The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission of the Eighth Air Force - Animated

[@ZGundam83]

I'm watching this video after watching the third "Masters of the Air" episode.

[@aymanrahman5161]

Me too

[@locbeth]

same here

[@joc3902]

Ditto

[@SGusky]

Same

[@ZGundam83]

I wonder if Second Schweinfurt (Black Thursday) will have an episode.

[@christiankarl3496]

Sitting here in the Regensburg University Library watching this detailed video gave me a bit of a shiver, as the location of this bombing run is only a few kilometers away to the east. But they do find unexploded ordinance and bombs from the runs against the Messerschmitt factory here quite regularly. the latest findings were two 250 kg bombs in january and april 2019. My hometown of Schwandorf lies 25km to the north of Regensburg and was hit on April 17th, 1945 by the RAF with 167 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos as it was considered as one of the last functioning railway hubs for the retreating wehrmacht. The whole town got destroyed and there are only estimated numbers, as the railway station and the city were also packed with fleeing civilians from the soviets advancing from the east and lots of wounded soldiers. But there were also concentration camp prisoners from the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp who were forced by the SS to stay put in the locked railways waggons standing near the station. Approx. 1300 people died in this 15 min night raid. War is absolute hell... we all should be thankful that we have been spared from it for nearly 75 years now. Thanks for the outstanding video. You earned a subscription from me. Greets to all of you from Bavaria.

[@Juemue74]

There are so much more, the last i know was found on July 23, 2020. It´s so crazy, 77 years ago and still dangerous.

[@jeffpotipco736]

I remember hearing about that! Not too many people remember that incident.

[@logangammage157]

Unlike Regensburg, Schweinfurt wasn't easy, ball bearing factories in residential areas meant civilian homes for hit in the process, not to mention heavy fighter attacks ripped apart the bombers on the way in and partway out, what the shutstafflen or SS did to the Jews was unacceptable and devilish, I met a holocaust survivor myself in highschool who survived Auschwitz berkinau death camp when the Russians came, Eva schloss of Holland, she knew of Anne frank and was the same age as her

[@Tmccreight25Gaming]

Unexploded ordinance is still found everywhere. War is hell.

[@HavocHerseim]

My grandfather was in Bavaria once! 1945.

[@ulfmusskacken]

FUNFACT. I'm from Regensburg. Whenever we have any building projects it almost became a Meme that there's almost always a ww2 bomb that needs to be defused and removed. We always wonder if construction workers even care anymore. Meaning, If they panic and evacuate or just call extra long lunchbreak and call the Police and bomb expert "as usual", completely chill

[@Cece_who]

The "big" bomb last year was kind of interesting

[@Norkans5]

It is normal in every big german city. My sister works in engineering. She says it is normal for construction projects in bigger cities to have a budget for bomb disposal.

[@stefanpiendl1997]

"Bei Bauarbeiten in Prüfening wurde eine Fliegerbombe aus dem zweiten Weltkrieg gefunden" - Ach neee, unglaublich!

[@MikeJones-qn1gz]

I mean I bet you guys have great bomb experts

[@MrJohosch2002]

Das meiste liegt noch im Osten.. Also beim ehemaligen Ostbahnhof. Laut meinen Großvater haben sie die Trichter nach den Angriff wieder zugefüllt.

[@isaacjamestea9652]

The logistics of these WWII air raids are just crazy to think about.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

i havnt heard whether they had post bombing recon immediately following the raids ? To get any info ? Or even early marker raids are used . I know I would have

[@don_5283]

The Mosquitoes referred to as the target of the "new Luftwaffe unit" were heavily used for post-raid reconnaissance, as well as camera-equipped Mustangs, Spitfires, Lightnings, and various others. Battle damage assessments were absolutely a thing. Amusingly, it wasn't always done right: After the failure of the Blitz and the pivot eastward, the Luftwaffe didn't do significant aerial reconnaissance over Britain until they started launching V-1s and V-2s. Obviously, they wanted to know what kinds of damage these weapons were inflicting on London, and the very dangerous sorties flown returned with images of a city heavily damaged. The German authorities took this to indicate success, but their failure to have flown reconnaissance in the interim left them unable to realize that the damage they were seeing was entirely unrepaired remains of attacks from the Blitz, years before.

[@dukecraig2402]

Issac James Tea Especially when you consider that no fighter could "stay with the bombers all the way to their targets and back", it's a misnomer that late war model planes could, NO fighter could escort bombers all the way there and back, because of the different altitudes and speeds that fighters get their longest range then bombers do it had to be done in "relays", figure out the math involved in calculating when different relays had to take off in order to catch up to and relieve the fighters in the relay before them, it's just mind boggling.

[@dukecraig2402]

@Babushka Novaya Yea, because everyone should live in a society that has the Gestapo for a police force.

[@lanceortega1]

@Call Me Ishmael Actually it wasn't any gas, but a liquid fuel rather ;-) I know - language, American English ;-)

[@steadmanuhlich6734]

TO OPERATIONS ROOM: Thanks for producing the excellent, informative, illustrative video. It really is helpful to understanding the events. One reads of numbers of bombers, but is helpful to see that many icons of aircraft assemble, then fly over the map, then line up for the bomb run. The details about the fighter escorts is good. The quoted statements from the aircrew is also very good. I liked seeing the paintings and the photos too. I think some more photos would be nice. Good narration voice and pace. Well done! Subscribed. P.S. I interviewed many pilots and aircrew from the 8th AF including some on these raids (both) and their personal memories were vivid and chilling. Balls of steel made in the factories on the ground, and on the men in the aircraft.

[@skeletonwguitar4383]

Hearing quotes from those pilots and even a German one really puts into perspective on how war is just hell for everyone, even if you like it or not. Even if you believe in what youre fighting for. Brave men overall, indeed.

[@fabiansaerve]

The worst thing is if you don’t believe in what you’re fighting for just to save the lifes of you family members

[@norizammastor9072]

Ur words is nice to read at.. Thx for teaching me english..

[@N7-WAR-HOUND]

Scary orders. “If you can’t get the factory’s bomb the city center and get the workers”

[@leonhard7173]

There are still some bombs who didn't detonate in Regensburg and occasionally they are found during construction works

[@lukasjahnel2850]

Occasionally? more like nearly at every nee construction site

[@bsaemmer]

I live in Regensburg and my parents (born 1935/36) are from about 20 miles southeast of Schweinfurt. In Regensburg there are regularly evacuations due to neutralizing bombs. Regensburg is 2000 years old, founded by the Romans. The USAF did a great job in precise bombing the 109-factory in the west und the railway station.

[@riploljustforfu9929]

This is the case for every larger city in Germany.

[@bananaab3156]

Yea. That’s worrying

[@abaialsa712]

England started WW1

[@TheDethBringer666]

The massive disconnect between perceived kills and actual kills will never cease to amaze me.

[@CeesaX]

Every side, in every battle, in every war. It's a part of human nature. For this battle, though, it's completely understandable - how many machine guns were trained on the same plane as it was shot down? I bet every gunner claimed that same plane as his kill.

[@pickeljarsforhillary102]

In the bombers it is more understandable. When you have multiple gunners shooting at the same target each one is going to claim the kill.

[@Howie262]

On top of that despite holywood/video games it’s actually very hard to critically damage a plane with only 50. Cals. Airplanes are tin cans and bullets simply pass through unless you hit absolute needed component to keep the engine going or the pilot flying. The Germans realized this and that’s why the 30mm/rockets was used. Basically blowing a big hole into a pane disregards self sealing gas tanks, engines, and flight controls...

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

@@Howie262 the Germans were shooting big targets. Big wings, big controls, two pilots. The Allied were shooting small planes, small wings, small controlls, one pilot. Smaller calliber also means more bullets in the air, more chance to hit that smaller, faster target

[@jedimasterdraco6950]

Also don't forget that this is in a time where the only way of estimating whether or not an aircraft was shot down was by eyesight or combat footage (and that was generally very restrictive).

[@sidefx996]

It's shocking how expendable these fine young men were considered and also how ridiculously brave they were. I hope current and future generations appreciate them

[@karenharlow6760]

My dad was on that raid..

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

I don’t think they were considered expendable but this was a war to the bitter end and everyone, including them, knew there would be a heavy price.

[@kyle18934]

It's crazy to think how many men my age were sent to be killed in such a terrifying war.

[@tbd-1]

Looking at the numbers, 10% of all American casualties in WW II were with the 8th AAF.

[@FRDOMFGTHR]

LostInPA expendable might not be the right word but it was assumed there would be heavy losses over 50k American and 50k British lost their lives serving in bomber command

[@agent00schweinfurt90]

I live in Schweinfurt, right next to some air-raid shelters for the workers back in the days. They are designed to look like normal houses from above.

[@FlexBeanbag]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ7GaoF8m82rbZY

[@WZRD_KC]

Ein SW'ler :) Grüße aus NDW ;)

[@Darkness_Hellboy]

Auch Grüße aus sw

[@shonzu04]

Grüße auch aus schweinfurt

[@overarm4614]

Grüße aus sw meine edlen Mitbürger

[@anthonyanderson5302]

Rewatching this after watching the latest episode of Masters Of The Air

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Yeah did you enjoy it?

[@anthonyanderson5302]

@@TheOperationsRoom absolutely. Both this and the show. The only thing I can think of to compare the show to is 12 o'clock high the old ww2 movie with Gregory Peck. Especially this past episode. The episode delt with this mission specifically. The show follows the 100th bomb group. The bloody 100th you called it

[@peaboss]

​@@anthonyanderson5302yeah, they gave a shoutout to 12 oclock noon in the episode. (Enemy at 12 high or sth)

[@anthonyanderson5302]

@@peaboss wasn't just a reference. 12 o'clock high is an actually military phrase

[@alexsis1778]

@@peaboss That's how you make callouts. You use the face of a clock for direction and then you say "high, level or low" for their altitude. So 12 o'clock high means in front and above. 3 o'clock low means from your right and below you. It's why you always hear the phrase "watch your 6!". It means someone is on your tail.

[@TheYoungonex]

regensburg citizen here, we still talk about the bombings accuracy. Our city is very old and was spared from 95% of damage to it

[@pancernywiatrak6368]

Oh shit! Thats suprisingly good, provided the city got bombed.

[@frankvandergoes298]

On the 3rd Schwienfurt raid almost aircraft bombed, only 22 bombs hit the target and less than 200 bombs fell within 3 miles of the target.

[@comptonghost9013]

They took pride in it

[@MicroageHD]

They completely destroyed most of the other cities in germany tho.

[@frankvandergoes298]

@@MicroageHD Correct, by area bombing not precision bombing.

[@charlieharper4975]

My uncle was a bombardier on this raid. He was shot down over Kassel the next year bombing the FW190 engine plant. He had one more combat mission to go before he would rotate home. He fell 30,000 ft and he got out of the plane at the last second. He landed in a freshly plowed field. Just as he stood up an ME 109 screamed right over him and he dove back down to the ground. Right behind the 109 was a P51 which then shot the 109 down. He ended up at Stalag Luft III a week after the Great Escape. He ended his career at the 89th Airlift Wing which fly's Air Force One. He was there when Nixon resigned and flew home. He was the squadron meteorologist so he wrote up the weather report for Nixon's flight home. He saw history and made history.

[@Schattenzauberer]

movie stuff

[@lonzo61]

Wow. Great stuff.

[@stevedavis9466]

@charlieharper4975 what plane/bomb squadron was he on ? My Dad also flew this mission and all the other ones depicted in the series so far. He was on the Piccadilly Lily of the 351st SQ/ 100BG. He was a waist gunner. He kept a diary and his entry for AUG17, '43 is heart wrenching when he list the names of his buddies that did not make it to N. Africa.

[@charlieharper4975]

The name of his aircraft was "Spirit of Billy Mitchell". I have a photo of he and his crew in front of their B-17. I can recognize him squating down in the front row. He flew in Triangle A squadron. This was painted on the tail. They flew out of Bassingbourn in England. Lost over Kassel April 19, 1944. Shot down by Me109s. 401st bomb squadron, 91st BG. The truly amazing thing is I have a movie prop from RKO studios of the squadron patch that was sewn onto their leather jackets. I guess RKO at one time made a movie in which the squadron was a part. His aircraft 6 POW, 4 KIA when it went down.@@stevedavis9466​

[@kkrankie]

I have read a ton about these very missions. You are spot on in regards to some of the miscues forming up. Some of the most dangerous times were climbing out and forming up in wings without any advanced radar, and using only locator beacons. Love seeing the missions played out, and realizing how dangerous they were. Brilliant!!

[@jameschristoffersen238]

Yea. I have seen some photos of B-17s and B-24s colliding in mid-air while forming up. Horrifying stuff these brave airmen had to go through

[@taterbill]

Thank you for this video! Very informative stuff. I have been directing my friends to it to understand what my dad went through. My father, 2Lt. William Couch was the bombardier on one of the planes shot down this mission. He was in the Regensburg portion of the raid, and his plane was hit by both fighters and flak. After losing two engines, they barely made it over the Alps, and splash landed in the Med before reaching North Africa. He and the rest of his crew spent the rest of the war in German POW camps. Never forget the sacrifice and valor of the young men on both sides of this conflict.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

Operations Room is one of the best creators on the platform. I've watched and rewatched his videos several times; the quality is undeniable.

[@Diseq1]

Fun fact: The former Messerschmitt factory which was bombed is nowadays a production site for Infineon Technologies, a German semiconductor manufacturer.

[@biglebowski5737]

Smart ass!

[@MikeJones-qn1gz]

How you like dem apples

[@JG-ib7xk]

I mean... i wouldn't exactly call that a 'fun' fact...

[@Cat-Washing-ton]

@@JG-ib7xk It's a figure of speech

[@danielbarron8490]

I wish they still made Bf109's & Fw190's

[@thomaswilson3437]

I have watched this twice now, and you do an excellent job of laying out the timeline and including all the variables which affected the mission. Incidentally, I have been to both Regensburg and Schweinfurt several times. Obviously, Scdhweinfurt suffered significant damage, but damage at Regesnburg was limited, leaving the town with its medieval downtown are...a really nice visit.

[@louiszierlein5814]

My Father was a mechanic on B-17s. The bombers would be assigned the same targets a month or two later because the Germans would rebuild the factories enough in that amount of time to be producing again. I know they were the enemy at that time, but I am still impressed with this.

[@thethirdman225]

The second raid was confined to Schweinfurt, I believe.

[@Steve-ev6ow]

OUTSTANDING! Thank you for your efforts in keeping the memory of these young aviators alive!

[@bigiron1260]

Who’s here after masters of the air

[@don39boo]

I am here

[@fighting_bones]

This is going to be the mission that Masters of the Air Episode 3 is going to be about. Cant wait!

[@thethirdman225]

You won’t learn much from that.

[@Mobus_]

I was stationed in Schweinfurt, saw the ball bearing factory near our base. I was told the townspeople lit fires in the woods at night and turned off all lights in town to throw off the bombers.

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

Man you truly do not know how great your content is. I dont even remember being subbed to this channel but I clicked the video and fell in love with it so much. I went on your channel and remembered watching those videos and I watched them again and loved them. It like falling in love twice. First when I subbed months ago and just now again.

[@bobgreene2892]

This is an outstanding presentation, with excellent graphics, and superb narration which shows deep familiarity with the entire context of the event. I immediately subscribed afterward. * Especially effective is the accurate use of tiny aircraft icons to represent bombers and bomber groups as they wheeled about their air bases, and joined in a column over the target. With 2,900 nods of approval, your efforts have been saluted. We look forward to more.

[@arkansaswookie]

To The Operations Room - Thank you for your time and effort in recreating a piece of WW2 history. I had relatives that were airmen in B-17's in the 8th and 15th during WW2. One with the 15th, based in Italy, and 21 years old, a tail gunner, didn't return home, as he opted to take the place of a tail gunner that was sick, and flew in his place because he was closing in on his 30th mission and wanted to get home.

[@scullystie4389]

I remember playing this mission in Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, it was one of the quick start missions you could play as a B17 aircrew.

[@biglebowski5737]

You are the man! A real hero! Thank you for your service!

[@moistmike4150]

@@biglebowski5737 LOL!!!

[@stanburk7392]

When they say things like "the bombing was ineffective as three months later production actually increased" it always annoys me. The production was interrupted and therefore cut down on the available materials needed. If they had not bombed these facilities then not only would the production at them continued but the manpower, time and material that went into repairing those factories would have been put into building even more factories thus increasing the overall production.

[@tomjustis7237]

I got home from work, fired up the computer and saw a notification that The OR had posted a new vid. I immediately poured a scotch and happily settled back to unwind while being both entertained and educated. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[@jonnytaylor5822]

Wow, I didn't realize how far you've come in animation and narrating, this is still great, but you've definitely improved a lot, great job!!

[@daneaxe6465]

This video really helped understand what happened and where. I've known a lot of details for years. However, the animation really put this whole operation in sharp focus and easy to understand. For some reason I didn't know Curtis LeMay lead that one group. Nobody ever accused him of being a coward. Two thumbs up for the best video presentation on that bloody day.

[@SgtMjr]

Another excellent presentation, well done. Martin Middlebrook's book on these missions is a 'must read'.

[@rpm1796]

Bill is that a Winnipeg ''Black Devils'' badge?

[@thethirdman225]

Agreed. Unfortunately Martin Middlebrook passed away on 24 January, 2024, aged 91.

[@ethanmorgaan]

They protect, they attack, but most importantly, their story brings operations room back

[@TheOperationsRoom]

I'm peddling as fast as I can up here :)

[@richardc7721]

My mom repaired heavy and medium bombers that were sent back to the States for major upgrades/repairs. She told of many times finding body parts, bone fragments when the outer skin of the planes was removed. One of my uncles was a crew chief on B17s and later the B29s. He served in the Pacific where my stepdad served as a Marine. My dad built air field runways. Every adult in my family, aunts and uncles, my dad, and my mother all served in the war effort. We were the United States 🇺🇸 during the War years.

[@FlexBeanbag]

@@TheOperationsRoom kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ7GaoF8m82rbZY

[@justandy333]

Its just incredible how far things have moved on in 75 years. I heard once that when the Lancasters amoung others undertook night raids, their accuracy was considered Good if the bombs landed within '5 miles' of their targets. Which for the time isn't too bad considering the afformentioned flying at night, only navigating via charts, bearings and speeds etc. But you compare that to todays standards! A modern LGB could get a specific window of a specific building. But yea, its a moot point, that was the best tech they had at the time and thats all they had to fight with. It sounds absolutely horrific by todays standards, but thats just how things were back them. War is a cruel beast.

[@wattage2007]

Indeed. I think only 10% of bombs landed within 5 miles of the target. Absolutely sickening to think of the losses these guys took for such poor results.

[@bernjoernvanhoeck5883]

Yes, very right! At least until the middle/end of the year 43, when the Allies had radar systems that were small enough to be installed in aircraft on a massive scale. Another important invention was a more accurate aiming system for bombs from the USA. Only then were the destructive attacks on German cities 44 and 45 possible.

[@gw7624]

By 1944, RAF technological and strategic developments had improved bomb accuracy of the Lancaster such that it was reliably able to hit targets within 25 yards at 15,000 feet.

[@bernjoernvanhoeck5883]

@@gw7624 Absolutely right - I lived in two not too big cities that were attacked in late 1944 and where the entire inner city was destroyed and never rebuilt in the same way.

[@chrisbrace2204]

My father tells a story, he did his part of his national service in an RAF base defending Libya from the Egyptians at the end of the 50's. He was a radio operator and one of the jobs there was to report on a bombing range out in the desert. this range was a circle of posts a mile across that was the same distance from bomber bases in the UK as Moscow was. Vulcans and other V bombers would fly out fly upwards and loft a bomb from over the coast and try to land it as close to the centre of the target 30 odd miles inland. now to report on the success or failure there was an observation post five miles from the target area which was five miles from the air base where all the transmitters for the radio system was based and when the bombers had dropped their bombs and were screaming back north at low level the range would transmit their success back to them and it was apparently relatively rare to miss the circle. now having a bombing range in the desert was a relative luxury and they had a request from the US airforce for a wing of level bombers to come over and use the range. The day came and the formation came over and dropped the bombs and managed to land them half way between the range hut and the airfield, so having missed the target by 7 1/2 miles. The base commander apparently got on the radio and told them to "F*ck off and never come back"

[@B1970T]

Narrator’s voice was pleasant with the right cadence and the graphics were very nice down to the actual miniature plane type. Well done!

[@thewitherchannel1053]

grade-A level writing and accurate facts. Just wonderfully done. Your channel is a gem

[@walterseaman2556]

With the accuracy, seriousness and unbiasness of a British historian !

[@pigpig252]

I recently read a book by a B17 gunner who was in the Schweinfurt raid. It sounded like absolute hell. Highly recommend it, Combat Crew by John Comer, it's on audible too.

[@alitlweird]

Wow! The logistics of those raids! And this animation really does a tremendous job of depicting the scale.

[@gjandrews4947]

Thank you, Operations Room. You have a great website and I always learn something new about history. Well Done!

[@deejj9766]

well worth the wait. great vid can't wait for the next one

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Thankyou sir, have a great Christmas

[@johnjosmith42]

Wonderful work. Thanks for creating and posting 👌

[@tobiasflohr4849]

Thanks for your videos. I appreciate them a lot. Have a merry and peaceful christmas everyone!

[@jangelbrich7056]

The actual history was a horror. But these videos about history are wonderful.

[@fuyu5979]

Good explanation of the missions. Fantastic graphic maps n its interactions ! Kudos n looking forward to tour next video.

[@kazeshi2]

I really love your channel, thank you for making all these videos. more modern or historical videos are fine for me id watch this stuff all day long.

[@gregolsen7673]

Bump for Masters of the Air

[@cosmolineandgritsforbreakf3795]

My grandfather was in this mission and is still alive today. Thank you for making this video.

[@davidjma7226]

Thank him for his service please.

[@andrewblasdell6753]

His generation knew how to deal with Nazis properly

[@rayhughel1508]

My Uncle Edward Hughel was a B-17 pilot & flew this mission. His aircraft was downed & the entire crew hit silk. He was turned in by German villagers & spent the next 19 months as a P.O.W. at the hands of the Nazi’s. This was his 33rd mission. Uncle Ed lived to the age of 96 passing away in June of 2017. He held high the banner of service to our country & that tradition continues today through my own sons & cousins 🇺🇸

[@landonfonke6082]

My grandfather's story is very similar. He was shot down on his 12th mission and was held captive by the villagers. These men were so brave!

[@bolobalaman]

Your grandfather is a living definition of “ tough “

[@wattage2007]

Their bravery cannot be overstated. Your uncle was a hero.

[@Zaluskowsky]

Thanks for keeping it going on. From Germany. Salute

[@Xingmey]

My grandfather operated the Flak back in 1943 44. He was so proud everytime they downed one of thoese pesky B-17 ;)

[@zcam1969]

my uncle Charles 'charlie' Shook was a B17 side gunner 8th Army Airforce 43 thru 45 .he survived 26 mission over Germany ,he passed away a few years ago, but i always considered him to be the luckist man in America ,because the dead toll on those missions were astronomical R.I.P charlie

[@Peter-ox7wh]

I'm really enjoying this magnificent short documentaries you do, wherever american, British or German perspectives, keep it coming!!!

[@bread8176]

I love the depth and presentation of your videos! Thanks for putting these together

[@DreDay1993]

This one of the most amazing war channels ever. So in depth.

[@jimknowlton342]

Thank you for your wonderful videos, truly one of my favorite alerts on KZbin when I see it!

[@tobiasflohr4849]

Same here

[@sbrmilitia]

This channel is truly a gem I’ve just binged watched every video. Bummed out there aren’t more!!

[@biglebowski5737]

Get a life!

[@iamrichrocker]

another great DIY YTer who clearly and concisely explains these missions..and where is the vaunted History Channel now? great job Operations Room..you got my sub..

[@thethirdman225]

Operation Room is a small team.

[@JSB103]

Excellent video presentation. Excellent narration and the graphics really help understand the complexities of the mission and the geographical location of the targets, something difficult to grasp otherwise. Also, the Allied and German participants' psychological mindset so elegantly understated. Kudos and kudos to you, T.O.R.

[@DouglasJenkins]

The gentleman who was the lead pilot on this mission to Schweinfurt, Retired Brig. Gen. James Kemp McLaughlin just died on Dec. 16 in Charleston WV.

[@tomjustis7237]

May he rest in peace. He earned it several times over.

[@stevek8829]

RIP a hero to me.

[@surferdude44444]

Douglas Jenkins.....101. Wow!

[@dumoulin11]

May he rest in peace.

[@paulfreeman7719]

A real hero. I met B17 maint crew member and B24 command pilot. Heard the well remembered stories. The pilot was with 44th BG at Polesti. They were in Vets Home in Spokane, Wa. Talk with all WW2 vets that are still with us.

[@bdubz5150]

My wife's grandfather was a gunner on a B-17 headed to bomb the Schweinfurt ball bearing factory and was shot down inside enemy lines. He was one of only two or three that survived the crash. He then got help from the underground forces who also helped him evade capture for many months and finally found his way to an ally base and returned to service and finally home.

[@russianbot8557]

Do you know where exactly he was hidden? I'm from Schweinfurt and interested.

[@SuchDoge4242]

My grandfather flew p-47s and had the same fate 2 times. Those resistance fighters were heros among heros.

[@DannyBoy777777]

@ B Dubz That would never have happened over Germany. He may have come down in the Netherlands or Belgium.

[@DannyBoy777777]

​@Such Doge4242 That is really difficult, to believe - once maybe, but twice, no.

[@Dirleberger]

Den hätte man verurteilen müssen!

[@Kevin_Kennelly]

Exquisite production values. I can't stress that enough. The quality of your work is extraordinary. I patiently await your "Ploesti" video. Well done, Sir. Your work is much appreciated.

[@MaxB00M]

Interesting video, my grandmother was born in 1933 in Regensburg and she sometimes tells stories about the allied bombers and how she could differentiate between bombers who already dropped their payload and the ones who didn’t by their engine/propeller sound. Definitely was a quiet traumatizing time for her since her father worked for the „Reichsbahn“ (railroad) and was at risk of being bombed.

[@pierresihite8854]

Dude your videos are outstanding. Thx for making these

[@bmhh123]

This was very good, good format, informative and an interesting topic. Keep it up!

[@PatrickM747]

What an excellent video and history lesson, many thanks for the production and posting of it.

[@larryjones8597]

I just got finished reading a book by Martin Middlebrook about this mission. It's great to see this video of it.

[@danwilliams4051]

Do you mean Martin Caidin?

[@angelonunez8555]

@@danwilliams4051 No, he means Martin Middlebrook, one of the finest writers of military history who ever lived. Martin Caidin is a clown in comparison. His books are full of nonsense and are of no use to anyone who's seriously interested in learning about the WW 2 air war.

[@thethirdman225]

@@danwilliams4051LOL!! No, he’s talking about a serious historian. However, I completely understand your mistake. Caidin did write a book about ‘Black Thursday’, which was the second Schweinfurt raid.

[@danwilliams4051]

@thethirdman225 Interesting I never heard these takes on Caidin before. The only 2 books I read completely of his are Thunderbolt! and Samurai, but the bulk of those books are written by the pilots (Johnson and Sakai). I found both books to be fairly accurate and informative. I'd like to hear more about your opinions on Caidin though.

[@thethirdman225]

@@danwilliams4051 I have read three of Caidin’s books. He wrote one on the Bf-109 which was just a broad brush history and to be fair, didn’t pretend to be anything it wasn’t. I read ‘Thunderbolt!’ as an impressionable teenager and I think that’s probably the market is best suited to. I also still have his book about Saburo Sakai, upon which much doubt has been cast. ‘Thunderbolt!’ is, from memory, pretty fast and loose with the truth. I suspect - as many others do - that Johnson was a bit of a BS artist. For example, he claimed a FW-190D in April but that type did not go into service until October. I’m not by any means saying that he didn’t shoot down 27 aircraft. But the existence of the -D9 was not known when Johnson went back home in May. There are other examples but that's for another post. There has been much doubt expressed about his book on Sakai too, especially in relation to the number of claims he made. Caidin’s job was - if he had any morality - a perplexing one. Either he let these guys tell their stories and just run with that or try to keep it as factual as possible. I’ll be honest: that’s not the kind of dilemma I’d have wanted to be in. I know of one historian who wrote a book about someone who openly threatened him. That was Jeff Watson and his book on Australian ace Clive Caldwell. Watson’s book is arguably a much better picture of Caldwell than Caidin’s book. He presents his subject warts and all. Caidin doesn’t do that and his books are the poorer for it.

[@mojoneko8303]

Bet you weren't expecting so much interest in this video 4 years later.. 🙂

[@aaronjohn6586]

Well done and excellent information along with personal accounts.

[@slehar]

I love the animations of the forming-up and assembly! Its an awesome ballet!

[@scottrichardson8158]

I personally worked, in the late 1980s, with a gentleman who was a bombardier on the Regensburg part of the raid. He was very surprised he survived.

[@brandondodd3133]

I was stationed in schweinfurt the ball bearing factory is still there with all the bomb damage and everything pretty cool to see in person

[@craigputnam2978]

very well done educational, precise and understandable,.. my first time in Ops room!

[@KoreytheFunkyRayda]

I've read the book Black Sunday. This vid is as close to the story as anything I've seen. Very good animation and narration. Liked it a lot. Well done!

[@Lumbar87]

My favorite channel - very well done, looking forward to more!

[@rogerdailey9357]

Well done your presentation was a perfect explanation of what happened that fateful day.

[@scotchsoda3165]

Imagine looking up and seeing hundreds of bombers, with thousands of men, crossing the sky in formation! We'll probably never to see a sight like that again. 1000 Bombers = 10,000 Airmen

[@sebastianhofmann2658]

I understand your fascination, but thank God nobody has to. Hundreds of thousands of civilians had to look at it before they got bombed to the ground.

[@kowalski3769]

The sound alone must have been terrifying. I've seen just one B-17 in flight and you could feel the thing coming from miles away from the sound it was making. I can't imagine what the the sound of over 200 of them in the air at the same time must have sounded like. Then add in the sounds of the flak guns and bomb blasts all going off while those formations flew over head.

[@thethirdman225]

Really well done. Excellent explanation that never got boring. I doubt if I have seen anything as comprehensive on a single raid on KZbin.

[@Magicks]

masters of the air episode 3 tho

[@Dtuba15]

That was the first raid

[@istvanszoke381]

I have been waiting for so long for a proper documentary about german bombing campaign. Many thanks, great job! Keep up the good work! Loved it!

[@piotrrkacperr4262]

There actually was a fighter capable of escorting bombers on that raid- P-47 with 200 gal droptank. Gives P-47 424 mi combat radius (max continous power climb to 25k ft, cruise at 300 mph TAS, 15 min of MIL power fight, 5 min of WEP fight, way back home, land with 30 min reserve), just enough for Schweinfurt raid. But apparently, bomber mafia didn't want to hear about that. They needed to PROVE that bombers can make it by themselves, without escort. Notion that the P-51 was the first and only fighter capable of escorting bombers deep into Germany is a myth. Probably made to make it look like there was no possibility of having escort fighters earlier, after huge loss of life PROVED that bombers can't make it by themselves. Great vid by the way!

[@jdotoz]

Except the first thing a fighter pilot would do when they met the enemy is drop their tanks, so if they attacked before you emptied them you could wind up stuck. ETA: Plus, it's over 500 miles just from Dover to Regensburg, and the airfields were all further away than that.

[@thethirdman225]

This is straight from Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles. Unfortunately, Greg has built his case not on finding the truth but on trying to vindicate 'my favourite plane'. Drop tanks could not have made much - if any - difference to the Schweinfurt raid. But Greg doesn't talk about this because he doesn't really understand the history of the raid. He's too focussed on building a support case for 'my favourite plane'. Schweinfurt was a foul up not because of drop tanks - or lack of them - but because of the weather. There is plenty of information about this. Furthermore, American bombing raids up until then had not shown unacceptable losses. Hell, with a bit of luck, they might even have pulled it off. Nobody had a crystal ball. Greg's 20/20 hindsight view is pretty unhelpful.

[@thethirdman225]

@@jdotoz That was a Luftwaffe strategy, agreed upon by Galland and Beppo Schmitt - who had become a good officer since his embarrassing performance in the Battle of Britain - from early 1944.

[@thethirdman225]

By the way, Greg’s claims are based mostly on calculations. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he is using assumptions involving optimum altitude and throttle settings. A theoretical range of 400 miles is meaningless in an escort scenario and it would have been more appropriate to talk about _endurance._ That the P-51 enabled escorted deep penetration missions into Germany is not seriously contested by anyone who has read enough about it. The idea of rewriting history to make the P-47 look better than it was is counter factual. Before the P-51 arrived there could be no escorted raids on cities like Berlin or Munich. Once the P-51 arrived, the USAAF strategic bombing campaign could be prosecuted anywhere in Germany with low losses. I can find no examples of P-47s flying to Berlin and back. None. They may have flown as part of the relay but they could only have covered all of Germany from either liberated Europe or Italy. The problem could not be solved with drop tanks and anyone who knows anything about flying or aerodynamics knows this. It could only be solved by increasing internal fuel capacity. When the government requested manufacturers increase the internal capacity of US fighters at least a year before Schweinfurt, the only manufacturer who did not respond appropriately was Republic. Everyone else: North American, Lockheed, Curtiss, Bell, Grumman, etc. all improved their internal capacity. Gen. George Kenney was known to have been furious with Kartvelli for failing to address the problem. The 200 gallon tank Greg calculates for was a ferry tank and not combat capable. I don’t think it could even be jettisoned. Bomber mafia problem? Nope.

[@thethirdman225]

Greg’s claims are the stuff of cheap conspiracy. He has read next to no history so he never comments with operational examples. Everything he presents is spec sheets and conjecture. He doesn’t have any serious knowledge of the operational considerations of the Schweinfurt - Regensburg raids. I’m staggered that so many people have been sucked in.

[@Bobsunfire]

Your videos are a marvel - without question some of the great work here.

[@renanmiranda3531]

Dude your videos are awesome keep it up!

[@gordon4385]

Cant believe my dad survived this run - plus 36 others - in The Farmer's Daughter.

[@steeltrap3800]

Why was SHE on the plane? ;-D

[@vinkhe861]

Why was your dad inside the farmer's daughter???????????????

[@bananaab3156]

Salute to your dad!

[@smithyMcjoe]

Fighting for freedom and the clap of the farmers daughters cheeks

[@shimsmartialarts4099]

Its just incredible how far things have moved on in 75 years. I heard once that when the Lancasters amoung others undertook night raids, their accuracy was considered Good if the bombs landed within '5 miles' of their targets. Which for the time isn't too bad considering the afformentioned flying at night, only navigating via charts, bearings and speeds etc. But you compare that to todays standards! A modern LGB could get a specific window of a specific building. But yea, its a moot point, that was the best tech they had at the time and thats all they had to fight with. It sounds absolutely horrific by todays standards, but thats just how things were back them. War is a cruel beast.

[@B.IxBLACKPINK]

Glad to see you updating c:

[@localbod]

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting. I will point out that the image you displayed of a Messerschmitt Bf109 was one of a Rolls-Royce Merlin powered Hispano Aviación HA1112 'buchon'.

[@lanceortega1]

Add, that it was post war license production of Spain. It is visible because of totally different placement of exhaust pipes.

[@localbod]

@@lanceortega1 Exactly, but it's not just that the exhaust stacks are mounted high due to the Merlin engine. The nose profile is slightly deeper and less streamlined compared to the Daimler-Benz DB601/ DB605 equipped Bf 109s.

[@lanceortega1]

@@localbod You know that, I know that... The others can be focused on the exhaust and it will be sufficient.

[@Flufferper]

what a christmas present, happy holidays

[@TheOperationsRoom]

And you too have a great one

[@alexkellagher6774]

I love your channel man!

[@jasonbrody9294]

I live in schweinfurt ;) and SKF sachs is still thr biggest ball bearing factory in germany they also make many parts for machines and cars and stuff

[@bigbaba1111]

Very nice animations. Thank you.

[@anngo4140]

Just saw the 3rd ep of Masters of the Air, and then this video popped up!

[@dqniel_btw5116]

Thank you for making this video. Even though I am from Schweinfurt I have never known any more details about the bombing of the city. This video really helped me learn about it, keep up your work!

[@KeithGordon]

Incredible! Another excellently produced video, such researched packed story, Thank you. We always eagerly await your next video.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

Wow. Very detailed video. It's too big even for my monitor. One needs to watch it on a large screen to get the full idea of the distances involved.

[@tommallon4052]

Further reading: "Black Thursday" by Martin Caidin.

[@davidjacobs3275]

Black Thursday was the 2nd Regensburg - Schweinfurt mission. A very bad day for the 8th Air Force

[@buckappel6835]

Read it! Great book

[@hertzair1186]

Caiden was an excellent historical Aviation writer....very prolific

[@angelonunez8555]

Martin Caidin is considered to be a clown by serious aviation historians and writers. Don't waste your money on his stuff. If anyone is interested in reading something worthwhile about the raid, try "The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission" by Martin Middlebrook.

[@thethirdman225]

@@hertzair1186 I don't agree. Caidin seems to have laced a lot of his stories with all kinds of unfounded rumours and rose-tinted optimism. I wouldn't recommend him. The only reason I can think of for reading it is that I can’t find anything else on the second raid.

[@mycroft1905]

Good summary; thank you.

[@carlosvictoriafalcon637]

Thank you for recounting this event. During my cadet summer training I was assigned to the 3/64 Armor stationed at Schweinfurt. The barracks I was lodged in were former Luftwaffe barracks; one could still see the Luftwaffe eagles over the entrance with the swastikas chiseled out. Fast forward 2 years and I was assigned to Titan II ICBM wing as a missile launch officer, By coincidence, my unit was the 390 Strategic Missile Wing which was an ICBM wing reactivated from the 390th Bomb Wing which participated in the Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid. The wing sponsored the renovation of a B-17. My father was gunner in P-61 Black Widows stationed in the Pacific. His brother was a ball turret gunner in B-17s. They both survived the war.

[@Retarmy1]

I was erlangen and I lived in a nazi barracks for 4 years 88 to 91 you can still see the germans rifle racks

[@306champion]

Thank you for keeping the history alive.

[@pattonsparks2415]

Bro thats very nice learning about this

[@tobystewart4403]

Very well written and narrated. Great stuff!

[@dongilleo9743]

In the classic science fiction movie The Thing From Another World(1951), one of the U.S. Air Force characters is totally freaked out when the alien monster first appears. One of the other Air Force men notes that, "I haven't seen him this scared since Regensburg". Any WW2 Air Force veterans in the audience, just six years after the war, would have immediately understood the reference, and the level of fear that implied

[@dvldogg187]

Great video, great narration. Thank you.

[@mike89128]

Major Harry Crosby, the lead navigator on this raid, wrote "Wing and a Prayer" about the "Bloody 100th Bomb Group." It is a very interesting read. Beirne Lay Jr, Author of Twelve O'clock High and The Gallant Hours, based the book and film on the 100th, he being a member of it briefly. Due to the high loss of bombers by the 100th, it was believed by crews that the Luftwaffe had 'it out' for the group.

[@ashontahuddleston6663]

Not to sound uppity, twelve o'clock high was based on the early days of the 306th bomb group (movie: 918th bg). If you look up the pictures of commanding officers and aircraft of the 306th, I came across a notation referring to just that. Dan hughes