The F-4s That Were Supposed to Be Bombers but Utterly Wrecked the Enemy - Operation Bolo

[@willdyer3371]

I never get bored hearing the story Operation Bolo. One of the best ruses in military combat. I wish someone with the right mindset would make a movie about Robin Olds and the Operation Bolo. Great video

[@keyboard-commentator]

for real! this almost sounded like top gun at the beginning but ended up a way better story. I'm actually really surprised nobody has made a big budget movie about this. it's a hell of a story and there would be plenty of big hollywood actors chomping at the bit to play Olds. if they can't find the money to make a big budget film, someone could at least make a decent animated version. this story could make a really cool anime, but i dunno if there's a big market for that.

[@willdyer3371]

There are so many great stories that came out of Vietnam. I guess it is still taboo to praise the brave warriors. 🇺🇸

[@CharlesYuditsky]

Such a movie would have Chappie James in it. Yet another legendary Air Force leader

[@CharlesYuditsky]

Also, I would wish for the Viets to be focused on as well.

[@willdyer3371]

@@CharlesYuditsky a perfect title would be “Blackman and Robin” but it may be to harsh for today’s society.

[@1982joe1982]

You can see the pride in Robin Old's daughters face when she does commentary about her father - You can also tell she is very savvy as to the technical details and strategic brilliance not to mention the fortitude it took to do what he did. I will watch and read everything offered on his service - My father had 27 years in 1940-67 and 22,000 hours in the air in mostly state of the art planes of the day - I still find it all incredible

[@JohnShields-xx1yk]

1970 I was 10 yrs old when we had Christmas at Grandma's house, my uncle Jack was home on leave from Vietnam where he piloted the F4 Phantom, I was in awe and wanted to ask him many questions, but he didn't talk about the war so I kept quiet. God bless all who served and to those who serve today. 🇺🇸🙏

[@someoneelse9271]

The Black man and Robin duo . Original American badasses

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I'm from the UK and have modest interest in history. I've heard of Operation Bolo and have been exposed to small elements of it but, as with all your documentaries this has been well presented and a digestible length. Great storytelling with visuals that really get to the heart of the subject.

[@waynebinks1091]

I hope we've finally learned to listen to the people that go into harms way instead of armchair generals who think they know better. What a legend Olds was. They don't make them like that anymore.

[@keirfarnum6811]

The first Gulf War was run by actual warriors. Poobah’s Party is a perfect example of the kind of tactics they used. The Iraq invasion on the other hand had Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; aka: Robert McNamara 2.0. He micromanaged everything into failure. The initial invasion worked out okay, but they screwed up the occupation when they disbanded the entire Iraqi Army and police overnight and put a million military trained men out of work with no way to support their families; a recipe to cause an insurgency. Making a million men, who know how to fight wars, pissed off with nothing else to do is a dumb move.

[@WildReefer]

Better story than Top Gun. ... Either of them.

[@ken481959]

Both movies were strictly for entertainment. The Tom Cruise character would have been passed over for promotion and booted out long before the second movie was supposed to have happened.

[@kellywilson8440]

Col. Olds Scat F-4 phantom is on static display at WPAFB Dayton Ohio !

[@b.thomas8926]

Imagine what would have happened if the F4's had a gun.

[@chief3378]

The F4 E model had a Canon mount on it

[@b.thomas8926]

@@chief3378 Wasn't there during this time in the war.

[@chief3378]

@@b.thomas8926 I didn't say it was I said the e model which came out years later

[@patrickw9520]

​@@b.thomas8926this is just one of many reasons they added one to the E model

[@Bruce22027]

The F8 corsair had a gun, but most of its mig kills were actually still with missile. Considering the F4 is less maneuverable than the F8, maybe the answer is: slightly better.

[@keirfarnum6811]

Olds is the only man who could make a 70s mustache look GOOD!

[@nickhayley]

This is the first time iv heard anyone speak so highly of a mig 21. 😂

[@sargemarine3709]

My father was an ADJ, on F4's and retired a Blue Angel, in Pensacola. He was on the USS Ranger, back then.

[@josephlewis7443]

The F 105 Thunder Chief was not slow in fact it was very fast in a straight line. Not so agile because it was heavy and took a lot of real estate to turn in. It was an excellent bomb truck.

[@TheMiningCabinet]

They don't make em like that any more. Robin Olds was a pilot's pilot. A dogfighter! I wonder how many times he asked who was the brilliant idiot who designed this incredible airplane without a gun????

[@orlandoclark8062]

The original rhino was a versatile aircraft and both thunder birds and blue Angels flew I believe at the same time. I would have like to see their shows. Those j-79"s roar would have been awesome!

[@tomeickhorst6787]

Robin Olds was the leader everyone needs in the service. He believed in true leader ship by going with his men and showing them he was a leader in stead of giving them orders and sending them out while he stayed safe

[@Repeal_22nd_Amendment]

18,000 pounds ordnance, Mach 2+, what's not to love?

[@annehersey9895]

Just think, had he not been grounded in Korea, he could have been a Triple Ace! This was a fantastic episode! It was as exciting as any movie in the cinema and as always, your narration was brilliant. Thanks for all your channels.

[@us1fedvet]

The 105 was anything but “slow and cumbersome”. Your pretext is bogus. Down low the 105 was very fast and could carry over five tons of ordnance all the way. It was designed to deliver a special weapon all the way to a key target as a TAC asset. It was turned into a conventional weps hauler in Vietnam.

[@wilddenbigh]

Yeah, except when carrying 12,000lbs of bombs, that might affect the flight performance of them duh.

[@us1fedvet]

@ same issues on the F4 and any other airframe with external stores. Talk to a professional fighter pilot, not me, about simply hanging extra fuel tanks as to the effect on performance and range. All I know is from observation and knowing gentlemen that have actually been in the seat on both. “Duh”, indeed.

[@BrandonSLedford]

I got to see Robin's plane up close!!!

[@davegt27]

yeah his Jet was at my old unit years ago the 149th ANG TX, Chappy James's son was also there he was an F4 pilot

[@josephgriffin2388]

Glad he got his stars.

[@ntabile]

Bolo, a Filipino farming tool, doubled as a fighting weapon.

[@annehersey9895]

That the US had a missile that could lock on from out of visible range BUT doctrine says NO, you can’t shoot it until you see the enemy just shows one problem most militaries have. The higher ups-generals and Admirals- usually fought in the LAST war so their knowledge and experience were outdated in the fast moving changes that happened post WWII. The Brass were used to WWII and Korea dogfights and were mistrustful when told something could be done without seeing the other side pilot to pilot. The Ukraine war has given militaries a heads up about how the next,war might be fought that no one had thought about before-cheap drone swarms to overwhelm and negate the best anti-air defense!

[@princybella5386]

No the F-105 couldn't outrun an F-4 the Phantom set 16 Word Speed Records at both Low and High Altitudes.

[@edwardpate6128]

Don't want to burst your bubble but the F-105 was anything but slow. At low altitudes and freed of its bombs it would run away from an F4.

[@glenjohnson9302]

It's what they said though. Laden with bombs they where easy targets.

[@delten-eleven1910]

...I went straight to comments when I heard that!

[@princybella5386]

Uh-No.

[@honorguardsfencingclub7322]

F-4 pilots said "Thuds go home at just under the speed of light" They could go fast with a load of bombs, but the bombs would get torn off by drag and turbulence.

[@james_the_darklord]

And yet it's no match for the Mig21 at all

[@deenasmusicbox]

What a freaking fantastic story! I swear you never cease to amaze me, never!

[@stevenhaffner3299]

Do some more research on the Thud.

[@briancooper2112]

His actress wife also made it for him not to see combat in Korea.

[@shanewilson5248]

thankyou , was great to watch and learn .amazing person 1of1 in many ways ,seldom sean are people of this qaulity .

[@charlesmak534]

Robin Olds was a badass.

[@warrengee-f9l]

F4 is Pretty ... I was born in 66 ,

[@ElaniMoonstaf]

Merry Christmas ! Hope you have a lovely day🌲🌲

[@richardmitchell3037]

My Dad did TDY at Ubon in 1970. He mentioned the MiG kill tally in front of the 8th TFW Operations building. Btw the F-105 was NOT slow.

[@80spodcastchannel]

F-14's were never flown in VIET NAM... your footage is kinda going goofy at the 7 minute mark

[@jaybee9269]

They did provide air cover for the evacuation of Saigon.

[@andycamp4890]

This was the Philadelphia Experiment Part 2.

[@richardmitchell3037]

Actually they did, the evacuation of Saigon.

[@davidandreasen9010]

🎉🎉🎉 Thank s 🎉🎉🎉

[@valvio1331]

Imagine if they had the F-14 and Phoenix... LOL!

[@davidrivero7943]

A 20th Century's winged Trojan horse. A Pegasus ?

[@jetfight11]

Im sorry what airbase??

[@rogerthetodger]

The fawkin' airbase! 😂

[@Bruce22027]

So why wasn’t it regular practice for F4’s to always fly with the thunder chiefs as they performed their missions?

[@randallraszick6001]

The Phantoms could not keep up with the Thuds at low altitude.

[@auro1986]

they were supposed to drop bombs until their migs came

[@iskandartaib]

F105s slow??? 😂😂😂😂 This channel used to be pretty good..

[@JSFGuy]

Welcome spam bots.

[@ocalaskyhigh]

How can you call the F-4 Phantom a fighter. It had NO GUNS. The Air Force screwed up by not wanting guns on these planes. 2, Please stay with plane type when using video clips. You get all over the place with different types of aircraft that have nothing to do with the subject aircraft. Very confusing, and I know a quiet a few of the warplanes. Point in case, you showed an F-14 Tomcat in this video. Really?

[@mingfanzhang4600]

😅😅

[@mingfanzhang8927]

😊

[@ĐorđeTičerić-r9z]

And US ( Army , Navy, Air Force) Lost Vietnam War😊😀😁😂

[@DavyRo]

It's amazing how a military has so much success but never won any wars on its own. In fact it's a serial loser. But we don't like to hear about reality do we?

[@jaybee9269]

That’s a feature, not a bug!

[@misterbig9025]

Vietnam won!

[@flexairz]

In a war, nobody wins.

[@kapikoyli]

🇹🇷💯🇹🇷