintslinger16

3 ай бұрын

@@the_fat_electricianyou have a great knack at story telling! My son is also a Sparky, thank you for your service and subscribed.

US chain of command: “We are no longer giving you easy missions. We are going to give you the most dangerous missions we have.” Eager Beavers: “Don’t threaten us with a good time.”

@rayray80234

7 ай бұрын

"Jokes on you, we're into that shit" - Eager Beaver crew, probably

It's shameful that our military leadership isn't capable of realizing the full potential of these guys, and guys like them. Taking out the search lights and anti aircraft guns?!?!

@t_train3796

7 ай бұрын

Most of the leaders in the military are fking nerds and softies. Been doin this shit for 17 years and *cannot wait* to retire.

@hazardltg

7 ай бұрын

Agreed but sometimes the comradery of "fuck leadership" is the reason we are successful

@imperial_corner

7 ай бұрын

Total gangster move.

@Ryan-li8qc

7 ай бұрын

There's a time to listen, and a time to go to balls to the walls.

@elitewolverine

7 ай бұрын

Well.....if you let everyone act that way you don't have discipline. So it is easier to let them be the dogs of war while others get to look on with awe.

Absolutely fantastic program. Very well done! Thank You.

Your retelling of these stories is amazing! The long videos are my favorites. Great job

Don't worry Nic, I also have an infestation in my car. You aren't the only one dealing with those assholes.

@johnbryan1862

8 ай бұрын

Man, those onion cutting ninjas are everywhere!

@sethdunlap9868

8 ай бұрын

I didn't consider ninjas... I thought the manly tears were from a passing cat or pollen or something.

@DMETALSMITHSRESTORATIONS-dp2zu

8 ай бұрын

Damn chopping onions ninjas….

Thanks for keeping all these gents alive via your videos. Dumb that most males know random NFL players stats back-to-front, but we don’t even know these war-dogs’ names. You’re helping change that. Well done.

Love the energy of your story telling, and the humorous side analogies!

Operation "Broken Reed" was definitely the most gangster human Intel gathering mission of the Korean war. Not declassified until 1998, allowing the Army Crypto guy that was on the mission to finally write about it. This mission's intel probably was the only reason Truman didn't use nukes. They go all across North Korea as fake captured pows on their way to a Chinese prison camp. It's an amazing story and your delivery style would be awesome for It's retelling

@SuperMuddybuddy

7 ай бұрын

You heard about the book sing a song to Jenny next? It was believed to be a suicide mission

This guy tells a story so well that you fail to notice how good he is.

@KayeWhye

5 ай бұрын

Or how long the video is. I was riveted to the screen, with no concept of how long I'd been watching. THAT, is the great telling of an amazing story. As soon as I post this comment, I am immediately subscribing to this channel. What a find!

@cdpgeorge

5 ай бұрын

I like stories.

Culver Academy still there, in Indiana with great kids. The Cadets often March in parades in DC. Sometimes the Rose Bowl too.

😢EXCELLENT! I've seen a few videos about "Old 666" but this was THE BEST one I've ever. The others didn't give hardly any background info about the crew or the mission. I've always wanted to know more. THANK YOU!

I want a Band of Brothers style series made about these guys and all my favorite guntubers to play the Eager Beavers. Damn right Joe deserved that medal, he was a man of honor.

@bigdrew565

3 ай бұрын

Maybe Tom Hanks will do a companion series or a one-shot.

I read about this mission when I was a kid. When I was in Jr. High, my American History teacher noticed I would eagerly get my work done and start reading the random books he had in the classroom that were, in many cases, very old. One book in particular caught the biggest chunk of my time, it was about the B-17. It was both a technical book and it had stories from ground crews as well as flight crews. One Friday as class let out, he asked me to the desk, handed the book to me and said "Since you have been so careful, I trust you to take this home and you can take your time to read it more thoroughly." I read it in just over a week, and Old 666 had its own section in that book. And I personally want to thank you for bringing these to light in the modern day! Your Korean War videos have been great, as that was a war I actively learned more about even though it was not being actively taught.

@richardmartinez6917

7 ай бұрын

You had a great teacher

@NinjaSushi2

7 ай бұрын

That's a cool story. I was too ADD to sit and read. I wish I had discovered audiobooks as a kid.

@jamesloveall1724

7 ай бұрын

I also read about this mission as a kid. Don't remember the book, or what grade I was in, but never forgot this story.

@3YearsApart1613

6 ай бұрын

You had a great teacher.

Jay zeamer's courage and guts reminds me of the story of john chapman. What a tough american

I commend you for the detailed report...it was fascinating! I had heard of this mission and plane bedore...but the added back story was fabulous! And made it even more amazing! The value of thinking outside the box...and commitment to a common goal...outstanding video Thank you