A6M2-N Rufe - 'Floatplane Zero' in the Aleutian Campaign (Part 1)

As the Japanese Empire was planning to conquer the Pacific, they realized they would have to deploy their forces to many small islands or atolls where building an airstrip would be hard or impossible. To provide fighter cover for such outposts, they developed floatplane fighters. A6M2-N known as 'Rufe' was initially an interim solution which simply modified the famous Zero and replaced the landing gear with floats. The new floatplane fighter was immediately sent to the most unusual of the Pacific campaigns - The Aleutian Campaign. How well did this floatplane Zero do in the far north? Check out in this video.
Sources:
- John Haile Cloe - The Aleutian Warriors: A History of the 11th Air Force & Fleet Air Wing 4,
amzn.to/4bjGyai
- Krzysztof Janowicz - A6M2-N Rufe
amzn.to/42qNIWl
- Brian Garfield - Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians
amzn.to/496NRkm
- Report from the Aleutians | 1943 Authentic Colour Film
• Report from the Aleuti...
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Music by Yevhenii Kovalenko from Pixabay
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^#militaryaviation #militaryaviationhistory #zerofighter

[@FRIEND_711]

As a Japanese person I am happy that finally some Japanese aviation is getting the lime light but at the same time as someone who reads a lot of reports, I know the hardship of whoever did the research and reading of these reports, hats off to you sir.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this positive comment! I have so far neglected this theater of war but I hope to correct that in the future.

[@FRIEND_711]

@@showtime112 looking forward for future videos! And hey, if you ever need help reading Japanese or anything like that, if I can help, I'll gladly do what I can.

[@LeslieGallivan-mp5qi]

​@@FRIEND_711the men who flew float planes out of the Aleutians must have been some of the bravest pilots Japan had . The conditions were hell on earth . Even take off and landing was life threatening. Servicing the planes would have been terrible, even just fueling up would have been a task

[@showtime112]

@@FRIEND_711 I could use some help from Japan, it's always good to have that additional perspective. Can you contact me on email? Or perhaps facebook or discord?

[@druisteen]

Remember Nagasaki and Hiroshima…. Boom

[@guaporeturns9472]

Another good one Showtime. I crabbed the Bering sea for years and actually went ashore at Kiska and checked out the Japanese base there and crawled around in the Japanese midget sub there.

[@scarletcrusade77]

What was it like all the ruins of Japanese stuff there?

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience! So, the sub is still there? I saw some photos of it but they were from the 90s I think.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@showtime112 It was the 90s when I was there… I don’t know what’s there now. I’m pretty sure it’s all off limits to visitors but it’s not like there are park rangers or wardens anywhere around.. that place is along way from a long way from nowhere.

[@waveranger4974]

Do you check out the bunkers and artillery pieces?

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@waveranger4974 I didn’t see any artillery pieces but there were tons of dugouts or shell craters and metal junk all over. Grass was so high it was kinda treacherous walking around

[@johnhickman106]

Excellent; I look forward to Part II. My Grandfather flew P-39s and P-63s during WWII, but never shot at any enemies. He was shot at plenty though and was downed a few times within the Continental United States during Operation PINBALL. He wrote a book on the top secret aerial gunnery program to train US gunners with realistic targets, such as the uparmored RP-63s. The gunners used frangible round .30 cals, instead of the .50 and they fired them from US bombers at “attacking” RP-63s to simulate the enemy. They operated primarily in Arizona and Nevada. He was downed at least twice when a round slipped into an unprotected area. His name was Ivan Luis Hickman and the book, Operation PINBALL.

[@ericsissenwein3601]

Great book and great story. All respect to your grandfather and his generation. My Dad was of that generation who served. Thanks to all veterans ❤

[@olesuhr727]

Spitfires were also experimentally fitted with floats for the Pacific theater. The idea originated when Norway was invaded by Germany, but only one Spitfire mk. I was converted at the time.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the info. I think there was even a floatplane P-38 but I can't remember if they actually built it or it was just planned. Anyway, Rufe and N1K1 were the only ones that were actually produced and served operationally.

[@Cuccos19]

At least one or two of the Mk.V and Mk.IX were converted, but never saw true action I think. Norway, Malta, and the Pacific what I read they wanted to use (but I'm not so sure about Malta). Also the "Wildcatfish" was a floatplane conversion of the F4F Wildcat. But I think it didn't see any action as well. But the German Arado Ar-196 had some hot turn-and-burn fight with British fighters what I read. It was quite capable dogfighter down low.

[@proud_emmerian6510]

There was also a converted Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat with twin floats. It's official designation was F4F-3S Wildcatfish.

[@catinthehat906]

The ancestor of the Spitfire - the Supermarine S5 was a racing floatplane.

[@ThePilot4ever]

I guess you could say when U.S high command heard japan had fighters stationed on the Alueutians they went through the Rufe......

[@showtime112]

😁

[@wiktorberski9272]

A6M2-N Rufe it was a really interesting design. And it was still well looking plane

[@showtime112]

Yeah, Japanese resourcefulness in action!

[@milferdjones2573]

seams to be able to fight well but in this case badly outnumbered.

[@MrDino1953]

DCS simulation (the clouds) and your production techniques (gun camera and old newsreel-style segments) are both very impressive.

[@showtime112]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear you liked it!

[@monostripeexplosiveexplora2374]

pretty sure it is War Thunder and not DCS...

[@showtime112]

@@monostripeexplosiveexplora2374 It is, but plenty of viewers are not gamers so they don't necessarily distinguish between the two. And they don't really have to.

[@gpmurf]

@@showtime112 I knew the graphics were too clean for Il2 '46 but couldn't place them. Well done on the choreography/editing.

[@showtime112]

@@gpmurf Thank you for the feedback!

[@ronaldbyrne3320]

Good to see the Rufe get some coverage. Love the cinematic feel of your videos. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@showtime112]

I'm happy to hear you liked it, thank you!

[@donparker1823]

Kind of a crazy little campaign. It did give us the AlCan highway however.

[@showtime112]

The campaign was quite unique. And I guess that crisis such as this one can result in good things eventually.

[@juancarlosperezcortes9259]

You always surprising us with your excellent videos. Nice story and very educational

[@showtime112]

Positively, I hope 😁 Thank you for the feedback!

[@Page-Hendryx]

If you guys want to read a very well-written book about the Aleutian Campaign, check out "The Thousand Mile War". Written in the late 60s, the author was not a historian but a professional writer who learned of this totally forgotten story and was moved to write a book about it. He visited archives, and interviewed veterans across the USA. It was finished in the late 60s or early 70s and was the first, but also the last, word on the subject.

[@ratagris21]

Excellent recreation of aviation history. Live the gun camera footage with actual camera footage. Keeping Aviation history alive, but then this is Showtime 112 - a reliable source of content. Thanks for all you do! ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇸🏁🇮🇱🇺🇦🔱🌻🏵️💮🌸🏴‍☠️🏹

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the constant support! Always nice to read your messages.

[@bjornsmith9431]

Aleutian campaign the cold forgotten front the air combat was below 2000 - 5000 feet I think, high altitude air combat was a no, there that why the P 39 could excelled there.

[@showtime112]

Initially, American bombers flew at medium altitudes but later, they were beginning to approach at low level. They would often achieve surprise this way.

[@bjornsmith9431]

@@showtime112thanks👍

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

Very interesting vid. Always had a soft spot for seaplanes, particularly fighters. Technically the "Rufe" conversion was poor. Speed loss was enormous compared to "Zero". While FIAT C.R. 42 lost only abt. 15 km in top speed when converted to the Idro version.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting! Perhaps the reduction in speed wasn't so pronounced for biplanes, generally? I'm just guessing.

[@milferdjones2573]

Yes as stated did not seam to hurt it's dog fighting ability but speed loss certainly cost in in other areas.

[@duartesimoes508]

The drag and load factor generated by these floaters in the _Rufe_ should be unacceptable in a dogfight... I still have a superb kit of this aircraft, from Tamiya at 48 scale, built in the eighties. Absolute perfection, as always. 😀

[@pmcwbn823]

That appears to be actual gun camera footage, or some of it. Very good.

[@showtime112]

I was going for that. I think that Japanese aircraft didn't even have gun cameras (or at least, not much film survived). An interesting thing to watch is that John Houston documentary (of which I used some shots).

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

I think it's actually flight simulator footage with various effects / filters applied.

[@scullystie4389]

​@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 correct, he's reenacting these scenes in War Thunder, sometimes he also uses DCS or IL2 Great Battles

[@showtime112]

@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 It is, there's no historic gun camera footage in this video.

[@Cuccos19]

Aleutian P-40s had a very nice "Tigerhead" paintscheme where the P-40s usually carried the "Shark face".

[@larrybarnard8774]

My Dad flew 11th Squad 'Aleutian Tiger'. C.O. by Maj. John Chennault, son of Clair Chennault. Navy didn't tell of Kingfishers &Dad had one in his insights. He radioed & started a scramble

[@RealDarko]

Nice story to tell, excellent choice, looking forward for part two!

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! Part two is coming out soon.

[@joeavent5554]

The Bf-109W, (flloats on an 109F), was an interesting design.

[@showtime112]

How far was that thing developed? I think it was just a concept, don't know if they actually built any but I might be wrong.

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

​@@showtime112 one Douglas C47 called XC47C was fitted with floats. Inside gasoline and retractable landing gear. S/N 42-5671

[@tominva4121]

Thanks for covering a subject I have wondered about.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@Endovelicus91]

Its so interesting to me those few first years of the war when the Axis and Allies were pretty much match in the war plane field...

[@showtime112]

Yes, the last couple of years were an unfair fight really.

[@TheSmarq17]

I love these historical videos. Well done. Also, I remember seeing that P-38 crash landing so many times without knowing the story of what happened before. Great job here. 💯

[@showtime112]

That was an amazing discovery for me as well. Thank you for the positive feedback!

[@TF2enjoyer2008]

Thank you so much for the quality of work ! its a pleasure to listen while playing sim game !

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your generous donation!

[@donparker1823]

Thanks!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for another donation!

[@branka4226]

Great video 👍

[@showtime112]

Thanks a bunch!

[@cannonfodder4376]

A very informative first video on the Rufe. Publicly available info on the Rufe's history is still hard to find so I am glad to see this. Not exactly the most spritely aircraft compared to its plain counterpart but potent still when given the chance.

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! It is true that there isn't too much info on these Japanese aircraft and even for this video, I found a lot more details about the American side participating in these battles. But you use what you have.

[@うんこちゃん-k4c]

日本人が知らない太平洋戦争の戦いについて教えていただきありがとうございます。 日本では知られていないアリューシャンの戦いはとても興味深かったです🙇 Thank you for telling us about the battles of the Pacific War that Japanese people do not know about. The Battle of Alishan, which is unknown in Japan, was very interesting. 😚

[@i.setyawan]

Another interesting subject! I've never really read or watched anything substantial about the Aleutian campaign, so this series will be very interesting for me. Furthermore, I know next to nothing about the Rufe and your video gives a lot of information. Good job! Can't wait for the next episode.

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot once again! Next episode coming out soon.

[@patrickgriffitt6551]

Very nice Was a pleasure to hear a narrator with clear and concise enunciation. Kudos.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much. As I'm not a native speaker, I tend to speak a little slower so it might be somewhat clearer.

[@markfryer9880]

I have a video of Report from The Aleutians and I was very impressed with this video. You earnt yourself another Subscriber! Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for watching and subscribing!

[@TrainmanDan]

Great! Anything on the Aleutians is most welcome.👍

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your positive feedback!

[@eduardodeandres3864]

Domingo. ¿ qué mejor manera de empezar la mañana con un alucinante video acerca de la campaña Aleutiana? Muy buen trabajo. Excelente! Gracias

[@showtime112]

I'm glad the video improved your Sunday morning :) Thanks for the comment!

[@murdzstang2777]

Really interesting episode, well put together 👍

[@showtime112]

I appreciate your support!

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Hello mate, i Just have seen this video on my full HD TV to have à better view of fights😊. It was an incredible work about searching old records of Aleutians war, Who was unknown by thousands of viewers. Rufe and all others planes did their job in rude and harsh conditions. This is the reason why they are built for : P40, P39 ,B17 B24 and so on. It was à fine idea to add colored vintage war footages . Giving à more authentic 👍at this video Five stars⭐️mate

[@showtime112]

It looks like more people watch YT content on TVs. The original footage I used was from that documentary I mentioned. It's available online and quite interesting. Thanks for another comment!

[@jeannezehner9450]

C'est une super vidéo, c'est une partie de la guerre du Pacifique très méconnue, d'ailleurs un zéro va s'écraser sur une île des Aléoutiennes et va être récupéré par les USA qui vont l'étudier à fond et comprendre ses faiblesses.

[@JoeCool_1962]

Sayonara my friend , it’s still a great moment when admiring the pure lines of the A6M

[@showtime112]

It's a true aviation classic. Thank you for commenting!

[@guydespatie6881]

Your unsual extraordinary story telling skills on display...

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this positive comment!

[@Bashkir097]

Canada had two squadrons of fighters supporting the U.S. in this fight, as well as ground forces during the re-taking of the islands.

[@showtime112]

There will be a mention of it in part two. Coming out this Saturday, don't miss it!

[@MarcusRilling]

Very well done and informative documentary. 👍

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you liked it, thank you!

[@monostripeexplosiveexplora2374]

Interesting bits of history

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your comment!

[@Einherjar_17]

Excellent video gentleman, thank you very much for sharing it.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for the positive comment. Check out part two as well.

[@mandst5466]

Very nicely edited together, thanks for an excellent production.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for your positive comment!

[@mandst5466]

@@showtime112 Just telling it like it is sir 😉

[@robijnbruinsma4489]

An amazing re-enactment. Bravo!

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for your positive comment!

[@jdsaldivar5606]

😅 82ND AIRBORNE Good morning!! My first video of the day. A Great start for sure... Damn!! The Americans got the s**t kicked out of them.

[@showtime112]

A nice video, first thing in the morning is a proven method to start a day. As for the Americans, spoiler alert, they win in the end 😁

[@jdsaldivar5606]

@@showtime112 82ND AIRBORNE I concur... Americans do not tolerate losing. However...many Americans today are Losers. Enjoy the day Showtime...

[@merrickmoriel8878]

Awesome video! Glad to still see these coming out!

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for your positive comment!

[@jaydeister9305]

Wow! Great video! Had no idea that 4 floatplane Zeros were holding off the whole us air force!

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the comment! You could say that the Japanese very effectively tied down large American forces for a pretty long time.

[@bubbazanetti3463]

Another very interesting vid 👍🏻

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you liked it, thank you!

[@sthompson3]

Very interesting story. I'm wondering what software you are using for the re-enactment videos.

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! I use flight simulations and games such as DCS World or War Thunder (for this one). Some were made with IL-2 Great Battles too.

[@jhgvjhnouhmiu]

great video

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the comment!

[@ganndeber1621]

Another excellent video, well presented and informative

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the positive feedback!

[@andyfranklinitsbecausehesa5774]

Fantastic with the real film clips ❤

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the positive comment!

[@aleksandarljubenovic347]

Pozdrav druze! Bravo! Sada si mi stvarno pomogao! Naime, imam Rufe- a u 1:48 Tamya i dvoumim se kako da ga radim: sa Auleta ili Rabaula. Inace sam zaljubljenik u Pacificko ratiste. Sa nestepljenjem cekam nastavak! PS: Rufe sa 490km/h protiv P38 sa njegovih 666km/h i jos uspes da ga oboris ( ostetis)?!?

[@showtime112]

Onda je video izašao pravi čas 😁 Pacifik nisam baš obrađivao dosad ali ima tu još brdo tema. Što se tiče P-38, ako krene u dogfight i izgubi energiju, onda ga možeš i pogoditi. A te rane verzije su imale ograničenje kod obrušavanja pa možda baš i nisu mogle koristiti 'boom and zoom' tako efikasno. Hvala na komentaru a drugi nastavak stiže uskoro!

[@aleksandarljubenovic347]

@@showtime112 Postoji dobar Japanski maketarski casopis koji izlazi i na engleskom "Kokabura" ili vec kako se cita. Obradjuje Japanske avione i asove sa Azijsko- pacifickog ratista. Nisizava, Sakai, Sugita i stotine ostalih. Sto se P38 tice, najveci poraz su im naneli Rumuni na IAR 80 pri napadu/ odbrani rafinerije u Ploestiju. Mali, okratni rumunski lovci su stukli 16 Lajtninga uz gubitak 1 IAR- a. Pozdrav, samo cepaj!

[@aleksandarljubenovic347]

@@showtime112 Vazdusni rat iznad Burme je isto interesantna tema: Japansko armijsko vazduhoplovstvo ( Ki43 i Ki 44 kasnije Ki61 i Ki 84) protiv Engleza, (Hariken i Spitfajer), Amerikanaca ( prvo P36 a posle P40, A36- verzija Mustanga za jurisno- bombarderska dejstva, P51), zatim Australijanaca na Spitfajerima mkVIII) i Indijaca na Harikenima. Sve u svemu vrlo dinamican vazdusni rat. Ili vazdusni rat iznad Nove Gvineje- Japanci na aerodromu Lei a Ameri i Australijanci na aerodromu Port Moresbi. Malo maketara u Evropi istrazivacki prati ta ratista. Pozz.

[@JT-io9ii]

Great video! Can't wait for part two!

[@showtime112]

Thank you, coming up soon!

[@PappaBear_yt]

Can't wait for part 2! 👍🏻👏🏻💪🏻🍻🍻🙋🏼‍♂️

[@showtime112]

Coming out soon! 😊

[@PappaBear_yt]

@@showtime112 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@DiogoAlmeidaCosta]

Great video, will be on the lookout for part part, or even an eventual follow up with the N1K1

[@showtime112]

Part two coming up next weekend. I'm not sure about N1K1, it doesn't look like it saw much combat but if I manage to dig up some details, there might be a video.

[@tommyj1811]

I never knew about those floatplanes. Pretty cool.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting!

[@esohsa4759]

From Japan. 日本での制式名称はニ式水上戦闘機(Type2 water fighter)です。　TAMIYAから1/48or1/50のprastic scale modelが発売されてたと記憶してます。　このマイナーな機体を取り上げて頂きありがとうございます。

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing info!

[@mickmuzzmkmz1628]

Interesting video!👍 I believe it was in the Aleutians where America first got their hands on a zero as well.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much! True, that's where a nearly intact Zero was found and recovered.

[@shootfirst2097]

After the war, my father's uncle was piloting a P-80 Shooting Star out of Adak... and he flamed out right after takeoff and was killed. I wouldn't want to be stationed up there.

[@showtime112]

Sorry to hear about that. I imagine nobody was very happy being assigned that posting.

[@juanmarelli7450]

Very good film and info..about aleutianas, was a spend of forces, like the great japanese float in the middle of the pacific, yamato and anothers battleships, cruiser and destroyer..being such vessel concentrated with the Midway forces, would be more than 100 extra planes, but an IMPRESSIVE AA force, gived by such scort..maybe the history Midway battle could be different..a mistake of Yamamoto, dispersing forces instead of concentrating them on the target

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for your comment!

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

Thanks for the video 😊

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@rafaelaldana1503]

Awesome video!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your positive comment!

[@bigw1552]

Seaplanes from this Era always make me think of Raiders of the lost Ark thanks

[@showtime112]

I totally forgot there was a seaplane in it. I will have to re-watch the movie :)

[@onkelmicke9670]

What a collection of types... even B-26s

[@showtime112]

Oh yeah, they had them all. But it seems that B-24s were the most active ones.

[@branka1980]

👍

[@showtime112]

Hvala!

[@weissrw1]

That was great! I had no idea!!!!

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for the comment!

[@joeshmoe9978]

Great video. Keep up the good work. 🎬📹🏅

[@showtime112]

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!

[@davefellhoelter3299]

Gramps was a Seabee from the West Coast, may have built the road and or these air fields? Grama was in the industry same coast. Another of Grama's husbands was B 17's maybe one of the 1st EWO's?

[@showtime112]

It could be they were involved. Thank you for the feedback!

[@edmundodantes6866]

Awesome!! Very, very good video.

[@showtime112]

I am happy to hear it, thank you!

[@waveranger4974]

Well done

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the positive comment!

[@geeeeeee3]

Very dramatized. The zero was an adequate fighter, but with the weight and drag of floats not as dangerous a match against a heavy bomber. I say that because there are numerous reports of a single B17 taking on and not only surviving an attack by a dozen zero (w/out floats) but shoot one or two down. EXAMPLE B17 "666" on a recon mission was attacked by 17 zeros. It not only serviced but shot down 5 of them

[@showtime112]

B-17 was quite tough and Zero generally had to try very hard to shoot it down. But in this case, when American bombers were unescorted, Rufes could catch them up and cause significant damage (and even shoot one of them down).

[@patrickgriffitt6551]

I think that the 666 crew came from the same mold that Tex Hill did. None of them read the rule book. Didn't the 666 crew build their own B-17 from salvage aircraft?

[@LA_Commander]

And don't forget the 666 plane carried twice the number of machine guns with twice the amount of ammo so yeah

[@GP-fw8hn]

so im thinking two take offs and landings before these things completely rusted away?

[@BruceK10032]

So if the floats caused no significant loss to the Zero’s maneuverability, how did the pilot of the Catalina “maneuver his aircraft out of danger”? Or did the Cat have greater speed, enabling him to outrun the Rufe? The Cat was notoriously slow, but it was mentioned that drag from the floats significantly reduced the Rufe’s speed.

[@showtime112]

Sources are not specific but most likely, he entered some clouds.

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Max speed for Catalina: 314km/h

[@Q和也]

一分目あたり瑞雲かな、確かに瑞雲だ動画で見たの初めてだ、嬉しい。

[@simunooi5306]

Never thought that a bulky looking float plane would be a match for the P38. Was the purpose built Japanese floatplane fighter superior in performance to the Rufe?

[@showtime112]

It was about 50 km/h faster in top speed. I'm not sure about maneuverability but probably comparable. It saw very little combat though.

[@ET-mr4iu]

Great story and I'm surprised that the floats didn't impact maneuverability.

[@showtime112]

Thank you! Perhaps they designed them to sacrifice the top speed but not so much the maneuverability as it could still intercept American bombers this way.

[@mattwells8832]

What flight sim did you use in your video ? Excellent documentary of the campaign

[@showtime112]

War Thunder. Thank you for the positive comment!

[@sohrabroozbahani4700]

This weird war in the north, it was a flank none of the two sides were really committing to win over, and it actually lasted till the end of pacific war for the Japanese occupation to truly end... Fun fact is... in operation flashpoint dragon rising... they took the Kiska topology, renamed it Skira and relocated it to sea of Japan so we could fight a PLA invasion on it as USMC troops in the early 2000s tech...

[@showtime112]

I didn't know about that Operation Flashpoint fact. I think I played the original game a bit, it was quite enjoyable.

[@sohrabroozbahani4700]

​@@showtime112 hard... took me three separate attempts to finally get through the first three missions of the campaign... it's interesting how you get used to brutal game mechanics 😅

[@genuinsanity]

Still a dangerous plane encumbered with floats...Akutan another island out there where a sharp eyed PBY crew spotted a mostly intact Zero , it was recovered , repaired and test flown and it's weaknesses exposed American pilots then changed tactics against it. It couldn't dive worth a damn...even would pull to the right...light construction probably caused by aileron reversal ... And/or engine torque ...could make a good episode .

[@showtime112]

Yes, that's where the famous Zero capture took place. Perhaps someday, I'll cover the whole initial attack on Dutch Harbor and the Japanese landing.

[@genuinsanity]

@@showtime112 I know you will knock it out of the park. I was talking to an old vet...he was happy somebody remember .

[@milferdjones2573]

Large number of kills on all sides of the war turn out to be damaged instead a lot of the time. People knowing they hit the enemy craft that then dove out of the battle but they actually had no ability to actually know it impacted or pulled out and went home. Was a bit hard for me to get with as often the articles will report it like it lies by crew but later you can notice that a lot of damaged craft are returning to base. I think in part because I am unaware of any system that counted wounded enemy craft only kills.

[@showtime112]

Yes, I don't believe that overclaiming is the result of lies. It is even possible that intel officers were sometimes pushing the pilots to make claims when they were unsure but I'm speculating here.

[@captainmichaelpmccarthy5290]

I enjoyed the history. Take note though, not many trees on the Aleutians Islands

[@showtime112]

Actually, I think there were no trees at all on Kiska :) But in War Thunder we have the Aleutian map but only the part which is much closer to Alaska and apparently, it has trees. So, it was a compromise.

[@blank557]

Impressive fighting by the Rufes. I think must have been very experienced and trained pilots, compared the Army US pilots at the time, to outmatch P-38's and P-39's. No doubt the US Army pilots then did not fully appreciate the superb maneuverability of the Zero, even with floats.

[@williamkoppos7039]

IIRC Jack Marks flew a bombing mission in B-17"B" yes "B" "Old Seventy" on June 3rd or 4th against the Japanese invasion fleet. And got away with it.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing info!

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Did the Japanese Navy ever use any shipboard?

[@MrElis420]

Imagine being the new guy who gets your Squad CO killed by hitting him

[@Mthammere2010]

Showtime112, on KZbin, your content is second to none. Your use of DCS with inserted historical footage to tell history, particularly forgotten or obscure history makes you both elevated and unique amongst the KZbin historians. However, your recent introduction of black and white footage, that's not historical really treads on the trends you prior established. Before, one could simply be at ease and be relaxed with the story. But the introduction of black and white DCS footage forces one to stop and scratch their head as to what they're looking at; footage or storytelling. Even when it becomes obvious the video feels cheapened in some way as one bas to comb what may or may not be a fortunate historical recovery or just exploitave imagery. I say this because some of black and white gun cam scenese from your prior works, had made me hopeful of what is actually an impossibly. It's not your fault, but i just wanted to point this out given how realistic DCS has become over other flight simulations and that it has in the past ruined dare i say: credibility of the video. I'm not trying to discourage you at all. I'm somply stateing it would be appreciated by many of actual footage, and demonstration be kept seperate in a manner to not misidentify the two. Because they're not obvious. DCS has taken flight simulation to a level that simulations probably werent meant to go. Although it appears unrelated, Today, it's possible to purchase an Ultralight in the U.S for around $6k. You could effectively build an Ultralight from scratch for less than half a grand if mechanically inclined. Simulations were to make/keep enthusiast and professionals inclined to operate aircraft. Today, DCS has gone from not only being a flight simulation to a viaual one as well. And it is this visual simulation that undermines the fantastic work you are doing here on KZbin: preserving history.

[@Kingmick58]

The attack on pearl Harbour was NOT famous, it was infamous.

[@paulgee8253]

Seems impossible that the maneuverability didnt suffer.

[@showtime112]

Seems counter-intuitive but there are plenty such things.

[@jamesneufeld-b7e]

The Brits built a floatplane version of the Spitfire.

[@showtime112]

Yes but I believe it was only a prototype and never saw any operational service.

[@ファントムドライ]

ゼロ戦にフロート付けたタイプは「ゼロ戦フロート付き」ではなく「二式水上戦闘機」という別のモデルなんだがな

[@showtime112]

I am aware that formally, it was considered to be a separate model but in a nutshell, it was little more than a Zero with added floats.

[@medokrusko]

🔥🔥👍

[@showtime112]

Hvala još jednom!

[@vlabruic]

15:24 👍👍👍👍👍Super ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@pablopeter3564]

EXCELLENT JOB, AS USAL. Adding point to aviation history. CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much! See you at the next video!

[@mpgingdl]

When they show a man's picture, you know he's not going to make it.

[@showtime112]

If you mean Jack Marks, that is a clip from John Houston's documentary. For some reason, they say he was a lieutenant but all the sources call him a major. He was the flight leader after all so he would have probably been more senior that a lieutenant.

[@wolfganggugelweith8760]

Brave Japanese pilots! 👍😎

[@Eric-kn4yn]

Supermarine schnider cup winner was a racing float plane

[@CrusaderSports250]

It was a race specially for float planes so no surprise the winner was one.

[@離人彷辺]

True Rufe has not pilot headrest. this rufe is not correct.

[@vlabruic]

Bravo Japanci vi ste se među prvima borili za sobodan svet od Američkog terora

[@spinnenbein1]

Herbert Hasenfuß, a P38 pilot has a german name, Hasenfuß means in the german language a "coward".

[@showtime112]

If I remember my German, i think it is literally 'rabit foot'. Didn't know it meant coward. I guess he wasn't one.

[@spinnenbein1]

@@showtime112 of course,he wasn't a coward and rabbit foot is right, but if I say that to other Germans, it means a coward.ok?

[@janmale7767]

The Japanese are an exeptionally brilliant asiatic people,fighting the overwhelmingly materially superior American war machine with such tenacity is remarkable!

[@lokro7722]

Your should’nt use fake guncamera footages…

[@showtime112]

Why not?