Martin NBS-1 | Embarrassing The US Navy Since 1921

Today we're taking a look at the Martin NBS-1, the first bomber aircraft to be mass produced by the United States.
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Recommended reading:
Martin Aircraft, 1909-1960 - amzn.to/4fxnw2a
United States military aircraft since 1908 - amzn.to/3LRQAE2

[@RexsHangar]

I hope you all like the new channel icon! (Because it is here to stay) F.A.Q Section - Ask your questions here :) Q: Do you take aircraft requests? A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:) Q: How do you decide what aircraft gets covered next? A: Supporters over on Patreon now get to vote on upcoming topics such as overviews, special videos, and deep dives. Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others? A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both.

[@rebelfriend9006]

Do you plan on doing anything about the B-32?

[@FMKeb]

Can you do the SPECAT Jaguar, Panavia Tornado, or Eurofighter?

[@anelstarcevic696]

Q: why did you change your channel icon Q: is there a chance you will revert to old icon

[@Zorglub1966]

Hi! As usual : Zeppelin Staaken(s). Thank you!👍

[@oldesertguy9616]

I can't fault you for choosing the Spitfire. It may not have been the very best fighter of the war, but it accomplished and, more importantly, personified, the defiance of Britain and hope for the Allies. And I'm American, btw.

[@CHIPY_XD]

I think this channel is highly underrated

[@oliversmith9200]

Well here we are the fans of the channel. In the right place. :)

[@BlackMasterRoshi]

meto

[@williamharvey8895]

Agreed

[@ImWearingPantsNow]

I think this comment is highly underrated.

[@Holoarc]

I fell in love with this channel as soon as I found it, immediately told everyone I know that is into aviation history

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

REX IS BACK

[@Jpdt19]

Gordon's alive!!!!!

[@Twelvegage511]

He's back! It's always a good day when we get some Rex content.

[@tombogan03884]

Glad to see you back Rex.

[@Otokichi786]

I recall reading that an admiral suggested to Gen. Mitchell that a near miss would do more damage to a ship than a direct hit. This proved to be true, as noted in the video.

[@trplankowner3323]

Depends on where it hit. Near misses near the stern have a lot of potential to do damage. While a hit on an armor plate may do nothing but kill sailors exposed on the weather decks and deafen crew inside the ship's armored citadel.

[@ThePlayerOfGames]

​@@trplankowner3323true but the bombs aren't dropped arbitrarily, thus with this knowledge you'd see that the training and actions bear towards targeting these more vulnerable areas with those appropriate weapons.

[@trplankowner3323]

@@ThePlayerOfGames That totally explains the USAAC's results at the Battle of Midway then.

[@mightaswellbe]

Thanks for that one Rex. I'd like to suggest the Curtiss AT-9, commonly called the Jeep. A twin-engine trainer designed to mimic the new high wing loading twins that were new in service such as the P-38 and the Martin B-26. My father flew them as a student and then as an instructor down at Williams Field, Arizona. He said it was a sweet fling airplane but would bite the unwary or careless. Only a few hundred were built and at the end of the war all were scrapped or sold to civil aviation schools as mechanic's hacks. None were sold for flying purposes as it was deemed too squirrely for civil aviation use. Only one complete airframe exists at the Wright-Pat Museum (I think) and that ws salvaged from at least two incomplete hulks. Supposedly there is a partial hulk at Pima.

[@oxcart4172]

Thanks for this. I'd never heard of it before. Quite a nice looking plane

[@Brekwon97]

Love the in-depth content you give. Gives much more context to the world that built these planes. Continue the good work. 👍

[@oliversmith9200]

Indubitably he does.

[@janlindtner305]

Wellcome back, missed you Rex👍👍👍

[@gyrene_asea4133]

I am so very happy that Rex has had the chance to upload more of his extraordinarily high quality aviation content. IMHO, the best available to plebes like me. Rex is to military aviation as 'Drachinifel' is to Naval material. Top notch. Thank you, Sir!

[@ethanmckinney203]

Drachinifel has a video about the tests. I've read about them on my own. The Navy was extremely enthusiastic about air power, but also realistic. They understood that the torpedo bomber was far more effective than level bombers because its stand-off range made it vaguely survivable. If you look at the altitude of Mitchell's attacks, you'll notice that he was at pistol range from the spotting tops. Mitchell's complaints about how unfair the conditions of the tests were are hilarious. Complete whining and insisting on utterly unrealistic conditions (a string of buoys to follow to the anchored targets because the bombers couldn't navigate on their own, for example). Also, the whole point of the tests was to find the *MOST* effective weapons against ships, but Mitchell sabotaged them by using bombs out of order and sinking Ostfriesland before other weapons could be tested. Then he released deceptively edited film clips to the newsreels. The first shot is a medium altitide bomb release, filming straight down from inside the bomb bay. Then it cuts to an enormous bomb blast next to the ship--but that's one of the ridiculously low altitude drops. It gives the clear impression of excellent accuracy from medium altitude.

[@alexandermonro6768]

The biggest rigging of the exercise was that the ships were moored as completely stationary targets, with no opportunity to manoeuvre or evade. Also, there was no anti aircraft defence (although in a peacetime exercise, that might've taken realism a trifle far) :)

[@ethanmckinney203]

@@alexandermonro6768 And no damage control. The idea that the crew wouldn't have taken action to stop the flooding is absurd. It might have *failed*, but you can't ignore it.

[@MilitaryInsights12]

It’s clear you’ve done some thorough research on the topic! Mitchell's tactics during the tests, especially his insistence on unrealistic conditions and his manipulation of the footage, certainly paint a different picture than what’s often portrayed. His actions, like using bombs out of sequence and editing the film to mislead viewers, seem more focused on making a point rather than conducting a fair test. The Navy's understanding of the effectiveness of torpedo bombers versus level bombers shows their realistic approach to air power. It’s fascinating how history often has layers that aren't immediately apparent!

[@Easy-Eight]

I'm an USAF veteran and hate Mitchell's tests. The USAAF was almost completely useless in the 1st six months of WWII because of Mitchell's legacy. The only USAAF commander who is really innovative is Kenney because he figured out how to make the B-25s into ship killers and told his Pilots to use the P-47 as an effective combat aircraft.

[@Discopuss]

Great! Reminds me I wrote a history paper in high school on Mitchell's bombing trials, the resistance to the concept, and the ultimate success of the demonstration. I didn't remember the planes involved, so this was a great refresher. Wow high school was such a long time ago! LOL! Thanks!

[@trooperdgb9722]

Success? How? What did those tests prove? That an old ship, motionless, with no AA fire and no DAMAGE CONTROL could (eventually, after a few days) be sunk by aircraft? So what?

[@Discopuss]

​@@trooperdgb9722 Success in motivating key decision-makers to invest in his idea, i.e. the purpose of the demonstration.

[@bhumiriady]

I see a new Rex's Hangar video, instant watch for me. I really enjoyed it so much, as usual. Also, I love the new icon so much.^^

[@BleedingUranium]

Rimi!

[@bhumiriady]

@@BleedingUranium That's right! Rimi is my top best girl in Bandori, that's why I love her so much.^^

[@MilitaryInsights12]

Rex's Hangar never disappoints, right? I'm with you-every new video is a must-watch. The new icon is pretty slick, too! Glad you're enjoying it as much as I am!

[@bhumiriady]

@@MilitaryInsights12 I agree with you on that one!^^

[@MisterApol]

The ship under the airburst phosphorus bomb is the old battleship USS Alabama (BB-8).

[@whyjnot420]

It really shows how far things have come in just over a century. When your average car can move faster in a straight line and engines with similar power are readily available. (also, the automotive world incorporating tons of stuff initially developed with planes in mind is an interesting topic in and of itself)

[@gabehowe2778]

The legend returns! Missed these. Hopefully this marks a more consistent return to content as before.

[@ColonelFrontline1152]

Me: *"Time for me to go to bed."* Rex's Hanger: *Upload new video* My Sleeping Schedule: *"Am I A Joke To You!"*

[@Bird_Dog00]

Sleeping is overrated anyway...

[@kingleech16]

You can always catch up on sleep while doing unimportant stuff. Driving, operating heavy machinery, learning your wedding vows…

[@Bird_Dog00]

@@kingleech16 True enough. I would at times almost fall asleep while using a turning lathe.

[@gearheadgregwi]

Lowly overrated

[@seanmalloy7249]

Sleep? Isn't that just a completely inadequate substitute for caffeine?

[@eyerollthereforeiam1709]

Good to hear from you, Rex.

[@majorbloodnok6659]

Great to have you back

[@BazingusBoi]

So glad I live in the same country as you because I always have something good and new to watch while I'm awake when you post

[@pfalzerwaldgumby4798]

Good to have you back!

[@jankarlsson5358]

Welcome back, you are probably missed by a lot of people... And as always you make everything interesting. Also this video is very good. Thanks!😃👍

[@WoopersDad]

Your videos are like food for my soul Rex! Ive learned so much through them

[@luislealsantos]

Welcome back. Hope all better.

[@stnylan]

Welcome back Rex. With Ostfriesland Mitchell basically invalidated the test with his dodgy shenanigans - were similar shenanigans in play with the pre-dreadnaughts sunk later?

[@jamessimmons9782]

I've missed you and your videos, Rex. Glad to have you back.

[@ChaiChai-u3u]

Hope you well. Thank you for always great content.

[@GrahamWKidd]

Rex is BACK BABY!!!!

[@alcolach5925]

I went to one of my local museum and they were playing thing in the background but then I heard the intro to one of your videos

[@alanwoods2010]

I really enjoy these videos covering interwar aircraft. Nicely done!

[@DornishVintage]

Rex is back! As a more recent follower of the channel, I've spent the last 6 weeks watching back what I think is every video except the 4-hour summaries. Which will be nice little resources once I need to refresh my memory.

[@redrampoly9321]

Welcome back mate.

[@rob13854]

Welcome back mate and thanks for the new video

[@Apocalyptico100]

Welcome back Rex! ❤

[@WrightsW5]

Nice to see you back 😀

[@pjduker05]

I always have love for your videos. This is yet another wonderful one. Bravo sir!

[@brent1041]

Glad your back. Keep up the great work

[@garryferrington811]

You're

[@andrewmountford3608]

It’s so good to have you back Rex.

[@nilo70]

I’m Glad you are back in the saddle Rex ! The new Icon looks Great ! Cheers From California 😎

[@simonedallachiesa9804]

Great video, as always. And welcome back, of course.

[@buonafortuna8928]

Welcome back Rex

[@wbertie2604]

Lunch and Rex. Excellent

[@ponyote]

Glad you're back on your feet. Welcome back, Captain.

[@Dank_Lulu]

Digging how the new logo!

[@marckyle5895]

Much appreciated, Rex. Thanks. All I'd ever seen before now was a couple of photos and a 1 page summary in a USAF bombers history book or two.

[@seansimpson4472]

Glad your all sorted Rex and best wishes

[@forthwithtx5852]

One of my favorite shows on The History Channel was “Great Planes”. Also, “History of the Gun”. I would put your little channel here on KZbin up with those any day.

[@HeedTheLorax]

OMG Rex is back! Now I don't know what to watch first, Drachinifel and the Town class destroyer, ocean conservation Namibia with a technical rescue, or that Irish baker with funny stories?

[@peterblackburn5793]

Rex's channel provides me with good information on aircraft history.

[@greenseaships]

He LIVES!! Sweet mother of Christ he LIVES! We have emerged from that dark night and reap the spoils of more REX CONTENT!! Rejoice lads!

[@montaramike]

welcome back! I have been missing your great videos!

[@jamesdavies98]

Glad to see you back Rex. Hope you have survived in tact

[@paulsmodels]

Glad to see you back!

[@Blockio1999]

The squabbling leading up to those weapon tests is so funny to me. "You have to cut your strike elements down to far below the size they would be in an actual attack" - "Yeah and YOU have to leave all watertight bulkheads open!" It's like children on the playground. It does make me wonder, how those tests would have gone had they been conducted in good faith cooperation, rather than trying to fuck the other branch over at every possible turn for your own prestige and funding.

[@Rom3_29]

Yay, a new episode from down under. Rex’s Hanger has a new roof over his head.

[@jackseney571]

Missed you Rex!

[@SideshowBen206]

A Project B deep dive collab with Drach would be AWESOME!

[@sergioleone3583]

Good to have Rex back!

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

Keep up the great work Rex.

[@MattnessLP]

I wonder what happened in Billy Mitchell's life to turn him from a navy aviation guy to a notorious cheater in gaming competitions

[@adrianyallop2880]

You're back, excellent stuff indeed Rex. Hope the personal sh.te is getting better and you're coping mate Your content is first class and you've been missed.

[@wadejustanamerican1201]

Thanks for the video, great stuff.

[@Brian1949]

This entire episode is an embarrassment for the Army Air Corps: Mitchell arbitrarily changed all the rules to suit his own predilections. If the ships had been underway, crewed and with AA pieces manned, the results would have been quite different. Remember that at the Bikini nuclear test, the 26 year old Japanese battleship Nagato remained afloat. The 1921 tests were rigged in favor of the airplanes and Mitchell was the one who should have been ashamed, not the USN, sinking an anchored ship that cannot defend herself is nothing to brag about. Brian

[@Angrybarberman]

Ill go tell prince of wales and repulse that for you...... 😂

[@Brian1949]

@@Angrybarberman I don't believe I made any mention of WWII in my post. I was talking strictly of the Ostfriesland and of how Mitchell ignored all orders to pursue his own ideas. There was supposed to be an inspection following each bomb drop, but that could not take place because the attackers kept dropping until the ship sank, additionally, he cut the height of drop in half to insure the bombs would hit. If you tell me that a plane coming in at, say, 90 mph at 300 m can bomb with impunity and score a precise hit....and more than one at that. The attacks of the Japanese G4M against Repulse an PoW were made under completely different circumstances, even though Adm Phillips did not believe they would succeed I wonder if he changed his mind before sinking. In any event, the destruction of Force Z remains an isolated case as far as BBs are concerned. Bismarck was damaged but not sunk by the air torpedo, and to sink Musashi and Yamato took a lot more than Mitchell had to offer in 1921, which is what I was referring to.

[@jimsvideos7201]

Good show as always Rex.

[@guestmatejek9029]

I have lego set that looks very similar to this plane, awesome! Thanks, Rex, I enjoy your histories.

[@JP-sw5ho]

I didn't recognize the channel at first because of the change to the logo. Great work though

[@pencilpauli9442]

Welcome back! Please do make a video about Billy Mitchell turning ships into coral reefs!

[@mkaustralia7136]

Great video as always

[@myplane150]

Please do a video on Project B soon. That would be really appreciated now that you've got my curiosity up...☺

[@spshowcase2040]

Welcome back!

[@yeetmcskeet6872]

The return of the Rex 🫅

[@GruntBig]

another day, another banger

[@GeneraI_Motors]

Rex is back baby lets fucking go

[@George_M_]

The moment the Navy let rhe show happen, they were sunk. Even though the demonstration was hardly technically realistic, the spectacle of it for the media was just too convincing.

[@tomlindsay4629]

Glad to see you back with this great video, hope you've got all your private life problems tackled.

[@oliversmith9200]

Well those are odd looking wheel assembly with ball structures on either side of the wheel centers. The pneumatic shock absorbers in those? I wonder wonder wonder and it's fun to.

[@sjTHEfirst]

Another great video. Thank you.

[@silkyz68]

I was just thinking I hadn't seen a video from you in a while

[@Rafael-nz6pp]

Great video. As usual!

[@jasonz7788]

Great video thanks rex

[@Luca_Sprues_Model_Kits]

Definitely a very impactful aircraft for the USA! Awesome to have you back Rex, hope the new job and office are going well!

[@Eddewardeke]

Splendid movie! Thanks.

[@leondillon8723]

USS Alabama (BB 8) Class included the first USS Wisconsin (BB 9). USS Virginia (BB 13) Class included the first USS NJ (BB 16).

[@boardnski156]

Yay, Rex is back!

[@brucermarino]

Excellent and balanced. And, ab proper "Welcome back!"

[@Kellen6795]

He's back!!!

[@keab42]

The new icon is really good

[@bryanparkhurst17]

You really need to do an episode on theA-36 Apache.

[@jasonz7788]

Great job thanks Rex

[@marcgrote7540]

Welcome back!!!

[@trplankowner3323]

Gen. Mitchell certainly embarrassed both Army and Navy higher-ups. Yet when it came time for his bombers to do something that would have an important effect when the US was on its back foot, USAAC bombers accomplished almost nothing at the Battle of Midway. 15 Boeing B-17s bravely forced the 4 Japanese carriers to maneuver for a while, all their bombs missing. While 4 Martin B-26s launched their torpedoes which all missed, one B-26 strafed 1 carrier and killed 2 men. It seems Mitchell's theory caused more embarrassment to the Army and Navy brass (it didn't take a genius to do that), than they did actual damage to a real enemy that was fighting back. Perhaps Mitchell should have invited the IJN to come to a dead stop like the Ostfriesland, maybe even to keep their fighters in the hanger.

[@Easy-Eight]

The USAAF performed so poorly in December 1941 to mid 1942 that General MacArthur considered USAAF aircraft to be non-effective. This continued until he met General Kenney of the USAAF. Kenney took the B-25s and modified them to attack using skip bombing techniques. Kenney was only receiving the P-47, P-40, and some P-38s from late '42. Kenney contacted *Ford* of Australia and had them make a large fuel tank for the P-47, called "the Brisbane" tank. Then the P-47 became a beast in the Pacific. Strange that Rex has such a great opinion of General Mitchell while it was Rex who admitted that Kenney did more for the USAAF in the Pacific than the rest of the USAAF command structure.

[@trplankowner3323]

@@Easy-Eight "P-47 became a beast in the Pacific", yeah, the Thunderbolt did that wherever it went. The phrase "large and in charge" comes to mind!

[@Easy-Eight]

@@trplankowner3323 Initially the P-47 was of limited use. Indeed, the USAAF would have been better off flying the F4U Corsair in early '43 until the Brisbane tanks were invented. If you dig down in the history books the British gave a lots of Spitfires as lend lease to the USA in Europe. You didn't dare fly a P-39 or P-40 over Northern Europe in 1942 or 1943. It's beyond me why people defend Mitchell. Thousands of airmen died because of his legacy and it didn't go away until SAC was disbanded in the early 1990s.

[@trplankowner3323]

@@Easy-Eight Yeah, they told themselves nonsense like; "the bomber will always get through" and "we can hit a pickle barrel from 10,000 feet". Which was all BS. They should have remembered what professional always concern themselves with, logistics. It won the Guadalcanal campaign. It could have saved thousands in Europe. The Nazis simply had to focus on their submarine campaign, they had no choice. US and Uk leaders should have focused on those Atlantic U-boat bases in France. That would have exploited Nazi logistic problems and simplified Allied logistics. They could have flown against those cities every night and destroyed the rail lines and roads feeding the cities. That might not have ever stopped the Nazi U-boats, but it certainly would have hurt the Third Reich a lot worse than ineffective bombing of German industry right through the very teeth of Germany's air defenses. Everyone has to pick their fights and that was a monumental blunder of a choice!

[@davidvavra9113]

Welcome Back!

[@doug-core8850]

The return of the king

[@klol3369]

Why does Rex sound alot like drachinifel? Like the drachinifel of planes, Same way of speaking too, except a lil more Australian, im not complaining im subbing!

[@Arcwelder12]

Love the deep dive into the aircraft. But a little disconcerted to see Mitchell’s largely BS take on the bombing trials put forward. The USN was not opposed to airpower. They had their own, quite well managed, air component at the time of the demonstration. And it was this which really backgrounded the demonstration. The AAF in general, and Mitchell in particular, was angling to “prove” that they could take over the traditional navy role of coastal defence. In a budget strapped environment, inter service rivalry dials up to 11. The tests were meant to assess the damage that level bombers would do to an armoured ship, so that new designs could better defend against them. It was not a test to see if the ships could be damaged, the USN knew very well that it could. But Mitchell insisted on seeing it as a competition with the navy for the future of warfare, and presenting it as such in the press. The testing was already favourable to the bombers, since the ships were static, in a known location, with no damage control teams on board , no AA guns firing and quite close to shore to allow the bombers to carry heavy loads far enough to reach them. Yet Mitchell insisted they be moved yet closer (possibly to allow the bombers to carry even heavier loads than they were supposed to, as they would end up doing). He also objected to USN teams being allowed on board in between bombing runs despite the whole purpose of the testing being to evaluate where and how the bombs damaged the ship. The actual bombing runs were about as unrealistic a profile as you are ever likely to get. The bombers flew very low and quite slow over a known area and were able to make multiple passes to ensure accuracy. None of which was at all realistic to combat. And they brought the 2000 lbers in on the last test when those were not part of the testing. Even so, the ship probably would have survived had the damage control trams been on board since it went down to accumulated flooding from the whole series of tests which would have been pumped out progressively had the vessel been crewed. And the fact that it sunk meant that the Navy could not do the final, more careful analysis of the damage that was a significant part of the reason for the testing. Mitchell nonetheless loudly declared the result as proof of the superiority of Airpower over Seapower. His attitude and general disregard for his superiors eventually led his temporary rank as general and his placement with the AAF to be allowed to lapse and Mitchell to be shuffled off out of sight.

[@Grimmtoof]

If you do a video on Billy Mitchell's test then you should collaborate with Drack, he's got a rather different view of them!

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks Rex

[@therealniksongs]

Ah, Rex, the Drachinifel of Flying Things!

[@tonyennis1787]

11:24 Navy: We're not sure planes can hurt a large warship Planes: looks at all those airborne pieces!

[@chamberlane2899]

It wasn’t so much that they doubted aircraft could hurt warships, their doubts were focused more on whether an aircraft could reasonably sink a vessel in a realistic combat situation. At the time, they were probably right considering that dive bombing had yet to be developed, so any aerial attack would depend on either torpedo bombing or level bombing. Now, torpedo bombing would have been highly effective against most of the pre-ww1 cruisers and dreadnoughts, and fairly effective against more modern designs, but it would be some time until you could have enough on hand to reliably sink a significant naval unit. Torpedo bombers of this time being very large, dedicated designs. Level bombing meanwhile… it just sucked. In WW2, the only incidences of level bombing working were against ships at anchor, or that one destroyer too cocky to dodge. The navy were also probably right in pointing out that the dreadnaught of project b was sunk by dozens of paper cuts over several hours, something any damage control team should have been able to fix. It really wouldn’t be until the development of dive bombing, and the development of more capable air-dropped torpedos that aircraft would start being a practical threat. And even then, early on into ww2, their usefulness was being demonstrated with attacks at night against navies with no practical experience fighting an air attack at night.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

Admirals said that a battleship couldn't be sunk if it was fully manned. Admirals said "They caught us by surprise at Pearl, but a ship fully manned at sea couldn't be sunk!" The Japanese on December 10th, 1941- "Oh yeah?'

[@chamberlane2899]

@@lawrencelewis2592 to be fair, the kind of attacks Mitchell’s aircraft were conducting (level bombing) would prove useless in ww2 against a moving target, leading to a lot of wasted effort and unnecessarily lost lives. Also, Mitchell was a bit too far off the deepened believing carriers would prove useless in the war to come, so I can see why a navy investing in the worlds largest carrier force would resist him.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

@@chamberlane2899 I have read that high-altitude bombing was tried on Japanese ships and was found to be useless. The film "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell" is worth seeing, a great cast and Rod Steiger steals the show.

[@chamberlane2899]

@@lawrencelewis2592 yeah, about the only success I know about involved a Japanese destroyer that looked back at the hours of failed bombing runs attempted on it, and decided that stopping to refuel would be a swell idea. Outside of that, hardly any successes against a resisting target.

[@johnparrish9215]

You know, you have the best opening sound track of any KZbin channel...WELL DONE Sir.

[@baguette2117]

Plane man is back!!!