The One Man Air Force - The True Story of American Pilot James Howard - Historical WWII Recreation
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- This is the true story of American fighter pilot James (Jim) Howard. This hero of the second world war took on an estimated 30 Germans in his P-51 Mustang by himself in an intense battle over the skies of Europe. This was made using the World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe.
Historical notes - First, Howard used one of the earlier P-51 models in this mission, however I only had access to the P-51D in this mission, so that is what I used. Also, four of Howards kills in Japan were grounded aircraft, so some sources only credit him with 2.33 kills over China.
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Historical notes - First, Howard used one of the earlier P-51 models in this mission, however I only had access to the P-51D in my flight sim, so that is what I used. Also, four of Howards kills in Japan were grounded aircraft, so some sources only credit him with 2.33 kills over China, but others list 6 kills over China.
Yep!! I think a C model which only had 4 .50s, two in each wing and IF I’m not mistaken (which I probably am tbh) also had two .30s in the nose firing through the propeller arc. But don’t quote me on that bc like I said I’m probably wrong. Not exactly an “inferior” aircraft compared to the D model but definitely had its shortcomings in many areas but a great fighter none the less!!
@@jordannewsom4578 I think you're mistaking the P51 C with the P40C that did indeed have 2 machine guns in the front of the aircraft. The P51B and C had only 4 machine guns
@@diegoplanell2780, You are correct. The P-51B and the P-51C are both are identical with 4 machine guns in the wings. The P-51B was manufactured at Inglewood, California and the P-51C was manufactured at Dallas, Texas. Other than the location of manufacture, both models are identical.
@@diegoplanell2780 I figured I was wrong about the 2 .30s firing through the prop arc. Idk why I thought that maybe I was thinking about the p40
Sorry didn't know that. Thanks!
Listening intensely to the story. Fighting 30 fighters and living is amazing enough, but bluffing another one into disengaging after exhausting his ammo? Legendary.
last Nazi pilot
wtf is this guys problem?!
@@robbybee70 what?
More like super legendary
According to contemporary official report, after half of hour erratic buzzing all around the isolated bomber formation in efforts to protect them from all sides and angles, ammo feed of all but one of his guns were jammed due accelerating/gravitational forces. Which tells even more about his incredible heroic deed.
I guess that the Air Command didn't want to reveal potential weakness of the newly introduced fighter model which proved excellent in many more aspects.
“ I saw my duty and I did it.” Could there be a better way to live your life, in whatever endeavor you engage?
Actually he "done it" :() Hahahahah...Bad ass indeed :)
…and I DONE it!
Tons but those aren't as honourably, selfless or just don't make you look as bad ass.
Thank you for your service, as I sit here watching RUclips enjoying my freedom. 😊🌏
Larry ''bien dit''. Amitiés.
I've heard a slightly different version of that story : early P-51 Bs having guns prone to jamming when taking high Gs during hard maneuvers, this is exactly what happened to Howard, suddenly leaving him with only ONE working gun to face the odds, this even before he ran out of ammo.
And he did it anyway, not only bluffing the final Ju88 into retreat but also several of the 109s in the process.
That makes his MoH even more deserved. Press F to pay respect to this pilot with balls of titanium 8-)
Being "Offensively defensive," I believe is what they call that.
That was probably a problem with every fighter equipped with any sort of high-rate gun that was designed either before or early in the war, certainly it was a problem with the American made version of the British designed HS 20mm cannon, the 37 mm cannon in the P-39 also. Yet another reason not to engage in high-G maneuvers in the first place.
@@touristguy87 In the B and C models the wing machine guns were installed tilted to the side and not flat to the bottom surface of the wings. This seemed to have been the cause of the g induced jamming. The later increased armament had the guns flat to the lower surface of the wings.
@@michaeltelson9798 how quickly can I put you on ignore, let's find out together
@@touristguy87 Fighter aircraft are always on the edge of instability. That increases their maneuvering. Pilots couldn’t handle the center weight issue of the P-39. Chuck Yeager actually loved it and could do crazy maneuvers with it. High G maneuvers are the bread and butter of fighter aircraft even now where computers have to keep them steady in microsecond adjustments. The armament problem needed technical resolutions to fix it not reducing maneuverability of the aircraft.
The P-51 wasn’t a docile aircraft and could go into a deadly spin easily if the pilot was slack. That issue was taught to beginning pilots early to minimize the danger. Remember, the Sopwith Camel was so named for two reasons, the small hump got the machine guns and the tendency to bite back at the pilot.
I knew Jim Howard personally and had several conversations with him about that flight. He told me that there were never 30 fighters at one time - usually just 2 or 3, but they kept coming for a total of 30 all together. Jim was very well educated and although he actually said “I seen my duty and done it” it was in response to the, by then, countless repetition of the question about why he stepped up. He was just tired of the question and gave an answer that he thought would put an end to the questions. He was wrong. The press figured that it had the right tenure to it and repeated it often.
Thank you for telling these stories of these true hero’s, and not letting them fall through the cracks of time
I knew Jimmy Howard, he was one of my many interviews. Also, for future reference, German fighters with yellow tail band were assigned to the Eastern Front exclusively. White tail bands were Western Front, other colored bands such as blue, red, green were Home Defense units.
he wasn't flying the "Ding Hao" on this mission right ?
He may have been flying his first "DING HAO" with three swastikas and no Japanese flags on 11 Jan 1944. He was flying his more famous 2nd "DING HAO!" by 25 Jan 1944.
When I was a kid I had a Revell model of Ding Hao hanging from my bedroom. With respect to number of kills, in January of 1944, Jimmy Doolittle took command of the 8th Army Air Force. Doolittle changed the fighters responsibility from "protect the bombers" to "destroy enemy fighters" and I *believe* it was at this time he changed "kills" from air-to-air to include ground kills. Strafing in a P-51 was just as dangerous as air combat because of the Mustang's liquid cooled engine had a radiator in its belly. A single belly hit could create a coolant leak and seize the engine in a few minutes. Howard was a total bad ass and his level of bravery wasn't uncommon at this time. Ding Hao, Colonel.
"Strafing in a P-51 was just as dangerous as air combat because of the Mustang's liquid cooled engine had a radiator in its belly. " It also had cooling hoses running between the single engine and radiator and lots of gas tanks scattered around inside the plane. Plus when strafing ground targets the plane was vulnerable to every AA gun within range not just the occasional enemy plot with a good firing-solution. So strafing was even more dangerous than air combat as Mustang losses proved starting in mid-44, certainly strafing vs flying high-altitude escort. Definitely safer than the high-altitude interceptor mission. One really should look at the raids into Nazi Germany in the same light as the Luftwaffe raids into the UK and wonder if the British would have actually "won" the BoB if it wasn't for Hitlers' decision to invade the USSR or even just to bomb civilian targets instead of military targets. The only real, true rationale for such a decision is the fact that Central and Eastern Europe had far more Jews, potential Slavic slaves and raw material than the UK did. Just a bigger prize for the Nazi war-machine. Drunk on fantasies of power and glory, the Nazis ground themselves dull and were eventually pounded into dust.
You fellas are correct. During the Korean War, the Mustangs (now designated as the F-51) were assigned as low-level ground attack aircraft. They flew low to strafe, launch HVAR rockets and drop napalm at ground targets. Unfortunately, as both of you mentioned, they suffered high losses from AA fire when their radiators and coolant lines were hit. 💥
@@spreadeagled5654 sure when it wasn't flying escort for B29s in Korea
The P-51 was built for the British who named it the Mustang. The original Allison Engine didn't have a supercharger so above 15,000 ft it couldn't catch it's breath. That left the Mustang to ground attack and photo reconnaisance. When the supercharged Merlin was put in it with the bubble canopy in the P-51D well the rest is history. You can cosmetically tell the difference between the Allison and the supercharged Merlin by the intake scoop under the fuselage. The Mustang could have been used for ground attack especially when there weren't enough German fighters for everyone. When the P-51 came into the theater the P-47 Thunderbolt was then used for ground attcak. The P-47 has a grandchild the Thunderbolt ll (Warthog)
@@eddiehaskell1957 ...you've clearly failed the official WWII Historian course, junior level
"I seen my duty and I done it". Now that's what I call "toxic" masculinity. Beautiful! Godspeed general Howard. And thanks!
I've never forgotten that quote since the first time I read it as a boy. That's a true hero.
Great Man, great deeds may his memories never be forgotten!! Rest In Peace Ancient Warrior!! Thanks
A bit of extra info: According to his book "Roar of the Tiger" Howard actually started as a Navy pilot, getting his wings in 1939 at Pensacola, and was assigned to the USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor. He left in Navy in June 1941 to join the AVG. (For perspective, June 1941 was also when Hitler invaded Russia.)
We need more stories like this. We have lost almost all of our WWII veterans and their stories. Thank you so much for uncovering another hero!
That was outstanding, and I'm sure he had confidence in himself and the P 51 . Good report
Never forget, all these aces owe their success to a Morman gun making genius.
Once again, you smashed it right out of the park. Great cut scenes, excellent period footage and smooth narration. I always look forward to these types of videos you do. If you were here I would shake your hand, well done good sir!
What a great guy - Col. Howard. I was pleased to see that the "Stars and Stripes" article you featured was written by Andrew "Andy" Rooney, the late great commentator on "60 minutes." Hank Grover, former LTJG, U.S. Navy
Thanks for the video TJ, really liked it
I read about this man many years ago. Thank you for doing this video.
great acknowledgement of a true hero..... this makes you a hero too.. thanks for sharing this story....
I Really Enjoyed this program... Thanks for Sharing
I heard this story before but never turn down another telling of it. Good job!
Thank you for bringing these incredible stories to the masses in vivid detail. These heroes should never be forgotten. There are so many stories yet to be told. - I was hoping you might do an episode on Fred Ohr (P-51 pilot). He was the only Asian-American (of Korean descent) to fight in WWII as a fighter pilot, becoming an ace. God bless America! 🇺🇸
I'll check him out! Thanks
The number one Marine ace is sometimes said to be Gregory Boyington (Pappy), who according to him, shot down 22 aircraft. USMC score-keeping says that four were grounded with means officially he got 18 (placing him tied for 4th in the USMC). Boyington said if you had to go get them on the ground like he did he should credit for them! (I got a chance to Pappy a couple of dozen times when I was high school (he lives four blocks from the school, and slightly off (but easier) the shortest route home).
Exceptionally well done, TJ3.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it
What an amazing story of Duty, Honor and Heroism by one American Aviator.
Amazing. Congratulations TJ
Well done video! Thanks.
Just incredible! The P-51 Mustang is my favorite WW2 fighter. We can certainly see why!
Very well done, Sir. I salute you!
This is one of those stories that I heard from my elders, but that generation is pretty much gone and my generation, even though we have heard some of these stories,we won't last forever. Thanks for helping keep the history my parents and their friends lived through. 🏆
Excellent watch!!!...💪😎👍🪖🇺🇸🗽😇, This guy is one of the best heroes ever...🤺🎯
I wish our attitude towards our military today was how it was during this war. Heroes like this man were praised for their duty and that in turn got more young men to want to join the fight. There were no lazy men for the most part. The media and more importantly all civilian life held our military in high regard!! We should have never strayed from these principles!!! I know there are still plenty of patriots still out there, just not to the degree there were back then!Thank you to all of our servicemen and woman past and present!!
Excellent video editing.
Love the commentary The visual effect was awesome greatest film footage you ever saw . I love the history of WWII men and women in action thank you very much for the service man in the past and the servicemen in Afghanistan to present day
looking forward to this series! :D
found this channel 3 minutes ago and now im planning to watch every video
Awesome vídeo !! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I honestly don’t know which is more amazing. Howard’s feat this day, or the fact that he was the only fighter pilot in the European theater to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Nice channel man. I love aviation and it's history. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
I just discovered this Channel and it's amazing. great work
Thank you!
Well done, thank you.
I could be wrong about this, but I don't think he was flying "Ding Hao" that day because it wasn't ready for some reason, so he flew a different P-51B on this mission.
There were two DING HAOs. Squadron records indicate Howard's preferred aircraft just before the 11 Jan 1944 mission was AJ-X, not AJ-A. I suspect that may have been the first DING HAO. There's a photo of it with 3 swastikas but only the front fuselage is shown.
Great.
Thank you!
these video's are awesome keep up the good work
Thank you! Great story!
It should be mentioned, that the 354th was the first unit to receive the P-51 in the ETO. I have met fellow aces/pilots who flew with Col. Howard.
Awesome story! Thank you for sharing.
How beautiful is. the P-51!
Thank you sir! Thank you!
when you unlocked the legendary mode from previous mission so you start to set ablaze alone in the enemy squadron, damn this guy is fucking nuts and I love it.
when ever watch these recountings of tales of Daring do... both on this channel and others like it, I'm always moved to think 'we are not worthy, I am most certainly not worthy of them' the BEST generation! I could only aspire to be half as good, half as courageous...
If you play DCS World enough, then you realize that as incredible a feat he achieved, it's just as incredible that he had three confirmed kills and lasted 30 minutes with the amount of ammo in the Mustang. I will straight up run out of rounds shooting down one single Bf-109 😆
This is IL2 Sturmovik, not DCS.
I think your videos are the best on youtube
Thanks Timmy!
Great video
These legendary men of the 2nd war were incredible. Warrior Heroes for Freedom !!
This was absolutely amazing, if I wasn't so poor that I have to skip meals I would certainly support your patreon!!!!
Amazing and inspirational story
Love the CGI. Great video.
More. For the love of god boy make more. This was the most engaging thing I’ve seen on YT in a long time.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. He must have had a lot of confidence.
This is a great story. They were flying the first Merlin equipped P-51B's. Razorbacks not bubble tops.
Outstanding!!!
Wow, I am really impressed.
American P51 USAF pilot Col Howard was a skilled Ace.... P51 was the best fighter of WWII with many victories against the Luftwaffe. Much respects from India 🇮🇳
Excellent -thank you-
Amazing story this should be made into a film 📽️🎥 what a classic this could be respect Colnal Howard 👏🙏💥💥💥💥
An excellent presentation and telling of the story. One thing I'd like to send your way, though, and that is the pronunciation of the word "Junkers". As it is German, the "J" is pronounced as a "Y" and the designation, "Ju88", in German is pronounced "U88" but Americans usually refer to it as "J U 88" saying each letter separately. As you'll be, no doubt, covering other Junkers aircraft in subsequent videos knowing the proper pronunciation will help. Good job!
We're Americans - we pronounce things the way we want. For instance, do you call it Germany? Why? The Germans pronounce it "Deutschland."
Major Howard's ride was a P-51B Mustang, with four Browning MG
That P-51 still looks like a brand new design...what an awesome plane...
Awesome…well done
Love these WWII stories
what a legend thank you for your service RIP and at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them
Great story!
I hope that you can do one on U.S. Navy’s top Ace Lt Cmdr David S. MacCambell, who almost became a Double Ace during the Battle of Leyte gulf.
Extremely excellent
Very interesting. ..greetings from Germany 👍
For me it is interesting to see the American history at the same time line (and the many old pictures and films)
Total grit.
Spirit of the American fighting soldier
For some critics.....iHoward¨s plane was a P 51B model indeed with a Malcolm hood. Probably not availible in the game. So never mind....great video anyway. Watched all your vids...put you in my favourites from the beginning. Thnx.
P-51B model yes, but in early January 1944 no Malcolm hood was available for US P-51s, absolutely. Not only - the plane he flew that precise day (P-51B- 5-NA, #43-6315) still had the original older canopy in a photo dated 25 April 1944.
@@francescofissore161I agree 43-6315 originally had the birdcage canopy. Howard had two DING HAOs. He was flying the first one presumably on 5 Jan '44 as it had 3 swastikas (and no Japanese flags) with different plain lettering for the aircraft name. There's a photo. He may not have been flying the 2nd DING HAO! 43-6315 on 11 Jan but photos show it was assigned to him by 25 Jan.
Some facts, Lr. Col. Howard flew the earlier P-51B (the P-51C was identical, built at another factory) which did not have the later bubble canopy, his Mustang was in olive drab camouflage paint scheme with white bands painted on wings and tail for bomber gunner identification to prevent confusion with Bf-109s. The P-51B hadn’t its bugs worked out as 3 of his 4 50 cal machine guns progressively jammed, by the end of his 30 to 1 fight he had only one operating machine gun which ran out of ammunition. According to his account, he bluff attacked more than just one fighter.
P-38 were flying to Berlin to Berlin February 1944 with a combat radius of 585 miles. The P-51 D had a radius that was only 65 miles longer. The 9th AF kept kept the 474th with P-38s until VE-Day. Lindberg doubled that distance in the Pacific, farther than either the late marks of the Mustang and Thunderbolt.
Another great story.
The Red Baron completely blows this guy away as far as planes shot down...Its not even close...
True American Hero tremendous courage a real spartan fearless and an example of dedication to dutey against all odds . Story's like these give you an understanding what makes the American military might a very very formidable foe to any enemy . In the sky land or sea. America onley knows one direction full speed ahead. My hope is that god will always bless us . And that Americans will understand without him we will never achieve victory like this in the future.
I love your Voice, i love your Storys, good job, well done. Greets from Germany / Augsburg (Home of the Messerschmitt 109)
What an amazing hero & knight in the air!
Excellent presentation. #aHatTip
cant stop smiling listening to this
I can only imagine the hype in the cockpits of the bombers watching a true underdog story
James Howard: " I am the One Man Air Force "
Erick Hartman: " Hold my beer "
Hans-Joachim Marseille: "Clean my pipe"
Adolf Galland: "load and fuel my jet"
@@timtaylor2427 Günther Rall: "Pull out and polich my gun"
@@teomak8059 Hermann Graf: "Bring me the champagne for my 200th victory"
@@timtaylor2427 Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn: "Wait for me to draw the '301' mark on my plane".
@@timtaylor2427 Gerhard Barkhorn:"Bring my slippers"
I also love the story of the Tuskegee airmen supporting bombers
Incredible
This new Ace Combat protagonist is pretty intresting.
Great video but… the P51D didn’t arrive in Europe until mid 1944. Howard was flying a C version with a Malcolm Hood. Another observation is the ground graphics. Winter, not summer.
Nice mix of original videos in with the graphics. Great narration!
hello, the former statement is correct - just a couple small corrections for the latter one.
* action took place on January 11th 1944, those Mustangs all were the original 'B' variant (not the 'C') as arrived in England in the first batch, November 1943. Howard's airplane was a P-51B - 5-NA.
* each of them had the original three-piece canopy, no 'Malcolm' canopies could have arrived so early for the US Mustang. Howard's P-51B was s/n 43-6315 and still kept the older canopy in a photo dated April 25th, 1944. Only from May onward it was fitted with a Malcolm canopy, until it was lost in action on late July by another pilot.
@@francescofissore161According to Sgt Will Louie who was one of two artists who did names and scoreboards for Jim Howard, Howard had another Ding Hao before S/N 43-6315. That one had three swastikas on it following a 4 or 5 Jan 1944 mission.
Good Video. Major Howard Isn't Mentioned As Much As Some Of The Other Aces. I Would Like To See A Mini-Bio Like This One On Wing Commander J.R.D. Braham, Thank You.
Great story about an American hero.
That choked me up. “I seen my duty and I done it.” 😢
What flight-sim is used in this episode? Great contribution, by the way. Kudos! 🇺🇸
IL-2 Sturmovik is the flight sim
How did he get those balls to fit in a cockpit?
This would make a great movie. Would love to see it depicted on the big screen.
I’ve watched TJ for years, and this is one of if not my absolute favorite story. I got war thunder 6 months ago and this is why my username is Ding Hao
I did this one before I knew about C models and custom skins! Haha
If i'm not wrong the plane that James Howerd flew was a mustang p-51b. Not the one on the video which is p-51d with bubble canopy!!!