The Infamous Eager Beavers & Their Custom B17 Bomber - Old 666

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[@the_fat_electrician]

Keep the recommendations coming!

[@willy_b_coyote]

You should do the story of the mutiny onboard a Russian frigate that inspired the Hunt for Red October (look up the Storozhevoy Mutiny).

[@deadlyred0112]

Sr71 black bird. The whole story. Everyone deserves it and I remember the poll you put out and we got the mosquito which was awesome but the black birddddd

[@NERV_Mars]

How about the Alamo?

[@Garrettthebanana]

Not sure if you’ve already done this although you probably have so you should do the story on the one Russian dude in a submarine the was an admiral or something for a submarine he basically stoped ww3 from starting

[@114Riggs]

Thank you I Needed this as someone with shitty eyes.

[@kamina7347]

Hell yeah, giving the military anti heroes the respect and recognition they deserve, these long videos are the best bro

[@the_fat_electrician]

Glad you liked it

[@azazel-jr1bn]

im not ruining the 69 likes bro

[@chase1914]

Amazing story! True hero's

[@tompatchak8706]

Add them to the list,

[@alphacentary]

I don't think of them as anti heroes at all. Just Heroes.

[@johndjenssen]

To be completely honest, I don't think she could've had a better name than Old 666. This crew and plane deserve a movie

[@michaelbarnes7351]

A mini series like Band of brothers and the pacific would be better, that way you could properly tell the story.

[@dafender]

​@michaelbarnes7351 your getting my hopes up

[@AngelDame17]

A Movie and a Sabaton song.

[@stargate525]

You try pitching this and I think every executive would shoot it down as too over the top and unrealistic.

[@orthy853]

@@stargate525The truth is often more profound then anything they could imagine

[@BrandonHerrera]

“Hindsight being 20/20” I *see* what you did there 👀

[@the_fat_electrician]

Honestly it was an accident lol

[@brian-8814]

​@@the_fat_electriciandad jokes become instinctual.

[@bilboes6634]

@@brian-8814 How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it...

[@legallyblind3781]

@BrandonHerrera have you made it to be our first trustable politician yet?

[@aznravechild6i9]

Today we're talking about the guy who successfully ran for congress and never finished the AK50.

[@gregsettle9725]

The more I learn of military history the more I understand why the phrase "Lions led by donkeys" exists.

[@docholidayoutlaws104]

More like lions being lead by Eagles being bad ass Americans !!!!

[@joehirokuya2361]

@@docholidayoutlaws104hes talking about how their superiors are dumb. The whole crew badass

[@docholidayoutlaws104]

@@joehirokuya2361 I totally agree with that for sure , Superior Donkeys & Jack asses , lol ! My misconception my friend !

[@andyfriederichsen]

@@joehirokuya2361 It wasn't exactly dumb to punish people for failing to follow orders and for stealing equipment.

[@SynchronizorVideos]

Holy balls. How has this not been made into a 3-hour action-adventure movie yet?

[@oz_jones]

"too unrealistic"

[@trikstari7687]

Because the government and Hollywood are assholes.

[@TheAzureNightmare]

Not enough Alphabet People.

[@libertybell8852]

Too many Alpha males in this story. Not enough actors to fill those roles anymore. 😂😂

[@daiganmonceaux7347]

"Fighter pilots make movies, bomber crews make history"

[@shakyboi]

I was curious to read what happened to the plane and- "By March 1944, Lucy had been returned to the US to be used as a base transport aircraft and later as a heavy bomber trainer. It was finally flown to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 1945 to be sold for scrap." Damn shame because that plane deserves a spot in a museum.

[@stratigangames508]

That's some bull. She should be in a museum.

[@ZeamersEagerBeavers]

What's remarkable-and telling about the state of things in the SWPA at the time-is that '666 was repaired and returned to active service within months, though without the Eager Beavers' modifications. By September it was back in combat with the 63rd BS. There is a photo available of the plane in flight from the starboard side with obvious repairs done around the nose.

[@oz_jones]

I mean, it's kind of poetic that she was scrapped. From rust to rust, scrap to scrap

[@HANKSANDY69420]

*Same thing happened to that sub that Pool was on. The government can be pretty fucking stupid*

[@matthewirizarry8467]

​​@@oz_jonesshe was a vessel for the spirit that had gripped her crew. A suit of armor animated by sheer will power. At the pinnacle of their greatness, the devil took his fee and left. Without them, the magic is gone. It is right to let Lucy return to that from which she came.

[@EDT308]

Honestly Im surprised the plane could even fly with the sheer amount of balls it had to carry

[@andrewwilliamson9544]

LOL

[@riphopfer5816]

Seriously.

[@dj_duplicity4862]

I'd agree but I'm pretty sure those balls were not affected by gravity due to a lack of fucks given.😂

[@kentleytaggart5816]

Fantastic reply 😅😅😅😅

[@dadofamadhouse4194]

That b17 had an amazing Ball Load lol

[@regulardays8874]

My grandpa was a corpsman during the storming of Bougainvillea. Seems like I owe some credit to these fine men for allowing my lineage to continue. Thank you Eager Beavers!!

[@Ohiotrucker1]

Old 666 is the most gangster name for a plane EVER.

[@zoopdterdoobdter5743]

Well, yeah and hell _was_ coming with them. 😏

[@dannymcreynolds1060]

I love that Lucy was more than likely short for Lucifer, because they were about to rain almighty hell down on the Japanese.

[@Texan_Patriot]

​@@dannymcreynolds1060Exactly what I thought! 💕🇺🇲😎👌🇺🇲💕

[@SecNotSureSir]

There was a cargo plane(C-47 I think. I can’t remember) called “Big Nigger”.

[@cleverusername9369]

​@@SecNotSureSirdude. Just say n-word

[@Veritas.0]

They didn't steal all the gear for their bomber. Some of the other crews were putting in false requisitions to make new parts get ordered. The old ones went to Jay's crew. The other crews knew they were good and effective and didn't want them sidelined. Plus I imagine they wanted to see what would happen next. It gets boring on a base when you're not on.

[@ColburnFreml]

I would assume a fair number of them enjoyed knowing there was a crew that would volunteer for the most absurd/dangerous missions.

[@mrmabyr]

Either way, good sketchy work. Takes nothing away.

[@prestongarvey57]

That’s good. I’m glad they weren’t just being assholes

[@texvanwinkle]

There was no need to steal anything. Zeamer was the squadron executive officer of the 65th BS in May 1943 when '666 was returned to the squadron by 8th Photo, plus the 65th was transitioning to B-24s at the time, which meant Fortress parts were more available. Zeamer wouldn't have had any issues obtaining whatever parts he needed.

[@texvanwinkle]

@@ColburnFreml "I would assume a fair number of them enjoyed knowing there was a crew that would volunteer for the most absurd/dangerous missions." That is undoubtedly true. No one dreamed of turning down missions, but no one was judged harshly for not wanting to volunteer, especially for the long-distance mapping missions. Zeamer just wanted to fly and be doing something, as did Sarnoski. There's a reason they handpicked the crew they did.

[@NygaardBushcraft]

My neighbor is a 89 year old gentleman that is completely blind and he loves to listen to The Fat Electricians videos, and he is blessed with a special kind of memory so when play list is over the material is all new to him again and he enjoy it all over again.

[@ahnessa]

This is so sweet 🥲

[@JustinSawyer-t5c]

this is somehow sad and wholesome at the same time, and i love it

[@milldawgj9598]

That is awesome!

[@Crossword131]

That special memory lets him meet new friends all the time, too. You're awesome for sharing this.

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

May God bless you both, and the Fat Electrician too.

[@richinlukang7042]

I'm a 57 yrs old disabled USMC vet, who has spent the last 2½ yrs in a hospital bed, 24/7. BTW, It's not service connected. I've got a lot of free time, now, and watch a lot of movies and video about heroes who earned distinguished honors. Stuff like this always makes me cry. Cheers to those who gave the highest gift to defend our country!

[@Xassaw]

Cheers, blessings and much appreciation. ❤❤❤

[@rayparga879]

Bud after the war became a police sgt in Pacific Grove CA. He was my dad's Sgt when he started in 1966. Bud's hair turned white while in theater almost overnight. I was lucky enough to know him as well until he passed in the 90s. He was a really cool guy

[@GTGibbs]

Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@jroar123]

That is incredible to find out, thanks for sharing.

[@Naltddesha]

@10:46 interesting you mentioned his hair turning white- when I saw this picture I thought to myself that he looked like he had a lot of grey- even though it’s a black and white picture, and I wondered how old he would have been. I have heard of this happening to people under duress- and I suppose if anyone knew what that truly meant, Bud would have.

[@sohammitra8657]

Wow

[@the_part_time_geek]

My 13 year old daughter has a tendency to watch these video with me.. her comment was, "If history class was like this, I'd be acing the course." (she has a B in it, so I'm okay with that). That said, your methodology of storytelling history is bar none some of the most informative and engaging education I've ever taken part in. I'm a 50 friggin years old ex-grunt, and I look forward to seeing what I'm gonna learn with each video. Thank you for all of this.

[@QargZer]

The good news is he is going for a degree in history so that he can write history books for teaching. He talked about this on a podcast

[@dosentmatter1593]

@@QargZer im assuming its the unsub podcast but. do you know which one?

[@dravenocklost4253]

​@@dosentmatter1593how about you just watch all the ones he's in and find out.

[@dravenocklost4253]

Swimmers still work you old grunt, huh? Lol

[@QargZer]

@@dosentmatter1593 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZCXamurZrRnoaMsi=AhRbtDJn2NnZEEtj at 1 hour mark "fat electricians getting masters"

[@drcovell]

There is a story about a Wildcat pilot during Guadalcanal who, when out of ammo, lowered his landing gear and clubbed a Japanese bomber repeatedly, finally knocking it out if the sky. Japan didn’t learn until far too late that Americans also have a *Samurai* spirit-we just express it differently!

[@SovereignwindVODs]

Looking at history, it feels like the Japanese followed the thought process of "I will die to kill as many of you as possible" while the Americans followed "If I'm gonna die, you're all gonna join me in hell". Very similar thoughts, wildly different implementation

[@projectdeveloper9311]

And them they tell me that I can't do that in War Thunder because it's "unrealistic"

[@dillonpierce7869]

​@@projectdeveloper9311I've survived a few mid airs with enough damage to limp away..... Couple have knocked one wheel off so landing hasnt been better than ground looping but hey who cares. They still count as landings for some reason too.

[@rawchicken3463]

​@@dillonpierce7869most ppl just belly land in wt

[@dillonpierce7869]

@@rawchicken3463 shame. But makes sense given the way they give the 15-25 min match timer depending on match type and they can be over inside of 4 mins.

[@entropy3604]

As a child, I was fortunate enough to hear many B17 war stories from a surviving B17 pilot. Hearing your B17 story was like a time machine… thanks. I concur, would make a great movie

[@Arcqueid]

The CH 47 I flew in to Iraq on, had the tail number 666. It had a recliner and 240B ratchet strapped to the tail gate.

[@davidsimmons7359]

Hooker mafia, hell yeah

[@daviswhite3591]

My 3rd deployment I had a custom high back humvee. Only fit for 2 Marines. The back was full of gear and equipment. Our standard stuff buuuuut we also had television, a sound system, an Xbox, DVD, coolers, fans and a BBQ pit. We had a slave cable that ended in a 110 DC power converter box so we could run everything on our engine. We had a place to call home "The Titty Twister" but we were rarely there so we started carrying our own beds with real mattresses and we created a hot water shower system. I tried to get us a door gun for the passenger side but the grunts would not let us have one. So we got lots of personal firepower instead. Everything but a belt-fed. Our mission was simple and also difficult in that simplicity. Bring joy to Marines living way outside the wire. We're talking small unit elements snooping and pooping. No more than 25 Marines at a time. We'd feed them, let them watch movies, give them our Satphone and fill in where needed so some poor crusty bastard could have a hot shower and a decent night's sleep. Feed them till supplies ran out, hook up with a patrol going back to the rear, load up fresh supplies, find another patrol headed out. Repeat. Extremely dangerous. Extremely fun. They called us ------ The Chuck Wagon. We flew The Jolly Rodger on our antenna.

[@JeffChapa]

​@@daviswhite3591 That's Awesome!!! Aid and comfort to the frontline soldiers

[@ch.r8285]

I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds bada$$. Thank you for your service!

[@Suzanne-f4x]

@@daviswhite3591 You should really, REALLY connect with the Oral History Department of an excellent university. Try A&M University in Texas. This story is GOLD!

[@jefferyscholl]

1) Please never stop the long form 2) History has never been so fun (I still love you @kingsandgenerals) 3) The humanity you bring to these experiences is incredible. Thank you.

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

This. 100% this. Gave him a thanks because of it lol. Want it to keep going!

[@GTGibbs]

This was one of his top stories, and that’s a seriously hard list.

[@G-Cole-01]

Jay Zeamer really is the embodiment of "DO NOT DENY ME MY FREE BIRD SOLO" for not letting the copilot do his thing whilst bleeding out and doing all other kinds of shaboingery.

[@tommydotyjr.2966]

I'm sorry... shaboingery???? I'm using that now 😂

[@G-Cole-01]

@@tommydotyjr.2966 first heard it in a therussianbadger video and now it's just baked into my ROM for slang terms

[@Volvith]

@@G-Cole-01 I was thinking that sounded weirdly familiar. To be fair, it's up there with SwawS.

[@ruralandroid4984]

​@@G-Cole-01"imagine being brought in on felony tomfoolery charges"

[@cornholio069]

​@@ruralandroid4984that happened to me once

[@conniefoxx9813]

I don't know why, but I just LOVE these stories. My dad was Army during Korea then changed his MOS to USAF for the next 20 years through Vietnam era. Uncles USAF, my son straight up Army, and both of my husbands were Navy. I grew up watching the old tv shows like Combat, Rat Patrol, and 12'Oclock high. I love my men being men and am so damned proud of all who serve. THANK YOU!

[@appaloosa42]

Welcome! It’s been years since meeting a fellow ‘distaff’ fan of ‘60’s military TV fiction!

[@Taolan8472]

I knew a couple of things about these guys. I knew they were the most decorated aircrew, I knew they flew a customized B17, and I knew that their pilot was easily one of the most scarily competent pilots to have ever flown anything. I did not know that the 'customized' b17 they flew was effectively custom built from a literal skeleton. I did not know just how scary the good Captain's competence really was. and I didn't fully appreciate just how tightly knit that crew was. Now, I'm sitting here wondering why TF we don't have a movie about these guys. And if we do actually, I want to go watch it.

[@1975Paladin1]

Why we don't have a movie of them? BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE IT! Seriously, it's the same reason why they had to tone down the movie about Desmond Doss. People tend to not believe the actual reports because they are so hard core that they seem to be fantasy.

[@jenniferhanses]

Definitely, we need a movie about them. But you know the movie could not possibly convey the whole story, particularly the ending. 45 minutes of air combat is too long to film as well as unbelievable. They'd probably have to abbreviate it to 15 minutes, and even then, people might start getting bored in terms of entertainment quality because that's very different than direct experience. I can see how to script it though. Needs a bit more research on the rest of the crew, and some stuff would probably have to be changed for dramatic effect since we can't hear the inside of people's heads thinking.

[@samuraigaming3042]

whos dez doss?@@1975Paladin1

[@raymondwallace1031]

Would’ve been better than Memphis Belle

[@WhiteIkiryo-yt2it]

Mel Gibson needs to direct it. We Were Soldiers and Hacksaw Ridge were awesome!

[@matthewschoen9827]

This is the best video you've made so far and the fact that their isnt a feature length movie about these men is a war crime.

[@DragunovJ]

The first time it was actually a war crime...

[@MadDog-1961]

Exactly my thought!! I was going to post but started reading comments first...

[@maxlvledc]

This...that last mission alone has Oscar written all over it.

[@MetalManiac1911]

@@maxlvledcgood title for the movie too, “The Last Mission”.

[@maverick1685]

somebody needs to write a movie script and submit it........ to who?

[@hillrodhighlife990]

So as my wife was in labor. I was looking through KZbin because why not. I started watching this video and much to my surprise my wife wanted to watch it as well. Needless to say we put off having a baby to watch this. Well done my friend. Oh and I didn’t shed a tear when the baby came. But I did for the ones that were lost.

[@The_cestelin_Holland]

Congrats

[@infpail7232]

Congratulations sir

[@zippymoons2124]

Congrats! Name the Baby Lucy!

[@maxpower4584]

Congratulations man

[@jordanlarson8310]

If she's having a girl you really should name her Lucy

[@Msflamingo-wl4qo]

I got emotional, too. Prayers up. The old gal was scrapped, but I wish she was still around. My Daddy, a WW2 Veteran, USAAC would take me to Air Museums and Shows, something we truly enjoyed. One Museum didn't house these birds all shiny and new. Hardly anyone was there and nobody cared that we were going inside these magestic old beauties baring their broken glass and cobwebs. Just stepping into the past, me and my Dad. (I love and miss You, Daddy! 🙏🩷🫡)

[@JustSomeGuy117]

If you haven’t heard, Qatar threatened that they would stop oil production due to the Israeli Gaza war, committing the cardinal sin of raising gas prices. Nothing could go wrong with that plan.

[@marcmichaud1643]

The response will definitely be "proportional"

[@the_fat_electrician]

Cant wait to make that video …. A “Senile” response

[@smoogs1841]

The U.S. hands out fractions, proportions and meat bag misting technology like no other. Interested to see how the Dementia Man handles this.

[@zacharyfreelove6101]

​@the_fat_electrician it's funny because our president is a corpse

[@GuadalupeF.Arredondo]

It’s not like gas in California is already 7 dollars a gallon 🤷🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

[@danielbretall2236]

How has this story NOT been turned into the best WWII movies ever. If Spielberg had made this his follow up to Saving Private Ryan, it would have made 500 million dollars and won 5 Oscars.

[@ericyirka684]

Lets be honest. Who would believe this if hollywood made it lol. Personally i feel stories like this shouldnt be made into movies because the truth gets so lost in movies it, in my eyes at least, tarnishes the actual legacy

[@Hsnyd]

​@@ericyirka684good point

[@justincarrel7930]

People would call BS until they looked it up, it literally needs no fluff, just the record of his service is a stellar war flick

[@ScreechingPossum]

I get where you're coming from, but I don't want Hollywood butchering these stories, either (and we all know they would)

[@stevetheduck1425]

He would have made it a comedy. - and failed.

[@Jackaboy1476]

My uncle was a ball turret gunner and survived dozens of missions before being shot down and taken prisoner by Japan. He was tortured but never talked about it, all we ever knew was his head was so scarred he couldn’t grow hair and wore a toupee his whole life. Those men were basically sitting ducks on every trip they took, but they’d till went. The epitome of big balls and nerves of steel. Thank god men like that existed when they did.

[@goodday126]

People say there was no reason for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There was a reason.

[@jonangelo3810]

Thanks! Can you do a video of Pascal Poolaw? The most decorated Native American in US history. Was in WWII, Korea and KIA in Vietnam. The Native community and Poolaw relatives would love it!! It’s a very impressive story!

[@charlie1832]

Oh hell yeah, you know it’s going to be good when it’s a 35+ min video, this has quickly turned into one of my favorite channels after seeing you on demo ranch

[@B.E.Z.nOtLayZ]

This!

[@jackclark1994]

I swear, if he had taught my history class i would have aced it.

[@steve390gold]

What? He was on demo? He need to go to Matt's abandoned resort and give it a colonoscopy, I mean go spelunking in Matt's holes. I mean explore Matt's caves!!!

[@iansullivan7777]

Yes. Greatest war stories I’ve ever heard, also maybe the funniest YT channel.

[@pabloavalos8153]

I was so entranced by how amazing this video was, that when you said it was 35 minutes. I couldn’t believe it.

[@Crynocent]

Along with Jay Zeamer, Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa was one of the best bomber pilots in history. Using an SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber, he shot down 2 Zeros with guns and took another in basically a knife fight in the sky. He slamming his wing against the last Zero's during a roll, ripping the top of the Zero's wing off, without any significant or visable damage to his Dauntless. They transfer him to an F4F Wild Cat and he becomes an Ace in a Day with another 7 air to air kills in a single mission. Guy had no chill in a pilots seat.

[@krautyvonlederhosen]

Swede’s rear gunner wrote that he was barely able to avoid throwing up during the fight. Sparks should do a story.

[@kw3023]

Yes! Do a video on Swede!

[@trcslythriller1128]

@the_fat_electrician PLEASE

[@lsswappedcessna]

to be fair the Dauntless was a great plane

[@drewsmith5675]

I fifth the motion

[@willymac5036]

As an amateur WWII historian myself, I’ve read/heard countless stories about individuals and small teams of men doing extraordinary things during the war. This story of the Eager Beavers is one of my absolute favorites. It also helps that the fat electrician is absolutely hilarious and I thoroughly enjoy how he tells stories!

[@cdpgeorge]

I will accept interpretations if they're this entertaining. It's a damn wonder, it wasn't made a movie. Makes me think Hollywood hates telling patriotic stories.

[@dracodraco1982]

@@cdpgeorge >.> Actually, I think it's the exact opposite. They don't tell a lot of these stories because it highlights just how bad leadership was. These characters are heroes, yeah, but when most of the story has these guys struggling against US brass instead of actual enemies, it puts the military and government in a bad light. It's sort of like those "feel good" stories you see from time to time, where a kid does a bunch of work to help a friend with a medical problem; or a bunch of teachers donating sick days to a colleague battling cancer, yet who has run out of leave. Yeah, people are being heroes, but it kind of begs the question: why do we accept a system that demands such heroics from disparate people, rather than implement a system that alleviates the need for such heroics in the first place, leaving kids to be kids and teachers to their own sick days? You can frame it just right for 80% of people not to notice, if you keep it to like 3 minutes. Make it a two hour movie, though, and a lot more people are likely to notice a problem. Seeing as we had the Red Scare (where questioning the military/government carried very real risks of getting blacklisted), and now any major military movie relies on cooperation from the relevant military branch, and given the top brass of such arms won't back a project that portrays their branch in a negative light, there just wasn't a lot of time between the two for this story to get told. >.o The only way this gets made, then, is if the story gets heavily changed for political reasons; or is backed with enough funding that cooperation from the military isn't needed.

[@stormmorrell7583]

Off the top of your head any good ones I could read ?

[@willymac5036]

@@stormmorrell7583 there are a ton of heroic stories of American service members throughout the years. Just off the top of my head, a few that come to mind are Lyle Bouck jr. and his band of 18 soldiers that stopped the entire German 1st SS Panzer Division in their tracks for more than 18 hours, essentially SEVERELY hampering German efforts during the battle of the bulge. These men were absolute warriors, and after they were taken prisoner the Germans just could not believe there were only 18 of them. Lt Lyle Bouck Jr was only 21 years old at the time. Another is Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman jr, who posthumously received a Medal of Honor for his actions on Tarawa. He had already fought in the Guadalcanal campaign as well. I can’t remember the name of the man, but there is another one about a private during the Korean War who, while his unit was retreating, decided he had just had enough, and he wasn’t going to retreat one more step. He told his battle buddies what he was doing, and many of them gave him all the ammunition they could spare. He set up his machine gun for a final stand and held back an entire Chinese division, by himself, so that his unit could withdraw. He was never seen again, but after the war the US government was able to find out that he stood his post until he ran out of ammunition, and only had two grenades left. He used one on the enemy, and the other on himself when several enemy soldiers rushed him, taking them with him. This kid of only 19 or 20 years old took something like 125 Chinese soldiers out before he ran out of ammunition. If you do just a little digging you will find there are literally thousands of stories like this from every branch of the military, from every war America has ever been involved in.

[@GunBChevyNUT83]

I love stores like this! My grandfather was in the Korean war and a Air Force mechanic. He told me a story about a pilot that would make him knock out every light under the plane except for one in the front and the pilot would go head-to-head the trains. They would think it was another train so they would slow down/ stop and it would give him time to line up and not moving Target.

[@PatrickJDoyle-bw3fu]

My grandfather was a mechanic on B-17's in England, some of the stories of having to cut the aircrew out of the wreckage and flak damage were horrifying, braver than brave.

[@ghomerhust]

yeah those b17 crews were insanely brave guys. but what an airframe! they took so much damage before they'd actually go down. the men really felt like they could rely on the old bird to get them home

[@SirMattomaton]

Not going to lie, I'm a pretty stoic man, but I got a bit emotional at the parts where Joe Sarnoski refused to bomb where the Japanese officers were because he wanted to save the innocent geisha girls. It's good to see real *chivalry* in action and with boldness. It's so horrifically rare these days.

[@zacharysnyder2520]

Ignore civilian target, bolster the war effort. We aren’t demons.

[@SirMattomaton]

@@zacharysnyder2520 Exactly. Military "brass" across the world tends to become more psychopathic and deranged the longer a war goes on... And the more an opposing side is dehumanized.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

They knew they were going to win and they wanted the geisha girls for themselves.

[@jarlathquinn2628]

@@zacharysnyder2520except there were several high ranking generals there that if killed could have caused fewer deaths

[@firepilotfilson3881]

Its amazing the plane was able to get airborne carrying the brass balls on board

[@seancallaway5204]

Love how your channel has evolved from the short-form, quickie highlights to full-on stories about various military units/ships/personnel. Your older videos are still great, but I really enjoy your longer-form stories about epic soldiers, battles, crews, and vehicles, and the way you describe everything is equal parts humorous and informative. Perfect for keeping peoples' attention.

[@johnbailey2024]

Man listening to you is so easy, its engrossing, you humanize these heros, listening to you, is like reading a great book, that you just can't put down... good job

[@kendradavies8377]

Y’all “Willie” is my uncle and he was the absolute sweetest, most humble and unassuming man you ever met! No way you would ever see him as a straight up assassin! LOL Unbelievable badass!! Thank you for highlighting this amazing crew- all heroes for this country! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

The kindest people can be the most dangerous, glad you got to spend time with family and that family was a real American hero.

[@rexbrown1255]

I'm a 67 year old Veteran and absolutely love your videos. You're a natural at story telling. I found you and subscribed several months ago, and have went back to view all of your content. Can't get enough! This video however, may be your best one yet. I was a Tank Crewman and Drill Sergeant while serving and now retired HVAC Technician. My best friend is an Electrician. You bring great credit to the trades as well as inspiring people to be proud of our military and country. Bless you and much continued success!

[@kramreklaw3535]

Well worth it to go back and watch especially the one about military mechanics

[@chrisban6007]

I've done the same sir, and have watched most several times.

[@skraf883]

Holy hell.. if even only half of this story was true, it's still epic. This guy's story needs to be made into a movie.. problem is no one would believe it because it's so hard core out there.

[@richardhicks5031]

There's a lot of war stories Ike this that are to absurd to believe

[@musewolfman]

And it would have to be 6 hours long just to do the story justice.

[@jedi_country_boy1703]

Mini series on HBO

[@JohnDoe-dr9ff]

@@jedi_country_boy1703Like Band of Brothers. Could definitely see this story as a mini-series.

[@nicholasmosley2851]

Just like in the movie hacksaw ridge where Desmond daws’ feats had to be down played and or omitted because the writers said no one would actually believe one man accomplished them by himself.

[@3rdRangerBN]

No disrespect to the Memphis Belle but this story is incredible and would have made an even better movie! You weren’t the only one that didn’t get through that with dry eyes! I’m retired military and have always considered those men who fought in WW2 heroes and always been honored as such! I wish more people today had half of their National pride! What they did with what they had is absolutely amazing ! My grandfather fought with the 10th Mountain Division in Italy and I’m so honored that he gave me the 1943 Colt 1911a1 he carried in the war, A Walther P-39 AC43 and a PPK he brought back The P-38 has the soldiers name hand written inside the holster. I just started doing some research to find the family of this soldier and see if I can get it to them in honor of their family member.

[@tioch5957]

As the grandson of a B-17 tail gunner who survived 3 yrs in a Nazi POW camp and lived to tell the tale, I love stories about B-17 bomber crews. This one might be my favorite (next to my Grandpa's). Seriously, all of the those bomber crews were such incalculable badasses, especially those that went on daytime raids. Great video. Apparently my house is also infested with onion-cutting ninjas as well

[@lancerains7297]

Need to watch masters of air if you haven’t me and my wife did was fucking amazing

[@Crossword131]

Naw, bruh. It's the pollen. Allergy season. My eyes are all red, too.

[@RayvenTheNight]

​@lancerains7297 definitely agree. Watched it like 3 times back to back. Gonna order the book soon.

[@stwilson3550]

Jay Zeamer-"If you want your stuff back you can try it. But the guns are loaded. " Other bomber crews- "He's bluffing." Jay- "also you have to fight Willey." Everyone else- "Nah, we're cool!"

[@tacocin]

My Dad was in the Signal Corp and spent the whole WW II in the Solomon Islands. He was tasked to set up radio comms on Bouganville after the Marine invasion. He and another soldier were clearing a cave when a booby trap exploded and killed the soldier in front of him. He said he remembers a blinding light and then a seering hot burning pain, and then went into shock and passed out. The next thing he remembers is waking up at a hospital in Australia. He had suffered multiple shrapnel wounds to his chest. He was told he would be issued a Purple Heart Medal, his family would be notified, and he would be returning to the States very soon. He got angry, said he wasn't going home, declined the Purple Heart and demanded he be returned to his unit to "finish the fight'" And that's exactly what he did. He returned home after the Japanese surrender and married my Mom whose name, coincidentally is ... Lucy.

[@TRUMP_WAS_RIGHT_ABOUT_EVRYTHNG]

awesome story! we Enjoy when people share family history like this!

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

Hell yeah my kind of man

[@16rumpole]

God your father was a badass. You must be proud

[@andyhelipilot3528]

🫡 to your father another true war hero

[@lonyaidaniel]

Thats badass!😎

[@billserry58]

This story is fantastic and underscores just how courageous, talented and resourceful our young men of the Greatest Generation were. Your story telling style is great.

[@03Grunt-arrino]

Thanks for keeping all these gents alive via your videos. Dumb that most males know random NFL players stats back-to-front, but we don’t even know these war-dogs’ names. You’re helping change that. Well done.

[@tami-leighmoore6846]

You coulda said most dudes or most boys lol

[@Jacob-nl5bd]

My great grand father is Jonnie Able I am glad to finally here your take on this story. I still have all his medals in my house and like to revisit his history

[@kylemoore687]

Must be awesome to have such a badass in the family tree that people are still making videos about him today

[@bobw7018]

You sir, are the only man who can do these men justice and share their tales of bravery. I loved how this was a 35 minute video, and it was EXCELLENT the whole way.

[@richking2088]

These True and awesome storys always get me to the edge of my seat and gripping the chair harder than most new and old movies. Makes me wish i could see them on the big screen! This one would be one of the best aviation war movies ever made in my own opinion!! Please keep these storys comming, they are so inspiring!

[@pocketinfinity5260]

For joe to be hit with 20mm and still kill a couple more planes before passing on is unbelievable. He didn’t want to leave those men for anything. Same for jay to make it back after nearly bleeding out the whole time.

[@cs9978]

Lately I have the attention span of an ADHD suffering fruit fly on crank and you do the near impossible and hold my rapt attention for over 30 minutes straight. You may well be making the best long form content on this entire site. Another moving and inspiring story, sir.

[@samblundell1872]

Ha ha underrated comment!

[@redshirtwelshy3369]

This is one of my favorite World War 2 stories. The sheer grit and determination of that crew is simply inspiring. Thank you regaling us with this tale with your flair. It does it justice.

[@AstroAllenHeartbreak]

"Warheads on foreheads" 😂😂😂😂 they're not paying enough hommage to your comedic prowess

[@Carstuff111]

I read about this mission when I was a kid. When I was in Jr. High, my American History teacher noticed I would eagerly get my work done and start reading the random books he had in the classroom that were, in many cases, very old. One book in particular caught the biggest chunk of my time, it was about the B-17. It was both a technical book and it had stories from ground crews as well as flight crews. One Friday as class let out, he asked me to the desk, handed the book to me and said "Since you have been so careful, I trust you to take this home and you can take your time to read it more thoroughly." I read it in just over a week, and Old 666 had its own section in that book. And I personally want to thank you for bringing these to light in the modern day! Your Korean War videos have been great, as that was a war I actively learned more about even though it was not being actively taught.

[@richardmartinez6917]

You had a great teacher

[@NinjaSushi2]

That's a cool story. I was too ADD to sit and read. I wish I had discovered audiobooks as a kid.

[@jamesloveall1724]

I also read about this mission as a kid. Don't remember the book, or what grade I was in, but never forgot this story.

[@3YearsApart1613]

You had a great teacher.

[@SussusSamogus171]

Have you read the books based on the bombers and the stories the crews told? I forgot the name but it had laminated pages of different paint jobs of planes that flew in multiple missions halfway through the book. There were 2 of them my grandpa had because my great grandfather was a radio operator on them in WW2 in Italy, so we have models that haven’t been built of b-17 and b-24 as well as those books

[@rcrawford42]

There was a bomber named "Patches" -- for all the repairs it needed. Despite being shot up, none of its crew were ever severely injured, so it was a unit favorite. Eventually Patches was so beat up it took off at a crab angle -- unfortunately a general saw it taking off and ordered it taken out of combat. The unit kept it, though, using it for "supply" and R&R runs to Egypt.

[@DonBell-tt9cm]

376 th liberondos

[@paulzammataro7185]

Wasn't that a B-24?

[@MANTUEFLIE2]

Plane of Theseus

[@spindash64]

They could have sent that one back home for a war bond drive

[@scotbayless]

Dude you may be one of the most gifted storytellers I've ever encountered. Keep 'em coming.

[@WinterWolf1045_]

I love how “Willy” was so psychotic that even the “brass” wouldn’t go near him… 😂😂😂

[@Rikki0]

I'm 73 and a WWII aviation buff since I was 12. I knew this story but have never heard it told so well and completely. I love the way you present these stories. One small point, they could not have damaged both rudders since the B-17 only had one. B-24 had two. But that didn't hurt your great story-telling. Oh, and one other thing. Where was your wife? I always get a kick out of her little interruptions.

[@yxngboifizzy8114]

They were using a custom plane and it had 2 just look up “old 666” it’ll pop up!

[@hudsonball4702]

Both Rudders means both set of rudder pedals. 1 set for the pilot and 1 set for the co-pilot.

[@LyonPercival]

Ailerons maybe? Cuz turning

[@211johnb]

This guy tells a story so well that you fail to notice how good he is.

[@KayeWhye]

Or how long the video is. I was riveted to the screen, with no concept of how long I'd been watching. THAT, is the great telling of an amazing story. As soon as I post this comment, I am immediately subscribing to this channel. What a find!

[@cdpgeorge]

I like stories.

[@thegooddonut1]

The part where he mentioned Jay had to receive his award posthumously i started getting teary eyed, not quite crying but that was hard to accept and think about.

[@righteousviking]

Those onion cutting ninjas were in my house too

[@duelgundam]

Joe was the one who "bit the bullet", so to speak.

[@l3ftie578]

same i made it exactly that far

[@BlizzyBravado127]

I know for a fact the Eager beavers are the type of guys who wouldn't want this story told any other way! Great job, I love coming back and watching these past episodes that I missed!

[@debunkeduser1461]

As a pilot in training. I find it highly impressive that he maintained PERFECTLY level flight for 22 minutes straight. The B17 had only a very basic autopilot so my assumption* is that the pilot did that manually, accounting for wind, pressure differences and weight change never letting a single degree of turn, pitch, or yaw occur. If that does not speak mastery. Nothing does

[@ok-qz7cx]

i mean, this is perfect weather, so that might help quite a bit

[@georgehuesler9561]

Hearing stories like this out of the pacific always makes me wonder what my great uncle James "Jimmy" Gullatte did over there. He refused to ever talk about what he did in the war, other than the fact that he fell in love with a nurse named Daisy while in the infirmary after a mission. He was rough and tough and never lost his edge untill he died in 1992. His wife, Daisy, followed in '94. His secrets died with him.

[@captin3149]

It's sad the amount of knowledge lost in such a way, but completely understandable, as I'm sure more service members than we can imagine probably saw things that they would never want to remember, even to tell for historical purposes. I barely knew anything about my grandfather's service other than he was fighting in Italy.

[@Yes-thanks-fk-u]

I understand both of you but damn it’s a shame not to have heard all of their stories that they probably thought were nothing but we would be amazed at.. RIP … all heros

[@kenyenjones]

Try the Freedom of Information thing. Should be able to learn a thing or two about them from the DoD.

[@HortonSalm]

The early years in the Pacific truly were something else. Look up the B-25 raid that took place three days before the Doolittle raid. Poor bastards went out, flew their asses off, got awards but all anybody remembers is the other badass B-25 raid.

[@WhiteIkiryo-yt2it]

I raise my glass to them both.

[@BrianLopez-dv7ep]

My grandfather was a DC-3 pilot in WW2. He had a photo of him and his crew standing next to their plane and the plane was shot to shit but they made it back safe. After the war, he went on to work for NASA and JPL. His name was George Petrovich. I haven't seen that picture since i was a kid, and since his passing, no one knows where it went. EDIT: I really appreciate you telling these stories. It reminds me of when I used to sit on his lap when I was a kid and he told me all these stories of places he's been and all the crazy things he'd done. Thank you.

[@pauld6967]

You are fortunate Brian. My father was in the Army Air Corps/Army Air Force during W.W. II and he steadfastly refused to tell war stories. All I know comes from an off-hand comment he would make from time to time & the rare times I heard him reminiscing with other veterans when he didn't know I was around. He would immediately stop and leave the talking to the others if he noticed I was around. I suspect he didn't want to glorify combat. That said, he also didn't try to talk me out of joining the military and was proud to have me follow his footsteps in donning the uniform.

[@JohnnAlaniz]

@@pauld6967 that’s man saw hell and kept marching , my grandfather was they guy they sent out to find booby trans and disarm bombs in ww2 , he said they called em hounds he also did say one time he missed one and stepped on the mine but it’s just went click no boom , we are big hunters but when he would go with us he would just say he’s done enough killing already

[@25ellisd]

Honestly, at this point, I've lost count how many times I've rewatched this video. It's such a remarkable story and I love how it's told.

[@Lybarger12b]

As a veteran myself x combat engineer I promise you disassembling and reassembling a f****** 50 while blindfolded under a minute is wildly impressive

[@678rwhp]

12B's rule!

[@CurtDegree]

Honestly, thank you for the last clip. Listening to this story I teared up several times, and started to question myself for it... Knowing the storyteller was right there with me helped me to realize it wasn't me being "soft" or overly emotional, just a patriot. 🇺🇲

[@MrSatantheSinner]

Same, bro! Tearing up and hmbreathing heavy!

[@novemberoscar98]

My Great Uncle Major Matthew Michaels was in the 401st Squadron, 91st Bomb Squad, and 8th Air Force in WW2. The B17 he was in was shot out of the air. He was shot out of the bubble gun and was knocked unconscious. He woke up midair and pulled his chute. He was a POW until the end of the war. He knew he was saved we other POWs in the camp reported a US flag flying on the nearest church tower. Instead of waiting for Uncle Sam to get the paperwork and get him a flight, he hitchhiker with a couple buddies to the nearest town and to and English base and got to the States from there by ship. God rest his soul now, but he's my hero, even though he's quoted as saying otherwise. He has an audio interview on the library of congress if you're interested in hearing his story. God bless America.

[@Thelivingone-ez1gw]

Flag is ancient Egyptian thrown laid down and you all can't even fake Americans anymore wake up takes more then knowing the name of country to protect freedom and justice exactly your jobs and duty as we the people . How you doing your jobs and duty if clieless about it

[@Thelivingone-ez1gw]

Think vote protects freedom and justice disgrace to truth freedom and justice

[@jffry890]

Ok boomer

[@austinschmidt7035]

My great grandpa was a radio operator on a B17 and has some interviews with the library of congress. My hero too

[@Thelivingone-ez1gw]

@@austinschmidt7035 my was there but plain as day none had a clue what protects freedom and justice can't even fake it anymore . Clueless about what stand for can't be for freedom and justice if clueless about what protects freedom and justice

[@jlford30]

Never underestimate a resourceful, determined American fighting man.

[@corathus]

Oh my gosh thank you so much!!! I can't believe you took my recommendation. Thank you again for reviewing my favourite aircraft of all time. A fun fact to add. During Jays rookie time he was taken under the wing of another 'crazy' B-17 pilot who also flew his bomber like a fighter. Though not as extreme. This man also was the one who figured out how to skip bomb with the B-17 so with Jay as copilot he sank a Japanese cruiser with a B-17 at low altitude. Helping create the skipbomb tactic for all of the south pacific.

[@ethanpotts2915]

Man, as someone in the navy who thoroughly enjoys your content, this is honestly the most inspiring story you've ever told on your channel, and the most likely to become a Hollywood film. Keep it up brother!

[@malcomhouk4447]

I'm honestly surprised this isn't a movie already. It's so perfect, right down to the mid-film conflict with superiors threatening to shut them down, and the suspenseful suicide mission for an ending. It literally plays out the way most movies cookiecut their stories.

[@alexblack6421]

Should be a movie, or 20 part mini series

[@nikulasschobitz2731]

“The Larry Bird of putting warheads on foreheads” is absolutely one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a good bit!

[@vborne419th3]

I'm so glad you're revisiting these important stories

[@torstenfraser4950]

This is exactly the kind of story that SHOULD be taught about heroism and dedication above and beyond all expectation to not only see the mission done, but done the right way. The fact they had to fight their own chain of command to do what they did is both amazing and a travesty of incompetent mismanagement by their command. The fact I had never heard of this crew before this is a damning indictment of the American "education" system. I do not have the words to relay my appreciation for telling stories like this that I would never otherwise have heard.

[@chrisriker6421]

My father served there in the Pacific and stories of these guys were ALL OVER, saying the Japs had Rewards out on this crew.

[@chrisriker6421]

Can you imagine hooking up Pappy's Boyington's boys with the Ole 666 Crew ?!?!?! 😅😊😂

[@caseyb1346]

Everything about primary school is designed to beat you into submission and make you an obedient little cog for the machine. Why would they teach you anything that would have you question/challenge authority?

[@krautyvonlederhosen]

You always get pushback from the generals busy flying their desk thru heavy concentrations of enemy formations.

[@Pellagrah]

Why would a bureaucratic educational system teach kids to fight against incompetent bureaucracies? It would be like Nestle showing all new employees a documentary about the heartless corporate atrocities they've committed.

[@derekf2582]

Your history videos make my day. The fact you are a fellow wireman is even better. Keep the lessons coming, these are the stories we Americans need. Land of the free, because of the brave!

[@maxlvledc]

Land of the free, because of the brave.....for fuck sake I need that shirt

[@markduffield1147]

My sentiments exactly.

[@davidaschwanden2094]

Wow. How does one even comment to that? As a US Navy FireControlman that phrase "Putting warheads on foreheads" is f'ing gold. Brother your narration of this story is beyond perfect. My grandfather was an Aviation Machinist in the US Army Air Corp in WWII and worked on a bunch of these B17's. Like most of those incredibly strong and badass men he never really spoke to us about what he did over there. Although he did receive several awards, medals, etc for some pretty brave stuff he did under fire. I can't I'ma trying to work on my Harley with guys shooting at me with machine guns and just continuing to turn wrenches. That's the breed of man that made this country so great. I can only pray that we can find those few amongst these younger generations that still have that type of heart, drive, and integrity in order for us to retain our nation. Because let's face it, a lot of the younger kids out there now are weaker than wet toilet paper. God bless these heroes and the freedom they sacrificed so much for in order for us to live under the blanket of. Godspeed to each and every one of them! Killer job on the video sir.

[@HANKSANDY69420]

*Wet single-ply toilet paper at that*

[@MrAngelusnoctus]

This story really needs to be a movie. I think it's better then the story of the Memphis Belle.

[@mattthompson9917]

Operation "Broken Reed" was definitely the most gangster human Intel gathering mission of the Korean war. Not declassified until 1998, allowing the Army Crypto guy that was on the mission to finally write about it. This mission's intel probably was the only reason Truman didn't use nukes. They go all across North Korea as fake captured pows on their way to a Chinese prison camp. It's an amazing story and your delivery style would be awesome for It's retelling

[@SuperMuddybuddy]

You heard about the book sing a song to Jenny next? It was believed to be a suicide mission

[@Sybaification]

This is the first time I've heard of these guys and Im pissed. These heroes need to be in every textbook

[@joshuarojas8874]

I remembered watching this on the History Channel show called DogFights. It was such an impactful story and I still remember it to this day! Thank you for bringing this story to light!

[@trailblazer632]

The golden days for the history channel. A shame they fell off the wagon

[@MadDog-1961]

@@trailblazer632 Real to Reel...

[@Spedadhdkid]

Don't mind me, just listening to this guy for the dopamine of learning about mad lads from the past.

[@kyleaugustine6886]

I've asked this question for years, ever since I first heard this story. . . . *_WHY IS THIS STORY NOT A MOVIE!?!?!?!?!_*

[@the_fat_electrician]

Thats a great question

[@internetzenmaster8952]

Default answer: Because Hollywood couldn't list it as "based on a true story" because it sounds too ridiculous to be true."

[@raikbarczynski6582]

isnt that what Reagan told the press about Roy benavidezs story as he presented him with his MoH?@@internetzenmaster8952

[@kyleaugustine6886]

@@the_fat_electrician There is another war story is also tied at number one for WW2 stories I think should be made into a movie... Scratch that this one is getting a movie here soon. *The Battle of Castle Itter.* It was literally one of the craziest battles to happen in all of WW2 where US troops, Wehrmacht deserters, and a mix of Freed French and Austrian political prisoner including the former French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, Charles de Gaulle's sister, and a tennis star by the name of Jean Borotra.... I know, your asking, why specifically mention a tennis star, I don't know, every rendition of this story always makes special mention because it's just that weird. Anyways, this ragtag team of unlikely allies had to defend a medieval castle which used to be the prison for these French political prisoners in order to servive a force of several hundred Waffen-SS who where out to unalive those prisoners. . . You can't make this shit up.

[@Succeedlikeyoubreathe]

Fat electrician made it all up that’s why. Haha jk

[@chrisban6007]

It's shameful that our military leadership isn't capable of realizing the full potential of these guys, and guys like them. Taking out the search lights and anti aircraft guns?!?!

[@t_train3796]

Most of the leaders in the military are fking nerds and softies. Been doin this shit for 17 years and *cannot wait* to retire.

[@hazardltg]

Agreed but sometimes the comradery of "fuck leadership" is the reason we are successful

[@imperial_corner]

Total gangster move.

[@Ryan-li8qc]

There's a time to listen, and a time to go to balls to the walls.

[@elitewolverine]

Well.....if you let everyone act that way you don't have discipline. So it is easier to let them be the dogs of war while others get to look on with awe.

[@jero37]

I want a Band of Brothers style series made about these guys and all my favorite guntubers to play the Eager Beavers. Damn right Joe deserved that medal, he was a man of honor.

[@bigdrew565]

Maybe Tom Hanks will do a companion series or a one-shot.

[@FeralRabbit]

For years now I have wanted this to be a movie.

[@TheHippie74]

Every time you make one of these episodes, it just reinforces the conclusion I came to during my time in the Navy. It's the officers and upper enlisted that lose wars. They are more worried about promotions and awards than they are about doing what's right.

[@TripleDinLV]

Check that; it's the Senior Field Grade/Flag officers that just screw stuff up. Junior/Company grade officers and enlisted just want to do the job and go home.

[@lumberschef9433]

Sir, i am genuinely speechless and astonished. My life dream as a kid was to fly in a B-17. That finally happened some years ago, but just listening to our veterans id interacted with and their stories flying or defending these was incredible. This is absolutely the embodiment, the pinnacle of what America is. Intelligent, badass, integrity leading men fighting for what’s right.

[@elistewart3435]

US chain of command: “We are no longer giving you easy missions. We are going to give you the most dangerous missions we have.” Eager Beavers: “Don’t threaten us with a good time.”

[@rayray80234]

"Jokes on you, we're into that shit" - Eager Beaver crew, probably

[@RBcymru]

I have never heard this story and it's insane Hollywood hasn't made a movie about this. It makes the totally fake Saving Private Ryan look like a School field trip. This aircrew are heroes and extraordinary human beings fighting for one another to survive. Awesome thank you for doing this video. So proud of these guys from across the pond.

[@aidanacebo9529]

old 666 and the crew's story is literally the GOAT, and the best part about WWII is there are thousands of stories just as wild as this, just as heroic. truly it was a time of heroes.

[@azurblueknights]

As a bit of a war nut myself, I am absolutely beside myself whenever you upload a new story. I know many of these by heart, and you telling these stories with your own personal flair has got to be one of my best sources of happiness.

[@granatmof]

The interesting thing is the average lifespan of a bomber in WW2 was like 3 runs, and the last recon mission was in fact the third mission between the eager beavers and the 666. They also had to wait Months for weather conditions to be right for the final mission. The final mission is also the one they had all 19 50 cal on. 20 missions was enough for a bomber pilot to end his tour of duty, and Jimmy Stewart was one of the relatively few to make that number (though reportedly he completed more missions without permission of command).

[@boydsinclair7606]

I'm thinking Jimmy Stewart would have been so polite and easy going it would have been hard to say no to him.

[@aaronnelson7702]

Imagine Jimmy Stewart infront of another officer talking him into letting him go on missions... Lol.. "Aw c'mon, Billy's going, and Pete, and milly sue just wrote me a letter saying Tommy wants me to make sure his big brother Jake is safe..." The poor guy would be getting an Oscar performance.

[@ScottWhiting-g2q]

Hi Nick, just wanted to drop a quick note to thank you for all of your history lessons videos with my kind of humor. If I had these type of lessons in high school I might have been a better student. Keep up the good work and again thank you.

[@samrogers2356]

I've honestly learned so much about military history through this channel. The humor and presentation is perfect. 35 minutes? I'll watch it every time. Many thanks for making such quality content.

[@TheBoatPirate]

EVERY FUCKING TIME. no matter how long it is. in fact i would listen to this guy yack out a story that was 3 or 4 hours.

[@bobjordan8283]

These are the kinds of stories that EVERY American school kid needs to hear. NOT the BS they fill their heads with but real stories of real Americans who just don't want to be told what to do and yet somehow managed to make a difference in a BIG way!! Thanks brother keep up the good fight!! 👍

[@toshiarichardson9627]

While I agree that kids should hear these stories, the idea of the heroes doing what they want and not what they are told isn't the moral here.....American kids need to be able to listen and do what they are told....these are the exceptions that prove the rule. There are way more stories where young people think they know better and end up messing up and dying or getting others killed than there are stories like this....and besides the fact that training our youngsters to follow orders and have discipline is the whole point of the armed services....not listen to whatever you feel is right. This is real life, and these Heroes were just regular men doing their jobs every day to the best of their abilities. They weren't out to make names for themselves, or to try and be heroes. They were just trying to survive and save Thier friends if they could. Only through hindsight, which is always 20/20, do Thier actions make them heroes to us....at the time they were rule breakers , and trouble makers....and they usually were disciplined and reprimanded way more than they were regaled or revered. We definitely do NOT need kids acting this way today. Most already do....with the invention of smart devices any kid 10 or older thinks they are way smarter than their parents, which shows exactly how young and dumb they are. They may have our entire knowledge database at their fingertips.....but they have zero street smarts, zero common sense, zero discipline, and morals that would've made women in Sodom and Gomorrah blush.....we definitely do NOT need any of these adult kids having access to military hardware....😮😮😮😮

[@bobjordan8283]

@@toshiarichardson9627 You missed the point! And I don't need a lecture on morals as that WAS the point! You see they did WHAT was RIGHT not what they were TOLD to do as being right! But I guess you needed to get that rant off your chest so glad I could help!

[@toshiarichardson9627]

@@bobjordan8283 I got the point....and like I said this is one of the few times it worked....more often it ends up killing them and or others...there's a reason discipline will always beat emotional....

[@timbill4073]

For every one of these stories that are 10000 more who died horribly names forgotten or lost to time and yet despite the odds these man endred thay burned a memory so bright thar enamy was so embarrassed thay covered up thar fails

[@matthewfazio8281]

100%. This channel gets me pumped for history, and shows you a rare incident in military history where some amazing shit happened, and is way better than poring over some dry textbook.

[@ryojimata3708]

My great grandfather was a crewchief for the b17 throughout the pacific campaign. All the way up until japan tapped out. His b17 is part of one of the major air shows here in Texas. After that he became a b-52 crew chief and ttok part in vietnam and another conflict after that. His B-52 is on static display at one of the training bases here in Texas that i trained at. When i graduated he came and paid his reapects to his in air home and to his old crew with him at the time was the last surviving member of. He retired old, but still built like a 6 ft 11in tank. Rest in peace grandpa.

[@ZeamersEagerBeavers]

Hats off to your ggf. Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[@jesusofbullets]

I would bet money I’ve seen that EXACT B-52 then. We had a B-52 in my hanger for training during technical school in the AF up in Wichita Falls.

[@scottypittman1]

These videos are always super dope. I love the way he tells stories and it really inspires and entertains in a way that old cable television never could. Also, that clip of the pigeons unlocked deep childhood memories for me. I loved the movie, but after I lost it, I wasn't able to remember what it was called. It's nice to revisit old memories from time to time and hopefully, I'll figure out the title one of these days.

[@BeansAndBullets1391]

I really enjoyed this one, my Great Uncle Richard "Buzzi" Davis was a waist gunner in a B-17 during WW2, he flew missions out of England (I can't remember the name of the Air Base) he passed away several years ago and I so badly miss talking with him and hearing the stories about what he did and what they all went through together. Truly the Greatest Generation, thank you to all who served, those who made it home and all those who didn't, America is forever in your debt.

[@thermalfilms]

While we're on the topic of badass bomber pilots, why not talk about Swede Vejtasa, the certified navy badass who was credited for downing *3 Japanese Zeroes alone in his SBD Dauntless dive-bomber* (one of which was with his wing) and is on the short list of pilots who became an ace in a day. On this sortie he would down 7 Japanese aircraft attacking the USS Enterprise in the battle of Santa Cruz. He would continue to serve in the navy during the Korean war and in 1987, he would be inducted into the Carrier Aviation Hall of Fame. A true baller in US Navy history.

[@MothMizzle]

Don't forget Richard "Dick" Best, the only Naval Aviator to claim sinking 2 Imperial Japanese Carriers in a single day

[@speed150mph]

I mean, I know it’s not same level as taking a bomber against fighters, but can we also get some recognition for the crazy wildcat fighter that was out of ammunition and took out a Betty bomber by beating it to death with his landing gear?

[@hoopchristine5202]

Why not just recap the entire season 1 finale of Dogfights while we’re at it?

[@thermalfilms]

@@hoopchristine5202 wait there’s a dogfights episode about this??? What’s it called?

[@hoopchristine5202]

“Long Odds”

[@chasedunn8142]

Personally I love the longer videos. I’m a history lover and don’t always get to do my own research because of work. These videos bring a smile to my face and I want to share them with everyone I know. Simply amazing