World War II - Fighters of WWII | Full Movie (Feature Documentary)

[@doctorwoohoo1152]

Fighters covered in this video - German - 2:08 - Messerschmitt Bf109 6:00 - Focke-Wulf Fw 190 9:27 - Messerschmitt Me 262 Soviet - 11:48 - Polikarpov I-16 Italian - 13:29 - Fiat G.50 Freccia 14:14 - Macchi C.200 Saetta 16:24 - Macchi C.202 Folgore American - 18:11 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75/Mohawk) 22:32 - Vought F4U Corsair "Whistling Death". 25:28 - Republic P-47 Thunderbolt "Juggernaut" 30:09 - Lockheed P-38 Lightning 33:51 - North American P-51 Mustang British - 37:24 - Hawker Hurricane 41:17 - de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito 45:35 - Supermarine Spitfire

[@YlmazDALKIRANscallion]

Your comment deserves more like.

[@Fergusius]

wish they also included Japanese designs

[@ohgosh5892]

@@Fergusius Yes, and the late UK designs, Tempest, Tornado, Spiteful, Hornet and Comet.

[@caesar4857]

Should have included some Japanese planes.

[@BruceWayne_87]

@@Fergusius Yeah it‘s kinda disrespectful not including the infamous A6M Zero.. smh!

[@hardyakka6200]

didn't mention the fact that ME 262 engines had a life of only 12 - 20 hours and had to be completely replaced not repaired.

[@leehansen4750]

The Germans needed chrome and titanium metals for the turbine blades in their engines. They didn't have the metals so the engines didn't last.

[@topivaltanen4432]

Thats about 5 times less than Me109 late versions.

[@wotnotvintage7762]

28:31 to 28:40 ... the P47 taking off blows the right tyre but continues the takeoff run on the rim ... note the sparks.

[@koyotemark4664]

I USED TO BE AN RC NUT, AND KIT BUILT AND FLEW MOST OF THESE PLANES. I STARTED OFF WITH CONTROL LINE VERSIONS FIRST IN THE LATE 7'0S. IM RETIRED FROM EVERYTHING NOW. DISABLED AND OLDER THAN DIRT(almost as dusty) I HAD A BLAST.

[@erospawn]

I am an RC nut..and I still fly most of these planes... I have a giant scale Mustang that is probably one of the best flying planes I've got!

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

Most of this monologue is taken almost word for word from William Green's "Famous Fighters of WWll". My favorite British aviation writer.

[@marine4lyfe85]

I'm not a WWII Airplane expert, but the narrator stated that the P-47 Thunderbolt was armed with two 50 caliber machine guns. That isn't all it was armed with, was it?

[@craigwood9988]

Terrific doco - but you forgot the Kitty Hawk

[@craigwood9988]

And Zero

[@Crashed131963]

,The Brewster F2A Buffalo the terror of the Pacific with a crazy Aussie pilot in it.

[@johntowle]

11:15 Me 262s, equipped with up to 24 unguided folding-fin R4M rockets--- Not Missiles which implies they were guided. Numbnuts !!!

[@briandonnelly638]

Is the narration by Steed?

[@sirbader1]

The 190 was, most definitely, the most capable single aircraft of the war. in any variant, it places at or near the top.

[@derekrwatson346]

I always hear great thing about the FW 190, why did all the top Aces prefer the 109 then?

[@tunaritoope2059]

they became aces by flying 109 and they were use to it! it can be difficult to switch fighters when you are use to fly another.

[@jeffreymcfadden9403]

"capable" as in long range? german, british fighter never had the capability of range. F4U and F6F were built to NAVY standards. thus much heavier(rugged). IF, the 190 was built to these standards, the F4U and F6F would be better than 190. As they were , F6F and F4U were at least as good as 190. The P51 was better than 190, because of its range.

[@nneesskkee]

Except that in late 1944 he was withdrawn from the air to air missions on the eastern front, because he was too inferior compared to La-7 and Yak-3.

[@sirbader1]

Derek Watson the top Aces were equipped with the 109 at the time of most of their victories. The 190 arrived with JG54 in mid 42. JG2 and 26 got theirs in 41. They will all readily admit that the 190 is a more robust and powerful aircraft, but the 109 was better in the aerial combat role, while the 190 variants excelled in all roles.

[@jonnybeck6723]

"...Beaufighter, Typhoon, Defiant, Wildcat, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Hellcat, Zero" Conspicuous in their absence

[@mikeparkerson6492]

Beaufighter: prewar design relegated to night fighter, inferior to the Mossie. Defiant: grossly inadequate prewar design. Wildcat: inferior to the Zero, replaced by the Hellcat, the U.S. Navy's best Zero killer. Bf 110 Zerstorer: Good against biplanes; shot down by the score by Hurricanes and Spitfires. Zero: initially the greatest long range fighter plane in the Pacific; almost. helpless against the Hellcat, which was designed and built to outfly the Zero after the U.S. captured a flyable Zero sen in the Aleutians and designed the Hellcat to replace the Wildcat.

[@Starjumper2821]

@@mikeparkerson6492 Hey now, don't diss the Wildcat! Sure it fell short of the A6M, but many of the tactics that later saw the Japanese pilots decimated in the sky were pioneered by Wildcat pilots and it did well holding the line. They were also at Midway.

[@mikeparkerson6492]

@@Starjumper2821 Just don't forget it was the Hellcat (designed mid-war for the job) that destroyed more japanese aircraft than any other Allied fighter.

[@mikeparkerson6492]

But we're talking apples and oranges. I say hardware, you say tactics....

[@Starjumper2821]

@@mikeparkerson6492 Would never, I fly that dorky bird quite often in War Thunder. The Pacific theater was won with the Hellcat, but it's the Wildcat that didn't lose it.

[@gypsyknight9564]

A good documentary. But...maybe I missed it...where is the commentary regarding the Grumman F6F Hellcat? This plane shot down nearly 5000 Japanese planes and was said to be the U.S. Navy's most important fighter in World War II.

[@bigchef3394]

yeah it just about single handily destroyed the Japanese air force

[@5stardave]

@@bigchef3394 The Corsair had a part in that too.

[@timhouser]

I wonder the same thing. If I were going to be a pilot in WWII and I could pick my plane the Hellcat would be one of the top contenders.

[@grayeagle7007]

U are completely correct about the F6F!!!

[@marine4lyfe85]

@@timhouser P-51 Mustang for me.

[@cowgoesmoo3850]

In my area, we have a replica of Memphis Bell. It Flys over me, and when it does it just drones out evey other sound. I couldn't imagine how a whole sky of them would sound.

[@thespeeddemon7832]

*deafening droning sound*

[@j.d.schultzsr.9215]

CowGoesMoo, Our last few years in Detroit, Sunday afternoon, returning from her monthly tour missions the Yankee Lady, a B17G flew over our house @500ft. on her way back to her Yankee Air Force home at Willow Run. There was no mistaking the sound of her 4 Twin Whirlwinds as she flew over our driveway and faded into the sunsetting Western horizon. I heard the same sound as Aluminum Overcast, a B17G flew over our present home in Las Cruces. She flew over our city for several days B4 she was opened for ground tours at our local airport. The tour were curtailed B4 I could climb around inside, due to lightning within 15mi, but avery time I heard that unmistakable sound, I ran outside to witness that magnificent sight. Both of these legendary bombers were restored and are maintained and flown by volunteers. Yankee Lady by Yankee Air Force, Willow Run (Ypsilanti), Michigan, and Aluminum Overcast by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oskosh, Wisconsin. Yankee Lady has only done local touring missions, but Aluminum Overcast (before Covid) tours the U.S., as do several other warbird associations. You can see their schedules on-line.

[@jameslatham2655]

I love em all. The good, bad, and the ugly. I've never had a specific favorite per say, but rest assured, without all the allied fighters, bombers, etc. victory most likely would not have been attained. Now, for getting the most bang for you buck I tip my hat to the hawker hurricane. The materials used and design techniques, of an older but proven method, plus the ease of fixing it up and going back out and holding it's own, and better yet, scoring many many victories. Just freaking amazing. Maybe you could say it punched above it's weight class but it did it and did it quite well.

[@TheBaBaTV]

The Germans developed the best to be honest !

[@ricksturdevant2901]

I totally agree with Allen Hamilton's & Ender's assessment AND Ken Reeve got that right ! No stupid, crappy, bad music drowning out this documentary

[@michaelwiebers9656]

Amen!!!

[@lfsm9380]

I understand the Brits' love for the Spitfire but the Mustang and the Corsair are also legendary airplanes. For me, the Mustang is the masterpiece of masterpieces.

[@ernestreichardt3942]

The Pilots favorite planes were the ones they didn’t get shot down flying .

[@veggieboyultimate]

So many amazing planes were made during ww2, no matter the nation.

[@gowithgroove]

Certainly far from perfect, but this film has some fantastic footage!

[@d.owczarzak6888]

Far, far from perfect.

[@simon_k4551]

If only it had been shown correctly - left hand salutes, tail numbers mirrored etc.

[@lindamcentaffer5969]

P-40 "controversial?" How about Aces in Africa who flew P-40s against ME 109/? I read about an A.A.F unit in the ETO that had a rather shocking way of humbling new Mustang pilots, fresh from the U.S; they'd pit them & their brand new 'Stangs in practice Dog-Fights against a Veteran flying a War-Weary, beat up old P-40. The guy in the P-40 literally cleaned their clocks. That's akin to a Rambler beatin' a Chevelle at the Drags. Must've been real fun! Tactics, Tactics, Tactics. Ya might've added that the P- 47 pilots were in the majority of the top-ten scorers in the ETO, and could NOT be matched above 25,000 feet, according to Hub Zemke (who flew P-38s, P-47s, & P-51s) and Francis Gabreski, (our top- scoring Ace in the ETO,) which is exactly what they were designed for; high altitude combat. The M & N models were much hotter than the D models & were absolutely Awesome.

[@ixlr8677]

flying tigers

[@michaelburke5907]

All great points. We enjoyed a great diversity of types , always pushing design envelopes, didn't keep all our eggs in one basket. Also, dispersed manufacturing, all sections of the nation contributed. No single type could do every job, some did better than others. "Love them all, the great and the small" as the song went.

[@luvr381]

There's a lot of misinformation to be had here.

[@toytoy1091]

such as ....

[@slongger]

Japans fighters were left out as well.

[@black07rr]

The zero was no slouch, and was pretty much uncontested in the pacific theatre until 42 I believe roughly, extremely nimble

[@raidersacdc4892]

@Robert H Cochran I believe the Hellcat was responsible for 5000 enemy kills

[@glendooer6211]

@@black07rr Zero's had no armour plating for the driver.

[@kenreeve6549]

Brilliant ! clear dialogue with no stupid over bearing "music"drowning it out no gimmicks just quality documentarys thank you Janson Media A refreshing change from the hyped up dramatized crap so much on the screens today 10/10

[@heyidiot]

Awww, don't you think that some distorted trap music would have rendered the presentation _au courant?_ It's what all the cool kids are doing!

[@robertascii5498]

A good video with excellent and amazing historical shots of beautiful and deadly aircraft, along with some even more amazing still working models. I love going to airshows for this very reason: The ability to stand close and touch WW2 aircraft that (yes, me too) I built as a boy. I actually paid to crawl inside a B17 at one of those shows...one of the most memorable times in my life!

[@GK479854]

Good documentary, but MV Supermarine Spitfire the only “true” legend among WWII warbirds? Sounds like this was done by the Brits. Give me a break!

[@ronmailloux9370]

@Garrison Nichols I dare say Yank rather harsh ....the Americans only got into the conflict after ENGLAND ..was fighting alone .....only the sublime features of the Merlin engine was used in your erstwhile under preforming Mustang fighter. The gerries were by far the most experienced and deadly pilots ...Jolly good try though.

[@TJTruth]

@@ronmailloux9370 why are all Brits so full of there self? Hear them tell it every invention was made by a Brit, they have the best fighters, best pilots, best guns, best tanks. Are there any humble Brits? Mustang had a 11 to 1 kill ratio in the German theater. F6F hell cat had 19 to 1, Spitfire had little better then 1to1 we love our war bird In America to but we are not still trying to convince everyone that our planes are the best 80 years latter. PS. we get it you fought alone and possibly saved the free world, and the communist world for that matter. That is what started my fascination with the British people, biggest thing I have learned in my studies is your fascination with yourselves.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@TJTruth I humbly suggest you look at the best aircraft, the best pilots, the best guns and the best tanks and you may get a shock, I do not claim we had the best in all of these, but you did not have the best in any of them. The USAAF had high kill ratios for two reasons, one they came to the fight late after the best enemy pilots were gone and two they used a lot of ammunition and claimed far more than they ever shot down, even counting aircraft hit on the ground as shot down and counting aircraft they fired at, either allied or enemy as shot down, often when they had completely missed. They had to account for all the wasted ammunition somehow.

[@fredjohnson7497]

@@TJTruth they are attempting to catch up to the yanks in bull shit spewing . The whole world knows the hollywood version of the yanks saving the world since 1776 .

[@TheOsfania]

@@ronmailloux9370 The English got into two wars they couldn't finish because of their immense hubris and worldwide colonialism, which was bound to come full circle - and it did. After England raped and robbed countries all over the world, other countries tried their damndest to duplicate this strategy. This led to the US having to bail their asses out a couple of times, mostly with food and manufactured goods, as well as war machinery. Good try though, Limey.

[@lordirish152]

No Hellcat. No Japanese fighters. No Yak-3. Too many mistakes and omissions for me.

[@MyAcer20]

cant include all ww2 planes in a 53 minute video

[@SharkInlay]

I have to agree. This was a major oversight. The Hellcat had a 19-1 kill ratio.

[@dinosoarmotorsports]

@@MyAcer20 but you can include the actual "finest Naval fighter" of the war...the Hellcat. Most kills, key air superiority role, and bombing. This acft cannot be ignored, yet it was in this video.

[@tomtimor9789]

Omissions are one thing. Misreadings and mispronunciations by the lector another. looks like there was no post production control. There was no Polikarpov 1-16, but for ignorant people I may look like 1. Polikarpov I16, I from "istriebitiel", Russian equivalent to English "fighter plane"..

[@brent1799]

They overrate the Spitfire a bit, claiming it was the only "legendary" aircraft of the war. I would say that the P-51 Mustang deserves that label as well. Also the Hellcat was pretty awesome. "Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft."

[@petedube9367]

This guy is a bit confused . The 109 came before the 190 .

[@realistic.optimist]

More than a pinch of salt needed with this commentary.

[@kevinrush6998]

I always thought Japan was involved in WW2 somehow. I guess not.

[@fidziek]

and Soviets did much better than I-16, din't they?

[@markdonnelly1913]

@Robert Hall that was my first thought too

[@TheKunLaszlo]

@Robert Hall What is a big bullshit... Just check the early MiGs, Yakovlevs, Lavochkins, LaGGs and so on... The Yak-9 Is one of the most good looking plane of the war...

[@daniellastuart3145]

@juscurious that because Germany was the stronger and more important enemy to defeat

[@marcofdelos]

@juscurious I have to say, after researching WW2 history for 20 years, and had a grandfather who served in the Pacific, it seems, at least from an American stand point that the Pacific was much more brutal and hard than the ETO. I wasnt there so I dont know, but just going off of what I've learned.

[@DM-qp7do]

I agree that no fighter plane had ever done more for their country than the spitfire, the battle of Britain alone should give it that title. Respect 🇺🇸

[@Jonno2summit]

Many say that the Hurricane takes that trophy DURING THE BoB, as it operated in greater numbers than the Spit during the BoB. The Spitfire can take that trophy for the rest of the war for sure.

[@JC-gw3yo]

Excellent footage of these terrific WW2 aircraft. I have seen a lot of documentaries of WW2 fighters, but this is one of the best. I don't know where you guys dug up all this fantastic footage, but you put it together just great !!

[@AaronHahnStudios]

50:50 Watch this to the End friends, Fantastic footage of Six aircraft together. A Historical moment.

[@chriskirkpatrick6097]

Of the six aircraft in that formation, for me it will be the MK IX Spitfire and the Hunter....... both iconic and beautiful

[@AaronHahnStudios]

@@chriskirkpatrick6097 Too right👍

[@allenhamilton6688]

Janson Media's productions are consistently incorrect and often miss cogent points. But they do have great WWII war footage.

[@TheDustysix]

At 20:46 the P-40 has Older listed as the pilot. CH Older was a US Marine whom flew with the Flying Tigers with 10 kills. Plus another 8 in the USAAC in the CBI. Flew A/B-26 Invaders in Korea. He then went into law and tried and convicted Charles Manson and his crew.

[@aceelectriccompany1181]

He was actually the judge who presided at the Manson trial. [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers] & [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles Older]

[@scottrichards2044]

There's a couple things that they forgot about the p-38 to say was that it was the best plane to be used as a reconnaissance roll. It was the recon plan because of its stibalty in the air because the pictures that where take where real clear and wasn't blurry at all where most of the other recon plans had some what. Blurryness to there photos. The a couple things other things they where used for are in p-38-j known as the droop shoot which is where the guns or cameras where. The nose was changed to am all clear plexie glass where a man would be. It was used as a bomber with the man in the nose as a bomber. A mother use with the man in the nose was where the man in the nose had a system he used to get the germans rayder frequency and would jam it so the Germans wouldn't detect Allie plans coming it was also used in a top secret mission called Aphrodites witch is one of the missions under those top secret missions that Joe Kennedy had died... Those top secret missions where also when the first drones where used. I know about this because my father was one of the recon pilots that flew on those top secret missions and was also the pilot that is said to have flown the most missions in the p-38j or the droop shoot as it was Nick named because of the way the nose looked. As a result he earned two or three distinguished flying crosses witch was the highest metal the air Corp had and he also earned our second highest metal in the USA witch is the distinguished service cross.

[@scottrichards2044]

@Hoa Tattis I agree about you saying the army air Corp using the British Spit my father also flew spit on some of his missions. Most of his top secret and low level missions where in the p-38 because of its speed and Range compared to the spit.. He loved flying both

[@scottrichards2044]

@Hoa Tattis the spit wasn't used by the Americans in the Pacific theater but in Europe against the Germans the Recon units did use the British spit : the spit XI.. Along with multi version's of the P-38 from like the one my dad flew on his top secret missions that they called the droop snoot it had an all glass nose with another guy riding in the nose.

[@leehansen4750]

The P 51 seemed to be the most modified, after market plane of WW2! They added the Merlin engine, then a fuel tank behind the pilots, seat and then two under wing exterior gas tanks to get the range to escort the bombers all the way into Berlin and back! The p 51 pilots had enough fuel left to dog fight &, strafe planes on the ground! The Army finally asked a scientist on how to shorten the war and he told them to destroy the supply lines and choke off the materials & supplies to the factories, & men. That's when the P40 & P51s started strafing the trains, truck convoys, & barges. As they say, the rest was history! Hitler, insisting the ME 262 be used as a bomber, helped the allies, and saved a lot of B17s and crews from being destroyed.

[@FreedomForAll2013]

This video is incredibly well done!! The info is perfect! And the footage!?!? Omg just seeing these individual decals on the 109s was awesome! Great video

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

If you don't see your favorite here, read "Famous Fighters of WW2" by William Green. Most of this video's script is his writing, anyway, but I see no credit given for this. The book covers at least 3 Japanese types, 2 Russian fighters, the Macchi-Castoldi series, and a rare dissertation on the HE-219 night fighter, and even the BP Defiant. His 'Great Bombers of WW2" is a great book, also.

[@SamSurplusSales]

Your point is what ?

[@sarahhaugh7922]

Read his comment until you "get the point". Your lack of reading comprehension is not his problem!

[@gedeon2696]

Regarding Hurricane vs Spitfire: 3 Hurricanes cost same as 1 Spitfire and could be built in same time. Also Hurricanes were far easier to repair, could handle rough field operation, and out-ranged the Spitfire.

[@capndad]

IMHO, the difference between them is the same as the difference between a saddle horse and a thoroughbred. Both are horses meant to be ridden, but you don't place a bet on the saddle horse.

[@barryervin8536]

Extra points for not calling the Bf109 an Me109, penalty points for all the footage of post war Spanish Buchons as Bf109s.

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

It was designated the Bf109 initially but later during the war this was changed to Me109 ( by the Germans)

[@10OZDuster]

hey listen The BEST WWII FIGHTER IS A "PILOT".

[@-lightningwill-6014]

RAF pilot to be exact

[@jonathanstapp3234]

Many good pilots from all sides. Anyone could be had if they we're caught at a disadvantage. Japan had some really good ace pilots and after 1942 also fought against superior aircraft routinely. Between the Japanese and the Germans they had the most experienced pilots for the most part. A German ace with 275 victories was shot down 8 times. A Japanese ace was jumped by 6 Mustangs and chased and they made multiple passes at low level and didn't take a single bullet. Same guy had a crazy vertical attack method for B-29s to take it down in one pass without taking fire vs emptying their ammo and being shot up. I'm just not able to say one name when it comes to who was the best pilot or what was the best aircraft. Too many variables

[@agemartinussen8141]

lol

[@syfer4580]

good point.

[@jf7243]

What a quotable quote, “It is often said that a fighters acceptance for success is its suitability for development and adaption.” (And this was from memory without rewinding, but how very apt.

[@kovesp1]

Fascinating. And here I thought the Soviet Union participated in WW2. I also seem to remember that the Il-2 still holds the record of the most produced military aircraft in history (about 36,000). No mention of it, nor of the various Lavochkins (as well as LaGGs), Yakovlevs ... just to stick with the most important types.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

It's a British propaganda film. They are entitled to emphasis the British and to a lesser degree the US airplanes. If you look for Soviet (or American) propaganda you'll find equally as good and equally as biased films.

[@uni4rm]

@@buildmotosykletist1987 British propaganda about the Me/Bf 109? It was the most produced fighter aircraft. The Il-2 was a purpose built ground attack bomber. Yes, they actually did show a Russian plane, but not all the nice ones. The same with several American, Italian, and even less dominant countries with their own designs. Clearly if they had reviewed every fighter design the movie would be 10 hours long.

[@philodonoghue3062]

Agreed. The only lack in the otherwise perfect WWII military aircraft documentary. Not least because apart from the Sturmovik etc, the Allies gave hundreds of desperately needed aircraft - needed by the Red Air Force, and just as much if not more by the donating Powers especially Britain viz., Hurricanes. The Americans also provided the much maligned Aircobra, which the Soviets turned to great advantage as a low level ground attack platform for its tank busting cannon in the propeller nose cone

[@Wolfen443]

WWII Fighters are just classic design at their best, and it goes beyond just WWII Nostalgia. Modern war planes might faster, carry more advanced tech and be better armed but even they well come second to them in my opinion in how unique they were.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

Maybe so but I'm a builder, for a while I did a lot of renovations and pulled apart old homes. When people say "They don't build them like they used to." and I say "Thank god they don't.". I don't know if it's the same with planes but suspect it is.

[@leodouskyron5671]

I think this was a weee tad biased and of course incomplete. That said fun watch.

[@jessfrankel5212]

Interesting video. The Polykarpov monoplane had a snubby nose, reminiscent of the Grumman F2F and F3f biplanes of that era, before the F4F was introduced. Maybe a Russian engineer saw the American design back then. Interesting history.

[@mikebtrfld1705]

My uncle was flying P40's in Burma before Pearl Harbor. A captain at 19.

[@SamSurplusSales]

Really what was his name and what squadron was he in . All A.V.G. members are well documented .

[@jeffknapp9467]

What was your uncle's name?

[@hannecatton2179]

Hard to comprehend the responsibility young people had then ! Today if a mobile / cell phone loses power panic ensues. That´s progress !

[@JuergenGDB]

@@jeffknapp9467 LOL Silence....... Captain at 19 is unheard of.

[@d.owczarzak6888]

AVG ?

[@hoatattis7283]

It was not a deserter that took the FW190 to Britain He was lost in the cloudy weather

[@mrbeaverstate]

Did I somehow miss the coverage of Japanese fighters??? They were a part of the war...

[@stanthology]

@Sam Radowick Not really. All fighters evolved during WW II. kzbin.info?search_query=drachinifel+evolution+of+zero+fighter

[@codedude12]

this is not true, it took years for the US to shoot down and recover a single Zero

[@codedude12]

Sam Radowick Yes I am high

[@bradboerst5861]

@@stanthology,not all did.The zero was basically the same exact same plane as it was at the start of the war. It's major flaw of being easily set on fire or the wing coming off from being hit at the wing root was never addressed and it followed the zero throughout the war

[@brufnus]

@Sam Radowick 3 1/2 years is also "years". ;-)

[@Wil_Dasovich]

This was the best doc I’ve ever seen on WW2 aviation!

[@tomtimor9789]

You need to see a lot more, like "Clash of wings" on youtube. It is from the same period, but many levels better documentary. Than watch "Soviet Storm" and compare. You will see, that, what you call "best" is a disappointment really.

[@robertcauswell7630]

X xx x

[@vega973]

🔥👍 😎❤️❤️❤️ PPKI 0

[@ricksturdevant2901]

I agree with Will Dasovich, and I definitely will take Tom Timor's suggestion

[@arthurhunt642]

This video is very good and I will also try to see the recommendations for others from the comments here.

[@arodrigues2843]

At about 13:00, the CORRECT designation is Policarpov I-15/I-16 series.!!! NOT 116.!!! Its a capital "I", from "Istrabitel", meaning "Fighter"!!! And, BTW, the armament of the Me-262, besides the R4M RP's, (Rocket Projectiles), where 4x awesome 30mm Cannon.!!!!

[@fvtpstime5646]

Mine also remember, as a 12-year-old 1975 building my model airplanes in using thread to hang them at different angles from the ceiling. My favorite airplane was a B-17 flying Fortress. Remember meticulously painting with The fan paint brushes while using model paint. The decals are my favorite. I have an always been a world war two aircraft junkie

[@finalchapter24k]

The B-17 was my favorite as well. I love the sound of a engines of a B-17 wing.

[@AnhTrieu90]

Uh, one plane from the Soviet and none from Japan. Those guys fought in WWII, were they not?

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

"Uh, one plane from the *Soviets* and none from Japan. Those guys fought in WWII, *did* they not?"

[@crazynate3761]

In the book "Famous Fighters of the Second World War", by William Greene ( the book that this entire monolog is based upon), he covers the Hayabusa, "Frank", "Tony", Shiden K, Yakovlev series, I16, and Sturmovik.

[@aaronratliff9646]

They don't count ...we blew Japan off the map ... and the Russians leadership didn't have enough scesns to have a good plan ... would have used it as canon fooer ..

[@popeye-pi7ci]

sorry m8, but the japanese planes are very lightly armoured not saying that the pilots would give everything but the planes are not that good..... But i do think the zero deserved a mention.......

[@JG-ib7xk]

To be fair, the Soviet planes of WW2 weren't particularly great compared with others mentioned in the video.

[@hughbo52]

Nice work. Great commentary. My heart still still races more for the Corsair. It's lines are just like pure speed and power.

[@wyominghorseman9172]

U.S. figures compiled at the end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks. F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1. Against the best Japanese opponents, the aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against Mitsubishi A6M and 6:1 against the Nakajima Ki-84, Kawanishi N1K-J and Mitsubishi J2M combined during the last year of the war.

[@michaeldundee8300]

@@wyominghorseman9172 ty

[@TheGuitarmanrh]

Great documentary, I'm a bit biased when it comes to WW2 fighters but the spitfire shall always reign supreme! Yes the Mustang was amazing but introduced too late to really mean anything to Britain, as we single handedly fought of the entire Luftwaffe at the hight of its power with just two little planes, the workhorse called the Hawker Hurricane and for the time, one of the most amazing fighting aircraft ever built, even being praised much to Goerrings utter disgust by his second in command, the Supermarine Spitfire, who's name even exudes it's class!! All of Europe was steamrollered by Germany's third Reich but they could not set one foot on this little island, because of three things, the two incredible pieces of engineering that I've already lauded and the best prime minister we have ever had, who gave the British people a resolve that was as hard as nails!!

[@bradboerst5861]

You seem to have forgotten that Germany had british fighter command down on its knees and on its way out ,germany didn't know this,but was saved when they switched from attacking the fighter bases to the bomber bases giving fighter command to recuperate and recover from the brink of losing. That's the biggest mistake Germany made in its attack on Britain and it cost Germany the Battle of Britain.

[@TheGuitarmanrh]

@@bradboerst5861 yep you lost! Sorry!

[@mraudio]

Yes, I agree... you're biased.

[@uni4rm]

Uh, wrong for several reasons. The Royal Navy kept Germany out of England, not fighter aircraft. The German Navy had no way to challenge it, so it was a lost cause from the start. The Spitfire was very easily the best interceptor of WW2, but that is all it was good for. Flying up, attacking enemy planes, then coming home after burning up all its gas and ammo. But during the BoB, there were only a few hundred Spitfires, and the British used mostly Hurricanes or foreign import aircraft. Also, there were Free French, Polish, American, and many other foreign nation pilots supplementing the British forces during the BoB. UK was NEVER alone.

[@SD-yb5fx]

Why not make sure that you are truly saved by Jesus Christ and practice this way. Remorsefully confess with your heart your sins to Jesus Christ who is God and tell Him that you right now are repenting of your sins and you want to be born again of the Spirit from above. Tell Jesus that you are remorsefully sorry for breaking His commandments and that you are begging for forgiveness from Him. Allow His blood from the cross to wash away your sins. After this is done with your heart successfully the Holy Spirit will come to live within you and He will rebuild you from the inside out. Look for signs that you are saved. Things like spreading the good news from Jesus, getting other people saved, a craving for the word of God, reading the Bible, etc… These things are known as a calling and fruit bearing. If you're not bearing fruit then keep doing it. Sometimes it takes time to get saved. Read Matthew chapter 13 from the King James Bible. God bless!!!!!!!

[@jimblouch4811]

Good information I assembled a Black Widow, a P51 Mustang, a P38 Lightening and several others

[@urushira]

your not going to find a lot of people who even know what a black widow is, and even fewer who care.. There seems to be an almost concerted effort too this day, to wipe this plane from the annals of history.. Amazing plane.. Also americas first storm chaser.. It was arguably the most devastating fighter of world war 2..

[@Booyaka9000]

Just throttle back the drama there, @@urushira. No one's trying to delete the Black Widow from history. And no, the government isn't listening to your thoughts via microwaves.

[@cheswick617]

@@Booyaka9000 Not only that but "the most devasting"? hardly...night fighters weren't exactly considered the most devastating, especially considering the kill rates of the corsair and P-51D.

[@randykelso4079]

Great video, but I found it amusing that the film was flipped over, giving a mirror image of everything: engines being started backward, left-handed salutes, aircraft side letters and numbers written backward, etc.

[@ice484]

I know they were all killing machines but what beautifully engineered aircraft they all were and designed as a result of this dreadful war. In the summer we still get Spitfires & Hurricanes fly over our house ,the sound and speed is just awesome.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

We get P51's and Flying Fortresses... along with F16's... B1's... F22's...

[@Steve-nf4jx]

The hurricane was not that good. Between the battle a britan they got spitfires. Hurricanes lacked with speed and turn rate. The spitfire had all of that.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@Steve-nf4jx Actually the Hurricane was very good at the start of the war with a better turn than a Bf 109, it lacked the performance of a Spitfire but still served very well in Malta and North Africa, it made a great tank buster with 2 x 40 mm cannon.

[@Steve-nf4jx]

@@barrierodliffe4155 Oh, ok

[@markcatton1484]

I believe that the hurricane was a better bet than a spitfire against the 109. It could turn tighter and take punishment and be patched and flying in hours. Cloth covering is easier than sheet metal.

[@jimmyhaley727]

Spitfire, Spitfire, Spitfire, and more Spitfires,, video must have been produced by the Kings island,,, hehehehe

[@cbwelch4]

F4U finer than the Hellcat? Think again. The F6F was called the “Ace Maker” because in fact more pilots made Ace status flying Hellcats than any other US type even being fielded after the Corsair. It had a better kill:loss ratio than the Corsair or any other US WW2 fighter. See the “Marianas Turkey Shoot”. The Corsair was a better fighter/bomber, but the Hellcat was the better air superiority and carrier fighter. More forgiving to fly for new pilots with a very negligible stall. It had the Corsair on turn rate but rolled slower. The Corsair had issues with the radiators in the wing roots catching fire if shot. The Hellcat absorbed damage better. Corsair kill ratio: 11:1 Hellcat kill ratio: 16:1

[@mills9402]

The corsairs were great air support aircraft in the Korean war Although better dogfighters F6Fs were poor in killing ki47 tojos due to the tojos being small thin targets and being super fast the F6F5 wildcat was a massive upgrade some were armed with cannons and sent to Europe

[@cbwelch4]

@@mills9402 I’ve never heard of F6F’s engaging the German’s save one encounter between ME109’s and a British carrier patrol in which two 109’s were downed plus one damaged for the loss of one F6F. If you have heard of another, I’d love the reference. I’ve always thought the F6F would have fared well in the ETO. It decimated the A6M s out performing them above 275 mph.

[@cbwelch4]

@@mills9402 not many F6F-5’s saw combat before the war ended. The buik of combat was seen by the F6F-3. Anecdotally one of the key improvements in the F6F-5 was an improved roll rate.

[@richardanderson2742]

One must consider the very different operating environments for the majority of the two aircraft types. The Marines employed the Corsairs from muddy hell holes without any dedicated repair facilities against a most often numerically superior foe. The Hell Cat was primarily operated from carriers with state of the art repair facilities and most often had numerical superiority. Most of the Marine Corsairs were kept in operation until they literally couldn’t fly and then used as parts planes…..a condition that Navy would have pushed over the side. The versatility, utility and durability of the Corsair kept it in production into the jet age; its record as such only exceeded by the A-1 Sky Raider that served throughout Vietnam. Operating environment, mission parameters and logistical support have significant bearing on operational results. The Corsair was not only an excellent air superiority fighter, but excelled in areas for which the Hell Cat was totally unsuited.

[@cbwelch4]

@@mills9402 I’m not sure about that. The P-40’s shredded the Ki-43 over China via the AVG. The Zero was also a small plane and the Hellcat owned it. Anecdotally the Hellcat and P-40 were both maneuverable and good turn fighters.

[@sirfer6969]

I live close to an airforce base where some collectable planes are brought into the country. I'll never forget the raw horsepower sound of a Corsair doing laps of the base, just phenomenal. But fyi when saying the number 0, the correct pronunciation is "zero". "Oh" for O is a letter of the alphabet ;) Sorry my grandma was an English teacher =P Great doco. Thanks for the upload.

[@theharper1]

Wrt "zero" do you mean saying "one oh nine"? I've never heard it called a "one zero nine". My guess is that your grandmother is not English?

[@Joze1090]

I mean, the narrator is British. I think he understands the English language. "Oh" and "zero" are interchangeable. That being said, oh point five caliber does sound a bit odd.

[@mikeh7860]

These are excellent docs. Made just the way us war history nerds like them. Low in flash and action, high in detail and facts. The German war files docs are also really good

[@d.cypher2920]

Everyone has their favorites, just like this film, although the bf 109, and spitfire deserve there place here ... *the fw190 i believe designed and overseen by kürt tahnk, is far more "outstanding" than the other two, it simply doesn't get the attention it truely deserves. In my humble opinion.*

[@theflaver]

limited vocabulary...

[@catnapcatastrophic2136]

Dan... such arrogance.....

[@d.cypher2920]

Robert Ferguson well said, indeed. Most particularly...the politics part. I rarely speak of such things any longer (as my intense revulsion at the utter whoring these spineless parasites are become....😑😏) You are right on... it's reinforcing to piint out the soviet almost mirror image of how politrix [🤣] played a role in myasishchev's success/ignored in later years. He must be one of my fav designers. M4 was is a real nice design. Btw: my affiliations do not extend anywhere near the Russians. Lol. I'm from N. America

[@Mishn0]

Robert Ferguson - There were many Luftwaffe pilots who preferred the 109 over the 190. They even preferred the more lightly armed Fs over the Gs due to the performance. Hard to say which was better, but the user's opinions should be respected.

[@d.cypher2920]

Mishn0 in my humbled opinion... i concur... I'm not a pilot of any of these craft... but hear from some, it all really depends on the individual, the training, and that very moment in combat. Never know...like a sapper slicing the throat, of a general...

[@michaelerlano4283]

Gee thats a honey of a airplane.......... cringe

[@manricobianchini5276]

The F6F was still not as good as the F4U Corsair or the P-51 Mustang, so for me, who cares.

[@uralbob1]

F4U Corsair! My favorite since I was a child!

[@chriskirkpatrick6097]

The fearsome F2G was even more potent!

[@H-cranky]

@@chriskirkpatrick6097 that thing is scary to fight against in war thunder

[@annodomini7887]

The comment section is filled with professional historians and ww2 aircraft historians!

[@barrierodliffe4155]

Some do know a lot about the subject but unfortunately there are some like Wilbur Finnigan who have no idea.

[@elvisischrist]

And a few douchebags like yourself...

[@tommybahama1872]

I KNOW! 3/4 of 'em have No Idea! Flunked Soph. History class!

[@P-B-G_YT]

How many of you noticed that the Supermarine Spitfire footage is reversed.

[@karllloyd1014]

left handed salute

[@stanthology]

Wheeew! I thought I was going back in time !

[@virgotiger4]

Paul Getson Why are so many films reversed like that? Copyright issues? Btw, I have a friend up here in the Yukon named Paul Getson.

[@wotnotvintage7762]

Indeed it is ... the footage is of the aircraft (Spitfire and Hurricane) belonging to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight around about 1960. The Spitfire TE 478 still exists and is (I think) currently airworthy ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqWwo3VpnNiAbas

[@tonyrichards4141]

@soaringtractor Hurrycanes you mean slowcanes

[@bobblehat6603]

No mention of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero or the Nakajima B5N????

[@jacobmccandles1767]

No Hellcats, Wildcats, Oscars, Beaus, Falcos, Buffalos, Airacobras, Defiants, Gladiators, Lvochkins, MiGs, or Yaks? Some of these were footnotes, okay I get that...but others were downright essential!

[@nilesfuller979]

My dad flew the P-39 and P-41 during WWII. His life expectancy was 1 week.

[@tommybahama1872]

Most of Y' all are Brilliant I tell ya-----Oh goodness. BS'ers

[@markcatton1484]

Very interesting. Shame the Typhoon and Tempest didn't get a mention.

[@timothyphillips5043]

Two great planes, but how long did they serve in the war?

[@markcatton1484]

The Tempest came in Jan 44 but it's development from the Hurricane via Typhoon started before the war. Sydney Cam was a genius. Typhoon came in 41. It was the only fighter capable of catching an FW190 and this saved it and hence the Tempest.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@markcatton1484 There were very few F 190's in late 1941. The Typhoon had some problems which meant it was not a great fighter, fast at low level but when tested against an Fw 190 they asked Supermarine to send a Spitfire for comparison, the Typhoon pulled away from the Fw 190 and the Spitfire left them both, this was in 1942 and it was a Spitfire Mk XII.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Gregory Dahl The Zero, sure it did give the US a hard time but it was obsolete by 1943, the Me 163 killed more German pilots than anyone else so why would that get a mention and the P 59 was a failure.

[@bigbearfuzzums7027]

It's because the hurricane and typhoon won the air war!

[@paulrugg1629]

Left out the sons of Nippon, eh??makes u wonder......

[@worldtopgun-3525]

Missing. My favorite fighters of WW-2. Some of the best. Imperial Japanese Army fighters. Imperial Japanese Navy fighters. Soviet top of the line mid-late fighters. Soviet Yaks were the 2nd most produced aircraft of the Second world war. 35.000 were produced.

[@davidelliott5843]

The Tsetse Mosquito did not get a mention. It carried a 6 pounder anti tank gun with Mohlins auto loader. Used to take out U-Boats and shipping, the pilots could get off four or five rounds in a dive. Shells punched through submarine hulls and out the other side causing seirous damage on the way through. One pilot shot down a Ju88 when one of his 6 pound shell ripped an engine off it's mountings.

[@uni4rm]

The Mosquito's advantage was it was wood and adapted for many roles. Other than that, it was a rather unremarkable aircraft.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

@@uni4rm : Obviously you mean "It was a remarkable aircraft."

[@agl1925]

@@uni4rm Mosquito an “Unremarkable aircraft” according to you? In late 1941 / 1942 (do or die years) Mosquito was THE FASTEST thing in the sky - no German fighter could touch it… How is this “unremarkable”?

[@marcbrasse747]

A very nice documentary and reasonably comprehensive at first sight but the ommision of the Me 110, P39 Airacobra, the Russian Mig, Jakovlev and Lavochkin fighters and all the Japanese types is rather typical. Was there another part?

[@alanaflynn8878]

I'm glad you mentioned this! I'm very new to learning about aircraft and was wondering why, even though it's mentioned often in many videos, why the Japanese Zero wasn't talked about much here. Glad to have more aircraft to look into from your comment!

[@patrik8564]

11:53 "I-16", not "One-16". The letter "I" in its name means- "Istrebitel" ("Fighter" in Russian)

[@brufnus]

Да, точно... "истребитель" - будет "fighter" по-английский. :-D

[@theccpisaparasite8813]

The Spitfire ,,, the only aircraft fhat achieved truly immortal status in WWII...seriously.. seriously.

[@skyportalmusic7178]

Jesus Loves You All

[@johnwhite7219]

No Japanese fighters?

[@jamesm.taylor6928]

Finally a documentary gets the exchange between Adolf Galland and Goreing during the battle of Britain when Goreing asked an assembled group.of Squadron or Staffel commanders what he could do to.help them win the battle and Ga!!and replied " I would like a Staffel of Spitfires" of course pissing Goreing off pretty good. Actually, as a side note, this fits Galland and how he is a person very well. Garland was a typical full of himself, Prussian German royalty type of an asshole, although he wasn't in fact a Von, just after like it. There was a semi famous incident where he was leading his squadron or staffel of 109s back to France after a mission when they were jumped by Spits. One of his pilots, a young green pilot just out of training and flying one of his first missions, gets on the radio in a panic and full of fear. There's a spit on my tail what do I do? He still on my tail! Galland, greatly annoyed, breaks in at this point to say, "just bail.out and start swimming (they were over the channel) you bed wetter" he snaps. Evidently Galland changed after the war as he became known as being the handsome, charming ex Luftwaffe hero and ace and gave countless interviews over the years and was known to be a very nice guy. He managed to avoid the label of Nazi mostly due to the fact that he was a well known antagonist and general pain in the ass to the Nazi leadership throughout the entire war, typified by his smartass comment to Goreing during the battle of britian. He was able to get away with this, similar to the way Rommel could get away with ignoring and disobeying direct orders from Hitler in Africa, because even then his was a multiple ace and famous hero in germany.

[@herbertsteger45]

Just so you know for future reference, in English his name is spelled Goering, using “oe” to substitute for the German umlauted “o”. In Hochdeutsch or high German, his name would be pronounced “ger’ring”.

[@krukpolny8505]

Siwek Kazimierz Pilot 315 Mustang III Oficer RAF. Google.

[@tenzinnordenthinley7121]

No, Zero, Hellcat and Yak-3, This is totally incomplete documentary.

[@hoangho6781]

But on the plus side we do do get something to watch

[@tomasneel1980]

How they configured the engine to mount a nose cannon, thats German engineering at its finest

[@darthvirgin7157]

that’s been around since WWI.

[@topivaltanen4432]

French Dewoitine D.510 had it before Me109.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

tomas neel How did it work out for them ?????? hint the Germans lost the war !!!

[@topivaltanen4432]

Actually its not that hard after people realized cranckshaft is not going straight to propeller shaft.

[@RWildekrav66]

As a kid in the 60’ s , I would daydream about being a Corsair and P40 pilot . Always wanted to fly . I’m 68 now and there are days that I still daydream about being a pilot for those old war birds and having dogfights the becoming an Ace . I’ll be a daydreamer till I pass away I guess .

[@derektodd4126]

alot of wrong sounding engines compared to footage eg inlines to radial footage.

[@davidgaines9853]

Everything about the spitfire is just opinion! The USA had the lightning and p 51 as well as many others that are equally important. I do however think that the engine in the spit fire had the best high altitude set up for that role only.

[@jlyle51]

David Gaines Yep the Merlin was a better engine than the Allison. Remember that Packard built hundreds of Merlin engines here in the USA.

[@jlyle51]

David Gaines One of the best Aircraft built here in the USA was the P39 cobra. However they did not allow them to have super chargers. I think if the p39 would have had super chargers The would rank up with the best of them.

[@davidgaines9853]

@@jlyle51 I agree with you totally! They castrated that plane and it caused or to die. That plane had a drive shaft and car doors correct?

[@danzervos7606]

The P-38 was the highest scoring Army Air Force Fighter in the Pacific but two US Navy Fighters (Corsair and Hellcat) had higher scores. On April 7th 1945, fourteen B-17s were lost on combat missions to all causes (so the Me-262s did not shoot down 25 that day). Of the B-17s lost that day, they belonged to 8 different combat groups. The 452nd lost four B-17s (the group with the highest losses, three other groups lost 2 B-17s and the rest were single group losses). On that day, the 452nd received a combat citation for bombing a jet aircraft base (they did not salvo their bombs and flee). With 8 groups they could have had over 500 bombers and losing 14 would hardly have been sufficient to drive them off their mission.

[@fredahaynes8364]

I would like to have a shout out to night fighters, The P-61 Black Widow looked so cool when I was a kid.

[@hoangho6781]

But only a few were produce not few hundred a few

[@stephenhowlett6345]

I kept waiting for the fastest and heavily armed rocket firing typhoon to come up but no mention. That was a potent machine accounting for hundreds of enemy tanks so it should have been included. Nonetheless an interesting look at the different planes which were far more beautiful than today’s flying computers.

[@miragejeff1]

Agreed, so was I. Also he Tempest.

[@ivan7453]

I could not agree with you more. Quite a disappointment that it was not included.

[@hotel3667]

Read the title!!!! It says, Fighters of ww2, FIGHTERS!!! Not ground attack aircraft! The Typhoon was a ground attack aircraft!

[@ivan7453]

@@hotel3667 The Typhoon initially was used as an interceptor or fighter aircraft. With a 24 cylinder Napier Sabre engine, it managed to chase and knock out V1 flying bombs. Could I also note it was more than a match for the FW190. At the same time, the MK5 Spitfire, the RAF's frontline fighter, was getting mauled by the FW190. The Typhoon was made by Hawker as a replacement for the Hurricane. Although a great aircraft, it did suffer a number of design issues, some leading to fatalities. With revision, the Typhoon was later used in a ground attack role until it was replaced by the Tempest. May I suggest better research before launching an attack.

[@uni4rm]

Fighter-bombers NEVER accounted for "hundreds" of tanks. Diving attacks by aircraft certainly deterred ground forces, but in reality it was always ineffective at destroying armored vehicles. By the time the Typhoon was available in numbers flying around France Germany hardly had any tanks left.

[@brufnus]

I'm a bit disappointed the Zero is not introduced. The Allies had serious challenges beating that thing during the first years of the war.

[@Mike-im5bo]

Agreed, the presenter does seem to have an ETO bias.

[@ludeman]

The P40 still looks the best with the shark teeth paint

[@sasakalak4681]

flying tigers...probably the most recognizable group ever...not sure,but i think that they started the nose art...

[@Mark-Ozi]

@@sasakalak4681 No, the Australians in North Africa started the shark teeth design for the the P40, the Americans picked it up from them

[@marvinmauldin4361]

Apparently the Japanese Mitsubishi Zeros were hallucinations. I know there are time restrictions, but I believe that Japanese fighters were a factor in the Pacific Theater.

[@Troy729]

If time was a factor why spend time on Italian planes? The Japanese were more of a factor than the Italians.

[@antongreenberg741]

The Polikarpov is an I-16 not a 116...

[@zapszapper9105]

Lightings were very manoverable, because of the big wing area giving a low wing loading like the spitfire. Especially at lower speeds as per a turning dog fight. As well as there high speed which enabled them to bounce on other aircraft and then climb away. And two engines one of which would get you home. What was responsible for the success in the battle of Britain was far more the radar based inter grated defence system. Hurricanes burnt their pilots. But hurricane is what they had. They could also out turn 109s but were 50 mph slower 330 vs 385 mph . I do agree about the mosquito, as Jack of all trades and master of all. Except perhaps it was only on par with later day fighters in the day fighter role, but the mosquito 1) could carry radar, 2) could and was directed by radar ships far out to sea in the interceptor role. And was a superior strategic bomber. It's won short coming is it couldn't carry the really heavy big bombs of the Lancaster. But it could still using two sorties and two crews get two 3000pound block busters to Berlin in one winters night. And it got its crews home, At shorter ranges like France or Essen it had a bomb load nearly as much as a b17. I think it's average loss rate was less than 1% vs around 8 -9% for other types, which gave you less than even chances if you were to fly 30 missions. But there were 7 air crew in a Lancaster and up to 10 or 11 in a B17 or Liberator vs 2 in a Mosquito, So for weight of bombs on target per airman lost and weight of bombs on target for aircraft lost made a Mosquito far more efficient, as well the Mosquito night fighters, dominated the German night fighters, the Mosquito pathfinders marked the targets, and Mosquito long range photo reconnaissance took a picture of the damage. And the wooden mosquito was far more stealthy than aluminium aircraft. I bet there were lots of arguments between Fleet air arm, bomber command and fighter command as to who got the mosquitos. A credited as 2 kills was given to the crew of a German aircraft if they managed to get a mosquito.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

The lightning had poor maneuverability and were never very fast, not even a great rate of climb. The Hurricane was slower than a Bf 109 but not that much, the Bf 109 top speed about 354 mph, also the RAF had the Spitfire which was faster than the Hurricane and could also out turn the Bf 109. the DH Mosquito could carry almost as much as a B 17 to Berlin, the Lancaster 3 or 4 times the bomb load. Spitfires were also used for photo reconnaissance, ranging far and wide at high speed they were almost immune from interception by the Luftwaffe.

[@georgefox4982]

The German Air force had a point system for aircraft downed 1 pt for a single engine 2 for a twin and 4 for a 4 engine aircraft. Points were accumulated for the awarding of merits and medals. All aircraft downed whether it had 1,2 or 4 engines was worth 1 victory.

[@Kendro311]

"Here you go gentleman... a sexy tin can with a motor on it with some heavy guns. And here's a pistol in case you get shot down and live. Sorry we probably won't be able to find you. Now go fight for freedom!" I hate war is a thing, but what a bunch of bad asses. All my respect

[@irregularlyunusual1531]

Nice

[@zdzichus.3264]

"in case you get shot down and live" ;-) Now reading between lines: "which we belive, is almost impossible, but here you are: this gun gives you a hope, at leat" :-D

[@hulado]

the army issued my dad an h&r sportsman. he flew spits and p47s in combat. others not in combat. i still have his north african/med silk maps.

[@chopper2429]

Not even once did they mention that the Mosquito's outstanding performance allowing it to accomplish everything it did was entirely made possible (using only 2 Merlin v-12 engines) thanks to its exclusive wooden construction.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Sailor Bob Actually the Mosquito shot down over 400 V 1's, while the Tempest and Spitfire shot their down up to 1,000 during the day the Mosquito did so mostly at night.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Sailor Bob No problem, the night fighter Mosquito also shot down a lot of Luftwaffe aircraft and the NF Mk XV with nitrous oxide had a turn of speed which allowed it to catch Fw 190's. I also love the ones with the Molins gun which took out small ships and U boats or the unarmed bomber version which could drop a 4,000 lb bomb and outrun most fighters. There is also the Beaufighter which was a tough and good aircraft.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Sailor Bob The Spitfire also did some very accurate bombing of small targets like a house used by the Gestapo in France, I had heard about the Mosquito attacks on Gestapo but only recently came across the Spitfire being used for this too.

[@michaelburke5907]

Designed as a fast attack aircraft, not a fighter per se. Great airplane, most versatile.

[@radzewicz]

The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first aircraft to fly under turbojet power, and the first practical jet aircraft. It was a private venture by the German Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight. It first flew on 27 August 1939, piloted by Erich Warsitz. This flight had been preceded by a short hop three days earlier.

[@Glen.Danielsen]

Excellent, fair, balanced documentary. Outstanding! 💛🙏🏼

[@caalcb7]

I'm always be dazzled and amazed by the bravery of a fighter pilots of the WW 2, it's just pure skills no technological aid's or whatsoever for them to do the dogfight. And those piston engined propeller will always have a place in my heart. Jet engine sounds great too but piston enginesd propeller is better sounded.