809 Squadron Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm: The Immortals

[@shinjiikari1021]

Will you do a video on the 818 squadron?

[@alganhar1]

Troop training and quality wise the BEF of 1914 was probably the best Army Britain has ever fielded. Their equipment was also top notch for the time with one important exception, its heavy Artillery, it had virtually none, and what it did have were almost entirely obsolete guns. Its rifle was first class in the SMLE, both light and heavy machineguns (Lewis and Vickers respectively) were as good at least as anyone else's, though there were relatively few Lewis guns at this stage due t it being newly adopted. Its medium and Light artillery were acceptable (medium) to excellent (Field Artillery). Hell even its uniform and webbing were cutting edge for the time period. This was a well equipped, superbly trained army, and they were almost all dead or wounded by 1915. By mid 1915 the professional pre war British Army was literally gone. Despite the quality of both equipment and men for the time (except that heavy artillery of course) it was miniscule. In 1914 the BEF combat formations consisted of 4 Infantry Divisions in 2 Corps, and a Cavalry Corps. 6 Divisions in total. As Dr Clarke said, quite correctly, though of very high quality the BEF was simply too small for a war like it found itself fighting, and small, highly trained armies suffer disproportionately in high casualty wars because its MUCH more difficult to replace those superbly trained troops you are losing at a horrific rate. The British Army had to relearn how to fight in 1916 in part because most of those professionals were gone. They were dead, or wounded badly enough to be permanent losses, and so the British Army lost the lessons those highly trained and by 1916 highly experienced professionals could have passed on. It took years for Britain to rebuild to anything like the same quality....

[@bremnersghost948]

Recently read the book Harrier 809, Can't recommend it high enough, Best book on the Falklands I have ever read.

[@grahambuckerfield4640]

Rowland White, superb aviation author since his first best seller, ‘Vulcan 607’. He covered 809 NAS in ‘Phoenix Squadron’ about a very obscure operation from HMS Ark Royal in 1972. Then I agree, his Harrier 809. In the afterword of Harrier 809, he quoted the then First Sea Lord on announcing 809 as the FAA F-35 unit, who approved of 617 Sqn being the lead F-35 unit as ‘they did their best work over water’.

[@TannithVQ]

I absolutely love Doctor Clarkes channel. (Grin into camera and fade to black)

[@squirepraggerstope3591]

A fascinating point on UAVs and that currently no fast combat craft of the "Loyal Wingman" type is being built either for use on STOVL carriers or, for that matter, on CATOBAR ships. However, I'd suggest that for several reasons, eventual provision of such UAVs to operate alongside and be controlled from manned craft like the F35, will be practically easier to realise for CATOBAR operation. The which is maybe acknowledged implicitly by the programme for partial reconfiguration of the QEs for hybrid use. Albeit this itself is arguably intended to be directed (rather covertly) by our Civil Service vermin at ensuring preemptively that the option eventually put into effect will dictate, at best, a grossly inefficient "bargain basement" solution. One that will both side-step the (i.m.h.o. essential) move to an angled flight deck layout and also predetermines low limits on specified maximum catapult and arrestor assembly capacities. All of which is intended to preclude anything other than UAVs (and not all of those!) ever actually being able to operate from the ships.

[@BeastofCaerBannog]

Can't help buy think that any manned aircraft for that role will have to be twin seat. That's a lot of extra work for an already very busy pilot.

[@USAACbrat]

tim from Florida

[@squirepraggerstope3591]

PS: re the question of Britain's readiness for WW1, as you point out, the RN was clearly well equipped and ready (at least insofar as any service arm of any nation is ever 'ready' for a 'new' war after a preceding long period of peacetime operation). The army, however, as you also make clear, was in nothing approaching the same state (despite it having significantly more recent experience in Southern Africa). Although in that specific case I'd suggest the obvious reason was our establishment's habitual myopia in failing to recognise what would be virtually certain to be required of us if a land war was to be prosecuted with any hope of success, were we stupid enough to become involved at all alongside the French and Russians. In brief, that it would force a huge, "worst of all worlds" departure from our established successful practice over the previous two centuries. Namely, 1) a complete reversal in military policy that would oblige us to commit huge land forces to a main continental European theatre, yet 2) while still requiring us to lay out astronomical sums to support major allies, despite them no longer being capable of open-endedly furnishing the overwhelming bulk of those land forces themselves.

[@michaelsteven7469]

could you do a video on 892 squadron please?

[@paulamos8970]

BZ Dr Clarke, really need to watch out for FRA's double tagging you 😂 Hope you recover quickly.

[@steveclarke6257]

Alex, you are aware of my opinion of the current "political class" we have in Westminster. A group so paranoid and short sighted that they are both simultaneously arrogant and paranoid in equal measure; with the word "Muppet" ( more than occasionally used to describe them ) is unkind to actual "Muppets" who fulfill a useful function.. that of being entertaining. I think I have a reason which may explain why it is just getting worse the more time that passes, they as a group don't have enough experience, training or actual "backbone", very few of them have actually served in "active duty" in our armed forces or in civil units like the police (; there are some who are reservists but most have never actually been called up to active duty), and those who have been on active duty seem to be unable to gather enough time as a minister in one of the important departments. What these party machines want are "people who look good Infront of a TV camera", over those with the "on the ground practical experience" and it's these "party political machines" with that focus on media as it's sole laser focus which are our problem- we are condemned to this"dirth of actual talent" in the 650 people who are deemed to be "electable" as a result.

[@TheDoctorMonkey]

“Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial receives operating support from the New Jersey Department of State and…” ?

[@ianwalter62]

Dr Clarke, it would be rather good if you could do 805 Squadron RAN FAA, which had a wartime career 1940-45 on RN decks, therefollowedby a long cold war history, which included occasional reporting as VF-805. Incidentally, there is no truth to the rumour that the RAN has the ski-jump light deck add-ons for the Adelaides stored in a shed at Garden Island. Additionally, allegations that RAAF pilots have been on rotation to USMC MAG 13 learning to fly F35-B, are total nonsense. Hasn't happened ;-)

[@andrewcox4386]

Rather than a squadron how about Eugene Esmonde VC?

[@DrAlexClarke]

next year is going to be the year of leadership... so I'm leaving a lot of the personal stories/histories to next year, when I shall introduce the Key People series, alongside Key Aircraft & Key Ships to the Friday rota as well...

[@20chocsaday]

The idea of 'winning' the Cold War was an insult to me and others at the time. We seem to have so few naval pilots that they might all know each other personally. It makes me think of the infantry "pals" regiments but they are better trained, more like the Old Contempables. Neither lasted very long against weapons they could not train against. The number of people able to service the planes bothers me. I would like to think that they are easy to service and quick to restore to full operating capacity. But it a carrier goes down... About Capt. Eric Brown, an accomplished pilot but I don't know if he could find a plane difficult that an ordinary pilot could not handle. He read the literature and said I can do it. Could ordinary pilots do that?

[@DrAlexClarke]

He was a fairly accurate metric though as a test pilot, the aircraft he said would be difficult for regular pilots were, the ones he said were good were loved... remember his skills were great, but the thing which made him a test pilot was ability to analyse & step out of himself and examine things from the perspective needs of others. Ps. There often was much literature for him to read, in fact he often wrote much of it which would guide future pilots... 😉

[@20chocsaday]

@@DrAlexClarke Thank you. I was probably thinking too much about the difficulty he wrote about trying to get (?RAF) pilots to operate a loaded mosquito from a carrier. (I am sure it was mosquito.) But that difficulty might simply have been the end of Japan and so no targets left.

[@TheDoctorMonkey]

Like! Share! Subscribe! worship! warship!

[@lesliemitchell4984]

Are the fully research assistants not getting another treats and this was their revenge for you over working? From someone who has landed on a carrier it's a semi controlled emergency landing and hurts like f**k.

[@strydyrhellzrydyr1345]

Ohhhhh piss... People saying anything remotely like. You are slxking off. They can just... Just stop, just stop it. I wanted to say many many other words, but i dont want to disrespect Doc's Channel. If anyone thinks anything like that about Doc...

[@juicysushi]

Bravo Zulu. If you can, something on the Sundowners or the Jolly Rogers of the USN could be interesting as other squadrons to look at.