How the P-51 Mustangs Finished the Luftwaffe (With Guncam Footage)

The is the final video with P-51 pilot and veteran of the 355th Fighter Group, Ed McNeff. This is the story of his confirmed kill over an Me-109 as well as the strafing of a German airfield in France. This was made using the World War II flight simulator War Thunder. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder
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[@TJ3]

If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting me on Patreon so I can continue to make more: Patreon.com/TJ3History

[@wolf-1346]

A Grateful Nation thanks Ed for his sacrifice and his service, well done Sir

[@darylnd]

"One of the only [sic] times in his career..." The word you're searching for is "few." There can be only one "only."

[@j.pershing2197]

Americans kept the supercharged version while the brits got the much slower version which is when they developed spit2

[@chonqmonk]

Good Lord, as well as being a genuine American Hero as a young man, Ed McNeff was still sharper than a razor blade whenever this video was done! He makes me proud just to be a member the same species...

[@jonahbrandt3184]

Question how do you make those videos in wt replay ive tried to do it but it doesnt work are those ur friends?

[@mikemontgomery2654]

Thank you for documenting this veteran and his story. So happy you interviewed him before his passing. Nothing beats hearing the the experiences of the vets, in their own words.

[@TJ3]

Agreed

[@johnfranklin8319]

65 missions, reenlistment, takes leave and then goes back at it! Hats off sir! 👍

[@SoCal780]

RIP General McNeff, thank you for your service, sir.

[@lotharroberts5978]

What a wonderful, humble and brave pilot Ed Mcneff is.

[@nh5er237]

My dad was a mechanic who worked on Mustangs during the war. I wonder if he knew any of these men.

[@mattlemoto7529]

Your dad is as much of a hero as the men flying. Can't fly a broken plane. Massive respect to him ❤

[@ExtremelyAverageMan]

The mechanics and ground crew keeping the pilots and birds in the air are the true unsung heroes. Hats off to your dad

[@bryanturner683]

My dad and uncle were twins. Served together in the 363rd fighter group as 51 mechanics. what unit was your dad with??? any pics of his planes they worked on? letters can identify who he was with. My Uncle was crew chief of their plane. He received a medal of valor for 70 straight missions with zero mechanical aborts. Dont know what the total was??? His pilot put him in for the award.

[@michaelmcmanus5196]

It’s people like you, and your team, who have the patience, tech skills and more to capture these stories and putting into a historical video documentary. When a veteran passes we lose his/her historical experience. There are thousands and thousands of Vets from dozens of missions who deserve to have their historical experiences captured. From Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Gulf War, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and more.

[@jonathanmcgowan7746]

Excellently done. Thank you for telling Ed's story. We owe so much to the valiant airmen who fought in the skies in WWII.

[@johnfkiii]

Thanks so much for telling his story!!! Truly one of the “greatest generation.”

[@robboinnz]

Thank you McNaff for your service, and thank you TJ3 for your service in retelling and bringing to life his story.

[@moonshineofthemoon8054]

Every great story has its end. Thank you TJ for telling Eds story.

[@gbro8822]

TJ, what you are doing is amazing. This will last forever (I hope) so younger generations can see. Thank you and have a Merry Christmas.

[@emeraldflint516]

Watching this video and hearing these veterans was an amazing expierence! thx for your enthusiasm and your work! :) telling and preserving these stories honors all veterans no matter under which flag they flew.

[@Trojan0304]

Excellent job blending Ed’s interview , gun camera & mission reports. Valuable history saved

[@GeorgeJefferson1775]

This man was a true hero, I'm saddened to hear of his passing.

[@mac22011964]

The story of the 8th Air Force is not widely known here in the UK with the focus being on British forces. My Father in Law was a British Naval Pilot ending up flying Corsairs….he described it as a brute of an aircraft but once airborne he felt very safe in it. Later in the war having fought for 3 years he was testing the P51 as a potential carrier aircraft. He said it was like stepping out of a truck and getting into a sports car….he loved it. He was trained in the US alongside US Naval and Marines pilots. He made many friends which remained so for many decades until his death in 2014. He not only loved the US, he had huge regard for US pilots who “to a man” were smart, aggressive, well trained and well equipped. His view of the 8th was that without it the war could not have been won in Europe. A remarkable, humble (and very funny) man as many were of that era. May they rest in peace.

[@btlmail1969]

We all owe much gratitude to great men like your dad, both for his service and for raising a great son. Thank you both

[@donnabonning5587]

Absolutely incredible!!! Thankyou so much for your hard work and dedication in telling the stories of these heroes! While doing my own project on a hero pilot of the 355th I was so pleased to hear some familiar names and places and am especially pleased that you shared Francis Eshelman's story. I know his so will be so pleased! Thankyou. And may God Bless you Ed McNeff!! You have done a great service in sharing your story!! Rest in Peace!

[@jameseshelman9025]

What a thrill to see my Dad in the interview,thank you for that. James Eshelman

[@paulhiakita251]

What a brave man Ed was. To go through 3 wars is one hell of an achievement. The hrs Ed racked up during his war courier is testement to his skill and bravery. Ed though he didn't have a high number of air kills has a story that should be told because he represents all pilots that though didn't score high air kills, they every day put themselves out there to protect bombers and ground troops from the enemy and also the allied countries. Rest in peace Ed, you and many more like you are complete heroes. God bless.🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@blackknight4480]

Always happy to see your videos, you put a lot of effort into them and i just wanted to let you know that we the viewers appreciate that. One thing that i really miss is you using il2 great battles as a way of illustrating these stories, i hope we can see it come back in the future.

[@TJ3]

Yes, IL-2 is my favorite to actually play. And I love a lot of things about it better than any other sim. It just gets harder to create in depth replays needed for my stuff, otherwise I definitely would! Perhaps eventually it will make another appearance. Thanks for watching :)

[@blackknight4480]

@@TJ3 Yeah i thought so judging by how hard it is to make missions in the game and then get the right footage for it. Anyways keep up the good work.

[@philosuileabhain861]

My old man grew up near BAD2 here in UK during WWII. My family made many friends with US personnel from BAD2 at Warton Lancashire. We will never forget the young US servicemen and women that came to the aid of Britain during those dark times of WWII. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

[@patrickscally2882]

Amen brother. My 20 year old Dad collided with a ME 410 on this July 7th mission. Somehow survived a crash landing and was a POW for duration

[@tomref4001]

The McNeff family must be so proud of Ed- a generation now passed who shone so brightly in the saddest of times. We should be living up to their ideals and sacrifices.

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

July 7th 44,was the day my uncle,jessie clyde stover,was captured at normandy.He was sent to dresden where their was a german pow camp.I have my 5 uncles papers who served during ww2.What a story that would be.Thanks TJ3 for the great video.

[@artawhirler]

Thanks for bringing us another episode with Ed McNeff!

[@kimvibk9242]

One of your best docu-dramas yet - thanks, TJ! RIP Ed Neff - you did us all proud.

[@brandongitles7191]

This is one of the best KZbin videos I have ever seen. Seriously important and truly brilliant work

[@LancelotChan]

Thank you for sharing his history. RIP.

[@burtvincent1278]

Great job bringing out Eds story.

[@scottmurphy650]

These guys were all heroes in my mind. The Mustang was for sure a superlative fighter. But unbeknownst to most, it was the _P-47 Thunderbolt_ that was responsible for more pilots becoming aces than any other aircraft in the US ETO. It was the mount of (then) LTC Francis Gabreski who racked up 40 aerial victories.

[@jeffammon1351]

The P-47 flew its first combat mission in April 1943. The P-47 served in almost every theater in WWII. The P-51 was deployed mainly in Europe but not in the Pacific theater until late 1944. I believe the highest scoring ace was Richard Bong flying a P-38 in the Pacific theater. He had 40 confirmed kills followed by Thomas McGuire with 38 kills. Having said that, I'd put my money on the P-51 as the best fighter aircraft in WWII but kills were dependent on several things: (1) when it was placed in service, (2) which theater of operations it was deployed in, (3) the mission profile or manner in which they were utilized and (4) the timeframe i.e., what stage of the war we were in. Having said that, US pilots were highly successful across several aircraft types which makes for an interesting discussion of which plane was #1.

[@thethirdman225]

*_"But unbeknownst to most, it was the P-47 Thunderbolt that was responsible for more pilots becoming aces than any other aircraft in the US ETO."_* It's not that simple. If we are talking strictly of USAAF aces, there were a lot of aces who may have got one or two flying the P-38 or P-47 or even the Spitfire and then transitioned to the P-51. There are a few examples of pilots who became aces solely in the P-47, like Johnson, Schilling and Gabreski but which aircraft produced the most aces is not easy to determine and I don't think it has been completely resolved. Frank Olynyk's book 'Stars and Bars' may have some conclusions in it but at several hundred dollars a copy, it's a high price to pay for a relatively unimportant piece of information. That said, there's a hell of a lot of other good stuff in there.

[@thethirdman225]

@@jeffammon1351 The P-51 took the USAAF off the back foot and put it squarely on the front foot. Following the abortive week in October that saw losses in raids not just on Schweinfurt but also Bremen, Munster and Anklam, the USAAF halted their deep penetration raid so that a long range fighter could be found and we know the rest. While the bombers had fighter protection they had air superiority. But range was the determinant and the P-51 was the only one that answered the call. Hap Arnold gave his deputy, Lt Gen. Barney Giles, six months to fix the problem by whatever means necessary. Fixing up other types with more drop tanks, requiring more plumbing, was not a practical option. Range could only be improved with better internal capacity. But the USAAF had ordered 1,350 P-51s in October of 1942 and by mid-1943 they were ready. So by the happiest of accidents, the ideal aircraft was available when it was needed and the USAAF had air superiority for the remainder of the war. Bomber casualties dropped as low as 1% on some missions and Flak became more dangerous than fighters.

[@honorkemp]

So important to remember and preserve real history amazing to have gun camera footage and the great men telling there story themselves .uk

[@bradywomack9751]

Everything about this video is top notch. Your combat and aircraft skins are just as good if not better than movies. Great job.

[@VictorLonmo]

Another great video! You are very good at balancing the human story of aircrews with details about the airplanes and the missions.

[@user-kq1ou9xl4t]

For a history channel you do well with detail and presentation. But your graphics!!! Simply superb!

[@landsea7332]

TJ - Great Work ! Your transformation from video animation to historian is impressive . .

[@johnwyper9470]

Thank you for this superb video, honoring these fighter pilots. My dad was a P-51 Mustang pilot in the Pacific theater. Before his passing in 2020, he had written a book about his experiences, "The Youngest Tigers in the Sky".

[@JohnPambrun-si2qi]

The Germans were the best fighter pilots.....more Aces than anyone ... American pilots were a joke compared to Germany....these are Facts

[@newnoggin2]

​@@JohnPambrun-si2qi Only early in the war. Due to attriction, the German's were the joke and by far. Get your facts correct.

[@BrucePerkins-mc3hp]

Yes but they, like the Japanese, couldn't afford the rate of attriction And replace them with combat ready Pilots. And as the war dragged on it Got harder & harder to replace both planes and pilots. And our pilots got Better as the war went on. So while They had the advantage in the beginning, by the end it was unsustainable to keep up the pace of replacement. And most of their air aces were in the start of the war. We were pumping out planes by the Dozens every month

[@barryward1365]

Strange.... I thought the Allies had a least a dozen varieties of fighters - I had no idea they only flew P51's - even stranger when there were better fighters available.... so I wonder how the P51's finished the Luftwaffe single-handedly!

[@disillusionedone9282]

Major props to you and your content

[@WowplayerMe]

Not all heroes wear capes.... Ed McNeff Flew P-51's.

[@bichongose6759]

As brave as the pilots of the 8th air force were they were not alone. Much was also done by the RAF and their members from the RAAF, RNZAF, RCAF and Polish and Czech RAF squadrons . The Tempest, Spitfire and Typhoon were as heavily involved as the Mustang with its British designed Merlin engine in gaining air superiority over Normandy

[@JUNKERS488]

Great video TJ! I always liked the ME410. Thanks for bringing History to life. I hope you and your family have a Wonderful Holiday season. Thanks Again Buddy. Stay safe and "Keep "Em Flyin"

[@TJ3]

Thank you! You too!

[@ericsmith6692]

Fantastic, Thankyou for bringing this documentary Forward.

[@shaungillingham4689]

What a very brave man! Bravo! Imagine flying all those missions & making old bones, defying all the odds, wonderful!

[@rogermorris7309]

these guys have to live with this stuff for the rest of there lives . I really want to say " my heart goes out to them "

[@johnmcclain2848]

God bless that man. Its great we're getting so many of these stories documented and recorded.

[@VoteBlueNov.2024]

What a life he led. Amazing man. Thanks to all our vets !

[@GosWardHen98]

When you look back, 80 years, to the midst of WW2, it was ordinary folk doing exceptional jobs & many never came home. To still fly well into the 1960s is truly remarkable. I'm glad he was able to share his story, modest, honest & decent to the end. 😢👍

[@warrenscorner]

We can laugh about it now! These stories are amazing! Great video!

[@beagle7622]

What happened to the RAF 2nd Tactical Airforce with aeroplanes like the Tempest, Spitfies, Mosquitoes & Mustangs. They were on specially built runways in the beaches a couple of days after the Invasion. According to a lot of USAF pilots the P47 Thunderbolt was a major player in France too.

[@tinknal6449]

The P47 was a good ground support craft and could absorb a ton of lead in a dogfight.

[@kenneth9874]

The P47's were the dominant allied fighters over Europe prior to and during the d day landings

[@beagle7622]

My father flew both the 51C& 51D as Mustangs for the RAF in France . He said in his opinion it was the best , but it was one of a number of planes that beat the Luftwaffe , Galland talked about the Mosquito as did Goering , The Hawker Tempest was a rocket ship near the ground. So to pick pick one very good aircraft & say if finished the Luftwaffe was just not real. .

[@tinknal6449]

@@kenneth9874 Yeah, their biggest issue was range, they could not escort the heavy bombers for a full mission.

[@kenneth9874]

@@beagle7622 the predominant allied fighter over axis held territory prior to d day on the western front was the p47.

[@les3449]

Great video! I really enjoy it when you video producers conduct interviews with the real soldiers. The graphics are also VERY much improved over the last 10 years or so.

[@pburgvenom]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You have a very good channel here, I lost/forgot the channel name and am glad I found it. Keep up with the great production!

[@nickgood8166]

Great stuff! The P51 had 6 x .50 cals, 3 in each wing, each with a cyclic fire rate of 1,200 rounds per min. That's 120 rounds a second of .50 cal, from a P51...just awesome. The P47 Thunderbolt, with its 13 foot prop, had 8 x .50 cals, so 160 rounds a second....the destructive power of this, is terrifying!

[@frankrowland]

It had two .50 cals in the nose and two .303’s in each wing.

[@nickgood8166]

@frankrowland "it" being what?

[@frankrowland]

@@nickgood8166 P51

[@nickgood8166]

@frankrowland No nose gun in the P51, no 303s, it is a US aircraft, they didn't use the British 303 cal.

[@arthurhouston3]

Thanks for your efforts.

[@franktreppiedi2208]

Gotta respect this man and his wingman for going after the AA so his other pilots could strafe.

[@xvsj5833]

Great story never to be forgotten ❤🇺🇸 Thxs

[@peterkin1010]

The introduction of tbe Packard Merlin powered P-51 B and C variants gave the USAAF a crucial six months advantage over their Luftwaffe counterparts. It could pretty much outfly all comers and was inherently more reliable thanks to better supplies and better fuel. USAAF pilots also got better and this all led to the Luftwaffe gradually losing thier initial air superiority. The P-51D variant made things more acute. By the time the Luftwaffe had an answer in September 1944 In tbr form of the Foc ke-Wulf Fw190 D-9 variant tbe damage was already done . Lack of fuel and an increasing lack of e experienced pilots was tbe Luftwaffe's ultimate undoing ams the ultimate remedy in the form of the Messerschmitt Me-262 also came too late to make the needed impact.

[@skipmountain9283]

Fine work! No drama, somber reality, and judicious creative license👍

[@patrickscally2882]

I think my 20 year old Dad was on this July 7th mission in a P51 B over Saugerhauson, Nordhausen. He struck right wing ofa ME 410 😮😢 with his left wing which came off and went down in a flat spin to starboard. Survived the crash and became a POW. Was in 334th fighter squadron

[@JimmySmith-du7xz]

This is an outstanding series! Keep up the great work!!!

[@Puppy_Puppington]

This is awesome! Thank you for telling his story and documenting history! I wish we could have all sides and everyone’s true non biased & historically factual stories.

[@dennisgray7509]

Thank you these men are a big reason we are free

[@markfilippone3845]

Thank you for this excellent documentary!

[@bearlemley]

Such a loss. My grandfather was a pilot in WWI & WWII. In the world war his was in reconnaissance since he had done so much areal mapping in between. Anyway we found that he had some reels of the war in his collection after his death. One dual reel of P51 gun camera clips. Every clip was divided with the name and rank of the pilot, theater and the date. The clips were glorious. You can see that the P51 was down in the grass just over the fence posts push a few rounds into each train car and kicking a little rudder in between until he would find the munitions in where the explosion fireball would go off screen as the grass quickly fell away. Entering the expanding fireball you could see huge pieces of train and other equipment flying past the camera. There were an amazing amount of clips with the ME262 in the sights being shot down. Probably 10. Some were at high altitude some were climbing out. Such amazing footage that I took to my highschool to show everyone in science class. On the second day, that real went missing. 22 years later it was returned with an anonymous apology letter, but the film was destroyed by time and improper storage. Wish I could have shown it here to all of you. Instead we watch someone playing a game.

[@lizardfirefighter110]

Great video! Appreciate your work!

[@namei8967]

I live Royston, near their base, steeple morden. Now their airfield has been recovered back to farming fields but one remembrance wall left with a propeller on it.

[@romulayanuaria9556]

Awesome awesome work. Thank you!

[@otero3rdRD]

I enjoy the videos that are produced, awesome content

[@28russ]

For such a skilled piolet it's hard to believe he only had one and a half confirmed aerial kills and 1 ground kill in 65 + I'm not sure how many more missions. But they're may of been more hits and unconfirmed kills. And I'm sure there were many more strafing kills. But however many I salute the bravery of the man that returned to WW2 combat, fought in 2 more wars and was so hard to kill that he lived to 99. Thank you for your service good sir. May your spirit continue to fly high. ⚔🎖🎖

[@bryanturner683]

I have the log book for the 363rd fighter group. p51's. started ops in late feb 44. one of the pilots commented on his first kill that it was his 63rd mission. There were many missions were they flew escort and saw zero fighters. Also, if he was assigned to protect the bombers and his officers were strict, he would not have as many opporrtuntes at kills. the red tails were actually not the only ones that stuck with the bombers.

[@jacktattis]

The RAF ADGB and the 2 TAF were doing this as well with the 2TAF having 2970 planes with heavier firepower ding nothing but destroying the enemy

[@HornetCinematics]

First! Looks very cool.

[@homersimpson4689]

Liked, subscribed, awesome vid.

[@cgboy529]

What a story. Senior Mcneff did good. Thank you TJ for telling such a wonderful story. Bless you.

[@marcosavila8215]

these are those situation we can say these guys are veterans and thank them to their service

[@gregormcnee2370]

This is just AWESOME AWESOMENESS. INCREDIBLE GRAPHICS. INCREDIBLE MEN. ❤

[@glenn4412]

Mc Neff was a stud!

[@richardcox6935]

Thank you so much for doing this. I know a 99 year old B24 Flight Engineer. These stories are amazing.

[@TJ3]

Please email me his info if he saw combat! Or fill out the form! Thank you

[@zakthewarcat3172]

WOW, thank you for your service, RIP Ed McNeff

[@riverbluevert7814]

Excellent video!

[@bobsakamanos4469]

P-51: best aerodynamics of WWII.

[@norwegianzound]

Such magnificence. And all used to kill each other.

[@russellcanfield9361]

Wicked pilots P51 was a real awsome weapon!

[@janlindtner305]

Excellent lecture👍👍👍

[@davidsault9698]

An incredible history. An incredible man.

[@greenerdays]

My fav part was @22:54 after the pilot finished his story, and the narrator let's us know he survived the war, and was sent home. Oh, so it wasn't his ghost telling us the story?? Whew!🤣

[@raymondyee2008]

Very interesting.

[@timb7257]

I really enjoy your content...

[@timothymcdonnell307]

Thank you so much for this, & moreso, for helping our next generations appreciate what our "Greatest Generation" did for us. My Dad & 4 of 5 uncles served in WWII (the 5th in Korea), & their mothers, fathers, & sisters served & sacrificed so much at home. I chose a career to teach history to honor of them & all our generous ancestors who deserve so much of our humble gratitude.

[@vanceforrest4085]

That as awesome and a great interview. Hope I look that good at 99 😯

[@davekanak]

I hate to say it but honestly, the P51D Mustang makes all the rest look and sound like antique flying jalopies.

[@jonathanhicks140]

The Luftwaffe lost a lot of experienced pilots in 1940/41, the battle of Britain cost them something like one third of their’ best pilots. Once these were gone & the numbers made up with newly qualified inexperienced pilots then the attrition rates would increase & they were in a downward spiral from then on. By 1944 the Luftwaffe was a pale shadow of what it was in early 1940.

[@kenneth9874]

They lost most of their experienced pilots over Europe prior to d day to P47's and the bomber groups

[@jonathanhicks140]

@@kenneth9874 Actually, after the Battle of Britain, they lost most of the remaining best pilots on the Eastern front. By the time the Allies were combining day & night raids over Germany the Luftwaffe was far less experienced than it had been in the Battle of Britain. Thankfully, as it would have been much more costly otherwise.

[@kenneth9874]

@@jonathanhicks140 actually they didn't, they were desperate to protect their homeland from the air assault.

[@kenneth9874]

@@jonathanhicks140 the night raids had a negligible effect on the luftwaffe but the attrition from trying to defend themselves from daylight bombing was unsustainable as planned allowing the successful landings after air superiority had been established over France

[@jonathanhicks140]

@@kenneth9874 Yes because by that late point in the war the Luftwaffe had already lost the vast majority of their best & most experienced pilots. The daylight raids only ever encountered a few of these & the rest were recently (emergency qualified with minimal training) new pilots who lacked experience. If the quality of pilots that were in the Battle of Britain had attacked the daylight raids over Germany, then a lot fewer bomber crews & aircraft would have made it back to base.

[@arthurhouston3]

By this date we had planes operating from France.

[@williamfry6087]

Thank you Sir.

[@user-rn9sb8wu4h]

Superb accounting and visuals.

[@TJ3]

Thanks!

[@cltinfo2173]

Thank You!

[@jimgandee2570]

These awesome men aren’t called the Greatest Generation for nothing!

[@lukedavies8467]

It was hard to watch the video today because my grandpa was shot down an a b-17 in 1944 a week from the day in the video

[@mikemontgomery2654]

Very sorry to hear that. I will always be thankful to him and the men that never made it home. To this day, I’m shocked at how my great-grandfather ever made it home, from both wars.

[@Scott-xb7ov]

Thank you.

[@ronaldwarren5220]

Another hero of many, many more. I would like to remember my Father, Jerry H. Warren who repaired Patton's Third Army tanks during the conflict/

[@drtimsmith]

Wow. What an illustrious career... 😀

[@mrbigw100]

Can we get an episode on the 17 called ye old pub where a German pilot flew along side the strickened b17 and save the crew as the AA batteries didn’t fire because he was next to them the German and American pilot met up after the war and remained friends until they died

[@SeriousBlackThought]

🫡 McNeff. Kicked ass in the skies and got to live to 99.

[@SNDmadeit]

I love the fact that it includes DCS

[@PoochAndBoo]

Wasn't DCS. It was War Thunder. Cmon now, those Mustangs didnt look anything like the DCS airplane.