A Wingtip and a Prayer: the Insane Way British Pilots Defeated Germany’s Secret Weapon

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[@TodayIFoundOut]

Thanks to Brilliant for sponsoring this video! Go to brilliant.org/Brainfood/ to get a 30-day free trial + the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual subscription.

[@taboovsknowledge1603]

Flying through the V1 explosion that causes an absence of air molecules that your aircraft needs for stability, and the rotation of the propeller making the plane role 180 degrees is something I didn't know. You fly into the cloud right side up and out upside down is a trip!

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

I remember my brother's father in law telling us about how to down doodlebugs. He described flying at several hundred miles an hour, next to a halt a tonne of high explosive, as "Quite frankly bloody terrifying!"

[@xXScissorHandsXx]

That pucker level 11 in British seems so much more saucey lol

[@danielcurtis1434]

Actually closer to 2 tons than 1 (1650 pounds).

[@billspence1799]

In the olden times a ton was 1760 pounds. And later it became 2240 pounds and the mile shrank to 1760 yards 😊

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

​@@billspence1799 Do you also still measure weight in "stone" whatever the hell that means?

[@myaldeade]

​@@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883isn't a stone several kilo's? As in meters, as in used by most of the world

[@Nathan-vt1jz]

One of the big mistakes of the German’s bombing (by aircraft and the V-1) of England was to switch from military targets to civilian targets. It didn’t break English resolve and simultaneously failed to significantly reduce England’s fighting capabilities. It’s similar to what Russia is doing in Ukraine.

[@richardvernon317]

It caused the UK a lot of problems they could have really done without.

[@rationallyruby]

@@richardvernon317yes but what it also did was unite the country and basically trauma bonded the whole nation.

[@captaintoyota3171]

EVERY time a general or leader thinks "the loses will break them" it only solidifies the population and they fight to last man woman child. Humans can endure insane things when they have nothing to lose or are indoctrinated with an ideal beyond themselves.

[@dilanbrinkley3587]

Soldiers fight harder when it's not only their lives but also their families' lives on the line.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

To be honest, historically speaking, attacking the civilian population of an enemy with anywhere close to military parity usually only has the effect of pissing them off and strengthening their resolve.

[@johndilday1846]

My father was in the US Army during this time, stationed near Folkestone with his unit, the 127th AAA gun battalion. His unit was assigned to shoot down the V1s as they crossed over the Cliffs of Dover. He used to tell stories about the layered defenses set up wherein fighter planes were assigned to tackle the V1s before they reached the coast, then the AAA guns were supposed to take over, the more fighter planes further inland, and then guns, and so on. He spoke of watching as British Spitfires would catch up to the V1s and the pilots would tip the V1s over using their wings, causing the V1s to plummet to the earth and explode. He said that the US radar got so good that the V1s didn’t stand a chance (no pilot, so no evasive flying) and they could hit the V1s with just a shot or two due to their proximity fuses on their 90mm anti aircraft shells.

[@tonywilson4713]

I'm Australian and used to know an ex-British pilot who flew these missions. Sadly he's gone now, but this was one of the few things he'd discuss about his military time. He flew a clipped wing gun-less Spitfire.

[@angrybigfoot752]

Beating a bomb with a wooden hammer 😂😂 truly shows their desperation to make it work at the end of the war

[@DrPsychlops]

Props who whoever wrote this script, the jabs at the V2 were hilarious

[@captaintoyota3171]

Dear god flying through an explosions vacuum and surviving in a prop plane must have been incredible experience

[@alexandergausJTP]

Well- incredibly frightening for sure. I would probably s**t myself just trying to get a plane in the air...

[@R2debo_]

Great documentary, thanks for posting (and the algorithm for bringing it to my attention). Clearly, genuine heroes are seldom obedient people. Not only did they help save a lot of people, they even helped saving a state! A very deep bow I make to Al Schwimmer and his team.

[@seanlander9321]

Significant error in the documentary, the first pilot to flip a flying bomb was the Australian pilot Ken Collier. There’s film of him at the Imperial War Museum afterwards and the story of how he had used up his ammunition and decided on the flip using the airflow over his wing.

[@getnohappy]

That quote at the end is fascinating. A good reminder even in peace time to any leader embarking on a "prestige" project.

[@peterdollins3610]

Those who experienced the doodlebug said the nerve wracking thing was when the engine stopped as you never knew if it'd drop on you or a quarter of a mile off.

[@Lady_Asylum]

Last time I was this early the writers still knew what sunlight looks like

[@RPGeenius]

Well i guess I know where the phrase "a wing and a prayer "came from now. Also I can't get the theme song to the ' Great American Hero' out of my head 😅!

[@cognitivedissidents4642]

I knew the terms V-1 and Buzzbomb but didn’t know until now about “Doodlebug.”

[@drjamespotter]

Wing Commander Roland Beamount was later the chief test pilot at English Electric and British Aerospace. He test flew the Canberra, Lightning and Tornado.

[@seanlander9321]

The first pilot to flip a doodlebug was Ken Collier RAAF 91 Sqdn on 23.6.1944. He was killed over Germany on 5.12.1944.

[@raleighsaling2206]

VOLKSWAGEN from killing machines to the cutest little cars of all time what a story that company actually has

[@jonnywatts2970]

Diesel scam proved they're still shite

[@allangibson8494]

Actually not actually Volkswagen - the predecessor company made transport vehicles (the Wehrmacht equivalent of the Jeep). These were based on exactly the same chassis as the Beetle (and a high percentage were identical). Volkswagen was completely refounded in 1946 as a British owned company… Porsche on the other hand built tanks (like the Tiger).

[@slake9727]

They also sell more sausages than cars every year.

[@jonnywatts2970]

@@allangibson8494 fair enough

[@seanhall5385]

Those cute little cars were personally endorsed by A.H. volks-vagen, peoples car designed by f. Porche. To be as much and no more than anyone would need. More cars/longest production of any car, production ended in s.amarica in the 90's.

[@RealShebang]

Like a V2 rocket, I too am powered by alcohol and oxygen.

[@earlyriser8998]

loved the cost comparison at the end

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

My mum and aunts lived in Doodlebug alley, in South East London. The ones that freaked you out were V2, they have no warning.

[@jmanj3917]

You would probably know better than I would know, Brain Boy, but I don't think that these weapons achieved their desired effects in that your people were able to, "Keep calm and carry on". In other words, if the German High Command thought they were going to be terrorizing the people of London with Doodlebugs, then I would have to argue that maybe, at first, yes; there was some good, old-fashioned terrorizing going on. But from everything I've ever read or watched, you guys were pretty stoic about the whole thing. Minus one point for Ze Bad Guyz, and a plus ten for the Good Guys.

[@GardinerAlan]

Yeah, that's pretty much accurate (I'm from Bethnal Green where the first one fell). Survivors said they got used to it pretty quickly and would just run to a shelter when needed (much like Ukrainians in cities now). There was one tragedy where there was a crush at the entrance to the Underground (metro) tunnel shelter. So they did cause pain and terror for a short time but even then people knew it just spite with nothing to back it up. The Nazis were losing and would soon be driven out of range.

[@alexandergausJTP]

Your way to pronounce german words did get a lot better! For someone who probably doesn't even speak german at all it's especially good.

[@LordInter]

my great uncle Ted grew up in SE London, V1 did tons of damage, the V2 "just went wump and put a bloody big hole in the ground"

[@t5ruxlee210]

The V2 resulted from a long term German Army rocket research program. It fell within their exclusive spending area since government bureaucrats had early on ruled it was a ballistic item, with obvious flight characteristics similar to large size artillery ammunition.

[@Video-Game-OST-HQ]

Idea for a video: What happens if you get sued for an insane amount and you are just a normal person who can’t pay off a $30,000,000 lawsuit on your $50,000-per-year job? Are you going to have to pay something for the rest of your life? Do you have to pay a lower compensatory amount? Do you have to file bankruptcy? Do you file paperwork saying you can’t afford this and move on with your life? Something else?

[@RabidJohn]

The first time I saw footage of a Tomahawk cruise missile, I thought, "Ah, they didn't nick just the V2s then." It's a clear evolution of the V1 concept. Considering how technologically advanced Germany was at that time, we are so bloody lucky they didn't get the atom bomb...

[@solandri69]

Note that the Tomahawk was developed before GPS was widely available (or reliable). It generated a 3D radar map of the terrain it was flying over, and compared it to a 3D map of its pre-programmed route to determine its course to target. One of the most impressive things I remember from the Gulf War was video of a dozen Tomahawks flying to their target, one after the other, flying over the exact same place on the exact same route. Despite each one guiding itself independently, they were all flying within a meter of the same route as each other (large portions of their route had obviously been cut and pasted to save programming time). Basically, the design of the V1 as a vehicle was sound. Its problem was guidance.

[@gerrymichaud3851]

I read about this in a book about the RAF and the V1 bombs.

[@chrislong3938]

Over 3000 V2s! Wow!!! The film of one hitting (I'm surprised you didn't show that) really gives a sense of how powerful they were! It's a damned good thing that they didn't work well, but when they did, yikes!!!

[@Alitmos]

Is anyone else wondering how he was credited with killing half of a V-1? Couldn’t find anything online after Simon didn’t elaborate. 😂

[@usvalve]

1:38 Muffler: British - warm article of outdoor clothing. US - silencer in exhaust system.

[@MichaelEilers]

Seems like we need a Barrage Balloons video, what the heck are those??

[@voornaam3191]

2:40 engineer Pulse Schmidt. Yes, you heard it right.

[@skyden24195]

Okay, that whole thing with prop-aircraft being turned upside down after flying through the vacuum created by the V-1 explosion. I understand it is a "laws-of-physics" thing, but a more detailed explanation of what is actually going on with all the elements involved during one of these "laws-of-physics" events I think would be rather fascinating to know... ...maybe tomorrow, if not today I found out. 😉

[@ehzmia]

Wings can not do anything without air to act against. The engine exerts toque on the plane body which is normally counteracted by the lifting forces of the wings. While in the vacuum the wings no longer provide a counter force to the engine so the body starts to spin opposite the propeller. Like how helicopters' have a back propeller to counter the engine trying to turn the body. Without a counter force an engine will spin both sides.

[@skyden24195]

@@ehzmia Ah, okay, I get it. It was the lift on the wings, or actually, the temporary lack thereof that I was overlooking. Plus, I think I underestimated the size of the vacuum space that is created. Makes sense now. Thanks.

[@mrmeowmeow710]

Those guys had a truck load of guts God love and bless them👍👍

[@solandri69]

It's one of the reasons fighting defense is more successful than fighting offense. Each of those pilots knew that if they didn't bring down that V1 they were chasing, it could kill a dozen or more people on the ground. So they did absolutely everything in their power to down them. Even if it meant risking their aircraft and their life.

[@Dizzle93]

It's crazy I'm starting to see these videos as soon as they're dropped now. No notification at all. ❤❤❤

[@kevinfoster1138]

A wing tip to send a bomb out of control wow we sure are lucky we had such brave men and women in WWII or this world may be a different place.

[@captaintoyota3171]

They where mostly children its pretty incredible

[@christopherbrodie6987]

One of my relatives died doing this. He tipped it and it exploded. I believe he was flying a Beaufighter.

[@jsl151850b]

*Thanks!* I had heard that tipping was hardly ever used but you say it became S.O.P. Please elaborate on that one 1/2 victory.

[@ukusagent]

You Dont mention the Fact that the Amazing DeHavilland Mosquito was the most Sucsessful Aircraft in countering them 623 victories

[@simonbeaird7436]

Actual figures from RAF records. Hawker Tempest: 638. Mosquito: 623. Spitfire Mk. 14: 303. Mustang: 232. Other types.158. The most successful squadron was No. 3 Squadron, flying Tempests, who shot down 305.

[@wesleymorris6862]

At 15:30 in the video there's a big math error in the example of London's defense of the v1's. "Of the 94 bombs launched on Aug 28th 100 were brought down in total..." (65 plus 33 plus 2) so I have no clue how efficient defenses were against them. The military reporting was obviously propaganda at the time (I assume lol)

[@willowmoon7]

"Doodlebug" is way to adorable a nickname for such a devastating weapon, do better people in the past.

[@briangreen6602]

Someone watched Most Secret War episode on secret weapons, then took the script for the intro.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Why on earth was the bomb fuselage not made from wood? Goering was upset that UK had the wooden Mosquito. Way did he not demand the V1 be made of wood?

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

18:38 - Source?

[@alcook8366]

It was (is) at Mile End, not Bethnal Green

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

This is an amazing story as good luck was also on the British's side at that time.

[@jmanj3917]

14:20 Lol...Noice!!

[@mclovin6829]

Even in a cartoon parody of Nazi Germany, calling the newspaper Das Reich seems a bit on-the-nose

[@peghead]

In WWII, fighter kills were either aerial or ground kills, sometimes, confirmed ground kills were counted as 1/2, maybe a V1 crashed, did not detonate and was destroyed by strafing, just throwing it out there, would appreciate comments.

[@benshakespeare268]

Where I’m from we just go cow tipping 🥴

[@QBCPerdition]

Try cow tipping with a plane, though 😂

[@Matthew-ix1mq]

Ah the good old days!

[@wesadams5128]

Only 17000 for a v2 back in the day? Don't let North Korea find out about that. Damn, even I could afford that!

[@dogstar5572]

When will agent zig zag get a movie?

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

I find the music rather distracting (maybe it*s only a tad too 'loud'). Also I feel it would help, if you overlayed designations and names in original language, next to Simon trying his best to pronounce them correctly (which doesn't always make them easy to understand).

[@EleanorPeterson]

Um... The audio could do with a bit more compression. It's hard to find a volume setting that isn't either BLARINGLY LOUD or annoyingly whisper-quiet.

[@auro1986]

why didn't they do same for v2?

[@Isaac-hy3hc]

The V2 was significantly quicker than the V1, no one had an aircraft at the time that could get close enough to even shoot at it, let alone wingtip it.

[@GardinerAlan]

@@Isaac-hy3hc Plus it had a different trajectory making it harder to find & track. And finally, the Nazis barely got any sites operational before they were bombed by Allied airforces or overrun by ground troops after D-day

[@joshuaortiz2031]

The V2 is a ballistic missile that goes into space during it's trajectory. good luck trying to intercept that with the aircraft available at the time.

[@Meeckle]

So Volkswagen made the Bug (Beetle) and the Doodlebug 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@MandleRoss]

Wow, never been this early before, unless you ask my wife.

[@travisinthetrunk]

Ooh, self burn. Those are rare.

[@MandleRoss]

@@travisinthetrunk hahaha, cheers!

[@BadgerBadgerBadger28]

How do you get a half victory

[@scotts918]

How the hell do you take down 59 *and a ½* V-1 missiles 🤔

[@GregPodster133]

Muffler 😂😂😂😂😂. 👍👍♥️♥️

[@MeppyMan]

Ads are fine. You gotta get paid for all your awesome and interesting videos. But ads at the start of the videos are beyond annoying.

[@kittymervine6115]

were they produced by slave labor? Supposedly the incredibly bad treatment of these slaves, left them weak and they just died and died, but there were always new poorly fed and weak replacements. I wonder if there was ever a comparison between slave labor quality and people paid, say as in the UK.

[@nitricoxidegod]

🎉

[@HarryNicNicholas]

chaff.

[@PassiveAssassin]

But can you wingtip in Battlefield V?

[@TheEvilAngel_8]

59... and a half victories... how do you get half a victory?

[@battlesheep2552]

The germans should have fired a V8

[@I_AM_VOID_BEATS]

My favorite Wikipedia regurgitation channel

[@dannywilliamson3340]

"Insane"? Come on, Simon. Your vocabulary is better than that. Please quit reinforcing the mindless millennial drivel.

[@rationallyruby]

I really hope this is a joke… Because of everything you could commented you chose this? You need to reevaluate your life choices.

[@dannywilliamson3340]

@@rationallyruby It IS lonely out here on the educated frontier.

[@bahasainggeris7884]

Love your channel, but the background music is distracting. I might have to stop watching if the channel continues to use it. PLEASE stop using background music. Thanks

[@MikkellTheImmortal]

Simon, I must apologize, I accidentally hit the 👎 but hit the 👍 immediately after.

[@SkiSkillsMontana]

I would watch a lot more of your videos if you did not suddenly yell😢 Please stop it is quite annoying

[@philipkudrna5643]

All very insightful - but unfortunately Simon‘s attempts of speaking German are nearly unintelligible…! Almost every German word was mispronounced to an extent that made it very hard to decipher for a native speaker. Next time, maybe have google or some native speaker pronounce the words. I understand that certain German sounds are hard to pronounce, especially for English speakers, however „Eisbar“ (Ice bar) and „Eisbär“ (polar bear) are totally different words, and „ein“ („a“ or „into“ as prefix) is different to „eins“, which is „one“.

[@mhschmidt01]

If you really talk this fast in person, I would not listen to you 😢

[@illthinkofanameinabit]

Reminds me of when I was at school and had to give my report before I was allowed to go for lunch and knowing my mates were already outside picking teams for football.

[@fuiehfjfcnsl]

Ein Kommentar

[@Pepsi_Addicted]

first

[@jeff_AZ]

How did that wing commander fit into plane with balls so enormous.

[@velonico]

My God... are you going to waste 20 minutes of my day to talk about the Revolutionary idea of bumping the rocket... You continue to show your lack of worth.