⚜ | Why Use Colourful Camouflage in World War 2? - Assembly Ships

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

*Thanks everyone who bought the T-shirt. Hope you enjoy it!* Also, by an oversight on my part, the following names were not on the Patreon list: Jack R., David D., David B. - Apologies for this., I'll remember this mistake and it won't happen again.

[@user-lk2000]

but its a p-47...

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

You think a German would feast on Luftwaffles?

[@spitfire_flyer5659]

Make a version where the p47 is replaced by a spitfire/p51/other allied fighters

[@unclejoeoakland]

@@MilitaryAviationHistory Are Luftwaffles anything like Royal Air Biscuits?

[@DIEGhostfish]

I was very confused by how young the B-24 pilot sounded before I realized the pilot WROTE the quote, but someone else was reading it.

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

Colorful camo in WW2 is irrelevant, we've seen the pictures and documentaries and we all know it was fought in black and white.

[@ariochiv]

Wha wha whaaaaa. :(

[@shorelockhomes943]

Hans Von Mannschaft L.O.L.

[@RLam-se6em]

@@ariochiv sarcasm

[@bighimey]

Saw the title, came to make the same comment. 😏

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

Hahah :-) Tempting well beyond the avoidable, right? Funny thing is, I also went through the comments to see if someone had beaten me to it first haha! Have a good one mate!

[@sambriggs6068]

Just recently I was speaking with a older man who had lived in the closest village to one of the air bases used by the mighty eighth in Britain when he was a boy, and he told me a small story about their formation ship (as well as many other interesting stories) what he told me was that before the crew flew of in the formation ship they would mix large amounts of ice cream with what milk ect they had left over, then they would load it all on board the aircraft so when at altitude it would freeze, after landing they would often share the ice cream with the local kids like the man I had spoke to, he said when they first did it when he was about 13 he hadn't had ice cream since before the war so was very excited. Thanks for the video bis!

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

know in the summertime bottles of coke were flown to altitude for a few minutes...just to cool them off too.

[@thomassmestead6424]

This is actually true.

[@dunxy]

@@Imnotyourdoormat True, not just coke but also Fanta and off course BEER!

[@philperry4699]

@@dunxy I doubt Allied pilots would be carrying Fanta. That was a German product (by Coca-Cola of Germany).

[@dunxy]

@@philperry4699 Who said anything about allied?

[@TheGreatWar]

First guess was that it's Dazzle but for airplanes, but it looks to neat and orderly for that.

[@zredbaron2014]

Well hello there

[@bensutcliffe1975]

What will you do after the war? Surely it must end this year. It can't go on forever.

[@sergeantpanther678]

How dare you suggest that it won’t go on forever!

[@kilo5659]

+Ben Sutcliffe They're doing WW2

[@ItsATrap614]

I hope so, would be awesome for them to cover ww2 in the same way

[@AndersonBSouza-jz6oe]

if you have a cool skin you use it

[@oneofmanyparadoxfans5447]

Wonder how many Golden Eagles that Polka Dot paint for the B-24 costs?

[@unnamedchannel1237]

That’s a bit racist .

[@jandajanda2242]

Drunken FPV how? This is about weapon skins in video games not about human skin

[@philperry4699]

Ah, Chickenpox 1, this is Red Leader. We're forming up right behind you. Too bad for radio silence!

[@sandranikitas]

No they ate using this skin because the are jealous of mother Russia

[@dawoudabdulaziz9920]

You need to purchase loot boxes to get those fancy skins.

[@vapormissile]

Aw, thanks man. I not only bought some sweet pretend paint, but I also got a sense of [REDACTED]

[@soundwavesuperior9414]

Battlefield V lootbox edition

[@murielcunningham8703]

@@vapormissile SCP reference?

[@acealtiier584]

We're supposed to call those "Surprise Mechanics" now. Big brother is watching :)

[@sethjansson5652]

@@murielcunningham8703 Of course. My favorite one that was discovered by [REDACTED] was nicknamed [REDACTED]

[@jackray1337]

Were there any assembly ships with 37 pieces of flair? ...Because you wouldn't want just the bare minimum.

[@Call_Me_Echelon]

There were reports of most assembly ships expressing themselves with at least the minimum of 15 pieces of flair. I believe those reports were called the TPS Reports. After 1943 the reports were required to have new cover sheets. There was an army Air force memo that went out that read: Yeah, I'm gonna need you to go ahead and express yourselves. Don't you want to express yourselves?

[@mpetersen6]

Plus all ships armed with FLAIR (Flying Low Airborne Interception Ratios) are targeted to attack the Reichscopiechen Machine Wercks

[@robertmaybeth3434]

the assembly ships were designated to guide the secret weapon of 1944, a few B17's were fitted with advanced radar sonar and gaydar electronics known by their secret designation SUPER HIGH INTENSITY TARGETING ships! These bombers were filled with the devices that comprised the S.H.I.T. ships and that's why you've never heard of them

[@deathsheir2035]

shame that not everyone understood the Office Space reference.

[@skyden24195]

I don't want to talk about my flair. I just want to watch Kung-Fu.

[@watdeneuk]

First I thought: Man those are quite a lot of patreon supporters. Then I thought: Man but this is some good quality video. Simulating the flight in IL-2, hiring a voice actor to read from your sources, I mean for real? And somehow you are always able to feed me new information about WW2. Awesome stuff man.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks :) Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vapormissile]

I wasn't gonna share this, because I just shared something. But yep, this video is the bomb.

[@shoty4442]

that was sidestrafe right? the voice sounded just like him

[@captapraelium1591]

BOGEY THREE OCLOCK LOW Cancel my last. I had a candy cane stuck to my canopy.

[@Battleship009]

This amused me.

[@terryteed1903]

Cancel my last is the worst VP I have ever heard. 😠

[@ArcturusOTE]

Capta Praelium How the hell do you get a candy cane stuck on the canopy anyways?

[@captapraelium1591]

Sorry Terry I'm just using what the RAAF taught me. Quite possibly not historically accurate or current, since I'm old, but not WWII old. Good thing it's just a JOKE lighten up m8. Besides if that's the worst you've ever heard you should go watch a movie where they always say "repeat" instead of "say again". Can't believe you've never seen a movie! Get out more m8 ;) Yayo Well I had one in my pocket for obvious reasons, it was a bit sweaty during the dogfiight and went inverted....The rest is history. Totally, totally accurate history XD

[@jacksprat9344]

Capta Praelium: Turbulence.

[@jockellis]

B-17 radio operator told me the Fort above his put the propeller through their skin trying to close the gap as much as possible. He had to get up and leave the theater during The Memphis Belle when the bombing run started and this was about 46 years after his last mission.

[@yldrayozturk8601]

"-Hey Jim, why our asembly ship has two engines and swastica on it ?" "-I dont know Edie, these guys from London love to make fancy things, we'll just follow them"

[@bigbrowntau]

"And he's flying on course to our target....wait a minute, he hasn't turned back"

[@CZ350tuner]

I've flown in simulator bomber formations before. The first time (2010) on IL-2 Birds of Prey trying to assemble 6 x He-111 and 4 x Bf-109 G10 over the English channel following an air spawn. It took so long the fighter escorts ran out of fuel (+/- 40 minutes @ 100% full) and had to respawn. Later we perfected a method and formed into a tight low tail tilted diamond formation. This gave the best rear and side defence spread. A later big clan second attempt saw a reinactment of the Baedeker raid on Canterbury Cathedral (with the same outcome by coincidence as the last bomb in the stock fell 100 metres short inside the grave yard. The pilot of the 111 counted as a kill until I pointed out the victims were already dead. The real raid had the same outcome). Each player had the one life so being shot down meant game over. In this formation we had 1 x He-111, 5 x Bf-110 C4 (derated / detuned) and 2 x Bf-109 E4. It took 2 minutes to form up around the 111. Both the 109's buggered off and were rapidly shot down. A lone Spitfire showed up and was bounced and killed by all 5 x 110's. The 110's shot down 7 x of the opposing team's Spitfire IIc and Hurricane IIa for only one 110 lost and the 111 bombed a graveyard then returned home. In 2017 I was recruited into 1CAG as a known veteran online flight combat sim player (since 1996 Red Baron II) with the clan interest of flying bomber formations on IL-2 BoS on the Wings of Liberty server. Using what had been learnt in IL-2 Birds of Prey, Birds of Steel, Battle Stations Midway, Battle Stations Pacific, etc. this is the successful formation form up and fly tactic used: (1) Bombers take off in pairs and circle the airfield in a wide radius orbit at cruising speed in a loose nose to tail formation. (2) Subsequent bombers take off and fly in a tighter circle merging with the lead formation. (3) Lead bomber gives a count down from a mark, on our Discord channel, using the cockpit clock and then set course flying in a straight line at a low cruising speed. (4) The lead aircraft calls out the type of formation that will be employed dependant on number of bombers involved. (Flat diamond, tilted diamond, flat arrowhead, tilted arrowhead, etc.) (5) Bombers call out their intended slot numbers (or are allocated a slot number by the leader) on Discord and move into that slot. (The most bombers in a formation was 8 with other clans). He-111 H16 gunships are suitably positioned in key positions in the formation, if we have any. (6) Once everybody is formed up the leader will accelerate to just below maximum cruising speed and call out his prop, throttle, radiators and trim settings so the other aircraft can adjust to match. (7) The formation then starts to climb together on a mark time called by the leader. The formation climbs in steps, levels out, closes up and then step climbs again until target altitude is reached. (8) As we usually fly doglegs to a target to avoid fighters, the leader will call out time to turn marks and a countdown. On making a formation turn the bombers on the inside of the turn reduce throttle to maintain station and the bombers on the outside of the turn throttle up briefly to do the same. (9a) Over the target the formation closes up tight and because of the possibility of FlaK nailing the leader, bomber 2 also sets up the bombsight. On the leader's (or bomber 2's) countdown and mark all bombers in the formation release their bomb loads, which usually devastates larger targets. (9b) On approach to a small or scattered target the leader orders "break formation" and all bombers individually aim their own bombs after calling out their preferred targets below. (10) The formation regroups and returns home, which is when the fighters usually attack (and wish they hadn't!!). This system works but takes practice and competence to organise.

[@zacharytracy3797]

That was most enjoyable to read. Thank you very much for sharing that.

[@bigbrowntau]

The interesting thing about that is that it's the equivalent of radio chatter. Imagine trying to do that now with no comms between planes after take off ie: radio silence. I remember playing loads of the original IL-2 and trying to get planes to work together was so difficult. A bright form-up plane would have made life so much easier!

[@olivialambert4124]

Interestingly almost all the points were incredibly similar to techniques in modern manuals. Everything from the flying circles (over a known location, not the busy airfield) to the techniques staying in formation through a turn, almost all of it is almost as the manuals describe. A few things have changed due to the era and the nature of online gaming, though. The real missions rely more on planning, particularly the formations and so on. And a lot (not all) of modern aircraft can form up using radars and support vectoring, though EMCON or other issues can preclude their use sometimes. Still, its the advised technique for keeping safe near an airfield and sticking to someone through clouds, even if your aircraft has to STT lock and can't continue searching (also situation dependent). You know you've done something right when you've converged towards the same plan used by real world western forces.

[@michaelmilburn911]

That's really interesting, they're a continuation of the flag bearers used by infantry in the era of infantry columns, to identify which unit they are assembling on. A bit like what the Romans did or what the Napoleonic soldiers did

[@kevlarburrito6693]

They're called Guidon bearers and they're still used in modern militaries during parade and D&C (drill and ceremony)

[@samuelgoodman2989]

Michael Milburn Oh yeah

[@wdtaut5650]

Except the assembly ships did not go to the target.

[@jimwind7589]

Thanks for this post. I had a patient who was 8th Air Force, who was shot down over Netherlands tell me, they were called "Judas Goats". Goats were used to lead sheep out of the pens and into the slaughter houses. The goat went one way (back to the pen) and sheep went another (to slaughter). Sheep are natural followers and the "Assembly Ships" did the same. The (goats) broke from formation went back to base and the (sheep) air formation went on their mission. Getting back to the my veteran if you want an interesting story. His family emigrated to the US in the early 30s. He came as a teenager and was fluent in German. He joined the Army Air Force cause he liked planes. He was the Tail Gunner and he was 6 feet tall and I said to him, "why are you the tail gunner- that is a tight space to get into?". He told me in no one else wanted to do it in his unit so he volunteered. "His knees were up by his ears" he said and his butt would fall asleep during missions. He also told me he sat on a unpadded bicycle seat- he would put a towel on it. The B-17 had a side door for him to get in and to "bail out that fateful night". He was captured by German troops and did not lead on that he spoke German. He wanted to "ease drop" on their conversations. He was brought to a jail and B4 they put him in the cell he was handed chalk and told to put "nahme" on slate next to cell. His last name began w "H-I-T" and he was cracked in the back (spine) w the butt of the guards rifle. After falling to the ground in pain his "German came out" as he grabbed his dog tag,held it up and spoke his German birth name, cursed them and Adolph in German which caused the 2 guards to beat the shit out of him. They called him Juden and when he said he was Christen they called him a traitor and beat him even more. He said he got 2 black eyes, broken/bruised ribs and a broken nose and black and blue everywhere. He was later sent to Stalag 13 and was liberated there. He thought at one point they were going to kill him. After, he was sent back to his base where he "acquired" a souvenir. Since I showed interest in his pictures and books he showed me something and asked "do you know what this is?" Being a history buff my jaw almost hit the floor. I was looking at a Norton Bomb Sight. I asked him "how did you get that" and he laughed and said "he stole it off a B-17 on the base." They pop off their mounts and you are suppose to dump em overboard if your plane is going down. He knew they were "top secret" and valuable and wanted to bring back a souvenir from the war. The Army frowns on bring back a dual 50 in your knapsack. "Makes a great conversation piece", he said. We had a good laugh and I am sure there is a file somewhere in Army Aircorp records of someone getting written up for "misplacing" a Norton Bomb Sight. I wonder to this day if he is still alive. *Salute.

[@Britlurker]

You mean Norden bomb sight.

[@silentotto5099]

That's a great story. Thanks for sharing it. I've read a lot about the USAAF in WWII, but I'd never heard the "Judas Goat" reference before. It's the sort of black humor that seemed to be common among air crews. One more bit of colorful information into the data banks.

[@spindash64]

SilentOtto People in crappy situations seem to make the best jokes, probably because they can’t afford to NOT be able to laugh at things Also explains the sorry state of entertainment these days. Ain’t nobody know how t’ take a joke, it seems, or to tell one

[@jimwind7589]

He hated the nutszi and I bet he hates you.

[@jimwind7589]

The original Luft Stalag is in Hammelburg German. Not as "fun" as the one on the TV series. I met a few veterans from there.

[@BrianAchterberg928]

There’s a book all about B-17 & B-24 assembly aircraft during WW2 called Polkadot Warriors. It really goes into great detail about everything you were talking about and more with interviews from pilots and crew members that flew in them.

[@Deathbyreality1]

9:42 holy smokes is that you sidestrafe!?

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

The man himself!

[@bjsracer]

I thought so as well

[@NotTheCIA1961]

I haven't even watched him in forever and I recognized him in an instant.

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

I totally recognized his voice from watching his twitch stream, blew my mind.

[@HamiltonSRink]

Nice to see young persons taking history seriously!

[@petesheppard1709]

Nice! The assembly ships were also 'war weary' birds, just too worn out to fly combat. Another term that helps visualize the missions is 'Bomber stream', a steady succession of those boxes heading toward their targets--and there may be more than one major mission launched on a given day. There WERE smaller diversionary raids flown, in an attempt to confuse spread out the German defenses. One of the most brutally effective German tactics was a massed head-on attack, against the weakest part of a bomber's defenses. The final iterations of the combat box was designed to maximize the forward firepower of the bomber formation. Incidentally, the head-on attack was terrifying for BOTH the Americans and the Germans, as they hurled themselves into their enemys' hurricanes of tracer and gunfire. Film cannot catch the visual impact ALSO, the Germans did use recovered American bombers as 'tattletales', flying near the formations and relaying height, course and speed information. Once battle was joined, radio discipline was essential, to allow essential information to be transmitted--after all, if everybody's shouting, nobody gets heard, and the pilots of other-than-lead bombers had ONE job; follow the lead and drop when they dropped. Bombardiers were termed 'toggleers', since they didn't actually aim, but watched the lead bomber, and release when lead dropped. LAST--I've often wondered what it sounded like on the ground, under one of those battles. Thousands of engines, propellers and guns, even 20,000+ feet overhead, had to be mind-boggling. I don't think it can ever be reproduced.

[@Proman642]

It still amazes me the risks these bomber crews endured. I can't imagine how it must have felt sitting in an aluminum tube with enemy fighters shooting bullets that would go right through the aircraft like it was made of paper.

[@GreenStuffConsumer]

Lol. "We can see how much damage a b-17 can take before going down". According to WT its: a few 7.62, 1 7.7 bullet (gayjoon plez nurf), some 12.7s and one of anything higher in caliber

[@marrioman13]

"of anything higher" except Hispanos

[@GreenStuffConsumer]

@@marrioman13 you got me there

[@CallanElliott]

A few have been known to tank a much damage as an A10...

[@GreenStuffConsumer]

@@CallanElliott lol how. Every time I fly all it takes is a half-assed spray of bullets in my postal code to ignite my entire plane

[@marrioman13]

@@CallanElliott You'd probably find that of a lot of bombers of the time tbh.

[@smooth_sundaes5172]

A point of interest (for anyone who doesn't know) is that the lead B17 "Butcher Shop" on that very first 8th Airforce raid in 1942 was piloted by Major Paul W.Tibbets, later to pilot the "Enola Gay" of course.

[@leeliville9678]

Didn't he also pilot the red gremlin 1 over Greenland?

[@alwayscurious3357]

Pink Spitfires please?

[@indieWellie]

that’s because pink is the best color for blending in with the desert horizon. they even paint ground vehicles pink in some circumstances.

[@alwayscurious3357]

@@indieWellie Someone that knows the whole story. Cheers. Too bad it isn't adapted for ground attack aircraft. That would be quite funny...

[@vaclav_fejt]

Ah, I always thought it was for low alt PR Spits who only flew under a low cloud cover. But in that case light grey is probably the best pick.

[@enzoacorda]

PR aircraft were painted in PRU blue.

[@jarink1]

Grabacar1, he's talking about Spitfire FRs painted in PRU Pink. FRs (Fighter Recon) were intended for much lower-level missions than the PRs (Photo recon), which typically flew above 5,000m.

[@thomast8539]

Very well prepared and informative delivery of the facts here. I would like to add that after having watched the newly released American film, "The Cold Blue", I was surprised to learn just how dangerous it was for the bombers and crews to get into formation prior to making the actual run into enemy territory. Also, if you ever get the chance, please watch Gregory Peck in "Twelve O'clock High" and you will get a glimpse into the methodically suicidal policy of daylight bombing and the toll that took on the men that flew those missions. Beyond dense clouds, there was nowhere to hide from bullets, shells and gravity.

[@Perktube1]

I must have been sleepy and hungry when I watched this. I swear I heard someone say "fluffed waffles over the french toast… "

[@CallanElliott]

I wonder how many bombers were lost due to friendly fire from other bombers...

[@ret7army]

Luftwaffles for breakfast? With my favorite fighter of all time? But of course, two or three orders please!

[@stephaniewilson3955]

That was fascinating. Such a radical but simple solution to a major problem. I never actually thought about how the 'thousand bomber raids' came together.

[@MrYashka12]

this is not "Camouflage" it the complete opposite..."High Visibility" is correct term...

[@ChockHolocaust]

You've missed out a few facts about assembly ships and the reasons why they existed. Whilst it is true that formations would limit their radio transmissions, prior to the existence of assembly ships, and even after they came into existence, bombers would generally assemble by circling around known radio beacons (splashers and bunchers), the frequencies and codes for these radio beacons being something the navigators and radio operators would be briefed on in a separate additional briefing from the main one which you've all seen in many war movies. The beacons were not unlike the NDBs and VORs in use today in how they were used, with the crew using a DF (direction finding) loop antenna to determine the beacons signal direction in combination with the navigator's observations and steering cues, so long as there was no cloud obscuring his view of the ground. Typically, splashers and bunchers would transmit a three-letter code in morse (usually a letter, followed by a number, then another letter, such as A3A, or E7E or whatever), repeating this over and over. Contrary to what you might expect, since these beacons were navigational aids, it was in fact the navigator who would operate the radio DF loop which detected these, rotating the loop until it gave an indication of the bearing to that particular nav aid, and this was linked to a needle direction indicator in the aircraft so the navigator could tell the pilots which heading to steer. The radio operator would also listen to this signal and monitor it since R/T operators were often better at decoding morse than the navigators, and it was of course helpful to have two people listening to confirm they had the correct beacon tuned in! As noted, there were two main types of beacons, which were basically the same type of equipment, but their functions differed slightly. Codenamed Splashers and Bunchers. Bunchers were usually (but not always) a beacon located at the departure airfield or close to it, which would allow aircraft taking off from a specific base, to orbit that beacon in a specific direction at a distance of three miles out from its location; this to allow a turn to be fairly lazy whilst they formed up. Once formed up, they would then navigate as briefed toward a series of splashers to form up with other groups, the intention being to rendezvous at specific times. Eventually the slowly constructed formation would be fully assembled and would pass over a final splasher at a designated mission start time, which was the departure point, whereupon they would take up a heading for the first leg of the outbound trip to the target, hopefully with any escort fighters meeting the formation along the way. Theoretically this meant that no assembly ship was required and in the early days there were not any, but statistically in the early days of these operations, it had been accepted that they would lose as many as ten percent of the bomber force through attrition from take off incidents, navigational errors and most seriously, collisions between bombers heading for the same buncher of splasher, this last cause being particularly the case when climbing up through a cloud layer. But it's worth noting that with an assembly ship circling overhead, there was less reason for aircraft to rush their take off for fear of missing the departure to the next beacon (keep in mind that radios were not as sophisticated as they are these days), since the assembly ship was specifically tasked to ensure as many of the force made it safely into formation, by making very wide circuits which reduced the chances of collision considerably and by having the necessary payload space and capability to have much bigger and better radio navigational equipment since they were not carrying the weight of bombs, guns, ammunition, gunners or a bombardier, tons of mission fuel, bombsights, liferafts etc, etc. Needless to say, with nine or ten guys on board a heavy bomber, if two of them collided, this could mean as many as twenty guys could be killed in such a collision. Not only this, it would also mean that the combat box formation would also have a gap in it, reducing defensive fire coverage and also reducing the concentration of bombs in a target drop, since on a lot of missions, all aircraft in the formation would bomb simply by observing when the lead aircraft released his bombs and take this as the signal to let their bomb load go. In this way a good spread of bombs over the target could be guaranteed because the Norden bombsight, though fairly accurate, was not the pinpoint wonder which historians would sometimes have you believe it was. It's also not exactly desirable to have the the blazing wreckage of a couple of B24s or B17s coming down on your own territory, potentially causing casualties among your own people. It's also worth noting that not all bombers in a large formation carry the same bomb payloads; often you'll want some heavy explosives to penetrate the target first and throw open the buildings and terrain a bit, followed by some incendiaries to light up ripped open gas mains and such, so the potential to lose a critical part of this carefully planned mix from a collision prior to the mission even setting off on its way, could potentially ruin all the effort. Thus it was really the desire to reduce losses from attrition before the formations even set off for the target which was the prime motivation for the use of assembly ships.

[@DanTweekStudios]

This is the first video of yours that I have seen and I'm definitely hooked. Fantastic job explaining everything, and the visual elements are very helpful. You sir, have earned yourself another subscriber!

[@brandonsaulsgiver681]

It is a bomber formation assembly ship, used to co-ordinate the large bomber formations before they flew over to France & Germany. Each squadron had one lead ship all others would form up on after take-off.

[@kiwihame]

I read in a book about a crew painting thier engine cowlings red. And it netted them much more attention from fighters. They quickly painted their cowlings back to green.

[@828enigma6]

First rule of combat is to be inconspicuous. Being conspicuous draws enemy fire.

[@philperry4699]

"Lead" units, whether bombers or fighters, often had something distinctive about their paint jobs so their subordinates could spot them easily (bombers, not needed as much). Naturally, fighters would assume that a bomber with a different paint job was important in some way, and concentrate their attention on them.

[@stephenullman4534]

Thank you for the excellent explanation of these formations. It's the best I've ever heard. Beautiful job of breaking it all down. I've always been curious as to how they all figured out who was who. Thanks again! Great job.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

This camo worked perfectly when the sky was striped white and red under a certain condition. Everyone knows that.

[@godcyric]

For those that might know: who choose the paint scheme for those assembly planes? The brass at HQ choosing blue polka dots for flight group A? Or the crew of this specific plane choosing a fancy one? And a related question, how do those schemes are communicated trough the crews? Pictures? Rough description over a letter?

[@chrisw8417]

There is an account of Jimmy Stewart the actor flying the yellow checkered assembly ship Wham Bam. Instead of breaking off and returning to base after the group formed up he flew it on with the group to Bordeaux France. He flew over 20 combat missions as a B-24 pilot.

[@jefffefferson8339]

Major Stewart had a major case of PTSD. I think this was the mission that got him sent home.

[@blue2sco]

Assembly Ships where mainly war weary aircraft, and never went further then the South Coast of England.

[@adamndirtyape]

War weary soldiers also got issued uniforms like that. The uniforms were a great hit with British women in the pubs...

[@moosifer3321]

Thanks for clarifying that! How embarrasing to have been shot down over enemy territory in a pink aircraft!

[@timwaygar7163]

I have in my possession a history book on the mighty Eighth Air Force. 'Assembly' bomber aircraft were used to help assemble massive bomber formations sent on missions to Germany. These 'Assembly' aircraft helped make 1000 plane raids possible. Wish I could show you the various colorful paint schemes. Like something Walt Disney Productions would have come up with !! Note: the 'Assembly' aircrafts' sole mission was help assemble mass formations of bombers, and NEVER accompanied the bombers to their targets !!

[@tarasbulba3190]

Some US PT Boats (Ron 2) Operating in the English channel out of Portland under John D Bulkley were camo'd in pink. He ran all PT Boat operations in the Channel after delivering MacArthur to Corregidor.

[@jeffreymcfadden9403]

at an airfield in germany,the germans flew me 262s. the problem was, that when 262s flew back to base after the mission, the 262s were vulnerable. so the germans had fw190s as base secyrity,the 190s flew up(to protect the 262s) when the 262s came down. the germans painted red/white narrow stripes on the entire bottom of the 190s, to try to prevent trigger happy AA units from shooting at the 190s.

[@workingguy6666]

The quote from the airman describing his experience flying, lost, with another group - never read that before. Subscribed due to it.

[@RonJohn63]

7:04 There's no kill without overkill!

[@BillHalliwell]

G'day MAH, One of the many overlooked problems of flying in tight, accurate formations is fuel consumption. The only planes that have normal fuel consumption are the lead aircraft, especially the front ship with the Master Bomber(s). The trouble with flying in formation following the leaders is that their pilots are always adjusting speed and throttle settings. This, over considerable distances, like deep into Germany, really chews up the fuel at a much faster rate. This took a high toll of individual aircraft that ran out of fuel or flew with fuel at dangerously low levels. In trying to alleviate this problem, these large bombers would be filled to capacity with fuel which, simple mathematics dictates, reduces the bomb loads carried. While the Nazis occupied France, any bomber that ran out of fuel and force landed would become POWs if they survived the landing. This aspect of fuel consumption was first noticed, and became a problem, while ferrying large aircraft across oceans from the US to England. B-17s and Liberators did not lend themselves to disassembly and being transported by ship so they had to fly, making many stops along the way which meant flying overland where possible or hugging the coastlines so that they could refuel, thus making the ferry flights even longer. In bad weather some aircraft being ferried were simply lost, presumably from running out of fuel and/or navigation errors. The closer these aircraft got to Britain the more they had to maintain radio silence. So, there were quite a significant number of these types of 'casualties' that simply 'dropped out of the skies, never to be seen or heard of again. Over the North Atlantic and parts of the Pacific oceans, where depths run into miles below the water line, there will never be a chance of locating these long-lost aircraft. Thank you for another interesting video. It's a pity that Allied air forces didn't continue their experiments with camouflage, as it was proven to be quite effective, when used on warships in WW1 and the early parts of WW2. Cheers, BH

[@alextankian]

I can't stress enough how much I love this channel

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

Years ago "Scale Modeller" magazine did a build/story of assembly aircraft, they chose a B-17 for the story, there was also a short background article as well, not as in depth as your video though, great video.

[@radicaljellyfish4435]

Imagine just going about your day and looking up and seeing several hundred B-17’s in formation. The noise and feeling of such power would be an incredible thing so experience.

[@zJoriz]

The one question I have... how far did the assembly folks fly along? I would guess they wouldn't stray into enemy airspace, right?

[@davidhoffman1278]

Once all the aircraft had formed up the assembly aircraft turned back to base.

[@jarink1]

These paint jobs were NOT camouflage! Quite the opposite, they were intended to make the aircraft more conspicuous. For some reason, they were much more popular with the B-24 Groups than the B-17 Groups. Only a couple of brightly painted B-17 assembly ships were recorded ("Birmingham Blitz" from the 379th BG was painted with red and white stripes and "Spotted Cow" from the 384th BG was white with blue polka dots). The B-24 assembly ships are too numerous to list here; I know of over a dozen. Assembly ships were also known as "Judas goats" (a goat trained to lead other goats in a herd) and were typically older, worn-out planes. They normally had all armament removed and (almost) never flew anywhere near enemy territory. Some planes not only were brightly painted, but also had oversized group markings or even bright lights to help identify the group to which they belonged. The geometric shapes on the tails and wings were used to distinguish the Bomb Division within the Eighth Air Force. 1st Bomb Division was a triangle, 2nd was a circle, 3rd was a square or rectangle. The letter inside the shape indicated the bomb group - triangle A would be the 91st BG, Circle B was the 93rd BG, Square G was the 385th BG (my grandfather was a bombardier in the 550th squadron). The medium-sized letters seen usually under the serial number on the tail was the call letter for that individual plane within its squadron. 15th AF Group markings were very different and did not use letters, just geometric shapes.

[@haruncavuldak216]

Ben

[@poruatokin]

Jim - I guess you didn't watch the video then - all was explained

[@leehauxwell1149]

Conspicuage? Lol

[@joebessette6565]

Ya he explained it but it's not camouflage. Camouflage is to hide things, not make them more visible. Mislabeled

[@MultiAndrew1971]

If you ever get to visit Norwich look into the 8th Air Force memorial library in the forum. They have models of the liberators used as assemembly ships flying from bases in east Anglia

[@davidhoffman1278]

Absolutely awesome. I own several books on aircraft from WW2 and none of them mention assembly aircraft or any of the issues with getting the formation together. Thanks again for explaining the subject so clearly.

[@fmrgt12]

Thank you. Even that I follow and research WW2 Air Battles and strategies during WW2 over Germany. I never found about this ' collour markings of aircraft ". Thank you.

[@locusmortis]

The Jagdwaffe also used assembly planes (of a sort). some formation leaders from FW190 units would have brightly coloured checkerboard or chevron painted noses on their planes so that their unit and in some cases multiple units would form up to make co-ordinated head on attacks on American bomber formations.

[@pauljs75]

More like livery rather than camo. Sounds like these uniquely painted aircraft only stayed over friendly territory to do their particular job.

[@kathrynck]

In a video game (ARK) i once painted a tamed T-Rex in bright colors so it would be easier to find if I got separated from it. I painted it a firetruck lime color, and black, in a crazy mostly horizontal zig-zag pattern. But i inadvertently broke up it's shape, and made it blend in with horizon shapes. I had to repaint it because that thing was impossible to see in practice.

[@philperry4699]

Yeah, I just hate it when I lose track of my T-Rex!

[@jeffreyplum5259]

This is actually Un-Camo. It is high visibility paint pattern only good for over well protected areas.. It is a crime that Air Corp Generals created the basic limitations on Fighter cover by denying the use of drop tanks on fighters until very late in the war. As the British already found, unescorted bombers could not defend themselves on their own. They actually made it easier for the Gemans. The edge of fighter cover became very well known. The Bomber Generals did not want to allow fighters along. They were keeping alive the Pre-War myth, "The Bomber Will Always Get tThru. " They could only allow fighter support when their Asses were covered by New Equipment, the Merlin powered P51. Thanks for another great video

[@rosicroix777]

Great video & TY for explaining this aspect of bomber organization . I took a look @ the Assembly Ship B-17 in google images & was not disappointed. TY again & keep up the good work .

[@James-ep2bx]

Reminds me of why flagships are called flagships, and why standards and their bearers where such a big deal

[@wallaceshackleton1889]

It would have been helpful to have a fly-through a box to show how a formation was staggered and the interlocking fields of fire. Interesting video none the less. Leads to the question - Did the light bombers B-25 and B-26 also have assembly ships?

[@turkeyboy5543]

Why did some fighters have bright paintjobs too? I play War Thunder and I always wonder why the Yak-3P is painted bright red, and why some other planes are also painted all kinds of colours and patterns. You can spot them from many miles away, so I get the feeling that it's not for camouflage lol.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The British weather complicated assembly - clouds could appear suddenly even on the sunniest day. Greatly increasing the visibility of aircraft, particularly leading ones, worked somewhat towards countering that.

[@donohoe71]

Fascinating. I'm not an aviation person it was the title caught my attention. Really really interesting, well narrated and graphics were brilliant. Thank you.

[@FuriKitten]

I Dun did a lern

[@Nedula007]

Furi Kitten man, done saw'd it done!

[@msmeyersmd8]

Fantastic video. I’ve read a lot about the European air war of WWII and I’ve never heard of this. Thanks much.

[@bobbyhood101]

The assembly ships are older aircraft with heavy hours the paint job is to help the formations form up before they head to the targets tight formation helps with concentration of defensive fire and helps with navigation the lead ships have the most experienced navigators

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

A detail either you missed or I missed was that these assembly aircraft were usually made from the most worn out machines, the high time machines almost ready for the scrap heap.

[@peterbellwood5412]

He did mention it . Have another look at the planes . No guns !

[@DuelingBongos]

It was not clear from your video if the "assembly ships" lead the bomber groups all the way to their targets, or if they break off and return to base at some point after the bombers are fully assembled in their attack formation.

[@philperry4699]

They break off once the formation is assembled. You wouldn't want to show up over enemy territory in something that sticks out like a sore thumb.

[@ArgieGrit]

Holy shit a B-17 model with assembly ship camouflage would be amazing! Thanks for the tip man

[@silentotto5099]

I remember when I was a small child, some fifty years ago now, a local hobby shop my father took me too had a large model of the B-24 with all the dots on it hanging from the ceiling. I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. That was probably the first thing that sparked my interest in WWII aircraft.

[@Cheezsoup]

With the "assembly ships" flying but not bombing was it a job given to the worst they had (but who still qualified) or was it reserved for grizzled old veterans who had flown (oh I don't know) 3 tours and were coming unglued at the seams or was it kept as a reward/punishment?

[@butchs.4239]

The assembly ships didn't go on the mission, their job was get the planes that were going into formation as quickly as possible. Once that was accomplished they returned to base.

[@Cheezsoup]

I thought with my 'not bombing' bit I had got across the idea that these "assembly ships" didn't go on the mission.

[@ur2c8]

If you are bored one evening, a good game to play is 'spot the old bomber airfield' on Google Maps. Some are easy to find but many have been returned to agriculture and are almost impossible to see. A good place to start is Lincoln: RAF Scampton to the north is obvious (as it is still in use) but can you spot RAF Fiskerton?

[@rq83]

For the uneducated, the assembly ships only flew over England while the Bomber Groups took off from their bases on missions.

[@googlinstuff8910]

you need a T-Shirt that incorporates "zey vil lose zeir collective schnitzels" somehow. That has made it into my family's common dialogue now.

[@diGritz1]

Alternative theory: Officer #1: I really can't stand that guy but have no idea how to get rid of him. No matter how many mission we send him on he comes back. If only there was a way to guarantee enemy fighters would see him. Officer #2: You know I just got my hair cut and I think I might have a solution. A giant flying candy stripped barber shop pole. No way their going to miss it.

[@whiskeytangosierra6]

I did enjoy this. As a collector of War Trivia for many decades it is not often I find something new. Congratulations on enlightening me.

[@originaluddite]

"The formations needed to be tight, so they started using pilots who were also swing musicians..."

[@peterbellwood5412]

Yeah , man . Jazz music . Not the oblique mounted twin 30mm cannon ! I heard they were devastating . Especially for the ball-turret gunners

[@wntu4]

Here's why these were necessary: "How long was the parade of bomber boxes marching toward the German capital? When the first wave of Flying Fortresses reached Berlin, the last bomber was still over the Zuider Zee in Holland: The stream of bombers, from one end to the other, was 360 miles long. Group after group arrived over Berlin. Altogether, fully 90 minutes would elapse while the bomber formation passed over the capital."

[@mikaxms]

So these assembly planes turn around once the formation is formed right?

[@davidhoffman1278]

Yes.

[@davejob630]

Last night when I was cleaning out my 95 yo mothers shed i found amongst other things a small booklet published by the Raf in 1948 (i think ... it was 40 something..) entitled "The Battle of Britain" It was the same size as their handling notes series...and another full of photos of the Blitz. But It seemed to have lost its cover. Also a leather flying helmet with gosport tubes, a Pith helmet, and some assorted Bullets in an envelop entitled France - These I believe were from my grandfather who spent 3 years in the trenches in WW 1. With these was a reciept from the Australian Govt dated 1940 for a German Luger pistol... it seems that rifle bullets weren't the only souvenirs he brought home. The Luger was handed in at the start of WW2 ... I wonder what happened to it ? Melted down ...perhaps issued.... or most likely stolen by someone.

[@KozmykJ]

Fascinating story and so well presented. Thank you.

[@catherinecheung934]

Of course it work why would the german shoot a flying candycane wait what if they crashed into it?

[@uljssse]

Oh that t-shirt is hella cool

[@88porpoise]

Something I hadn't considered before I learned about these aircraft. It must have taken a herculean effort to organize the big raids with seven or eight hundred bombers or days when thousands of aircraft (bombers, escorts, other support units) would be operating at the same time.

[@Angrybogan]

A question, Bismarck: I had read reports that the Luftwaffe attack returning bombers on British airstrips as they landed. It sounds to me a very effective strategy. Do you know any history about this?

[@Geekman333]

Really cool video on a very interesting topic. Thanks.

[@Battleship009]

Luftwaffles for Breakfast? Radar has picked up a helicopter going soi soi soi.

[@donfelipe7510]

Did these assembly ships have their own dedicated crew with special training or were they rotated to give a certain crew the day off every so often? Love the channel Bismarck, keep it up.

[@themanotpie]

remember the wise words an old hillbilly once told me, 'overkill is underrated.' I think he was in charge of the formations

[@PaulMcElligott]

I remember when I was a kid (1970s & 1980s), Monogram had their big 1/48 scale series of big American bombers (B-17, B-24, B-29). Each kit had a color guide showing how someone built a diorama using that model. The B-24 kit showed a diorama depicting the plane being turned into an assembly ship, so that was where I first learned about this. IIRC, the diorama guide said that flying an assembly ship was actually rather dangerous because of all the flares carried on board.

[@peterbellwood5412]

Shep Paine . I loved his diorama suggestions . They would add 'life' to a model.

[@stashyjon]

Never knew about those psychedelic bombers. Thanks for the info. Any chance of doing something on why the RAF had bright pink Spitfire PR XI's ?

[@Tclarke-cy1sc]

It's an absolute crime we don't have these camos in War Thunder

[@jarink1]

I made several for IL2. I thought about trying my hand at making some for WT, but never got into that game.

[@loganinkosovo]

The Assembly Ships were, for the most part, older, worn aircraft that could be missed from the operational tempo. They never made the enemy coast so being 100% wasn't as critical.

[@scottthorson1]

Look up the "Spotted Ape" The cool thing about the Spotted Ape is how the paint scheme was put on a number of fishing lures by Jim Pfeffer,Shakespeare and Smithwick..

[@stephenwarhurst6615]

Colourful Camouflage system used by USAF is kinda same as Red Baron flying circus e.g. squadron leader is the Red. The one that's my Wing-man is the one that is Blue & Red with white tail

[@TheFeralBachelor]

this was a very informative video. I had never knew these ships existed. Thank you,

[@winstonsmith478]

How many crew casualties were there from 50 cal friendly fire? With all of the 50 cals firing within the formation, I can guess that it was more than none.

[@butchs.4239]

No doubt there was some, but the point of the combat box was to allow the gunners to have clear fields of fire while allowing them to protect the formation. Beyond that, the planes in a given box would be flying out of the same base, a gunner who shot up other planes in the formation probably had a blanket party waiting for them when the got back to base. ;)

[@joshwright5629]

It’s cool because I saw the shirt and checked the description before you said anything, I just Ordered mine !!!

[@vorticwatchcompany]

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Great story, just surprised it took them this long to come up with a scheme! Another top video!

[@Tree_Dee]

I understand, that only aircraft that were considered no longer "combat worthy," were used for this purpose. Also, my Dad was a B24 pilot. He told me that the AAF sent aircraft that were considered to shot up for use in theater, back to the US to train aircrew. He and his buds had to bail out of 3 B24s. Lost only one man, 2 aircraft over the SW deserts, 1 in the Gulf of Mexico.

[@Smootus]

Curtis LeMay came up with the box formations......designed to have clear lines of fire for all gunners.

[@craighagenbruch3800]

So would assembling ships rtb after all flights were on their way or would they fly in a general direction to a certain point?

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Would wave good bye once the formation is ready to go

[@marrioman13]

@@MilitaryAviationHistory were special pilots given the task of assembly? Be it older or more experienced etc?

[@terryteed1903]

I don't think so. The assembly areas were over friendly territory.

[@marrioman13]

@@terryteed1903 it wasn't a 'fear of fighters' question, rather a use of resources. It's a less intensive task, so would it be handed off differently?

[@terryteed1903]

@@marrioman13 it took quite a bit of time to get all the kites off the ground, they also came from different airfields around the south. The bright paint jobs gave the elements going forward a rally point. From the rally point the fighting planes went non and the rally planes could land with there job done.

[@dumpsterstu4474]

Just the sound of a whole bunch of these planes would be terrifying. I have seen them fly as I live up near Seattle just visited the Flight museum in Seattle recently got to see the last blackbird in existence.