Daring Solo Beaufighter Raid - Paris 1942
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2019
- Find out about Operation Squabble, a daring British plan to raise the morale of the people of occupied Paris by dropping a French tricolour on the Arc de Triomphe during a German parade!
Many thanks to subscriber 'generallyawesome' for suggesting the topic.
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Thumbnail: Mark Postlethwaite
I was taught Technical Drawing by Gilbert Fern, he terrified me as I was unable to draw fine lines :) It turned out his bark was worse than his bite. He later taught me Maths and helped me with revision techniques that I use to this day. Always immaculately dressed with blazer, we knew he was ex RAF but he never told us about this mission. Great guy.
Group Captain Ken Gatward presented me with my pilot's wings in 1966. I recall he didn't seem to have aged much from his wartime photos. A complete gentleman and an inspirational speaker. Proud to have met him.
Strafing Germans in a beaufighter to fly home for tea and medals. Does it get more British than that?
That picture from the Beaufighter of the Eiffel Tower was brilliant
I knew Gilbert Fern, he was a really lovely man from the Forest of Dean. When Gatward's obituary was published in the Telegraph
he signed it for me - Dave, best wishes George (Gilbert) Fern. It is a very treasured possession.
A very dangerous mission carried out by two very brave typically British men.
Unbelievable bravery.
That was just slick.
British as hell, too. Kind of cocky, kind of wild, absolutely hilarious *with deadly intent* . Ah, Brits. Gotta love 'em.
“Back for tea and medals” - brilliant. M.
sounds very Blackadder goes forth haha.
"the ten gun terror" my all time favourite aircraft , rarely given the publicity it deserves
R.A.A.F. pilots loved them as well in the Pacific.Lot of ships were sunk by them and they were quicker enough to get out once the job was done.Though the pilots would be coming home to a tent on a muddy field with bully beef on the menu.
Flying home for tea and medals! Brilliant!
Earl Grey?
They had a plan, and it was as hot as their pants!
Tea and Crumpets
Tea and medals, in that order, correct priorities are important
C'est la première fois que j'entends parler d'un tel remarquable exploit, ces pilotes anglais étaient extraordinaires.
Why have we never heard about this amazing single aircraft operation before? History has been very quiet about this raid. Great film, very interesting.
That column of German soldiers lucked out that day. Being straffed by a Beaufighter would ruin you day.
*Hears theme music - hits like button
I did it too. It said Beaufighter as well, and after seeing how imposing an aircraft this is (at the RAF museum, Hendon), That helped the early like. Not risky, as this is an excellent video as always.
👍🏼🇬🇧
David Hills me too 🥰
@@Fred_Broca Called 'Pursuit' (Apple imovie) th-cam.com/video/r85DHWrrnsA/w-d-xo.html
Amazing story. World War II was so huge that stories like this continue to emerge in a never-ending stream, it seems. Imagine if a lot of the stuff that is still classified would be released.
imagine if they stuck this stuff in school. There's just so much that isn't taught today. Talking to a bunch of navel ROTC they didn't know what the Arizona was or where it was made me sad. OMG
Many years ago I was browsing in an open market in Bath, and purchased a whole pile of original wartime photos - which included the photos taken on this raid.
As a german, I salute this. Takes a lot of bravery and the plan was just great. Well done!
I've always loved the Beaufighter, it's so British, like a Bulldog.
A flying Churchill 😉
@@metalmadsen I wish you hadn't created that mental picture! Almost vomited.
You never disappoint us, Mark! Keep up the obscure war stories!
Shrek hi
Flight Lieutenant Ken Gatward, was it he who first uttered the immortal British expression "Smoke me a kipper I'll be back for breakfast!"
I believe it was Theresa May. Might be wrong, but.
>> Two croissants to go please--keep the change.
I haven't found a Mark Felton video I didn't like yet.
No one can 😊
The Beaufighter- one of the most underrated planes of World War II. Did not come pout of active service til 1960, when you consider all the innovations from 1942 til 1960 gives some idea of how ahead of its time it was.
I just finished watching the one on the typhoon where the son got his revenge for his dad this pops up in my notifications thank God Mark
I think Mark need some sort of TH-cam medal for these stories!
Can you post a link to that?
So did I.
@@deanpd3402 What exactly did you do?
It's always good to hear of these veterans living a long life after the war. Tragic how many heroes never really lived to see what they achieved.
Tally-bloody-ho!!!! What a fantastic story to compliment my favourite aircraft of WWII - The Beaufighter. Thanks Mark, great work as always.💯👍🏻
Maybe it's just the mood I'm in--maybe not; but at 3:30 am here on the USA west coast, having just watched your well produced and extremely well narrated account, I just feel like standing up and cheering! Well, there are neighbors so I'll keep quiet and say in a whisper, Thanks for your excellent short feature. (Shhhhh. . . )
The Beaufighter, and the Mosquito are my favourite aircraft. I don't know about the people of Paris on that day, but I found myself welling up as they "banked steeply to port". I used to live in Northolt, I can imagine them touching down in time for a late lunch. These days Northolt is most famous for appearing on the traffic reports every morning "the A40 is tailed back to the Polish War Memorial".
And all this time I thought missions like this one were reserved for the Mosquito. Great recounting of a daring and noble endeavor. During WWII the Brits constantly proved again and again that free people would not cower in the face of tyranny. In this mission, they shared their hope and optimism with the people of Paris.
Fascinating story. My grandfather flew Beaufighters with the SAAF in WW2, magnificent aircraft.
Bombing the Fuzzy-Wuzzies in their huts? Any relation to Boris the new PM?
Excellent! Another new one on me and so interested to see RAF Thorney Island on the map as the departure field! When I was a boy, my father kept his boat in a yard at Thorney Island. We would sail past the runway and I would be thrilled by watching the Army Air Corps Beavers flying in and out as well as Westland Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters on SAR duties. The greatest thrill was the multitude of RAF Hercules and Andover transports which were based there and which flew very low over us. When ashore, I would run out along the various narrow raised footpaths which surrounded the many small basins at the boat yard. The Herc and Andover pilots would be circuit bashing and I would wave at them on low final approach. In return they nearly always flashed their landing lights at me and then the shadow of the aircraft would flash towards me over the landscape and zip over me!! Happy days. I loved this film and little did I know back in those days, that such a daring raid had been mounted from there or indeed that I would become so deeply interested in SOE ops either. Thanks for yet another winner!
Suggestion: Some years ago, there was a documentary/drama about two WW11 British army dentists, who wanted to fight and so well before D Day the two men “invaded” France. They stole a fishing boat and once in France destroyed a train then got involved in a commando raid. On their return they were arrested for desertion, but then allowed to fight.
Would be good to see a Mark Felton documentary on this.
10 dislikes from German Flak gunners that missed the mark.
Beau is such a beast... 4 cannons, 6 machineguns and even defensive one aiming back.. fast, sturdy..
Holy cow! Now THAT'S an adventure with nerves of steel. What men! And tea and crumpets to top it off.
Whatever is the matter with the 77 who 'thumbs downed' ? REALLY? Excellent channel, and very very well put together collection of stories. Keep it up Mr Felton . Looking forward to your next episode already.
That British pilot is the type of officer portrayed in near post war movies, seen as a cliche today, but true as life. "I say old chap, let's pop across the Channel and give Jerry something to think about. It'll be a Jolly Good show, lads." David Niven should have played him in the movie version. Back for tea and medals indeed!
That's an amazing run. Great respect for the British to do that for their friend and alie France.
I don't know how he does it but every single video on this channel is somehow always equal to or even better than the last! Fascinating stories one after another many of which are unknown to almost everyone out there. As a huge history buff myself who has extensively studied and researched WW2, which is my favorite topic in history, I am constantly amazed and ecstatic at seeing constant new stories on this channel that I had never even heard of! Trust me when I say that is quite a feat! Thank you for all the amazing content and the great quality. Keep it up!
They couldn't carry any bombs in the bomb bay because of the weight of their giant bronze balls.
"And flying home for tea and medals" ....marvellous!!!😅
Excellent tale of derring-do and rousingly told Dr Felton. Great story of courage and including my 2nd favourite plane of WWII, what more could a chap ask for on an overcast Saturday afternoon.
Thank you, as well as raising morale on both sides of the Channel back then it has raised it here in 2019.
Shame there was no parade that day. The German quartermasters would have had to find a lot of new underwear. 😂
Oh my god, what a story! These pilots were brave souls !!
one of the most interesting channels on youtube!
Boys own adventure stuff. Brilliant. 👍🏻
Two Chaps, one mission, no BS, piece of cake The RAF way.
The name is Gatward... Ken Gatward, cue 007 music.
Excellent find for a story. I had zero knowledge of this and pride myself on personal extent of info on WWII. Never stop, professor!!
The Beaufighter, also known as “Whispering death” from the sound its engines made.
Lovely aircraft and superb video as always Mark!
Amazing story! Absolutely bad ass, casually snapping some pics while they were at it 👌 Also great to hear they survived the war
This is the original "TopGun" story. Those men are amazing
Thanks Mark. I’ve never heard about this mission before. What an amazing feat to pull off when the German forces were at their might of power.
This one brought me to tears! Incredible daring.
Jolly good show chaps
Carry on
Cheers and saludos from latin America
Oh my God!!
This brought tears to my eyes!!
Thank you Mark, another interesting and entertaining video. You may be interested in the story of HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, the ship that escaped Japanese detection in 1942 disguised as a tropical island...
Made the hairs on my arms stand up! So good to hear they survived the war!
Freaking badass mission. Casually drop a flag on top of the arc de triomphe.
I love your channel and I can only imagine how it felt to have brave friends who still have your back in bad times.👍
Terrific story! You seldom read about these types of events in the history books. No guts no glory but there was plenty of both in this mission.
A bloody beaufighter!!!! That's Mosquito territory! Sacre Bleu!
Mark, you should be responsible for the History curriculum in UK schools! Kids need to know the level of defiance, bravery and sacrifice needed to ensure freedom from tyranny.
Neat little memory of an INCREDIBLE piece of flying.
Absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for bringing this story to us and making it come alive.
Bad bloody timing getting back at 1:53. Hope cooke kept something warm for them. Two hrs too early for cucumber sandwiches.
Englishmen at their finest
I’m continually amazed at the small stories of WWII that most overlook. Thanks for bringing these acts of bravery to light.
Two fine gentlemen that deserve recognition!
Just another reason to love this channel. I learn something new every time I tune in. Thanks, Mark Felton!!!
Because you spoke about one of my two favourite British WW II aircraft, the other being the beautiful Mossie you have captured another subscriber
That moustache alone is worth a DFC!
Hizzah to the boys in the RAF! Greetings from NYC!
I never hear about the beufighter!
Nice one
Also a new one on me.
@james Lambshead Yes and that's a shame. I do recall we read a story in the 5th grade (1958) about the Beufighters in North Africa.
Well then you will love this one on YT.
Beaufighter attack on a German ship: WW2 pilot Steve Stevens DFC
Seriously? The Beaufighter was a gem. Depending on your age, you are learning more from Internet or from books/real world. Internet is young and not necessarily populated with correct content, or content with necessary details. Now you know it existed, check it out. It’s “Beau”!! (French for beautiful or handsome).
One of the most underrated aircraft in WW2, of note is Australian crewed Beu's fighting against japan in the pacific
These stories are absolutely amazing Mark! Didn’t realise there were so many heart racing and heroic acts/missions that I’d never heard about. Love your channel mate!
I always thought “Back for tea & medals” was a quaint saying, but clearly it is historical fact!
The photos from the plane are crazy! Nice to have a cool story to go along with them.
Thank you for bringing this amazing mission to our notice! And I'm delighted to see that the navigator was from "my" Gloucestershire. Keep up the fantastic work, Mark Felton!
It's amazing to hear these stories of our young British pilots (all heroes ) and the horror they lived to free the nation's people , they will never be forgotten ever cos that's what us brits are like, we all stand together in the face of conflict . Thanks for the upload 👍 mark great stories from the past.
An amazing stunt, but you never know what went on at the time or what intelligence they had. My guess is they knew there would be no parade that day. To strafe the marching soldiers would have caused repercussions on the civilian population of Paris and cause more trouble than it was worth. Paris escaped the fate of other cities and still has it's old architecture thanks to their relationship with the occupiers who seemed to enjoy the place immensely.
When the world was young(er), there were a number of UK comic books aimed primarily at boys (publishers D C Thomson of Dundee I think), such as Rover, Adventure, Wizard, and the like. One of them used to have an exciting picture (on the front?) in each weekly issue, illustrating a genuine act of daring bravery, often from WW II. Without giving too much away, like dates, I still remember one that featured this very action. Not strictly accurate as I seem to remember it featured the parade (remember the intended audience, it made it more "exciting").
I’m not sure how or where you find these incredible true stories but keep them coming. A BIG thank you from your viewers and subscribers! I’m sure it takes a great deal of time and energy to research, write and edit videos of these incredible events. As well, I strongly believe your videos serve to educate; so all of us can understand why we need to pay respect to the greatest generation! Lastly, I have a feeling your channel is going to get a lot more subscribers! Cheers!
"Tea and medals" is the most British thing I have heard in long time.
Gatwood and Fearne..thank you.
I have been watching Mark Felton's videos for a few years now and I believe that with each new chapter in peices of history he presents, it just keeps getting better. Thank you for such great work Mark and thank you so much for sharing the parts of history some of us would surely had missed. Best regards.
A wonderful story, Mark! Thank you so much for bringing it to wider attention.
Damn good show ole boys, time to enjoy a cup of tea!
And excellent work as always Sir Felton
I love the way Mark says "Lieutenant".
Depending on version, the Beaufighter could carry up to 6,000 rounds of ammo. Imagine what effect that would have had in a row of perfectly aligned and exposed soldiers.
what a great story of daring and dash. superb !
Charmingly successful mission. This story could be the basis for a nice little Hollywood romcom with a little artistic license added.
Flying down the streets of Paris at roofheight over enemy forces, of course theres time to take tourist snaps.
The Beaufighter is often the unsung hero for these kinds of missions. Just like the Spitfire gets all the glamour over the Hurricane, the Mosquito gets all the love over the Beaufighter. She was a sturdy little workhorse though, often sent on missions like this. They were used quite a bit attacking shipping in the North Sea, & around Norway.
No matter how hard a task sounds ‘back in time for tea and medals’ just takes the edge off!
What an amazing true story . Thanks to the producer and thanks to you tube for making it possible.
Audacious. I love it.
it amazes me how you are able to produce these videos so frequently at such a high quality, keep up the great work!!! i love your videos
This is the WW2 equivalent of a middle finguer ... magnificent
An incredible story Mark and one brought back to life by your descriptive narrative. Thanks for sharing!
This vid embodies what I like in your series: short and to the point, plus interesting - keep up the good work!
Hands up who can’t get enough of these 👏👏👏
Once again, I laud your research skills. Thank you for another great vignette.