The Great German Aces Killed in Bizarre Ways and Unplanned Accidents - Historic Countdowns

[@TJ3]

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[@shable1436]

TJ 3 PO history, nice work

[@TJ3]

An important note here! I somehow left out an important detail with Walter Nowotny - When he had the engine fire in the Me-262, this was the only time that he did not wear his lucky trousers. My bad guys! Also, I tried my best to pronounce them properly. I actively tried to research the proper ways to say their names. Have mercy if I was not perfect, haha. Thanks for watching guys! Grab some merch or support me on Patreon if you like :) Links in description.

[@daviddoran3673]

Your pronunciations were excellent!!!

[@TJ3]

@@daviddoran3673 haha thank you!

[@yoda5565]

I also read that the only positive identification of the body was a piece of hand with his ring on the finger.

[@you8364]

Well, he had his unlucky pants on tho..🤔

[@moss8448]

one of the very first books I ever read about Germany's pilots was 'Horrido!' yrs ago and it started something that has lasted ever since

[@moyadapne968]

Doing a victory roll over the airfield was crazy. My father, who flew Spitfires, said after battle, you flew home quietly, landed, and ran away from your aeroplane.

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

That’s right, never show off, just in case you’ve suffered unknown damage.

[@nowi5181]

Walter Nowotny crashed in the Baltic and floated for several days on a raft, trying to avoid soviet maritime patrols until eventually being rescued. His lucky pants were the ones he wore while floating in the Baltic. On his last flight in the ME-262 he was not wearing these pants, supposedly his first flight without them since his experience in the Baltic. Read Luftwaffe Aces Speak. Excellent interviews with the best of the best that survived the war.

[@michaellyczak9337]

I think I read about him in 'A Higher Call' - was he the one who was severely injured in taking off in his Me- 262 ? He apparently was a friend of Franz Stigler, who described such an incident in his book.

[@Dirtywesterner]

I love that book!!

[@snakeplissken2148]

why are people so into this "mystic" stories about talisman objects? Almost every soldier, especially the ones from "distiguished" units carried some kind of lucky pants, scarfs etc and the moment of their demise they have forgotten it. i cant really believe it.

[@viktoriaironpride4977]

@@michaellyczak9337 I think you mean Johannes Steinhoff.

[@Disinterested1]

@@snakeplissken2148 how's new york?

[@petergray7576]

German U-boat ace Wolfgang Luth was Germany's second best captain During his fifteen war patrols he sank forty six merchant ships and the French submarine Doris, 225,204 gross tons destroyed. By 1944 he had been promoted to flotilla commander at Flensburg. When Germany surrendered on May 7 1945, he was assisting the last German government of Admiral Karl Donitz. On the night of May 13 he spent a night furlough in town, and reappeared at the Flensburg base gate highly intoxicated and failed to respond to the commands of the German sentry, who then fatally shot him in the dark.

[@geoffreycarson2311]

SODS LAW !!!😣😨😴g

[@jeffreymcneal1507]

The more I read...these Nazi sods were quite eager to "defend" France from Allied "invasion," and so with the Soviet "attack" on the Fatherland. So diligent many were, to fight to the last round of ammunition, the last man, just to kill just one more of our boys. I wonder what effect the atom bomb would have had? Certainly Dresden wasn't enough to smarten them up. Rather good they didn't develop the A Bomb first; sounds like they were hard at it in Norway, and would have been more than happy to lob one, attached to a V2, into London, given half a chance. Sounds like they were eager to murder the remainders of their concentration camps, but were sometimes prevented to do so by lack of personnel or ammunition. Some American GI's were so incensed on the carnage they discovered that they turned over their weapons to inmates, or shot groups of Nazi officers on their own. Patton came along and dismissed all war crime charges- of the Americans shooting surrendered Nazi POW's. Wonder how enthusiastic these Nazi pilots would have been knowing what kind of filth they were protecting?

[@thkempe]

​@@jeffreymcneal1507 I think the pilots intended primarily to protect their parents, sisters, wives and children from Allied fire bombing. The US were the only competitor in the supposed race for nuclear weapons. Germany did nothing but basic scientific research. The Germans didn't have nuclear weapons. But they had large quantities of chemical weapons. Their V2 rockets could carry around 1 ton. Imagine what this quantity of sarin or tabun gas would have inflicted to the London population. If you detonate the missile a few thousand feet above London you could've scattered one hundred of 10-liter-canisters all across the city with no warning to civilians. There would have been retaliation, of course. But Hitler was finally willing to sacrifice his own people because according to his doctrine, it has proven weaker than the eastern peoples of Russia, and therefore had do be wiped out from the earth. Remember his so called Nero order, the destruction of all industry and electric and water supplies in the cities that would fall into Allied hands.

[@LeeRaldar]

@@jeffreymcneal1507 You will find the same protocol as standing orders in any guardroom in any army in the world especially during wartime. > Request password < Correct response > Fine carry on. < Failed response or fail to stop > Open fire

[@kojak5500]

@@jeffreymcneal1507 you’re so brainwashed

[@spider_corsa]

For the first one: " - One thing though... - What's that, sir? - It takes us two years to train people like you. Suppose your controls had been damaged. What would've happened to that idiotic victory roll? You'd have been spread all over the damn field... like strawberry jam. Never again. Clear? " -from the movie: Battle of Britain (1969)

[@britishamerican4321]

Christopher Plummer.

[@incub8]

Exactly my thought when I saw the first one and his foolish victory roll; "strawberry jam."

[@fazole]

More US pilots during WW2 died in accidents than battle.

[@northlightartisans4465]

@@fazole from the completely made up statistics department

[@johnyted]

8:46 Because I know a little about his story, the death I most regret is that of Werner Mölders. He was a fervent Catholic and loved to fly. Belonging to the Condor Legion, which supported Franco's nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, Mölders shot down 15 planes. During World War II, the second time he was shot down in the Battle of France, he was taken prisoner and wanted to congratulate the French pilot who shot him down, but he had died half an hour after his crash. In prison, he was severely beaten and robbed, but his Knight's Cross was returned to him. When released, he asked Göering for clemency for the soldier who assaulted him because he would be executed. In the Battle of France, he shot down 25 enemies, and in the Battle of Britain, where he was wounded, he shot down 30 enemies. On the Eastern Front, in 1941, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, for hitting 100 enemies killed - the first such feat in aviation history. Mölders was then promoted to Colonel and forbidden to fly again in air combat. And, at age 28, he was appointed Inspector of Fighters, a position responsible for deciding the tactical and operational doctrine of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. But Mölders participated in the missions in secret and it is speculated that he shot down 30 more Soviet aircraft, according to the memories of his fellow aviators. Mölders was well known for his strength of character. His men called him "Vati" (Daddy) in recognition of his fatherly attitude and concern for the well-being of his men. He was a religious and devout person who demanded that all Allied airmen who were captured by his subordinates be treated with respect and civility, and he often invited captured pilots to dine with him. He married the widow of a friend who died in service in September 1941. Molders died the following month, on 22 November 1941. Although Mölders was posted to Spain after the bombing of Guernica and some evidence proves that he was a critic of the Nazi regime, in 1998 the removal of his name and all honors in Germany began. Despite several petitions from high-ranking politicians and military personnel, the Bunderwehr Military History Office pointed to the lack of documents and historical evidence that could prove that Mölders had been a critic of the regime, concluding that until the day he died, according to historical records, Mölders never distanced himself enough from the regime. Consequently, the decision to remove his name remains to this day. The remains of "Oberst and Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51" Werner Mölders lie in the Invalid Cemetery in Berlin. (Wiki)

[@bobbyfisher181]

His activities, however fatherly, directly led to the death of millions of innocents. If there is a hell he is there, no doubt...

[@irisshea6313]

@@bobbyfisher181 Yup, pretty much. Ostensibly having criticized the Nazi regime doesn’t absolve him for fighting on its behalf. Not to mention that his service in the Condor Legion, a volunteer force supporting franco’s dictatorship, paints a similarly unflattering picture

[@blitzy3244]

The last part is so shameful.

[@blitzy3244]

​@@bobbyfisher181What a surprise that this pea-brained comment is written by someone who is using Bobby Fischer's (misspelled) name not realizing that even he had the same views as the German party when it came to J***s lol.

[@morenofranco9235]

Excellent TJ3. So tragic. War is a game for young men. The ones that survive - and go on to be leaders, never forget. As an old, and retired Army Flight Lieutenant - and the only living member of the 16-man gunship squad I led, I think of those fine young men, my friends, every day. For they shall never grow old - as we who live on to remember them. We had heroes. Our enemy also had heroes. We remember all the heroes. We were Soldier. No Soldier should be forgotten.

[@michaelripperger5674]

Thank you for your service. Welcome home solider

[@jeffreymcneal1507]

It is your right and hard-won privilege to salute your former enemies. I am not so charitable. Nazi scum unleashed unthinkable horror upon legions of innocents. It is unfortunate that they were attached to the hijacked government of Germany. I mourn the loss of so many of our own brave men who were dragged into having defend the free world.

[@flaviomonteiro1414]

No soldier should be forgotten...

[@stephencostello3174]

❤🇺🇸❤

[@ConwayTruckload]

A back story to the one shot while under the chute. It was said that he was seen shooting American pilots that was under chute so he was purposely targeted and then shot when he bailed. There was a unwritten rule that they wouldn’t shoot pilots under a chute. And both sides complied with that rule most of the time. Some times they would even salute each other as the plane flew by.

[@Relentless_Venture]

@@hakapeszimaki8369 hey m0ron. While you goose step and heil your grand leader read this. Might stop you from making an ass of yourself for just pasting your wheraboo heart comments. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_parachutists

[@unbrandedindustriesincorpo1701]

@@hakapeszimaki8369 provide valid documentation of this “American behavior”

[@ConwayTruckload]

@@hakapeszimaki8369not true. I had a family member who flew a Hellcat in Europe. The Americans didn’t do that unless they saw a German do it. That anti American bullshit don’t fly here.

[@moistmike4150]

@@hakapeszimaki8369 Bullshit Hakapeszi. There are always exceptions to every rule, but on the whole, U.S. fighter pilots would not shoot airmen under a parachute. U.S. pilots wanted a "kill" just like the German pilots did, but there was a fan unwritten rule that the Germans would make shooting bailed out aircrew a standard practice if the U.S. started shooting enemy aircrew in their chutes. Also, just before D-Day, American flyers were ordered by General Eisenhower to NOT shoot parachuting German crewmen under threat of courts martial.

[@shreyasthakur]

@Hakapeszi Maki nice to hear the account of the other side once in a while. Dont understand why everyone's so triggered tho

[@anthonyburke5656]

I seem to recall that about 30 years ago in Holland, they drained a canal, found a 109 with pilot still in the cockpit, who was an Ace, he’d had engine failure on take off from Schipol.

[@theodorebennett7938]

provide a link?

[@obelic71]

@@theodorebennett7938 There are still more then 500 aircraft from WW2 who went missing above the Netherlands. The latest aircraft they found in the Ijselmeer (ijsel lake) was an RAF Stirling bomber with his crew still inside. Every year 2-3 missing WWII aircrafts are found during dredging/constructionwork in lakes rivers and sea here in the Netherlands. After identification they are reburied in military honor on military graveyards in the presence of next of kin. The German crews are buried at the German military cementary at Ijselstein. The allied crews on their cemetaries acros the Netherlands.

[@anthonyburke5656]

@Will Swift that’s one way to look at it, a bit final though. It seems pilots tend to forget the old pilots injunction “Never turn back on take off”. It’s surprising how many very good pilots have been killed doing just that.

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

@@obelic71 And we still thank the gallant and honourable Dutch for their kindness in those matters. Respects from the UK.

[@obelic71]

@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Its the last we can do for the fallen and the next of kin. May we find all of them who went missing and give them a grave. Even for the enemy! Only God is allowed to judge.

[@RichardVSmall]

Awesome video!! I really like how you show 'footage' of the accident with IL-2. PLEASE make more of these. You could even just do 'Fates of WW2 Aces' or something and show how some famous aces met their end - for example Heinrich Ehrler would be a good one.

[@kevinwaterman389]

“Unplanned Accident” if you plan doing a accident than it is no longer an accident but a deliberate act!🤦🏼‍♂️

[@joelspringman7748]

A bit redundant, yes.

[@beatglauser9444]

One more special thing in the title: "Aces killed in bizarre ways". First I thought These pilots were killing enemy planes "in bizarre ways" like ramming them or so.

[@dr.dfargo2921]

Shut up

[@heilped]

English is not my first language, in Swedish however “unplanned accidents” is not logical to say.

[@richln9682]

You've obviously never met Hillary Clinton.

[@grahvis]

But you do have to expect the unexpected.

[@ryansta]

Yes, thought exactly the same. Syntax error line 10

[@MotionMcAnixx]

@@richln9682 :))

[@vismundcygnus2800]

It's not logical in english either.

[@NickVenture1]

YES... ENJOYED YOUR HISTORICAL RECREATION!

[@Clayne94]

Looks a little like war thunder ngl lolop

[@Jbroker404]

@@Clayne94 IL-2 Sturmovik is so much better than Chore Thunder

[@jeffreymcneal1507]

Yes, me too. Watching Nazi's die always perks me up.

[@NickVenture1]

@@jeffreymcneal1507 There are good medications for this kind of condition.

[@pnorton8063]

Thank you for your hard work, much appreciated.

[@tomkenney5365]

Great video! I enjoyed the recreations. I was hoping you would mention Franz Schall, with his 137 kills and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The reason I wanted to see him in this is because my father shot him down in Nov '44. Schall bailed and survived but died in April '45 during an emergency landing.

[@louiswgr7618]

Who is your father?

[@tomkenney5365]

Nobody famous. He got lucky. He flew with some people who got famous, though. Chuck Yeager, Kit Carson, and Don Herbert (aka Mr. Wizard) are all I can remember.

[@louiswgr7618]

@@tomkenney5365 Well these highly experienced Luftwaffe pilot were almost impossible to shot down (read Pierre Clostermann books) so I think he was lucky but also a good pilot.

[@tomkenney5365]

It's believed that Schall had at least one engine that had flamed out. Some reports say both were out, but he did some maneuvering, so I think just one, and Dad put the other one out. Dad said he almost overran Schall's plane and then Schall bailed out. A possibly cooler story is the 109 Dad shot down. The pilot climbed onto the wing wearing a black leather flying suit, with a long white scarf. Holding on to the cockpit edge, he turned, came to attention (against the wind), and saluted Dad before stepping off. Don't know the pilot, but the flying suit might indicate a WWI pilot.

[@frankieblue1945]

Awesome. I love your new channel Brother; great work.

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

The G variants of the 109 were poisonned with engine troubles. Guess it was late in the war, they had to build engines with worse workers and poor materials. And those engines had to get more power than the originals, so they exploded frequently...

[@Evan-hq5dt]

Imagine, slave labor = less than desirable results.

[@joelspringman7748]

That's interesting. Thanks for that.

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

@@Evan-hq5dt Agreed lol

[@hifinsword]

I imagine when you embark on genocide on an industrial scale, working slave labor to death, the victims' only possible contribution to the allies efforts would be sabotage. Well done!

[@MalnourishedMcNair]

It would be really cool if you made a video about how aces survived against the odds while flying during World War Two, like how Franz Stigler was able to remain conscious and land his BF-109 after getting shot in the head (the bullet flattened against his forehead and didn't go through thankfully). Or the story how Johannes Steinhoff survived after being burned alive in his ME-262 while serving in JV-44.

[@paultyson4389]

Wonderful animation. You left out one ace's death whose name escapes me. He racked up over 100 kills but later in the war had been reassigned to commanding a training facility in Germany. It was in 1945 when he was challenged by a sentry on the base, got the password wrong and was shot dead. It was a major miracle that most of these aces survived as long as they did. Some were shot down multiple times and even well behind enemy lines but evaded capture or escaped. I recall reading of one in North Africa. He was captured by some Polish soldiers who beat the crap out of him giving him a depressed eye socket but he later escaped.

[@captainpinky8307]

from the books i read by about the 45kills mark they got shot down at this includes some famous british aces. just see how many kill's they got before they got killed or captured.

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

The story you're relating pertains to Wolfgang Lüth, A Nazi U-boat captain who on 5th May 1945 drunkenly failed to respond to a guard's challenge at the Mürwik Naval Academy in northern Germany and was shot dead.

[@josephstalin1490]

It's from war thunder

[@LeopardIL2]

Simply great to see!There were three competitors during the early days of the war: Galland, Wick and Vati Molders. Salute!

[@JimHabash]

Great research. A suggestion for a video on Saburo Sakai, the Japanese naval ace who was shot down and severely injured after attacking a formation from behind. I believe the story goes that he mistook the new American Avenger torpedo bomber for a flight of Wildcats, and crept in close behind, not realizing they were bombers with defensive rear facing MG's pointed at him. I read this in his book in the 70's, when I was a kid. However, recently I have heard other versions. I had forgotten, but was glad to see a video you did regarding Colonel Howard's P-51, great story there. Keep up the good work.

[@bruggadung]

Yes, Saburo Sakai's book was called "Samurai"...

[@Tiagomottadmello]

Great vídeo !! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@j.dunlop8295]

Doing air-stunts with a possibly damaged, aircraft with limited maintenance, bit suicidal? Sketchy, yep!

[@richardmongello579]

Very well done. Interesting presentation of little known history.

[@jamesroseby3823]

Nowotny had a bad cold and was unfit to fly his final sortie. He was pressured to fly due to an accusation of cowardice by the pen pushers.

[@micamicaela6306]

It's not nowotny who had bad cold it's Walter oesau

[@danm7298]

Ive heard of one pilot who was dissolved by jet fuel when his plane crashed. one of the fuels they used at the time was highly acidic and when it leaked on him after a crash he was melted.

[@magnusmcgraw]

First of all, I have to mention that in the Luftwaffe a pilot was only allowed to call himself an ace after 100 enemy planes were shot down. In the book "The first and the last" written by Adolf Galland a German fighter ACE and later general of the Jagdflieger. You’ll find a list of over 100 German fighter aces and the lowest kills, i.e. the worst of these over 100 aces, starts with a little more than 100 kills while the best Erich Hartmann, also known as Bubi, recorded 352. All in all, these slightly more than 100 pilots shot down around 15,000 enemy planes. Mfg Magnus

[@russianoldschoo48]

The Germans considered 5 kills to be an ace, as said by Franz Stigler in A Higher Call

[@Gman-109]

Great video, a subject I've read and studied much about myself. Subscribed, look forward to watching your back catalogue and new videos. Well done!

[@AllenMacCannell]

A big reason besides honor for not killing a parachutist: the effort made it easy for his colleagues to get on your tail, force you to bail and then they'd be sure to take revenge. Karma is a thing.

[@PaulMitchell-uj1uu]

I agree, but a trained pilot is a significant enemy asset. If they are over land occupied by your own side, it reasonable to not kill them, but over their own territory then they are a target.

[@jimallen9859]

@@PaulMitchell-uj1uu They're not. For the reason in the comment above yours. Shooting a parachuting pilot, or aircrew is murder and still illegal during wartime. There's been enemy pilot's that escorted parachuting pilots, circling until they reached the ground, on both sides. A P-51 pilot did for Galland after shooting him down, and he bailed out. A German pilot escorted a shot to Hell B-17 to the channel. Risky business being at that altitude. You sir, have no honor.

[@AllenMacCannell]

@@jimallen9859 He may have been referring to the jet pilots near the end of the war. Jets could run circles around regular planes and some German jet pilots actually chose not to shoot down American planes because it would be too easy. Real moral and ethical decisions had to be made at the end stage of the war when smart combatants already knew the US and Germany would soon be allies against communism (at least for the next 75 years). Word would have gotten out to the German jet pilots to defect immediately. So I believe the attitude at the end was that they were no longer fighting for their country with that powerful new technology. The old war was considered over and at some point it was even considered friendly fire for a German to fire on Americans. A major Luftwaffe ace defected with his jet near the end.

[@rjwohlman]

Nice job TJ!

[@romanbrough]

One German ace was shot down in a fijord in Norway. His nemesis was the rear gunner on a Beaufighter. The gunner used a single 303 Browning.

[@mattheweagles5123]

Loving the new content

[@ricardorao2012]

What kind of accident is planned? ALL accidents are unplaned and unexpected.

[@jarikinnunen1718]

In Finland was one 109 G6 which had randomly engine problem. Given order was fly it with own risk. One pilot student took risk and nearly managed came back to airfielt and fatally crashed.

[@Guilhermetmfranco]

Well, its a good way to make people comment the videos...hes a clever guy...

[@Nghilifa]

Maybe he tried to commit insurance fraud? That's a planned accident LOL 🤣

[@stevedriscoll2539]

Excellent video thanks!

[@0000SYL]

The most remarkable deaths of top luftwaffe aces: 1- The fall of Walter Oessau (angered by Herman Goering Oessau flies combat mission while sick and fights 5 USAF p-51 mustangs for 20 minutes alone), The fighters didnt think this man is F*king chad, lets let him go but instead shot him while trying to land 2- Demise of Helmut Wick (bizarre engagement with top aces of both RAF and luftwaffe in same fight ) 3- Death of Heinrich Ehler (he went berzerk and crushed into bomber after running out of ammo) 4- Death of Hans Philipp (fall from 50 meterr after being shot by rear-gunner) 5- death of Josef Wurmheller

[@glenndavis4452]

The RAF and the Luftwaffe. ? In the same flight.

[@0000SYL]

@@glenndavis4452 the specific dogfight involved some of the top aces of boths sides; Helmut Wick (KIA), rudolf pflanz, Erich Leie, John Dundas (KIA)

[@hakapeszimaki8369]

Joachim Münchember mid air collision after he sot down a spitfire.

[@0000SYL]

@@hakapeszimaki8369 Joachim Muncheberg also indeed, and we are only speaking of the absolute legends of aces. But to me I think the death of walter oessau is the most remarkable

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

@@0000SYL Well done on those yank pliots for gunning down a landing nazi.. Respects.

[@louisehumphreys9132]

Very well done with the footage animations

[@CT9905.]

Wow… Great information on the demise of German Ace pilots!

[@disillusionedone9282]

Keep up the good work mate

[@asahearts1]

"Jurgen Harder" has got to be one of the smexiest names I've ever heard.

[@oceanhome2023]

Mega upvotes

[@steveperreira5850]

Yep, and I’m glad everyone of these Nazi racist died, too bad it wasn’t sooner. I see nothing tragic whatsoever about their deaths. I celebrated and cheered through the whole video. Especially when the thunderbolt took down that one bastard.

[@asahearts1]

@@steveperreira5850 Wow, really sounds like you're getting jealous over someone who died over 70 years ago. Maybe don't pass judgement on someone who was fighting for their country when you're part of what the media are now calling a terrorist group: incels.

[@ksman9087]

@@steveperreira5850 While I have absolutely no regard for Nazis, many, if not most of the German military in WWII were not members of the Nazi party.

[@josefhorndl3469]

@@steveperreira5850 I'm from Germany and I'm a very normal human being. And what planet do you came from?

[@mikekrypel4771]

Great video, like the fellow below me said about covering some of the lesser know aces that would be a great video on its own

[@ByzantineCuban]

Zweigart's death reminded me of your video on the U.S. pilot getting revenge on a German in a similar manner. Thats another a great one, just subed 👍

[@fonziebulldog5786]

Great work and thanks. 😀👍

[@trj1442]

This channel makes me feel like playing War Thunder all over again.

[@PanzerLehr88]

Awesome video 👌👍

[@thomasjamison2050]

This reminds me of an insurance conference I once attended. At the time, there was some big DNA news floating about and the sponsors of the conference focused on talking about DNA and technology and it's possible effects on the business of selling life insurance. There was talk of how DNA manipulation could extend human life indefinitely, but the company execs assured us that would not end the life insurance business because they had calculated that if people were suddenly able to live forever, they would still on average die by age 400 due to death by accident.

[@chrishall6451]

I'd love to know a good source for tbat info. I mean, dont get me wrong, I believe you...the insurance industry thinks of everything. Actuaries are the smartest people in the world. They are able to predict how often an event will occur. Too bad they can't say WHEN something will happen.

[@thomasjamison2050]

@@chrishall6451 It's been a while. The thing that triggered it was the discovery, or fuller identification of the role of telomeres. That much I now remember. The event mention took place sometime in the 1990's. If you have an insurance license, perhaps the best way to start to explore it would be to just talk to an underwriter the next time you need to call one about a policy approval question. I googled on the question 'If people lived forever how long before they would die of an accident and got two sites of interest. They both predicted much more than 400 years, but they most certainly did not agree on their predictions. I think the differences might well have to do with the inclusion of death by disease. Just prolonging life by stopping aging is one thing, but preventing all forms of disease is something else and it likely what counts for the discrepancies.

[@captainpinky8307]

mind-blowing 400 by average? wow.

[@jamesbaker7112]

Death is our greatest blessing.

[@thomasjamison2050]

@@jamesbaker7112 It's much more than a blessing. It's an absolute necessity.

[@vcv6560]

Honorable mention: Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer who survived the war (and was the highest scoring night fighter ace) but later died (1950) in an auto accident in peacetime. Yes, truly an unplanned event. Also your high quality animations are a nice touch.

[@oscargrouch7962]

I read a book in 1986 about German WWII aces. I was surprised at how many German aces survived combat in WWII then were killed in car accidents in the late 1940s and in the 1950s.

[@DevonteM317]

@@oscargrouch7962 I think that’s why west belts were made sometime in the 60s

[@ronaldrabanes2452]

i think that zweigart was killed coz he shot first the American bomber crew bailing out,a P51 pilot took revenge on him

[@mointz]

I believe you are thinking of a different story. The man you were thinking of was flying a 109, this fellow was flying a 190.

[@richardcline1337]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJTCg32kjb9rj9E&ab_channel=TJ3History

[@klesarhr-bz5of]

This was very instructive, thank you!

[@828enigma6]

Shooting airmen while parachuting was frowned upon by higher ups on both sided, but if an enemy pilot was observed doing it and could be identified, he could expect the same treatment if shot down.

[@hakapeszimaki8369]

Not on both sides just on allied side was a common practice. Galland refused it when Göring brought it up in a conversation. It is a shame on US pilots mostly and it was an unwritten order for US pilots during briefings.

[@HootOwl513]

@@hakapeszimaki8369 It was SOP for Japanese pilots.

[@hakapeszimaki8369]

@@HootOwl513 the subject here is the European air war, so the Japanese sop is not relevant here. Anyway it does not justify another war crime just because the allies did it. The terror bombing of Germany was the main reason why there was no charge against the Luftwaffe for bombing civilians in Nürnberg. War is a crime itself.

[@gpfistner]

this was very good and wll put together

[@MrRUKidddingMe]

“unplanned accidents” ???? You should do a video about all those planned accidents

[@binbashbuddy]

Damn you man, you stole my line!

[@melodywheeler1468]

Thomas the trainengine song entencifies

[@ElsinoreRacer]

I am not OCD or nit-picky or nuts. But this specific type thing stops me in my tracks. It's my negative superpower.

[@thiswasnoboakingaccident6368]

@@ElsinoreRacer Like "..past history"?

[@lunchbox1553]

@@thiswasnoboakingaccident6368 Well, past history makes more sense if used in the context of making history. Like "our future will one day be past history"

[@joelspringman7748]

I so appreciate you pronouncing the German names correctly. In some videos, they don't even try.

[@kitchenengineer1731]

Zwiegart was shot while in his parachute because that was exacly what he was doing to american bomber pilots who had to bail out.

[@dbkmk9378]

You was there,and see what hapend? Who said Zwieegart do that.

[@drstrangelove4998]

It didn’t happen. But shooting German pilots in their parachutes did happen in the US Airforce this is documented.

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@oldcremona]

Molders and his seatbelt. I think they said the same thing about Boelke.

[@darkredvan]

Heinz Bär (215 planes shot down) died in 1957 flying a LF1 Zaunkönig light airplane (a light, slow flying STOL plane, 50 hp, min. speed 50 Km/h). He displayed the plane at an airshow, entered stall and flat spin at 50 m height.

[@samsignorelli]

Makes you wonder if Nowotny or Molders would've ended up with more kills than Erich Hartmann had they survived the war.

[@Vickzq]

... that question especially considering 'one shot, one kill' Marseille.

[@jimallen9859]

Mölders was next up to command the fighter's of Luftwaffe when he was killed. This put Galland in command. A position Galland didn't want. Galland's story is interesting, he survived the war scoring 104 "kills," 5 in Me262. Forbidden to fly as Commander, he started the war a Lieutenant in Command of a squadron. Ended the war a General Lieutenant in Command of a squadron. (JV44) He flew throughout his entire Command, scored 5 more kill's in bf109, kept one ready at all times. His personal plane, with ashtray, and Mickey Mouse on the side. Drove Hitler, and Geöring crazy, until finally pissing Hitler off. Took his Command, gave him a squadron of jets.

[@haitolawrence5986]

Excellent and informative!

[@jamesbaker7112]

"Unplanned accident" is an example of a pleonasm. You're saying the same thing twice, like 'Free gift". Good video, carry on.

[@flyonbyya]

Great Content Great presentation !

[@artificial_oysters]

Man, these videos are addicting. 🥴

[@mr.nobody6457]

Keep these excellent videos coming!

[@Retroscoop]

Was that Zweigart who was killed by an American plane that took revenge on him, because he had been killing shot down American bomber crew members bailing out ? That story of that American pilot who deliberately did not made the German plane explode in the air, but wanted the pilot to bail out too, and then experience what it meant to be shot at while falling down under a chute ?

[@kurtkensson2059]

I wondered that, too.

[@richardcline1337]

My only thought about that is that the American was too kind to him. He should have swung around, coming at him from the front, so he could see what was about to happen to him. THAT would have been a greater moment of justice for that barbarian!

[@richardcline1337]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJTCg32kjb9rj9E&ab_channel=TJ3History

[@oscargrouch7962]

I read a book in 1986 about German WWII aces. I was surprised at how many German aces survived combat in WWII then were killed in car accidents in the late 1940s and in the 1950s.

[@John-ob7dh]

I was at Biggin Hill 2 weeks ago ( spitfire flight ) There was a article there about a 95 year old Ww2 Luftwaffe ace.Who came to Biggin Hill to go up in a Spitfire flight .He said something along the lines of ,at last I am in a Spitfire instead of trying to shoot them down .

[@DevonteM317]

I just read that’s why the car seat belt was made in the 60s because USAF pilots were dying so much from car accidents

[@garyseeseverything8615]

@@John-ob7dh spitfire were large and used American high octane fuels they’re a joke who cares

[@antartis73]

According to Mölders adjutant who recounted the story of the crash for posterity; Mölders was commanding a Battle Group consisting of Stukas, fighters, and ground attack fighters in the Crimea, when Ernest Udet committed suicide. At the time Molders was having serious support problems, and wanted to talk to Goering about the situation. In bad weather, he took off from Chaplinka airfield, with OberLeutnant Kolbe at the controls. Kolbe was a throughly competent pilot, having flown with the Condor Legion. Flying through extremely bad weather, the plane was forced down at Lemberg. Weather reports said the conditions were even worse between Lemberg and Berlin. Kolbe did not want to continue, but Molders forced him on. With a heavy head wind, Kolbe give more and more power to the engines, as a result the fuel started running low. Near Breslau an engine quit, and Kolbe nursed the He-111, down through dense cloud, and heavy rain. His approach to the airport was low and short, and he gunned the one good engine, with no results. It was at this point he spotted a cable railroad running along the airport, Kolbe hauled back on the stick, the He-111 cleared the lines only to stall and crash into the ground. Both Molders(lying in the nose of the He-111) and Kolbe died instantly. The bombers radio operator and Molders aide-de-camp, survived the crash, and reconstructed the last moments of the flight. Another source says the He-111 hit a house chimney.

[@WHJeffB]

Very interesting... I'd not read or heard that. It's really a shame, Molders seemed like an incredibly talented fighter pilot, similar to Marseilles.

[@antartis73]

@@WHJeffB he wasn’t as ‘natural’ a pilot as Marseille perhaps but he was certainly a brave and determined man, he had to overcome his medical condition that made him feel nauseous when flying, he flew in the Spanish civil war with Galland and became an excellent tactician with great strategic insight. He would have been an excellent general in the post that he was intended to take on no doubt and with Galland they would have made a great double team in making the Luftwaffe a formidable foe.

[@Elkabong53708]

The CGI graphics are fantastic in this video.

[@xfirehurican]

Excellent vid! I read a biography about H-JM, The Star of Africa, many years ago. Whatta life, albeit short, he had. Would you consider a vid highlighting Japanese WWII ace Saburo Sakai and his amazing piloting skills? Tks!

[@keescouprie5968]

“Bizarre and unplanned accidents.” I hate it when my accident is unplanned.

[@oceanhome2023]

My grandpa had a Luftwaffe mechanic working in his Oldsmobile dealership after the war, just for working on the new VWs that were being sold ,that is all he did and he was sick of it !. He would complain that he lost more pilots taking VWs to the bar to celebrate a mission than he lost with Messerschmitts (I guess the VWs rolled too easy)

[@moss8448]

there was another car that had a horrible turn over tendency, it was killing pilots big time, but it was something other than the VW, can't remember the name, but Hitler finally banned the damn thing.

[@waterheaterservices]

Yes, the VW type 1 had single joint swing axles and would roll easily, until the penny pinchers added second constant velocity joints in 1968. The other car that took out Germans was the Czech Tatra.

[@moss8448]

@@waterheaterservices yeah that's the one that Tatra

[@billschmidt4192]

Interesting Video!!

[@carolgruber9314]

Molders during the battle of Britain tangled with RAF ace Adolf "Sailor" Malan and Malan shot him down and he managed to crash in France and lived.

[@marco-58]

Malan, the famous South African pilot.

[@carolgruber9314]

@@marco-58 Yes Sir that's the man. " Watch for the Hun in the sun" and "never fly streight and level in a combat zone for more than 10 seeconds"" etc etc.

[@Eireann.]

Excellent video

[@Air-Striegler]

Each time you talk about Bf 109 "model F" or "model G" the question arises WHICH model F or G you are actually talking about, since there are so many different Fs and Gs that greatly vary from each other.

[@mathiasr.sander-nielsen5250]

That is so true and for us incarnated Luftwaffe-fans this is an important manner...but for everyone else...pretty unimportant

[@melodywheeler1468]

Like the bf 109 g,f,e they all have a number like bf 109 f3,g3

[@Air-Striegler]

@@melodywheeler1468 Never heard of the F3 or G3 though. I know of the F2, F4, G2, G6, G10, G14. However that doesn't mean much and I don't consider myself an expert under any circumstances.

[@KermitTheGamer21]

@@Air-Striegler The G also had much less common odd-numbered versions that were otherwise the same as the even-numbered versions, except for the cockpit being unpressurized. Due to Germany's dire state, pressurization was dropped altogether after the G-10, so all variants after the G-10 were just even-numbered.

[@Air-Striegler]

@@KermitTheGamer21 Thank you kindly for the info.

[@tommiatkins3443]

Excellent video. I was searching for planned accidents and drew blanks.

[@tjotwo]

#5 Zweigart: It looks like he may be the one American Ace Richard Peterson observed slaughtering bomber crewmen who were under canopy. Interesting you did not mention that here since you did a video on this: The P-51 Mustang Pilot that Killed a German in his Parachute - Brutal True Story of Richard Peterson

[@roberthudson1959]

Parachuting airmen are always legitimate targets, and Oberleutnant Zweigart was flying over German-held territory.

[@jeffoneal3518]

@@roberthudson1959 Not true. Look it up. One example from Wikipedia: "At the beginning of World War II, there was a strong sense of chivalry between the British RAF and German Luftwaffe pilots. They regarded themselves as "knights of the air" and shooting parachuting enemy aircrew was contrary to their code of honour."

[@KermitTheGamer21]

@@roberthudson1959 I'd have to look it up but I'm almost certain it was not allowed under the rules of the Geneva Convention. A pilot who has bailed out is considered defenseless and it would be akin to executing a POW.

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

@@jeffoneal3518 The air war in 1939/40 was a LOT different from the merciless meatgrinder of 1943/45. True there were still honourable actions on BOTH sides throughout the war, early on it was more likely, late on it was the exception.

[@jimallen9859]

Marseille, was one you missed. If I recall 173 "kill's" was operational 6 month's. Average 17 round's used on each plane shot down. He'd land for fuel, with plenty of ammo on board. Forced to bail out over his own airfield his chute failed to open.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

Wolfgang Schenck sent me.

[@allanpolk2681]

What a bizarre header for this segment, with the statement , “ unplanned accidents “. NO ONE EVER PLANS ON AN ACCIDENT.

[@jamess9670]

Gerhard Barkhorn should have been on this list too..second highest scoring ace, only behind Hartman. He died in a car crash back in the 1980s

[@vcv6560]

see my similar remark about Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, France 1950

[@ericholder2026]

Got what they deserved!!! But not soon enough!! Well done on the presentation!

[@johnwakamatsu3391]

My father who fought in the US Army during WWII met a number of German Aces after the war. He even met Erich Hartmann and other aces that shot down hundreds of airplanes. I was told that German pilots flew over their own territory and also flew many times in one day. My father wanted to be a fighter pilot but the US military would not allow Japanese Americans as fighter pilots and fought in the 442nd RCT in Italy and in France.

[@jimfowler5930]

Doch....unglaublich! Ich habe alles genoßen, vielen dank!! Unlucky to say the least! Thanks very much.

[@eugeniomirisola9384]

Are there planned accidents?

[@junkersju87b-2stuka2]

i am happy that i get to see this legendary man make another vid!

[@junkersju87b-2stuka2]

also that first guys death was odd cus he did that manouver close to the ground or maybe he never knew that he was that close to the ground

[@JP-st9hn]

When the whole world is praying on your downfall you are bound to have accidents.

[@coes4233]

Awesome video!. Very un-heard topic.

[@emeraldflint516]

thx for covering up some of the lesser known pilots like Tonne, Harder and Ubben! :) May i ask which sources you used?

[@antartis73]

It’s usually Wikipedia in his videos and I can’t say I’m impressed, especially when you compare the information within several sources/books.

[@alden1132]

That vertical stabilizer had **fantastich** bragging rights as the only control surface in the entire war with a confirmed Ace kill.

[@iburnwhenigooutside]

Wolfgang Tonne: SHAIZA! Im an idiot

[@micamicaela6306]

😆😆😆😆

[@PetCactusA_HarmlessLittlePrick]

"Unplanned Accidents" has anyone ever planned an accident? When is the best time of day for an accident? 🤔

[@henlooo8135]

"unplanned accidents" Just like me..

[@billythebosn]

You beat me to it!

[@andrewgryczewski7688]

Your hear for a reason .(:

[@letoubib21]

Yeah, you puncture in the condom *. . .*

[@Newbonic]

The Bf109-E on the thumbnail of this video still exists - its an exhibit at the IWM Duxford air museum nr Cambridge, England. Its looks exactly like it did when it belly landed in a field of stubble in 1940 as in the photo.

[@spinnetti]

No accident is planned. Also, pistons don't go through the block typically - connecting rods do though..... interesting IL2 reenactments.

[@Eireann.]

Pistons can and did go through blocks, usually through overheating

[@shable1436]

Snap, I love this vid

[@Eric_Hutton.1980]

Aren't most all accidents usually unplanned?

[@waynegrobler7432]

Damn interesting and very well presented. Thank you. Subscribed for sure. 💪💪

[@TJ3]

Thanks!

[@wst8340]

Got to admit,these German Pilots are cool looking dudes. The uniform sure helps.

[@danrook5757]

Even though I’m Canadian, I would of wanted to be in the German army. Only for the uniform not the ideology.

[@renatoeuneciofarias306]

Perfect, perfect english telling. Congratulations!

[@you8364]

Zweigat shot pilots in Thier parachutes... It was a revenge kill by the Allies... He would of shot more than 30 airman in Thier parachutes... The US pilot made minced meat out of him..

[@marcastals7886]

Well deserved, so.