KAMIKAZE: HMS Illustrious, April 6, 1945

[@rorybrown9750]

My Father CPO George Brown was an engineering articifer in charge of damage control teams on HMS Formidable, his teams repaired Kamikaze damage including pouring quick setting concrete into dents in the deck, he also helped remove burnt bodies from compartments when the petrol from the planes tanks poured into them. Hardly ever spoke about it but he had nightmares all of his life until he died in 1997. Rest in peace Dad.

[@jeffmoore9487]

It's very kind of you to share a little bit of your dad with us. These huge events are always about individual people as much as nations.

[@barrymorley796]

Respect.

[@robertsmart203]

Yes there was an old man living close to me he was on formidable ! Danny rackham he told me even 5years before he died he had nightmares and woke in cold sweats because of what went on

[@tonyalanmarchant7330]

Thankyou .An thanks for your dad!!that was a great bit of history. From another brit x

[@richardmcgonigle1160]

The formid.😊

[@maggiepeberdy8974]

My father, Tony Stratton, was an Avenger navigator on the Illustrious at this time. It has been an emotional experience to watch this footage.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

'Lest we forget ...'

[@danmessenger2356]

Mine too - Ronald Messenger. Great to see this footage.

[@harlenburke8535]

My father was ashore with B Co 1st Batt 22 Reg 6th Div.

[@brandons9398]

I thank all of your fathers for their service. Forever allies

[@princetonburchill6130]

Back in 1998, I came off my motorbike breaking an arm. I grabbed a paperback entirely at random from my bookshelf to read in A&E to pass the time because I knew I would be waiting for hours to be examined. I had to have the bones reset in an operation and had to stay in a ward overnight. When I came round after the operation I started reading that paperback. It was entitled 'Carrier Pilot' by Norman Hanson who flew Corsairs off HMS Illustrious during WW2. There were screens all around the bed next to mine and when they were removed the patient was an elderly man and we started chatting to each other. He asked me what I was reading, and when I showed it to him he chuckled for a bit and then he told me that he had served aboard Illustrious as a pilot during the war and that he knew Norman Hanson. How about that for a weird coincidence? I was off home later that day with my arm in a sling leaving behind that paperback with my new found friend to read. He posted it back to me a few days later with a lovely covering letter which I keep as a bookmark and a souvenir to this day of an amazing encounter. Unfortunately, I discovered he had passed away a few days later when I went to pay him a visit.

[@cncshrops]

Thank you for sharing that story.

[@Teacher-lj6in]

Amazing history! Thanks for sharing kind sir

[@simonosullivan1660]

I'm from Ireland, and my Grandfather was on that Carrier Hms Illustrious as an anti aircraft gunner, He is probably somewhere in that footage, I have his navel records he was also awarded the Burma Star for bravery

[@harrylime2842]

Thank you for his service.

[@simonosullivan1660]

@rogerpenney He was at the campaign of the coast of Bay of Bengal when Illustrious returned to the Indian ocean, the award was expanded to navy any other military personnel. I have my Grandfather's records and discharge papers he was a war hero and i am proud of him

[@goldreserve]

​@rogerpenney Are you missing the point? Probably x20 more service personnel died in ww2 without being awarded gallantry medals.

[@flagwanker6346]

So you have records of his belly button then

[@tonyalanmarchant7330]

@@simonosullivan1660 I'm so grateful for your dad an for you sharing this info thankyou

[@davidthompson4662]

I think it was 1964/5, I was a steward on the p&o ship Oronsay, full of elderly American tourist, we were in Kobe with HMS Illustrious. Her captain had invited the cities dignitries to a cocktail party with a buffet. When these Japanese went onboard the Illustrious and saw her Battle Honours, they asked for them to be removed, the captain refused, so enmass they all just walked off. Capt. Vickers our captain, was RNR. Having heard what had happened, over the Tannoy, he explained to the crew and passengers that we were all invited to go aboard the warship. Our American passengers were furious, and to a man & woman took up the offer. So did the crew of Oronsay. What a party we had.

[@richardmcgonigle1160]

My grandfather's sister ship. He was on HMS Victorious.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

There is a video on Victorious also

[@simonreynolds6255]

My grandfather was a cpo on illustrious, when under attack he lead a Pom Pom crew, a few time in 45 they were manned for 48 hours continuously...

[@fearsomebows]

Amazing to hear actual accounts from people who were on the illustrious, my granddad was one of them and he is still alive today at 94. heard so many stories from his time in the pacific, and his account of what happened when the Kamikaze attacked the ship. like was said the Japanese aircraft was going straight for the captain on the conning tower.

[@johnhooper4782]

My father John Hooper (now sadly deceased) served on the Illustrious during this time as a Royal Marine. I wonder if they knew of each other. He was a gunnery loader and played the trombone within the ships official band.

[@fearsomebows]

@@johnhooper4782 my granddad was a gunnery loader as well i think he was on a Oerlikon, It is possible www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_illustrious_87_nominal_list_1944.htm have a look to see if your granddads name is on here mine is

[@onlythewise1]

ya my dad was there he would be 101 now ,was at pearl to fight . fought the whole war didn't come in last two months like some

[@johnhooper4782]

@@fearsomebows Thanks for that info, yes my dad is listed under the Royal Marines section - musician.

[@steriskyline4470]

@@onlythewise1 you Americans just can’t cope with the fact the brits did a bang up job in the pacific can you? I bet your father was a lot more appreciative.

[@99IronDuke]

Excellent video on Royal Navy history.

[@simonsaorsa]

Another wonderful video. Thank you!

[@nickyburnell]

Thanks for this. I didn't know about this part of the Illustrious history. Dad was on deck during Med bombing, later becoming Cheif ERA on the Cavendish. She certainly had a hard life!

[@wretchedfibs4306]

It's good of you to make sure it's now the remembered fleet.

[@seanpadgett3053]

The worlds a sadder place without guys like these.

[@mikes7639]

Who the japs?

[@themajesticmagnificent8561]

Your videos are amazing.Thank you.!👍

[@TheUnhappyPlagueDoctor]

My friend great grandpa is Gerald tuck he was one of the captain of the hms illustrious

[@wretchedfibs4306]

at 10:50 there's a plaque saying 'Formidable' I know from my dad that Formidable got hit by 2 of them but shot down lots and got mentioned by Churchill in a book or dispatch. He was gunnery and went up in a plane once that towed a target behind it so the guns could practice and when they landed again he recommended that the tow rope to the target be doubled or tripled in length:)

[@peterhulme9511]

I have read Nimitz was inclined to oppose the politically based thinking of Washington to reject the services of the BPF carrier group because their great value against Kamikaze largely based in Korea,, especially when the final attack on Japan came .

[@timlee3585]

My uncle JOC Lee (Flt-Lt) was one of the four Deck Landing Officers ('ping-pong bat men of the type shown at 4.01 and 12.21)) who went off to the Pacific on HMS Illustrious. By the time the kamikaze attacks happened he was the only surviving DLO- the others sadly had been killed by prop blades. (The Corsairs assigned to Illustrious had very poor landing visibility and had to be guided in up to the last minute by the DLO who had to stand up almost in their path and often had to dive into a pit to survive). 'Joc' as he was known was the only DLO for the final part of the tour and was technically on call 24 hours a day for several months- he survived on quick wits and rum and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for this.

[@davewellings6281]

A good Read is "Carrier Pilot" by Norman Hanson (Corsair pilot on the Illustrious).

[@patmancrowley8509]

F4-U Corsaire. Love those birds!

[@cvince2862]

My father was in this battle on 'Lusty', he used to tell me about the Kamikaze attacks, also about their run ashore in Sydney, I don't think I was told everything about what they got up to! He passed just over 5 years ago, made 90 though.

[@johnmehaffey9953]

To be fair when I read the history of the pacific war the senior officers do say that the Royal Navy did contribute towards defence of the fleet at Okinawa and other battles plus the Australian Royal Navy played a large part in battles alongside the American navy

[@anonymusum]

Very interesting watching the vids and listening to witnesses. Thanks a lot!

[@caractacusbrittania7442]

It took the Japanese ten years to Bring their forces to war readiness For 1941 both in material and manpower. 4 years later ....after their inglorious attack on pearl.....they were reduced to suicide missions to try to stem the tide of righteous fury Steadily but surely bearing down On them. 1400 allied ships at okinawa A taste of things to come.

[@JOYOUSONEX]

Excellent video. These guys were very brave men. I cannot understand why American carriers had wooden decks instead of metal decks.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

Less weight up high in the ship. As well as less weight overall, which meant you could build a bigger ship for your weight available. The timber was chosen for its practical properties also: less slippery and didn't spark when struck by metal.

[@victornewman9904]

Armoured Carriers : wood was cheaper and faster to build, but difficult to repair. The USN didn't have the RN experience of operating in contested airspace.

[@criffermaclennan]

A special generation

[@nobbytang]

Christopher MacLennan All had a common cause ...

[@jackem8922]

Great series of videos. But why take perfectly good B&W clips and overlay horizontal stripes over them to make the details less distinct? Makes no sense to me.

[@jameshunter5485]

God bless Task Force 57. Their CAP over Taiwan and attention from the Japanese were instrumental in allowing the US Navy to stay on the scene during the Battle for Okinawa. Some think that Admiral Nimitz didn’t want the Commonwealth Navy in the Pacific, but to the contrary, it was Chief of Naval Operations Admiral King who seemed to carry a personal grudge against the RN. Nimitz was quoted many times as having great appreciation for Task Force 57.

[@markkover8040]

British involvement in the Pacific was purely political and nothing more. An entire separate logistics system had to be created to accommodate the British task force. Task Force 57 could only do sustained combat operations for three days at best before needing to replenish supplies and fuel, whereas American carrier task groups could go double that amount of time. The point being, British Task Force 57 really wasn't needed by the U.S. Navy to secure the air and waters around Okinawa, but it did make the job easier.

[@jameshunter5485]

@@markkover8040 I suppose the Americans didn’t “need” Commonwealth forces to defeat the Japanese, but the contribution of these forces were important. The British and Indian armies in Burma, the Australians in New Guinea, the Australian Navy’s support of the USN in various Pacific battles and yes Task Force 57 were helpful and Chester Nimitz said so.

[@markkover8040]

@@jameshunter5485 I'm only referring to Task Force 57. Remember that both Nimitz and King didn't see any need for a British naval task force being sent to the Pacific. They knew that the U.S. military had the capability to take Okinawa on its own without any assistance from any other nation. Nimitz and King knew that they would have to provide the majority of the logistical support for any British task force. And since British replenishment at sea methods were considerably behind those of America's, it would have to be a different system altogether. Winston Churchill forced Task Force 57 upon the U.S. Navy because he wanted British involvement at the end to shore up the reasoning for Britain's colonies in the Pacific. Task Force 57 wasn't necessary for the success of the invasion of Okinawa. It was, however, helpful. Was that assistance worth all the additional logistical efforts it took to supply and sustain the task force? Politically and prestige-wise for Britain it certainly was. For America, not so much.

[@davidtaylor351]

It is largely irrelevant whether some Americans wanted them or not! British interests and territories had been attacked by Japan! In that regard, it was no different to Pearl Harbour! Therefore, the British Commonwealth, as it was then called, was at war with Japan! And as such....Didn't need American 'permission' to fight back! However, in the end, by mutual agreement. The war against the Axis Powers was a combined Allied effort! And particularly with regard to the US and British Commonwealth. - That included - mutual logistics support and supply agreements.

[@baker2niner]

​@@markkover8040 Britain's participation was a political necessity, above military question. As a nod to Churchill, Roosevelt recognized that Britain had to be there at the end to maintain a Commonwealth. More important to the US were close British allies demonstrating a strong forces in the Pacific. It supported his negotiations with Stalin the following month in Yalta as the 2 divided the world. He could surround the USSR.

[@devildogcrewchief3335]

Hand salute to the British sailors of World War 2...

[@Cdntrvler54]

As we approach November 11.. LEST WE FORGET.. When I go to any cenotaph, I place 3 Poppies.. Past Present & Future..

[@spreadeagled5654]

The early model Corsairs had stiff oleo struts and were very bouncy when landing on the carrier deck.

[@JJbm4233]

Fantastic video, even better than I’ve come to expect for this channel and it’s content. I wish more videos were made on the British Pacific Fleet, and their ability to easily whether typhoons or kamikaze attack.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

Thanks. I have done most of the kamikaze attacks against the RN carriers, and an overview of the Sakishima campaign. But I will try to revisit the BPF this year.

[@johnnyfortpants1415]

Great stuff.

[@ВладимирДанилов-ь8ч]

Спасибо!

[@eltorni]

Debió ser un evento impresionatemente aterrador.!

[@lavaknight3682]

I forgot the British also fought in the Pacific and was like “damn, German kamikazes?”

[@robrowe2298]

If you think of the damage done to these Carriers, during their actions in the Med and off Okinawa, there is no wonder that some of them were scrapped quickly after WW2.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

Not to mention mileage! It was the same story for USS Enterprise and Saratoga. War is hard.

[@martentrudeau6948]

Kamikaze pilot made the ultimate sacrifice, but to no avail, the allies had such a vast amount of weapons and men, Japan could not win.

[@stephensawyer5431]

Mydad was on the illustrious as a stoker in 1941 just has the carrier was in for repairs from German stukas, at battles stations he was part of the firefighting deck squads

[@BRUM9922]

my Grandad was also a stoker on her too, never told us young kids any stories.

[@neillang8943]

My dad was on that ship as a gunner .he told me some stories

[@andoremoroi1519]

Every time I watch Kamikaze video, I feel like they ask me below. 「What are you living for?」

[@walteralter9061]

Use that TV scan line effect again and an army of Morris Dancers will permanently dent your Steenbeck. The ghost of David Lean has spoken.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

:D

[@PenDragonsPig-Jam_on_Top]

You never this stuff normally over here. You only here about US carriers and US planes. I did find a photo of a Spitfire in US Marine co;our scheme.

[@norms3913]

Kamikaze pilot: oh so sorry I thought you was a American carrier lol

[@nickmazz9345]

Its lovely to read the stories from relation's of the brave men who fought on these ships, as for the inevitable yt generals who actually believe they know what they are talking about from the very dangerous computer screens, you're a lot of fun just not in a good way😂😂😂😂😂

[@MarsFKA]

3:25 "What the bloody hell's this?" Well, without committing myself, it looks a bit like we might have a burning aircraft on the ship. Just a guess, mind...

[@topbanana4013]

RNG is strong with this 1 !!BOUNCE!!

[@MickR0sco]

Did illustrious get her American planes from her repairs over there?

[@ArmouredCarriers]

She and Formidable returned in 1941 to the UK with some Martlets.

[@andoremoroi1519]

Most part of Kamikaze pilots were drafted schoolboys. They flew away with family photos in the pockets aiming at the sea in Okinawa. Mission complete or not, they were fated to die. How did they feel at the last moment of their lives?

[@rondye9760]

Great video but the one gravel voiced commentator was hard to listen to.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

Sorry about that. This video was before I found ways to improve the audio. But some were also recorded when age had wearied them, not to mention the old tape recorders being used at the time ...

[@roybennett9284]

Plenty of hot sweet tea ,bully beef sandwichs and wedges of cake for the gunners

[@henkvandergaast3948]

Sound balance.. obviously some keen watchers are deaf and dont need sudden changes!

[@ArmouredCarriers]

Nah. This whole exercise is about me learning the ropes. Which means the ropes aren't always in the right places ... as I haven't tripped over one particular trap or another previously.

[@jamesbugbee6812]

A perfectly creepy outcome where you'd leave your eyeball on someone else's deck.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

The USN Essex Class carried 90 aircraft, and the FAA Implacable Class carried 54 aircraft. So there WAS a reason why the Americans went the path they did.

[@markkover8040]

The Royal Navy built their carriers with the idea their air defenses would be overwhelmed by land based air power and thus, have to be able to sustain damage as best as possible. The Royal Navy didn't put as much faith in their fighter defense as the U.S. Navy did. The U.S. Navy, on the other hand, built their carriers with the long ranges of the Pacific in mind, and wanted to pack as many aircraft on board each carrier as possible. They put their defensive reliance on their fighters, counting on them to intercept incoming attacks before they got to the carriers. It was a trade off. One also has to remember that the Fleet Air Arm was/is a part of the RAF and so was treated like the red headed stepchild of said service. This is the reason why the FAA didn't receive successful, modern British designed carrier aircraft until after World War II was over, and why the FAA adopted American Avengers, Hellcats and Corsairs.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Mark Kover - I would argue that it was a smart allocation of resources between Allies. The British couldn’t build enough Seafires, and even then the type had range issues that pretty much limited its role to point defense CAP. The US provided the FAA with improved FM-2 Wildcats, the tried and proven Corsairs, Hellcats, and Avengers, very high octane aviation fuel, and bunker fuel for their vessels.

[@markkover8040]

@@petersouthernboy6327 The fact that the British didn't put any emphasis on creating better aircraft for their aircraft carriers before World War II shows how far down the priority list the FAA was. And having to make do with adapting Hurricanes and Spitfires to carrier operations wasn't an ideal solution either with their short ranges and their non-folding wings. That America was able to produce the additional aircraft that Britain needed says a lot about America's production capabilities.

[@michaelshore2300]

Yes and then could not wait to copy the RN with the next class

[@petersouthernboy6327]

@@michaelshore2300 - the Midway Class was a “copy”? LOL. 🤣😂

[@Petrus_40000]

Wow

[@Hongobogologomo]

madness

[@仁科博美-x8g]

特攻機の突入場面や被弾墜落､飛散する場面のフッテージは米海軍の物が多く使われてますね｡珍しいのは雷撃後に超低空で避退する一式陸攻｡英海軍のポムポム砲は初速が遅く集弾性も非常に悪くて威勢が良いのは大きな発射音ぐらいで対空火器としての評価は悪かったと英海軍の公刊戦史に載っているそうです😬💦

[@anhkhoanguyentran5130]

Stfu Japan and listening to those of ur grandfathers sacrificed

[@deadby15]

It’s a free country/platform.

[@ricardotello3219]

Muchos documentales están en un idioma diferente al castellano latino. Por favor, tradúszcanlos al castellano latino..

[@garyshepherd9367]

👍

[@kamikazefu-2421]

about My inspiration!😁

[@senakiri8109]

大切な人を守る為、命を掛ける。日米共に。 日米の英霊に、心から哀悼の意を。

[@roybennett9284]

I bet there were a lot of silly sailors up Kings Cross..

[@adrianmussi5534]

Botado 5 de abril de 1939

[@barbasdock5870]

BANZAI TO THE TEMPU !!!!

[@anhkhoanguyentran5130]

I came to this for Azur Lane lol

[@stonks6616]

Holy light guides me lol

[@khonwang6263]

....so did I find out what illustrious was there...

[@Legend_Infantry]

Same bro, put an oath ring on her

[@denylsonsoarez]

Comercial dos EUA

[@1maico1]

Eh? This is a British aircraft carrier. The Royal Navy Pacific fleet in late 1944 was a powerful force comprising 6 fleet carriers, 4 light carriers, 2 aircraft maintenance carriers, 9 escort carriers, 4 battleships, 11 cruisers, 35 destroyers, 14 frigates, 44 smaller warships, 31 submarines, and 100+ supply vessels