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A Hawker Hurricane Rams a Do 17 to Save Buckingham Palace
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มี.ค. 2021
- During the ferocious Battle of Britain between August and September of 1940, there was plenty of bravery and sacrifice.
One such act occurred on the decisive day of September 15, 1940, during the raid on the city of London.
Ray Holmes, a young Royal Air Force fighter pilot, tasked with taking down enemy bombers, went above and beyond the call of duty defending his country.
After running out of ammo, without blinking, the RAF pilot rammed his Hawker Hurricane into a heavily armed Dornier Do 17 that was on its way to bomb Buckingham Palace.
He succeeded, sacrificing his aircraft to take down the German bomber.
His action became one of the most well-known cases of aerial ramming during WW2. Ray Holmes's name would become a synonym of British patriotism for willing to sacrifice himself in the name of his country.
What's really remarkable is that he survived and lived to an old age. Few of those who show such bravery live to enjoy the glory.
I appreciate the producers of this video telling the whole basic story in the first minute. Then if one chooses, one can watch the whole thing for more background details.....WHICH I AM SOOOO GLAD I DID!!! To find that this hero SURVIVED was the best part of the story!!!
Yes, I thought from the opening narrative that he died in the process.
Yes, its a good format. I wish more people would use it. Brief version followed by detailed version.
There are no heroes in war..........
1:25 killed my interest in anything these guys had to say.
Mine too.
My dad was 17 and living in London at this time, and he saw this happen. I remember him talking about the air battles overhead and how he actually saw a fighter deliberately collide with a German airplane over the palace. This is what he was talking about. I was just a teen when he told me this so I wasn't paying all that much attention to the story. But now I know the details. Amazing.
Later in the war when my dad was old enough he joined the British Navy and did escort runs in a destroyer to Archangel when the Allies were sending convoys to supply the Russians. Those runs were a whole different kind of insane. He ended the war though in an entirely different place, the Bahamas. There used to be quite a bit of U-Boat activity near there earlier in the war since it was a British colony but the time my dad got there the fighting was long over. He spent most of his days snorkeling or chilling on the beach.
I think he felt quite guilty about having such a cushy posting while the push to end the war in Europe happened, which is amusing considering how insanely difficult and dangerous other parts of his career were. The call to duty was strong in this generation.
Im ex RAF and I didnt even know about this legend of a man...wow goes to show.....
A lot of your guys have been heavily focussed on mortars recently 👀
I think his story is quite big in the 2000s because people finally located the wreckage of his Hurricane, thus reliving his story.
It is not until the early 2010s where the wreckage is finally excavated and put on display on the Imperial War Museum
@@kalilinux8182 mortars?! Psht what is this 1950?
But seriously why?
Myth vs legend?
An exagerration i believe it is.Perhaps its because it was made up.
I met Ray at Duxford a few years ago, and I thanked him for helping to save our country. He just shrugged and said "It was a terrible time, but we just got up there and did our job"
When you say 'a few years' ??? He did, after all, die 16 years ago.
Duxford is great
@@richardrussell7082 Sorry, but that's a pointless comment
@@persilious81 No it's not. The definition of "a few" is "more than two but not many" and is usually understood to mean 3 to 5.
@@Shaun.Stephens Yes, I've been familiar with the usually accepted magnitude "of a few" for the past 70yrs but it is not really a "definition".
I say again that Richard Russell's 'nit picking', within the context of the video, was rather pointless. What was he trying to a achieve other than to put Mark Lynch down.
I am overwhelmed by two things : The courage,bravery and guts of Ray Holmes
and
The abject stupidity of putting a flame thrower on an airplane.
It was mainly there to blind enemy fighters which it actually did quite effectively. There is a good video about it.
@Ryan Roberts buahahahhaha like when we used to put spoke cards on our bicycle.
"You see Hans when fire goes back the plane, we look faster and the enemy is scared!" lol
It was used to blind Allied fighters by covering their windshields in oil & soot. It was actually effective at doing that, but once the fighters knew about it then it basically became useless and the Germans removed the flamethrowers later on.
@Ryan Roberts The F-111 dumping fuel while on burners is indeed awesome...
@Ryan Roberts right? it should generate about 200% speed increase 🤣🤣
When people do things like that, they never think about being a hero. They do it for their fellow countrymen. Worrying about survival comes after the fact.
I am so Thankful for having people like him.
That's the beauty of being young and "invincible" ... death only happens to others ... as you get older, the rash things that you do in your youth get more consideration ... like how many plus 40yo olds take up skateboarding or the like? Split-second decisions are better suited to the young, and while not trying to deflect from his heroism, his ability to bail out would require a youthful body when that close to the ground ... as he said, his rationale was that his plane was tougher than the tail section, which turned out to be a big "whoops"
Today I learned the do17 had a defensive flamethrower. Lol
Only in the early parts of the war. It eventually got removed.
It killed more Germans than allied
It’s for the Americans hiding in bushes up in the sky
#metoo. Seems like a very short range weapon for someone who's shooting at you.
I rely on a Flamethrower to combat the virus that shall not be named, so far so good haven’t gotten sick yet!
Right! We need a episode on that Dr. Felton. Please?
Ray Holmes is worthy of tears, tears of gratitude and tears of joy, combined. Such a very brave man. I hope he managed to pass his genes on before he died. Not that I’m a royalist.. but I’m a person who admires courage.
It's brave but stupid, dying to protect people who only want to take tax from you. screw that, I welcome whoever wants to take my shitty country
He had two daughters with his first wiife before she died, and a son and daughter with his second.
@@mariomatovina4 You'd rather the Nazis take over your country? What country do you live in that is so bad?
@Yo Dick bravo!
@@mariomatovina4 I didn’t know Matovina was Chinese..
I hope people remember that the success of The Battle Of Britain was a team effort.
a team is only as strong as its members. That's why some teams win the super bowl, while others only loose.
@@thefrustratedtheologian6238 I always thought the secret to a super bowl was have a Tom Brady.
@@thefrustratedtheologian6238 you cant compare this, to shitty american football.
@@sid2112 is that a pussys game of rugby?
Sir Winstons statement about the battle of Britain summed up and imortalized that sentiment nicely.
Truly a great team effort by many
Amazing story.
”Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. '
I hope you do know they were referring to the bar bill
Who amongst us has the the wherewithal to place others amongst ourselves, this man did and lived . He is truly a hero in my book.
And then the treasonous leaders of Britain gave it over to 3rd world dole hounds.
Did you mean "place others _above_ themselves"?
("others amongst ourselves" sounds like a description of spies)
Amogus
I'm ex royal engineer search. Counter-ied 👍
"I hit it for 6."
I'm American and actually recognized a cricket term!
You are a man of culture then 👌🤣
Howz'at?
@@rodgeyd6728 got’em yes
dont tell fibs lol
I cheated, I lived in Pakistan for 5 years growing up.
Exactly what a TRUE HERO is all about. Others before self. R.I.P Sir. Cheers
the building isn't occupied except by aa gunners during air raids, if the bomber even still had its payload it'd be like a splash in the bucket vs buckingham palace, in contigency the royal family and workers are scuttled out. It could however have gotten its poorly fused bombs into say a civilian apartment complex. It would certainly hurt whatever it fell on if it had bombs most likely. It is just a matter of where he chose to ram the do 17. I wouldve rather it chipped the palaces paintjob than landed elsewhere in a civilian dense, flammable ass city. Just personally. I know it's symbolic but buckingham palace has took shit before and it will probably take it again before you ever see the end of it. It is a fucking huge place, 1 500 lb bomb will destroy the average small destroyer, medium sized well built house which doesnt need to sink to stop existing, or 6 plane aircraft hanger. It will seriously fuck up a series of flats or apartment buildings for each one at a greater cost of life, delivered rather indiscriminately instead of at a location we know to be resilient and skeleton crewed. I wouldn't chance it but maybe i lack the patriotism to literally roll a dice on all those different factors. The pilot got a nat 20 on his saving throw. What about everyone else?
@@MasterTaters it's not that you lock the patriotism and you simply have too much laundry to see how this is the optimal way to handle the situation at least in retrospect you know most things in retrospect you can see how they should have been played regardless nice write-up and you're right I'm sure a lot of people that went for the same thing weren't as lucky
@@lurk7967 Hindsight is always 20/20
@@MasterTaters The Nazis tried to break the British spirit by doing terror bombings on sites treasured by the British. What more important symbolically than Buckingham Palace? The bombing was meant to destroy the morale of the British. It was not to just kill as many people as possible. War is far more complex than just bombing or shooting at stuff. The psychological aspect of war is just as important as the military engagements themselves.
@@eucliduschaumeau8813 This I know, i was speaking PERSONALLY but thanks for noticing.
every player in War Thunder ever
my thoughts exactly
Arcade battles be like
P51 players when they see a BV238 be like:
Ramming is a sound strategy. Even against tanks.
Most underrated comment
Meanwhile in Battlefield 4 I get banned from the server for ramming...
in ww2 you died for it
@@EdwinJungman woosh
@@valdemaratzen7874 r/whoooosssh
@@ITSJustAGame-ro5ut r/ihavereddit
My wife left me a note on the fridge that said "THIS ISN'T WORKING". I've no idea what she's talking about because I opened the fridge and it's working just fine.
lmfao
Maybe it's the ice maker?
Could be the marriage, no fault divorce in 3.2.1..
how does this have anything to do with the video
@@matthewbeek6970 I thought the same thing at first, then laughed like I needed a good laugh today when I got the joke :)
i can't imagine the heart rates of these men in those moments.
Especially right before he rammed that bomber, knowing he might die in the process.
Rapidly approaching zero.
Plus the heat in cockpits , some passed out from heat stroke.
P51 Mustang our great uncle flew for RCAF.
James Bentley Ferris..he was shot down by an ace pilot (friendly fire 🔥)
R.I.P. 🌹
Brave
Seeing as how a good amount of those pilots were given amphetamines, cocaine, and other uppers I’d imagine pretty dayum high lmaooo
“Hit it for a six”. A fine shot lifted over mid wicket.....
Hmm more one over cover Ild of thought? Longer boundary and hitting against the ball. Much tougher 😝
I thought he said hit HIS 6 a term for his rear.
May mean "Do or Die". He hit it with all he had.
Dark footage: “the enemy was going to bomb it”
Closed captions: “the enemy was going to vomit”
EDIT:
Did not expect this to blow up :)
2:58
Lmao both true most probably.
Don't say "I'm going to vacuum" to a deaf person. Lip reading translates it to "I'm going to F*** you".
@@Mangsaab1954 I'm literally laughing hard right now! You know this how?!
yeah he's a mumbler
"Not today old bean".....
There’s a really cool story of a Zero fighter that was in Taiwan. The plane was going down, and there was a residential area nearby that the pilot could crash into and escape into the crowd. Doing this would cause the enemy to shoot into the residential area, causing many civilian casualties, but they would lose sight of the pilot and he could escape.
Instead of doing that, the Zero crashed itself into an area with no people, and sacrificed himself to save the people there. The people of the area built a shrine worshipping him as a war god. That shrine still stands today.
Cool story.
How would they know if dude died in the crash? Not like he was interviewed
@@briancrawford69 "fallen unknown soldier who sacrificed themselves to save us"
Heroic acts to save civilians is not exactly what the Japanese armed forces were known for....
@@MrDino1953 more like most inhumane treatment of pows... Unit 731... the worst thing you could ever happen to you was be a POW / prisoner at their hands.
...and the whole fucking Hisashi Ouchi case... freezes your blood.
“After taking over Poland with the help of the Soviet Union” Thank you sir, so rarely does anybody mention the fact that the Soviets attacked Poland at the same time as the Germans, bravo
I mentioned this on another YT channel and got flamed, “THE SOVIETS AND NAZIS WERE NOT ON THE SAME SIDE!!” Kinda looked like they were though.
@@timmorodgers4271 and you were correct. They technically were in the same side until Operation Barbarossa
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact?wprov=sfti1
And before this the Soviets helped with arms development so that Hitler could circumvent the rules around the Treaty of Versailles
I did not know this. Makes a lot of sense though.
@@blueredbrick no. The USSR was never allied with Nazi Germany. They were never "technically" or de facto on the same side.
context is everything. What they're not telling you is that the USSR attempted to form an antifascist pact with the western powers before they were invaded. However the US and UK were content to sic the Nazis on the Soviets, because if there was anything they detested more than fascists, it was communists.
Meanwhile, the Nazis had been busy murdering communists, socialists, and labor organizers in the streets well before operation barbarossa. Hitler and Mussolini hated socialists; fascism itself grew as a reaction to socialist revolution.
The Nazis threw communists in concentration camps before they interned anyone else, even Jews. However, since a preponderance of European Jews lived in Russia, Hitler made it clear that the "Judeo-Bolsheviks" were the prime enemy. The whole Nazi ideology was premised on mass murdering and enslaving the Slavic people and settling on their land. They had an ideological mandate to crush socialism, and a material cause to colonize Russia. Therefore there was never any illusion that the Axis powers and the Soviet Union would not go to war, it was only a matter of when and how.
Since the western powers kept stalling on forming an alliance against the rising Axis powers, it became obvious that no one was coming to the help of the USSR, despite them offering to send as many as one million soldiers into the eastern front. Left with few other strategic options after this diplomacy failed, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed and Poland partitioned, not as an alliance of illiberal powers but as a delaying action on the part of the USSR to buy more time and set up a defensive buffer.
Make no mistake, the West saw that they had a lot in common with Nazi Germany. Ford, GM, DuPont, and other major capitalists and U.S. business empires sent monetary support and capital to Germany before and during the war. They even had subsidiaries that ran factories in Nazi Germany. Later in the war, Allied bomber pilots were instructed to avoid hitting those factories. After the war, damages were compensated. Surviving Nazi spies were hired by the CIA to continue their clandestine war on the USSR. Look up Operation Gladio, and Operation Paperclip for that matter.
So, the USSR was never allied with the axis powers. Molotov-Ribbentrop was not an alliance but a treaty that everyone knew was temporary. Think of this: if the USSR was trying to join the fascists, then why did they support the Republicans in Spain and not the Fascists?
I'm not sure why people are trying to tell you otherwise, but I have a bad feeling about their intentions.
@@hotcakesism Thank you for the insights, this places the actions of the nazi germans and the soviet forces in an completely better nuanced light. This makes much more sense indeed. It has always confused me why and the motivations etc.
“After trying to secure a very reasonable peace deal, hitler invaded..” what?
Right?? Did Chamberlain write this?
@@Daniel-dg9bo Real history, not the revisionist history taught in public schools. Churchill was war mongering garbage.
@@Daniel-dg9bo England declared war on Germany when it invaded Poland in 1939.
In 1940 Hitler did offer peace and said to the effect he would destroy their empire if they refused.
The blitz starts in September of that year. So he tried to keep his word.
@@Daniel-dg9bo Of course not. Hitler wanted delay. Ask the Russians what a peace treaty with Hitler is worth.
@@redbluesome2829 Churchill was not a good person but you do not, in fact, have to hand it to Adolf Hitler.
He gets extra credit for surviving!🤩
"After trying to negotiate a very reasonable peace with the British people Hitler decided "... - absolute balderdash!
I agree 1000%. Complete baldertrash
Hitler only paid lip service to the way too naive British leadership.
He did just that with the Russians. A pact of friendship and cooperation. Then he launched the attack on Russia, Operation Barbarossa, that cost the Russians around 23 million lives. As if he would have honoured a peace agreement with Great Britain; he was a Nazi for God's Sake. No more trustworthy than today's dictatorship in Europe, the Evil Union, the EU, the EU that Obama and his hand-puppet Biden (Joebama) persistently favour over the UK and the Commonwealth Countries. Let us not forget that both Obama and Joebama both threw the bust of Winston Churchill out of the Oval Office as an insult to the UK and the Commonwealth, which was also a gesture of their founding of Wokeism.
@@BD-bditw Thank you for saying the truth so plainly. 🙏
@@rickhinojosa5455 Thank you, Rick. We must never let these things be forgotten and be swept under the carpet as the Woke Liberals want done. My main recommendation to all is to watch what is acclaimed as the most important documentary series ever made, the BBC production "The World at War". I think it is still available to see here on TH-cam, and episode one is a must see. Thanks again 🙏
Hold on they shot a flamethrower at him. I was completely unaware planes had flamethrowers.
This is also news to me.
Yeah a couple axis aircraft had them, i think by mid war they had largely been changed out in favour of mgs
Some loot crates had a precentage to get flamethrowers. Folks would arm their bombers with them for style points. Crazy, right?
Early war idea - The enemy was still mainly using canvas planes when they where thought up
They then found that at the speeds and altitudes they where going to they had no chance of melting off the weatherproofing wax daub to get the canvas to light
The flamethrowers were an experimental fitment. They were removed after a while because of reliability issues.
Ray Holmes deserved a VC for that !! Thanks for your service Mr.Holmes. You were/are a special human being.
This guy had huge British Bollacks great vid as always I enjoy each and every video you put out
Like the guy who flew a 2 engine plane into Taranto harbour to scout it - fliying it below deck level of the ships to read the names off
When he flew out 2 crew counted 7 ships, he counted 8 so they went back in again - low enough the AAA guns couldn't track
And to think that before the war, he was a reporter for the Birkenhead Observer newspaper....
The word is bollocks!
They forgot to mention Ray Holmes flew in a specially modified Hurricane. The cockpit was expanded to accommodate his enormous balls.
Even so they still had to remove one so that he could fit in the cockpit. The Dambusters used it as a bomb when they destroyed the German dams.
Great film and what a legend.
One point: despite the RAF’s dodgy drill I’m not sure they have embraced the goose step yet! 5:03
Or jackboots......
@@vr666m1 Perhaps on the weekends?
@@BB-wf8kk HaHa
Imagine being British, trying to live up to these magnificent, modest men.
Considering the schools and universities fill the kids heads with progressive liberalism and wokeism and are doing their utmost to turn them all into autonomous, unthinking, unquestioning snow flakes - I no longer think the British are made of the same stuff they were 80 years ago.
Unfortunately, the same can be said for a lot of, "universities", in America too.
@@distantthunder12ck55 probs true.
Guys who fly fighters are just a whole different breed of human. Reason why a lot of early astronauts were pilots. Its like they have some form of high functioning insanity that allows them to do these crazy unreal things. I truly envy them.
The better ones avoided ramming, I think. Their airplanes lasted longer when it wasn't running into things.
@@TwoLotus2 until they run out of ammo and still have a plane to destroy.
@72twist
Shouldn't forget that Bomber Command had a far higher rate of attrition.
WarThunder, un-colorized
Yeah that's what it looks like
The Rammer title should be renamed, eh?
Holmes gives the best cricket analogy I ever heard.
When I listen to the voice recordings of the conversations between the crew members and the pilot of a British Lancaster bomber during WW2, tears form in my eyes and I get a lump in my throat.
I lived through WW2 and I have never heard this amazing story, incredible bravery.
Christopher Ward made a series of commemorative watches using actual pieces of the hurricane used in the attack.
If anyone is curious; $2580 USD limited to 100 watches. A piece of aluminum salvaged from the P2725's engine on the rear and a Swiss-made Valgranges A07.161 movement chosen for its power reserve function that here recalls the aircraft's altimeter.
This was sourced online and any links I post get removed.
Four months late, but better late then never. Ray Holmes' hurricane from this incident was actually dug up from Buckingham Palace road in 2004 (I think it was 2004 atleast) and you can see the documentary that the BBC made on it here:
th-cam.com/video/lACDhxSLbYQ/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=EoinMac%27Freeman
The engine from Ray Holmes' Hurricane which was recovered from the dig is now present at RAF Hendon, if anybody is interested to go and see. The control column itself was also present at the museum, but as of late (some years actually) it no longer resides there. Also, on the topic of the watch, the part of it that was made from the hurricane was the backplate to it.
What a Legend!
Such patriotism! Damn...
Salute to you!
Brave, selfless men, who didn't hesitate, thought on their feet, and were willing to give their all for the freedom of others - they are all a rare breed, and outside of the armed forces, one that is dying out fast.
True bravery and love for country. The kind of soldier you want all soldiers to be. Full respect.
Do 17's had flamethrowers? Leave it to the Germans to think of that...
They liked to put a Flamenwaffe on everything, they went crazy with it as we did with our 50 call. Except that even then, putting a fifty on anything that moved, was more successful than their propensity to put a flame thrower on anything that moved. And hey! We still, find ways to stick a 50 on just about anything!
It seems like a common sense weapon at 1st glance
You are moving to metal skinned aircraft and the enemy is using canvas and wood
The issue where that the flames essentially just become a smoke screen and the daubing used to weatherseal the canva planes was not flamable tar based
@@jed-henrywitkowski6470 "They liked to put a Flamenwaffe on everything," Did they now?? Sounds like speculative nonsense. Any credible source to back up this assertion of yours?
@@equestriangirly2296 well they put it on Tanks, Troop Transports, ATVs, Soldiers and now apparently Planes, that's basically every category of front line war machine except for boats, so he has a point.
Ray got some serious brass balls. Thank you for your courage.
I’m certainly no royalist, being a Scot, but I understand that at times of war people need a symbol of hope and for many, as it has been for several generations previously, Buckingham Palace was that symbol
Sgt Holmes knew that
It’s impossible not to have anything other than admiration, praise and respect for Sgt Holmes and what he did
Rest well, sir o7
Mentions Dornier DO-17 bombers. Shows Junkers JU-88 bombers. Then a shot of a Dornier - but it's a Dornier DO-217, with the extended airbrake tailcone, used for divebombing.
I don't think there's much Do-17 footage out there, so he had to use similar aircraft footage.
I'm pretty sure that is the first time I've ever heard the term "reasonable" applied to Hitler.
Having been Imperial War Museum London & Duxford, Battle of Britian Museum, Battle of Britian Memorial, Yorkshire Air Museum, and MANY other sites. The battle of Britain is without a doubt the most incredible feat by the British military. Everyone, the maintainers, the pilots, the planers, everyone.
The engine from Ray Holme's Hurricane is now on display at Duxford.....
What a badass. As people of the world that have had countless lives lost to protect us and our personal freedoms, we must not let them die in vain and uphold the most respect by never giving in and never giving up. Stay tough everyone and thank you to all that have sacrificed their lives for ours.
This even inspired the typical play strategy for 99% of War Thunder players
5:11 Would make a great profile avatar tribute in game too
Reasonable video, however following Ray Holmes’s death, at the end of the reel, the use of generic, archive footage showing jack-booted, goose-stepping soldiers is both highly inappropriate, bordering on the offensive. These are not RAF personnel in service dress as should and would have been the case. Disappointing.
The jack-booted clip is far more than "Disappointing" and is well past "bordering on the offensive" it's "repulsive". But then, the narration comment about “after trying to secure a very reasonable peace deal", exposes the real level of understanding about the unfolding of historical events
‘Disappointing’ in the sense the author couldn’t be bothered to find some library video of actual RAF personnel marching in respect of a fellow pilot officer’s funeral.
@@barryhutchinson5130 I do agree with you 100%,. While it was an interesting video, commentary and the boots clip do seem to show a transatlantic detachment from the reality at the time.
@@persilious81 I agree, as does pronouncing the L in 'Holmes" and pronouncing "DornieR" as if it was a French made Aeroplane. I won't be watching any more videos from this channel.
@@persilious81 I am not sure if Britain uses it but it is normal for solemn ceremonies and may be used for military burials?
The history goes back to well before the second world war and was one of many marching steps used to go into battle.
Not used today as marching into battle would be suicidal.
The goose step is used by perhaps the majority of nations
It is also used in non military events such as the Olympic Games
To associate with just one country and one era is short sighted and could be seen as glorifying this kind of society
Time to remember that most of the paraphanalia of this epoch was borrowed from elsewhere.
Wow... that was incredible. A story like that shouldn't be forgotten. All I could think is he gave his life for a bunch of people who probably thought he was beneath him in status. They owe a lot to that man.
He bailed and parachuted to safety.
Ray Holmes survived, and lived into his 90's!!!
US Brits have the courage and spirit to defeat most enemies....
Those were the days of their lives , thank you brave warriors .
The memorial at 3:52 is well worth a visit. The horror on the air raid warden's face gets me every time.
My uncle was an Air Raid warden in London during the blitz. On one particular occasion the air raid siren was sounding, with everyone running to the shelters etc, and my uncle saw one woman running back to her house shouting " I left my teeth in the house". My uncle shouted " they're dropping bombs, not ****ing pies".........
One thing Ray struggled with throughout his Air Force career was refitting his cockpit seat to accommodate his gigantic iron balls.
In an age where the 'hero' tag is increasingly thrown around like confetti, this brave man fully warranted the accolade. With mediocre footballers in the lower divisions able to score gongs for being to kick a football around, why on Earth wasn't this great Englishman not given an immediate MC, GC or DFC?
He probably wouldn't have accepted it. He was, by all accounts, a rather modest man. Until you angered him, that is.....
His plane needed higher octane fuel to haul his massive steel kahunas into the air. Damn man , that's a true hero.
I'd go a bit easier on the DSP speed-up of the voice-over, it's kind of irritating actually.
Read about Boris Kovzan - fighter pilot and the only person to have executed 4 confirmed aerial rammings. HE is a legend.
According to new research, at least 636 successful ramming attacks were made by Soviets between the beginning of Operation Barbarossa and the end of the war.
Alright everybody. Take note. THIS is a hero. That's the hero benchmark. Not because he was made fun of and fought through it to find himself. Because he became a voluntary missile to save England.
This is why I _loathe_ the misnomer 'sports hero'!
One _can_ be labelled a 'sports champion', but a hero sacrifices themselves for _others._ People like Ray Holmes deserve million-dollar contracts, not someone who just happens to kick a ball well.
Again,at 75% speed you sound almost normal.
I thought it was just me who LOVES the subject, but can't stand the speed of the speach, soooo 75% it is!
Everyone: "Wait, he _survived?!?"_
I’m always fascinated by WWII fighter planes... so raw and all guts. Salute
Google Subtitles: "the enemy was going to vomit"
"Never was so much owed by so many to so few" ~Winston Churchill
Today in US, we say" never before has so much being owned by so few" ;-)
@@tepastrick2276 That's why I worked hard to be one of the few.
@@tepastrick2276 Well, that's the US for you
@@tepastrick2276 Yeah, under Biddy Biden, it's gonna be less - unless you're in the Democrat Party....
It's incredible that he fought throughout the war, yet he never received a medal for this piece of gallantry or any later action.
The king should have knighted the man. I mean, he did save is house.
My memory of watching the excavation of his Hurricane was of Ray being interviewed and being asked “what plane was most influential in winning WW2?” As the program was about the success of both the Spitfire and the Hurricane, the interviewer was very embarrassed when he answered “P51 Mustang” there was a moment of silence before the interviewer handed quickly back to the studio.
I do really think he had the best answer, for what it matters about the WWII in Europe skies, but, for the battle of Britain, and until 1941, the Hurricane, then the Spitfire were the fighters that broke Luftwaffe ´s back, cancelling all invasion plans.
He probably meant that it was nice when the Americans joined the War, over two years after it had started for those in Europe…!
@@charliew8378 In reality more like 3 years after if you look at the first combat actions of November 1942.
I've never heard of this and I'm British. Big up dark footage for teaching me something new today
"God Save the King?" No, just this badass Hurricane pilot. BTW, 0:25, the plane isn't French - it's not "Dor-nyay". It's "Dor-neer"
And, don't forget to roll those 'R's!
damn, what a hero
Ordinary people became heroes in an instant during the war against fascism, in just a split second. Usually, they died a hero's death & we only know about them thru their Comrades...
Better to lose the palace, than the man.
But
For saving the moral of an entire country
He truly is, a Hero.
He sacrifice himself to save A HISTORIC Palace that madlad
"..after trying to negotiate A VERY REASONABLE PEACE with the British.."
Someone tell this narrator to put down his crack pipe, will ya?
@General.E.Shady an accurate portrayal of history is far from a lie maybe you should try reading up on what led up to the Battle of Britain you dolt
@@minorclips7541 Germany was demanding outrageous terms, they wanted to keep Poland, Alsace-Lorraine, and parts of Belgium and Denmark despite being in no position to win the war as they lacked the means to effectively challenge the Royal Navy at sea. Britain had learned from the Napoleonic Wars that so long as it keeps control of the seas it will win in the end, even if their enemy controls the entire continent of Europe. Britain's position in 1940 wasn't any worse than its position in 1805, they knew that though it might take a decade or so to win they were in the stronger position in the long run.
3:15 just to note -- Buckingham is a town about 60 miles NW of London; the palace is not there.
I was going to say this, but thought it was a bit pedantic. As you beat me to it I can take comfort from safety in numbers.
To bad the palace wasn't hit...it's full of evil pedos.
Came here to say that. Also the building at 2:56 isn't Buckingham Palace.
An amazing story, three cheers to the bravery of "the greatest generation" and especially that of Mr. Holmes. Never new the Dornier, or any plane for that matter, had a flamethrower!
The battle of britain film gives a nod to this.
The battle was between July and October, not between August and September.
Also, the bomber would not had been going to bomb the palace, i think Hitler had expressed that he did not want any historical buildings bombed.
Uh actually the flamethrower did exactly what it was supposed to do, cover the pilot's canopy in soot/ oil to temporarily blind the pilot....
I mean... He deserves a Sabaton song.
Second this.
If thats not worthy of a VC i dont know what is, what a legend👌🏻
A true hero that risked it all for his country. If he doesn’t have a statue at Buckingham palace then he should. He’s done more for it then anyone in the royal family.
A true hero!
I'm still trying to figure out how so many London landmarks survived The Battle Of Britain.
built to last... St Paul's cathedral survived despite almost all buildings around it being flattened. the Germans were dropping mostly incendaries to start fires.
@@coling3957 Thanks, that may be part of it but just about all of their major landmarks survived and Germany did drop a lot of explosion bombs the first year or two.
The Spitfire (a great plane) gets much of the press. But without the Hurricane, many of us wonder if the Battle of Britain could have been won. Yes, likely the RAF would have succeeded but everyone should know, IMHO, that the Hurricane was one of the greatest planes all-time. I love the Hurricane.
The idea of putting a flamethrower on an airplane reminded me of this quote from Napoleon, upon being advised about putting a steam engine inside his sailing ships :
"What, sir, would you make a ship sail against the wind and currents by lighting a bonfire under her deck? I pray you excuse me, I have no time to listen to such nonsense."
I absolutely love the background music this channel uses and it’s intros. I would love it if they included the song/artist info in the descriptions!
i bet you would
The only thing Flat Earthers Fear, is Sphere itself.....Sorry, I couldn't Resist
At this day and age, brave modern day people still exists...they are just behind the keyboard.
Or getting thrown in jail or hiding in other countries. Many heros are not liked by their home country and are mercilessly villainized by the media. Even in the US.
I find it braver to speak truth to power than to shoot a gun and get shot at.
In this day and age, the Western world hasn't a war that requires millions of men. With that many people there are sure to be some heroic acts among them.
The western world of today could never, ever, put an army of conscripts that would fight with the bravery and selflessness these guys from the 40's did. We are the weak, useless descendents of brave men. I bet you would still find this type of bravery in societies like Japan, China, or even Russia, in the case that a new real emergency arrives, but I really doubt that any western nation could mobilize millions of heroic men nowadays. Look at the disaster that was the American conscripted army in Vietnam. There is no comparison in the discipline and morale between that army and the WWII one. The west is the home of the p*ss*es today.
I’ve heard “the rest of the story “... and it’s delightfully British:
He actually landed very near the palace. Locals had watched the entire drama, fully understanding the situation. So, of course, they helped him out of his parachute and took him to the nearest pub and bought him a beer. His crew soon fetched him up.
There is an excellent documentary on this episode on British tv, they knew where Ray Holmesfield Hurricane crashed. They excavated the crash site ( now a busy junction in London ) , they found the engine / guns and the joystick with the gun button on fire. He was there when they excavated it , very moving .
Wasnt a that spitfire dug up. My dads cousin was the eyewitness interviewed on that show. The British pilot landed on the roof of my father's flats ( My dad was away in the army)
@@140rware This aircraft was a Hurricane, so not much left as a lot if fabric on a Hurricane. The impact at 100's of mph buried it deep , during the war they didn't have time to tidy up so they just backfilled the hole. When they excavated the engine and other parts, sadly the rest was to near a nee gas mains so it couldn't be got at. It was nighttime and the crowds of people there as they watched the parts been raised and Ray Holmesfield there himself .
Talk about for king and country
Queen and Country. The British can be a little twitchy about that.
But it was king george during the war
The flame throwers were to blind fighters. They were somewhat effective as a defensive measure
Some what ineffective you mean
@@nigelsmith7366 from what I read they worked somewhat effective or ineffective, it was in the gray area from what I have read. I can't disagree with your assessment.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Hurricane pilots sometimes rammed the German bombers, the Hurricane had a reputation for robustness.
British honour and bravery at its best , we salute you SIR
Reminds me of the Syrian captain Joles Jammal who rammed his boat into the French warship bombarding the Egyptian coasts of Alexandria.
This is very interesting story
I am surprised Sergeant HOLMES was not awarded the Victoria Cross for his action. RIP Brave Airman.
> makes a suicide run to save a national treasure
> survives
> continues fighting the rest of the war
*_MAD LAD_*
That is how it's done to make such a decision I would hesitate either.
One ramming in Britain: and HERO. Several ramming attacks at eastern front: everyday heroes. kamikazes at Pacific: common soldiery...
What a knob . I suppose you you Could guide yoUr playstatioN into an enemy and be a hero Too
What words are there for men like this? 'Hero' is not enough, devalued as it is nowadays by so-called celebrities.
Thank you, for what it's worth.
🇬🇧
We brits are awesome at war, with the commonwealth, and the rest of the world on side. Splendid video. Many thanks for the heroics and war winning.Wonderful stuff. Keep it up!