THE BATTLE OF SYDNEY: Sabres, Meteors, Sea Furies And Two Blokes With A Bren Gun Battle A Runaway
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- Опубликовано: 22 июн 2023
- On the morning of the 30th of August, Anthony Thrower of Lavinia Street, Granville was out for a pleasure flight when his Auster Archer decided to make a break for freedom. What followed was a madcap three hour chase involving four jet fighters, two Hawker Sea Furies and two blokes with a Bren Gun.
Given that this incident pre-dated the more famous Battle Of Palmdale by a year, I thought it was interesting to compare how more conventionally armed aircraft fared against a slow, but determined piston-engined intruder. I hope you find it entertaining. I have to admit that as a Brit, I enjoyed poking a little fun at my Australian friends... hopefully they can take it in the spirit it's intended.
Final point of note is to thank Bryanwheeler1608, whose comment put me onto this story in the first place. I hope you think I've done it justice!
I have lived all my life 8kms away from the Naval Air Station Nowra. As a child they had the best air shows, Sea Venom, A4 Skyhawk, Gruman Tracker, Westland Wessex and Sea King. Now all in the excellent museum. As a police officer later in the 90s, we would spend a week each year doing courses and training with Australian, British and American troops - counter terrorism exercises and it was also in the days of the 3RAR parachute training school. I did the free fall course with them and also attended several aircraft crashes and parachute mishaps.
Really ? BTW there was no "3RAR Parachute Training School" , and the ADF has never trained Police officers in basic parachute training, let alone Free Fall training.
This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂
I think you're a bit confused, 3RAR were the Parachute trained Battalion around that time, taking over from D Company 6RAR (Parachute training moved from Williamstown to Nowra in 1986) but it was never the "3RAR parachute training school" it was just "Parachute Training School" now called the "Australian Defence Parachute Training School"
@@iffracem to clarify I did an accelerated free fall course in ‘95 with the 3RAR sports parachute club. It was a few of the parachute training school instructors weekend side hussle. In the green parashack adjacent to the civilian airport side of the base at the time (now a big technology park). The parachute training school RSM Ockar Stevenson was my jump master.
Re Bren as an anti air weapon. A true story.
The first German air raid on the U.K. was against the Rosyth naval base in October 1939. Britain’s first line of defence was my great uncle, an 18 year old private in the Black Watch, who was sat atop a linoleum factory equipped with a Bren gun ….and no ammunition
What was he supposed to do? Swing it at them, or just pose a threatening series of gestures? Dang give the man a fighting chance.
man, that must have been a good joke after the fact, i can imagine just standing there and going pew pew pew you hun B's ^^,
@@JamesThomas-gg6il I mean, if I was in his situation I would've just thrown it at them if they did a low pass. LOL
Maybe they thought having someone up there would lead any informants or observation aircraft to conclude that this miniscule defense is just enough to not bother?
I'd just like to thank your great uncle for his service. Without his spirited defence of the lino factory, my grandad wouldn't of been able to have such a disgusting kitchen floor for so many years.
Never underestimate the Australian ability to turn a very simple task into an international disaster.
At least nobody died... This time
This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂
My father was flying Sea Furies at NAS Nowra (HMAS Albatross) at the time of this event. He has regaled us on many occasions with the story of how the RAAF were unable to defend Sydney from an unarmed pilotless Auster and how the Navy came to the rescue and saved the day. It is my understanding that the ground crew put together some webbing and cut up a bit of sheet metal and made a big scary looking "medal" they named something like "the Auster Cross"and awarded it to the two pilots.
A minor point, you should know that RAAF is pronounced R-double-A-F and RAN is not pronounced as the word ran (past tense of run), but spelled out as R-A-N. (Ex RAN aircrew here...)
As I recall the RAN pilots were experienced fighter pilots, having served in Korea off the carrier, HMS Glory. There names were Bluitt, and McNey.
I live a couple of kilometers from HMAS Albatross at Nowra Hill and when we used to hold airshows there we once had a Sea Fury in the visitor line up (beautiful craft). As the Sea Fury was going through it's paces the show commentator narrated this story and described it as "the glorious swan song for the Furies"
Very good story. Pretty much all militaries are fairly incompetent. What we are really good at is sleeping on the job. And we get away with it, until something actually happens
Only civvies call the RAAF r double a f.
Everyone in the RAAF calls it Raff.
A well told funny story.
Airfix has immortalised this event by including the markings of the victorious Sea Fury in one of their 1:48 Sea Fury kits
SEA FURY, the first, and possibly the only, propeller driven aircraft to have shot down an enemy Jet Fighter. A MiG 15 over Korea.
@@trevorhart545
Others propeller plane shoot down combat jets in real combat.
Capt. Jesse Folmar, VMA-312 in an F4U Corsair shoot down a Mig-15 in Korea, and was shoot down by another Mig-15 moments latter.
In Jun. 20, 1965 four 1-H Skyradier pilots engage two Mig-17 of VPAF in Vietnam and shoot down one.
US Army OV-1 Mohawk twin engine plane pilot Ken Lee was credit in shot down on MiG-17 with Zuni (air to ground) rockets in October, 1967 in Vietnam.
@@trevorhart545 Lots of Me262 were shot down by propeller planes.
Granted, it was in a bit "un-cricket" way, in that Allied Pilots learned to nail them during landing,
but hey-ho, that's war.
Thats awesome.
Hilarious!!
Dad was in the control tower at Albatross that day and tells the story that there was 2 meteors.
Nth sydney was out of range for comunications from nowra but the navy had another aircraft off kiama and for the first time a system of relay communications electronically was used by the navy.
And dad remembers the navy pilots yelling Tallyho as they went into the attack and someone in the tower saying "Bloody Poms"
LOL!
Hilarious! Love it!
😂
Sea Furies, yay! One of the best looking aircraft ever. 🙂
Definitely
I'm an Aussie who was toddler when this happened, but have never heard the full story until now. I can however add a funny note from our cousins in New Zealand, courtesy of a Kiwi friend of mine who flew Vampire jets there back in the '50s. His squadron leader was such a muppet that he damaged two Vampires by forgetting to lower the gear on landing. Consequently when ever he took off in one, the ground crew would station a van at the end of the runway, which would flash its headlights if Squadron Leader Muppet did not have his gear down.
This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂
One of the Sabre pilots was Peter Aubrey Bolin (deceased) who years later related this event to me at the Singapore Flying Club. The Sabre was too fast for the sighting of and engagement with the slow target. Irrespective, mortified by the loss of face to the 'Navy' the squadrons weekend leave's were cancelled and the pilots were made to stand runway readiness ie full kit in the cockpit for a month.
😊
Teaching few lessons around 😅, got to blame someone
The Aussies, are really keen on calling the R.A.A.F. The “R double A F.
As a 12 year old, saw the Auster slowly flying over North Sydney.
The RAAF had a better chance of completing that mission in the 1950s than the RNZAF has today.
Your not wrong about that
Funny thing is the of RNZAF had a better chance
NH90 with a couple of GPMGs ought to make short work of it.
Send up Eagle One (the Auckland police helicopter), who can get close and match speed (no minimum, which was a complicating factor for the RAAF), and with the AOS on board to lay into it with their M4s or whatever they carry that's a small full-auto, or similar. Being able to match speed and course at close distance should allow for an easier time getting a killing hit on the engine. Don't have to blow it up with a .50 or 20mm, just put a round through the oil pan, and some ancillaries, and it will be coming down.
@@zathrasdotorgof
This is absolutely fantastic. It has had me in tears of laughter from start to near finish. Only in Australia can you get this level of humour. That proves that they can overcome adversity with humour
I'm a "Yank". My mom told me when I was a kid in the early '50s what great people the Brits were during the war. They never lost their sense of humor, and would not be whipped. I'm sure you could include the Aussies and the Kiwis as well. God knows they all did a great job against Japan in SE Asia and the SW Pacific.
When my ship moored in Wellington in May, '68 during the Vietnam War, to participate in the annual Coral Sea observance, we found the folks in NZ to be sincerely welcoming and generous. The island reminded me very much of my home in Northern California. Such great Allies to have.
It was such a shame all of the Allied nations were so unprepared to meet Axis aggression. Either the war could have been avoided, or it could have been over much sooner.
Fun video.
YeahNah mate..
I'm Australian.. the Former Prison Island has reverted back into its former Prison glory.. only this time it's in hand with the Chinese.
The Australian Government of 2023 is the greatest shame..
Sucking off USA and be doing over for China to F us in the A.
AustFAILURE
That's how they coped with losing the emu war
A great story and a last Hurrah for the gorgeous Sea Fury
They did get to shoot down some B-26 bombers as well flown by the CIA but that’s probably a sore subject….
@@robertpatrick3350 Hold up, what shady stuff did that certain alphabet agency do that involved the Sea fury getting a few more kills?
Excellent ! As an Alaskan Bush Pilot (years ago) I flew Taylorcrafts and other small single engine aircraft. I love all the old radials and taildraggers . This is a great story of how such small aircraft aren’t taken seriously . That had to have had a lot of people laughing by the time they read the news accounts. I can picture the two guys with the Bren gun thinking “this will be great sport” . This made me smile ,thanks from the U.S. ( I’ve seen our military do equally silly stuff)
Tongue in cheek aviation history at its best. Well done, mate!
Will you be making a video about the German bloke who flew a rented Cessna Skyhawk, undetected, through Soviet defenses and landed in Red Square, standing around, signing autographs for the curious, until the police finally woke up and took him away.
I think you've swallowed propaganda. That young man, Mathias Rust, was detected before he even entered Soviet airspace and he himself said he saw Soviet aircraft who intercepted him, but given what happened not long before with KAL007 there was extreme reluctance to shoot the aircraft down (and confusion around how to handle the situation) so the order was not given.
I remember that! Hilarious.
Wow, amazing how the little aircraft brought out the inefficiencies of the current leadership. Great training moment.
looks like nothing has changed..
Thanks for the memories! My father gained his commercial license with VH-AET and I received my first flight in that Auster a few months before the incident. I recall it was operated by Kingsford-Smith Flying Services.
Wasn't sure what to expect when I added this to my playlist but very glad I did. 😂 Very entertaining, now subbed.
What about the Fokke-Wulf 190 that landed at RAF Pembrey in West Wales during WW2 by mistake. That is an hilarious story too. The RAE Royal Aircraft Establishment then had a first chance to tear it to bits to see how it ticked.
This plus the Great Emu War make Straya look hilarious.
This is a great story that I'd never heard of, although I've lived in Sydney just after 1955. I wonder if the aircraft wreck was ever discovered? Must have sunk not far from the Japanese mini sub.
The irony was the runway was just about out of fuel when it was shot down anyway.
@@arthurthomasware5004 Wreck was never discovered
Wonderful! I joined the RAN in 1967, aged 16. I'd tried for the RAAF but my marks were not quite good enough. I'd never heard this story before. RAN 1, RAAF nil.
As the Kiwis would say, "It's so easy, even an Australian can do it". But not in this case, apparently! Great story and wonderfully presented. Loved it.
Or as an Aussie would say, to hard for a k1w1, we'll get it done..... 😉
Just Brilliant and very Funny. Thanks very much from an Old Brit.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Never heard of this upside down Palmdale precursor but your presentation was excellent.
It's worth reading about it on Wikipedia, makes the USAF look even more incompetent!
@@brettt8246 im a yank, and believe me the USAF doesnt need help in that aspect.
a great story, but I forlornly hoped for a happy ending for the little innocent runaway. very well told, thanks for sharing.
A tip of the hat to the Archer which conducted itself with far greater aplomb without a pilot than most of it's opponents with one.
Recently declassified documents show the trainer was being flown by an emu.
I was in sub-junior, Brisbane State High School that year. I don't recall even hearing about this episode. Makes two 'new to me' items in two months. The other? A Japanese Zero over Brisbane. Cobbled together from damaged aircraft captured in New Guinea. Hugh Lunn, author, newspaper reporter, wrote about it a couple of months ago.
I had never heard this story, but it reminded me of the US story that you foreshadowed.
Hilarious story and very well presented.
Brilliant. I fly model planes. We had one fly away and although we did not shoot it down, it flew several kilometers until it ran out of fuel and quietly landed in a ploughed paddock. It was very similar to the Auster. Light and with very large wings. Great story and with a mostly happy ending. Mike in Oz
I visited Australia on an R&R flight in 1972 when I was in the USN. I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm a Texican & y'all had some of finest, friendliest, and most welcoming people I've ever met. Ended up leaving my Stetson Shorthorn with one your citizens. This guy & his wife seemed to find me all three evenings I was there & bought food & cold ones until I would have to say "No more." (Loved those roast beef sandwiches with the hot mustard on them. My choice. Missed my spices.) He kept looking at that hat. I could tell he wanted it. Their name was Campbell. His was Bill. Last night there I took a pen from the waitress and scratched out my name & wrote Bill Campbell under the crown & handed it over.
His wife told me was one your combat vets from WWII. I'd studied all that. Somehow y'all get the hard stuff done.
Anyway, your video gave me that memory. Thank you.
Dad was home guard . He had a Bren gun mounted above the fire place in his house on Kits Coty, awaiting German parachutists. I used to pick up the used rounds down in the chalk pits as a kid. Very light bullets!
Kits coty that's down the road to me lol
02:00 "Unable Archer" 🤣🤣🤣
It would been a real Chad move by the RAAF to call it that way.
As a coincidence I just saw a video about the air battle of Los Angeles. 😂 It was just as hilarious as your fine recount of the air battle of Sydney Australia. Thanks for sharing.
God I love this channel, it’s literally everything an aviation dweeb like me could ever want
As an Australian, I found this very entertaining, if a bit embarrassing. The cliches were funny, light hearted and not at all jarring.
What was very jarring, every time, was the pronunciation of RAAF. In Australia we say "are double ay eff" because it's easier to distinguish from the GBAF and it just sounds better.
Letting you know in case the RAAF comes up in future videos. Otherwise, love your work!
Subbed ❤
Very well done narrative on one of the less glamorous examples of Aussie airmanship. Thanks for not sinking the boot in too much on the “old enemy”. btw Nice segue into the Battle of Palmdale…
Im glad ypu brought that up, so im not the only one who sees it coming. I really cant wait on his take of Palmdale.
A Wirraway downing a Ki-43 Oscar would just about be the equivalent of a Gloster Gladiator downing an Fw-190. Altitude and the element of surprise was EVERYTHING when it came to dogfighting.
I heard about this from a past member of a bushfire brigade in the 1980s. This presentation reminded me of him.
Aussie here. Delightful story. :)
Reminds me of the story of the runaway pilotless MiG-23 Flogger that flew all the way from East Gerrmany before crash-landing (and unfortunately killing a teenager) in Belgium.
This is why I love Australia. There’s such a level of incompetence and informality that’s just so funny
We can only thank God that the emus never got wind of this.
Don't mention the war!
@@tacitdionysus3220 I... I'm sorry. 😔
Being a storyteller, I've told this story to dozens of audiences down the years. Of course, I had a little extra here and there to spice it up. Nevertheless, it's a true story. I was a sailor on HMAS Sydney, the aircraft carrier at that time.
"Unable Archer" I got a real good laugh out of that.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
OMG this was frickin hilarious. Better than the Battle of Palmdale! Yeah this is definitely something that you will always be reminded of if you're on the screwing up side. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
As an Aussie I find it hilarious. I love the piss taking by the pommie narrator, it’s well deserved. 😂
Nicely done video of a story I am familiar with, though I had forgotten that the Sea Fury pilots were from the RN. I suspect the two Lieutenants in question would be a little disappointed at being called Lootenants by a Londoner 😁. Keep up the good work, liked and subscribed!
The "lootenant' pronunciation is correct for the Royal Australian Navy.
LEFtenants?Is that better?😀
@@svetovidarkonsky1670it wasn't in my dad's day when he did his National Service in the RAAF, but language is ever evolving as I note when chatting with my cousins in Brisbane 🙂
Either pronunciation was acceptable when I was in the RAN 3 decades ago, though some officers insisted on LEFTenant. There’s one gunnery officer I’m thinking of who may have been more appropriately addressed as twat-tenant…
@@NoName-ds5uq a LooTenant is someone that rents a toilet?
The most glorious day in the history of the RAAF.
thankfully they didn't participate in the Emus Wars as that would have probably meant a total surrender of the australian military -circus- apparatus and made the Emu Empire that would have then been created a formidable foe for the world! 😏👍
that is so funny, near wet myself laughing, as an Aussie I can appreciate the almost slapstick comedy
Great story of aviation trivia with an excellent amount of humor thrown in.
Awesome story. Seriously wondering why none of them thought to tip the aircraft similar to what RAF pilots did in WW2 with the buzz bombs using the meteor (which was notorious for their guns to jam.)
The Wirraway pilot could definitely have tried that. Stall speed was likely an issue for the Meteor… I grew up on those stories about wingtipping the V1… would have taken some nerve, for sure!
Why risk damaging an expensive fighter aircraft when it wasn't absolutely necessary?
This is a fabulous story. 😊 I was born a year before this happened. I never heard of it until now. 🎉
I do love these lighthearted tales of peacetime military ineptitude.
And, yes, as your other video confirms in startling detail, the USAF really did top this with the Battle of Palmdale.
First-class work.
Ah, yes, the Archer. A plane of focus, commitment and sheer f*cking will 🧐😄
Wonderfully presented and with a wry sense of humo(u)r. My late mother was born in Grimsby descended from an English adventurer who went to and struck rich in the Australian Gold Fields (and returned home with an Australian bride). She married an American who would land on Normandy beach D Day. I came along after the Korean. Das was an adventuresome as when he returned to the USA after the war, with mom and my oldest sister he had also had his mother in law in tow (she inherited a double helping of Australian DNA). I immediately hit the subscribed button.
This is every bit as good as the Emu War in Western Australia, after WWI , returned soldiers were given rural acreage to begin farming, drawn to the promise of easy pickings, "hordes of Emus began to eat the crops which annoyed the new farmers. A company of Infantry was sent to deal with the problem. After approx a month of frustration, the results were dismal, emus have a blistering turn of speed, coupled with an awkward swerving and tumbling gait which made accurate shooting difficult.
To counter this Lewis guns were deployed however after 10,000 rounds were sent hurtling across W.A. the score was 9. The Army retired shamefaced. A W.A. politician suggested the minting of a medal, A NSW politician replied that if it was made it should be given to the emus
Fabulous and humorous brief, BRAVO ZULU, and many thanks.😂🤣👍
What a hilarious story! Great detail and narration! Now subbed also
Sea Fury is effectively the final form of the Spitfire with Radial replacing the Merlin. Of course it was the best prop driven fighter of the era. :)
Sorry, nothing of the kind. Hawker made the Sea Fury, and it was a re-engined version of the wartime Hawker Tempest, itself a development of the Typhoon. Nothing at all to do with the Supermarine Spitfire.
@@juneabbey9538 yknow, I don't mind one bit being wrong on this, as I understood it was a Supermarine Sea Fury, but the wind based nomenclature does follow Hawker's traditions.
What was that saying.... Spitfire gets the girls, Typhoon gets the kills.
A comprehensive demonstration of the inherent stability built into light aircraft. I, for one, never knew about this antipodean corollary to the Battle of Palmdale, despite owing the comprehensive BY S WILSON... and by the way, it's Arr DOUBLE aye eff...✌
This just goes to reinforce the old adage that truth is stranger, or in this case, funnier than fiction.
That was entertaining. Thanks.
Slow moving aerial targets are difficult to shoot down--just ask the crew of the Bismark.
I hadn't heard of this incident before. Mentioning the Battle of Palmdale was a nice touch.
Agree completely on the description of the Sea Fury. In addition, it is an absolutely beautiful aircraft.
And yes, this Australian "debacle" pales in comparison to my native Southern California's own Battle of Palmdale.
Chap - have you done an ep on the self-downing of a RAAF Mirage in about 1969 on the RAAF gunnery range north of Sydney? Quite a story.
I read about that incident in a book many years ago
it was I think a RAAF Mirage III with 30 mm cannon in the wing root. on a firing pass several shots ricocheted (I think) and hit the intake flaming out the engine and I think the pilot ended up nursing it back home...I could be wrong on all counts but that's my best recollection of it👍💯
I don't know if this is the type of content you would make. But I think It would be interesting to see you cover the story of Neall Ellis a South African Mi-24 mercenary pilot who with his crew took on the Revolutionary United Front during the Sierra Leone Civil War practically singlehandedly.
The Brave Little Austen! An entertaining and factually detailed presentation of a humorous historical event. Well done!
This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂
Ever heard about the story of the RAAF Avro Lancaster that flew under their Sydney Harbour Bridge?
That was Peter Isaacson piloting the Lancaster that day.
@@throttlegalsmagazineaustra7361 interesting what’s even crazier is the myth of the two spitfire that supposedly looped the harbour bridge but thx for the info.
As an Aussie I really enjoyed your telling of this event.
Liked & sub'd 👍
Another wonder into the stresses of unconventional battles in the air. Thank you. Ro
Go Navy! The Air Force must have been pissed off that day, lol. I'm happy RUclips recommended your channel after I watched another channel doing reenactments of RAAF Meteors in combat in the Korean War. Great stuff, thanks from the USA. Cheers.
What an awesome video, I’ve learnt something and had a good laugh too. Thank you 😂
This is a highly entertaining video. So well produced, great commentary. Good for you!
What a story - and very well told, thanks.
Amazing story, thank's a lot. It could be scenario for IL-2 sim.
"Never, in human history, has so little been done by so many in one afternoon. "
I was a Firefly pilot at RNARS Nowra at the time and remember it well. I'm sure that John Bluett fired the first burst that spelt the end. the other comment is about Pete McNay. He and I shared a cabin on the Orcades when we came out on loan service to the RAN. He certainly didn't serve in Korea but maybe he'll see this video and put the record straight. Certainly The SMH made much of it next day with big headlines about the RAAF's inability to defend Sydney from an unarmed, pilotless aircraft.
It has MUCH more humorous impact when you already know what the comment at 14:20 refers to.
I bet you the Meteor pilot had a few harsh words with the squadron armorer when he got back. You've got to feel sorry for him. If his guns hadn't jammed that kill would have been his for sure.
Great little story
This was great. Thank you.
Brilliant story and narration, thanks
Great story. Thanks for posting.
The dutch sea fury! Gave me a warm feeling... such a sexy aircraft
What a great story told with humour.
Fascinating Story.
Thank you.
I am very pleased with the gentle and dry humor delivered in this narration.
Sea Fury: now your getting serious. 13:07 beautiful
What a crazy story, suprised I never heard of it. Thankyou.
Splendid. Subscribed about two minutes into this.
I've listened to this more often than any of your (excellent) videos. Hilarious every time!
(I'm an Aussie who was in the RAAF for a short time)
I was rooting for the Archer!
Great story, and @14:15 I sat up straight as I saw the old Ent Air Force base in Colorado Springs. My father, who was an Army Lt. Colonel was assigned there. These days it's the Olympic Training Center. Very cool to see it again. Thanks! :)
Great story mate - nicely done 👍 Just for future reference, the RAAF is usually referred to as the 'R double A F' here in Aus 😊
Or just pronounced "Raf". Yeah, hearing it spelt out "R-A-A-F" is as weird to an Aussie's ears as saying N-A-S-A would be to...well...everyone. 😉
Im am american and i would not argue at all about the sea fury. I have never heard this story and i loved it. Especially taking the pilots back to Sydney to rub it in. Australia couldnt get away with sending two diggers up in plane woth a bren gun now a days but back then it was probably the most Australian thing they could have done. Well unless Paul Hogan was there and had his knoife and just jumped on it from above.
You are a natural story teller. Wonderful episode.
Excellent as always!
I really enjoyed your commentary, especially the many tongue-in-cheek moments. Just got a new subscriber. Cheers!
Excellent. A great story very entertaininly told. Just remember that the Royal Navy pilots are 'Leftenants' and not 'Lootenants', :). Now having just found this I'm off to watch some more of your videos.