The Brave US Pilot Who Single -Handedly Prevented a Horrifying Defeat in WW2

[@luisbarrera5825]

Indeed a true patriot , its important to remember their heroism & sacrifices. Many dropped out of college or volunteered right out of high school to serve our nation.

[@uncbadguy]

.. and therein lies the sacrifice.

[@cliffnelson1174]

I was part of the crew that put The Wildcat monument at O'Hare Airport in honor of Butch O'Hare ....and I was very honored to be part of it....I also got to work on it to make it presentable...and to be up close and personal with these WW2 Aircraft is an amazing experience....

[@danielanthony8373]

👍👍

[@joxyjoxyjoxy1]

Had no idea O'Hare airport was named after Butch.

[@AmericanFaction]

🙏 🙏 thank you

[@annwarrellrobilliard4115]

I went to Chicago many years ago (30), and was by the lake where I saw a sign that said that George Bush snr. learnt to fly off an aircraft carrier on the lake. He crashed but was rescued from the plane and went on to become a heroic pilot in the Pacific war. Must be something about Chicago that made war plane heroes.

[@billlindsey9337]

O'hare was a true American hero and ideal example of Our Greatest Generation. God bless him and all of them.

[@briancooper2112]

For years navy said a tbm gunner got him. But evidence says a betty tail gunner did

[@MakerBoyOldBoy]

I've always taken offense at the term the Greatest Generation. All generations committed to fight. That generation favored racism, misogyny, police brutality, and abusing children. Some greatness. Their only strong point was the two oceans kept them from being bombed and invaded leaving them undamaged in 1945.

[@heartland96a]

Those men courageous in every sense of the of the word Gave everything they had , some gave even more their lives, to save others . Their sacrifices WILL never be forgotten , their stories will be repeated forever

[@philipambler3825]

Americans have the right stuff...a pity the State Dept. is full of DUDS.

[@mrc4910]

There is a Wildcat static display painted with Butch’s ID on the concourse at O’Hare airport. Great monument to a great man.

[@dirkbergstrom9751]

Twenty minutes out of bed and I've learned something new today... how O'Hare airport got its name. Thanks

[@paulprigge1209]

Just remember he grew up in St. Louis! Lol yes Missouri native!

[@RichardHomolka]

Midway airport has an SBD in the halls

[@gerardleahy6946]

O'Hare is a good Irish name. It is aporopriate that one of America's most important airports be named for such a heroic man. May he rest in peace.

[@ChicagoAirportSpotter]

I work at the airport named after him, always love telling people this [abbreviated] story. His father worked for Al Capone and pushed his son to join the military to escape the likelihood that he'd end up in the mob himself.

[@woodb51]

A few other people work there too. Just a few!,🤭

[@ChicagoAirportSpotter]

@@woodb51 About 60,000

[@vincentcrisostomo5438]

Fly Ina nd out of ORD almost daily, love the airport and the history behind the name. Looking forward to seeing the new renovations done in the years to come

[@woodb51]

I flew out of O’hare when there was still an airline called Pan Am. It was the busiest airport for a long time until Jackson-Hartfield took that claim away.

[@ChicagoAirportSpotter]

@@woodb51 Last year, they were tearing out an office with a Pan Am logo still on the glass. It was etched into the glass. I went and talked to the demolition foreman and asked him to save that piece for me. They cut it out very nicely and wrapped it in newspaper for me. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I have it at home.

[@7john7able]

That's the trouble with true stories, there isn't always a happy ending.

[@uncbadguy]

Watch some Russian War Movies. If you watch 3 you will come to the conclusion that all Russian war movies all end the same. Everybody dies and becomes a Hero of the Soviet Union.

[@fungipolo]

These are the forgotten hereos...thx for the video 😢

[@roadie3124]

Is O'Hare forgotten? I'm Australian, but I know about Chicago's O'Hare Airport, named after the WW2 hero and Medal of Honor recipient Edward O'Hare. It was, for some years, the busiest airport in the World.

[@cameronlewis1218]

I agree. O’Hare is a name that won’t be forgotten…

[@Kenneth-jj8po]

Wild Cats only had 4 guns not 6

[@thewatcher5271]

This Was Pretty Good! I Remember Reading About Butch O'Hare As A Kid 60 Years Ago In, 'Great American Fighter Pilots Of World War Two'. Thank You.

[@the-trustees]

"Ace" in a single dogfight. Not too shabby. 🙂

[@generalilbis]

Yup....though there was later effort to revise the kill count to 3 by historians because Japanese military documents studied after the war painted a different picture of the fight: 2 of the downed bombers were officially listed as lost in a storm after escaping the fight.

[@TheObeyMayhem]

@@generalilbis It's easier for a population to accept lost pilots than defeated pilots. The Japanese were notorious for downplaying the achievements of our troops during WW2.

[@generalilbis]

@@TheObeyMayhem Oh, I know....the Japanese would be especially bad at admitting stuff like that at the time.

[@cliffnelson1174]

And think about this, as he took off from the Carrier, he hand to hand crank the gear up With 26 rotations of the hand crank to lock the gear in place....think about that while he was trying to fight those Jap bombers....the adrenaline rush must have been off the charts...I believe it was 26 times.....but still.

[@capsontl]

Fantastic presentation - my favorite - and I've seen many of your productions. What a hero and inspiration he was, and still is. And the balls it took to take on the Japanese in Rabaul. I suggest substituting one of your clips for a map that would provide some geographical context.

[@safiremorningstar]

Yes I learned about O'Hare when I was working study my for a position for one of the companies, I wonder how many people know his name but not his story, O'Hare airport by the way is considered one of the best run airports in the United States.

[@lornehargis2614]

Amazing story of heroics, sadly lost to the ages. RIP Cmdr O'Hare

[@EvidenceReasonsAcademy]

"This is not a football game." -- Admiral Brown "Saving your carrier is better than a football game" -- me Thanks for the great video Dark Docs!

[@Redmenace96]

You left out a good detail about his stand to protect the Enterprise. His Wildcat only had a capacity for like 450 rounds. (can't remember the numbers) He brought down each of those bombers with only like 50 rounds each. He was greatly skilled and lucky? You suggested/implied this in the narration, but it was incredible to everyone on the Enterprise and every other pilot working. He made every shot count. Landed with no ammo and no fuel, and it was a very near thing he goes into the drink. He gave full-measure, as it were. "Gallantry"

[@Fuegosjourney]

Thank you for adding that insight!!!

[@ChefMagic9789]

I have never been the first person to view one of his videos ever before. Great video

[@miltondiaz7580]

I also learned about O’Hare at Chicago’s airport. I related his story to my eldest son. Then, when my son was in the Cub Scouts, he asked me to make him a Wildcat for his Pinewood Derby Car. Naturally, with a little help, he painted it to look like Butch O’hare’s airplane. His car was voted Best in Show.

[@clearcreek69]

I first heard about Butch O'Hare from a comic book "Marine War Heroes #3"

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

One of your best videos to date.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

My Dad, was in the US Navy during (but not in), the Korean War. He was on a US Navy destroyer; the 'USS O'Hare'-DDR889. Yes, there was a US Navy destroyer, named after him, also. Eventually, it was sold to Egypt, for their service. It was scrapped, in '92!!

[@Redmenace96]

Just finished a book about the war in the Pacific. Learned a lot about how chaotic naval warfare is. I didn't understand a lot of it without maps or diagrams, but I will say- command and control in the vast Pacific is a crapshoot. Everybody made mistakes and paid with lives. The Japanese Imperial Navy made slightly more mistakes over months and months of desperate battle. A guy like O'Hare tipped the balance (for one day) with guts and incredible luck. It makes you question Fate.

[@fload46d]

O'Hare------great and huge airport.

[@frozencanary4522]

Thanks to the greatest generation.

[@MakerBoyOldBoy]

Thanx. I was stationed in Illinois in 1965 and tried to fly out of Ohare in the midst of a strong snowstorm. I remember walking with my packed B4 on my back using it as a weight as I walked at about 45 degrees into the fierce wind.

[@robertbarlow6715]

Same here going home on leave in the 70 s stuck there for 8 hours with a pocket full of money. Man did I eat a lot of sea food being from South Florida I did eat then tied my duffle bag to my leg and went to sleep.

[@robertgutheridge9672]

I enjoy the way you format your videos. Keep it up

[@RemusKingOfRome]

Battle is all about a few brave leaders, supported by the rest.

[@bobbrown5529]

a True Hero , but a very sad end .

[@ianray8823]

If there's one thing War in movies has instilled in us, it's the gut wrenching feeling when you talk to someone on radio...but they don't respond. Tell them once, try again to confirm, then dread.

[@nickthenoodle9206]

Wildcat. Won the war in the air over the Pacific before the more famous planes turned up.

[@jaman878]

Not to take anything away from the F4Fs but I think the SND Dauntless’s can make a claim to winning the decisive action by taking out the 4 Japanese carriers at Midway. There was still a lot of hard fighting to be done, but the initiative swung over to the USA and the Allies for the rest of the war.

[@nickthenoodle9206]

@@jaman878 In can see that, but bomber vs torpedo was luck.

[@briancooper2112]

Corsair flew combat in late 1942.

[@nickthenoodle9206]

@@briancooper2112 1943 actually, and by then, Japan had shot its bolt.

[@bushwackcreek]

I wish there was more footage for you to use of the actual carriers and crews. It's distracting for someone who knows the difference to watch but still very excellent documentaries. My Dad was in WWII in the Atlantic, Med and Pacific Theaters aboard the USCGC Campbell and USS Joseph T. Dickman. One of his good friends aboard the Campbell (ETO) was the ship's photo journalist, a fellow named "Webb". Decades after the war, at a ship's reunion, Webb told my Dad that the Navy destroyed pretty much ALL of the film that he had taken (photo and motion pictures) during their time in the Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean and Pacific. Why? Webb never knew but Samuel Elliot Morrison was aboard Campbell during a pitched battle against German JU-88's in the Med and documented that in his history of the Navy in WWII. I'm sure Webb filmed that but nothing remains visually.

[@darrencorrigan8505]

Thanks, Dark Docs.

[@DavidBenner-cy4zl]

His father was Al Capone's lawyer. Later, he turned against him and helped get him convicted.

[@angrydemonproductions4361]

Lawyer for only the dog tracks that Capone owned in St Louis & Chicago. Eddie (Butch’s dad) never worked with Capone directly & it wasn’t like Capone can call Eddie for any/all legal issues… Eddie only turned over the books from the tracks to get Capone and that was only because Eddie knew Elliot Ness was going after Capone & figured he (Eddie) get ahead of Ness’s roundup.

[@DavidBenner-cy4zl]

@angrydemonproductions4361 good to know. I only know what I read. Though, some historical events I know more of the truth in person.

[@AdmRose]

It’s pedantic I know but that’s a lot of footage of Dauntlesses for a video about a Wildcat pilot.

[@BionicRusty]

🥱

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Stil good to see, whatever they are.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Thanks for this story. I knew about O'Hare's father working for Capone, and that the son had been a war hero, after whom the airport was named, but not the story of how he became so highly respected. Certainly a very brave, and very skilled man, deservedly still well remembered. PS - I have only travelled through O'Hare airport once. Once was enough....... but that is no reflection on the gallant man whose name it bears!

[@gregbolitho9775]

2:27in can explain why the Admiral was saluting with his left hand?

[@patrickyoung3503]

Honour & Respect . Lest we forget .

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

OHare was fearless!

[@moistmike4150]

On D-Day +80yrs., I'm amazed at Butch O'Hare's heroism and sacrifice. I wonder what he'd do in 2024 while watching our nation currently on edge of falling into a dictatorship.

[@johnleeson6946]

You redeemed yourself. When I fly out of O'hare, I always take time to visit his F4F memorial. His plane had only four .50 caliber machine guns and no folding wings. Midway Airport has a great tribute to their namesake battle. They even have an actual Dauntless suspended from the overhead.

[@rockstertx]

Great history lesson... I did not know until today that Chicago's O'Hare airport was named for a WWII Hero.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

A wonderful introduction

[@mzimm460]

SO IS THIS THE SAME THATCH AS THE TATCH WEAVE?

[@sharzadgabbai4408]

Yes

[@seawolff33]

I believe O'hare airport is named after this pilot.

[@briancooper2112]

Yes.

[@BionicRusty]

So it says in the video. 👍

[@robertbeirne9813]

You should watch the video, it’s pretty good 👍

[@garymacmillan]

A hero well worth remembering for generations.

[@Cybernaut76]

Sixteen multi-engine aircraft lost for failure to sink Lexington and I think no American planes downed either. I would say that almost certainly amounted to a major defeat if you ask the Japanese side. It was engagements just like those that on their own part eventually led into Japan losing the war.

[@Mike-tg7dj]

Great story, great video and connecting the dots to make the big picture. The end was a bummer though but, isn't life like that Jim Morrison said," no body gets out of here alive ".the older I get an the more family and friend who pass away I the more to the point that statement becomes true.

[@thomasstevenrothmbamd2384]

Wow!

[@marnold2791]

A family on Maui often invited aviators to their home for dinner. It was customary for the guests to sign their names on a wall of the porch. Among the signatories was Butch O’hare.

[@integrityrentalproperties9173]

10:55 - Why is Admiral Brown saluting with his left hand? Roosevelt is covering his heart with his right hand, so this isn’t a reverse camera image. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@paulprigge1209]

Grew up in St. Louis. Yep Missouri native

[@robertrettig7110]

USE film from the era, NOT jet pilots putting helmets on!

[@RichardHomolka]

I went to a Lego store in the northwest Chicago burbs. On the wall, a Lego portrait of OHare. He’s remembered

[@RichardHomolka]

6:52 SBDs? Perforated flaps

[@paulbarthol8372]

"The entire crew of Lexington were on deck?". Who was running the engines?

[@francopasta3704]

The cooks…

[@twistedarm]

The Paul Harvey part of this story is very interesting. Dutch's Father was an associate of Al Capone, his lawyer I believe. He betrayed Al Capone so Dutch could join the US A Air Core, Dutch's father met his end on a Chicago street corner in a blaze of machine fire.

[@geraldkosur1445]

O'hare's nickname was BUTCH

[@twistedarm]

@@geraldkosur1445 So tell me, Do you know Dutch/Butch fathers history? I may of gotten a minor detail wrong, excuse I am not perfect. But his dad was the real hero in this story!

[@angrydemonproductions4361]

Eddie (Butch’s dad) was one of several lawyers that worked for Capone - lawyer for Capone’s dog tracks. Butch joined the military academy when he was 13… graduated & offically joined service at 17 - at no point did Eddie ‘help’ Butch get into the service… he was forced to the academy because Butch was overweight & lazy. Capone went to jail in 1930….. in 1939, 1 week before Capone’s release, is when Eddie met his demise at the street light.

[@shadowwulf2154]

Actually at the time Butch O'Hare did not fly a F4F-4 Wildcat,it was an F4F-3 Wildcat so it only had 4 x 50 cal while the F4F-4 had 6 x 50 cal guns.The F4F-3 had more ammo though.F4F-3 had 1800 rounds while the F4F-4 had 1440 rounds.

[@danflores8445]

These are truly amazing men, true Heroes 🫡

[@ralphbacon275]

Six machine guns on an F4F? I think not.

[@garydaniels5495]

On the F4F-4, yes. Earlier versions only had four machine guns.

[@carlhbecker]

February 1942 the wildcat was a F4F - 3 with 4 .50 machine guns. O Hare was a great pilot!

[@captanchunky9119]

Don't believe everything warthunder sells you.......😢

[@TJ-USMC]

"Semper-Fi"

[@charliebecker2216]

What a great story .

[@Ivan-pl2it]

O'hare was credited with 4 because of Japanese reports of the battle. I guess the capt and crew of the Lexington were not as creditable as the enemy.

[@briancooper2112]

He had a wingman with him!

[@angrydemonproductions4361]

Yes and no… yes a wingman went up with Butch, when they tested the guns on the planes just after takeup, all guns on the wingman’s plane were jammed & was forced to land leaving just Butch vs 9 bombers

[@paulr7547]

Very interesting.

[@MrPoorcharlie]

O'Hare's Wild Cat only had 4 50 cal's.

[@Lockbar]

Pappy Boyington said O'Hare was shot down by accidental friendly fire by an over anxious rear gunner of a US dive bomber.

[@sharzadgabbai4408]

Why would a SBD be in the air at night?

[@3mountains307]

You keep showing Dauntless dive bombers when you're talking about Wildcats.

[@David-d4k9k]

I don’t think the crew would have been ‘rooted to the spot in horror’.

[@crabman732]

They don’t name Airports after just *anyone*

[@lesberkley3821]

I'll be in trouble, but if a certain draft dodger had lived then, he would've said, "I like guys who don't get shot down." All honor to O'Hare, a genuine American hero.

[@ThorsonWiles]

The Fat Electrician has a video about O'Hare, in his own humorous way. Including how his father became associated with the mob.

[@martymartinez2741]

Normal service costs $80.00 in Wisconsin.

[@Redmenace96]

"I was alone. With one other fighter." Huh?

[@MJ-we9vu]

His wingman's guns jammed.

[@davidsike734]

They keep showing the SBD Dauntless as if it were an FM2 wildcat. Furthermore, I don't think the FM2 wildcat had been upgraded with 6 browning 50 cals, (as the narrator says) instead it still had only 4 if I'm not mistaken. Luckily the Japanese planes caught fire so easily.

[@Minuend]

Sort of a piece with showing a windswept Bull Halsey in cameo who never commanded the Lex.

[@billt6116]

And to this day, There is an airport named after him in Chicago.

[@danielanthony8373]

No I know why and who O'Hare Airport is named after A true Warrior A true America Hero

[@71Habu]

Funny how he was flying SBDs, a Corsair, and even a Bf-109 while shooting down a Spitfire!

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

He was the original transformer

[@stephenkalatucka6213]

He was the only US naval aviator to be awarded the Iron Cross.

[@Redmenace96]

So, tactics-wise? Why were these Japanese bombers flying in such great numbers without fighter escort? First wave, and O'Hare's wave are just getting ripped from the sky.

[@colkelley]

Why do you insist on showing random, incorrect aircraft - even a German ME-109 and a Hawker Hurricane - that really discredits your efforts at historical presentation.

[@chrisrautmann8936]

Because public domain video of war footage is hard to come by

[@bruceullman4769]

Then use stills. Those of us who care about military history also care about the truth.

[@chrisrautmann8936]

@@bruceullman4769 Those still cost money, and KZbin pays by eyeballs, not content accuracy. Moving videos get more hits than stills.

[@rogergoodman8665]

Your late to the party again dark dude!😂 The Fat Electrician covered this better 10 days ago. .......always a bridesmaid, never a bride!😂

[@BionicRusty]

Have a word with yourself, pal. 🥱

[@rogergoodman8665]

@@BionicRusty : I can't get a word in edgewise, I've tried.....PAL!

[@janlindtner305]

👍👍👍

[@auro1986]

he has to because you do not pay pilots for flying for reconnaissance and landing back safely

[@markhamersly1664]

The video started, saying "A squadron of Wildcats had just touched down." Looking at the screen, I was watching Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, rather than the somewhat `tubby` Grumman Wildcats. I stopped watching at that point. Hammer. US Army CW4/SrAviator

[@wilsonpickett3881]

The entire crew was NOT on deck

[@williamgould6099]

13:49 13:49

[@dylanreen6149]

Again, a very similar video right after the fat electrician.....

[@lexbraxman9270]

The Japanese were a formidable and respectable enemy during WWII. May all the fallen soldiers RIP.

[@terry_willis]

Formidable - yes. Respectable - No. They were monsters responsible for hundreds of thousands of needless deaths and massive destruction of much of SE Asia. How many American men died because of them?

[@sharzadgabbai4408]

Respectable? Research japanese war crimes and get back yo us.

[@pibbles-a-plenty1105]

As usual you are showing everything and anything in place of the subject Grumman Wildcat fighters. Why don't you learn your aircraft types?

[@christianandrews5986]

You an the fat electrian seem to see who can tell a story better u guys hit the same topic days from each other

[@shaundenehy4681]

Would think its a mix between a shark and croc, so if it just did what crocs and alligators do then they swim.

[@eriknewman5288]

Fat Electrician made this video last week

[@mykelengieza7057]

I know this story

[@waynetaylor8082]

No "bone spurs" here!!!

[@RogerDier]

Why cant you correctly identify aircraft types and refrain from the sensational bulls..t?

[@Mrgunsngear]

🇺🇸

[@NotMyActualName_]

Poor guy has everyone's least favorite airport named after him

[@MartinLopez-zs9il]

During this fight he flew the F4F-3 Wildcat that was armed with four .50 machine guns, not six.

[@briancooper2112]

Correct

[@briancooper2112]

There's speculation he only got 4. The navy needed a hero at the time.

[@BlazeInjun]

That is based on Japanese records after the war. The US took the word of the enemy over their own records. The Fat Electrician just did a video about this man 10 days ago.

[@williamallencrowder361]

A karen heard from

[@chief3378]

Really did you just really go there that's insulting

[@armitage36]

People Are So Pessimistic These Days.!!

[@briancooper2112]

Excuse me ​@@williamallencrowder361

[@mikearakelian6368]

That's a dauntless dummy,not a wildcat....clear you dontknow what your talking about...

[@ifga16]

Same shit as before. Completely random non related videos used in a haphazard mess. Mixing vids of random carriers without correct labeling. Repeatedly showing Lexington CV16 instead of CV2. It's insulting. I had in-laws on both ships. An uncle on CV2 and his brother, my father in law on CV16.