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Air Combat Journal
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Добавлен 2 мар 2024
Air Combat Journal contains the broadcast-quality recorded personal accounts of WWII aircrews. I started shooting these interviews with WWII airmen starting in 1995. Since then, I have shot over 200 interviews, primarily of bomber crews. I also have two German fighter pilot interviews, and several Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs)interviews. I have worked since 1988 as an award-winning director of photography and videographer, so you'll experience high production quality in all my interviews. Thank you for discovering my channel. Please subscribe come back weekly to look for new content. Please also tell your friends! I welcome your feedback.
Jack Johnson B 17 Navigator
Hello again!
After a long break, Air Combat Journal is back! John Johnson was a B-17 Navigator who was shot down on his 27th mission. His aircraft was hit by bombs from a B-17 above him, so this might be a case of friendly fire. He ended up as a P.O.W. and was eventually liberated by the Russians.
After a long break, Air Combat Journal is back! John Johnson was a B-17 Navigator who was shot down on his 27th mission. His aircraft was hit by bombs from a B-17 above him, so this might be a case of friendly fire. He ended up as a P.O.W. and was eventually liberated by the Russians.
Просмотров: 273
Видео
Omar Scheidt B 17 Flt Engineer POW
Просмотров 7842 месяца назад
Omar Scheidt was a B-17 Flight Engineer and top turret gunner. He was shot down on his second mission and spent the duration of the war in a POW camp, and then on a forced march across Germany until he was liberated by the British. Through it all he kept his sense of humor and optimism. This interview was recorded at the 490th Bomb Group reunion in San Diego, California on September 7, 2008. If...
B 17 Tail Gunner Martinson, Kelly Part 2: the POW Camps
Просмотров 4063 месяца назад
This is part 2 of 2 of my interview with B-17 Tail Gunner Kelly Martinson. Kelly was shot down on his 16th mission and spent the duration of the war in multiple POW camps. Part 2 covers Kelly's experiences in various POW camps, forced marches, and transit between camps in a ship and train in horrible conditions. Despite it all, Kelly kept his sense of humor. This interview was recorded in Minne...
B 17 Tail Gunner Kelly Martinson
Просмотров 4,4 тыс.3 месяца назад
If you ever wondered what it took to become a gunner on a B-17, Kelly lays it all out. The same goes for life as a POW. Kelly was shot down on his 16th mission and was transferred between multiple POW camps as the war drew to a close. This is a great opportunity to learn about what life was like as a WWII gunner and later a POW. This is part one of two. Part one covers his training up to being ...
Me 109 Pilot Horst Petzschler Pt 2
Просмотров 14 тыс.4 месяца назад
This is Part 2 of a 2-part interview. Horst Petzschler was a Luftwaffe Me-109 (or Bf-109 for our German and European friends) Ace who flew both on the Eastern Front and Western Front. He flew 297 combat missions, had 26 confirmed victories, and was shot down 13 times. In an unfortunate twist of fate, he ended up after the war in a Russian P.O.W. work camp. Due to the length of Horst's interview...
Me 109 Pilot Horst Petzschler Part 1 of 2
Просмотров 44 тыс.4 месяца назад
This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview series. Horst Petzschler was a Luftwaffe Me-109 (or Bf-109 for our German and European friends) Ace who flew both on the Eastern Front and Western Front. He flew 297 combat missions, had 26 confirmed victories, and was shot down 13 times. In an unfortunate twist of fate, he ended up after the war in a Russian P.O.W. work camp. Due to the length of Horst's in...
Me-109 Pilot Gottfried Dulias
Просмотров 56 тыс.4 месяца назад
Gottfried Dulias was a Luftwaffe ME-109 fighter pilot whose job it was to engage the P-51 escorts of the B-17 bombers. Toward the end of the war he was transferred to the Russian front. While following down his fifth aerial victory he was shot down behind Russian lines. He was marched to a Russian P.O.W. camp far behind the front lines, and then transported by train to a Russian P.O.W. work cam...
B 17 Lead Pilot Lew Lyle
Просмотров 4,1 тыс.5 месяцев назад
This is a rare gem of an interview. Major General Lewis "Lew" Lyle flew more B-17 combat missions that any other lead pilot in WWII. He is also one of the most decorated aviators of WWII. But what makes this interview special is that Lew was in the room with Gen. Ira Eaker and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill when Churchill decided to finally allow the U.S. Army Air Corps to build bombe...
B-17 Flight Engineer and Top Turret Gunner Frank Alexander
Просмотров 6455 месяцев назад
Frank Alexander had an unusual tour in that he survived a midair collision as well as being shot down. Few WWII airmen had to bail out of flaming aircraft not once, but twice during their tours! As a side note, the pilot that Frank refers to is Ray Schar, whose interview is also on this Channel. They were on the same crew and were shot down together.
WASP Pilot Marion S Hodgson
Просмотров 1,6 тыс.5 месяцев назад
I probably should have produced this video last month during Women's History Month, but I missed it by a day! This is the story of Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Marion S. Hodgson. (Note that Airforce is one word and not two in their name.) The WASPs were the unsung home-front heroes of WWII. Their primary purpose was to ferry aircraft from the factories to the points of embarkation for sh...
Sequence B 17 Tail Gunner Wes Borgeson (revised)
Просмотров 2,3 тыс.5 месяцев назад
B-17 Tail Gunner Wes Borgeson has a very unique tale. On his second mission, his B-17 was hit by flak and exploded at 27,000 feet, and Wes floated down in the severed tail section of his B-17, sustaining a serious concussion in the process. There are only three documented cases of tail gunners surviving a shoot-down in a severed tail section, and this is your opportunity to hear one of these su...
B 17 Tail Gunner Wes Borgeson (OLD VERSION - Please view the revised version on this channel)
Просмотров 1,6 тыс.5 месяцев назад
Please watch the other Wes Borgeson video on this channel. There were some audio mixing problems with this version, as well as a redundant section that was removed from this version. I did not removed this from the channel because I do not want to lose the analytics. Thank you! P.S. Please subscribe to this channel!
B 24 & B 17 Radio Operator Jim Everhart
Просмотров 2,2 тыс.5 месяцев назад
B-24 and B-17 Radio Operator "Big Jim" Everhart was a self-described "South Carolina country boy" and maybe a little bit of a "hillbilly" when he went to war at age 19. I believe you will find Jim's honest and humble recollections a heavy bomber radio operator to be engaging and entertaining. This interview was conducted on September 16, 2006 in Savannah, Georgia. I welcome your comments! Pleas...
B 17 Copilot Ray Schar
Просмотров 1,8 тыс.6 месяцев назад
Ray Schar was a B-17 Copilot from the 490th Bomb Group based in Eye, England. His aircraft was shot down by flak and he spent the last months of the war as a POW before being liberated by Gen. George Patton. This interview was recorded on Sept. 16, 1997 at a 490th Bomb Group reunion. If you enjoy videos in this format, please subscribe. I've got over 200 more like this!
B 17 Pilot Dwight Olson
Просмотров 2,3 тыс.6 месяцев назад
B-17 Pilot Dwight Olson recounts his WWII air combat experiences operating from a U.S. airbase in Foggia, Italy. Being stationed in Foggia had its issues, as some of the Italians were still sympathetic to the Germans. You will be shocked to hear what happened to airmen downed over Foggia, and even more astounded to learn how the U.S. airmen responded. Sabotage was also a common and constant thr...
Super
I actually turned it off before half way because of the stupid music!! Such a shame.
Great and interesting interview but you need to ditch the background music which is distracting from Larry.
As an ex-miltary pilot I have a great respect for Mr. Dulias, but as a German he has no right to complain about bad treatment. Have he ever seen how the Germans treated the jews?
I met Horst in Dallas TX sometime in the 1990's at a gun show. He had a table was was selling a book about The Luft in Sweden that featured him and his ME-109 on several pages. Very interesting gentlemen. He signed is book to me and had a couple of other pieces of artwork that he signed.
Nobody ever came home with, " treetops stacked on top of a Piper Cub many times ". More 🏇 shite.
Very interesting 👍
You can still join the WASPS. Just join the WA State Patrol Service. 🚔🚓
He's nearly a 100 years old? He looks and sounds great!
This interview was recorded on September 7, 2008. Omar passed away on October 3, 2020, at the age of 95, which was noted in the end graphics. Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment!
Self discipline is the key to living 😅
Stop the background music please
What a great guy, It just shows how humour and determination can carry you through great adversity.
Amazing! 45 years ago, I read in one of my grandma's Reader's Digest the story of a Lancaster tail gunner that jumped in the night because his plane was on fire and his chute was burning... He landed on the steep snowed mountain and became a legend amongst the Germans after they checked the wercage and corroborated his story. This is the first time I hear anyone else speak about it.
One more question.What were the germans trying to accomplish by marching prisoners back and forth on the roads?
They were trying to move the POWs farther and farther away from the advancing Allied armies: the Americans on one side and the Russians on the other. This seemed to me to be a huge waste of resources and energy for the Germans.
@AirCombatJournal Many thanks Greg.I watch every show with excitement knowing you have the best interviews.
I have heard from many P.O.W.s that the germans knew everything about them.ACJ, what are your thoughts on this? How in the world did they get that kind of info?
I have heard many many reports of the German Intelligence officers knowing lots and lots about the American airmen. Apparently they had spies in the Army Air Corps headquarters buildings that could photograph records of all the airmen. Some of this also happened in the States. Pilot Dwight Olson talked about the bar tender in the officer's club in Foggia, Italy, being a known spy. Since he was a kindly old man, no one ever reported him, and they were all careful not to talk too much in front of him.
@AirCombatJournal The same thing happened during the Vietnam war.The SOG/ LRRPS missions were all compromised due to South Vietnam generals who worked at headquarters in South vietnam.They would drop a dime on missions just as soon as they heard about them.Nobody was ever caught.
All of the camps were different in one way or another.The guards started getting more violent during the last months of the war because they all knew their lives were going to change very soon,and not for the better.My uncle was captured in normandy on the 7th of june,44 and taken to dresden.He was liberated by the ruskies.He lived a year after coming home and took his own life in dec 46.I think maybe because of the horrors pulling civilian dead out from the city and burying them.Thank you for thinking about these guys while you had the time.Now,most of them have gone on to be with our lord JESUS CHRIST.
I'm sorry to read about your uncle's death. I lot of these guys live with terrible memories. Amen to your comment regarding Jesus!
@AirCombatJournal You are welcome ACJ.
My uncle Elvin was a tail gunner on 17s, he had terrible PTSD, load noises would set him off! He was friends with a crazy simpleton "snuffy" Smith, who won the Medal of Honor! When the whole base lined up to present his medal, Maynard Smith was peeling potatoes, on punishment detail! Crazy guy was always getting in trouble!
his first mission, on May 1, 1943, Staff Sergeant Smith, who was assigned to the ball gun turret, helped save the lives of six of his wounded comrades and put out a blazing fire after his aircraft was hit, and drove off wave after wave of German fighters.
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comments. I think there is a RUclips video regarding "Snuffy Smith." I know it is out on the web somewhere. Apparently he was quite a guy.
The best history is from the horses mouth and these great men and women are getting up there in age and I know I would love to be able to talk to my grandfather who was in Pearl Harbor and he died when I about 11 and wouldn’t share the whole story with me because I was so young and I really wish someone would have sat down and videoed him for when I an adult they were such a great generation that we need to not their lives so thank you
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comments. I had a lot of missed opportunities too, when I was young, to talk to WWII veterans. Im glad I started when I did! I agree that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other videos on this channel.
Loved that video! Really made me sad to see he passed away so long ago. He seemed so strong. Thanks for sharing his story!
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comments. All my interviews have been sitting on a number of shelves in my video library for the past 10 to 19 years, waiting to see the light of day. I needed a the time to work on them as well as a venue. RUclips turned out to be a great venue! I hope you will check out my other videos on this channel.
People starting to figure out the whole red army thingy
Patton and MacArthur had it figured out at the end of WWII, but Eisenhower put the brakes on. I wonder where we would be now if Eisenhower didn't hold them back?
No political commercials.
I'm sorry, but I do not have any control over the commercials in the programs. WHo are the commercials endorsing?
Great interview,it's good to hear war history,from the opposition.
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other videos on this channel.
What a Very interesting account, 👍
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other videos on this channel. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Talk about being the most lonely guy in the crew…what a G!
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. Lonely and COLD! I hope you will check out my other videos on this channel. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
I have been waiting on you AIR COMBAT JOURNAL!The best WW2 videos are here.😊😊😊
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your encouraging feedback! I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Why is the narrator talking on a walkie talkie?
That sound effect went away on the next video (part 2 of Horst's interview) and will not re-appear. Thank you for your feedback.. I hope you will watch the other interviews on this AIr Combat Journal Channel.
I always get a kick out of listening to a German trying to pronounce a word with a "w" in it. You had a couple of great questions (they were all at least good, just incase anyone thinks otherwise) that caught my ear, like whether or not he'd roam around looking for loose formations, just an interesting question. Another that caught my attention was...hell I don't what you asked but it got him talking about the Lincoln Brigade and the stigma they faced. I'd never herd of them. It's odd how they weren't remembered for fighting the Fascists/Nazis but for fighting with the Communists. That McCarthy was one sorry S.O.B, he didn't care who he hurt or lives he ruined. Ohh, you got my Sub.:-)
The question regarding looking for loose formations was to support the claim by the members of the Bloody 100th Bomb Group that they flew loose formations, and THAT'S why the Germans singled them out...NOT because one of their pilots faked a surrender to 3 German fighters and then proceeded to shoot them down when they were at point blank range... It is a known fact that this fake surrender did occur. It is also a known fact that if you fly a very tight formation, the Germans cannot fly through it to break up the formation and single out bombers. Also a tight formation gave the groups incredible defensive firepower. The German fighters wanted nothing of tight formations. THANK YOU for subscribing! I hope you will check out my other interviews on this channel.
A wonderful interview! Horst's story about exciting but difficult times was told with humour. History from one who was there.
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
It's amazing how Horst can smile and laugh while recounting such harsh memories.
He was a tough old bird! I think that most of the people who survived hardships like his did so with a very positive mental outlook. Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
…and so it goes
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
German pilots were excellent piots of the highest order, for them there were no limits for missions they flew until the war was over, or they were killed or incapacitated.
It was pretty much the same for the British pilots defending England. The American pilots were in and out (or shot down and/or killed.) Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Obviously, he don't talks about million of prisoners, men, women and childrens, left to die of starvation, or killed by German Army..
Very true. Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Outstanding. Thank you. These are absolutely wonderful and of such value.
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your positive feedback. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
This was a better video without the weird sounding interruptions.
Can you be more specific? IF there is a problem with the playback, I need to know what to fix. Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Good video except for those awful interruptions at each section.
Can you be more specific? If there is a problem with the playback, I need to know what to fix. Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
@@AirCombatJournal that first video the interruptions were very distracting because it sounded like you were talking into a can. I'm assuming you were trying to make it sound like you were a pilot making announcements. Just a normal voice was much much better. These are really some great videos.
That's Strange.. In 50 years of reading, I know the the first rule for 109s and 190s pilots was: "In a fight against a P-51 or P-47, NEVER DIVE".. ( The story of his first fight is leaking water from all sides ) Ok... Now a friend sent to me the answer: "A few years ago his story took center stage in all the forums of specialists. The guy gave interviews, even had his photo taken with some of the surviving Experten... Then it turned out that there is no trace of him in any document. A boaster..."
He was very lucky to leave the soviet p.o.w in 1949 already. My grandgrand father came home 1955. He actually got captured twice. Once march 1945 by the brits and was p.o.w in france until 1948 where they treated them well (which was not normal at this time...french people hated germans back then and may still do). As he was dismissed he went to the soviet occupied zone to go home (we / he are/was from thuringia in the middle of germany). There he got captured again because he was fighting against the soviets in lappland (norway - finish - russian border). My grandma told me that my grandgrand father wasn´t in a good shape when came back to germany. I mean, he had luck to came back at all...a lot p.o.w´s did not survive this (3,2 million p.o.w´s 1,1 million did not survive). But i still can understand the anger of the soviets against the germans - we caused them around 27 million death
American Civil War General William T. Sherman summed it up best when he said "War is hell." Sadly it is not just the soldiers who die, but also millions of innocent civilians. Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
@@AirCombatJournal Even on of the worst Nazi´s (Josepf Göbbels) said: "War brings out only our worst qualities." But we all also know, that war is also a catalyst for technology, right? Keep up your good work!
Fabulous movie... professionnal quality, a treasure for the history of this war. Thank you so much.
Thank you for your encouraging feedback, and thank you for watching! I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
this man was a hell of a pilot.....you don't say some tactics as a newbie pilot if you don't have them in your ....blood....impressive
Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Thank you.
Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
Great video
Thank you for watching, and thank you for your comment. I hope you will check out my other interviews and subscribe to this channel!
Horst says “ Werner Molders lost a leg and a half and was climbing mountains in Argentina “. Well, he was forbidden to participate in combat (and still did in a training fashion) . His transport 111 crashed … as inspector of the fighters…. They tried to land in a thunderstorm… going to Udets funeral. After Udet committed suicide So… the story here is history… would be a wonderful thing , if only it were true.
Listen to it again, he was talking about Hans-Ulrich Rudel, and he was correct, Rudel even wrote a book about his adventures in Argentina called "Von den Stukas zu den Anden", he talked about Werner Mölders earlier in the video.
Your probably correct… I’ll listen to it again and try to get a time when I thought I heard him say that
Thanks for your comments. Thank you, @R.Lennartz for your clarification! Thank you for watching. I hope you will check out my other interviews and subscribe to this channel.
Say what you will, German pilots was bad ass. Going up against odds, low fuel. Still doing numerous more missions than allied pilots.
The German fighter pilots (as well as the British fighter pilots) didn't get any breaks until the war was over. They were flying non-stop to protect their homelands. The American pilot shad it much easier. At least their duty tours had an end in sight. Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
...geht das auch auf deutsch ??
Get your facts right. Mölders was a passenger on a He-111 on a flight to Berlin when the aircraft crashed in inclement weather. Mölders was on his way to the funeral of Ernst Udet who had commited Suizide.
Unfortunatley, I do not have time to fact check all my interviews. Interviewing these guys was a labor of love, and was done as an unpaid volunteer. All of the guys I interviewed were in their 80s, so they may not have had the best memories. I apologize for any historical inaccuracies. All I can offer is the unfiltered and un-fact checked oral histories of these guys. I do appreciate your corrections, and thank you for watching.
He spoke at our LIONS Club quite a few years ago. He spoke of his defection to Sweden, then being sent to a Russian P.O.W. camp. Forced to build ships, or railroads. Was released after the war, and emigrated to Canada, because it was closer to America than the alternative of Australia. He worked for aviation companies, and settled in Wichita, Kansas, working for Boeing. He said he admired Hitler, and thought that was a great thing for the world. Apparently, he changed his Nazi ideals for capitalism. During the war, he remarked about the many, many women he was intimate with.
I guess by the time I intervewed him, he filtered his comments a bit, leaving out the political affiliations and women, which was wise. Thank you for your comments, and thank you for watching! Please check out muy other WWII stories on this channel.
@@AirCombatJournal Our LIONS Club is in Wichita, and we came to know him through another Club member, who was a navigator on a B-17, and became a pharmacist after the war, and my boss, mentor, and friend. I believe they became acquainted through the health concerns of Horst, while trading with the pharmacy.
We were enemies in another time. I'm glad there is peace between us now.
Amen! Thank you for your comments. Thank you for watching, and please check out my other WWII stories on this channel.
Men of honour - they tried to destroy only equipment of war and save humans life ! Thanks for all this exciting interviews ! Great Channel
I had a chance to meet him in 1998 in San Jose Ca.
Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for watching. I believe that the best history is that which comes straight from the mouths of those who lived it. I hope you will check out my other interviews on this Air Combat Journal channel.
RESPECT VOR ALLEN KÄMPFERN DES 2.WELTKRIEGS!! DANKE FÜR DIE ERZÄHLUNG HERR DULIAS!! 1 ONKEL VON MIR FLOG BEIM KG 100 MIT HE111 H3 ALS PFADFINDER!! GRUSS AUS BAYERN!!