Sgt. Thornton received the Military Medal for his action on D-Day and during the days that followed, he survived the war, passing away in 2000. His action at Pegasus Bridge is a rare example of an individual act that probably had a disproportionately significant effect on wider events.
His Military Medal citation: 1. This NCO landed on the bridge during night before D-day and on capture of the river bridge went unhesitatingly forward to contact the 7th Parachute Battalion. 2. On a patrol to the West of the canal bridge he knocked out and killed the crew of an armoured carrier with a PIAT. 3. During a counter-attack on Escoville on 7th June 1944 he led the Company across machine-gun swept field and on arrival in Escoville cleared the houses and streets with such vigour and without regard for personal danger that it encouraged the remainder to put the same spirit into it. 4. At Herouvillette during a heavy shelling and an expected enemy attack he remained on the roof of a shed in order to get better observation and warning of the enemy approach. He remained there until he was seriously wounded in the leg. It was with difficulty that he was persuaded to be evacuated, he considered he was fit enough to continue his observation. 5. This NCO has gained the respect and complete confidence of the men of the Platoon by his enthusiasm, courage, disregard of personal safety and doing his job above the call of duty and with conspicuous gallantry.
There is this one story about the PIAT where one Brit used so much PIAT shells to ran out of them at Oosterbeek/Arnhem. So he improvised and used a Mortar sideways instead creating a makeshift PIAT! They held their ground so much more longer because of this mans bravery!
I was at Pointe du Hoc for the 50th anniversary. When I saw what they had to do after landing to climb that cliff and what was at the top I felt like crying: maybe those Vickers and the other tricks they invented helped a little.......... but it's still like throwing a die 100 times and the first time it's not a 6 you're dead.
I visited it, as well, and thought that had to have been the bravest feat ever. Then I saw Omaha beach-where they had no cover, were neck deep in water wearing all their gear, just walking into the German fire-and changed my mind.
Some of the Vickers GO from the damaged DUKWs were manhandled to the top of the cliffs where they were manned by RASC personnel supporting the Rangers. They won two Military Medals on the recommendation of the Rangers.
At first I wasn’t fond of the look of Belfasts main armament but over time it has grown on me and now I enjoy the look of it now. Just a really sleek looking turret design
with that bright muzzle "bloom" from so many rounds, Germans were probably firing short bursts from the MG42, checking their impact, then adjusting for the next burst.
For some brilliant PIAT footage see "there's is the glory " 1946 film about Arnhem no actors just the actual soldiers who were there. One of my favourite films of all time.
Great video as always. I suspect the deadliest days of the MG42 were in 1945, in defense of Berlin and the Eastern "fortress" cities being assaulted by the Soviets... Whose casualties in this period were truly shocking. I've heard figures as high as 1 million, but no one really knows. Certainly, hundreds of thousands were killed. German Artillery of course played a part, but as shells and tubes became more scarce, the MG's and personal weapons increased their share. What a horror.
Love the video and all members of the Royal Armouries and Museums. In a weird way it's very wholesome that you guys can call each other up for videos like this.
Isn't this called the K gun or K frame? WW1 mount put on jeep windshields by David Sterling for SAS use North Africa. I once read the SAS destroyed more German planes on the ground than the RAF did in the air? Just talking Africa.
He's very good on camera, which might seem easy but having filmed quite a few interviews I can tell you it is not. I've seen incredibly confident people wilt as soon as you start recording.
Hobart's Funnies strike again! I'm not surprised one sank and two ran aground, the stability of the vehicle must have been minimal. That extended ladder was just waiting to topple over. There should have been some armour though, fancy being elevated face-to-face to the enemy unprotected... suicidal.
@@ricardodavidson3813rear-heavy as the turntable is weighing it down, the problem is side to side issues: it’s why aerial ladders have stabilizers, be they H or scissor stabilizers
@@bostonrailfan2427 Makes sense, and on soft irregular ground it must have been a nightmare, hence the poor bod at the end of it swaying around to the amusement of the Germans on the cliff top. I hope the poor guy made it unscathed.
The dukw swan was not intended to be used in the first wave assault,it was meant as a means for the second wave non specialist troops to scale the cliff once it had been captured,but it was ,for reasons unknown,deployed on d day with the first wave.
Thanks Johnathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Museum in the UK which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history. Brilliant collaboration with IWM.
I still read them! Those Commando comics are still pretty popular here in Finland. I believe we're the only ones outside the UK who read them so much. It's even mentioned in Wikipedia.
@mikeycraig8970 I'll add that the Vickers was shown in a comic strip in one of the comics. The soldier removed the gun from a crate marked Vickers, and somebody wrote in correcting them as he believed that the gun shown was a Lewis gun. He was corrected. The comic would have been either Warlord or Battle. I'll get me coat.
I like the format of having multiple presenters in a longer video. Good to see Tom too, such enthusiasm is good news for keeping this knowledge alive into the next generation.
I wouldn’t normally disagree with Jonathan, but I think a water cooled Maxim gun is a better defensive weapon than an MG42 in a beach landing situation. What you want is to be able to keep up constant fire for a long period of time and with a water cooled gun in a bunker that’s what you have. Not only can it fire continuously, but you will also need a lot less ammo. The MG42 was a brilliant squad weapon, great for in the tactical role for either attack or defence, but not what you want if keeping firing for a long time is the aim
Tom telling us about the 17 pounders was a highlight of this video for me, I'd love to hear more from him. Great video Jonathan and everyone at the Royal Armouries and IWM.
5:50 The most Rambo-esque use of a PIAT has to be Major Robert Henry Cain. Jeremy Clarkson made a documentary about him and other Victoria Cross winners, called Jeremy Clarkson War Stories - The Victoria Cross. I highly recommend watching it, even if you don't like Clarkson. He is not his obtuse, bombastic, biggest-ape-on-the-rock self, but genuinely interested and respectful. There's too much to explain, but the soldiers witnessing the mayhem of Major Cain tell incredible stories that would rival any 80's action war movie. The second War Stories is amazing as well. Called The Greatest Raid of All. How these guys pulled that off is beyond me, let alone survive it. There are interviews with the men who did the raid, as both episodes are from the late 90's.
I love this multi-faceted approach to presenting, it works really well and I like that it feels more like 'the royal armories' than 'Jonathan Ferguson,' you know? Not that I don't love Jonathan Ferguson, of course!
Hello from America. Wow! Always a fan of this channel...but this two part episode was fabulous! Loved the cross over between museums! Good Job! Keep up the great work you do.
Thank you to whoever edited this and put in the "actually", talking about the Swans! As Jonathan was saying it, my brain immediately went to Hot Fuzz and had a good laugh at that :D
I remember seeing an interview with a German machinegunner on the Eastern Front once. He preferred the MG34 over the 42 because the latter used much more ammunition and they never had enough of that.
It's a nice selling point for machine guns with gas regulators that have multiple settings. We always used the slowest, as your role is primarily to provide suppressing fire and 600 RPM is more than enough for that. If you need more, you can simply turn it up.
I remember being quite amused hearing about the Vickers gun ladder on the D-Day 24 hour documentary. The test footage almost scratches that itch of seeing it in action. But still, it’s hard getting your head around the image a guy swinging side to side at the top of a free standing ladder with three machine guns.
Once again you never failed to amaze me Jonathan, kudos to you and all of your colleagues. Your knowledge about these historical firearms is impeccable. May all those men rest in peace🕊, without them all of Europe if not the whole world would have remained in the clutches of the Nazis🫡.
My uncle faced the mg 42 from Africa to Berlin. He said, "If we heard one, everyone fired at the sound until it stopped." He said he fired one at the enemy in Italy until it was empty, his face lit up for a moment at the memory.
The commentary on the footage of the K guns on the LFB ladders says that an armour plate was later fitted. It goes on to say that an adequate supply of refills was carried behind the armour plate. I think you have the later 2 gun model with armour plate. The three guns version appears to have only been used in training. Tne ladders were 100ft Merriweather ladders.
like the crickets last week the ladders were made due to timing…couldn’t get them from the US so went local, same lengths but different mechanisms for raising
With reference to the armour plate on the mount. The SAS in France and the rest of Europe post DDay had these fitted on their jeeps. To my knowledge (happy to be corrected) they were not fitted to SAS jeeps in the Western Desert.
One advantage of the PIAT over things like the Bazooka or Panzershrek is that it could be used from inside buildings, because of the lack of backblast, at least that is what I have read in contemporary accounts.
Jonathan Ferguson is simply a superb presenter. His smooth, authoritative delivery provides compact information very effectively. This particular video covering a cross-section of weapons and systems is just so darn good despite its scope and "moving parts." I am extremely curious to know how this show was put together, who wrote the script and who coordinated the disparate parts. What a joy! I don't think this sort of presentation that Mr. Ferguson consistently delivers can get any better than this. I am in awe of these informative products. Thank you!
Aside from the PIAT being useful as a regular mortar it also had the advantage of being deployable in confined quarters or from cover as it had no back blast like the bazooka style weapons.
The young man presenting the artillery piece and the Royal Armouries are to be commended. He was very knowledgeable and had a flow of speech of a veteran presenter and the RA for giving young people a chance. I do have to ask if he is legally blind because it would make this extraordinary to say the least?
If I remember my D-Day history right, one of the big factors that led to the invasion's success was Germany's supply issues - I'm pretty sure I've heard some of the pillboxes and whatnot held out until they literally ran out of ammunition, at which point they surrendered rather than waiting for the advancing allies to show up with napalm or one of the other nightmare weapons used for bunker clearing. As to the idea of the MG42 as a wonderweapon or just a decent machine gun of the day - for that kind of role, there's not really much difference. A belt fed machine gun with a good supply of fresh barrels and ammo belts is pretty much ideal for shooting at a group of enemy infantry strugging to disembark from landing boats and get onto land. The only way you beat that kind of weapon in performance is modern miniguns, which are basically the same thing but with the barrel swapping and ammo feed somewhat automated. Supplementing it with heavy artillery fire makes it even more effective, but at that point we're just building WWI's western front from base principles....and was not viable for Germany considering they already had 2 active fronts (one of which being the enormous Eastern Front) that needed all the artillery they could possibly get.
My late father was a WWII RAF armourer. He always said the Vickers Gas Operated was the best weapon he ever worked on. Cleverly designed, never went wrong, (to the point that gunners no longer carried spares into the air), and could be disassembled with the point of a round.
Great video, as always! I particularly appreciated the coverage of the Vickers GO gun and the Piat, and especially the inclusion of a scene from 'Theirs is the Glory' (a film that shows both weapons in use).
Thank you. I found it very moving. It makes me realise a lot of things. The complexity of planning ahead, the heroism of individuals, the vagaries of fortune. Those who took part were of sterling quality.
I think Drachinifel did an episode about Nelson obliterating a panzer unit when called upon by a British squad that encountered the tanks unexpectedly. It seemed that 'a near miss' is close enough when firing 16" shells at tanks. At 1 ton per shell HE VS AP was a moot point - the brief bombardment proved to be a very Significant Emotional Event for the hapless German recipients. The photos show a panzer on it's side, sans turret with tracks and suspension blown off and the bottom peeled open - from a shell that landed next to it.
Dear Mr. 17 Pounder lad...1620 hours dosen't need p.m. after it...military time aka the 24 hour time, does not need a.m. nor p.m. 0700 hours is morning...12 hours later in 1900 hours... That is weird when you say 1620 in the p.m. 420 p.m.= 1620 hours Do you say "7 o'clock p.m. in the evening?" Your obvious enthusiasm in nonetheless appreciated🤓
There is a U.S. Army training film about how you should not fear the "Buzz Saw" MG42. I have seen the film and all I can do is wonder if anyone actually believed it. I qualified on the MG53 and while it was extremely fast, I was told that it was slowed down from the MG42 rate.
Yes a Machine Gun was still being stubbornly fire from WN-62 at 15:00. It was certainly not being fired by Heinrich Severloh, who's book was ghostwritten 56 years after the event. In fairness to the veteran the book’s true author altered much for dramatic effect. There are several indices that show Severloh was NOT the Beast of Omaha. Firstly, Corporal Severloh was assigned as an orderly to Senior Lieutenant Bernhard Frerking - 352nd Infantry-Division. So not a machine-gunner and certainly not the last man firing on Omaha beach at 15:00. When WN_62 finally surrendered 1 officer and 20 men were taken prisoner. He certainly makes no mention of the position being taken after an exchange of hand grenades at close quarters. In his book he speaks of firing an MG 42 and had only 1 spare barrel. Yet WN 62 was equipped only with MG 34 & 2 polish water-cooled MGs. One of his haunting memories is a G.I. seeking cover, who Severloh shot in the head with his K98 rifle around 08:30. (German Machine gunners were not issued with service rifles) The G.I.'s helmet rolling in the sand, is image engraved in his mind. Our Corporal was hit twice in the hip with bullets and his eye was bleeding from shrapnel. At which point, he was sent to an aid station. Bear in mind that Sevenloh was firing on to Easy Red. By 10:30 Fox Green exit E3 effectively cutting WN-62 from the village of Coleville. By 12:14 the Americans were fighting by the church in Coleville. Yet Severloh was taken prisoner in Coleville on the 7th of June. He tells us in his book that he fled WN-62 directly after a Naval support salvo 10:15. (Explains his shrapnel wound to the eye.) Yet by the time WN-62 fell (15;30) the fighting had shifted inland and the Naval salvos were not being directed on to WN-62 because the beach in front of it, was lined with American wounded. From 08:30 General Cota had already established his command post on the beach. They wouldn't have risked hitting their own troops. He mentions another haunting memory of bodies piled 3 meters high (because he had killed thousands.) This fits in with High tide at 07:15 pushing the dead up the beach before it. Because by 15:30 it would have been low tide again. This is another indication that he failed to return to his post after receiving first aid in the morning. The traumatic stress of the first wave remains clear throughout his narrative. Yet other (genuine) German machine gunners often speak of the trauma of seeing their enemies decapitated by their MG 34s. He went MIA, but not after 15:00, as he claims ; rather sometime between 06:30 and 10:30. He also mentions that all his unit were killed or ran away. Which shows he was entirely unaware of the 21 prisoners taken when WN-62 was finally outflanked by "G" Company, 16th Infantry Regiment. Had he been present he would surely have mentioned such facts. Of course, as a WWII veteran in Germany, he wouldn't have had the benefit of US after action reports. He is riddled with guilt for abandoning his officer, who died age 31, shot in the head on Omaha beach. He never explains how he a simple orderly had a higher kill rate that his entire Division. As mentioned in the video, 1 man never inflicted 85% of the casualties on that beach.
At least 2 different actions with the PIAT resulted in the VC being awarded. Robert Henry Cain being the best known, Francis Jefferson being the other. Francis was a real character. Francis was a runner in his company. They were being badly hit by a German attack, and suffered over 50% casualties. He decided something needed to be done, grabbed an abandoned PIAT and when he couldn’t get sight from cover, moved to the middle of the road, shouldered and fired the PIAT from a standing position. It knocked him over!!! Tank/SP has hit and burning. He ran back for a 2nd bomb but the Germans started to withdraw.
I am so glad you have killed the idea that the spring in the piat actually threw the bomb off the rod. No doubt whilst out at events we will more of the same from some individuals. I do have one question for you however. The pressed ring on the tail of the bomb that locates into the slot. On discharge, does that deform and stay with the bomb or does it tear away?? My presumption is it stays with the bomb or you would have to fiddle around getting it out to load the next one, but not 100% on that. BTW, THE ARMOUR PLATE ON THE VICKERS K GO set up was only fitted to SAS jeeps used in the European Theater. In theory, it should also have an armoured glass protection mounted above the guns as well.
Referencing the image of the SAS in the Saharan desert during WW2, the SAS operated in conjunction with the Long Range Desert Group, who focused a lot on weight saving for long-term reconnaissance, to the point of removing the four wheel drive on their trucks to save a 100 kg, which could be used on water in stead. I recommend watching the documentary "Lost in Libya". Anyhow, the armor sheild was probably removed for that reason, weight reduction.
George McDonald Frasier (Quartered Safe Out Here) on using a PIAT in Burma in 1945, remembering it 45 years later: "I went off to renew acquaintance with the projector, infantry, anti-tank, commonly called the Piat. It was the British counterpart of the American bazooka, and might have been designed by Heath Robinson after a drunken dinner of lobster au gratin. It’s not easy to describe, and I may have forgotten some of its finer points, such as its exact measurements, but I’ll do my best. From memory, then, it consisted of about four feet of six-inch steel pipe, one end of which was partly cut out to leave a semi-cylindrical cradle about a foot long, in which you laid the bomb. At the other end of the pipe was a thick butt pad which fitted into your shoulder when you lay on the ground in a firing position, the body of the pipe being supported on a single expanding leg. The bomb, a sinister black object fifteen or so inches overall, had a circular tail fin containing a propellant cartridge, a bulging black body packed with high explosive, and a long spiked nose with a tiny cap which, when removed, revealed a gleaming detonator. Within the body of the pipe was a gigantic spring which had to be cocked after each shot: you lay on your back and dragged the Piat on top of you, braced your feet against the projecting edges of the butt pad, and heaved like hell at something or other which I’ve forgotten. After immense creaking the spring clicked into place, and you crawled out from under, gamely ignoring your hernia, laid an uncapped bomb gently in the front cradle, resumed the lying firing position, aligned the barleycorn sight with the gleaming nose of the bomb, pressed the massive metal trigger beneath the pipe, thus releasing the coiled spring which drove a long steel plunger up the tail fin of the bomb, detonating the propellant cartridge, you and the Piat went ploughing backwards with the recoil, and the bomb went soaring away - about a hundred yards, I think, but it may have been farther. The whole contraption weighed about a ton, and the bombs came in cases of three; if you were Goliath you might have carried the Piat and two cases."
Wow never heard this story and it obviously never got in "The Longest Day". No surprise it didn't work well as the DUKW wasnt stable as was shown in later DUKW (Duck) tour accidents.
The PIAT: a great warhead with a terrible delivery system. The only they could go with, lacking recoilless rifles, but it really hamstrung the weapon. The fact that it was still so useful speaks to the great advantage of actually having infantry portable antitank weapons.
An unmentioned use of the 17 Pdr was aboard the Landing Craft Gun (Medium), most had two turreted 25 Pdrs, but the first half-dozen had two 17 Pdrs instead.
A tank not present is a tank defeated. Sounds as if the deception operations were the most effective anti-tank weapon on D-Day. I don't know the weight of these other weapons--Allied air power forced relocating the armor out of fighter-bomber range, the underground messed with night movement by rail and road, and a sleeping pill delayed the orders to release the reserves. One PIAT at Pegasus Bridge slammed shut the German counter-attack. Only one Panzer division saw action on D-Day and that division was hampered by guerrilla action, little groups of paratroopers, and fighter sweeps. D-Day's story would have been different if six Panzer divisions showed up to the party.
The twin VGO guns and mounts you have are to the Reconnaissance Regiment pattern made in the UK and not improvised ex aero SAS Mediterranean ones. The Recce ones incorporated armoured glass above the guns as well as the steel shield you have below them. For the Recce mounting it was defensive in that the purpose was to lay down fast firing machine gun fire when fired upon to give time for the Jeeps to withdraw and make their reports. Firing one gun at a time to double the endurance of fire, given how fast a VGO empties it’s drum, and there being no time in contact to reload new drums. Obviously the gunner would be frantically replacing drums when both guns were emptied but by then the smoke projectors would hopefully have covered the withdrawal of the vehicle. Post war there were enough Dingos to go around and the Recce Jeeps were returned to US ownership per Lend Lease terms. The Dingoes themselves going on to be replaced by Ferrets. Ironically by the 1970, in my regiment, the armoured cars were taken away and recce reverted to Land Rovers which eventually got a single GPMG pintle mounted and two 50 round linked belts with no armour at all.
Most Anglo ❤ love semi auto rate of Fire Mg’s some 450 minute. Vs faster buzz is more effective. Shotgun all pellets same time and not in next 60 second’s hitting ..
Another interesting informative video from Royal Armouries/IWM I look forward to when the current podcast fad for split camera shots, cutting to the presenter as if talking to 'someone else,' has gone out of fashion. Distracting and, frankly, a bit weird.
0:49 information about the armour plating. The SAS units decided that it might be wise to use armour plating for the machinegunner. Thus on the European front they used an armour shield, but on top of it there was an half moon shaped bullit proof glass. Also the jeep driver got an armour plate with and half moon shaped bullit proof glass screen and a single vickers GO at the side. Fun fact the 1st airborne reconnaissance jeeps were only allowed 1 vickers Go machine gun in front, despite its commander wanted more. Higher up thought it would become a burden on the supply all the extra ammunition for these machineguns.
Sgt. Thornton received the Military Medal for his action on D-Day and during the days that followed, he survived the war, passing away in 2000. His action at Pegasus Bridge is a rare example of an individual act that probably had a disproportionately significant effect on wider events.
His Military Medal citation:
1. This NCO landed on the bridge during night before D-day and on capture of the river bridge went unhesitatingly forward to contact the 7th Parachute Battalion.
2. On a patrol to the West of the canal bridge he knocked out and killed the crew of an armoured carrier with a PIAT.
3. During a counter-attack on Escoville on 7th June 1944 he led the Company across machine-gun swept field and on arrival in Escoville cleared the houses and streets with such vigour and without regard for personal danger that it encouraged the remainder to put the same spirit into it.
4. At Herouvillette during a heavy shelling and an expected enemy attack he remained on the roof of a shed in order to get better observation and warning of the enemy approach. He remained there until he was seriously wounded in the leg. It was with difficulty that he was persuaded to be evacuated, he considered he was fit enough to continue his observation.
5. This NCO has gained the respect and complete confidence of the men of the Platoon by his enthusiasm, courage, disregard of personal safety and doing his job above the call of duty and with conspicuous gallantry.
There is this one story about the PIAT where one Brit used so much PIAT shells to ran out of them at Oosterbeek/Arnhem. So he improvised and used a Mortar sideways instead creating a makeshift PIAT! They held their ground so much more longer because of this mans bravery!
Believe you are refering to Robert Henry Cain VC ..bloke was nails .. and Jeremy Clarksons father in law
He used a mortar as a makeshift mortar, PIAT is a spigot mortar.
I was at Pointe du Hoc for the 50th anniversary.
When I saw what they had to do after landing to climb that cliff and what was at the top I felt like crying: maybe those Vickers and the other tricks they invented helped a little.......... but it's still like throwing a die 100 times and the first time it's not a 6 you're dead.
I visited it, as well, and thought that had to have been the bravest feat ever. Then I saw Omaha beach-where they had no cover, were neck deep in water wearing all their gear, just walking into the German fire-and changed my mind.
Some of the Vickers GO from the damaged DUKWs were manhandled to the top of the cliffs where they were manned by RASC personnel supporting the Rangers. They won two Military Medals on the recommendation of the Rangers.
@@WgCdrLudditenice that someone remembers the RASC. Unsung heroes of ww2
At first I wasn’t fond of the look of Belfasts main armament but over time it has grown on me and now I enjoy the look of it now. Just a really sleek looking turret design
with that bright muzzle "bloom" from so many rounds, Germans were probably firing short bursts from the MG42, checking their impact, then adjusting for the next burst.
I love seeing the collaboration, very fitting for d day
For some brilliant PIAT footage see "there's is the glory " 1946 film about Arnhem no actors just the actual soldiers who were there. One of my favourite films of all time.
Great video as always. I suspect the deadliest days of the MG42 were in 1945, in defense of Berlin and the Eastern "fortress" cities being assaulted by the Soviets... Whose casualties in this period were truly shocking. I've heard figures as high as 1 million, but no one really knows. Certainly, hundreds of thousands were killed. German Artillery of course played a part, but as shells and tubes became more scarce, the MG's and personal weapons increased their share. What a horror.
Love the video and all members of the Royal Armouries and Museums. In a weird way it's very wholesome that you guys can call each other up for videos like this.
Combined Operations. 🙂
"Any luck catching them swans then?"
No 😞
It's just the one, actually.
I hate to do this to you but it's "No luck". Sorry. I can't help myself. Very happy you picked up on the reference though :)
@@sleeplessindefatigable6385 Now we know what happened to the other three missing swans.
The swan's escaped?
I love how passionate the young man presenting the Artillery segment is.
Yes, his enthusiasm and knowledge is so nice to see in a younger man.
Isn't this called the K gun or K frame?
WW1 mount put on jeep windshields by David Sterling for SAS use North Africa.
I once read the SAS destroyed more German planes on the ground than the RAF did in the air? Just talking Africa.
He's very good on camera, which might seem easy but having filmed quite a few interviews I can tell you it is not. I've seen incredibly confident people wilt as soon as you start recording.
He’s awesome. He needs his own channel. So knowledgeable.
He said American sherman firefly ..... it's British . Being able to read the wrong info of a sheet is not knowledge.
Duck with a lader with tripple vickers is some mad max shit
Hobart's Funnies strike again! I'm not surprised one sank and two ran aground, the stability of the vehicle must have been minimal. That extended ladder was just waiting to topple over. There should have been some armour though, fancy being elevated face-to-face to the enemy unprotected... suicidal.
@@ricardodavidson3813rear-heavy as the turntable is weighing it down, the problem is side to side issues: it’s why aerial ladders have stabilizers, be they H or scissor stabilizers
@@bostonrailfan2427 Makes sense, and on soft irregular ground it must have been a nightmare, hence the poor bod at the end of it swaying around to the amusement of the Germans on the cliff top. I hope the poor guy made it unscathed.
The dukw swan was not intended to be used in the first wave assault,it was meant as a means for the second wave non specialist troops to scale the cliff once it had been captured,but it was ,for reasons unknown,deployed on d day with the first wave.
@@ricardodavidson3813not a Hobart funny,the swan was an idea on behalf of the admiralty.
Thanks Johnathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Museum in the UK which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history. Brilliant collaboration with IWM.
Twin vickers K. Which 60s,70s and 80s readers of commando comics wouldnt know this?
Or that the shielded mount was only fitted to jeeps used in the European theatre.
I still read them! Those Commando comics are still pretty popular here in Finland. I believe we're the only ones outside the UK who read them so much. It's even mentioned in Wikipedia.
@@kurtbergh I shall have to go and check that out, thanks.
@mikeycraig8970 I'll add that the Vickers was shown in a comic strip in one of the comics.
The soldier removed the gun from a crate marked Vickers, and somebody wrote in correcting them as he believed that the gun shown was a Lewis gun.
He was corrected. The comic would have been either Warlord or Battle. I'll get me coat.
I miss those comics, I think I need to see if I can buy some for my kids to read
Another brilliant video, especially the triple mounted Vickers!
I like the format of having multiple presenters in a longer video.
Good to see Tom too, such enthusiasm is good news for keeping this knowledge alive into the next generation.
Jeremy Clarksons father in law earned a VC with a Piat. Theres a brilliant video by JC about the engagement at Arnhem.
Who is JC? Thanks!
@@CmonDudes Jeremy Clarkson I would assume.
@@CmonDudes Jeremy Clarkson...
Yes, great video. His one about “The Greatest Raid” is equally amazing.
@@CmonDudescertainly not Jesus Christ!😂
Sexton final gets some recognition.
Preach for the priests 🙌🏼
I wouldn’t normally disagree with Jonathan, but I think a water cooled Maxim gun is a better defensive weapon than an MG42 in a beach landing situation. What you want is to be able to keep up constant fire for a long period of time and with a water cooled gun in a bunker that’s what you have. Not only can it fire continuously, but you will also need a lot less ammo. The MG42 was a brilliant squad weapon, great for in the tactical role for either attack or defence, but not what you want if keeping firing for a long time is the aim
Tom telling us about the 17 pounders was a highlight of this video for me, I'd love to hear more from him. Great video Jonathan and everyone at the Royal Armouries and IWM.
5:50 The most Rambo-esque use of a PIAT has to be Major Robert Henry Cain. Jeremy Clarkson made a documentary about him and other Victoria Cross winners, called Jeremy Clarkson War Stories - The Victoria Cross. I highly recommend watching it, even if you don't like Clarkson. He is not his obtuse, bombastic, biggest-ape-on-the-rock self, but genuinely interested and respectful.
There's too much to explain, but the soldiers witnessing the mayhem of Major Cain tell incredible stories that would rival any 80's action war movie.
The second War Stories is amazing as well. Called The Greatest Raid of All. How these guys pulled that off is beyond me, let alone survive it. There are interviews with the men who did the raid, as both episodes are from the late 90's.
The balls on Sgt Stivison and the others for getting on the swan
I love this multi-faceted approach to presenting, it works really well and I like that it feels more like 'the royal armories' than 'Jonathan Ferguson,' you know? Not that I don't love Jonathan Ferguson, of course!
Confused English Officer: "Bring the Piaf!"
*Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose starts playing in the background*
Depending on the situation: Non, je ne regrette rien.
@@Yvolve ideal in situation of failed officers coup
And how the Germans ran.
Maybe they want rice.
Piaf is just the brand name, it could launch any french chanteuse...
Gosh !
I Absolutely Loved This ! Well Done You !
Cheers From California 😎
Hello from America. Wow! Always a fan of this channel...but this two part episode was fabulous! Loved the cross over between museums! Good Job! Keep up the great work you do.
Thank you to whoever edited this and put in the "actually", talking about the Swans! As Jonathan was saying it, my brain immediately went to Hot Fuzz and had a good laugh at that :D
Tom Davies, what a presenter. Great job mate!
I applaud his style and thorough presentation
I remember seeing an interview with a German machinegunner on the Eastern Front once. He preferred the MG34 over the 42 because the latter used much more ammunition and they never had enough of that.
Very wise
It's a nice selling point for machine guns with gas regulators that have multiple settings. We always used the slowest, as your role is primarily to provide suppressing fire and 600 RPM is more than enough for that. If you need more, you can simply turn it up.
Appreciate the extra insights
@@alltat And 600 RPM will kill people just as dead as 1200.
The MG-34, like the BrEn, was an incredibly accurate selective fire weapon.
"Projecting Myths via Spigot" got me in the chapters.
I remember being quite amused hearing about the Vickers gun ladder on the D-Day 24 hour documentary.
The test footage almost scratches that itch of seeing it in action. But still, it’s hard getting your head around the image a guy swinging side to side at the top of a free standing ladder with three machine guns.
Once again you never failed to amaze me Jonathan, kudos to you and all of your colleagues. Your knowledge about these historical firearms is impeccable. May all those men rest in peace🕊, without them all of Europe if not the whole world would have remained in the clutches of the Nazis🫡.
Crazy idea that fireladder plan.
The armoured mount for the Vickers K was more a N.W. Europe thing than desert deployment, as memory serves.
With armoured glass above as well, which I think was recycled from fighter aircraft as it was curved at the top.
Your memory is correct . No armour on the desert jeeps Vickers k gun mounts .
My uncle faced the mg 42 from Africa to Berlin. He said, "If we heard one, everyone fired at the sound until it stopped." He said he fired one at the enemy in Italy until it was empty, his face lit up for a moment at the memory.
28:30 there goes the London Gateway service station at Scratchwood :)
well done RA/IWM on a banger of a video
So you’re saying there was just the one swan actually?
Nobody tells me nothing 🤷
We wanted to get the reference in without just reciting it :D
My two favourite museums working together.
Love the collaboration aspect and great to see your colleagues at the other museums.
The commentary on the footage of the K guns on the LFB ladders says that an armour plate was later fitted. It goes on to say that an adequate supply of refills was carried behind the armour plate. I think you have the later 2 gun model with armour plate. The three guns version appears to have only been used in training.
Tne ladders were 100ft Merriweather ladders.
The two gun with armour mounts were fitted to SAS jeeps operating in Europe - but not to the originals in N.Africa.
like the crickets last week the ladders were made due to timing…couldn’t get them from the US so went local, same lengths but different mechanisms for raising
Your Assistant Curator Tom gave a first class performance in presenting his script. Well done him.
Just wanted to say amazing job.😊 I absolutely love the format of this mini series/ special ❤️ thank you and all involved
With reference to the armour plate on the mount. The SAS in France and the rest of Europe post DDay had these fitted on their jeeps. To my knowledge (happy to be corrected) they were not fitted to SAS jeeps in the Western Desert.
The MG42 is a stand out machine gun it’s still in use today rechambered to 7.62 as the MG3, I can’t think of any other WW2 weapon that is.
Sir Jonathan? You're awesome. We appreciate all you and the Royal Armouries do. Keep up the fine work.
So buy sound of it PIAT and Panzerfaust bomb have same make up, A charge that fire weapon down range (very short range )
The 'Duck' was amphibious, but clearly NOT 'infamous'. (It wasn't even notorious. Sorry, Jonathan.)
Love the collaboration !
One advantage of the PIAT over things like the Bazooka or Panzershrek is that it could be used from inside buildings, because of the lack of backblast, at least that is what I have read in contemporary accounts.
Apparently, in training movies, the Americans dubbed BREN gun shooting noise over that of the MG42, so as not to demoralise the troops too much
Jonathan Ferguson is simply a superb presenter. His smooth, authoritative delivery provides compact information very effectively. This particular video covering a cross-section of weapons and systems is just so darn good despite its scope and "moving parts." I am extremely curious to know how this show was put together, who wrote the script and who coordinated the disparate parts. What a joy! I don't think this sort of presentation that Mr. Ferguson consistently delivers can get any better than this. I am in awe of these informative products. Thank you!
Aside from the PIAT being useful as a regular mortar it also had the advantage of being deployable in confined quarters or from cover as it had no back blast like the bazooka style weapons.
The young man presenting the artillery piece and the Royal Armouries are to be commended. He was very knowledgeable and had a flow of speech of a veteran presenter and the RA for giving young people a chance. I do have to ask if he is legally blind because it would make this extraordinary to say the least?
Great to see more of the other Armouries involved - More of this sort of thing!
I love the concept of fire engine ladders to get rangers up to the enemy. Brilliant.
Having the scene from a bridge too far made me smile so much, best line in an amazing film
Now THIS is a great video. Great work all concerned!
If I remember my D-Day history right, one of the big factors that led to the invasion's success was Germany's supply issues - I'm pretty sure I've heard some of the pillboxes and whatnot held out until they literally ran out of ammunition, at which point they surrendered rather than waiting for the advancing allies to show up with napalm or one of the other nightmare weapons used for bunker clearing.
As to the idea of the MG42 as a wonderweapon or just a decent machine gun of the day - for that kind of role, there's not really much difference. A belt fed machine gun with a good supply of fresh barrels and ammo belts is pretty much ideal for shooting at a group of enemy infantry strugging to disembark from landing boats and get onto land. The only way you beat that kind of weapon in performance is modern miniguns, which are basically the same thing but with the barrel swapping and ammo feed somewhat automated. Supplementing it with heavy artillery fire makes it even more effective, but at that point we're just building WWI's western front from base principles....and was not viable for Germany considering they already had 2 active fronts (one of which being the enormous Eastern Front) that needed all the artillery they could possibly get.
Nice to see so many expert opinions condensed so well. Thanks!
"He picked up a PIAT." The most common way to win a Victoria Cross.
Well , definitely some sort of cross .
Possibly more likely ‘he picked up a bren’
Really enjoyed this. Subscribed. 😊
Always thought of the PIAT as a tactical pogo stick.
The comedy cork on the PIAT looks so much like a 37 pattern waterbottle cork.
My late father was a WWII RAF armourer. He always said the Vickers Gas Operated was the best weapon he ever worked on. Cleverly designed, never went wrong, (to the point that gunners no longer carried spares into the air), and could be disassembled with the point of a round.
Thanks Tim
Great video, as always! I particularly appreciated the coverage of the Vickers GO gun and the Piat, and especially the inclusion of a scene from 'Theirs is the Glory' (a film that shows both weapons in use).
Tom nailed it. Great job!
Thanks for shining a light on the PIAT. Bit underrated and gets a bad press.
About the cork plug in the Piat, cork is not a weird choise, it was used in the 30-50's a lot as seal in cars and motorbikes. (In the UK)
My seagull outboards have cork washers on the filler cap!
Thank you. I found it very moving. It makes me realise a lot of things. The complexity of planning ahead, the heroism of individuals, the vagaries of fortune.
Those who took part were of sterling quality.
Is. A. There. A. Better. Presenter. Please. An. Ex. Combat proven. Real. Armour. Raaaa 😅 this. Geek is. Freak. ✨✨✨✨🇬🇧🇬🇷🇬🇧. Philip. Dukes. Up. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😎
this was awesome loved learning about the sorta big picture with all these different weapons and their roles
Also beloved of Popski's Private Army as well I believe
Great video and I learned some new things re the PIAT and HMS Belfast
A small technical point. Major warships generally engage at extreme ranges, so a flat trajectory it is not. Plunging fire requires armoured decks.
I think Drachinifel did an episode about Nelson obliterating a panzer unit when called upon by a British squad that encountered the tanks unexpectedly. It seemed that 'a near miss' is close enough when firing 16" shells at tanks. At 1 ton per shell HE VS AP was a moot point - the brief bombardment proved to be a very Significant Emotional Event for the hapless German recipients. The photos show a panzer on it's side, sans turret with tracks and suspension blown off and the bottom peeled open - from a shell that landed next to it.
Dear Mr. 17 Pounder lad...1620 hours dosen't need p.m. after it...military time aka the 24 hour time, does not need a.m. nor p.m.
0700 hours is morning...12 hours later in 1900 hours...
That is weird when you say 1620 in the p.m.
420 p.m.= 1620 hours
Do you say "7 o'clock p.m. in the evening?"
Your obvious enthusiasm in nonetheless appreciated🤓
There is a U.S. Army training film about how you should not fear the "Buzz Saw" MG42. I have seen the film and all I can do is wonder if anyone actually believed it. I qualified on the MG53 and while it was extremely fast, I was told that it was slowed down from the MG42 rate.
Well thank God for the British……..I guess without them, all was lost! And btw, our U.S. ships fired on land targets…..that’s nothing extraordinary.
Hearing about the British approach to problems is impressive. Novel and many times groundbreaking but also with a touch of Heath Robinson.
What do you think inspired Heath Robinson to satirise?
Yes a Machine Gun was still being stubbornly fire from WN-62 at 15:00. It was certainly not being fired by Heinrich Severloh, who's book was ghostwritten 56 years after the event. In fairness to the veteran the book’s true author altered much for dramatic effect. There are several indices that show Severloh was NOT the Beast of Omaha. Firstly, Corporal Severloh was assigned as an orderly to Senior Lieutenant Bernhard Frerking - 352nd Infantry-Division. So not a machine-gunner and certainly not the last man firing on Omaha beach at 15:00. When WN_62 finally surrendered 1 officer and 20 men were taken prisoner. He certainly makes no mention of the position being taken after an exchange of hand grenades at close quarters.
In his book he speaks of firing an MG 42 and had only 1 spare barrel. Yet WN 62 was equipped only with MG 34 & 2 polish water-cooled MGs. One of his haunting memories is a G.I. seeking cover, who Severloh shot in the head with his K98 rifle around 08:30. (German Machine gunners were not issued with service rifles) The G.I.'s helmet rolling in the sand, is image engraved in his mind. Our Corporal was hit twice in the hip with bullets and his eye was bleeding from shrapnel. At which point, he was sent to an aid station. Bear in mind that Sevenloh was firing on to Easy Red. By 10:30 Fox Green exit E3 effectively cutting WN-62 from the village of Coleville. By 12:14 the Americans were fighting by the church in Coleville. Yet Severloh was taken prisoner in Coleville on the 7th of June. He tells us in his book that he fled WN-62 directly after a Naval support salvo 10:15. (Explains his shrapnel wound to the eye.) Yet by the time WN-62 fell (15;30) the fighting had shifted inland and the Naval salvos were not being directed on to WN-62 because the beach in front of it, was lined with American wounded. From 08:30 General Cota had already established his command post on the beach. They wouldn't have risked hitting their own troops.
He mentions another haunting memory of bodies piled 3 meters high (because he had killed thousands.) This fits in with High tide at 07:15 pushing the dead up the beach before it. Because by 15:30 it would have been low tide again. This is another indication that he failed to return to his post after receiving first aid in the morning. The traumatic stress of the first wave remains clear throughout his narrative. Yet other (genuine) German machine gunners often speak of the trauma of seeing their enemies decapitated by their MG 34s. He went MIA, but not after 15:00, as he claims ; rather sometime between 06:30 and 10:30. He also mentions that all his unit were killed or ran away. Which shows he was entirely unaware of the 21 prisoners taken when WN-62 was finally outflanked by "G" Company, 16th Infantry Regiment. Had he been present he would surely have mentioned such facts. Of course, as a WWII veteran in Germany, he wouldn't have had the benefit of US after action reports. He is riddled with guilt for abandoning his officer, who died age 31, shot in the head on Omaha beach. He never explains how he a simple orderly had a higher kill rate that his entire Division. As mentioned in the video, 1 man never inflicted 85% of the casualties on that beach.
At least 2 different actions with the PIAT resulted in the VC being awarded. Robert Henry Cain being the best known, Francis Jefferson being the other. Francis was a real character. Francis was a runner in his company. They were being badly hit by a German attack, and suffered over 50% casualties.
He decided something needed to be done, grabbed an abandoned PIAT and when he couldn’t get sight from cover, moved to the middle of the road, shouldered and fired the PIAT from a standing position. It knocked him over!!! Tank/SP has hit and burning. He ran back for a 2nd bomb but the Germans started to withdraw.
I have a MG42 in my collection (albeit deactivated but with all moving parts).Its an amazing gun and very weighty.Lovely fully stamped finish.
I am so glad you have killed the idea that the spring in the piat actually threw the bomb off the rod. No doubt whilst out at events we will more of the same from some individuals. I do have one question for you however. The pressed ring on the tail of the bomb that locates into the slot. On discharge, does that deform and stay with the bomb or does it tear away?? My presumption is it stays with the bomb or you would have to fiddle around getting it out to load the next one, but not 100% on that. BTW, THE ARMOUR PLATE ON THE VICKERS K GO set up was only fitted to SAS jeeps used in the European Theater. In theory, it should also have an armoured glass protection mounted above the guns as well.
Referencing the image of the SAS in the Saharan desert during WW2, the SAS operated in conjunction with the Long Range Desert Group, who focused a lot on weight saving for long-term reconnaissance, to the point of removing the four wheel drive on their trucks to save a 100 kg, which could be used on water in stead. I recommend watching the documentary "Lost in Libya". Anyhow, the armor sheild was probably removed for that reason, weight reduction.
George McDonald Frasier (Quartered Safe Out Here) on using a PIAT in Burma in 1945, remembering it 45 years later: "I went off to renew acquaintance with the projector, infantry, anti-tank, commonly called the Piat. It was the British counterpart of the American bazooka, and might have been designed by Heath Robinson after a drunken dinner of lobster au gratin. It’s not easy to describe, and I may have forgotten some of its finer points, such as its exact measurements, but I’ll do my best. From memory, then, it consisted of about four feet of six-inch steel pipe, one end of which was partly cut out to leave a semi-cylindrical cradle about a foot long, in which you laid the bomb. At the other end of the pipe was a thick butt pad which fitted into your shoulder when you lay on the ground in a firing position, the body of the pipe being supported on a single expanding leg. The bomb, a sinister black object fifteen or so inches overall, had a circular tail fin containing a propellant cartridge, a bulging black body packed with high explosive, and a long spiked nose with a tiny cap which, when removed, revealed a gleaming detonator. Within the body of the pipe was a gigantic spring which had to be cocked after each shot: you lay on your back and dragged the Piat on top of you, braced your feet against the projecting edges of the butt pad, and heaved like hell at something or other which I’ve forgotten. After immense creaking the spring clicked into place, and you crawled out from under, gamely ignoring your hernia, laid an uncapped bomb gently in the front cradle, resumed the lying firing position, aligned the barleycorn sight with the gleaming nose of the bomb, pressed the massive metal trigger beneath the pipe, thus releasing the coiled spring which drove a long steel plunger up the tail fin of the bomb, detonating the propellant cartridge, you and the Piat went ploughing backwards with the recoil, and the bomb went soaring away - about a hundred yards, I think, but it may have been farther. The whole contraption weighed about a ton, and the bombs came in cases of three; if you were Goliath you might have carried the Piat and two cases."
The legend that is Tom Davies returns, what a guy.
Wow never heard this story and it obviously never got in "The Longest Day". No surprise it didn't work well as the DUKW wasnt stable as was shown in later DUKW (Duck) tour accidents.
The PIAT: a great warhead with a terrible delivery system. The only they could go with, lacking recoilless rifles, but it really hamstrung the weapon. The fact that it was still so useful speaks to the great advantage of actually having infantry portable antitank weapons.
The dude talking about the 17 pounder is so passionate I love it lol
An unmentioned use of the 17 Pdr was aboard the Landing Craft Gun (Medium), most had two turreted 25 Pdrs, but the first half-dozen had two 17 Pdrs instead.
A tank not present is a tank defeated. Sounds as if the deception operations were the most effective anti-tank weapon on D-Day. I don't know the weight of these other weapons--Allied air power forced relocating the armor out of fighter-bomber range, the underground messed with night movement by rail and road, and a sleeping pill delayed the orders to release the reserves.
One PIAT at Pegasus Bridge slammed shut the German counter-attack.
Only one Panzer division saw action on D-Day and that division was hampered by guerrilla action, little groups of paratroopers, and fighter sweeps. D-Day's story would have been different if six Panzer divisions showed up to the party.
The twin VGO guns and mounts you have are to the Reconnaissance Regiment pattern made in the UK and not improvised ex aero SAS Mediterranean ones. The Recce ones incorporated armoured glass above the guns as well as the steel shield you have below them. For the Recce mounting it was defensive in that the purpose was to lay down fast firing machine gun fire when fired upon to give time for the Jeeps to withdraw and make their reports. Firing one gun at a time to double the endurance of fire, given how fast a VGO empties it’s drum, and there being no time in contact to reload new drums. Obviously the gunner would be frantically replacing drums when both guns were emptied but by then the smoke projectors would hopefully have covered the withdrawal of the vehicle. Post war there were enough Dingos to go around and the Recce Jeeps were returned to US ownership per Lend Lease terms. The Dingoes themselves going on to be replaced by Ferrets. Ironically by the 1970, in my regiment, the armoured cars were taken away and recce reverted to Land Rovers which eventually got a single GPMG pintle mounted and two 50 round linked belts with no armour at all.
Most Anglo ❤ love semi auto rate of Fire Mg’s some 450 minute.
Vs faster buzz is more effective. Shotgun all pellets same time and not in next 60 second’s hitting ..
John Mogg, CO of 9th DLI, killed a tank in Lingevres with a PIAT. The thing was a bastard but it worked.
Sry my french, but what a shit job the triple vickers guy has. He will be the focus of every one on the cliff.
DId Mr Stivison survive this insane day?
32lbs for a PIAT. A whole pound heavier than the old M2 84mm Charlie G I used to lug about, along with an SLR.
Another interesting informative video from Royal Armouries/IWM
I look forward to when the current podcast fad for split camera shots, cutting to the presenter as if talking to 'someone else,' has gone out of fashion. Distracting and, frankly, a bit weird.
"you don't wait for it to get red-hot, obviously unless..." a Seven Nation Army were assaulting your beaches.
Greetings from Hungary!
Do you plan to do something similar for the 80th anniversary of Operation Market Garden?
0:49 information about the armour plating. The SAS units decided that it might be wise to use armour plating for the machinegunner. Thus on the European front they used an armour shield, but on top of it there was an half moon shaped bullit proof glass. Also the jeep driver got an armour plate with and half moon shaped bullit proof glass screen and a single vickers GO at the side. Fun fact the 1st airborne reconnaissance jeeps were only allowed 1 vickers Go machine gun in front, despite its commander wanted more. Higher up thought it would become a burden on the supply all the extra ammunition for these machineguns.
on the PIAT, wasn't it known as the Friend or Foe killer? Not knocking it, just heard a lot of accidents happened as much as tanks killed.