How Belgian Biplane Pilots Bravely Fought the Luftwaffe in 1940
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ค. 2023
- Early in WWII, several small European air forces attempted to stop the mighty Luftwaffe. The outcome is well known but individual stories and achievements are very obscure. This video will hopefully bring some attention to the efforts of brave Belgian pilots flying the Fiat CR.42 biplane in 1940.
Sources:
- Gianni Cattaneo - Aircraft Profile No. 16: The Fiat CR.42
amzn.to/3O2vSUx
- Apostolo Giorgio - Fiat CR 42
amzn.to/3B9Xe3k
- Håkans aviation page
surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/
Support the channel on Patreon:
/ showtime112
Donate via Paypal:
www.paypal.com/paypalme/showt...
Join our Discord server:
/ discord
Audio mastering by Don Solaris:
• Shorts
Machinations by Kevin MacLeod
Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: filmmusic.io/standard-license
#biplane #militaryaviationhistory #luftwaffe - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Thanks for making the video , i'm from Belgium and even here people don't realize that the Belgian military aviation was capable to shoot down German planes in 1940 . Some of the Belgian pilots you've mentioned in the video and others managed to escape to the UK . Just in time to participate in the battle of Britain flying Hurricanes . Some 15 pilots were involved, like Jean Offenberg .
Thank you for the feedback! RAF became a proper international force with that many Europeans joining it.
@@showtime112 Yes indeed .
Shame so many brave airplanes destroyed on the ground .😊
@@Jim-ic2of you have a point , due to the lack of sufficient numbers of anti aircraft guns the airfields were not well protected . So indeed to many airplanes got destroyed on the ground in May 1940. The pilots however some 120 of them escaped to Great Britain in June 1940 to get enlisted in The RAF . 15 of them were approved to be assigned to the Hurricane squadrons , another 15 pilots were assigned to the squadrons of the Coastal Guard . Later in the war , a number of Belgian pilots ( i think 50) joined the SAAF fighting in the skies from North- Africa to Asia and Italy.
Outnumbered outgunned but not outmanned... brave of them to still go up as much as they could and do what they could excellent video on the early days of the war and good to see that the smaller nations are getting some love...
Thanks for the feedback! There are more stories about small air forces resisting large ones and I really like covering them.
Nice summary of the Belgian Air Force in the early days of WW2, now could you do the same for The Netherlands?
Thanks for the comment and suggestion! It can be done, we have the Fokker D.XXI in WT. I need to find a good source with enough details.
Jean Offenberg had a Dutch father from Rotterdam , his mother was Belgian . 😉
As a Belgian, thank you
I'm glad you appreciate this! It's a story well worth telling.
The Italian Fiat should not be underestimated; especially in the hands of a skilled and determined pilot!!
Yes, some of the Italian pilots did pretty well. Especially in Africa.
Those BF109E's had in the wing 20mm cannon, one good burst from them and it's all over for the Falco, but to those bi-planes credit, they could out turn just about anything that came at them.
Yes, don't turn with them or there might be a nasty surprise.
it was pretty much over for any fight
@@Norfolkyakker the Belgian falco's had a great kill to loss ratio, a very good one actually... including 2 confirmed BF109's
@@roelantverhoeven371 wow 2, did you hear that guys, 2😂
@@Norfolkyakker : It was very difficult to get a fighter kill in a WW2 dogfight when your aircraft was 75 mph slower than the enemy, and you were also outnumbered about 4 to 1. Even more so for pilots with no previous combat experience. Basically, you had to rely on the enemy pilot making a mistake, and his wingmen being off your own tail. Both happening at once was a rare event.
Excellent video - one wonders how the CR.42 would have fared in combat with the Daimler Benz 601 engine - if only they could have done it a year or two earlier...
Thanks! We can only speculate about that. There would probably still be limits beyond which a biplane couldn't go, regardless of the engine.
@@showtime112 FIAT was able to get it to fly as fast as a Hurricane (323 m.p.h.), but could not get more than that. Armament was still 2 x 12.7mm guns (400 rpg). It was still exceptionally maneuverable, but FIAT decided that since monoplane fighter speeds were steadily increasing, it made no sense to invest in the CR.42 DB. One of the many "what ifs" - if the aircraft had come a year or two earlier - it would have been a magnificent scene.
The Belgian war effort is usually outlooked because of their quick defeat but their air force kept fighting all the war under the RAF umbrella
Yes, RAF was a true multi-national force gathering pilots from European democracies.
It was an educational video for most of us. Thank you.
@showtime112 not just European, pilots from all over the British commonwealth came to fly with the RAF. A true world coalition against the Nazis.
Nice work. You don't disappoint when it comes to learning esoteric facets of military aviation.
Maybe the channel would be more successful if I renamed it 'Esoteric air battles' or something like that 😁😁😁
@@showtime112 You have about 9 times our subscribers. I think you're doing something right haha.
Another excellent one! Do you think you could do one about the Polish Air Forces efforts in September 1939?
Thanks for another comment! It would be very interesting to cover the Polish Air Force fighting the Germans in 1939. The problem is that they used domestically designed fighters which we don't have in current games and simulations. If War Thunder introduces the Polish tech tree, I'll certainly do it.
Another black weekend for the VKS just dropped
It not the plane, but the skill of the pilot that determine the dogfight.
Great presentation of the Belgian AF doing what it could to fight off and defend from the Germans. You fight with what you have or can get. Exellent ad always very detail oriented, but thsts Showtime 112. ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇲🏁🇺🇦🔱🌻💮🌸🌼🏴☠️🏹
Just contributed a little something for the channel. Thank you for all you do!
Exactly! Thanks for yet another comment!
I've seen it, I appreciate this very exact support! The hope for the future is growing.
Another great video. Belgian airmen were brave.
Thank you for the feedback!
@@showtime112 During italian invasion in Greece there was lot of heroic actions of Greek airmen facing Italian and german airplanes using less capable airplanes against noumerous enemies. Unfortunately i can't give to you sources.
One thing is certain, the Belgians have always fought bravely...(salutations to Poirot😎)
The most famous Belgian in history (who never actually existed 😁). Thanks for another comment!
😁🤭👏🏻👍🏻💪🏻🍻🍻🙋🏼♂️
You realize that Poirot was a *fictional* character? Some writer invented him? WTF
@@Heike--That was sarcasm, Sheldon 🤣
@@Heike-- Oh really...just don't tell me Santa doesn't exist either 😁
82ND AIRBORNE
15 Minutes!! YEEEEEHAW!!
Getting better and better! 😀
Nice little video and solid research. As a Belgian fascinated by aviation I have been digging up info about this for many years and have several books from Belgian pilots telling about those days in May 1940. When I compile all sources I come up with 15 kills for the Belgian Air Force before the capitulation. 13 of those coming from the 2 squadrons flying CR-42's (3/II/2 & 4/II/2). The CR-42 pilots with claims are Charles Goffin (3), Jan Maes (1), Jean de Callatay (2), Jean Offenberg (2), Werner de Mérode (1), Emiel de Moerlose (1), Marcel Michotte (1), Alexis Jottard (1) & Jean Moreau (1). 1 claim for pilot Albert Van den Hove flying the Hurricane (2/I/2) as the only Hurricane that managed to take off during the opening bombing runs from the Germans on the Belgian airfields. All other Hurricanes were destroyed on the ground. 1 claim by Etienne Dufossez, flying Fairey Fox VI (5/III/2). No kill claims for the Gladiator squadrons, only 1 probable (claimed by Denys Rolin) and 1 damaged (claimed by Henry Winand), both from 1/I/2 squadron. But the Gladiators were clearly no match and suffered the most losses in air combat of all Belgian Air Units. All in all, despite their out-dated equipment and their limited resources the Belgian pilots did a heck of a job and many of them "deserted" the Belgian Air Force to continue the fight in the R.A.F., eventually having two full Belgian R.A.F. squadrons (349 & 350) with also a large Belgian presence in squadron 609.
Belgian pilots with the most claims during WW2: Yvan Du Monceau de Bergendal (8), Victor Ortmans (7.83), Jean Offenberg (7.5), Charles Detal (6.5), Raymond Lallemant (6.5), Remy Van Lierde (6 + 40 V1's), Jacques Philippart (6). Philippart was one of the 30 Belgian pilots who fought in the Battle Of Britain and once had 3 confirmed kills in one day + 1 probable (all Bf-110's) on August 15. Unfortunately he was killed in action 10 days later. Also a special mention for pilot Rodolphe de Hemricourt de Grunne who fought in the Spanish Civil War and had 14 confirmed air kills there before joining the RAF and fighting in the Battle of Britain to get 1.5 more confirmed kills before he got injured and was out of action for almost a year. On his return he joined 609 squadron but after only 20 days with the squadron he went MIA (bailed out over the channel, never to be seen again).
Thank you very much for the elaborate feedback! I have to say that I haven't come across any info on that Hurricane kill. I seem to remember that none of them took off. Could be an interesting topic for a future video, can you recommend a good source for that?
@@showtime112 Strange, I thought I had answered before but I don't see my response, so responding again (probably removed because I had a link in it) 🙂. You can find some info on the THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN LONDON MONUMENT website (in section Airmen, Belgian airmen, a little bio of Albert Van Den Hove). In this online article they mention that 2 Hurricanes managed to get airborne and that Albert Van Den Hove claimed a 'damaged'. In several Belgian articles (both in Dutch & French) it's listed as confirmed destroyed (a He-111) but yeh, this might be wrong. All claims in those early days are always heavily disputed (for both sides, as German pilots claimed several destroyed Belgian planes in those May days (pun intended), while the Belgian Air Force had no losses on that particular day, so yeh, always hard to seperate the facts from the fiction).
@@showtime112 Several sources say that 2 Hurricanes managed to survive the bombings on May 10th but were then destroyed the following day in a bombing raid at the Beauvechain airfield. On the Battle of Britain Monument website you can find the following info in Albert Van Den Hove's bio: "The squadron was coming to readiness on 10th May 1940 when successive dawn attacks by Me110s destroyed all but two of the Hurricanes, only van den Hove and one other being able to take off. Van den Hove intercepted a raid by twin-engine bombers on Brussels and damaged one. He went on to land at Beauvechain where his aircraft was destroyed on the ground the following day."
I love it when you change a mean of a presentation from time to time, it keeps the dymanics of the channel and saves it from stagnation.
Well done, my friend! 👍🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻🍻🍻🙋🏼♂️
Thanks! I like to vary in subject even though sticking to one thing might be better for the channel :)
@@showtime112 Well, acording to the comments you're doing the right stuff! 🙋🏼♂️
Great show love the camo on these WWII biplanes it just looks right thanks
Thanks! I agree, that camouflage looks just right!
@Showtime112
Thanks for this interesting video.
😼
Greetings from Brussels, Belgia
Thank you for appreciating it!
Keep producing content👍
Your my favourite TH-camr for this stuff
I look forward to your posts
Thanks for this positive feedback! New content will be coming at least for a while.
Bravo! Svaka cest! very nice video :))
Hvala na pozitivnom komentaru!
Good one! I would like to see a video about Brazilian pilots in WWII.
Thanks! I certainly want to cover that story in the future. They flew P-47s I think.
Whose side did they fight on? Brazilians of all people can be expected to oppose the Americans automatically.
@@Heike-- Now it might be me who doesn't understand sarcasm 😁
Could you cover the Norwegian air force efforts in 1940
This is on my 'to do' list
Very good.
Thanks for the comment!
The Fiat CR42 may have been completely outdated by 1940 but the Italians continued to use the airplane troughout WW2.
Not just that, they produced new ones all the way to the capitulation in 1943.
True, although in 1942-43 the CR.42 was relegated to fighter-bomber duties.
The CR 42 Falco was the very best fighter biplane that could endanger hurricanes ( if not well flown) so it was certainly an even if not a superior AA fighter against Stuka's
TY🙏🙏
Thank you for commenting!
Nice! 👍
Thanks! 😃
And I had a Mérode young prince as a dormatory neighbour too in that Saint-Paul college boarding school, Arnaud is his name.
Great educational video, you have a unique concept going! How is the flightmodel in Warthunder compared to IL-2 and DCS? Is it inferior in every part of the flight regime or just in some parts?
Thanks! I haven't done a deep analysis or comparison because I mostly haven't played the same aircraft in all the games but generally, I'd say that flight model in WT is roughly on the 'simple flight model' level in DCS.
@@showtime112 I understand, must be pretty good after all, because the "simple" in DCS was already very good in Flanker 1.0-2.51. I have to look more into the subject, but as I recall it can be hard to distinguish the simple from the advanced/professional when just flying around in normal maneuvers. Could be you only notice the advanced models in certain flight regimes.
It’s a shame none of the Belgium Hawker Hurricanes did not manage to get off the ground, as they would fought valiantly.
True. I really like the Hurricane because it is overshadowed by the Spitfire. A couple of kills would have been nice but Germans knew well what to attack first.
I like this channel.
Glad to hear it, thank you!
I liked this one!
It's nice to hear, thanks!
It not the plane that determine the battle, but the skill of the pilot.
It certainly was true in the past. With modern technology, maybe to a lesser extent :)
Awesome
Nice to hear it, thanks!
Hope you can do a video of the Dutch participation too!
I plan to. We have Fokker D.XXI in War Thunder, I just need to find some good sources.
the renard was a parasol monoplane, not a biplane, and it served well as recon plane for the allies
You could make a video about similar clash between Yugoslav Royal AF and Luftwaffe in April '41.
Hi! One story from that conflict was recently covered on the channel. Hawker Furies vs Messerschmitts, have you seen that one?
@@showtime112 Yes, wonderful one, but I meant battles over Belgrade. Thank you for magnificent work.
First....👍👍send this vidéo on TV full HD
That was quick, congratulations! :)
@@showtime112another fab video sir..saturday just got so better👍👍
@@showtime112 bok prijatelju 🙋. Unfortunately i Can t help you about Belgian CR42. Only i Can said, pilots did their best with obsolète planes . Fitted with 2X12,7mm located on top of engine cowl, it's easy to shot down Ju52, Do 17. To shot down a Bf109E1or E3, it's difficult, maybe in dogfight at low level and low speed where Falco is more agile but Germans are not gullible😁. Nevertheless Hurricane from squadron 2 " the thistle" did not have Luck. Many of thèm destroy at ground. And it's an early version Mk1 fitted with..2 wooden blades propeller😭.
Jean Offenberg escape to England via Gibraltar. Was in RAF with 7 kills. Unfortunately killed by his wingman during an interception practice
@@dominiqueroudier9401 Hi! Yes, it's such a shame that Belgian Hurricanes never got a chance to fight properly. There are Belgian pilots whose service in RAF is worth exploring in the future. Thanks for providing info, like usually!
@@jaws666 Thank you for appreciating the content! It helps me find motivation for more.
I had a Calataÿ youbg baron as a table neighbour during my first 5 months at my Saint-Paul jesuit college in 1996, Barthélemy is his first name.
👍
😀
9:11 the víet còngs defending the belgian airbase
The RAF & RN flew biplanes (Gladiator) they help sink the Bismarck
Yes, Gladiators were quite active in secondary theaters early in the War.
Don't forget the Swordfish!
Also the Luftwaffe used biplanes in the WWII:
the Henschel Hs 123… and even the Fiat CR 42 Falco, that they used till the very last months of the war.
On february 1945 a german Fiat CR 42 of the Luftwaffe even shot down an american P38 Lightning in jugoslavia!
The very last shot down by a Biplane in the war
Brave belgians...
They sure were.
They were good shots the Belgians. Love to see them giving welly to the Krauts.
Yes, I'm sure many people like to see how these countries were able to make at least a few punches.
I guess this is as close as we are going to get to sending a GoPro back in time.
That's what I'm gonna reply to those guys who are offended when they realize it's a GCI video and not 'real' footage :)
@@showtime112
Please do !
I wonder how the CR-42 would have fared against the Ki-27 or the A5M ?
They were probably relatively closely matched and the outcome would mostly depend on pilot skills and tactical situation.
He talks about Yu-52, but shows Yu-87!
Nope, that's not Ju-87. That is in fact the Italian S.81 bomber. Ju-52 model exists in WT but it's broken. Landing gear is sideways 😁
Thanks, a really great little video; my only comment is that your commentary is a little dry and needs to be sparked up and perhaps filled out a bit.
Thanks for the feedback. These days, people are used to have things 'sparked up'. I'm not sure if that's always a good thing :)
Fantastic story about unknow events. Amazing resistance about these belgium pilots with their new fashioned biplanes but already outdated against German army.
Unfortunatly, this little country had no chance with a Luftwaffe well equiped. The next target was France and the fights had stopped on the 22nd june 1940.
Do you know if the Dutch air force resist like the Belgium army ? Personnaly absolutely No idea about this.
Salut Jeanne. J'ai quelques infos sur cette bataille. les Fiat CR42 ont tiré leur épingle du jeu même en sous effectif.
C'est un zinc obsolète même si ya 2 mitrailleuse lourde 12,7mm sur capot. Excellent pour tir a bout portant. Surtout sur Ju 52, Do17,Stuka.. pour le 109 c'est plus dur apart de l'amener en dogfight a basse altitude basse vitesse. Mais sont pas dupes les Allemands.
Les Hurricane du squadron 2 le chardon ont été détruits au sol. C'était des modèles de début de série Mk1 équipes de hélice bipale en bois 😭.
La plupart des pilotes ont rejoint la RAF comme Jean Offenberg.
PS: les Hollandais cela était pire, presque tous détruit au sol. Juste des Fokker D21 a train fixe pour combat 😱
@@dominiqueroudier9401
Bonjour,
Merci pour les infos, et les danois des nouvelles du front ?
La Norvège, on les a aidés, donc quelque chose a dû se passer.
Le Luxembourg, rien ils ont préféré déclarer le pays ouvert comme Paris en juin 40.
@@jeannezehner9450 pour Danemark je sais pas. Pour Norvège ya eu un attaque Franco britannique a Narvik.
D'abord bataille navale ou beaucoup de navire de la Kriegsmarine ont été endommagés voir coulés soit par les cuirassés anglais et les Swordfish du porte avion Furious. Après ya eu un débarquement et les allemands ont évacué. Mais comme yavais pas de logistique les alliés sont repartis. Néanmoins c'est la première victoire allié. Les Allemands sont revenus. Les anglais plus tard sont revenus pour couler le Tirpitz .
@@dominiqueroudier9401
Je connais l'expédition de Narvik, et, il est vrai qu'on était en train de gagner la partie.
On a dû replier les gaules par manque de soutien logistique.
Danemark c'est la grande inconnue.
Thanks for another comment! As for the Dutch, there seems to be a number of claims against German aircraft, mostly with Fokker D.XXI fighters. It might be a good topic for a video if I can find some detailed sources.
Belgium 1940, "Let's stay neutral, lightning never strikes twice, also, lets keep a real small military too so no one is threatened by us!". They did die in vain, RIP.
There was a modern fighter plane that started it's production just a few days before the 1940s attack by Germany.
I read that the only complete prototype was destroyed and as well were the blueprints.
Anyone got more intel on that plane?
Cheers,
Thomas from Brussels
I think you probably refer to the Renard R.38. Only one prototype was built before the war broke out and it was evacuated to France where it was captured by the Germans and used for scraps.
@@poeticsdbtib9137 I think it is the same.
So the German captured it?
I thought it was destroyed before.
Thanks
@@Melvorgazh You could be talking about earlier versions of the Renard such as the R.36 or the R.37. You can find a nice little video on these planes here on youtube, just search for "Belgian Beauties; The Renard Fighters"
❤
Thank you for the comment!
Hay falla algo, no creo que los belgas derribaran tanto como decían....
It is possible since basically all air forces overclaim. Many of their claims however can be matched with German losses.
👍👍👍
what happened to the Belgium Hurricanes did they get any victory's
No, all of them were destroyed on the ground in the first two days of the German attack.
How yes no....
A TLN fan, I'd say :)
In War Thunder biplanes are more maneuverable than mono planes.
They generally are due to much lower wing loading.
I thought the Hurricanes never made it to Belgium.
24 hours. That's how long it took to eliminate the Belgian AF. 24 hours.
Yes they were brave, but they were utterly vanquished in the blink of an eye.
Actually, the Belgian Air Force fought for 6 days before retreating to France, not 24 hours. Although half of their 192 combat aircraft were destroyed on the first day, and half of the remainder on the following day. So by Day 3, they were down to about 48 aircraft of all types.
@@timonsolus correct. And they continued to fly in defense of French Airfields up to the french capitulation. The biggest reason why practically all Belgian planes were destroyed on the ground is because they were considered part of the (ground force) army and therefore could not take off and fly independent patrols but were only allowed to take off for missions that were assigned to them by the Army staff. If the Air Force had been allowed to operate on their own, things could've looked quite a bit different (not saying that the outcome would have changed much though), but still...
My late grandfather met pilots during the 'retreat'. He served as a communications officer in the belgian army untill the surrender. He was proud of the pilots. But. He made one point: there's a very foggy line between bravery and stupidity. Instead of the taking the fight head on they could've lived to fight another day with better options....Most belgian claims were made by aristocrats (like de Merode) so doubtfull as best. It's what aristrocats did back in the the day. Reality was quite different but hard to prove nowadays...
Thanks for the feedback! It is possible that some of these claims are not realistic. In fact, many claims by all air forces in all wars are questionable. But still, this is the best picture available from current sources.
The contribution to the war effort of countries like Belgium and Holland and Denmark weren't on the Western front. Their contribution was on the **Eastern** front. They fought much harder and more effectively against the communists than they ever did against the Germans. They volunteered for the SS and had a far greater effect than during the few days it took for their countries to surrender.
.
That certainly doesn't apply to pilots and aircrew. The Luftwaffe didn't employ foreign pilots.
0000000000000003333366666677777777777444400000001117779955533333333333333333330000008888888888111111111111122222222228⁸8888888888888888888880000000000005555555555577778888888888888888888888888888866666666666666666444444111111222222200000000000000000000000777777777779998888844444440000000000000000000000000000
не смешите. бельгийская авиация......... сколько часов, Бельгия сопротивлялась????
👍
Hvala!