What it was REALLY Like Flying a P-38 Lightning
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Relive a deadly dogfight in a P-38 lightning against the A6M Japanese Zero over the Pacific in 1943. Another great episode of my "Can You Survive" series! This was made using the World War II flight simulator War Thunder. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder
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Thanks for watching! -TJ
Hey TJ3! I like what you are doing here dude! Have you ever thought about expanding into the realm of IL2: Normandy/Bodenplatte and the other addons? I'd love to help with this and would love to fly with you. IL2 offers some interesting production options, campaigns and missions that would make some things much easier to recreate. Shoot me a reply if interested and we can trade contanct info. o7!
561st_Spectre
this AI audio crap is annoying.
My elderly neighbor who has now passed away flew P-38’s for the 5 th AF. I was humbled when he gave me a copy of his memoirs several years ago. He told me that at a time his wingman was Richard Bong. What an incredible person he was. He will alway be remembered. He will always be missed. Thank you Bob……
What was his full name?
@@garthwillard8089 Robert (Bob) Wood. 5th AF. 9th Fighter Squadron. 49th Fighter Group. The Flying Knights……
@@jefferysteffens8475
I say in the Church pew with a pilot named Beull Crider who donated his WW2 belongs to the Air Museum at Walnut Ridge AR his Story about Bombing the Bridge at Brennan Pass in the Alps and surviving the Dive that forced him to clip the tops of trees. Please put those stories to paper or media of some type to keep the memories alive.
Please contact the Bong museum in Superior Wisconsin. Please share with us all your gift.
💖✝️🛐
My dad flew a P-38 with the 432nd. Peregroy was on of my dad's best friends during the war. I was fortunate to be able to attend many 475th reunions with my dad until his Parkinson's prevented it. I have signatures of 7 P-38 aces including Perry Dahl, and Joe Forrester. My dad was 1st Lieutenant Ralph Gutierrez. He trained in a Stearman Biplane, then a P-39 AiroCobra, then the P38. He flew P-47s out of Kirtland Field in the reserves after the war. He flew 63 missions in the Pacific and was awarded the Air Medal, China Service Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and 5 bronze battle stars. He flew with Col. McDonald as his CO as well as with Charles Lindbergh, when he showed the 475th pilots how to extend their range. Those pilots saved the world. Great Video TJ!
wow, I would love to have heard some of your dad's stories. I hope he shared them with you.
That is so awesome. I saw a video about what Lindbergh taught them that was instrumental in the downing of Yamamoto’s Betty.
Excellent animation!
My great uncle Ralph Virden died flying the P-38 during high-speed dive tests in 1941.
They hadn’t worked out how to recover and the tail of his ship broke off. Went to the crash site, now a residential neighborhood in Glendale when I was working in California a few years ago.
Thanks for the great video.
My dad may have known your uncle. He was an engineer and worked on the very 2nd P38 being built. He knew the test pilots, but I could not tell you who they all were.
They made changes and improvements on the aircraft as it was being built going down the line.
The P38 was a great plane,
@@hibob418 was he at Peterson field in Colorado when that happened . I ask because my father was stationed there before shipping off to England. While training there they had a lot of plain crashes there with the p-38.. it was to the point that someone may be messing with the plains to make them crash. My father was the first pilot that was able to bail out before the plan hit the ground. They didn't even know he made it out alive a car that was on the road saw where my dad ended up on the said of a hill and was able to stop the last jeep going to the crash and told them where he was while the rest where at the crash site saying a prayer for my dad who they thought died in the crash he blacked out when he pulled his shoot because of the force when it opened. He also lost a shoe and that foot landed in a cactus when he hit the ground and pulling it out of his foot when the last jeep came to pick him up. One of the people in the Jeep everyone called Doc.
My grandfather LOVED his P-38. Always wish he’d lived long enough to tell me about it, but he told his sons. He flew the F5 recon solo over Germany with no weapons. I have some neat pictures of his. Always my favorite plane.
My Father flew a p-38 as a recon pilots for the 8th Air Force 7th photo group. He flew a lot of his top secret missions right on the deck unlike a lot of the missions where done at a high altitude. One of his missions his plan was so shot up. One side of his tail looked like a big shark took a big bit out of it. The counted over 300 holes in one engine and more than 350 holes in the rest of the plan. Not counting the chunks of his wings that where missing.. There wasn't one person at his base that could explain how the plan was still able to fly with as much damage there was . He has a picture of the plain but I don't know what ever happened to it. I have a feeling one of my brother have it. By the end of the war he was one of the highest decorated pilots as a recon pilot. The highest was the distinguished servic cross (America's second highest metal)
My dad was a P38 pilot in the pacific theatre. He loved flying that plane.
Mine did , too. 13th 'Jungle' Air Force
My Dad watched one of his high school friends crash & die on a training flight in a P-38. Both had dropped out of 2nd year of high school to volunteer for the War (not for glory-- their fathers knew the horrors of WWI--- because in western Washington State after Pearl Harbor, they thought they might have to defend their own home town. My Dad volunteered to be a tail-gunner on a B-17. Thank you so much for this video, & moreso, for helping our next generations appreciate what our "Greatest Generation" did for us. Dad & 4 of 5 uncles served in WWII (the 5th in Korea), & their mothers, fathers, & sisters served & sacrificed so much at home. I chose a career to teach history to honor of them & all our generous ancestors who deserve so much of our humble gratitude.
My dad was with an aviation support squadron that serviced P-38’s. He was on the first contingent to arrive in Australia via the Queen Mary that escaped a Nazi submarine trap off Rio on the way to Australia and then on to Port Moresby in 1942.
Thanks for sharing, couldn't make it without the aircraft mechanics, and the continual maintenance to aircraft in the air....
Dick Bong is a legend. Great guy Dick Bong. Couldnt ask for a better pilot than Dick Bong
Lol dick dong invited me over for ping pong but ended up giving me the ding dong. Cause I didn’t bring the ming mong
Dude!
I was friends with an older gentleman who grew up, went to college in and returned home to Brownwood TX. His last name was Dirtsche and he flew a P-38 and flew with Dick Bong. Mr Dirtsche was a very quiet, humble man and was a kind a person as u could meet.
Thank you very much for producing this very well done video.
My Father's favorite plane was the P-38 and I'm sure he would have loved this.
Man... the ending sure did stir some emotions. The Japanese and Germans of WW2 were a representation of what many alive today need to know about and learn from.
No country has been perfect and there are people and events throughout history that irrefutably show what depths our species can reach.
About 35 years ago I got to sit in Lefty Gardners P-38 while it was in Santa Maria. The thing people don't realize is just how BIG it is. Having also sat in a P-51, I was stunned to see what a difference it was to the wingtips. The P-38 has 20 FEET more wingspan that the Mustang, and pretty much any other single engine fighter.
I met Lefty back in the spring of 1979 in Harlingen, TX. I also watched him race in Reno in 1995. If I recall, he flew his P-38 in one of the heats. He did not win, but he was up against some stock Mustangs, among other types. My brother and I tried to shake his hand after the race, but there was a group of people milling around him, and we did not want to just jump in. So, after a few minutes we moved on.
As a senior in HS in '79, I felt nervous and awed by the guy as we chatted--I knew him by reputation and from magazine articles I'd read. And I was surprised that he would spend any time with me! I nearly got a ride in his Mustang, which he was going to fly from Harlingen airport to his ranch some twenty miles away; but there was no way for me to get back to Harlingen where I was staying. So we mutually agreed to opt out. Wish I had taken him up on it, though. I'd have hitchhiked back to Harlingen.
Beautifully done TJ! The stories provide the truth but visually your work is so realistically done it draws the viewer in. The weathered appearance of the aircraft-paint chipping,exhaust and oil stains, gun powder burns and even oxidation on paint schemes add to the attention to detail. Flaps,rudder and ailerons moving in unison with the aircraft’s motion is such a nice touch! Always well done! Thanks for these pieces of art!
Thanks so much!
It's made with the game war thunder.
Bong was a member of the 49th FS before he left the USA and headed to Europe. After he looped the Golden Gate Bridge, he was kicked out of the 49th and sent to the Pacific. I saw a photo of the 49th at Hamilton Field and picked out Bong on the far left of the group.
Held Richard Ira Bongs blue prints for his p-38 in my hands in 1977, up in superior Wisconsin. They were looking at putting his plane into an enclosure in Poplar, Wi. They moved the plane and built a memorial in Superior, WI.
Wonderfully done as usual. The beginning of Kelley Johnsons genuis designs. This one was a tear jerker. So many natives died at the hands of the Japanese for helping Americans and our Australian brothers in the war.
Here is a true story that was told to me by my best friends dad. He was a hard hat diver during the war.
He was stationed on a Pacific island for a while. The Japanese had been ruthless to the local people. Rape,murder and torture. They agreed to help the Americans and show them to an encampment with Japanese higher ups. The raid went well, and they captured a colonel or major, Im not sure. They brought him back to the American camp and had him sitting in the back of a jeep. He was surrounded by gaurds. My friend's dad was among the crowd to see the Japanese commander. Then, a villager who had helped with finding the Japanese calmly walked up to the jeep and, with one swift move,lopped off the head of the prisoner. They had no interest in information. They wanted blood, and they continued to exact it whenever they could on the Japanese. The Americans really wanted to interrogate him. From what i gather, nothing was done to the native.
If you ever want to research an under documented war crime look at the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. It was a war crime on the scale of the Holocaust.
Back in the 80s a vet who flew as a gunner on a flying fortresses told me that one did not have a high life expectancy.
He never met Clark Gable but he he heard about him. He knew what he was. He would give anyone an autograph and was nice to anyone and everyone.
He'd pose in pictures upon request with anyone who asked be with him in a picture. it was said that he knew a lot of the guys he met were not going to be around to long, and the stress was extreme for flight crews, so he tried his best to make anyone feel good.
Thanks for sharing
This is , in my opinion, one of the best military aviation channels on TH-cam. TJ , thanks for what you do in bringing these great videos to us your viewers . Your channel never fails to provide great info and entertainment . Keep up the amazing work. 👍
Hey, I just wanted to say I think this is a very good video idea. For small stories that are hard to tell adding interactions like that makes it way more interesting and it’s still able to tell the story of the individuals who are involved. I personally think this video was amazing. Thank you and I would love to see more!
Thank you!!
A friend of mine who had flown a P38 in World War II had given me a control yoke and his leather flying cap as a gift. Years later I returned them to him and he donated them to the Bong Memorial Museum in Superior, Wisconsin. Also, I had met Marge, Bongs wife at an EAA event in Oshkosh and I got her autograph.
Ah yes the P-38. Well too bad it didn't have that 'super boost' as we saw in the movie "Iron Eagle 3" hell would have been a huge game changer.
The super boost was supposed to be a modern update. It was just nitrous and the Nazis were always using nitrous.
"Super boost" was probably just WEP (war emergency power) which did boost power.
In a P-51, it would increase power up to 61% !
The P-38 had this as well, which is similar to running nitrous on a drag car.
So, while you might think it's Hollywood nonsense of something called " super boost" in the movie,
it actually did have something just like that. It just wasn't called super boost.
WEP in the P-38 was a turbo governor override that allowed the turbo to overspeed in order to deliver additional boost at altitude.
Actually the proper defense from the OSCAR attack was the hi-g barrel roll. Diving might work but is purely defensive and costs you altitude you won't get back. The barrel roll gives you a good chance of escaping AND going offensive again whilst losing little if any altitude and airspeed.
My father was a Lightning pilot, eventually flying 65 combat missions over France and Germany. His P-38 was an F-5 recon version.
Because I was involved in aviation, we talked at length about his P-38 experience.
wonderful avatar. your dad was a boss to fly on those missions.
The withering firepower of a P-38 would scatter a Zero into confetti.
Another wonderful video, keep up the amazing work of telling these aviators stories, they do not deserve to be forgotten.
I know that the P-38 had its drawbacks (especially its high purchase and maintain cost!!!) and it is a very complex/complicated/difficult aircraft, but still maybe my No.1. favorite.
I would've had to roll my dice going straight back over the ocean with the knowledge of what would happen if I were captured by the japs.
Despite its painful drawbacks in Europe.. It carried the war TO the axis during a critical time in 1943. It could carry out combat while the Spitfires, Hurricanes, P-40s, and P-39s were all useless. It bridged the gap in Europe until long-legged fighters such as the P-47, P-51, Typhoon, and Tempest could take on more. Its critics are ignorant of that.
To share his story keeps him alive. Never forgotten
Lt. Christopher Bartllett: i'd never heard of him before now, never forget him from now on. Poor brave man, i hoped until the end his brother would rejoin him. So sad....
This was such an immaculately crafted episode. Thank you TJ for bringing these heroes back to life for the proper honor they deserve.
Thanks for watching!
Battle with a Zero. He who dives, shoots and dives away (to repeat), lives to fight another day, he who dives, shoots and stays to play, frequently dies upon this day!
Boom and zoom....
This was as interesting as it was well crafted. I especially liked the "choose your own adventure" format. Well done!
The P-38 lightning was a fantastic fighter to go up against the famous axis fighters like the zero’s bf-109s and fw-190s great video TJ3.
Could you do the story of Major William Levertte the p-38 pilot who shot Down 7 Stukas in one day.
My friend's dad was a radio operator / navigator on a B25. He would talk about being escorted by P38's and how they would often fly on one engine to save fuel until they spotted trouble.
A hero for sure! R.I.P. Lt .Bartlett. Not Forgotten 🇺🇸
(With all due respect to Lt. C. Bartlett in regard to the content and context of this comment.)
Since this is a "would you survive" video/scenario, I want to point out that my first decision, which was designated as "incorrect" by the video, actually led to my survival from this encounter and return with the remainder of my squadron. I chose option "A" (pull back to give space) & a better overall view of the situation and around my wingman, similarly to how the squadron initially covered the bombers. Since I was in this position and realized immediately that the attacking enemy aircraft, although not "Zeros," were still attack fighters as opposed to bombers or any other inappropriate mission assignment aircraft, so I was not distracted by that pointless consideration, as well I was not in a position to be gawking at some other P-38 that was not my wingman, I was able to identify threats more readily and respond appropriately.
I thought this video's intent was to show the proper decisions to survive. Being that Lt. C. Bartlett did not (unfortunately) survive, then I have to question the legitimacy of the declaration of which decisions were or were not correct. Like I said, this is not to be disrespectful to Lt. Bartlett as from what was depicted of the events by this video, his decisions were based on doctrine and of course the situation at/of the time the events actually happened. Just seems to me that if the video's intent is to show how to survive yet the decisions made led, ultimately, to the loss of the pilot, then the decisions cannot be legitimately declared as "correct" in order to survive the mission.
Sorry, love the channel and all, but I had to call this one out.
I enjoyed this presentation, based upon an actual historical situation.
40th ID was a CA National Guard division. Thats why the brother, from Fresno, was with the 40th ID
I like how you combined a documentary video with a "quiz" one. Very nice job
01:50 Looks cool how the planes be bouncing up and down.
That was the first one of your videos I've seen mate. I'm impressed. Well done. It's good work, and your attention to detail is second to none. I'm gunna subscribe and see more of your work. Cheers mate. 👍🇦🇺
Shout out to Uncle Keith and the rest of the Headhunters, all of them heroes.
I like how TJ3 does the different options a,b,c multiple questions
In this YT video documentary
We need more YT video channels like this cuz this put you right in the pilots seat directly
🕊️ Of ✌️ TJ3
Dive and go left ..Zeros would pull to the right and couldn't follow...engine torque and aileron reversal would force it right in a dive... due to it's light construction .
A pilot described flying Number 2 to be watching Number 1's back and letting him make the attack.
That name..."Slightly Dangerous". I think the we missed out on a movie with Bill Murray as a P-38 Pilot.
I like this kind of video interaction!! Like you just not only watch the vid but you also learn how things are done and how to to them in WT.
I was kinda' surprised I nailed every one up until the last.
Chose ditching on land rather than sea, though not having the info that it's a rocky beach before hand makes that a bit tricky.
Very engaging and interesting excercise though!
I’ve always ADORED this series of videos, please make as many as you can!! ❤❤
Another excellent story. Would love a video about Richard Bong, americas ace of aces deserves the tj3 treatment
thanks for the great vid and more importantly thanks for helping to keep the stories remembered. enjoyed the interesting self questioning style too.
When AiC returned with a new vocalist. They played a gig where James Hetfield guested on vocals for this song - well worth a reaction.
There is nothing as exciting as personal history👍👍👍
Richard Bong was notorious for losing wingmen.
That’s what we call bull shit, something a jealous person would say
Incredible story and sacrifice, thank you all for keeping it alive! Godspeed team🇺🇸🎗
Thanks!
As an PPG player I really enjoy this kind of videos that puts me in the cockpit of a warbird.
👍👍
I once met Lt. Lawrence Graebner (ret.) who flew a P-38 in Operation Vengeance, the mission to kill Admiral Yamamoto. He was part of the group that attacked the escorting Zeros. He was also shot down twice over Iwo Jima.
The prop version of the A10, love it
Sad story. Great graphics.
What a very awesome way to make a documentary about this amazing aviator’s journey. Sad that in the end he lost his life in the end. Near the end I was very hopeful that you were going to say that his brother had found him.
This is fascinating. Thank you for helping us understand a little better what are predicessors went through for us.
Re-think. Had Kelly Johnson's pusher/puller P-38 configuration been wisely chosen instead of UNsafe horizontally-opposed twins; we'd have not needed handed engine complications, less deaths and more 1-engine out recoveries as well as a more maneuverable dogfighter. The WW2 "Greatest Generation" didn't get things right as WW2 ended too quickly for this to happen.
Antoine de Saint Exupery was shot down near Marseille in a Lightning at the age of over 40 years, having in his body yet injuries from former flight accidents. He was returning from a recon mission from Grenoble direction Corsica. In a french tv flight magazin they discribed the physical stress piloting the lightning and said, that Saint Ex was too old for flying the Lightning.
Great video TJ! Those were some tough decisions. I would’ve back off the throttle in the first one, but when the zero came up from behind, that there is a tough choice. Dive and leave your leader to save your skin and leave him alone. My respect level for the airmen at that time just went up even more. By the way, the lighting is my favorite aircraft from that time. Thanks again sir for the great videos! Happy Mardi Gras from NOLA!
07:10 Oscar!
Heaven is for Heroes, R.I.P.
Boom and zoom Like Major Bong. And your weapons did not need to converge at 400 yards. Just avoid aileron lock until they added dive brakes which turned out to be an asset in ground attacks.
Really enjoy your Channel TJ being Aussie, especially your episodes around PNG and the Solomon’s.
Thank you!
@@TJ3 All good TJ keep ‘em coming mate
Oscar raised hell with Maj Thomas Mcguire and his improvised Search for Trade. Not the trade he expected. A Frank there as well over Cebo PI.
My architectural mentor and fellow Harvard GSD alum Arthur B. Sweetser told our office team that he flew the P-38 in the Italian theater during WWII. These flying flicks tell quite a different story of his heroic contribution to his heritage!
This is an incredible way to teach history! Congratulations! This is awesome!
Thanks!
My stepfather in law saw Combat in Italy late in the War. Mostly ground targets. Said he saw a ME 262 but was too far away. He related a couple amusing stories but no one on one air combat .
Lindbergh helped refine the P38 and was able to suggest modifications to help extend the range
All of you , ( likely) are very young, so the video games you play will give you a Walter Mitty experience. My dad was in the New Guinea Pacific theater, and at first only P-39 Aircobras protected his island, and the Japanese bombed them with impunity. The arrival of the new P-38 squadron resulted in the destruction of the daily Japanese bombing force from Rabaul, and the morale soared .
Wow, this is a really cool video. Easily earned my subscription. Keep it up, 💯
Excellent format and very good imagery. Just a small correction, for the record. Rabaul (which rhymes with "cowl") is not an island (03:37) but a harbor town on the island of New Britain.
God speed Lt.Christopher Bartllett see you in the Friendly's Skies of Heaven...yours very truly Alfonso Cantu USMC
Kind of reminds me of the "Dogfights" series. Great work!
Just discovered this channel, well told story with excellent graphics, subscribed.
What a sad ending that he was turned in by a missionary.
My uncle was AC on a B25 in the pacific. Shot down while hammering Japanese shipping off Swatow china.
Nicely done! You put in a lot of effort for sure! Nice touch at :33 to show the earthen revetment. I flew into Port Moresby PNG in 1990, and there were horseshoe shaped WWII revetments all around the perimeter of the airport. After a stopover in Lae ( Where Amelia Earhart was last seen) We flew to Rabaul. I did not know that Rabaul had been Japanese held.
This story is the exact reason I would’ve followed the coast as long as I could have, and then headed for base
First-time viewer here and I am tremendously impressed! Hopefully, I'll see more of you. Thank you.
Thank you!!
Rabaul was a death bed for Japanese pilots. The had no quinine and malaria and dysentery raged through the Japanese pilots. They were typically expected to fly even when sick. When fighting over Guadalcanal they were flying 8 hour found trips. Replacement pilots were inadequately trained .
8:59 the way he said it🤣🤣
Great video. You never disappoint when ever I see you have posted a new video I know it will be interesting and very informative proving you have really done your homework when it comes to researching the subject. Can't wait to see what's next. Please "Keep 'em Flying".
Thank you as always!
Love your videos!
Thanks!
Wow! Just F&%king wow. Thank you, the P 38 is my home.
Another great video! I really like these survival videos. I survived this until the German guy. Keep up the great work.
Thanks!
Really good animation. Thanks. GB
I've been to the Bong recreation area! In Wisconsin just north of the Illinois border off I-94.
Thank you TJ for providing these interesting chapters of historical events. imho I feel you are providing a service to the public for the purpose of historical education. Is there a possibility you can file for a grant to keep producing these episodes? Please keep up the valuable work!
Love this style of choices
LOVE THIS STYLE
10:45 Dive!!
Damn good job posting a 'you are there' feel. kudo's amigo.
this is great. the p38 always grabbed my attention for some reason.. awesome video. A few specs on the planes,would be cool. like gun setups, engines and hp, based off of.. ie: isnt the p38 pretty much 2x p51's?
Great vid man, its like playing WT. Nice!!!!
F*ck! I really hoped for a nice ending of the story.
Nice work!
Another fantastic video
Thanks!
speed speed speed is life.. always use your strength. climb rate and speed