Thanks for the diversity of the content. We can all see that certain videos will attract more new viewers than others, but I think I can speak for many of the regular viewers, that we appreciate your little documentaries about lesser known topics and events just as much!
My Father was in the first class on Helicopter pilots trained by the Army, He reported to Wright and then was sent to Freeman Field. He was trained as an Helicopter Instructor there. He was sent to Nash Kelvinator where they were building the R6. He was assigned to be the Chief Test Pilots. Said he flew just about everyone they built. The R6 was same as R4, just has a more streamlined body. I have a lot of early copter stuff, R6 assembly instruction book, pilots manual, pictures and a recording made with my father in flight for a radio station at a WW2 air show. Not a lot is known about this program. Glad Mark did a good job on it. Thanks
something strange your story seems like same or some similarity to my grandfather except my grandfather was top secret due to medical reason the helicopter was being built he called them box or crate copters cause thats how they were shipped in wooden boxes and crates
A friend of mine many years ago who served in the U.S.Navy during WW2,told me that they had lost a helicopter during a storm and had fallen off the ship.
Say what you want about the US, but their armed forces’ repeated willingness to devote all means and resources to rescue a single service member is pretty remarkable.
This is true. I have lost a lot of respect for the American nation in recent years but their commitment to their soldiers' lives has always been respectable and honourable.
How on earth have i never seen a helicopter in ANY ww2 documentary or show/film. It is literally the first i have ever heard about that and i have seen my fair share. Thank you Mark!
Mr.Sikorsky was always very proud of his rescue helicopters. In his eyes there was no better tool for the job. If you’re ever stateside, there is a chance you can see his office, exactly as he left it the day he died.
Very interesting! And so well produced and told: 100% focus on the history without disturbing effects and dramatization as you see on certain TV-channels... - Thanks!
Irvin Steiner was my dad. I'm very proud of the legacy he left, a pioneer in aviation. When I was originally researching this event I located the patient involved in this historic medevac and had a great chat with him. He related that when the L-5 dropped the oil to Captain Peterson, two of the three cans burst when they hit the ground, but one was enough to get the helicopter launched and complete the mission. He couldn't say enough about the Naga tribespeople and their helpfulness. Thank you for this amazing documentary about a little known piece of history. My dad would be very proud.
Been watching for years and im always so surprised that you still have stories to tell. I knew of these helicopters but could never really find much on them. Thank you for that.
I was re-watching “Where Eagles Dare” a few weeks back, remarking to myself how much I love the film but wish they would have been more accurate with the presence of a helicopter as obviously no helicopters were ever used by any power during WWII. Leave it to Mark Felton for correcting me in the most entertaining way :)
I have to wonder if the writer/producers actually knew that helicopters were in use and worked it into the script or whether they just wanted to use a helicopter and didn't realize they had actually been used in the war.
I remember watching it as a kid in the 70s and my old man telling me that they were used in WWII. They just werent common and probably not in use in those parts of the war commonly documented in war films.
@Hugh the screenplay was written by Alistair MacLean a well known novelist who wrote war novels. They of course knew that there were helicopters. Plus im sure some of the crew and cast probably fought in the war....
@@wayneantoniazzi2706, as far as I know none exist anymore, the one the UK had crashed shortly after it arrived in the UK and no one seems to know what happened to the one the US brought back. The rest were scrapped sadly like most German war equipment.
As an fyi. Patreon only allows memberships but does allow cancellation at any time so one is able to make an initial subscription then cancel it if you would like to make a one time only donation and want to avoid using PayPal.
"Where the Eagles Dare", a ww2 thriller, prominently featured a helicopter, a Bell 47 if memory serves, which is anachronistic but I always thought just a helicopter alone was.
Better title for that film: "Where Eagles Fart." That Bell 47 was more than an anachronism: it obviously was capable of time travel, first having been certified for use in the United States (not Germany) almost a year after the war ended in Europe. And there was the future Dirty Harry, mowing down scores of Germans while they fired thousands of bullets that just couldn't find their way to their target: "Go ahead, make my day!" And then the heroes ran around the countryside in a bright red school bus evading the following Germans -- blowing 'em up with pre-set explosives or again sending them to the beyond with bursts of machine gun fire. Hilarious! What a yecchhhy movie. Only thing I enjoyed about it were the authentic aircraft and the Austrian scenery. Ohhh... don't forget the obligatory traitor, a worn out plot twist of writer Alistair MacClain's (he used it in "The Guns of Navarone" and yet again in the western "Breakheart Pass"). Unfortunately, we knew the heroes would make it out after killing most of the usual "dumb" Germans who presented themselves for the slaughter (as Dirty Harry would state: "A man's got to know his limitations," especially if he's German). Why'd we ever bother with an invasion? Just send in the "German speaking" Burton with his superior Brit accent and the gun-wielding 'Murican Dirty Harry to mow 'em all down. Thriller? Only one other WWII movie is "better" at being bad, IMHO: The 1965 gagger, "Battle of the Bulge" with an all-star cast and hundreds (thousands?) of tanks duking it out on the treeless Spanish plain in an absurd climax. The real battle wasn't a tank extravaganza at all and it wasn't fought on a plain. But why bother about being accurate in Hollywood? After all, the Spanish army was cheap to rent in those years.
Actually, the Germans had the Focke Drache 223 by that time. Two counter rotating blades. Though, if you want inaccuracy, the ww2 movie, Patton, is a lot worse with M60's serving in the German army and Bradely and Patton as bestest buddies.
@@johnc2438 Cut the movie some slack. It is a great adventure movie. Funny enough, Clint Eastwood took up this role because he thought most of his roles are very violent but in this movie, he racked up the most on screen kills! The OST by Ron Goodwin is fabulous especially the opening score. FYI, Ron Goodwin did the Battle of Britain OST as well. The opening sequence also featured a real Ju52 which was sadly lost quite recently in a crash. The opening scene of them flying in the dark was quite an achievement. The filming was actually done is broad daylight but to achieve the near "darkness", the famous "black card" over the camera technique was used. A great technique! There were numerous delays in production due to Richard Burton. He was found usually with his pals Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole drinking in the nearby drinking establishment. FYI the actress Mary Ure was married to Robert Shaw. Sadly she died of a barbiturate overdose in 1975.
I remember at the end of Medal of Honor Rising Sun there's a mission where you rescue a wounded teammate in a helicopter. First time I learned about helis being used in WW2. Awesome video as always.
My brother works as a mechanical engineer for Sikorsky! Very cool research Mark! Thank you for this video, I’ve never seen anything on the helicopter in WW2, I’ll show my brother your channel!
I didn't know there was helicopters at that time. If anyone other than Mark had said it I wouldn't believe it. That man has earned my respect. He tells it like it is.
Wow! Once again you amaze us with incredible true stories of forgotten history! That first rotary wing mission was really on a “wing and a prayer “! So many things that we take for granted now: logistics, maintenance, viable LZs, etc. were not in place yet. And those early choppers did not have the range they needed, either. What an amazing achievement!
Helicopters in the form of R4 Hoverfly were first delivered to England in January 1945 aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Thane. En-route the Thane was hit by an acoustic torpedo from U1172 blowing her stern off and disabling her on a Saturday night in the Irish Sea, just hours away from her destination in Liverpool. The surviving shipment was taken to Speke airport were the machines were assembled and test flown by, among others Eric Winkle Brown.
@Certified Brit it was something that for most had to be taught. As the instructor sat in the left seat, the position common to fixed wing aircraft, the trainee sat in the right. Eventually it was considered unnecessarily dangerous and or complicated to shift trainees to left seat, so they have remained on the right seat as pilot / aircraft commander ever since.
My grampa fought the entire Battle of Britain as a volunteer from Canada who joined RAF in 38 and fought 39-42 in SE England. Shot down twice, sole survivor both times. He was first helicopter rescue in North Sea in 42. He laid unconscious on his parachute until rescue, lucky not to drown or freeze. He got one confirmed sub kill one not confirmed. Taught spitfires from 42-45 in Canada and trainee landed on him and put him in body cast for a year. He took out a plane w/o permission after being grounded and was an honourable discharge. Howard Stephens. Not to many people were able to survive what he did. Keep up the good work!
For many Years now I've been thinking and wondering about the first use of Helicopters in a Military Application, seeing that there were many in the Korean Conflict. Thank you Dr. Feldman for this clarification, it is much appreciated.
As an aviation enthusiast I regularly find content in this channel with a quality that more often than not surpasses most of the aviation specific channels.
No, not when you are atop a massive mountain and there was literally no way to get you out other than weeks of arduous trekking!! He didn't even know the helicopter existed!! Not to mention the position he was in was not likely to even be attacked with 2000ft cliffs on all sides!!
"after lunch and a cup of coffee". Then a quick flight into some of the most difficult terrain into the world. I won't complain about my commute again!
I don't blame them! :) "We're about to fly into some of the most difficult terrain in the world. I think I might have a cup of coffee before I go ... who knows, it might be my last."
I knew about this rescue already, well I thought I did, Mark Felton’s attention to detail along with accurate generic and additional specific pictures made me realise I knew almost nothing about it, the fuel, oil and turbulence were omitted along with the Herculean ferry flight and on site assembly. Thank you Mr Felton!
@@MarkFeltonProductions GOOD stuff MFP! HOW about something in the future on the two irascible & acerbic characters of the Burma war: Orde Wingate, & Vinegar Joe Stilwell?
I had no idea the helicopter was used in WW2. I was watching an old Hogan’s heroes episode and Hogan said he was warming up the helicopter. I thought to myself well they sure got the timeline wrong, but it’s a comedy show. I owe Hogan an apology. 😁👍
Yes and no. I don't believe US choppers were used in Europe. If they were, it certainly wasn't very much. There wasn't a lot of need for them in that theater in January 1945. Hogan probably wouldn't have had any idea they existed unless he'd seen or heard of German helis which meant the helicopter he was referring to had been stolen! Which, admittedly, given the premise of this show, was not entirely out of the question. 😄😄😄🚁🚁🚁
Dr. Felton you always manage to inspire the greatest knowledge of all.....our history because it don't matter where your at on earth it's all our history. Thank you my esteemed friend
Never have I been so impressed by your video, Mark. Absolutely astonishing story, and top notch (as always, Mark, you're boring) quality. I could whine about original records only in my left headphone making it very unpleasant, but : 1) it's not your fault; 2) it's original, authentic! Your channel is one of the greatest finds I have experienced on TH-cam, and I am very glad to see it growing more and more every day. Have a great day Mark, thank you for making mine better :)
I know there is always the quest for the "new" and "fresh", but as for me, I hope you never change the intro music--it is a perfect start for your videos and I will never tire of it.
When weight considerations precluded the use of a radio is asking to make a rescue into a recovery mission, they went and did it anyways. Salute the tenacity to mission.
Can you imagine the density altitude issues in that terrain in the tropics? And to think that more advanced and powerful helicopters used in Vietnam often had to make running take-offs because the couldn't hover because the density altitude was too high.
@@vk2ig I wasn't quite thinking of it in such technical terms, but certainly the mountain altitudes had me worried and I kind of had in the back of my mind just how hot Burma can get.
@@vk2ig in the video, you can see the men holding the helo down then letting go and falling back. I assume that was to allow the helo to spool up to full throttle.
A truly extraordinary mission. The perseverance in accomplishing the rescue despite numerous hardships layed the foundation upon which airmen have built a reputation second to none. Marvelous story here, Mark. Your excellence with lesser known stories in history is second to none as well! Thank you.
Watching this channel every morning is like living in the past and turning on the news thanks for the insight and factual wisdom Mark. I still hope you get a show on History.
absolutely. That game left quite an impression on me, especially that mission with the golden pagodas. I ended up visiting Burma a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. Joint favourite country in east Asia along with Japan, shame what's happening there now.
Sometimes a new military tech is introduced and nobody seems to understand how best to use them, the helicopter is not one of them: it’s interesting that an immediate and obvious use came to mind. Great video as usual!
Unbelievable mission for these incredibly brave lions! Fantastic footage of The Greatest Generation 👏 Once again Mr Felton you've outdone yourself in providing this amazing story for us! Thank you and I greedily await your next story!
Been watching war documentaries for decades now,but never heard or seen that story before. Thanks a lot. These videos are great,very informative,detailed and presented in a way sometimes lost in modern tv.
TH-cam channels like this are GEMS. After watching WW2 documentaries on TV for decades, I found out that helicopters existed during WW2 from a TH-camr!
"There is one type of machine that most people do not associate with World War 2: the helicopter." Indeed I didn't, until today. And I wanted to make a smart-arse remark about some other (war) machine that I don't associate with World War 2, but there aren't an awful lot that I can think of. Jets? Rockets? Computers? Radar? An astonishing amount of machinery was invented during or just prior to WW2.
And then there's the cavity magnetron! Invented by the British and shared with the US during WWII. This technology being described as "the most valuable object" to have entered US shores. Today, this technology now powers microwave ovens!!
@@idleonlooker1078 Wasn't there also Magnetic tape reels, ersatz (synthetics) such as coffee and fuel oil, radio and radar guided missiles also unknowningly used in WW2.
A fun part of all that--for me, anyway, being a bit if a fudd-type in my own life of arms--is the seemingly anachronistic often side-by-side coexistence with older tech: - Bolt-action and semi-auto-only and select-fire rifles as mass issue. - SMGs and rifles (especially full-auto) as front-line standard issue. - Jets and piston-engine monoplanes and BIplanes (Italians were still manufacturing CR-42s while Germans were making Me-262s). - Horse cavalry and tanks. - Higher-powered rifle (.303, .30-06, 7.92, 7.62x54R) and intermediate rifle (7.92 Kurz, 7.62x39 ComBloc, .30 Carbine) calibers as standard issue. - Conventional and nuclear strategic bombing. - Dumb bombs and guided munitions. Like Afghanistan over the past 40 years. Moser-e-Sharif 2001: Northern Alliance horse cavalry supported by 40yo B-52s dropping precision-guided munitions directed by U.S. Special Forces on horseback.
Interesting how the US and germany used their helis for different purposes, the US used them as rescue aircraft while the germans used their larger helis for transportation
The US couldn't use theirs fo anything else since they were very under powered, only being able to carry 2 persons total, at low speeds and short distances.
I'm sure I've read or seen something once about the Germans, at least on one occasion, using a chopper to rescue a downed pilot behind soviet lines. I'd like to see Mark make a video, about how the Germans made use of them generally speaking.
Not only is the narration always spot on, both in terms of tone and detail, but I’m always amazed by his library of videos and pictures. Sincere thankyou for sharing. Plus I always find the comments section very interesting, especially when viewers recount personal tales.
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun had a mission where you get evacuated by a helicopter from an old ruin while fighting the japanese. First time i learned that helicopters were used in WW2
I have that game. It was a pretty cool scenario with the chopper. I already knew that the US had choppers late in the war and it was quite entertaining to see one show up in a video game with one of the US characters saying, "What's that?"
@Phillip J. McCrevice co-op was great even if it had some issues. The story got muddled and sometimes it was non functional. Loved the multiplayer aswell. 2 friends and me vs 7 elite bots. Good stuff
The movie "Where Eagles Dare" with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood featured a German general arriving at Schloss Adler in a helicopter. A German officer at the castle remarked that the helicopter looked unsafe. This was the movie where our intrepid commandoes killed about a battalion of German soldiers guarding the castle and disabled aircraft at a nearby Luftwaffe base, with only one suffering a minor hand wound. Based on the Alistair MacLean novel of the same name. Great opening scene, great soundtrack, with a Junkers 52 flying over the Alps.
Absolutely incredible. We had an L5 pilot as a friend- he was in the Far East- probably Burma. I wish I had asked him more about his experiences although I knew he had crashed and broken his back. It is with hindsight, you realise missed opportunities and he had to go into an RAF Benevolent home and the opportunity was missed.
We had the Honour of watching our RNZAF Iroquois do their last fly over at our ANZAC day remembrances...., all I could I think was the sound of hope, of hope for life that those blades made....,, to all those who have desperately waited for those blades🌹🌹🌹
My Dad saw several accidental discharges while in the service during WW2. One guy had his .45 pistol go off while cleaning it. Another soldier on the floor just above him in the barracks was polishing his boots. He leaned back to get some more shoe polish and just missed getting plunked in the forehead as the slug came through the floor right between his boots.
@@lostwolf2162 More likely he didn't want to spend another minute on a jungle mountain surrounded by enemies. Jungle warfare is the worst combat environment you can think of.
@@dougearnest7590 Given it to HBO TV with enough funding and an informative source material for screen writing, instead. HBO TV movie/series would have make it better and more accurate than the mainstream Hollywood film industry.
glad to see some recognition to the burma theatre, this was one of the most brutal and horrifying war zones ever. william slim and the boys were working on a shoestring as it was hard to move any supplies. more on burma please.
The idea that 10 gallons of fuel was enough to "top up" the tanks is just crazy. I had to look it up. These guys were flying operational missions with a total of 30 US gallons of fuel. Absolutely insane. We are not our grandfathers or great grandfathers. Not even close.
30 gallons? These days there would be fuel for an alternate destination, plus reserve, go/no-go decision points, etc, etc. Our grandfathers and great grandfathers were certainly a different breed of people.
@@emgriffiths1861 Here in Australia during WW2 there were probably similar accident rates - there were many air training sites established around the country. Some of the guys who trained there (sadly no longer with us) said the worst time was that period after solo-ing where trainee pilots get a bit too confident and start augering in. Flying too slow and too low was a common cause.
Thanks for the diversity of the content. We can all see that certain videos will attract more new viewers than others, but I think I can speak for many of the regular viewers, that we appreciate your little documentaries about lesser known topics and events just as much!
Same i like these videos
Love how he's able to gather all this footage too
@@gram. ye
yel
For real! All the Nazi garbage on TH-cam really puts me off.
My Father was in the first class on Helicopter pilots trained by the Army, He reported to Wright and then was sent to Freeman Field. He was trained as an Helicopter Instructor there. He was sent to Nash Kelvinator where they were building the R6. He was assigned to be the Chief Test Pilots. Said he flew just about everyone they built.
The R6 was same as R4, just has a more streamlined body.
I have a lot of early copter stuff, R6 assembly instruction book, pilots manual, pictures and a recording made with my father in flight for a radio station at a WW2 air show. Not a lot is known about this program. Glad Mark did a good job on it. Thanks
something strange your story seems like same or some similarity to my grandfather except my grandfather was top secret due to medical reason the helicopter was being built he called them box or crate copters cause thats how they were shipped in wooden boxes and crates
People: There were no Helicopters in WW2!
Mark Felton: Thats where your wrong kiddo, Twice in fact!
There's also autogyros
They used a copter in the movie, "Where Eagles Dare".
Wholly inaccurate, I know.
A friend of mine many years ago who served in the U.S.Navy during WW2,told me that they had lost a helicopter during a storm and had fallen off the ship.
The Sikorsky R-4 , for one was amongst many that were present at that time
By twice you mean this and the German Fa 223?
"Get to the Choppa!"
"Yes sir! What's a Choppa?"
" Go now !!"
you are terminated
Will you be back?
"Stoopid humie duh not know wats'a choppa"
@@a320driver5 Sure after getting fuel and oil parachuted in.
Father inlaw said he was medevaced out of Berma (malaria) in a helicopter. Not a many people beleaved him. But this proves his story.
I had heard stories from the elders about helicopters sightings during ww2. Didn't believe it then. I know better now
@@Ngutovi never doubt the elders son.
You should ask him if he had shot himself in the hand by mistake.
@@AP-yd1wz no gunshot bad malaria flairup
@@earlelkins9086 always question everyone
Say what you want about the US, but their armed forces’ repeated willingness to devote all means and resources to rescue a single service member is pretty remarkable.
This is true. I have lost a lot of respect for the American nation in recent years but their commitment to their soldiers' lives has always been respectable and honourable.
Curious, have either of you ever lived in or visited the US? And I'm not talking about California for God's sake...
@@callmecamo2 yea Cali is not even American anymore
Agreed ! Although it is questionable how the rescued guy shot his own hand.
@@callmecamo2 I have never and frankly will never. The entire country is honestly less appealing to me than Syria.
How on earth have i never seen a helicopter in ANY ww2 documentary or show/film. It is literally the first i have ever heard about that and i have seen my fair share. Thank you Mark!
Thank you, Dr. Felton. At my age it gets harder and harder to learn something new every day.
Mr.Sikorsky was always very proud of his rescue helicopters. In his eyes there was no better tool for the job. If you’re ever stateside, there is a chance you can see his office, exactly as he left it the day he died.
Quite true, Sikorsky never retired and stayed on the job until the day he died, and was still involved with R&D for Sikorsky products. Quite a guy!
If memory serves me right the last model he worked on before his death was the sky crane
Yeah, and in the mean time, he invented the flying boats Pan Am used as the "Clippers".
@@dat2ra Really? Man, that guy was so prolific.
Is that the building you can see from the highway (I95 I think) in Connecticut? Driven past it so many times. They allow visitors?
Very interesting! And so well produced and told: 100% focus on the history without disturbing effects and dramatization as you see on certain TV-channels... - Thanks!
"I love the smell of 'mark felton's tea and crumpets' in the morning." "..smell like victory." Col Keelgore
'... SMELLS like history.'
Irvin Steiner was my dad. I'm very proud of the legacy he left, a pioneer in aviation. When I was originally researching this event I located the patient involved in this historic medevac and had a great chat with him. He related that when the L-5 dropped the oil to Captain Peterson, two of the three cans burst when they hit the ground, but one was enough to get the helicopter launched and complete the mission. He couldn't say enough about the Naga tribespeople and their helpfulness. Thank you for this amazing documentary about a little known piece of history. My dad would be very proud.
Been watching for years and im always so surprised that you still have stories to tell. I knew of these helicopters but could never really find much on them. Thank you for that.
What an amazing mission...the things that humans can do when they put their mind to it...great video Sir!
Even if you can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, there is still a lot you can do if you put your mind to it
Yes, especially when you have an excellent team to help. It really is impressive.
I was re-watching “Where Eagles Dare” a few weeks back, remarking to myself how much I love the film but wish they would have been more accurate with the presence of a helicopter as obviously no helicopters were ever used by any power during WWII. Leave it to Mark Felton for correcting me in the most entertaining way :)
The film-makers would probably have loved to use an original German helo but aside from museum pieces (maybe) none exist.
I have to wonder if the writer/producers actually knew that helicopters were in use and worked it into the script or whether they just wanted to use a helicopter and didn't realize they had actually been used in the war.
I remember watching it as a kid in the 70s and my old man telling me that they were used in WWII. They just werent common and probably not in use in those parts of the war commonly documented in war films.
@Hugh the screenplay was written by Alistair MacLean a well known novelist who wrote war novels. They of course knew that there were helicopters. Plus im sure some of the crew and cast probably fought in the war....
@@wayneantoniazzi2706, as far as I know none exist anymore, the one the UK had crashed shortly after it arrived in the UK and no one seems to know what happened to the one the US brought back. The rest were scrapped sadly like most German war equipment.
We're all lucky that we get this amazing information. All for free.
You can help to support Mark’s channel through PayPal and Patreon.
Details in the description box below.
As an fyi. Patreon only allows memberships but does allow cancellation at any time so one is able to make an initial subscription then cancel it if you would like to make a one time only donation and want to avoid using PayPal.
I started supporting his channel through patreon
@@ArmyJames I'd say
You can always donate for his hard work, high standards and effort!
"Where the Eagles Dare", a ww2 thriller, prominently featured a helicopter, a Bell 47 if memory serves, which is anachronistic but I always thought just a helicopter alone was.
Better title for that film: "Where Eagles Fart." That Bell 47 was more than an anachronism: it obviously was capable of time travel, first having been certified for use in the United States (not Germany) almost a year after the war ended in Europe. And there was the future Dirty Harry, mowing down scores of Germans while they fired thousands of bullets that just couldn't find their way to their target: "Go ahead, make my day!" And then the heroes ran around the countryside in a bright red school bus evading the following Germans -- blowing 'em up with pre-set explosives or again sending them to the beyond with bursts of machine gun fire. Hilarious! What a yecchhhy movie. Only thing I enjoyed about it were the authentic aircraft and the Austrian scenery. Ohhh... don't forget the obligatory traitor, a worn out plot twist of writer Alistair MacClain's (he used it in "The Guns of Navarone" and yet again in the western "Breakheart Pass"). Unfortunately, we knew the heroes would make it out after killing most of the usual "dumb" Germans who presented themselves for the slaughter (as Dirty Harry would state: "A man's got to know his limitations," especially if he's German). Why'd we ever bother with an invasion? Just send in the "German speaking" Burton with his superior Brit accent and the gun-wielding 'Murican Dirty Harry to mow 'em all down. Thriller? Only one other WWII movie is "better" at being bad, IMHO: The 1965 gagger, "Battle of the Bulge" with an all-star cast and hundreds (thousands?) of tanks duking it out on the treeless Spanish plain in an absurd climax. The real battle wasn't a tank extravaganza at all and it wasn't fought on a plain. But why bother about being accurate in Hollywood? After all, the Spanish army was cheap to rent in those years.
Actually, the Germans had the Focke Drache 223 by that time. Two counter rotating blades. Though, if you want inaccuracy, the ww2 movie, Patton, is a lot worse with M60's serving in the German army and Bradely and Patton as bestest buddies.
@@johnc2438 this was before CGI so cut them some slack🤣✌
@@johnc2438 Cut the movie some slack. It is a great adventure movie. Funny enough, Clint Eastwood took up this role because he thought most of his roles are very violent but in this movie, he racked up the most on screen kills! The OST by Ron Goodwin is fabulous especially the opening score. FYI, Ron Goodwin did the Battle of Britain OST as well. The opening sequence also featured a real Ju52 which was sadly lost quite recently in a crash. The opening scene of them flying in the dark was quite an achievement. The filming was actually done is broad daylight but to achieve the near "darkness", the famous "black card" over the camera technique was used. A great technique! There were numerous delays in production due to Richard Burton. He was found usually with his pals Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole drinking in the nearby drinking establishment. FYI the actress Mary Ure was married to Robert Shaw. Sadly she died of a barbiturate overdose in 1975.
What if Danzig was singing about history when the Misfits wrote that song?
I've heard of this daring mission before, bit still worth a Mark Felton episode...
Japanese Soldier #1: What is that thing!?
Japanese Soldier #2: I don’t know, but let’s try to bayonet it!
Giant dragonfly is real! Time to surrender.
Mothra!
Ah, japanese. Always with their imperial ways.
Wow, talk about problem solving, pioneering and literally starting a new era in battlefield mobility and rescue! Thanks for sharing this.
Many people, myself included, had no idea helicopters were used during WWII. Great history lesson as always.
Mark Felton: Uploads new video
Me: I stop everything and go watch it
As is tradition!
I remember at the end of Medal of Honor Rising Sun there's a mission where you rescue a wounded teammate in a helicopter. First time I learned about helis being used in WW2. Awesome video as always.
I remember that one, thought it was familiar
My brother works as a mechanical engineer for Sikorsky! Very cool research Mark! Thank you for this video, I’ve never seen anything on the helicopter in WW2, I’ll show my brother your channel!
The work day will just have to pause for ten minutes I think.
Night Shift is the ticket. All the bosses go home, and we can use the conference rooms, hehe.
I had no idea helicopters were used in WWII, let alone existed at that period. Thank you Dr. Felton for your extraordinary documentaries.
I didn't know there was helicopters at that time. If anyone other than Mark had said it I wouldn't believe it. That man has earned my respect. He tells it like it is.
Great story. I Love Helicopters. Thanks Mr. Felton.
2:43 I love this guy, chilling. Smoking, smiling while being carried out by the natives.
Wow! Once again you amaze us with incredible true stories of forgotten history! That first rotary wing mission was really on a “wing and a prayer “! So many things that we take for granted now: logistics, maintenance, viable LZs, etc. were not in place yet. And those early choppers did not have the range they needed, either. What an amazing achievement!
6:55 "Following lunch and a cup of coffee" - No important details are overlooked in Mark Felton's stories 😁
Very accommodating of the RAF to give the Yanks ‘lunch and a cup of coffee’ rather than ‘tea and crumpets’
A RAF helicopter crew would've had tea and scones before taking off again. :)
@@vk2ig
Righto !
Brilliant
Helicopters in the form of R4 Hoverfly were first delivered to England in January 1945 aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Thane. En-route the Thane was hit by an acoustic torpedo from U1172 blowing her stern off and disabling her on a Saturday night in the Irish Sea, just hours away from her destination in Liverpool. The surviving shipment was taken to Speke airport were the machines were assembled and test flown by, among others Eric Winkle Brown.
@Certified Brit it was something that for most had to be taught. As the instructor sat in the left seat, the position common to fixed wing aircraft, the trainee sat in the right. Eventually it was considered unnecessarily dangerous and or complicated to shift trainees to left seat, so they have remained on the right seat as pilot / aircraft commander ever since.
Yes I heard of primitive helicopters used in WW2 years ago and wondered why more powerful ones were not made even back then.
Now I know how Mark Felton finds more WWII stories than anyone else. It's his helicopter view.
Tack!
Great story Dr. FELTON, most people never get to hear of the early stories of the Helicopter and its use in rescue work.👍❤🇺🇸
My grampa fought the entire Battle of Britain as a volunteer from Canada who joined RAF in 38 and fought 39-42 in SE England. Shot down twice, sole survivor both times. He was first helicopter rescue in North Sea in 42. He laid unconscious on his parachute until rescue, lucky not to drown or freeze. He got one confirmed sub kill one not confirmed. Taught spitfires from 42-45 in Canada and trainee landed on him and put him in body cast for a year. He took out a plane w/o permission after being grounded and was an honourable discharge. Howard Stephens. Not to many people were able to survive what he did. Keep up the good work!
Another success for Dr. Felton. I look forward to every story he tells v
Well I never knew there were helicopters in World War 2. Thanks again Mark, without a shadow of a doubt the best military history channel on TH-cam!
For many Years now I've been thinking and wondering about the first use of Helicopters in a Military Application, seeing that there were many in the Korean Conflict.
Thank you Dr. Feldman for this clarification, it is much appreciated.
Yes Mr Felton, we need more Burma! Awesome video as always
Honestly, to most people they would look at that helicopters abilities and laugh, but for an early day helicopter, that is pretty good
As an aviation enthusiast I regularly find content in this channel with a quality that more often than not surpasses most of the aviation specific channels.
"Accidentally shot himself in the hand." Translates to me as a Veteran. "I want to go home."
i thought the foot was the most popular part to shot yourself at it
... as a Vietnam Veteran. I must agree. I once had a Neighbor, who was with "Merrill's Marauders" ... Burma was No fun.
@@marcosbradanovic9100 I would go for the hand, I want to walk lol
No, not when you are atop a massive mountain and there was literally no way to get you out other than weeks of arduous trekking!! He didn't even know the helicopter existed!! Not to mention the position he was in was not likely to even be attacked with 2000ft cliffs on all sides!!
@@AJ-sw8uf left or right?
I had heard there were helicopters in WWII, but never knew where or what for. Thanks for the great information Mark. You are the man!
"after lunch and a cup of coffee". Then a quick flight into some of the most difficult terrain into the world. I won't complain about my commute again!
I don't blame them! :) "We're about to fly into some of the most difficult terrain in the world. I think I might have a cup of coffee before I go ... who knows, it might be my last."
I knew about this rescue already, well I thought I did, Mark Felton’s attention to detail along with accurate generic and additional specific pictures made me realise I knew almost nothing about it, the fuel, oil and turbulence were omitted along with the Herculean ferry flight and on site assembly. Thank you Mr Felton!
Such an amazing bit of history. I always loved this mission and I thank you very much Mark for making a nice little video for it.
I’ve told numerous people I know about this channel and they couldn’t be happier! Not a channel on TH-cam as quality as this of its kind.
I'd love to see some videos on the Battles of Kohima and Imphal.
You will
@@MarkFeltonProductions GOOD stuff MFP!
HOW about something in the future on the two irascible & acerbic characters of the Burma war: Orde Wingate, & Vinegar Joe Stilwell?
Still the best channel on TH-cam. Thank you so much for all that you do for us MFP!
I had no idea the helicopter was used in WW2. I was watching an old Hogan’s heroes episode and Hogan said he was warming up the helicopter. I thought to myself well they sure got the timeline wrong, but it’s a comedy show. I owe Hogan an apology. 😁👍
Yes and no. I don't believe US choppers were used in Europe. If they were, it certainly wasn't very much. There wasn't a lot of need for them in that theater in January 1945. Hogan probably wouldn't have had any idea they existed unless he'd seen or heard of German helis which meant the helicopter he was referring to had been stolen! Which, admittedly, given the premise of this show, was not entirely out of the question.
😄😄😄🚁🚁🚁
@@MrEsMysteriesMagicks Thanks!👍 Good I don’t owe him an apology then. 😁
@@MrEsMysteriesMagicks If Hogan knew where all the most beautiful and willing women were, he knew about the helo.
@@MrKen-wy5dk Nope, I can't argue against that!! LOL!! 😆😆😆
Dr. Felton you always manage to inspire the greatest knowledge of all.....our history because it don't matter where your at on earth it's all our history. Thank you my esteemed friend
Never have I been so impressed by your video, Mark.
Absolutely astonishing story, and top notch (as always, Mark, you're boring) quality.
I could whine about original records only in my left headphone making it very unpleasant, but : 1) it's not your fault; 2) it's original, authentic!
Your channel is one of the greatest finds I have experienced on TH-cam, and I am very glad to see it growing more and more every day.
Have a great day Mark, thank you for making mine better :)
I know there is always the quest for the "new" and "fresh", but as for me, I hope you never change the intro music--it is a perfect start for your videos and I will never tire of it.
It's on TH-cam
Elijah Robert
Redemption's Last Chance
When weight considerations precluded the use of a radio is asking to make a rescue into a recovery mission, they went and did it anyways. Salute the tenacity to mission.
Can you imagine the density altitude issues in that terrain in the tropics? And to think that more advanced and powerful helicopters used in Vietnam often had to make running take-offs because the couldn't hover because the density altitude was too high.
@@vk2ig I wasn't quite thinking of it in such technical terms, but certainly the mountain altitudes had me worried and I kind of had in the back of my mind just how hot Burma can get.
@@vk2ig in the video, you can see the men holding the helo down then letting go and falling back. I assume that was to allow the helo to spool up to full throttle.
A truly extraordinary mission. The perseverance in accomplishing the rescue despite numerous hardships layed the foundation upon which airmen have built a reputation second to none.
Marvelous story here, Mark. Your excellence with lesser known stories in history is second to none as well! Thank you.
Who else but Mark knew about this??? That’s why he’s the greatest historian in world history!!! Thanks for the knowledge Mark!!!!
I heard about helicopters being used in WWII, though details were sketchy at best. I learned more from Dr. Felton.
I saw a similar video from the History Guy about this uploaded 2 years ago
What an incredible operation and successful to. Thanks for bringing the emergence and the importance of helicopters to the forefront Mark.
Holy cow! Those were some determined airmen, rotor and fixed wing alike.
Watching this channel every morning is like living in the past and turning on the news thanks for the insight and factual wisdom Mark. I still hope you get a show on History.
When I saw this notification, I was watching another video made by you, mr Felton
Your videos are great!!!
Same
Only Dr Felton is able to teach us this kind of things. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
*’MOH Rising Sun: Yamashita’s gold’* mission’s ending vibes anyone ?
Roge: What the hell is that?!
@@rustyrussell2537 haha iconic line
absolutely. That game left quite an impression on me, especially that mission with the golden pagodas. I ended up visiting Burma a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. Joint favourite country in east Asia along with Japan, shame what's happening there now.
First time seeing my people in WWII video in this channel, 👍 from Nagaland
How you find these topics I'll never know, brilliant
My grandfather served with the USAAF 10th Air Force in Burma during the war. It's nice to hear a story about his unit.
Sometimes a new military tech is introduced and nobody seems to understand how best to use them, the helicopter is not one of them: it’s interesting that an immediate and obvious use came to mind. Great video as usual!
Unbelievable mission for these incredibly brave lions! Fantastic footage of The Greatest Generation 👏 Once again Mr Felton you've outdone yourself in providing this amazing story for us! Thank you and I greedily await your next story!
Thank you. First time I've ever heard helicopters were used in World War 2.
Been watching war documentaries for decades now,but never heard or seen that story before. Thanks a lot. These videos are great,very informative,detailed and presented in a way sometimes lost in modern tv.
No radio! These guys had some major balls.
That's why they couldn't take a radio - the mass of the balls!
TH-cam channels like this are GEMS.
After watching WW2 documentaries on TV for decades, I found out that helicopters existed during WW2 from a TH-camr!
"There is one type of machine that most people do not associate with World War 2: the helicopter." Indeed I didn't, until today. And I wanted to make a smart-arse remark about some other (war) machine that I don't associate with World War 2, but there aren't an awful lot that I can think of. Jets? Rockets? Computers? Radar? An astonishing amount of machinery was invented during or just prior to WW2.
I'd say lasers/directed-energy weapons, but then I remember the Germans played with almost everything.
@@TommygunNG Yeah they even had basic night vision. Look up Zielgerät 1229.
And then there's the cavity magnetron! Invented by the British and shared with the US during WWII. This technology being described as "the most valuable object" to have entered US shores. Today, this technology now powers microwave ovens!!
@@idleonlooker1078 Wasn't there also Magnetic tape reels, ersatz (synthetics) such as coffee and fuel oil, radio and radar guided missiles also unknowningly used in WW2.
A fun part of all that--for me, anyway, being a bit if a fudd-type in my own life of arms--is the seemingly anachronistic often side-by-side coexistence with older tech:
- Bolt-action and semi-auto-only and select-fire rifles as mass issue.
- SMGs and rifles (especially full-auto) as front-line standard issue.
- Jets and piston-engine monoplanes and BIplanes (Italians were still manufacturing CR-42s while Germans were making Me-262s).
- Horse cavalry and tanks.
- Higher-powered rifle (.303, .30-06, 7.92, 7.62x54R) and intermediate rifle (7.92 Kurz, 7.62x39 ComBloc, .30 Carbine) calibers as standard issue.
- Conventional and nuclear strategic bombing.
- Dumb bombs and guided munitions.
Like Afghanistan over the past 40 years. Moser-e-Sharif 2001: Northern Alliance horse cavalry supported by 40yo B-52s dropping precision-guided munitions directed by U.S. Special Forces on horseback.
Spellbinding as always.... mr. Felton the ICON ! ! !
Interesting how the US and germany used their helis for different purposes, the US used them as rescue aircraft while the germans used their larger helis for transportation
The Germans pioneered using them for rescue for pilots shot down in the English Channel.
The US couldn't use theirs fo anything else since they were very under powered, only being able to carry 2 persons total, at low speeds and short distances.
@@Yawf1862 never heard of that 👍
I'm sure I've read or seen something once about the Germans, at least on one occasion, using a chopper to rescue a downed pilot behind soviet lines. I'd like to see Mark make a video, about how the Germans made use of them generally speaking.
the germans also built a small series of Flettner`s Fl282 (Kolibri) for Recon missions and the F.A.223 (Drache) as a Transportheli
Not only is the narration always spot on, both in terms of tone and detail, but I’m always amazed by his library of videos and pictures. Sincere thankyou for sharing. Plus I always find the comments section very interesting, especially when viewers recount personal tales.
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun had a mission where you get evacuated by a helicopter from an old ruin while fighting the japanese. First time i learned that helicopters were used in WW2
I have that game. It was a pretty cool scenario with the chopper. I already knew that the US had choppers late in the war and it was quite entertaining to see one show up in a video game with one of the US characters saying, "What's that?"
@Phillip J. McCrevice co-op was great even if it had some issues. The story got muddled and sometimes it was non functional. Loved the multiplayer aswell. 2 friends and me vs 7 elite bots. Good stuff
Bonus: that "old ruin" is also in Burma and the mission takes place in 1945 too.
@@blowbert9126 I loved the co-op. My best friend and I stayed up very late one night finishing it in one go (it took us ages because I *sucked*).
Once again, Mark Felton shows me something I did not know, great job, great Channel.
For one of the best autobiographies of the Burma campaign look for “Road Past Mandalay” by John Masters.
Fascinating history of the early use of helicopters by the military. Thanks for another stellar video.
Wow! They sure went through a lot to get that "1st!" That rescue was like treating a 2 inch paper cut with 14 mini-bandages.
Wow, I'm deeply impressed by the issues Mr Felton always enlightens, interesting, thrilling and nearly every time unknown to me since then.
The movie "Where Eagles Dare" with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood featured a German general arriving at Schloss Adler in a helicopter. A German officer at the castle remarked that the helicopter looked unsafe. This was the movie where our intrepid commandoes killed about a battalion of German soldiers guarding the castle and disabled aircraft at a nearby Luftwaffe base, with only one suffering a minor hand wound. Based on the Alistair MacLean novel of the same name. Great opening scene, great soundtrack, with a Junkers 52 flying over the Alps.
What a fantastic story. Mr Mark Felton does it again !
Fun fact: a WWII movie which features a helicopter is the great _Where Eagles Dare!_ Not an anachronism as most people assume.
Absolutely incredible. We had an L5 pilot as a friend- he was in the Far East- probably Burma. I wish I had asked him more about his experiences although I knew he had crashed and broken his back. It is with hindsight, you realise missed opportunities and he had to go into an RAF Benevolent home and the opportunity was missed.
We had the Honour of watching our RNZAF Iroquois do their last fly over at our ANZAC day remembrances...., all I could I think was the sound of hope, of hope for life that those blades made....,, to all those who have desperately waited for those blades🌹🌹🌹
It seems Dr. Felton has an extraordinarily interesting Topic for each week!
God Bless you Dr. Felton.
The lengths we go to in order to save a man who accidentally shot himself in the hand
He'd better have made a full recovery after all that.
My Dad saw several accidental discharges while in the service during WW2. One guy had his .45 pistol go off while cleaning it. Another soldier on the floor just above him in the barracks was polishing his boots. He leaned back to get some more shoe polish and just missed getting plunked in the forehead as the slug came through the floor right between his boots.
It was reported that he shot himself, but lets be honest he probably won or lost a bet. "Hey Carl I bet you can even shoot this thing out of my hand."
@@lostwolf2162 More likely he didn't want to spend another minute on a jungle mountain surrounded by enemies.
Jungle warfare is the worst combat environment you can think of.
From the fall of the Reich to the first helicopter Medevac. Never a dull moment on this channel.
Who else remembers the helicopter at the end of the Medal of Honor Rising Sun mission in Burma? "what the hell is that!?"
Didn't played it but can imagine me, like many others, getting salty for the ridiculous idea of a helicopter in WW2.
"Those dumb game developers 🤦♂️"
Vaguely yes...
It’s so rare to see footage from the CBI Theater. My late father worked on the Ledo road. Thanks!
This gotta be an April Fools joke...oh wait is Mark Felton, this should be interesting
A movie about this would be awesome and really interesting to watch!
Interesting to see how badly Hollywood would butcher the story.
@@dougearnest7590 Given it to HBO TV with enough funding and an informative source material for screen writing, instead. HBO TV movie/series would have make it better and more accurate than the mainstream Hollywood film industry.
There is only 2 people i trust on this planet, one is Dr. Mark Felton, and the other is myself.
Divide by zero and you are infinitely ahead of Stalin.
@@kirbyculp3449 touchè!
WOW, what a story. Thanks for sharing it Mark.
Having Medal of Honor Rising Sun flashbacks.
Great game miss it
glad to see some recognition to the burma theatre, this was one of the most brutal and horrifying war zones ever. william slim and the boys were working on a shoestring as it was hard to move any supplies. more on burma please.
The idea that 10 gallons of fuel was enough to "top up" the tanks is just crazy. I had to look it up. These guys were flying operational missions with a total of 30 US gallons of fuel. Absolutely insane. We are not our grandfathers or great grandfathers. Not even close.
30 gallons? These days there would be fuel for an alternate destination, plus reserve, go/no-go decision points, etc, etc. Our grandfathers and great grandfathers were certainly a different breed of people.
@@vk2ig my fathers flight training course in 43 had 23% casualty rate
@@emgriffiths1861 Here in Australia during WW2 there were probably similar accident rates - there were many air training sites established around the country. Some of the guys who trained there (sadly no longer with us) said the worst time was that period after solo-ing where trainee pilots get a bit too confident and start augering in. Flying too slow and too low was a common cause.
Thank you Mark.