Well I’d say since it flew there I’d. Say the lysanders but I have a soft spot for the mosquito…. If you can get out to oregon in the US the spruce goose is absolutely beautiful
The Swordfish didn't actually sink the Bismark - one torpedo damaged the rudder of the battleship so that it could not escape the Royal Navy, it could only go in a circle.
The swordfish also mistakenly attacked HMS Sheffield but the torpedoes were faulty. I worked with a Londoner who was on the Sheffield at the time and it appears that as the Sheffield was under battle conditions and crew locked down only the bridge people knew of this. He was quite oblivious of it until I showed him some documented evidence.
@@tomjackson4374 "We count 30 rebel ships, Lord Vader, but they're sp small they're avoiding our turbo-lasers." I've always felt the Swordfish inspired that line.
My grandpa's brother flew many Blenheims during WW2 in Finland, he survived a shot down and was back behind the controls of a new one after some days, and that bomber is now displayed at Tikkakoski which is the only original surviving Blenheim in the world with his signature written in the cockpit. He is one of the heroes who defended Finland from the sky during Tali Ihantala in 1944
I say no single aircraft can claim to be the best. They ALL had a particular role in the war for which they deserve recognition from the humble Gladiator to the famous Lancaster. If I had to pick one workhorse it would be the Hurricane, the real hero of the Battle of Britain.
I have a love of both the Mosquito, and the Lysander. But if they had put the Testse Mozzie in the mix that would be the outstanding winner in my mind. As it was a ship and submarine killer par excelance.
It's got to be the Blenheim mk. 1. This restoration is an incredible achievement. Hats off to the people who keep these great historic machines flying.
Canadian Warplane Heritage (Hamilton, Ontario) has a Bolingbroke they have been restoring. Unfortunately, they will not be able to make it airworthy. I would have loved to see it fly
I'm uncomfortable with them flying there planes tbh. They should be kept in working order but not flown IMO since they are too rare and valuable to risk any mishap
@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 A ship in port is safe, but that is not what a ship is built to do. They spent a LONG time getting that thing airworthy. I remember visiting the restoration hanger in the 90s with my Dad. I'm almost 40 now. Never thought they'd get it in the air TBH.
Ah, Found it. I didn’t know: Another solution to the high altitude performance problem was to fit the P-40 with a supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This idea came from the British, as they noticed that their Allison powered Kittyhawks and Mustangs had poor performance at high altitudes, while their own Merlin powered Hurricanes and Spitfires did not have the same problems. Curtiss fitted the second P-40D with a 1,300 hp (969 kW) Merlin 28. Production aircraft had the American-made 1,390 hp (1,040 kW) Packard V-1650-1 Merlin. The resulting P-40F (Model 87B) was the first variant to carry the "Warhawk" name. Along with the added power of the Merlin engine came a decrease in directional stability. Curtiss attempted to fix this by fitting a dorsal fillet to the tail of a single P-40F; however, this was not adopted into production. Starting with the P-40F-5, the tail was lengthened by about 20 in. Although the P-40F was superior to the Allison powered P-40s, there was a shortage of Merlin engines due to the vast number of aircraft that used them. Parts for these engines were becoming scarce, and maintenance became an issue. As a result, at least 70 P-40Fs were re-engined with V-1710-81s of 1,360 hp. These aircraft became known as P-40R-1s.
One of the most amazing thing about the Lysander is its combat history. The first Bf-109 shot down in the Battle of Brittain was shot down by a Westland Lysander.
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 No idea, but the bf-109 was flown by Baron Faff von Faffenberg of the Faffin' SS who got shot down by a Lysander because he was faffing about instead of looking out for the RAF.
I wish I remembered more than the Lysander on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, when I was stationed there in the late-1980s talked about that particular tidbit.
afraid not, anti aircraft fire got the first 109 of the battle, they did however get a handful of victims but they were very vulnerable and suffered a very high loss rate on the front line
It's not very truthful to say a Fairey Swordfish sunk the Bismarck. A torpedo managed to knock the Bismarck's rudder into a permanent turn that allowed the Royal Navy to catch up and sink her.
I agree, the Swordfish didn't sink the Bismark, they just damaged her and allowed our capital ships to catch up and crippled her. The heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire finished her off with torpedoes, probably coupled with demolition charges set by the Germans.
You are absolutely right,a swordfish did not sink her,but did enough damage to her rudder to cause it to be caught and heavily damaged by the Royal Navy. The Bismarck was actually scuttled but apparently reports suggest that the damage done to her would have been enough to sink her anyway.
I'm a retired American Army Reservist. I did three military tours in UK from 2008-2011 and got a chance to see the WWII airshow in Duxford! Nothing could be more stirring than seeing all the WWII aircraft fly at one time in a Balbo formation at the end of the show! In one of the Imperial War museums, I remember seeing a Falco on static display. As to the aircraft you highlighted, I'd vote for the Blenheim since it's the only one left of its kind.
Where I live outside of Vancouver, we have the Handley-Page Hampden. She sits alone in a small museum barely anybody goes to and she's not blocked off at all. She is TINY for a bomber and it's amazing what the British did with bombers as small as the Hampden and Blenheim.
@@davidconnellan6875 Was your great uncle small? I am 6'1" and over 200 lbs and I don't think I could get in one of those mini bombers...Certainly couldn't bail out of one!
The Gloster Gladiator you glossed over was the RAFs last biplane fighter. It served heavily in the early years of WWII and its defence of Malta is legendary. It’s also rarer than the Lysander which flew with it while you were there.
Ah Faith, Hope and Charity a fantastic story of struggle but for me the sneaky unknown of the Lysander just nicks it over that famous triad of Gladiators because of its varied roles, that had effect on the whole war as opposed to the Malta miracle. Lest we forget
I visited RAF Duxford in the 80's when I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath. It was known as the Battle of Britain Museum then and it consisted of a few hangars with the aircraft on display. You could really get a close up look at them and the staff were wonderful sources of information. I'm so glad they put the new museum there. It's on my bucket list to get back to RAF Duxford!
Yep,I live just down the road from Duxford,it’s an amazing aircraft museum now,with warbirds flying pretty much everyday the weather is half decent,love sitting in local pub beer garden in the summer and watching and listening to the old birds fly. Hope you get back over here one day for a visit 👍
I also like the Mosquito, for its bomber, night fighter, recon and ground support roles were second to none. Love the show at Duxford. My Uncle Frank worked there as an aircraft (mostly P-47) mechanic and came home with many fine stories of his stay in England. My Dad and all of his brothers served in that war, with Uncle Henry dying in the Pacific on New Guinea. Keep up the great videos. They help to keep alive the memories of all the fine men that served and eventually won the war. The thought of those brave Swordfish pilots tracking and striking at the Bismarck in cold North Atlantic is the stuff of legends.
Great video. For me it has to be “Freeman’s Folly” the de Haviland Mosquito. Twin merlins, such a diverse platform, so fast the Luftwaffe were powerless to intercept. Operations like Jericho and Carthage sit in the psyche and you can’t look at a Mosquito without hearing the theme music to 633 Squadron. What a plane.
@@julianshepherd2038 Centurion - the world's first MBT (albeit late), plus the Sherman was more than good enough (despite all the mis-info). Agree, some shocking designs.
When I first climbed into a Mossie, (About '43' or '44' , after I had been around most of the other flying and fighting stuff for a few years or so), ....I began to realise (for the first time) that "WE" may have "turned the corner".... and "may" WE, . ( and the US)....could even win this Sodding.. WAR.....!
My father and his brother sourced plans from the Bristol company for the Bristol Blenheim after the start of WWII. Surprisingly Bristol not only supplied the plans but a number of brochures as well. Their intent was to build a radio controlled model with a 14 foot wingspan but only ever got as far as making the frame (still in the loft of his former parents home). Both joined the RAF and Dad ultimately flew as a navigator in Beaufighters and Mosquitos. Whilst he had the opportunity to fly in a number of different aircraft, these were the two that he remembered most fondly.
Ok, I'll bite ... Lysander for me. My Dad did national service in the RAF just after WW2 after having been an air cadet while at school during the war, and always talked fondly of the 'Lizzie' as he called it. In his later years he built (very well) an Airfix model of one which he displayed proudly in his lounge. How could I not vote for that?
For "hitting above its weight," you've got to go with the remarkable "Stringbag"--the Swordfish (and the crews who flew them!). For out of the box thinking that resulted in superior performance throughout the war, hands-down it was the DeHaviland Mosquito. You boys do justice to these "walking tour" videos to which I have become addicted. Nice camaraderie between you two, with just a hint of boyish competitiveness. Excellent performance by all involved. Thank you!
This is a wonderful video and well timed! Growing up my dad shared his love of WWII planes with me….. he adored all of them! He passed away a couple of weeks ago and I was dreading seeing planes again after his passing but he would have loved this video ❤
Nobody underestimates the Mossie. It was a remarkable aircraft. One of my late grandfather's friends flew Mossies in WWII and he told me it had it's limitations still. He said trying to barrel-roll it was a bad idea, as the wings had a tendency to snap off, as one of his colleagues found out when he tried to do a victory roll above their home airfield after a mission. What a silly way to die, was his comment!
Doing a barrel roll which is a constant 1g maneouvre, doesn't put any stress on an aircraft when performed correctly. The wing of the Mosquitoe was very strong so find your comment very odd.
@@Slaktrax another fact about the Mossie: When they were sent out to the far east, the glue holding the skin to the frame would come unstuck, due to the humidity.
The controls/instrument ergonomic design was poor, like many British aircraft (in contrast to German and US designed aeroplanes). The pilot who flew the first 'recreated' Mossie built at Ardmore, NZ, tracked down old pilots who had flown them to get tips before he flew the type in 2012, and overcoming this was one of the things that was highlighted to him. One of the chaps he talked to had trained Taiwanese (if I recall correctly) pilots to fly ex-RAF aircraft, which apparently was a challenge due to lack of a twin-control aircraft or a common language ...
@History Hit If you make it over to the United States, in Virginia Beach exists a small but amazing museum that punches way above its weight. The Military Aviation Museum has an amazing and growing collection of flying aircraft from World War 1 and World War 2 primarily. Corsair and A-1 Skyraider flew long afterwards. They have an A6M Zero on the way, and have the only airworthy La-9. An airworthy Mosquitoe as well.
I visited there in 2019. It is a must see for the aviation enthusiast. Wright Patterson is my all time favorite but Virginia Beach was an incredible museum with many aircraft I did not expect like the FW 190D and the Russian Polikarpov I-16
I’m originally from Liverpool in the UK. I now live in Burlington Ontario. For my 50th birthday my wife and I drove down to the air show at the Military Aviation Museum in 2014. What an amazing museum and the show was spectacular too! A standout for me was seeing a flying Mosquito. Goosebumps and tears all at the same time. The volunteers were all first class. The icing on the cake was that my wife bought me a flight on a PT17, my first time flying in an open cockpit. My pilot, I think his name was Chuck, flew me all along Virginia Beach up to Naval Air Station Oceana. On our way back he did as many aerobatic maneuvers as he was allowed to do in that particular aircraft. Best birthday ever, I’ll never forget it. This museum is a must see for any aviation/military enthusiast. I can’t wait to go back. Incidentally I also stopped of for a visit to IWM Duxford the last time I was in the UK for a funeral. I went in the morning on a midweek day, I almost had the whole place to myself. An unbelievable collection of aircraft and military equipment is to be found here, quite spectacular. Another must see for sure!
I like the Lysander. My Dad was ground crew in the RCAF during WWII. He was stationed in Trenton, Ontario. He liked the Spitfires and the Harvards with their Briggs & Stratton engines. I lived in London, Ontario; there were 4 Harvards hangared in Tillsonburg, Ontario. Once a year they would be in an air show so we saw them fly in formation nearby. The sound of their engines was music to my ears.
The Blenheim I think. I believe it's restoration story is also quite a tale as they restored another one prior to it but it unfortunately crashed and they did it all again to get another airborne. I also read somewhere that the development of the B29 cost more than the Manhattan Project, the US development budget for that aircraft was huge and for it's time it is a technological marvel. It's great to see so many of these exhibits now under cover as for many years most of the larger ones sat outside at Duxford.
Yes, I think it was the most expensive military project in US history up til that point. And the Soviets effectively got it for free! By carefully measuring impounded examples in Far Eastern USSR. I think you can see the B-29 influence on many larger Soviet aircraft from that time on. The Tu-4 was the Soviet copy: ruclips.net/video/5mXIRIurWHU/видео.html The An-12 rear gunner position: ruclips.net/user/shortsqF-GQyI2wck The Tu-95 rear gunner position: ruclips.net/video/hfnRu4oYbxI/видео.html (Of course they also reaped many of the rewards of the Manhattan Project (and H-bomb) too for free via assorted spies.
One of my friends- his father was a navigator in a Blenheim and it was generally reckoned next to impossible for the navigator to get out of a stricken Blenheim. His father was shot down by the Italians over Ethiopia in 1941 and was assumed killed in action but many months after his loss was reported to his mother, via the Red Cross information that he had survived got back to her. Shortly, afterwards she was contacted by the British Government telling her she had to pay back all her war widow's pension.
ahhh the wheels of bureaucracy. The war widows pension should be less than his back pay which he continued to receive as a PoW, so it would have worked out in the end hopefully. Plus she gets her man back.
One further point about the Mossie -if it did get hit by enemy fire, it was much more likely to get you home, because a lot of the time rounds or shrapnel would go straight through the wood and leave holes, rather than twisted metal sticking out into the airflow which caused drag and altered the aerodynamics of the plane.
I was in the US AIRFORCE 1966 to 1970. My favorite nostalgic aircraft was the C47. There were thousands involved in WWII and some are still working aircraft today
I would agree that the number made, the reliability and versatility of the C-47/DC 3 would have to be a first 3 contender, some were still until recently commercially flying.
Beautiful collection, hard to choose a favorite. The Blenheim being only 1 in world is rare, but I like the "stringbag" swordfish. It massacred the Italian fleet at Taranto, and played a part in sinking Bismark. That's some battle stars. Great video!
The Swordfish. Although absurdly obsolescent (if not obsolete) in 1940, it fought throughout the war in various roles. As was said, it puched way above its weight and fought in many pivotal battles.
The Fairley Swordfish attack did not sink the Bismarck but damaged and jammed the rudder so that she made circles and was unable to make it to Brest. The British task force trailing her was able to close in and sink her. I think the final blows came from the heavy cruiser HMS Dorchester which put four torpedoes in sinking her.
During WW2, the Fairy Swordfish disabled the Bismarck with their torpedo attack but did not sink it. It was the British Navy that finished her off, with the German crew allegedly scuttling her at the very end.
There was a saying I read somewhere in discussing the theories of naval combat in the 'gun era'. That was that if you wanted to disable a ship you filled it full of holes, but if you wanted to sink it you filled it full of water. Sinking warships in combat from guns alone was actually tricky. At long range shells would plunge more and were more likely to hit the deck and pass into the ship's vitals. This is where you start getting magazine hits and destructive explosions. At closer range the shells tended to go through the sides and explode above the armoured deck/waterline. This is what happened to the Bismarck in the final engagement where the ship was quickly reduced to scrap above the armoured deck. So, did the German's scuttle the Bismarck? Doesn't matter. Hard fact? Bismarck sank. Other hard fact? if she was scuttled it was because the ship had been effectively reduced to a wreck already and had no chance to escape. The Royal Navy, acting as a combined force, caused the Bismarck to not return to a German controlled port and sink below the waves. Everything else is nit picking.
@@mudcrab3420 Her old fashioned turtleback armour actually helped her near the end, it was far more effective against close range gunfire. The Prince Of Wales mission killed her in the Denmark Straights, she should have turned around right there, IMO, but I guess they didn't know what or wasn't following them beforehand.
Fun note for you folks. Brandon, Manitoba (Canada) was one of the hubs of the BCATP. On the #1 highway there is a Blenheim on static display beside the highway. If you go cross-country the airport is only a mile or so away, where they have a small but impressive museum dedicated to the BCATP. It includes an actual Hurricane fighter.
My father worked on the mosquito during his national service in the late 1950/60s. It was the last squadron of mozzies flying.. they were modified for target towing. Most of them were sold to Hollywood and used in the film 633 squadron among others.
My old fella kept Blenheim’s, Beaufighter’s and many others flying during the war (stationed in North Africa at one point). I’ve got a great picture of him stood in front of a Blenheim (not sure where) with two of his mates supping tea in their overhauls lol. After the war he continued to work for the Bristol Aeroplane company and was involved with the early development of supersonic flight / Concorde.
Flying one of these into the lion’s den had to be one of the ballsiest jobs of the war. I’d imagine the military pilots delivering spies couldn’t expect to be treated any differently than the spies if captured.
@@philsmith2444 Normandy invasion would not have been successful without. I believe I remember reading that sometimes rigged them with droppable cargo containers. Supply radios, money, small items that could do big work.
Agree, if it didn't fly at the show it's not a contender. But the Blenheim was a front line Bomber Command asset at the beginning of the war - and now there's only 1 left. And it flies. To my mind, that makes it a simple choice.
I would have to vote for the Lysander even though the Spitfires and Hurricanes hold a special place in my heart. I grew up in a small village called Sawston not far from Duxford and the sounds of the Merlins still make me get goosebumps,my father was ex RAF and volunteered for a while at Duxford fixing up the aircraft before it became IWM Duxford,he was there when the film Battle of Britain was made and when the Film Company blew up the Hangar,my Dads generator went up with the hangar ( it was only supposed to be a Small explosion but it was decided without telling Duxford that it would be a Big Big Bang ! ). I learnt to drive a Go-Cart on the Airfield ( my Dad built ) with a Engine and learnt how to drive a Car there too,I used to rummage through the Gun Pits and explored every corner of that place. Now I live out in Bedford and I’m not far from the Airfield ( it was just a Hut and a wind sock in a field ) where the Lysander took off and landed from with their cargo of agents ( Tempsford ( just off the A1 near Biggleswade and Old Warden ). My Mother who grew up in Sawston during the war,her family befriended a American Airman ( all the villagers were encouraged to adopt a young Aircrew to help them acclimatise to the English way of life ),that friendship lasted till after the War. We had American and Polish Pilots who stayed in the village after the War and even a German POW who settled down in Whittlesford. Cambridge was a favourite visiting place for the American Servicemen and the RAF and WRAC’s ,Granchester another famous name " The Tea Rooms " Where Byron wrote his Poems. Just outside Cambridge there is a extremely large American Cemetery, which is a very somber place but beautiful as well….it really makes you think of the sacrifices that all those Airmen made… as you walk into the entrance and through the gates you are confronted with a downward slope filled with grave stones of the fallen in a fan pattern as far as you can see ! Then there is the Memorial with all the names. In Whittlesford there is a small cemetery and church but within the Graveyard there are a few graves of Polish Pilots killed in action and the graves are tended to with care by the locals and flowers are always present. There are literally hundreds of satellite airfields surrounding Duxford within Cambridgeshire and further afield,some are just fields now but there are quite a few which have Small memorials. We Will always remember them,those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can live in peace and we should be grateful every day for our Freedom…. We Thank You ❤
Thank you got your beautiful story. So interesting to learn what life was like for the English during the war and after. Thank you for tending the graves of American and Polish airman. Ps I can’t believe you only have 7 likes
The American cemetery is at Maddingly just off the A14, a few miles out of Cambridge. A deeply moving memorial to thousands of our cousins who gave their today for our tomorrow. God bless their memory, and may we never forget their sacrifice. A debt that can never be repaid to those brave young men of The Greatest Generation.
Which crash?!😬 Thing is, it crashed in the 80s/early-90s, was restored somehow, and again crashed in 2003/4, so this rebuild splicing the last Mk1 cockpit on is its second rebuild in preservation. Edit: come to think of it, I think the first crash was so bad they only used parts, and used a new donor aircraft for the main structure, which was able to be reused in this one?🤔
@@michael32A The first Blenheim was written off only a month after its first flight in 1987. A different aircraft was then restored in 5 years and was damaged in 2003, then rebuilt again, flying in late 2014 with a Mk 1 nose.
The Swordfish didn't sink the Bismark, but disabled its steering, thus allowing the King George V and the Rodney to catch up with her. In an hour-long attack they incapacitated the Bismarck, and an hour and a half later it sank after being hit by three torpedoes from the cruiser Dorsetshire.
Here's an interesting point, the cockpit of the Bristol Blenheim at Duxford had been converted to a CAR by a previous owner, and had wheel arches cut into the bodywork... Duxford have done a brilliant job of sourcing then restoring this aircraft!
As a Finn, I would say Bristol Blenheim mk1 (mk2 was also in use). The plane was Finland's successful main bomber when we fought against Russia in WW2. Nicely restored
For a fantastic book on the Blenheims read 'Blenheim Boy' Author Richard Passmore. The author was my English teacher at school, a wonderful man, I only now fully appreciate the stories he told.
Many years ago I met a wonderful old man in Jamaica called John Ebanks .He volunteered for the RAF and served as a navigator in a Blenheim flying from Jurby on the Isle of Man . He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal for sinking a couple of U Boats. He returned to Jamaica when peace broke out with a Manx wife. A lovely pair of people, so brave and so modest
Advanced for it's day but obsolescent circa 1939. Bungee cords to hold the bomb bay doors and single Vickers K for defence. Bravery beyond belief to those who operated them and workhorses for years (my late uncle was a ground engineer/armourer with 84 Sqn RAF in Iraq, Greece, Western Desert, Iran campaign and finally Java where they were almost wiped out when the Japanese landed on P1 (or P2 I forget) and over-ran it. ~ 250 men from ~1250 escaped some of which in a small boat surviving on American beer.). Design evolved into the Beaufort.
Blenheim - good to see it back in the air. Saw an earlier one at an IWM Duxford airshow in 2003. Unfortunately that one had a landing accident not long after that rendered it un-airworthy. Good to see a "new" one in the air.
B-29 at the USAF Museum is "Bockscar." Hosted a visiting German college student and took him. "And this is the plane that ended WW2." "Oh, yes, the American B-29. This is the kind that dropped the two atom bombs, yes?" "Yes, this one dropped the second bomb. This one, this exact plane right here." "And we are just standing here next to it, the Nagasaki bomber?" "Yes, we are just standing here." Side note: it was cooler not so many years ago when they had a kitty-litter tray under each engine to catch oil drip.
Hardly an underdog! The fastest thing ever from its first flight as far as I'm concerned. It was the biggest over dog on the planet, then it still punched above its weight in the form of the Tetse mozzie with a 6 pound quick firing Mohlin anti tank artillery pieceinstalled, it killed a lot of ships and U boats
Maybe, but by the time I was building one in about 1988, the tooling might have been a bit old. It was the late 80s rerelease of the MkIV, but damn that canopy needed so much filler around the back end, and I wasn't that advanced a young modeller! Build out of the box was all I could do. Hugely disappointed with it. Maybe it's time to seek out a new MkIV kit and have at it (the MkIV is the *only* Blenheim for me).
As a German aircraft model builder, I always love the twin-engine British machines like the Bristol Blenheim / Beaufort or the Mosquito...But my absolute favorite plane is the Bristol Beaufigter. The " whispered death " Beaufighter is so powerful and beautiful. I hope to see one in nature someday....The museum in Duxford looks great and will definitely be worth a visit I think
It is interesting that the swordfish gets so much attention about being a biplane, when many if not most airforces still had biplanes in their line ups at the start of ww2. It would not have been notable at all at the time. Their longevity is unusual but shows that they must have been good for something.
True, we tend to over do it when calling it completely obsolete. Life isn't actually like Top Trumps. I don't think Taranto would have worked nearly as well with newer monoplanes, far too fast and they wouldn't have been able to go virtually through the waves like the Stringbag!
Bristol Blenheim ability to add a four machine gun pack in the bomb bay was interesting. Didn’t think warplanes had drop in mission modules until the late 1950s or 1960s.
The Blenheim's drop-in mission module is a pioneering effort. The Luftwaffe more fully realized it with mission modules like the mission pack for the Me 410 Hornisse which utilized the BK-5, which is a autocannon using the modified version of the 50mm cannon used by versions of the Panzer III.
A Mark I Anson is flying in New Zealand - the only one left in flying condition. 4:48 Blenheim fun fact: retracting the turret gave the aircraft another 30 mph. I learned this from my National Commandant when I was in the Air Training Corps in New Zealand in the 1960s. At the outbreak of the War, he was a Blenheim pilot and said the casualty rate was so awful that after 15 months only he and one other of the original pilots in his squadron were still alive. He said the retracting turret saved his life one day. He was coming home across the North Sea, being chased by two Me110s. They were firing at him from long range and he could see their cannon shells hitting the water ahead of him. He had the turret retracted and the throttles wide open and had enough speed to keep ahead of them until they gave up and turned back.
The Blenheim played a very important part in the first two years of the war, and the Blenheim 1 is the only flying example in the world, so I hope they dont do anything risky with it. A very rare Blenhem 2 was pranged about ten years ago and written off, but I think there are a few more around the world but probably not airworthy.
My father's best friend Ted Steel got killed in one of those quite early in WW2 on an Anti Shipping raid on the Dutch Coast. I believe he joined the RAF as a Kiwi, maybe before WW2. At one stage I found his death in a Unit Record. Dad used to visit his mother in an Old Peoples Home in Raumsti South, near our Beach House in Jeep Rd. Sad for him snd her.
Hi, at the beginning of WWII, the South coast of England there was 11 Group, this had boasted 11 squadrons of Hurricanes, six squardrons of Spitfires and finally 2 of Blenheims. The latter were largely used for barge consentration attacks, that were assembled in occupied French ports for the purpose of "Operation Sealion". Britain had lost more pilots and aircrews on these sorties than they had during The Battle of Britain.
Of all the planes discussed here, my vote is for the Mosquito. Amazing engineering, it turned bring built of wood from a handicap into an advantage with speed and low radar observability. A highly effective and beautiful warplane.
Mosquito hands down. Of course having grown up watching every WW2 movie and watching the ones about the Mossy, endured it to my heart forever. Plus it's made of wood, and kicked azz. To bad they didn't have it for the Battle of Britain.
The Swordfish, did NOT sink the Bismark, it did hit its rudders, with Torpedoes, Hms Rodney was the Battleship, that sunk the Bismark, as it was unable to turn, My Grandfather was on the Rodney,
To be fair, it could only sail in circles at that point so wan't going to get to France (thankfully). Hat's off to your Grandfather - There's a model of the Rodney's sister Nelson in a museume in Newcastle and it is tremendous - ruclips.net/video/vcuXUAIVcIM/видео.html
@@malcolmstonebridge7933 Thanks for the link, what a model!! my Late Fathers middle name, was Rodney, named after a Battleship, hahahaha, i suppose it could of been worse
The Vickers Vildebeest shown at 14:52, whilst talking about the Swordfish, is rather rare as well. As far as I know the only "surviving" wreck is being rebuilt at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch. It's been a while since I visited, but according to a quick picture search the 2011 earthquake didn't stop them.
I live about 2 1/4 miles (3.5 KM) from the hangar where Doc resides in Wichita, Kansas, USA. It is one of of only two B-29 Superfortresses in the world still flying. Living so close, and working just across the airfield from Doc, I get to see it in the air occasionally. It's an amazing sight every time. The sound of those four 18-cylinder Wright Cyclone engines is unmistakable when it takes to the air.
Awww... it's the Lizzy! It's gotta be the Lizzy! Some planes were used to kill others, while others were used to save lives. The Lysander was at the top of the list to save lives. ❤️
Mosquito wins it in my living room. I went to a Thunder over Michigan airshow and witnessed a flyover by a Mosquito and was never so impressed by its sleek beauty and smooth running engines. What a treat. I was saddened when I found out about the Mosquitos that were destroyed in the movie "633 Squadron" were actual air-worthy, flying examples of what was becoming a rare bird. The overall special effects are terrible but burning the planes is appalling.
'New' Mosquitos are being built by Avspecs in New Zealand. The one you saw in the States was probably the first one they did, completed in 2012 and flown/displayed round New Zealand (with the generous permission of its US owner) before being crated-up and sent to the US. Saw her fly a couple of times, and at the big display at Ardmore in Sept 2012 (still got the poster on the wall) I have never heard an air-show crowd go so quiet in sheer awe as when she put on a show for us.
It's a hard call. The Blenheim is a significant aircraft, but the one in the collection at Duxford is, according to records I can see, a rebuild of components that were assembled mostly from a Bolingbroke, which is the Canadian-built version. The Lysanders are also significant, but as we can see, there are at least two airworthy examples, whereas the Blenheim is unique. Frankly, I would call it a tie. Now, if you want to see some other unique specimens, you need to come to the US, and visit the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy center. There, you'll find the only Dornier Do.335 still in existence, along with the only Arado Ar.234 jet bomber, and the only fully-assembled Heinkel He.219. They also have the only Horton Ho.229 jet-powered flying wing fighter, although that isn't assembled, along with the sole remaining prototype Japanese interceptor Kyushu J7W Shinden.
If you're going for the rarest of the rare, the ONLY choice is the Bristol Blenheim Mk-I fighter-bomber. She is the last of her kind AND the only flying example that includes her equally rare (2 of 6 extant) original Rolls-Royce Meteor engines. I don't think any of the other aircraft, while unique come close to this level of rarity. 😉
An old friend of my mother gave me some models made by her husband who was a pilot. He made models of every plane he flew they included a Tiger Moth, A Bristol Blenheim , de Havilland Mosquito and a couple of others I can no longer remember. They were extremely well made but sadly given to me when I was too young to appreciate the history and what they represented.
I was lucky enough to grow up in Cambridgeshire, with a Dad that worked at the Ciba-Geigy factory in Duxford (where they originally made the glue that held mosquitos together).In those days the factory was a sponsor of the annual airshow so employees and families could get right by the taxiway for the display aircraft. It was a fantastic place back then, but they've really made it world class in the intervening 40ish years.
Thanks for the great show! My favs are the British aircraft that were also made in Canada in the Second World War. These include the Westland Lysander (equipped RCAF 110 Army Co-op Squadron the first sent overseas to England), the Bristol Blenheim (where Fairchild Canada built them under licence as the Bolingbroke) and the deHavilland Canada Mosquito.
It's difficult not to love the Stringbag (Swordfish) -- a pilot favorite, stable and rugged. But I got to see a Mossie up close at the EAA airshow years ago, and the thought of two magnificent Merlins pulling all that plywood through the sky at over 400mph leaves me with no choice but to call it for the DH 98.
It has to be the Mosquito for me, mainly due to family connections. My dad is currently on the board of a group restoring a Mossie to flight here in the UK - "The People's Mosquito". Their story would make for an interesting video, especially them having to redevelop the techniques and moulds to build one.
The Mosquito is not only an excellent plane, it's smooth design is mesmerizing.... I'll bet that the first one off the line was fought over.... it's beautiful....
though I am an aviation buff all my life I disqualify the B-29 super fortress… the dropping of the atomic bomb killing everything from insects to children obliterating a complete city pushes too far… But the other aircraft that are super vintage don't quite have the same evil attached I can live with it. This is a good video your narrating skills were absolutely perfect… You really brought it together good work
A friend of my parents flew the Lysander out of Tangmere where the SOE flights operated. I remember him saying that the worst bit was just after they had landed in France to drop off and pick up their passengers. For that twenty seconds after shutdown they did not know whether their flight was compromised or not. Mercifully in his case he never was.
Settle the competition for us guys. Which was your favourite rare WW2 plane that we featured? 🤔
Well I’d say since it flew there I’d. Say the lysanders but I have a soft spot for the mosquito…. If you can get out to oregon in the US the spruce goose is absolutely beautiful
Mosquito is the clear winner because it not only made a huge impact in the war but for a wwii plane made of wood it has fantastic performance.
Lysander, It’s one my favourite planes full stop.
my choice would be the Mosquito hands down, The runners up would be The Blenheim and Swordfish :)
Mosquito
The Swordfish didn't actually sink the Bismark - one torpedo damaged the rudder of the battleship so that it could not escape the Royal Navy, it could only go in a circle.
The swordfish also mistakenly attacked HMS Sheffield but the torpedoes were faulty. I worked with a Londoner who was on the Sheffield at the time and it appears that as the Sheffield was under battle conditions and crew locked down only the bridge people knew of this. He was quite oblivious of it until I showed him some documented evidence.
The reason the Germans couldn't shoot it down was because it was so slow it threw off their aim.
A common misconception, Tom. They hit them plenty. The fabric covering offered too little resistance to the shells to detonate them.
@@tomjackson4374 "We count 30 rebel ships, Lord Vader, but they're sp small they're avoiding our turbo-lasers." I've always felt the Swordfish inspired that line.
@@jimspc07This is shown clearly in the film Sink the Bismark, made in the 1950s. It is not a secret.
My grandpa's brother flew many Blenheims during WW2 in Finland, he survived a shot down and was back behind the controls of a new one after some days, and that bomber is now displayed at Tikkakoski which is the only original surviving Blenheim in the world with his signature written in the cockpit. He is one of the heroes who defended Finland from the sky during Tali Ihantala in 1944
Great share - thanks for that !
" only original surviving Blenheim " isn't there a Mk I in this video though?
@@jamesmmusic5806 I meant it is not restored or anything, so as "factory original" it is the only surviving one out there
Actually it is restored. Not nearly all the parts are original.
"My grandpa's brother flew many Blenheims during WW2 ..." My father was an RAF airframe fitter during WW2 and he used to fix Blenheims.
For me; It's got to be the Mosquito. The most flexible, and capable multi-role plane of the war.
The mosquito was fantastic but not underrated.
I say no single aircraft can claim to be the best. They ALL had a particular role in the war for which they deserve recognition from the humble Gladiator to the famous Lancaster. If I had to pick one workhorse it would be the Hurricane, the real hero of the Battle of Britain.
The Wooden Wonder.
@@erikschultz7166 but overlooked in many WW2 books after the war
I have a love of both the Mosquito, and the Lysander. But if they had put the Testse Mozzie in the mix that would be the outstanding winner in my mind. As it was a ship and submarine killer par excelance.
It's got to be the Blenheim mk. 1. This restoration is an incredible achievement.
Hats off to the people who keep these great historic machines flying.
Canadian Warplane Heritage (Hamilton, Ontario) has a Bolingbroke they have been restoring. Unfortunately, they will not be able to make it airworthy. I would have loved to see it fly
I'm uncomfortable with them flying there planes tbh. They should be kept in working order but not flown IMO since they are too rare and valuable to risk any mishap
So glad they were able to use it in the movie Dunkirk
@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 A ship in port is safe, but that is not what a ship is built to do. They spent a LONG time getting that thing airworthy. I remember visiting the restoration hanger in the 90s with my Dad. I'm almost 40 now. Never thought they'd get it in the air TBH.
That machine is a bit more of a frankenplane than a real Blenhaim mk I. It is a Bolingbroke IVT with an early Blenheim nose grafted on.
One rareity that was overlooked was the P-40F shown in the background. This Merlin powered variant is now extremely rare.
Yes , that's one of two remaining, the other is based at Tyabb, in Victoria, Australia, owned by Judy Pay. It is fully airworthy.
But there are plenty of P-40s. These the last of their kind flying.
There wasn’t a Merlin powered version was there?
@@andrewmountford3608 Yes.
Ah,
Found it. I didn’t know:
Another solution to the high altitude performance problem was to fit the P-40 with a supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This idea came from the British, as they noticed that their Allison powered Kittyhawks and Mustangs had poor performance at high altitudes, while their own Merlin powered Hurricanes and Spitfires did not have the same problems. Curtiss fitted the second P-40D with a 1,300 hp (969 kW) Merlin 28. Production aircraft had the American-made 1,390 hp (1,040 kW) Packard V-1650-1 Merlin. The resulting P-40F (Model 87B) was the first variant to carry the "Warhawk" name.
Along with the added power of the Merlin engine came a decrease in directional stability. Curtiss attempted to fix this by fitting a dorsal fillet to the tail of a single P-40F; however, this was not adopted into production. Starting with the P-40F-5, the tail was lengthened by about 20 in.
Although the P-40F was superior to the Allison powered P-40s, there was a shortage of Merlin engines due to the vast number of aircraft that used them. Parts for these engines were becoming scarce, and maintenance became an issue. As a result, at least 70 P-40Fs were re-engined with V-1710-81s of 1,360 hp. These aircraft became known as P-40R-1s.
One of the most amazing thing about the Lysander is its combat history. The first Bf-109 shot down in the Battle of Brittain was shot down by a Westland Lysander.
More _incredible_ than amazing, where and when and by whom?
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 No idea, but the bf-109 was flown by Baron Faff von Faffenberg of the Faffin' SS who got shot down by a Lysander because he was faffing about instead of looking out for the RAF.
I wish I remembered more than the Lysander on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, when I was stationed there in the late-1980s talked about that particular tidbit.
Can’t find anything to support your wonky statement; you have a link?
afraid not, anti aircraft fire got the first 109 of the battle, they did however get a handful of victims but they were very vulnerable and suffered a very high loss rate on the front line
It's not very truthful to say a Fairey Swordfish sunk the Bismarck. A torpedo managed to knock the Bismarck's rudder into a permanent turn that allowed the Royal Navy to catch up and sink her.
Having listened to the video they do say "involved " in the sinking of the Bismarck?
Stopped the Bismark seems more accurate unless going round and round is a naval tactic.
I agree, the Swordfish didn't sink the Bismark, they just damaged her and allowed our capital ships to catch up and crippled her. The heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire finished her off with torpedoes, probably coupled with demolition charges set by the Germans.
@@davidknight2220 I am sorry my friend but you should listen again.
You are absolutely right,a swordfish did not sink her,but did enough damage to her rudder to cause it to be caught and heavily damaged by the Royal Navy.
The Bismarck was actually scuttled but apparently reports suggest that the damage done to her would have been enough to sink her anyway.
I'm a retired American Army Reservist. I did three military tours in UK from 2008-2011 and got a chance to see the WWII airshow in Duxford! Nothing could be more stirring than seeing all the WWII aircraft fly at one time in a Balbo formation at the end of the show! In one of the Imperial War museums, I remember seeing a Falco on static display. As to the aircraft you highlighted, I'd vote for the Blenheim since it's the only one left of its kind.
Where I live outside of Vancouver, we have the Handley-Page Hampden. She sits alone in a small museum barely anybody goes to and she's not blocked off at all. She is TINY for a bomber and it's amazing what the British did with bombers as small as the Hampden and Blenheim.
The flying suitcase. My great uncle was a rear gunner on one of them during the war
@@davidconnellan6875 Was your great uncle small? I am 6'1" and over 200 lbs and I don't think I could get in one of those mini bombers...Certainly couldn't bail out of one!
You have to tell me which museum in Vancouver so I can pop by for a look see
@@TonyBongo869 Its out in Langley. Lysander a Vampire and a few other neat machines
@@jimmeroniuk8266 thanks Jim
The Gloster Gladiator you glossed over was the RAFs last biplane fighter. It served heavily in the early years of WWII and its defence of Malta is legendary. It’s also rarer than the Lysander which flew with it while you were there.
I saw that and wished they'd given us a tour of the Gladiator.
Ah Faith, Hope and Charity a fantastic story of struggle but for me the sneaky unknown of the Lysander just nicks it over that famous triad of Gladiators because of its varied roles, that had effect on the whole war as opposed to the Malta miracle.
Lest we forget
I visited RAF Duxford in the 80's when I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath. It was known as the Battle of Britain Museum then and it consisted of a few hangars with the aircraft on display. You could really get a close up look at them and the staff were wonderful sources of information. I'm so glad they put the new museum there. It's on my bucket list to get back to RAF Duxford!
Duxford is amazing and the hanger were you see restoration happening in front of eyes
Duxford is huge now, if you get back there, allow a full day to see everything.
@@Bob10009 A full day and still you'll want to go back for more, I love a trip to Duxford every time I go I find something new.
Yep,I live just down the road from Duxford,it’s an amazing aircraft museum now,with warbirds flying pretty much everyday the weather is half decent,love sitting in local pub beer garden in the summer and watching and listening to the old birds fly.
Hope you get back over here one day for a visit 👍
@@markhepworth1556, I'm jealous, in a good way! I would be in heaven sitting outside with a pint and watching the warbirds flying!
I also like the Mosquito, for its bomber, night fighter, recon and ground support roles were second to none.
Love the show at Duxford.
My Uncle Frank worked there as an aircraft (mostly P-47) mechanic and came home with many fine stories of his stay in England. My Dad and all of his brothers served in that war, with Uncle Henry dying in the Pacific on New Guinea.
Keep up the great videos. They help to keep alive the memories of all the fine men that served and eventually won the war.
The thought of those brave Swordfish pilots tracking and striking at the Bismarck in cold North Atlantic is the stuff of legends.
More like the aircrew enduring freezing to death in that open cockpit
Gotta go with the Swordfish. It made a big impact in every role it performed. And their crews were men with balls of steel.
Planes List
1:26 Bristol Blenheim
5:28 Westland Lysander
8:33 Fiat Falco
10:08 de Havilland Mosquito
12:50 Fairey Swordfish
15:16 Cierva C.30
17:27 Boeing B-29
Great video. For me it has to be “Freeman’s Folly” the de Haviland Mosquito. Twin merlins, such a diverse platform, so fast the Luftwaffe were powerless to intercept. Operations like Jericho and Carthage sit in the psyche and you can’t look at a Mosquito without hearing the theme music to 633 Squadron. What a plane.
Pity we had no tank genius with money and power.
Four Mossies restored to air-worthy in New Zealand in last 10 years - also another found in a farm shed, restored to static display condition!
@@julianshepherd2038 Centurion - the world's first MBT (albeit late), plus the Sherman was more than good enough (despite all the mis-info). Agree, some shocking designs.
@@brettcurtis5710 another one being built from start to finish for the first time in about 70 years over here in thr UK 🥳
When I first climbed into a Mossie, (About '43' or '44' , after I had been around most of the other flying and fighting stuff for a few years or so), ....I began to realise (for the first time) that "WE" may have "turned the corner".... and "may" WE, . ( and the US)....could even win this Sodding.. WAR.....!
My father and his brother sourced plans from the Bristol company for the Bristol Blenheim after the start of WWII. Surprisingly Bristol not only supplied the plans but a number of brochures as well. Their intent was to build a radio controlled model with a 14 foot wingspan but only ever got as far as making the frame (still in the loft of his former parents home). Both joined the RAF and Dad ultimately flew as a navigator in Beaufighters and Mosquitos. Whilst he had the opportunity to fly in a number of different aircraft, these were the two that he remembered most fondly.
Ok, I'll bite ... Lysander for me. My Dad did national service in the RAF just after WW2 after having been an air cadet while at school during the war, and always talked fondly of the 'Lizzie' as he called it. In his later years he built (very well) an Airfix model of one which he displayed proudly in his lounge. How could I not vote for that?
For "hitting above its weight," you've got to go with the remarkable "Stringbag"--the Swordfish (and the crews who flew them!). For out of the box thinking that resulted in superior performance throughout the war, hands-down it was the DeHaviland Mosquito. You boys do justice to these "walking tour" videos to which I have become addicted. Nice camaraderie between you two, with just a hint of boyish competitiveness. Excellent performance by all involved. Thank you!
This is a wonderful video and well timed! Growing up my dad shared his love of WWII planes with me….. he adored all of them! He passed away a couple of weeks ago and I was dreading seeing planes again after his passing but he would have loved this video ❤
I’m so sorry for hearing the terrible news.
However I thank him for his service!
Thanks for sharing that Ally and hope you’re doing OK. Glad you enjoyed 👍🏻
@@HistoryHit definitely did!! Fun Fact, my full name is Allison, after the WW2 V12 Mustang Engine!
@@DirtyDickson82 thanks Darren! He was a wonderful man who lived a long life! Sadly Leukaemia for him in the end…..
RIP you dad. He has his own wings now to soar on.
Nobody underestimates the Mossie. It was a remarkable aircraft. One of my late grandfather's friends flew Mossies in WWII and he told me it had it's limitations still. He said trying to barrel-roll it was a bad idea, as the wings had a tendency to snap off, as one of his colleagues found out when he tried to do a victory roll above their home airfield after a mission. What a silly way to die, was his comment!
I did hear years ago that the wing tip could snap off. a few mossies were lost after pulling out of a dive but the cause at the time was unknown.
@@musicbruv The WWII Mossie pilot told me the whole wing snapped off if you tried to barrel role it too viciously!
Doing a barrel roll which is a constant 1g maneouvre, doesn't put any stress on an aircraft when performed correctly.
The wing of the Mosquitoe was very strong so find your comment very odd.
@@Slaktrax another fact about the Mossie: When they were sent out to the far east, the glue holding the skin to the frame would come unstuck, due to the humidity.
The controls/instrument ergonomic design was poor, like many British aircraft (in contrast to German and US designed aeroplanes). The pilot who flew the first 'recreated' Mossie built at Ardmore, NZ, tracked down old pilots who had flown them to get tips before he flew the type in 2012, and overcoming this was one of the things that was highlighted to him. One of the chaps he talked to had trained Taiwanese (if I recall correctly) pilots to fly ex-RAF aircraft, which apparently was a challenge due to lack of a twin-control aircraft or a common language ...
@History Hit If you make it over to the United States, in Virginia Beach exists a small but amazing museum that punches way above its weight. The Military Aviation Museum has an amazing and growing collection of flying aircraft from World War 1 and World War 2 primarily. Corsair and A-1 Skyraider flew long afterwards. They have an A6M Zero on the way, and have the only airworthy La-9. An airworthy Mosquitoe as well.
I visited there in 2019. It is a must see for the aviation enthusiast. Wright Patterson is my all time favorite but Virginia Beach was an incredible museum with many aircraft I did not expect like the FW 190D and the Russian Polikarpov I-16
I’m originally from Liverpool in the UK. I now live in Burlington Ontario. For my 50th birthday my wife and I drove down to the air show at the Military Aviation Museum in 2014. What an amazing museum and the show was spectacular too! A standout for me was seeing a flying Mosquito. Goosebumps and tears all at the same time. The volunteers were all first class. The icing on the cake was that my wife bought me a flight on a PT17, my first time flying in an open cockpit. My pilot, I think his name was Chuck, flew me all along Virginia Beach up to Naval Air Station Oceana. On our way back he did as many aerobatic maneuvers as he was allowed to do in that particular aircraft. Best birthday ever, I’ll never forget it. This museum is a must see for any aviation/military enthusiast. I can’t wait to go back. Incidentally I also stopped of for a visit to IWM Duxford the last time I was in the UK for a funeral. I went in the morning on a midweek day, I almost had the whole place to myself. An unbelievable collection of aircraft and military equipment is to be found here, quite spectacular. Another must see for sure!
They also have a BF-109, an FW-190, and the only Grumman built Wildcat that's flyable.
@@johnosbourn4312 2 190's, an A, and a Dora
Duxford has a massive respectful display of american aircraft that is worthy of a visit on its own. maybe a need for its own video guys
I like the Lysander. My Dad was ground crew in the RCAF during WWII. He was stationed in Trenton, Ontario. He liked the Spitfires and the Harvards with their Briggs & Stratton engines. I lived in London, Ontario; there were 4 Harvards hangared in Tillsonburg, Ontario. Once a year they would be in an air show so we saw them fly in formation nearby. The sound of their engines was music to my ears.
The Blenheim I think. I believe it's restoration story is also quite a tale as they restored another one prior to it but it unfortunately crashed and they did it all again to get another airborne. I also read somewhere that the development of the B29 cost more than the Manhattan Project, the US development budget for that aircraft was huge and for it's time it is a technological marvel. It's great to see so many of these exhibits now under cover as for many years most of the larger ones sat outside at Duxford.
Yes, I think it was the most expensive military project in US history up til that point. And the Soviets effectively got it for free! By carefully measuring impounded examples in Far Eastern USSR. I think you can see the B-29 influence on many larger Soviet aircraft from that time on.
The Tu-4 was the Soviet copy:
ruclips.net/video/5mXIRIurWHU/видео.html
The An-12 rear gunner position:
ruclips.net/user/shortsqF-GQyI2wck
The Tu-95 rear gunner position:
ruclips.net/video/hfnRu4oYbxI/видео.html
(Of course they also reaped many of the rewards of the Manhattan Project (and H-bomb) too for free via assorted spies.
One of my friends- his father was a navigator in a Blenheim and it was generally reckoned next to impossible for the navigator to get out of a stricken Blenheim. His father was shot down by the Italians over Ethiopia in 1941 and was assumed killed in action but many months after his loss was reported to his mother, via the Red Cross information that he had survived got back to her. Shortly, afterwards she was contacted by the British Government telling her she had to pay back all her war widow's pension.
ahhh the wheels of bureaucracy. The war widows pension should be less than his back pay which he continued to receive as a PoW, so it would have worked out in the end hopefully. Plus she gets her man back.
@@throwback19841 And my friend got to be born!
Hope she stayed sthum
Bureaucratical bastards
Despicable.!
All old war birds are my favorites. You guys did a kick ass job. 👍
One further point about the Mossie -if it did get hit by enemy fire, it was much more likely to get you home, because a lot of the time rounds or shrapnel would go straight through the wood and leave holes, rather than twisted metal sticking out into the airflow which caused drag and altered the aerodynamics of the plane.
That's awesome to see a restoration of an Italian plane
I was in the US AIRFORCE 1966 to 1970. My favorite nostalgic aircraft was the C47. There were thousands involved in WWII and some are still working aircraft today
Buffalo Air up in the Yukon. They have channel on YT.
I would agree that the number made, the reliability and versatility of the C-47/DC 3 would have to be a first 3 contender, some were still until recently commercially flying.
Re-engined with turboprops they are still commercially viable. The airframes seem to last almost forever.
Beautiful collection, hard to choose a favorite. The Blenheim being only 1 in world is rare, but I like the "stringbag" swordfish. It massacred the Italian fleet at Taranto, and played a part in sinking Bismark. That's some battle stars. Great video!
I believe there is still a Blenheim Mk 4 ( long nose) in Finland
The Swordfish. Although absurdly obsolescent (if not obsolete) in 1940, it fought throughout the war in various roles. As was said, it puched way above its weight and fought in many pivotal battles.
Fantastic! I love these old warbirds. Thank you very much for sharing, appreciate it a LOT 👍
Greetings from the Netherlands 🌷🇳🇱, T.
The Fairley Swordfish attack did not sink the Bismarck but damaged and jammed the rudder so that she made circles and was unable to make it to Brest. The British task force trailing her was able to close in and sink her. I think the final blows came from the heavy cruiser HMS Dorchester which put four torpedoes in sinking her.
Spot on sir.
Hms Dorsetshire....not Dorchester
Along with HMS Rodney which in doing so became the only Battleship to ever torpedo another Battleship.
Not actually 'circles' check the battle plot it is available.
@@colinmcginn977 I see at least two mistakes there, how is that spot on?
During WW2, the Fairy Swordfish disabled the Bismarck with their torpedo attack but did not sink it.
It was the British Navy that finished her off, with the German crew allegedly scuttling her at the very end.
The Swordfish were of course British Navy aircraft.
There was a saying I read somewhere in discussing the theories of naval combat in the 'gun era'. That was that if you wanted to disable a ship you filled it full of holes, but if you wanted to sink it you filled it full of water.
Sinking warships in combat from guns alone was actually tricky. At long range shells would plunge more and were more likely to hit the deck and pass into the ship's vitals. This is where you start getting magazine hits and destructive explosions. At closer range the shells tended to go through the sides and explode above the armoured deck/waterline. This is what happened to the Bismarck in the final engagement where the ship was quickly reduced to scrap above the armoured deck.
So, did the German's scuttle the Bismarck? Doesn't matter. Hard fact? Bismarck sank. Other hard fact? if she was scuttled it was because the ship had been effectively reduced to a wreck already and had no chance to escape.
The Royal Navy, acting as a combined force, caused the Bismarck to not return to a German controlled port and sink below the waves. Everything else is nit picking.
@@mudcrab3420 Her old fashioned turtleback armour actually helped her near the end, it was far more effective against close range gunfire.
The Prince Of Wales mission killed her in the Denmark Straights, she should have turned around right there, IMO, but I guess they didn't know what or wasn't following them beforehand.
Fun note for you folks. Brandon, Manitoba (Canada) was one of the hubs of the BCATP. On the #1 highway there is a Blenheim on static display beside the highway. If you go cross-country the airport is only a mile or so away, where they have a small but impressive museum dedicated to the BCATP. It includes an actual Hurricane fighter.
I assume they have a website. I will check.
My father worked on the mosquito during his national service in the late 1950/60s. It was the last squadron of mozzies flying.. they were modified for target towing. Most of them were sold to Hollywood and used in the film 633 squadron among others.
My old fella kept Blenheim’s, Beaufighter’s and many others flying during the war (stationed in North Africa at one point). I’ve got a great picture of him stood in front of a Blenheim (not sure where) with two of his mates supping tea in their overhauls lol. After the war he continued to work for the Bristol Aeroplane company and was involved with the early development of supersonic flight / Concorde.
Had been wondering if something like this would ever come out, can't wait to watch it!
Thanks to all for keeping this history alive. Great job guys!
Westland Lysander is one of my personal favorites. Very few people know the stories and important role they played.
Flying one of these into the lion’s den had to be one of the ballsiest jobs of the war. I’d imagine the military pilots delivering spies couldn’t expect to be treated any differently than the spies if captured.
@@philsmith2444 Normandy invasion would not have been successful without. I believe I remember reading that sometimes rigged them with droppable cargo containers. Supply radios, money, small items that could do big work.
It was such a cool-looking plane, too. Same with the Storch.
Die Lysander ist mit Abstand mein Favorit. Ein wunderschönes Flugzeug mit einem äußerst interessanten Design.
Agree, if it didn't fly at the show it's not a contender. But the Blenheim was a front line Bomber Command asset at the beginning of the war - and now there's only 1 left. And it flies. To my mind, that makes it a simple choice.
There's one in Canada that flew. Long term restoration for past several years
I would have to vote for the Lysander even though the Spitfires and Hurricanes hold a special place in my heart.
I grew up in a small village called Sawston not far from Duxford and the sounds of the Merlins still make me get goosebumps,my father was ex RAF and volunteered for a while at Duxford fixing up the aircraft before it became IWM Duxford,he was there when the film Battle of Britain was made and when the Film Company blew up the Hangar,my Dads generator went up with the hangar ( it was only supposed to be a Small explosion but it was decided without telling Duxford that it would be a Big Big Bang ! ).
I learnt to drive a Go-Cart on the Airfield ( my Dad built ) with a Engine and learnt how to drive a Car there too,I used to rummage through the Gun Pits and explored every corner of that place.
Now I live out in Bedford and I’m not far from the Airfield ( it was just a Hut and a wind sock in a field ) where the Lysander took off and landed from with their cargo of agents ( Tempsford ( just off the A1 near Biggleswade and Old Warden ).
My Mother who grew up in Sawston during the war,her family befriended a American Airman ( all the villagers were encouraged to adopt a young Aircrew to help them acclimatise to the English way of life ),that friendship lasted till after the War.
We had American and Polish Pilots who stayed in the village after the War and even a German POW who settled down in Whittlesford.
Cambridge was a favourite visiting place for the American Servicemen and the RAF and WRAC’s ,Granchester another famous name " The Tea Rooms " Where Byron wrote his Poems.
Just outside Cambridge there is a extremely large American Cemetery, which is a very somber place but beautiful as well….it really makes you think of the sacrifices that all those Airmen made… as you walk into the entrance and through the gates you are confronted with a downward slope filled with grave stones of the fallen in a fan pattern as far as you can see ! Then there is the Memorial with all the names.
In Whittlesford there is a small cemetery and church but within the Graveyard there are a few graves of Polish Pilots killed in action and the graves are tended to with care by the locals and flowers are always present.
There are literally hundreds of satellite airfields surrounding Duxford within Cambridgeshire and further afield,some are just fields now but there are quite a few which have Small memorials.
We Will always remember them,those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can live in peace and we should be grateful every day for our Freedom…. We Thank You ❤
Thank you got your beautiful story. So interesting to learn what life was like for the English during the war and after. Thank you for tending the graves of American and Polish airman. Ps I can’t believe you only have 7 likes
The American cemetery is at Maddingly just off the A14, a few miles out of Cambridge. A deeply moving memorial to thousands of our cousins who gave their today for our tomorrow. God bless their memory, and may we never forget their sacrifice. A debt that can never be repaid to those brave young men of The Greatest Generation.
Saw the Blenheim fly when it was first restored, it was in a crash and re-built again. Great to see it still flying.
Which crash?!😬 Thing is, it crashed in the 80s/early-90s, was restored somehow, and again crashed in 2003/4, so this rebuild splicing the last Mk1 cockpit on is its second rebuild in preservation.
Edit: come to think of it, I think the first crash was so bad they only used parts, and used a new donor aircraft for the main structure, which was able to be reused in this one?🤔
@@michael32A The first Blenheim was written off only a month after its first flight in 1987. A different aircraft was then restored in 5 years and was damaged in 2003, then rebuilt again, flying in late 2014 with a Mk 1 nose.
Hi @@andrewwaller5913, ah, thank you.😊
The Swordfish didn't sink the Bismark, but disabled its steering, thus allowing the King George V and the Rodney to catch up with her. In an hour-long attack they incapacitated the Bismarck, and an hour and a half later it sank after being hit by three torpedoes from the cruiser Dorsetshire.
Well said sir.
None of which would have happened without the stringbags.
Blenheim won my heart a few years ago, and still holds true. I need to come see it fly in person before too long
Here's an interesting point, the cockpit of the Bristol Blenheim at Duxford had been converted to a CAR by a previous owner, and had wheel arches cut into the bodywork... Duxford have done a brilliant job of sourcing then restoring this aircraft!
As a Finn, I would say Bristol Blenheim mk1 (mk2 was also in use). The plane was Finland's successful main bomber when we fought against Russia in WW2. Nicely restored
For a fantastic book on the Blenheims read 'Blenheim Boy' Author Richard Passmore. The author was my English teacher at school, a wonderful man, I only now fully appreciate the stories he told.
Many years ago I met a wonderful old man in Jamaica called John Ebanks .He volunteered for the RAF and served as a navigator in a Blenheim flying from Jurby on the Isle of Man . He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal for sinking a couple of U Boats. He returned to Jamaica when peace broke out with a Manx wife. A lovely pair of people, so brave and so modest
Advanced for it's day but obsolescent circa 1939. Bungee cords to hold the bomb bay doors and single Vickers K for defence. Bravery beyond belief to those who operated them and workhorses for years (my late uncle was a ground engineer/armourer with 84 Sqn RAF in Iraq, Greece, Western Desert, Iran campaign and finally Java where they were almost wiped out when the Japanese landed on P1 (or P2 I forget) and over-ran it. ~ 250 men from ~1250 escaped some of which in a small boat surviving on American beer.). Design evolved into the Beaufort.
You need a Thumbs up button and a GOLD STAR Button on this production.
Blenheim - good to see it back in the air. Saw an earlier one at an IWM Duxford airshow in 2003. Unfortunately that one had a landing accident not long after that rendered it un-airworthy. Good to see a "new" one in the air.
It's the same Blenheim but with a Mk 1 nose fitted.
@@andrewwaller5913 Or rather without the later nose.
B-29 at the USAF Museum is "Bockscar." Hosted a visiting German college student and took him. "And this is the plane that ended WW2." "Oh, yes, the American B-29. This is the kind that dropped the two atom bombs, yes?" "Yes, this one dropped the second bomb. This one, this exact plane right here." "And we are just standing here next to it, the Nagasaki bomber?" "Yes, we are just standing here." Side note: it was cooler not so many years ago when they had a kitty-litter tray under each engine to catch oil drip.
Mosquito. An underdog that punched well above it’s weight, literally.
Love your work 👍
Hardly an underdog! The fastest thing ever from its first flight as far as I'm concerned. It was the biggest over dog on the planet, then it still punched above its weight in the form of the Tetse mozzie with a 6 pound quick firing Mohlin anti tank artillery pieceinstalled, it killed a lot of ships and U boats
Great video! More like this for sure please!
What a video, well done guys👏🏻👏🏻
Winner without doubt has to be the Mosquito 👍🏻👍🏻
The Blenheim was one of my fave Airfix models to make as a kid back in the 70's.
Maybe, but by the time I was building one in about 1988, the tooling might have been a bit old. It was the late 80s rerelease of the MkIV, but damn that canopy needed so much filler around the back end, and I wasn't that advanced a young modeller! Build out of the box was all I could do. Hugely disappointed with it.
Maybe it's time to seek out a new MkIV kit and have at it (the MkIV is the *only* Blenheim for me).
Very brave men taking Swordfish against the Bismarck.
As a German aircraft model builder, I always love the twin-engine British machines like the Bristol Blenheim / Beaufort or the Mosquito...But my absolute favorite plane is the Bristol Beaufigter. The " whispered death " Beaufighter is so powerful and beautiful. I hope to see one in nature someday....The museum in Duxford looks great and will definitely be worth a visit I think
Absolutely, you won't regret it.
It is interesting that the swordfish gets so much attention about being a biplane, when many if not most airforces still had biplanes in their line ups at the start of ww2. It would not have been notable at all at the time. Their longevity is unusual but shows that they must have been good for something.
True, we tend to over do it when calling it completely obsolete. Life isn't actually like Top Trumps. I don't think Taranto would have worked nearly as well with newer monoplanes, far too fast and they wouldn't have been able to go virtually through the waves like the Stringbag!
Great video!!!! Thanks for sharing it!!
Bristol Blenheim ability to add a four machine gun pack in the bomb bay was interesting. Didn’t think warplanes had drop in mission modules until the late 1950s or 1960s.
The Blenheim's drop-in mission module is a pioneering effort. The Luftwaffe more fully realized it with mission modules like the mission pack for the Me 410 Hornisse which utilized the BK-5, which is a autocannon using the modified version of the 50mm cannon used by versions of the Panzer III.
A Mark I Anson is flying in New Zealand - the only one left in flying condition.
4:48 Blenheim fun fact: retracting the turret gave the aircraft another 30 mph. I learned this from my National Commandant when I was in the Air Training Corps in New Zealand in the 1960s. At the outbreak of the War, he was a Blenheim pilot and said the casualty rate was so awful that after 15 months only he and one other of the original pilots in his squadron were still alive. He said the retracting turret saved his life one day. He was coming home across the North Sea, being chased by two Me110s. They were firing at him from long range and he could see their cannon shells hitting the water ahead of him. He had the turret retracted and the throttles wide open and had enough speed to keep ahead of them until they gave up and turned back.
Hi from finland. Our airforce museum at Tikkakoski Jyväskylä has ona mark 4 Blenheim
My new favourite channel on RUclips
The Blenheim played a very important part in the first two years of the war, and the Blenheim 1 is the only flying example in the world, so I hope they dont do anything risky with it. A very rare Blenhem 2 was pranged about ten years ago and written off, but I think there are a few more around the world but probably not airworthy.
I'm wondering what the twin-engine plane, under restoration, at 9:59 is? (left of screen)
Airspeed Oxford? Avro Anson? Or what?
Looks like a Beaufighter.
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 Yes, good call.
My father's best friend Ted Steel got killed in one of those quite early in WW2 on an Anti Shipping raid on the Dutch Coast. I believe he joined the RAF as a Kiwi, maybe before WW2. At one stage I found his death in a Unit Record. Dad used to visit his mother in an Old Peoples Home in Raumsti South, near our Beach House in Jeep Rd. Sad for him snd her.
Another great video chaps! Keep it going.
Hi, at the beginning of WWII, the South coast of England there was 11 Group, this had boasted 11 squadrons of Hurricanes, six squardrons of Spitfires and finally 2 of Blenheims. The latter were largely used for barge consentration attacks, that were assembled in occupied French ports for the purpose of "Operation Sealion". Britain had lost more pilots and aircrews on these sorties than they had during The Battle of Britain.
20,351 Spitfires were built in Canada between 1938 and 1949. Lancaster and Hurricane bombers were also built in Canada during WW2.
Of all the planes discussed here, my vote is for the Mosquito. Amazing engineering, it turned bring built of wood from a handicap into an advantage with speed and low radar observability. A highly effective and beautiful warplane.
Mosquito hands down. Of course having grown up watching every WW2 movie and watching the ones about the Mossy, endured it to my heart forever. Plus it's made of wood, and kicked azz. To bad they didn't have it for the Battle of Britain.
Great Video. Beautiful Blenheim
There are many great videos on the Mosquito. This plane is just as famous as the Spitfire.
One of THE very best clips of WW2 planes .. and so well presented~! Thanks :)
The Swordfish, did NOT sink the Bismark, it did hit its rudders, with Torpedoes, Hms Rodney was the Battleship, that sunk the Bismark, as it was unable to turn, My Grandfather was on the Rodney,
This channel is well known for its poor standard of research.
To be fair, it could only sail in circles at that point so wan't going to get to France (thankfully). Hat's off to your Grandfather - There's a model of the Rodney's sister Nelson in a museume in Newcastle and it is tremendous - ruclips.net/video/vcuXUAIVcIM/видео.html
@@malcolmstonebridge7933 Thanks for the link, what a model!! my Late Fathers middle name, was Rodney, named after a Battleship, hahahaha, i suppose it could of been worse
@@stevem7868-y4l there’s some good stuff in the discovery museum (Turbinia and stuff on HMS Victoria and loads of shipyard models). Name is canny.
The Vickers Vildebeest shown at 14:52, whilst talking about the Swordfish, is rather rare as well. As far as I know the only "surviving" wreck is being rebuilt at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch. It's been a while since I visited, but according to a quick picture search the 2011 earthquake didn't stop them.
I live about 2 1/4 miles (3.5 KM) from the hangar where Doc resides in Wichita, Kansas, USA. It is one of of only two B-29 Superfortresses in the world still flying. Living so close, and working just across the airfield from Doc, I get to see it in the air occasionally. It's an amazing sight every time. The sound of those four 18-cylinder Wright Cyclone engines is unmistakable when it takes to the air.
Awww... it's the Lizzy! It's gotta be the Lizzy!
Some planes were used to kill others, while others were used to save lives. The Lysander was at the top of the list to save lives. ❤️
i stopped watching when your music was so loud I could not hear the planes. Annoying, and all too common these days.
And the first walk round the interviewer added nothing.
Great Video, wonderful content...I loved it!!! Great job guys!!!
And you walked past the Bristol Beaufighter, possibly rarer than the Blenheim...
which has been under construction since I first went to Duxford . . . in about 1975!
Another very awesome Luke and Louee video!
Mosquito wins it in my living room. I went to a Thunder over Michigan airshow and witnessed a flyover by a Mosquito and was never so impressed by its sleek beauty and smooth running engines. What a treat. I was saddened when I found out about the Mosquitos that were destroyed in the movie "633 Squadron" were actual air-worthy, flying examples of what was becoming a rare bird. The overall special effects are terrible but burning the planes is appalling.
'New' Mosquitos are being built by Avspecs in New Zealand. The one you saw in the States was probably the first one they did, completed in 2012 and flown/displayed round New Zealand (with the generous permission of its US owner) before being crated-up and sent to the US. Saw her fly a couple of times, and at the big display at Ardmore in Sept 2012 (still got the poster on the wall) I have never heard an air-show crowd go so quiet in sheer awe as when she put on a show for us.
Great video with espectacular history information.
It's a hard call. The Blenheim is a significant aircraft, but the one in the collection at Duxford is, according to records I can see, a rebuild of components that were assembled mostly from a Bolingbroke, which is the Canadian-built version. The Lysanders are also significant, but as we can see, there are at least two airworthy examples, whereas the Blenheim is unique. Frankly, I would call it a tie.
Now, if you want to see some other unique specimens, you need to come to the US, and visit the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy center. There, you'll find the only Dornier Do.335 still in existence, along with the only Arado Ar.234 jet bomber, and the only fully-assembled Heinkel He.219. They also have the only Horton Ho.229 jet-powered flying wing fighter, although that isn't assembled, along with the sole remaining prototype Japanese interceptor Kyushu J7W Shinden.
If you're going for the rarest of the rare, the ONLY choice is the Bristol Blenheim Mk-I fighter-bomber. She is the last of her kind AND the only flying example that includes her equally rare (2 of 6 extant) original Rolls-Royce Meteor engines. I don't think any of the other aircraft, while unique come close to this level of rarity. 😉
A Blenheim powered by two tank engines? that is rare! especially as it doesn't exist......
The Beaufighter owned by the Fighter Collection was completely overlooked, as it will be the only flying exmple when finished.
An old friend of my mother gave me some models made by her husband who was a pilot. He made models of every plane he flew they included a Tiger Moth, A Bristol Blenheim , de Havilland Mosquito and a couple of others I can no longer remember. They were extremely well made but sadly given to me when I was too young to appreciate the history and what they represented.
I was lucky enough to grow up in Cambridgeshire, with a Dad that worked at the Ciba-Geigy factory in Duxford (where they originally made the glue that held mosquitos together).In those days the factory was a sponsor of the annual airshow so employees and families could get right by the taxiway for the display aircraft. It was a fantastic place back then, but they've really made it world class in the intervening 40ish years.
Thanks for the great show! My favs are the British aircraft that were also made in Canada in the Second World War. These include the Westland Lysander (equipped RCAF 110 Army Co-op Squadron the first sent overseas to England), the Bristol Blenheim (where Fairchild Canada built them under licence as the Bolingbroke) and the deHavilland Canada Mosquito.
It's difficult not to love the Stringbag (Swordfish) -- a pilot favorite, stable and rugged. But I got to see a Mossie up close at the EAA airshow years ago, and the thought of two magnificent Merlins pulling all that plywood through the sky at over 400mph leaves me with no choice but to call it for the DH 98.
It has to be the Mosquito for me, mainly due to family connections. My dad is currently on the board of a group restoring a Mossie to flight here in the UK - "The People's Mosquito". Their story would make for an interesting video, especially them having to redevelop the techniques and moulds to build one.
Late to the programme - but Lysander of course. Favourite plane ever! Good Call!
The Mosquito is by far the most effective multi roll aircraft of the war. Legend.
Love seeing the Blenheim fly!! Only seen it fly twice I think. Hope to see a Lysander fly one day!
The Mosquito is not only an excellent plane, it's smooth design is mesmerizing.... I'll bet that the first one off the line was fought over.... it's beautiful....
The Lysander for its advanced design, versatility, lovely sleeve valve Bristol engine and cute looks.
though I am an aviation buff all my life I disqualify the B-29 super fortress… the dropping of the atomic bomb killing everything from insects to children obliterating a complete city pushes too far… But the other aircraft that are super vintage don't quite have the same evil attached I can live with it. This is a good video your narrating skills were absolutely perfect… You really brought it together good work
A friend of my parents flew the Lysander out of Tangmere where the SOE flights operated. I remember him saying that the worst bit was just after they had landed in France to drop off and pick up their passengers. For that twenty seconds after shutdown they did not know whether their flight was compromised or not. Mercifully in his case he never was.
The Gloster Gladiator for me! Great programme... thank you!