I never get bored hearing the story Operation Bolo. One of the best ruses in military combat. I wish someone with the right mindset would make a movie about Robin Olds and the Operation Bolo. Great video
for real! this almost sounded like top gun at the beginning but ended up a way better story. I'm actually really surprised nobody has made a big budget movie about this. it's a hell of a story and there would be plenty of big hollywood actors chomping at the bit to play Olds. if they can't find the money to make a big budget film, someone could at least make a decent animated version. this story could make a really cool anime, but i dunno if there's a big market for that.
My Dad was Olds' crew chief in the F-86 days, oh the stories he would tell. The two things Dad always said, there was no better commander or fighter pilot in the whole Air Force! Hope they're tipping one back together where ever they may be.
@@fks-pv8il There was a story, while TDY the Griffis AFB a couple maintainers were picked up by the local police for public drunkenness. The police called the base O.D. woke up Col. Olds and Olds woke up Dad and the Wing Sargent Major. And down to the station they went. When the police told the fellas that Col Olds was there to take them back to base the fellas BEGGED the police to stay in jail!
You can see the pride in Robin Old's daughters face when she does commentary about her father - You can also tell she is very savvy as to the technical details and strategic brilliance not to mention the fortitude it took to do what he did. I will watch and read everything offered on his service - My father had 27 years in 1940-67 and 22,000 hours in the air in mostly state of the art planes of the day - I still find it all incredible
I was an F-4 crew chief from 66 to 70. My favorite pilots ware General Olds and General Chappie James. Chappie would take us to the airman's club and buy us beers after he flew. I went on to crew A-7s and F-16s and the F-4 was always my favorite.
I loved seeing the F4s come in for air support. They looked like a ferris wheel. One on the bottom, one going up from botton, one going inverted to see the target before it dove to earth. They, and Puff the Magic Dragon, saved our butts more than once. Thank you guys! viewed in San Diego, California by a Combat Engineer vet.
I'm from the UK and have modest interest in history. I've heard of Operation Bolo and have been exposed to small elements of it but, as with all your documentaries this has been well presented and a digestible length. Great storytelling with visuals that really get to the heart of the subject.
Robin Olds is one of my all time heroes. He is the fighter pilots fighter pilot. I am a (very) retired RAF pilot (F4 and Tornado) and I loved the F4. It might have turned like a truck but I just love a pair of Rolls-Royce Speys on full reheat (afterburners in the USAF...) Thank you Mcdonnell-Douglas for producing my favorite airplane ever! Cheers from a rather chilly Otford, Kent, UK.
The restrictions on combat were not because of fear of bringing Russian retaliation but to prolong the war The military industrial complex make a lot of money when men die in multimillion dollar aircraft or vehicles or just a M16
I repaired the radar on the F-4D in Thailand when F-4 was flying into North Vietnam. Then went to S Korea to repair radar on F-4E. I still love the shape and beauty of the F-4.
My Dad painted the F4 Phantoms. He worked at McDonnell Douglas. I always loved the F15 Eagle but my heart was always for the F4 also. Just like you said... because of the shape and look of it. There was nothing like it at that time and one of my most favorite pictures is one I have of two F4 Phantoms flying over the ocean. I have had it for over 50 years. 😊 👍👍
Just think, had he not been grounded in Korea, he could have been a Triple Ace! This was a fantastic episode! It was as exciting as any movie in the cinema and as always, your narration was brilliant. Thanks for all your channels.
I'm a U.S. Army Vietnam vet who gets his medical care at a large decommissioned USAF base that is now a VA hospital. For a long time, I noticed framed pictures of some guy with a pornstar moustache on the walls, but I was never interested enough to wonder who he was or why he was a big deal. Eventually I saw his name on the bottom of the picture and looked him up online. I now understand.
1970 I was 10 yrs old when we had Christmas at Grandma's house, my uncle Jack was home on leave from Vietnam where he piloted the F4 Phantom, I was in awe and wanted to ask him many questions, but he didn't talk about the war so I kept quiet. God bless all who served and to those who serve today. 🇺🇸🙏
My father flew the RF-4C in Vietnam and the B-29 in Korea. He never was one to talk about his service let alone what he did in the war. I always attributed it to his strongly held belief that you do what you need to do without asking for or expecting a pat on the back.
I've always been in awe of Robin's prowess, durability, eyesight, and flying talent. I did some of the same things, but, never in Robin's class. He and his kind are indeed rare.
I hope we've finally learned to listen to the people that go into harms way instead of armchair generals who think they know better. What a legend Olds was. They don't make them like that anymore.
The first Gulf War was run by actual warriors. Poobah’s Party is a perfect example of the kind of tactics they used. The Iraq invasion on the other hand had Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; aka: Robert McNamara 2.0. He micromanaged everything into failure. The initial invasion worked out okay, but they screwed up the occupation when they disbanded the entire Iraqi Army and police overnight and put a million military trained men out of work with no way to support their families; a recipe to cause an insurgency. Making a million men, who know how to fight wars, pissed off with nothing else to do is a dumb move.
No we haven't learned. Still doing same dumb mess. Except now everyone is even more concerned about optics and career progression. The ones like, are far and few in between. They make Lt Col then are "highly encouraged" to retire.
@@keirfarnum6811 Correct, they did not know how to fight wars as effectively as our nation does, but every Iraqi soldier knew their way around the AK and RPG. They also would adapt their tactics to ambush and run and the emplacement of mines. Later they would introduce short range urban sniping. There were many American officers involved who were pleading to remove just the Batthist loyalist from the Iraqi army ranks, about 100,000 of the higher level Iraqis, and put the majority of the rest on the payroll. Kinda what we did anyway with the ICDC, two years too late.
The thunder chief F-105 was no slouch in the speed department. They were solid supersonic attack bombers! Up to Mach 2 or over 1,300 mph. And they could go supersonic down low and loaded. While they weren’t dog fighters nor really configured to dance with the mig 17s and mig-21s, they also were not exactly easy pickings either. They also shot down a number of migs in air to air combat. Though the migs got more of them than they did the migs. The airforce found the F-4 Phantoms were better suited for dealing with the MiGs, especially the mig-21s. We lost thousands of airplanes in Vietnam.
Robin Olds was the leader everyone needs in the service. He believed in true leader ship by going with his men and showing them he was a leader in stead of giving them orders and sending them out while he stayed safe
Col. Olds was brave enough to learn new ways to fight. The USAF was not and we lost too many B-52s on Linebacker II due to flying the same patterns too many times.
Both movies were strictly for entertainment. The Tom Cruise character would have been passed over for promotion and booted out long before the second movie was supposed to have happened.
@@ken481959 Yeah, disregarding ATC and doing a tower flyby like that after being told no would have made him lose his wings, at least, and likely have been court martialed.
F-4 pilots said "Thuds go home at just under the speed of light" They could go fast with a load of bombs, but the bombs would get torn off by drag and turbulence.
The F8 corsair had a gun, but most of its mig kills were actually still with missile. Considering the F4 is less maneuverable than the F8, maybe the answer is: slightly better.
Proud to have B. Gen Robin Olds's autograph on my wall, along with a series of photos from WWII, and Operation Bolo. Not a man meant for garrison, but an "in Case of War, break the glass" kind of guy. A man's man. It's too bad those F-4's didn't have guns when they came out, thinking they could rely on as-yet not-reliable missiles. God Bless you Robin Olds, wherever you are. All those who served in Vietnam, too. Treated like garbage upon their return. Enjoyed taking a Vietnam veteran friend to lunch today. A great guy.
Wow I was really blown away by this adventure, We so needed more commanders like Brig General Olds. I really loved the story so much, Our boys and gals from Vietnam deserve so much more credit then they get, its great to see a documentary like this one coming out of that period of war. Thank you, Veterans of Vietnam and the military, for all of my freedoms. May God bless you all ✝️🇺🇸🦅🗽
That the US had a missile that could lock on from out of visible range BUT doctrine says NO, you can’t shoot it until you see the enemy just shows one problem most militaries have. The higher ups-generals and Admirals- usually fought in the LAST war so their knowledge and experience were outdated in the fast moving changes that happened post WWII. The Brass were used to WWII and Korea dogfights and were mistrustful when told something could be done without seeing the other side pilot to pilot. The Ukraine war has given militaries a heads up about how the next,war might be fought that no one had thought about before-cheap drone swarms to overwhelm and negate the best anti-air defense!
The F 105 Thunder Chief was not slow in fact it was very fast in a straight line. Not so agile because it was heavy and took a lot of real estate to turn in. It was an excellent bomb truck.
Yep, it was designed as a low level supersonic tactical bomber to stay below enemy radar and deliver a single nuclear bomb behind enemy lines. They tried to adapt it to a bombing role in Vietnam which it was not really suited for.
They don't make em like that any more. Robin Olds was a pilot's pilot. A dogfighter! I wonder how many times he asked who was the brilliant idiot who designed this incredible airplane without a gun????
My uncle was a Colonel in the air force and flew jets over Korea. I never got to talk with him about his service but I always looked up to him and wanted to be a jet pilot because of him.
The F-105 was many things (including cumbersome), but it was NOT "slow"; it was supersonic at sea level and capable of almost mach 2 at high altitude. But it was a BIG target! I flew Phantoms for four tours in Vietnam and met Olds; he was indeed the real thing. Anybody who didn't listen and learn was going to get to meet his new CO in short order, in a different unit! This particular operation did wonders for pilot morale and was the topic of O-club conversations for some time, and the exploits got more exaggerated with each telling (all by guys who were not anywhere near there).
The original rhino was a versatile aircraft and both thunder birds and blue Angels flew I believe at the same time. I would have like to see their shows. Those j-79"s roar would have been awesome!
I was stationed at Nellis with F-111's in the early 70's. The Thunderbirds and Blue Angles would put on practice shows during their training season. We would watch from the roof tops on our maintenance hangars and sometimes they came by (Navy) so low we could see the tops of the planes. I was later assigned to the Wolf Pack back on F4-D's in Korea. Lots of tradition.
Excellent videos. I particularly appreciate the real live human narration rather than an AI voice. Well researched and written. Please keep up the great work.
The oldest and the boldest - a remarkable leader Robin Olds - all the 'right stuff' - a similar no-nonsense approach to Douglas Bader - not never shot down
Mig 21's were not "agile". In fact the delta wing used on the MIG 21 bled off energy fast in turns (not what you want for a dog fighter.) MIG 21's would employ a slashing technique where they dove through a bomber formation. Nothing was faster than an F-105 down in the weeds. This slashing technique would cause the 105's to drop their bomb loads and this was a problem but free of bombs, nothing could catch a 105 down low.
My Dad a civilian working at March Air Force Base met him many times.. He said Robin was one tough guy.. I think the golf course on Base is named after him if I remember correctly.
My brother flew the F-4 in the Air Force. When the jets were sold to the KS Air National Guard, he made a lateral move into the Guard so he could continue flying his beloved F-4. Beautiful plane. RIP “Crash”. (His nickname)
What a ..... yeah stumped for words here.. what a man, what a pilot....what a hero , all of these apply but I have difficulties putting a name on to him because he is all of them so what do you call an double ace in 2 wars and a hero in one of them..... IDK.......Sir? or Your highness?
You are spot on BC , the General was married ( sadly later divorced tho) to Ella Raines. I was at the Air Force Academy class of '73 and was fortunate enough to stand in a reception line next to General Olds and got to meet his daughters who I think were twins and beautiful! The General definitely was one of a kind, striking good looks and a built in commanding presence! Most definitely had the "Right Stuff"! My father, bird colonel at age 33, flew P-51's, P-47's and P- 38's in WW2 and also flew 30 + combat missions in Korea stationed out of Johnson AFB IN Japan where I was born. God bless you for this amazing story about Operation Bolo and may General Olds ans General Chappie James RIP🫡👍👊🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Years after the fact Robin Olds in an interview told of how his first wife Ella Raines a star in Hollywood knew a few people in the US state department. She told of her fear of Olds going to Korea. Strings were pulled and he was sent to Germany instead to command a fighter group. The rest is history.
You are correct, the F-4C and D variants did not have an internal gun. The F-4E was the first to have the internal 20mm gun. OTOH, a centerline belly gun was a bandaid fix before the E model came into service. After the armchair quarterbacks would not allow shooting anything the aircraft could not see and identify as the enemy, some of the E model F-4's got a tiseo camera built into the left wing. It allowed visual identification far earlier than the previous F-4's. I served as a crew chief on F-4E's until I was moved to the new F-16A.
l value highly the courage and valor of the military men. The government that sent those men is the one to blame for the atrocities committed in VietNam.
If one ever gets an opportunity. There is a fantastic tribute display to Gen. Olds at Wright Patterson Airforce museum. It includes the nose from his F4 Phantom.
I true leader. Knowing what he knows and doesn't know. Challenging his subordinates (viewed as team mates) to improve their skills which in the end would probably save their lives and the lives of many other airmen.
The 105 was anything but “slow and cumbersome”. Your pretext is bogus. Down low the 105 was very fast and could carry over five tons of ordnance all the way. It was designed to deliver a special weapon all the way to a key target as a TAC asset. It was turned into a conventional weps hauler in Vietnam.
@ same issues on the F4 and any other airframe with external stores. Talk to a professional fighter pilot, not me, about simply hanging extra fuel tanks as to the effect on performance and range. All I know is from observation and knowing gentlemen that have actually been in the seat on both. “Duh”, indeed.
Were there was the rule for visual identification? Had they no Friend or Foe system in the aircraft in that time? And if the fighter dont get training for Air to ground attack an no air to air training what they are tought in there training?
6:19 What song is this? It is so recognisable and I am almost certain it is a popular song. Would anyone please let me know what the name of the song is?
Col. Robin Olds(at the time) was not denied combat in Korea. He was simply kept stateside due to being married and her father's well-appointed connections.
I was a weapons crew chief back then. On returning Migcap missions we almost always had to deal with a full load of AIM-7's to download but the Aim-9 rails were often empty.
I never get bored hearing the story Operation Bolo. One of the best ruses in military combat. I wish someone with the right mindset would make a movie about Robin Olds and the Operation Bolo. Great video
for real! this almost sounded like top gun at the beginning but ended up a way better story. I'm actually really surprised nobody has made a big budget movie about this. it's a hell of a story and there would be plenty of big hollywood actors chomping at the bit to play Olds.
if they can't find the money to make a big budget film, someone could at least make a decent animated version. this story could make a really cool anime, but i dunno if there's a big market for that.
There are so many great stories that came out of Vietnam. I guess it is still taboo to praise the brave warriors. 🇺🇸
Such a movie would have Chappie James in it. Yet another legendary Air Force leader
Also, I would wish for the Viets to be focused on as well.
@@CharlesYuditsky a perfect title would be “Blackman and Robin” but it may be to harsh for today’s society.
My Dad was Olds' crew chief in the F-86 days, oh the stories he would tell. The two things Dad always said, there was no better commander or fighter pilot in the whole Air Force! Hope they're tipping one back together where ever they may be.
Would love to be around listening to their banter!❤
@@fks-pv8il There was a story, while TDY the Griffis AFB a couple maintainers were picked up by the local police for public drunkenness. The police called the base O.D. woke up Col. Olds and Olds woke up Dad and the Wing Sargent Major. And down to the station they went. When the police told the fellas that Col Olds was there to take them back to base the fellas BEGGED the police to stay in jail!
You can see the pride in Robin Old's daughters face when she does commentary about her father - You can also tell she is very savvy as to the technical details and strategic brilliance not to mention the fortitude it took to do what he did. I will watch and read everything offered on his service - My father had 27 years in 1940-67 and 22,000 hours in the air in mostly state of the art planes of the day - I still find it all incredible
I was an F-4 crew chief from 66 to 70. My favorite pilots ware General Olds and General Chappie James. Chappie would take us to the airman's club and buy us beers after he flew. I went on to crew A-7s and F-16s and the F-4 was always my favorite.
🙏🙏🥹
I loved seeing the F4s come in for air support. They looked like a ferris wheel. One on the bottom, one going up from botton, one going inverted to see the target before it dove to earth. They, and Puff the Magic Dragon, saved our butts more than once. Thank you guys! viewed in San Diego, California by a Combat Engineer vet.
I'm from the UK and have modest interest in history. I've heard of Operation Bolo and have been exposed to small elements of it but, as with all your documentaries this has been well presented and a digestible length. Great storytelling with visuals that really get to the heart of the subject.
The Black man and Robin duo . Original American badasses
Daniel "Chappie" James Jr
Considering how they were treated ìn the war before, he must of been a real super man
Robin Olds is one of my all time heroes. He is the fighter pilots fighter pilot. I am a (very) retired RAF pilot (F4 and Tornado) and I loved the F4. It might have turned like a truck but I just love a pair of Rolls-Royce Speys on full reheat (afterburners in the USAF...) Thank you Mcdonnell-Douglas for producing my favorite airplane ever! Cheers from a rather chilly Otford, Kent, UK.
The restrictions on combat were not because of fear of bringing Russian retaliation but to prolong the war
The military industrial complex make a lot of money when men die in multimillion dollar aircraft or vehicles or just a M16
I repaired the radar on the F-4D in Thailand when F-4 was flying into North Vietnam. Then went to S Korea to repair radar on F-4E. I still love the shape and beauty of the F-4.
My Dad painted the F4 Phantoms. He worked at McDonnell Douglas. I always loved the F15 Eagle but my heart was always for the F4 also.
Just like you said... because of the shape and look of it. There was nothing like it at that time and one of my most favorite pictures is one I have of two F4 Phantoms flying over the ocean. I have had it for over 50 years. 😊 👍👍
Living near NAS Meridian, I saw the Blue Angels in F-11, F-4, A-4, and F/A-18. All were great, but the thunder of F-4s is hard to beat.
Olds is the only man who could make a 70s mustache look GOOD!
Just think, had he not been grounded in Korea, he could have been a Triple Ace! This was a fantastic episode! It was as exciting as any movie in the cinema and as always, your narration was brilliant. Thanks for all your channels.
My father was an ADJ, on F4's and retired a Blue Angel, in Pensacola. He was on the USS Ranger, back then.
Olds mustache has 5 confirmed kills
I'm a U.S. Army Vietnam vet who gets his medical care at a large decommissioned USAF base that is now a VA hospital. For a long time, I noticed framed pictures of some guy with a pornstar moustache on the walls, but I was never interested enough to wonder who he was or why he was a big deal. Eventually I saw his name on the bottom of the picture and looked him up online. I now understand.
1970 I was 10 yrs old when we had Christmas at Grandma's house, my uncle Jack was home on leave from Vietnam where he piloted the F4 Phantom, I was in awe and wanted to ask him many questions, but he didn't talk about the war so I kept quiet. God bless all who served and to those who serve today. 🇺🇸🙏
My father flew the RF-4C in Vietnam and the B-29 in Korea. He never was one to talk about his service let alone what he did in the war. I always attributed it to his strongly held belief that you do what you need to do without asking for or expecting a pat on the back.
I've always been in awe of Robin's prowess, durability, eyesight, and flying talent. I did some of the same things, but, never in Robin's class. He and his kind are indeed rare.
I hope we've finally learned to listen to the people that go into harms way instead of armchair generals who think they know better. What a legend Olds was. They don't make them like that anymore.
The first Gulf War was run by actual warriors. Poobah’s Party is a perfect example of the kind of tactics they used.
The Iraq invasion on the other hand had Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; aka: Robert McNamara 2.0. He micromanaged everything into failure. The initial invasion worked out okay, but they screwed up the occupation when they disbanded the entire Iraqi Army and police overnight and put a million military trained men out of work with no way to support their families; a recipe to cause an insurgency. Making a million men, who know how to fight wars, pissed off with nothing else to do is a dumb move.
No we haven't learned. Still doing same dumb mess. Except now everyone is even more concerned about optics and career progression. The ones like, are far and few in between. They make Lt Col then are "highly encouraged" to retire.
@@keirfarnum6811 Correct, they did not know how to fight wars as effectively as our nation does, but every Iraqi soldier knew their way around the AK and RPG. They also would adapt their tactics to ambush and run and the emplacement of mines. Later they would introduce short range urban sniping.
There were many American officers involved who were pleading to remove just the Batthist loyalist from the Iraqi army ranks, about 100,000 of the higher level Iraqis, and put the majority of the rest on the payroll. Kinda what we did anyway with the ICDC, two years too late.
Mark Millie is a prime example of a war fighter who became an armchair hero.
The thunder chief F-105 was no slouch in the speed department. They were solid supersonic attack bombers! Up to Mach 2 or over 1,300 mph. And they could go supersonic down low and loaded. While they weren’t dog fighters nor really configured to dance with the mig 17s and mig-21s, they also were not exactly easy pickings either. They also shot down a number of migs in air to air combat. Though the migs got more of them than they did the migs. The airforce found the F-4 Phantoms were better suited for dealing with the MiGs, especially the mig-21s. We lost thousands of airplanes in Vietnam.
Robin Olds was the leader everyone needs in the service. He believed in true leader ship by going with his men and showing them he was a leader in stead of giving them orders and sending them out while he stayed safe
Col. Olds Scat F-4 phantom is on static display at WPAFB Dayton Ohio !
As it should be!
Col. Olds was brave enough to learn new ways to fight. The USAF was not and we lost too many B-52s on Linebacker II due to flying the same patterns too many times.
If you haven't yet read it, the book The Thirteen Days of Christmas is an excellent analysis of how predictability is fatal in warfare.
General Olds!
Glad he got his stars.
Better story than Top Gun.
... Either of them.
Both movies were strictly for entertainment. The Tom Cruise character would have been passed over for promotion and booted out long before the second movie was supposed to have happened.
@@ken481959 they even mention that to his face in the movie.
@@ken481959 Yeah, disregarding ATC and doing a tower flyby like that after being told no would have made him lose his wings, at least, and likely have been court martialed.
@@dx1450 yeah, riding his bike on the runway would ground you immediately as well.
TopGun school was created because of the failures in Vietnam.
What a freaking fantastic story! I swear you never cease to amaze me, never!
Don't want to burst your bubble but the F-105 was anything but slow. At low altitudes and freed of its bombs it would run away from an F4.
It's what they said though. Laden with bombs they where easy targets.
...I went straight to comments when I heard that!
Uh-No.
F-4 pilots said "Thuds go home at just under the speed of light"
They could go fast with a load of bombs, but the bombs would get torn off by drag and turbulence.
And yet it's no match for the Mig21 at all
Imagine what would have happened if the F4's had a gun.
The F4 E model had a Canon mount on it
@@chief3378 Wasn't there during this time in the war.
@@b.thomas8926 I didn't say it was I said the e model which came out years later
@@b.thomas8926this is just one of many reasons they added one to the E model
The F8 corsair had a gun, but most of its mig kills were actually still with missile. Considering the F4 is less maneuverable than the F8, maybe the answer is: slightly better.
Proud to have B. Gen Robin Olds's autograph on my wall, along with a series of photos from WWII, and Operation Bolo. Not a man meant for garrison, but an "in Case of War, break the glass" kind of guy. A man's man. It's too bad those F-4's didn't have guns when they came out, thinking they could rely on as-yet not-reliable missiles. God Bless you Robin Olds, wherever you are. All those who served in Vietnam, too. Treated like garbage upon their return. Enjoyed taking a Vietnam veteran friend to lunch today. A great guy.
Col Olds and Col James led the 8 TFW to great things. Their nickname in the wing was Blackman and Robin.
These men folks..heros. no dunks..no touchdowns... no extra points. Sacrifice. Thank you !. God bless America. AMEN.
Wow I was really blown away by this adventure, We so needed more commanders like Brig General Olds. I really loved the story so much, Our boys and gals from Vietnam deserve so much more credit then they get, its great to see a documentary like this one coming out of that period of war. Thank you, Veterans of Vietnam and the military, for all of my freedoms. May God bless you all ✝️🇺🇸🦅🗽
That the US had a missile that could lock on from out of visible range BUT doctrine says NO, you can’t shoot it until you see the enemy just shows one problem most militaries have. The higher ups-generals and Admirals- usually fought in the LAST war so their knowledge and experience were outdated in the fast moving changes that happened post WWII. The Brass were used to WWII and Korea dogfights and were mistrustful when told something could be done without seeing the other side pilot to pilot. The Ukraine war has given militaries a heads up about how the next,war might be fought that no one had thought about before-cheap drone swarms to overwhelm and negate the best anti-air defense!
The F 105 Thunder Chief was not slow in fact it was very fast in a straight line. Not so agile because it was heavy and took a lot of real estate to turn in. It was an excellent bomb truck.
Yep, it was designed as a low level supersonic tactical bomber to stay below enemy radar and deliver a single nuclear bomb behind enemy lines. They tried to adapt it to a bombing role in Vietnam which it was not really suited for.
@@richardlangdon712 Wasn't it supposed to kind of toss a nuclear bomb then climb and head in the opposite direction?
@@JohnSmith-de2mz Yes.
I've read that a f-105 was the fastest on the deck of any jet until the advent of f-14,15,16!
18,000 pounds ordnance, Mach 2+, what's not to love?
Nailed it 😊
Great editing on this video.
The F-4. The plane that proves beyond a shadow of doubt, that with enough thrust, even a brick will fly.
Olds was one, very impressive man.
They don't make em like that any more. Robin Olds was a pilot's pilot. A dogfighter! I wonder how many times he asked who was the brilliant idiot who designed this incredible airplane without a gun????
This is the first time iv heard anyone speak so highly of a mig 21. 😂
Mig-21 in the right hands and tactics was a potent opponent.
Really? It was hands down the best soviet fighter until the Mig 29
thankyou , was great to watch and learn .amazing person 1of1 in many ways ,seldom sean are people of this qaulity .
The way Vietnam was fought was idiocy.
McNamara was scum, he got a lot of brave Men killed
And so was the "why"
I was in the navy from 1966 to 1970. I was an electrician on the F4. It was a flying brick with 2 j79 engines.
My uncle was a Colonel in the air force and flew jets over Korea. I never got to talk with him about his service but I always looked up to him and wanted to be a jet pilot because of him.
The F-105 was many things (including cumbersome), but it was NOT "slow"; it was supersonic at sea level and capable of almost mach 2 at high altitude. But it was a BIG target! I flew Phantoms for four tours in Vietnam and met Olds; he was indeed the real thing. Anybody who didn't listen and learn was going to get to meet his new CO in short order, in a different unit! This particular operation did wonders for pilot morale and was the topic of O-club conversations for some time, and the exploits got more exaggerated with each telling (all by guys who were not anywhere near there).
The original rhino was a versatile aircraft and both thunder birds and blue Angels flew I believe at the same time. I would have like to see their shows. Those j-79"s roar would have been awesome!
"Rhino?" Today that's the US Naval Carrier Code Word for Recovering Super Hornet, to prevent confusion with the legacy hornet.
I was stationed at Nellis with F-111's in the early 70's. The Thunderbirds and Blue Angles would put on practice shows during their training season. We would watch from the roof tops on our maintenance hangars and sometimes they came by (Navy) so low we could see the tops of the planes. I was later assigned to the Wolf Pack back on F4-D's in Korea. Lots of tradition.
Excellent videos. I particularly appreciate the real live human narration rather than an AI voice. Well researched and written. Please keep up the great work.
The oldest and the boldest - a remarkable leader Robin Olds - all the 'right stuff' - a similar no-nonsense approach to Douglas Bader - not never shot down
F4s were a uniquely good-looking aircraft
Yes they were and so was the F-106, my Pop flew both
Mig 21's were not "agile". In fact the delta wing used on the MIG 21 bled off energy fast in turns (not what you want for a dog fighter.) MIG 21's would employ a slashing technique where they dove through a bomber formation. Nothing was faster than an F-105 down in the weeds. This slashing technique would cause the 105's to drop their bomb loads and this was a problem but free of bombs, nothing could catch a 105 down low.
I saw this on an episode of Dogfights. Great story and great ruse by the F-4 pilots.
Do some more research on the Thud.
This Guy was unique.
I got to see Robin's plane up close!!!
yeah his Jet was at my old unit years ago the 149th ANG TX, Chappy James's son was also there he was an F4 pilot
My Dad a civilian working at March Air Force Base met him many times..
He said Robin was one tough guy..
I think the golf course on Base is named after him if I remember correctly.
As my plane passed over Malaga, the fleet of Phantom F4's below looked like predator birds in military gray. Even at rest, the fighter looked lethal.
My Dad did TDY at Ubon in 1970. He mentioned the MiG kill tally in front of the 8th TFW Operations building. Btw the F-105 was NOT slow.
Phantoms forever
My brother flew the F-4 in the Air Force. When the jets were sold to the KS Air National Guard, he made a lateral move into the Guard so he could continue flying his beloved F-4. Beautiful plane. RIP “Crash”. (His nickname)
No the F-105 couldn't outrun an F-4 the Phantom set 16 Word Speed Records at both Low and High Altitudes.
What a ..... yeah stumped for words here.. what a man, what a pilot....what a hero , all of these apply but I have difficulties putting a name on to him because he is all of them so what do you call an double ace in 2 wars and a hero in one of them..... IDK.......Sir? or Your highness?
His actress wife also made it for him not to see combat in Korea.
You are spot on BC , the General was married ( sadly later divorced tho) to Ella Raines. I was at the Air Force Academy class of '73 and was fortunate enough to stand in a reception line next to General Olds and got to meet his daughters who I think were twins and beautiful! The General definitely was one of a kind, striking good looks and a built in commanding presence! Most definitely had the "Right Stuff"! My father, bird colonel at age 33, flew P-51's, P-47's and P- 38's in WW2 and also flew 30 + combat missions in Korea stationed out of Johnson AFB IN Japan where I was born. God bless you for this amazing story about Operation Bolo and may General Olds ans General Chappie James RIP🫡👍👊🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@wendellkelley3890 thanks
@wendellkelley3890 i was born at K.I. Sawyer afb myself. B-52 was my first word! 🫡🇺🇲
Robin Olds was a fine fellow in every way.............
Old F-4 Phantom pilot Shoe🇺🇸
America’s best. Awesome film.
Years after the fact Robin Olds in an interview told of how his first wife Ella Raines a star in Hollywood knew a few people in the US state department. She told of her fear of Olds going to Korea. Strings were pulled and he was sent to Germany instead to command a fighter group. The rest is history.
I cant believe intinially the F4 didn't even have gun. Thats terrible leadership from the top.
Doctrine when it was designed was missiles would make cannons outdated. They were wrong but hindsight etc.
There doing the same thing today with the f35 thinking it can take over the cas role from the a10
You are correct, the F-4C and D variants did not have an internal gun. The F-4E was the first to have the internal 20mm gun. OTOH, a centerline belly gun was a bandaid fix before the E model came into service. After the armchair quarterbacks would not allow shooting anything the aircraft could not see and identify as the enemy, some of the E model F-4's got a tiseo camera built into the left wing. It allowed visual identification far earlier than the previous F-4's. I served as a crew chief on F-4E's until I was moved to the new F-16A.
I wonder how many MIGs had Russian pilots posing as NK pilots.....
Slow F105 Thunder chiefs?! They could fly at Mach 2 and do over 800 knots and break the sound barrier on the deck!
l value highly the courage and valor of the military men. The government that sent those men is the one to blame for the atrocities committed in VietNam.
Well, I guess it's good to hear the commentary has slowed down a bit...
If one ever gets an opportunity. There is a fantastic tribute display to Gen. Olds at Wright Patterson Airforce museum. It includes the nose from his F4 Phantom.
Robin Olds was a badass.
The F-4 is not a bad plane. It is a chevy. Handles like a rock. Fast but cannot turn.
Col. Robin Olds had his stuff together! He was a master tactician! 😎
Merry Christmas ! Hope you have a lovely day🌲🌲
Should make a film. Good story. 👍
I true leader. Knowing what he knows and doesn't know. Challenging his subordinates (viewed as team mates) to improve their skills which in the end would probably save their lives and the lives of many other airmen.
Old was exactly what was needed. Sadly, with brass thinking at the time, dog fighting tactics and guns started appearing towards the end on the F-4E’s
I was wondering if you could tell me the soundtracks music soundtracks you’ve been using on this very nice music thank you
Olds had the most Chad mustache….
I dont think our side ment for us to win the vietnam war we had stupid leadership.
P.s the Thunderchief had an internal 20mm rotary cannon
The OG Maverick.
Wait, 14m in that is NOT a KC-135, that's a B-52.
The 105 was anything but “slow and cumbersome”. Your pretext is bogus. Down low the 105 was very fast and could carry over five tons of ordnance all the way. It was designed to deliver a special weapon all the way to a key target as a TAC asset. It was turned into a conventional weps hauler in Vietnam.
Yeah, except when carrying 12,000lbs of bombs, that might affect the flight performance of them duh.
@ same issues on the F4 and any other airframe with external stores. Talk to a professional fighter pilot, not me, about simply hanging extra fuel tanks as to the effect on performance and range. All I know is from observation and knowing gentlemen that have actually been in the seat on both. “Duh”, indeed.
Were there was the rule for visual identification? Had they no Friend or Foe system in the aircraft in that time?
And if the fighter dont get training for Air to ground attack an no air to air training what they are tought in there training?
Anybody interested in thuds etc should read Joel T Hayward,s Taxi Dancer. A work of fiction but historically accurate
6:19 What song is this? It is so recognisable and I am almost certain it is a popular song. Would anyone please let me know what the name of the song is?
What was done about the missiles that failed to launch?
Chappy, like Iron Eagle?
Bolo, a Filipino farming tool, doubled as a fighting weapon.
7 minutes in n no mention of his pal Chappie
However one big weakness no guns only a few missiles and no guns for close combat and heavy smoke trails easy to spot !
Why show MiG 15’s in the gunsights?
Olds kinda looks like Dale Earnhardt Sr in his yunger days :)🙂
Col. Robin Olds(at the time) was not denied combat in Korea. He was simply kept stateside due to being married and her father's well-appointed connections.
🎉🎉🎉 Thank s 🎉🎉🎉
Many people don’t know that a large majority of MIG’s were piloted by Soviet pilots. The North Vietnamese were not technically capable to fly MIG’s.
Phantom Power !!!
Why hasn't this been made into a movie with Tom Hardy as Robin Olds? Somebody please get Tom Hanks on the line...
I would’ve disregarded the ROE’s and launch AIM-7s from BVR. I’d rather be disciplined than risk my life negating the whole purpose of the F-4.
I was a weapons crew chief back then. On returning Migcap missions we almost always had to deal with a full load of AIM-7's to download but the Aim-9 rails were often empty.
My Dad was in the 421st at DaNang flying F-4's