The Terrifying Physics of WWII Dive Bombing

The act of dive bombing during World War II was a death defying trial of skill and nerve. You aimed your plane down, four miles above the ocean, and plummeted at speeds of up to 275 miles per hour.
From the Show: Battle of Midway bit.ly/2Jl5D9t

[@santaclaus6602]

I always wondered about the poor gunner. He’s falling backward (really fast) & he’s got no idea if he’s gonna go SPLAT. That’s BIG balls right there

[@johnbenesh9663]

And it's almost impossible to hit a target while weaving to avoid attack

[@ProperLogicalDebate]

He was probably busy but he couldn't see any attacker coming from behind below the horizontal stabilizers.

[@danwagner1777]

I wouldn’t want to know!

[@Barri2410]

After watched Midway (2019), I don't think so. They'll turn forward so they can check the altitude for the pilot Whether this was true or not

[@keenanvaughn8453]

My grandfather was a tail gunner in a corsair helldiver. He won the naval cross for crawling out on the wing to take some pictures.

[@glengerdes2447]

My adopted father was a rear gunner. When the war was over. He never flew again.

[@grantrichards4950]

My father flew in the belly of TBMs and TBFs. His job was to man the radio, radar and, when necessary, use the 30cal rear machine gun or "Stinger". The 30cal was so ineffective that they were dropped in later variants. My dad got his civilian pilot's license after the war but let it lapse due to the expense.

[@djg585]

@@grantrichards4950 Didn't the 30cal use tracer rounds?

[@mac2857]

You adopted your father? Cause otherwise you call em father or step father

[@revmarcell6449]

I have know a few WW2 veterans of the 8th Army Air Corp. Many of them refused to fly under any circumstances.

[@ryanknox8571]

@@mac2857 maybe he was a foster child which makes him the adopted son

[@gmverber437]

Um. Sort of somehow missed seeing any mention of the physics of dive bombing promised by the title. The physics, engineering and flying of such planes truly is fascinating. Perhaps Smithsonian might consider making such a video-this one certainly is not.

[@edoardostortoni7187]

The concept is to use an airbrake to make the dive slower, becouse if u go too much faster, u will destroy the plane And Crash.

[@windsorhanish1771]

Yea this didn’t teach me anything

[@brown1es]

@@windsorhanish1771 this is a sum up there's a full vid somewhere

[@dekoldrick]

I was hoping they would discuss about the solutions manufactures had to come up with to combat the control surfaces locking up in a dive.

[@Yabois_]

Agree

[@tramlink8544]

fun fact, Stukas had a diver recovery system that engaged at 700m. if the pilot blacked out the stuka at 700m would automatically release the bomb and the elevators would mechanically pitch up and pull the aircraft from its dive

[@mikolajtrzeciecki1188]

In fact, they managed to never mention any dive bombing aircraft other than the "Dauntless". That's a feat.

[@leander2843]

​@@mikolajtrzeciecki1188 americans just love to rewrite history, dont they.

[@adrianjordan6291]

History always tells lies - General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne

[@richardbullwood5941]

@@leander2843 how is talking about our dive-bomber rewriting history? If you are German, and you want to talk about German dive bombers, talk about the Stuka. If I am from Indiana, and I talked about Hoosier history, is that really me rewriting history? If you're European, please shut up. I have never met a bunch of people who have no position to lecture anyone else but yet constantly do.

[@tomryannova]

@@leander2843 Number of people citing the movie "Midway" as accurate history is frightening. On the plus side, most of those people won't even remember the fictional details.

[@Bacony_Cakes]

Junkers Ju-87 Stuka: **stuka siren noises** Douglas SBD Dauntless: **stuka siren noises** Sopwith Camel: **stuka siren noises** Cessna 172: **stuka siren noises**

[@steveburke7675]

Seagull: *stuka siren noises*

[@louis-philippelavoie6929]

CL-415 sliding on runway landing gears not out:**Stuka Siren noise**

[@WakkiBakki]

Me dropping the kids off at the pool *STUKA SIREN NOISES*

[@onyxon7740]

@@WakkiBakki Wait...

[@marcbottger8589]

@Steve Burke I burst up in laughter!!! :))))

[@_MrMoney]

Japanese pilots: *so you guys pull back?*

[@jzjdsbifi7298]

If you guys dont get it, it means the Japanese bombers just smash Into the ship. They call them suicide bombers

[@JoshieBoy-gb3cc]

Jzjds Bifi kamikaze to be exact

[@jackmehoff2363]

BONZAI

[@_MrMoney]

@@jackmehoff2363 it's banzai you bozo

[@patrickdoherty3118]

@@_MrMoney Mr miyagi was flying the plane Bonsai !!!

[@oldcremona]

There’s always something inherently dissatisfying with these Smithsonian videos. They never really get to what you thought you were going to learn.

[@LiterallyGod]

Old Cremona classic clickbait

[@johnpossum556]

They're just summations of the whole show.

[@markpaul8178]

My thoughts precisely

[@petriharha6583]

Yep disappointed too.

[@libertyforever4270]

Yet Old Curmudgeon keeps on watching.

[@OHFORPEATSAKES]

Still waiting for the physics...

[@jimoleson1695]

What happened to the Physics Of Dive Bombing? It's like the video needed to have a 2nd half.

[@squidtactular7413]

I think the physics were the fact that you need the balls to go dive bombing.

[@LovleyLemonade]

I like the Smithsonian videos. They just title them wrong.

[@squidtactular7413]

DjBalkoni you mean you need massive balls to be the gunner on a Stuka?

[@windshearahead7012]

Physics doesn’t always mean they are gonna show equations or talk about actual physics, it also means the way it was performed

[@kenowens9021]

My dad was a rear-gunner. He saw the target only after they pulled out of the dive. You had to be very young to withstand the forces that existed in a straight dive toward the target and all that water.

[@sawomirmiszczak134]

Actually in dive you are not exposed to any high forces, forces become significant when you pull out of the dive and this is very dangerous part about dive bombing this couple of seconds after you drop the bomb until plane is leveled out.

[@caralho5237]

@@sawomirmiszczak134 tbh, you could consider the acceleration from the dive as a high force, since its pretty hard to experience that level of acceleration anywhere else

[@sawomirmiszczak134]

@@caralho5237 When you dive a plane you don't feel acceleration, you feel weightless this is magic of gravity :) The highest forces are exerted while plane is pulling out of the dive, very high speed induce very high G even at slightest pull rate.

[@j4log719]

@@sawomirmiszczak134 if the plane was just falling out of the sky, then you'd experience weightlessness. but in a dive, the plane accelerates faster than that, so assuming the plane is upright and not inverted, the pilot would experience negative g forces (eyeballs up), which the human body has a lower tolerance, compared to positive gs.

[@cadenza3210]

My father was a dive bomber pilot in WW2. He said the main concern was not getting your tail blown off by your own bomb because you released too late.

[@Unus_Annus_]

My grandfather was a SBD tail gunner in the war. He kept a journal documenting everyday life, including hits, and fatalities. He was deeply traumatized by war, and would have nightmares

[@MilitaryHistoryUnveiled]

You should publish the journal as a book. I think many people would love to read that

[@Unus_Annus_]

@@MilitaryHistoryUnveiled I’ve tried typing everything from the journal, which has been difficult as his cursive is very hard to read, but I’m planning on revisiting it later

[@jimmyhain]

If your grandfather is still around Thank Him For His Service, If not I'm sorry for your loss and may he rest in peace 🙏

[@Unus_Annus_]

@@jimmyhain He died when my mom was six back in ‘71

[@ElPistokoPR]

That journal is priceless. Must be a life time experience just reading it.

[@ejsgarage]

It was a good thing that the Japanese flag was a red dot target.

[@crispybaguette8670]

EJ'S GARAGE 😂

[@isaiahwolftail867]

They all had good target sign rising sun britian circle American star Germany cross

[@devonlord99]

isaiah wolftail Australian’s kangaroo (only a good target for other Australians I guess)

[@Mr_Fancypants]

R.A.F had a target with different colours for points

[@Patmofar]

Just as the Sherman tanks were known as 'Ronson lighters' to the German infantry. The Yanks very convenienty placed a white star over the fuel tank for the German anti-tank gunners to aim at.

[@Ryuko-T72]

WarThunder Players: “I know more than you”

[@case3270]

If we care, we would know more

[@angle_3489]

That a parks and recreation reference?

[@PrinceTopherK]

e

[@imcoolerthanu6349]

Ryuko T-72 so true

[@Squirrel_Xi]

So true

[@sethrich5998]

Titled “Terrifying Physics”... literally describes nothing about physics.

[@brotherhoodofsteel4170]

Literally explains in the opening the physics on how they would drop the bomb and the motion so it would land right

[@sethrich5998]

F-17b Sharky That’s tactics. Not physics.

[@chinochimp]

It is physics cause it deals a lot with speed and momentum

[@taylor9782]

Seth Rich sorry they didnt have equations bro. also they explained you might black out which is a result of yes, physics.

[@----1382]

Seth Rich ..you must be really dum, you have to know what time to drop, how fast to go, how close, while watching your speed, and all the other stuff on the dash, also it physics because, you need to know momentum, and there friction involved so there for it’s called physics. Sooooooo

[@socaldualsport2244]

I knew a Dauntless dive bomber rear machine gunner that fought at Midway. His name was Ben and he lived in Chula Vista, Ca. I hope he is still with us. I tried to get him to sit down with me for an interview (for historical purposes) but he refused to because he said it's too painful to talk about. Love you bro. Godspeed sir. You are my hero.

[@manilajohn0182]

Actually, dive bomber pilots of various nations often dived at angles of over 80 degrees- and some of them dove straight down at 90 degrees. One thing not mentioned in the video is that the rapid loss of altitude followed by the stress of pullout caused some capillaries (small blood vessels) in the lungs of the crews to burst- which shortened the lives of the crews.

[@markforster6457]

Some dive bomber pilots flew two missions during the Battle of Midway.

[@TwinTalon01]

There are dozens of things not mentioned in the video that should’ve been.

[@mwbgaming28]

Not only that, but you could exceed the structural limits of the plane and cause an in-flight breakup

[@manilajohn0182]

@@mwbgaming28 Highly unlikely, as dive bombers were specifically designed and built to withstand the stress of high angle dives.

[@cadenza3210]

@@manilajohn0182 I read my father's pilot manual for the SBD-5 he flew in the South Pacific. It had perforated flaps that could be extended at full dive speed. I stood next to an SBD-5 in a museum and those things were *monsters*.

[@adamhbrennan]

Chicken vs the ocean Pro tip: ocean ain’t gonna flinch

[@Phonixrmf]

Adam Brennan unless Chuck Norris is piloting

[@danielrodriguez248]

The ocean just waves good bye

[@Ohiostmrchbandawesom]

Chicken versus the ocean. Pro tip: Ocean ain't gonna finch.

[@Zulfburht]

If you’re not careful, it might even jump up and give you a little love tap

[@m.irfanhaqqani6378]

Its not chicken, its Russian roulette

[@spaghetti9845]

I like how these documentaries dub in the sound of a stuka any time plane is diving...

[@Schwarzvogel1]

@Curious Well, there would be the sound of the aircraft engine as it approaches. Being under attack from just about _any_ aircraft if you don't have the means to fight back or take effective cover is terrifying. It doesn't matter whether it's an A-10, a Ju 87, an SBD Dauntless, Il-2, or a Fokker III--if you don't have anything besides your rifles and machine guns, you won't be having a good day. As a fun fact, the Stuka's sirens only made it even _more_ terrifying to those on the receiving end. Remember that between 1939 and 1941, most soldiers were conscripts. It is quite likely that none of them had ever seen an airplane before, much less flown on one. And now they are being attacked by one which is emitting this hellish scream on top of the noise from its engine? That's a real pants-filling moment. Moreover, none of the videos can really convey just how loud the noise would have been. To us, some of the more terrifying sounds of WWII like the Stuka's Jericho trumpets or the howl of Katyusha rockets are _not_ particularly scary as we don't associate those sounds with impending death and mutilation like those men on the receiving end would have.

[@BP-1988]

The SBD in a dive had a very unique sound because of it air brakes.

[@davidpowell3347]

@@BP-1988 I believe most planes in a dive at extreme or terminal velocity make some kind of aerodynamic whine the "trumpet of Jericho" is louder and more shrill than the sounds of most of the other planes

[@BP-1988]

@@davidpowell3347 As I recall, my father said that when he dove an SBD it did make a unique sound because of its airbrakes, but definitely not the sound of a Stuka

[@plinnytheother6107]

@Multiple internet personalities How proud you must be of yourself to know these little tidbits, some here actually put themselves in harms way so you can sit in mommy's basement and preen

[@MrPanzerCatYT]

"Its near impossible to hit a ship with a free falling bomb from 20000 feet." *Fritz X has joined the chat*

[@thomashogan1985]

Tirpitz V tallboy

[@MattBKn]

Fritz X is a early guided bomb. It is not a free falling bomb.

[@MrPanzerCatYT]

@@MattBKn yeah i know thats why i said it

[@2_N_1]

@@MattBKn r/whoosh

[@tigerii10.5cmpog4]

Nice to see a fellow warthunddr player

[@bagduster9381]

Man that plane that survived midway with all the bullet holes, that’s better than gold imo, amazing history there

[@ladonnaghareeb4609]

My husbands 6th grade Sunday school teacher was a gunner on either a dive bomber or a torpedo plane during WW2. He was an amazing man! One story he told them was that he'd gone from zero to One hundred twenty mph backwards when they flew off the carrier!

[@lanedexter6303]

It would have been nice of they’d even mentioned how dive brakes work, when they are applied, or any other details of dive bombing.

[@jimmyarmijo792]

Yeah, I caught that too! Not a word about air-breaks.

[@its1110]

W/o the brakes they'd go well over red-line speed. And were much less steady and the dive time would be shorter... bad aim.

[@arentol99]

The physics are apparently too terrifying to discuss.

[@fordhamdonnington2738]

For dive brakes see looney tunes.

[@edoardostortoni7187]

Simply they stop and brake the air, ti make the dive slower

[@jimstanga6390]

I saw a documentary on television about Admiral Yamamoto in the 1970’s. I think it was, The Commanders. It was an anthology series that explored the biographies of notable WW2 military leaders. I remember an interview where an older man recalled that Yamamoto had organized a practice dive bombing demonstration for some government officials. During the exercise, some of the civilian officials were chatting amongst each other, and ignoring the demonstration. He became angry at this and berated them openly by informing them that although this is just an exercise, many of the men came back from these missions with splitting headaches, ruptured blood vessels on their eyes, and coughing up or vomiting blood. He stated that although they were young and tough, he was certain that this was shortening their lives. But this was an important skill to become proficient at and their country needed them to do it, so they volunteered and did not complain. He concluded his chastisement by offering that the least they could do is pay attention out of respect. There afterwards, he had a silent and attentive audience.

[@AnthonyGenualdi]

I know the series. That always impressed me.

[@jimmyarmijo792]

Yep, I remember The Commanders TV show. Back in the 70s. Patton, MacArthur, Zhukov, Rommel.

[@stevenroland7472]

Ironically Dusty Kleiss lived to be 100 y.o.

[@rednaxninety3659]

Gunner: This is a suicide mission Pilot: ok

[@brad1109]

Rednax Ninety yea wrong country

[@chrisca]

1939: Ok gunner 2019: Ok boomer

[@CamoCollie]

@@chrisca wrong time period

[@chrisca]

@@CamoCollie Heard about ww2? Heard about american volunteers on the British Army, the Finnish or the Spanish? Yeah, right period

[@CamoCollie]

@@chrisca nope, most kamikazes started in the 40's following pearl harbor

[@dalegreer3095]

My friend's dad flew a dive bomber in WWII. He said they trained them to tense up and scream as they were pulling up after they released their bomb, to keep their blood pressure up and keep blood flowing to the brain. Later in the war they put him to strafing enemy positions. He ended up with a lot of psychological issues, pretty messed up.

[@scottfw7169]

Sad and a fully understandable result of being in war.

[@e-on2704]

Smithsonian I'm available if you'd like to do a story on the terrifying physics of being married to my ex-wife.

[@NPNN-xt4ot]

The parabolic trajectory of hurled pots and pans. XD

[@ssrrapper]

The physics were terrifying and the chemistry was nonexistent.

[@deborahrauth7629]

Dodging lawyer. Ducking alimony running from the phone

[@marshallbjones]

E-on While not many folks have done a dive bomb, there are lots of us that have experienced that terrifying experience (only not with your ex, but ours) I did 2 tours on that one!

[@331SVTCobra]

E-On's x-wife .... stuka siren noises

[@lionpulse]

Yup and again thats a sound of german stuka jericho sirens on an american planes

[@rumpustime5460]

That sound represents all dive bombing.

[@Acceptable890]

@@rumpustime5460 but the sound is distinctively German considering they made sirens specifically for the noise. A scare factor basically.

[@rumpustime5460]

@@Acceptable890 Correct. It represents all dive bombing.

[@grissou2685]

Only the early stukas had sirens actually

[@planecrazybuilder4234]

003 7712 Jericho siren was only fitted on the early specific Ju 87 Stukas, all the other dive bombers don’t have a Jericho siren

[@Fowlgun]

A friend of mine is 96 years old and was a bombardier aboard a B24. He was stationed out of Manduria Italy. He is so interesting to listen to his stories. He flew after the war and got lucky. He got bumped off a plane on New York and had to take the train back to Michigan in the late 50"s. The plane crashed at Tri City airport on Easter Sunday killing all aboard including four of his co-workers. He still knows all of their names.

[@snowmiser4893]

I knew a man who flew a Dauntless. He never sat in a cockpit again after the war and spoke very reluctantly.

[@larryponder9334]

Frank Macauda I truly believe that those who are/were quiet about their war experiences, are the ones who saw the real horrors of war...My Dad was like that and I regret sometimes not asking him about it more, but he has since passed on, but now I’m researching myself as more WWII records are declassified and after reading what went on in the Pacific area where he was, l now understand a little better why he didn’t talk about it...

[@michaelbrownlee9497]

@@larryponder9334 same experience here, there was that silence or sometimes a look and everyone got quiet and then the tension in the room would dissapate. Personally i just learned not to talk about it, and be respectful. Always felt safe when those guys were around though.

[@wufongtanwufong5579]

My father and Grandfather ( mothers side) are/were the complete opposite. Don't get me wrong they never glorified war. Most of their stories were about funny things that happened to them or their mates away from the "battlefield". But they also didn't shy away from the bad things either. Well my Grandfather never told me about how he would take Japanese prisoners into the jungle and drown them. I didn't find that until my great uncle told me about it at my grandfathers wake.

[@ancientwarrior3482]

@@larryponder9334 when my father was a young kid in late 50s and early 60s, there was a Finnish WW2 veteran in his hometown who said he could hear his lost comrades talk to him and sometimes he could hear the screams of his wounded/dying comrades crying for a medic. He got traumatized from the Winter War.

[@dyenrab]

@@larryponder9334 My father was a WW II vet. He never ever spoke of his experiences except for one time when I asked him what it was like. He said, "War is a terrible thing." That's all he ever said about it.

[@BP-1988]

My father flew an SBD at Midway, Battle of Santa Cruz, Truk Lagoon and the Battle of the Philippine Sea for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. I still think about him everyday.

[@inebriatedengineering6288]

I'd hardly call this a lesson in physics.

[@xnato-uq1tn]

Balls is right. You had 18 to 20 year olds going almost straight down faster than a hotrod. No way I could do that. They have my respect, and thanks and appreciation.

[@oldgeezer7484]

My father in law was a gunner in a SBD stationed on the Lexington until it was sunk at Coral Sea. He then was assigned to the Saratoga for the rest of the war. He saw a lot of combat and the only thing he ever mentioned about the physics was, "I never rode a rollercoaster that was even close".

[@josephking6515]

As long as you aren't being shot at, it is really great fun. I would imagine the pilot was too busy concentrating on hitting the target that he doesn't have the spare brain power to devote to anything else. This is especially true for the first few missions. I can attest to this in a very minor way and while doing something extremely safe. After a while it just becomes second nature but then you just concentrate all that much more on hitting the target.

[@davidpowell3347]

@@oldgeezer7484 A pilot rode me in his small plane and put it in a steep but not vertical dive,felt more G's than I ever felt in a roller coaster

[@davidpowell3347]

@Luther Blissett Must have powered descent,not just dropping near vertical due to gravity? Coasters I have rode generated their thrill by steep near vertical drop but unpowered on that part of the track. So approaching 0 G.

[@edoardostortoni7187]

As I know the stuka can finish A dive even if the pilot faints, I don't know if it's true or a fake news

[@Raptor747]

"In 1942, the Dauntless dive bomber is a newcomer to the Navy. Largely untested in battle." Aaaand right from the first sentence it's already horribly inaccurate. This is garbage-tier content.

[@joeknight1430]

SaltyWaffles yep.. SBD won the battle of Midway in ‘42

[@principalityofbelka6310]

The Kwajelein raid and the battle of Coral Sea was already a test battle for the Dauntless.

[@PenzancePete]

"In 1942 the dauntless was......". 1942 was over 60 years ago, not now.

[@Ling__Ling__]

Warwick Tregurtha can you do math? It’s about 70-80 years a go

[@GokkeSokkenDK]

@@Ling__Ling__ What he said isn't wrong. He said it's over 60 years ago, not that it is 60 years ago.

[@prabhanieliyanage6860]

Mom: so how was school Kid: 1:47

[@kui7436]

The amount of G-force these pilots can handle while dive bombing is astonishing

[@harrybriscoe7948]

i saw an airiline crash video where peoples head were smashed through the ceiling in an out of control liner and they survived

[@thefreemonk6938]

​@@harrybriscoe7948 Give source

[@harrybriscoe7948]

@@thefreemonk6938 Watch the Mayday Air disaster channel

[@steventrigg6107]

My father was an RAF pilot who flew the Vultee Vengeance dive bomber in Burma. He flew 104 ops in the Vengeance. It had cheese-grater air brakes which also came in useful when avoiding a Zero. As the Zero came from behind, the rear gunner would tell the pilot when the Zero was getting too close, the pilot would put the nose down and pull on the air-brakes. The Zero would over shoot, the pilot would bring the nose up and rake the belly of the Zero with his guns. My father stayed on in the RAF, flew Canberras, Meteors, and ended up flying Vulcans out of Scampton. Couldn't get him to talk about the war, and never pushed him. The only thing he did say, one day, was that at the end the only survivors from the original squadron were the CO, the MO, his gunner and himself. The rest had been replaced three times over. All you idiots commenting on whether an adoptive father is a step-father, and making other, fatuous remarks about the sound-track, etc., really have missed the point.

[@jkdm7653]

Tech advisor: it's SBD, not SPD.

[@jkdm7653]

@@christophercook723 Beg pardon?

[@rjszrama]

"The Terrifying Physics of WWII Dive Bombing" - there was no mention of Physics. Just a lousy click bait title.

[@richardgreen1383]

The technique continued on into the 1960's in ASW, except instead of bombs we were using HVARs and about a 60 degree dive in a twin engine S-2E. The HVARs were out of production, but we were still using them in practice rocket runs. Of course the ones we used as training rockets did not have an explosive head, but sent up a white cloud to let the plane behind us know we hit the target (as by then we were making sure we didn't impact the water. We also didn't start at 20K as that was above our ceiling, but started about 10K. Still a hairy run, not from the dive, but from the recovery from the recovery.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

After D-Day many RAF fighters were made to do ground attack. They did as steep a dive as they could, not having dive brakes and at a chosen altitude pulled up counting for three seconds before releasing the bombs. After training they were surprised by the achieved bombing accuracy. No ejection seats for all those WW2 ground attack pilots, they were all brave.

[@nymalous3428]

Diving 20'000 feet at 275 mph gives you about than 45 seconds to aim, release at 1500 feet, and pull up. It took me longer than that to click comment, do the calculation, write the comment, and enter the comment.

[@keith38able]

very little, in fact zero info related to title, bad smithsonian! to the point of clickbait.

[@Medmann48]

A few years back we did the Restoration shops tour at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. I noticed in one corner of the shop was a recently completed restoration of a Blue painted US Navy Dauntless dive bomber. I asked the tour guide what the heck a Navy Dauntless was doing at the Air Force Museum & he said they had just restored it as a favor & it was heading for Midway Airport in Chicago to hang from the ceiling there. It was a beautiful plane just looked lonely amoung all those green & silver air force planes.

[@wufongtanwufong5579]

Well no U.S planes from WW2 belongs in a U.S air force museum, because there was no U.S air force in WW 2

[@its1110]

@@wufongtanwufong5579 The place is full of USAAF and USAAC planes. Back to WW-1.

[@markforster6457]

@@wufongtanwufong5579 Chill dude! They were all part of the brotherhood!!

[@markforster6457]

I was in terminal B of Midway airport last week. The plane must be in Terminal A.

[@outperformancelife3145]

I wish you would go into way more depth. Thank you for what you did give.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

I think that the Smithsonian Channel has complete programs on their subjects, and these online snippets are just advertising for the actual program.

[@johnnolan2356]

Victor Canfield II Hey, I just wanted to send you a message letting you know that the Smithsonian has full length documentaries about all of these subjects, so in case your interested you can check them out. I’m sure they are on the Smithsonian website or if you google Smithsonian documentary steaming you can find them. I don’t know if you have to pay for a subscription or if you can get a free trial or if they are all free, but you may find them to be very entertaining especially if you love history. I thought I’d share that in case it’s helpful to you!

[@gamingboonboon087]

“Rear gunners face backwards” Hmm, never knew that…

[@solidmikie]

From a veteran of these dive bombers - he said that on diving, the weightlessness of free fall caused the gravity fed carburetors to stop feeding fuel and the engine stalled. The solution was to slightly invert at the start of the run instead of just pushing foreword on the stick to dive. Having to fly inverted, line up the target, start the descent, roll back to 12, make corrections, ignore incoming fire, release the bomb, pull out if the aircraft is still responsive, return for re-armament, and do it again! These vets were the greatest generation. And I miss his quiet humbleness.

[@phantomaviator1318]

"Pilots drop their bombs from 1500 feet for a better shot" War Thunder pilots: 3. Take it or leave it.

[@nightcrawler2126]

More like bf5 spitfire or mosquito players 😂😂😂

[@phantomaviator1318]

3

[@jacobsmith5543]

3

[@tcg1_qc]

@WerstInternetUser perfect strat Here's my strat:use a b34 bomber as a fighter plane. Works very well

[@Noorthia]

3

[@VersusARCH]

"One torpedo could sink a ship" Armored cruiser San Giorgio anchored in Tobruk harbor: Laughs in Italian.

[@StuSaville]

Italian fleet anchored in Taranto harbor: Laughs in Swordfish

[@jamesricker3997]

Unfortunately American torpedoes wouldn't reliably explode until late 1943

[@StevenTheAristolianNerd]

@@jamesricker3997 You do know without American lend lease of steel, ammunition, and food supply Britain would have been a goner.

[@MalfosRanger]

@@StevenTheAristolianNerd He's not wrong though. We can blame the Bureau of Ordinance for covering their ears and going "Lalalala" anytime doubts were raised about torpedo effectiveness. Killed a lot of good men and wasted a lot of taxpayer dollars.

[@spaghetti9845]

@@MalfosRanger You mean to suggest the government would waste money? This is pure blasphemy. Take your false propaganda elsewhere heathen!!

[@loyalhoodini4944]

The guy called the plane an SBD-2. This model is actually an SBD-3 dauntless, as only after the 3rd model is a double .30 caliber machine gun in the rear. The SBD-2 has one .30 cal.

[@macflod]

This was quite misleading. Dive bombing was around before the Dauntless, this implied it wasn’t and Im sure you can hear a Stuka dive bomber siren in the footage thats been added to it.

[@RedRocket4000]

I know and the Stuka noise was the noise maker they added to the plane to intimidate the enemy.

[@macflod]

@@RedRocket4000 yeah it was

[@richardbullwood5941]

My grandfather's first cousin flew a dauntless. He told my grandfather there's a fine art to dive-bombing. If you did it right, you were pinned against the back of your seat. If you did it wrong, you were basically completely weightless with your belts pulling on your shoulders. It had to do with how you entered your dive. Wish I could have talked to him myself. The man died of cancer in the 1960s.

[@paulcruikshank7250]

Hunh, interesting Jericho trumpet mod at 2:30 haha

[@mencken8]

My Dad went through Navy pilot training, flew PBYs for a short time, then was transferred to a newly forming dive bomber squadron. When the squadron commander announced that their group would perfect night dive bombing, Dad put in for a transfer to the Marine Corps, and flew the PBJ (B-25) in the Solomons.

[@fool2_ship57]

¿ They Hadn't Invented a 'Candle' that Could Fly Upside Down Yet ? Besides They Would Have Burned the Pilot's Nose . At Least He Became a Marine { No Offense Intended , Just Bad Joke }

[@mike_js2936]

I think this was intentionally inaccurate so you’d look for more Smithsonian Channel content somewhere

[@DariViol]

I'm no expert on this topic, how was the video inaccurate?

[@huski1645]

@@DariViol off the top of my head the SBD was not a newcomer to the navy by 1942. In fact, it was so old and out of date that the navy was actively seeking replacements and considering retiring the SBD.

[@notmyname3681]

being inaccurate does not make me feel inclined to look for anything else they produce.

[@JeanLucCaptain]

intentionally inaccurate.... sounds like US bombing!

[@Freizy7099]

Lacunae your thinking of the TBD Devistator. The Dauntless was introduced in 1940 while the Devistator was introduced in 1935

[@advancedmonkey7702]

My neighbor‘s father used to be a dive bomber pilot in WW2, I didn't know how badass he was till this video.

[@johnnymarlin819]

Amazing how the skill of dive bombing changed WW2 in five minutes at the battle of Midway.

[@brianhurley6289]

The men who flew in these planes were brave men indeed. Most of them very young.

[@johnmcdonald9304]

The young men of that generation had balls of steel. We owe a great debt.

[@julosx]

To think Douglas SBDs not only sank many ships, they also sent to the sea 104 Mitsubishi Zeroes/Zeke in total.

[@tylermerlin8320]

"ride the bomb down" Butterfly flaps You can stall while pulling out of the dive.

[@luuko656]

But an SBD doesn't have butterfly flaps

[@freddyflintstoned913]

My dads cousin was practicing dive bombing in 1942 when he pulled out of the dive his P40 rolled over and slammed upside down into Sarasota Bay. He died instantly. They think the canopy crashed in on him. A unsung hero of WWII. He was 19. War is INSANE!

[@happyvalleybooksandstories22A]

The SBD-2 Dauntless seen at 0:16 is SBD-2 Dauntless BuNo. 2106. It saw combat at Pearl Harbor, the action where Butch O'Hare became the Navy's first ace, the March 10, 1942 shipping raid (its crew Mark Whittier/Forest Stanley received a Navy Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross respectively), while it served with USS Lexington (CV-2). It was then transferred to VMSB-241 on Midway where it was flown by Daniel Iverson/Wallace Reid at Midway (Iverson/Reid were awarded the Navy Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross respectively at Midway). This aircraft was photographed during the Battle Of Midway. I also made a 1/700 scale replica of this aircraft using Starfighter Decals.

[@SwingLifeAway92]

My grandfather did a lot of dive bombing in his P-47 I remember him talking about the key was to make the bomb skip in to the target. He did have one experience were one of the bombs wouldn't disengage no matter what he tried (His wingman couldn't even nudge it off) When he went to land right as his wheels hit the ground he heard a loud thud and the bomb fell off. Thankfully since it was a low impact it didn't go off I vaguely remember him saying he had to walk to the base as no one wanted to get near him.

[@kylegoodman5196]

If diving a Dauntless was so terrifying than I can't imagine diving a Junkers 87, as the Stuka was designed to go 90 degrees in a dive..

[@Sos__Sonic]

Who is this random girl and how the flying F does she know what dive bombing was like?

[@Aaron-fb6mb]

Do you guys know what a "historian" is? Google it

[@dreamer5687]

cowboy sounds like your mom

[@TehDenizenz]

You guys know what a historian is... Right? So you think your history teachers were actually fighting in the civil war? Or asking the crowd when the Magna Carta was signed?

[@void970t5]

@james cowboy willing to bet she is better educated than you.

[@JayWC3333]

They have to have women in the show to keep the appearance of equality... even if she's dumb as a box of rocks and every second she talks her verbal diarrhea makes me want to shut the video off.

[@mco51193]

Geez, 200 bullet holes. Probably large caliber if they were antiaircraft gun rounds too. Incredible that it could make it back to the carrier. That’s one heck of a tough aircraft.

[@Redawesomeoby]

Japanese Kamikaze pilots: Who are you? Dive Bombing pilots: I'm you but more effective

[@montanatony5838]

Typical Smithsonian teaching.. "Yeah, so dive bombing is dive bombing.. And so yeah, there you have it"..

[@maxdecphoenix]

hey, don't forget that rear gunners face backwards!

[@The88Cheat]

Wait, why does every plane sound like it has a Jericho trumpet?

[@jameswhite6481]

Eh just a common thing probably influenced by old cartoons using the Jericho trumpets as a plane was free falling after taking a few hits

[@happydogmachine]

boi yeetem even American planes made that sound to an extent. It’s just the sound propellers make when they speed up.

[@The88Cheat]

@@happydogmachine I do know that the Japanese called the F4U Corsair "the whistling death" because of the sound it made in a high speed dive, but it was more whistle than siren.

[@crazeelazee7524]

"Because just one torpedo could sink a ship" *Laughs in mk13*

[@Barri2410]

Quite true, though. _Hammann,_ the ship that pull _Yorktown_ after Battle of Midway, was torpedoed by IJN submarine and was split into two

[@christopherrogers7034]

@@Barri2410 The Japanese Taiho was also sunk by a single torpedo but that was mostly due to very poor damage control that made a little problem into a very big problem

[@Barri2410]

@@christopherrogers7034 whoa, 1 torpedo from Sub too, eh? (I don't know for this part. Though i know about the poor maintenance, which contributed to her sinking-and this give her poor luck in KC :P)

[@yoseipilot]

Christopher Rogers I think Submarine-Torpedo are 2 times heavier than Aircraft-Torpedo. Taiho was hit at 7:45 a.m., later the explosion at 2:30 p.m. and sinks at 4:30 p.m.

[@yoseipilot]

Barri 2410 Btw. USS Franklin was hit by 2 Bombs it didn’t sunk, but extreme heavy damage ~800 death and could never be repaired, USS Princeton was sunk by one bomb.

[@Dackah]

The Stuka had the steepest dive angle of all dive bombers-even 90 degrees

[@markforster6457]

True. They also put small propellers on the front of each wing. Those propellors made a terrifying sound.

[@PS-wn7cw]

There's a Dauntless hanging at Midway airport near Chicago. I marveled at how small the plane is, esp. compared to the Avenger or even fighters. My coworker's late father in law flew Dauntless against Japanese carriers at Midway. They still have his flight jacket and other mementos and he apparently always modest about his involvement saying that he was just doing his job and at the time you don't know that it's this special event.

[@WolfHeart98]

Just saw that 4 days ago

[@harrybriscoe7948]

1st times I saw WWII aircraft they were smaller than the looked in photos

[@JamaaLS]

Negative G forces in an aircraft is a scary feeling.

[@williewilson2250]

It's like on a rollercoaster where your gut gets a funny feeling, but 10x worse.

[@JamaaLS]

@@williewilson2250 truth!

[@eternalemperorvalkorion750]

Well your body can pull 10 g positive in a g suit before passing but more than 2 negative knocka you out. Better no blood in the brain then too much

[@tombrunila2695]

Dive bombing: putting a hole in a ship above the water line in order to sink it. Torpedo: putting a hole in a ship below the water line in order to sink it.

[@Barri2410]

For Dive Bomber sinking a ship (without Torpedo Bomber help), it was true. HMS _Hermes_ was sunk by IJN D3A

[@daniellastuart3145]

you bomb a ship with the aim to it out of action and start internal fires which you hope will course nether damage to sink it. Being that a fire on broad a ship if it Achilles heel

[@yacob1113]

3:20 and if you have a low connection you will randomly drop 200 feet and crash into the water

[@Barri2410]

So true

[@tenkloosterherman]

Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown test flew a Ju-87 Stuka after the war and found that the Stuka actually felt comfortable when screaming down at an angle of 60 to 70 degrees. He came away deeply impressed with this aspect of the Stuka, but not so much with the rest of the flying envelope.

[@below2918]

Not only were physics not mentioned but the fact that it wasnt just "playing chicken with the ocean", but tons of anti aircraft artillery exploding shrapnel all around them.

[@richardl772]

Why do these US video/docs always sound as though they’re talking to a 4 year old.....?

[@rpurdey]

@@brucewelty7684 Too, not to. 🙄

[@ulysses1904]

I agree and I'm a Yank. So many videos and commercials always sound to me like a 5th grade teacher.

[@richardl772]

rpurdey. No, not too.....to.

[@georgeb.wolffsohn30]

Well currently our "President" doesn't even read security briefings and they have to put his name into it frequently to keep his attention. Draw your own conclusions 🤔 . . .

[@jimmyarmijo792]

My guess is they're hoping 4 year olds are watching. 🤔

[@akilghosh]

A question that always taunted me is, what is that humming sound when an airplane goes to dive ?

[@dragonmeddler2152]

You are probably hearing the sonic wave produced by the propeller tips reaching supersonic speed during the dive.

[@popepuro8267]

Akhil Ghosh its actually the sound of whats known as a “Jeriko” (thats not how its spelled, its 4 am, sorry) trumpet. Its an effect many organizations use in movies and such, but in fact no american planes were outfitter with them, the only known planes to have a jeriko, or “stuka siren” are the Junkers 87, and only on earlier models were they made with, as it actually made the pilots themselves annoyed, because the earliest version of these horns were just a propeller strapped to the gears of the Junkers, making it impossible to shut off after the planes reach a certain speed. In fact, the jerico was not even in the flight manual to build the stuka, it was an optional fitting, you’re welcome

[@dragonmeddler2152]

@@popepuro8267 Hi, Pope Puro. You are exactly correct about the Jericho Trumpets or Sirens the Luftwaffe installed on some of their Stuka dive bombers. What caused me to respond was the original comment asking about the humming sound made when prop aircraft were diving.

[@popepuro8267]

@@dragonmeddler2152 ah, oki, sorry then.

[@Enderboy4030]

Stuka with stuka siren: Finnally a worthy opponent Our battle will be LEGENDARY

[@Enderboy4030]

@15 is legal In Europe Would be better if they wore some kind of headgear to block the noise

[@Enderboy4030]

@15 is legal In Europe and also stukas are preety fast and the tanks will start up pretty slow to move

[@Schwarzvogel1]

@Dan Gurău They removed them because they were making a slow aircraft even slower by causing more drag. The Stuka was already dead meat if there was any sort of fighter opposition. It also didn't help that the opposition had gotten used to the sirens, so they weren't having quite the psychological effect as they were at the beginning of the war. I wouldn't be surprised if some Luftwaffe units ditched the sirens well before they were officially phased out.

[@Y0SH1-.]

Me just chilling in random battles Japanese aircraft carrier: hello is it me your looking for

[@randomshitpost8477]

Smithsonian: Just one torpedo can sink a ship Bismarck: Am I a joke to you?

[@GraphicJ]

What an awesome video... wish I could see the full video, but I don't have the Smitshonian channel on my cable :(

[@luisorduna2964]

I'm sad that they didn't explain the use of the "cheese" holes in the flaps. Those were speed brakes meant to facilitate maneuvering during and after a dive bomb.

[@adamknight5089]

The video was disappointing and barely scratched the surface

[@reginaldmassey3272]

Thanks for this, its the only science I've heard. Because I always wondererd what those were.

[@billandregina]

I don't think they help with maneuvering, I think they only slow your speed down enough that you don't lose control. Not sure if the holes allow enough air through the flaps so that they are not torn off, or if they introduce turbulence, which would also presumably help to slow the decent.

[@jimtownsend7899]

Speed Brakes? Nah, they were just building wings out of Marsden Matting!

[@potatoreactor9395]

Ohhh, this is where the 737 Max got it's M.C.A.S programming ideas

[@mike_js2936]

Mike Tripoloski good one

[@tonyennis3008]

too soon

[@aaronanstett8987]

Jesus crist

[@devonlord99]

Brakes: *break No brakes Plane: *breaks Meanwhile F.C.A.S: 🤷‍♂️🙃

[@Zulfburht]

No, I think you’re thinking of the Japanese zero. They have way more effective targeting techniques.

[@speedomars]

The typical dive bombing mission parameters created about 5 g's of force. The manufacturer's tests concluded that most pilots were able to withstand 6 g's before experiencing grey out vision impairment and 7.5 g's before passing out.

[@freddyzamaripa3920]

Imagine being the rear gunner not being able to see whats happening, especially wen diving down... what a rush. We were hard core back then

[@dishrod3516]

Super thanks to all the giant MEN from those days who served and sacrificed.

[@chrismartindale7840]

In War Thunder I became a master at dive bombing in a Stuka. If I targeted a tank it was dead. However, I did occasionally crash into the ground (usually because from 5,000 feet up I couldn't see the slight rise in the ground) I cannot imagine how nerve wracking that must have been for pilots who don't respawn if they die.

[@TheMrSafeTheFirst]

Absolutely no mention of the physics then.

[@philippemartin592]

hahaahahaha I was wondering the same thing. Click bait.

[@stephenjacks8196]

SBD was a bit more maneuverable after bomb is dropped. There was a story about an SBD pilot shooting down 2 Zeros.

[@normanacree1635]

Tom Eversole mentioned near the end of the video was a torpedo bomber pilot. He was close friends with Dusty Kleiss who sank multiple ships at Midway. On Eversole's last mission, he and Kleiss exchanged looks knowing Eversole was almost surely going to die needlessly due to the inefficiency of the torpedoes he was carrying. Unfortunately, he was right. He never returned. Read the book by Kleiss. Very interesting and informative.

[@donaldfarmer7458]

I've had two friends follow their bombs in. Both were in jets. Pilots still black out about the same Gs. But today's jets accelerate down hill faster and pull out Gs are probably higher. Dive bombing is a risky business.

[@scottfw7169]

A sad intersection of aircraft piloting and the laws of physics. Have read, and been told about, similar happening on strafing runs.

[@Bob-yt9fo]

the whole world: Dive bombing is for ships and naval combat Germany: well yes but actually no

[@lacydowningjr8708]

Man it took brass balls to do this kind bombing.

[@cymond]

The narration and subtle background music make this feel like one of the old History Channel segments, back when they showed documentaries.

[@7GSC251]

to think every SINGLE midway battle plain was shot down except for one, that got hit 200 times and BOTH TWO of the guys survived is incredible one in a million.

[@spenner3529]

Typical Smithsonian manufactured drama. Dive bombing was a skill practiced like any other aerial maneuver. Prior to WW2, it had already been perfected-in Spain-by the Luftwaffe, which had adopted the idea originally from the U.S. Navy in the 30s.

[@johnpotter4750]

The Swedish had an elite squadron(s) for dive bombing mainly for Baltic raiders.

[@stevenroland7472]

If you really want to know what it was like being a Diver Bomber at Midway read Dusty Kleiss book "Never call me a Hero". Kleiss won the Navy Cross and was the only pilot with 3 ships hit.

[@17donhol]

Yes but did he ever pull.out of a dive , switch targets ( from Kaga to Akagi ) and wipe out one carrier all by himself ..??? Then assist with another direct hit 6 hours later on the Hiryu ???. Lt Com Richard Halsey Best

[@stevenroland7472]

@@17donhol Kleiss and Best were in the same squadron. Kleiss was the only pilot to hit 3 targets with a Dive Bomber (Kaga, Hiryu, and cruiser Mikuma). You should read his book Best is mentioned quite a bit.

[@17donhol]

@@stevenroland7472 yes, Kleiss hit Kaga and Best got Akagi and the both ganged up on Hiryu at around 1700 hours... Such a beautiful thing... I will read his book...Big admirer of Dusty, American hero and Patriot.... Does he mention McClusky's massive and almost fatal mistake of diving on the wrong target ( Kaga)...???? Boy if Akagi escaped , she would have come back and taken out many American sailors and planes .... That's why I love Lt Best so much...He realized what would have happened had she escaped.... That was Kido's flagship and not only had arguably the best torpedo squadron on earth but the architects of Pearl Harbor aboard her... Best must have taken unbelievable pride in landing that bomb in the hangar deck to prevent any more damage being done to our carriers and planes and ultimately destroying her with just ONE 1000 pound bomb...!!!! WOW !!!

[@stevenroland7472]

@@17donhol Dusty mentions Best and McClusky. I highly recommend you read it since you obviously are very knowledgeable on the subject.

[@17donhol]

@@stevenroland7472 thank you

[@crispybaguette8670]

Aww 0:37 i love how it is like legit two mounted machine guns

[@jimgoff1170]

Vladimir Putin I didn’t know they let the most evil man on earth make comments! 🏙⚛️

[@crispybaguette8670]

Well they do

[@maruftim]

This is why a plane's flight deck is named "cockpit". It is named after it's use which is to hold the pilot's balls.

[@asolomon7402]

When carriers were first created people thought you couldn’t fly off one. Lt. Eugene Ely proved that it was possible