The RAF was also deploying "Tiger Force" to the area with Lincoln and Lancaster Bombers to be based in Okinawa.

This was the result of a focused and urgent allied effort. Imagine people rallying together behind their government and acting in a trusting, cohesive and united effort towards solving a problem. I am utterly amazed and so proud of what was accomplished in short order back then by the allies. I wonder if we could manage to do such a thing again. Folks need to soberly study WW2 and understand that we are stronger together, rather than fragmented and divided…bickering about what amounts to silly things. That generation paid supreme sacrifices to defeat authoritarians and form a unified coalition in Europe and NATO. Following generations have dutifully defended that. Don’t drop the ball. We need to honor and protect what they worked so hard for.

I still like the b24 better as my grandfather was a top turret in one

Hell yeah. This is my kind of autistic info snack!

🧠

Having just jumped out of a B17, how do I know when I am at the right altitude to pull my chute?

This is always interesting du to the use of original sources.

I normally am not to claustrophobic but oh heck no.

非常好视频，赞美来自中国

I got to fly in a B-17 once.It was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

I was just an infant during WWII. As I became somewhat familiar with the two bomber types, 17 & 24, the B24 seemed superior. BUT I was aware that the B24 wing was more susceptible to complete failure if hit in any critical area, due to its truss construction.

Ya I'm only a B-24 fan because that plane brought my father home all 35 missions he flew over northern Italy, nazi Germany, Austria, the Balkins and southern France. That plane is the reason I'm able to write this comment today and no amount of statistics or matrix can underscore that. Thank you Consolidated from all my heart

From the declassified report: Expectation of 2,500 enemy aircraft. Well that was wrong. I think the air strength was nearly 10,000. Thank goodness it never happened.

Very cool war weapon tech, thanks! I wonder why Hollywood never put these devices in their films?

Wait a second. So a CBS reporter fabricated a story? I would NEVER have thought anyone from CBS would do such a thing. The MSM has been corrupt for decades.

man, i didnt know Ace Visconti flew for the US during WWII, look at him crawl through the tube with such tenacity!

I wonder if a twin tailplane makes an aircraft more vulnerable to battle damage, possibly losing control more easily?

10:12

I appreciate your deep dives into WWII aerial history especially with the associated documentation. I am alway ashtonded at the fatal hubris of the Japanese leadership that , with the possible exception of Yammamoto, apparently had no conception of the true industrial capacity of the USA vs Imperial Japan even given their access to expanded raw material sources in SE Asia during 1942/43. The concept of a Japanese invasion with 14 divisions vs Nomandy with 8 boggles my mind.

One bit of trivia about the planned invasion of Japan is that the American military produced so many Purple Heart medals (awarded to any soldier who was wounded in battle) in anticipation of anticipated losses that it was not until 2022 that new medals needed to be ordered. That gives you some idea of the casualties that were anticipated as a result of the invasion.

Logistics guys! (and gals!) Wars are won by restricting logistics.

Great info and research.

I assume they were planning to move B17 and B24 groups into the area too.

I will never forget movies made by Swiss Airforce people showing emergency landings in Duebendorf Zuerich. Those Liberators came down extremely fast. I was screaming: Slower, for Heaven's sake come down slower! Many, many times the front landing gears collapsed. I had the chance to meet a WW2 Swiss airplane mechanic who was studying the bombers that had made an emergency landings. He told terrible sories of extremely wounded pilots and crew members. He specially recalled a pilot who had been shot though the foot and the bullet had gone up the entire leg and was stuck in his hip bone! As the copilot was dead he had to land suffering like that. He even had to use both legs to land the plane!

I will never forget the footage that was made by the Swiss Army showing emergecy landings with damaged B 24s in Dübendorf Zuerich. Those Liberators came down extremely fast and the front landing gear sheared of many, many times. I was screaming to myself: slower, for Heave's sake come down slower! I had the luck to meet a Swiss veteran airplane mechanic from WW2. He was responsible to study the bombers that landed in Switzerland. He told me terrible stories of extremely wounded pilots and crew members, suffering terrible pain: He specially recalled a pilot who had a bullet wound: The bullet had entered his foot and went up through the entire leg and was stuck in his hip bone. The copilot was dead so he had to land like that. He also needed to use both his feet to steer and land the plane!

this was a pretty cool video, well shot, illustrated and described! Good Job!

250 tons doesn't seem like a lot at first glance but it is approximately what can be carried by 11 eighteen wheelers on US highways.

1:42 is that a model of Dwight from DBD? 😂🤣

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B-29 actually pretty comfy by the looks of it

an excellent book on Downfall is "Hell to Pay" by Giangreco. He took the allied invasion plans, the Japanese defence plans (they had worked out where the allies would land accurately) and added historical weather conditions. It was going to be a lot worse than people think.

Love the detail

nice work !

Excellent video, I subscribed !

I must admit that I don't enjoy what-if scenarios. I know this is based on actual plans, so it's at least somewhat plausible. I hate "what if Germany never attacked Russia" scenarios much more.

I hope you do more videos on Operation Downfall

Japanese had broken codes used for the B-29, and so knew when and where the landings would be.

those losses are nuts

The interior looks pretty comfy, if u ask me

One thing that always grabs me from your videos is just how much *book-keeping* was done in WW2. it's neglected in many dramatic histories (and fair enough, it's not very exciting to most people) but it's amazing how much info there is for dedicated researchers to dig into.

So much great information!👍🏾

I find this articles conclusions surprising, as all information I have previously encountered indicated that' B24 could fly farther, faster, and with a larger bomb load. Its vulnerability to combat damage was obvious. However, had I been a bomber crew man, I would probably have preferred to be in a B17.😊

My Dad was drafted in July of '45 and was in Army Basic Training when the bombs were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He always thought dropping those bombs was a really good idea.

Fun facts. General Marshall had long wanted to use Poison gas but was not allowed by FDR. With Truman, a veteran of front line fighting in the Great War, he got approval. A combination of Atom bombs and persistent gas was to envelope Kyushu except for the areas of allied use making the Japanese areas a wasteland of persistent poison gas and radioactivity

This is such a brilliant piece of analysis! Am I right in thinking the US possibly re-learned and re-applied these lessons in Vietnam and has definitely remembered them in later actions?

Great video. I am a bit surprised to learn the Japanese airforce ceased existing by fall of 1945

Wow that is some massive numbers of Japan has not surrender. I can see now why the fire bombing was a lot more destructive than the A bombs.

Great presentation. The operational research involved in preparation is fascinating and hardly known. Keep up the great work.

Great video...👍

Comparisons as these are problematic. The B26 had a superior loss rate/sortie… was it a better bomber than the B17? Moreover designs were constantly upgraded not only by model A.B etc. but also by block and by each manufacturer. For instance compare the range of the B17 with Tokyo tanks, to the B24 VLR, the VLR is the winner. The B17 had 4 to 5 years to mature than the B24. Between 1935 and 1940, the science of semi monocoque design became more exact. In airplane structures, the idea is meet requirements with minimal weight. The B17, being an earlier design was overbuilt and consequently damage tolerant. A situation where ignorance produced a virtue. The B24 must have something going for it. Something like 5000 more were built than B17s. B24s were used as transports, tankers, anti submarine etc, etc. The N and K models were revving up for production when the war ended. The B17s development ended with the G (early ‘44). (However the B29 may have had something to do with this) I agree with the premise the ‘17 was a better bird for Europe than the B24. But, on the other hand, George Kenney, 5th Air Force (SWPA), wanted B24s not B17s. The B24VLRs in ‘43 closed the Greenland gap to Uboats. Arguably the most important contribution of a single aircraft type to the European theatre. Had it not done so there would have been no bombs to drop, gas to burn, or food to the UK. Britain and USSR would have folded. Cheers