I met Greg Boyington for the first time in 1978 at Oshkosh. Shortly after arriving at my first Navy Squadron in San Diego I talked with him at length at a small airshow at Brown Field. He was in poor health by then but was actually gracious and we had a good visit.
I met Greg Boyington on two occasions, both at Wally Olsen's airfield on Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver, Washington...He gave me an autographed copy of BAA BAA Black Sheep...Inscribed, with " Black Sheep greetings" Greg Boyington...The second of his books "Tonya" sits next to the first on my home library shelf and are two of my most prized possessions...He was most cordial and pleasant to chat with...
Cool Video !! When I was younger , 17 to 20 maybe, 'Bah Bah Blacksheep', a '70s T.V. show, was being filmed around the Channel Islands off Ventura, Calif. We'd see 6 or 8 F4-Us coming in to land at Oxnard Airport after the days shoot !! WAY Cool !
A friend of mine told me back in the 70s when he was working for a company that had him go to different places where there was oil wells, being drilled and stuff like that is this is in the 60s he said flying on some of those old airplanes there wasn’t a whole lot of them left by then in the early 60s anyways he said that radio engine the drone from that was just low you right to sleep. He said it was a beautiful signing engine, you see that little bit of a fire pop on the exhaust he said it was a sight to see his name was Bill Exley
Thoroughly enjoying this series, great stuff! Having read a bit about the Squadron, I knew the TV series wasnt very accurate but learning a lot about the origins of the squadron and the men who flew in it. I know this series is about the men and personalities of VMF-214 but would have liked it if you included a little background info on the primary aircraft flown by the squadron - the F4F and F4U. On to part 4! 👍
I have the hardcover of Black Sheep One and just ordered the last Hardcover copy of The Black Sheep on Amazon I read Baa Baa Black Sheep years ago and have a new paperback copy to read with your two books.
fantastic video series! answer to my hopes, quality, actual historical content with real archival footage! _(esp compared to SoS and fake history coming out of movie studios)_ It is indeed ironic, the Marines get the Navy's CAST OFFS... but in the Corsair they got probably the best all round prop fighter of the war, challenged only by the also massive P&W radial engined Thunderbolt. _(The Mustangs were great - easier to fly and cheaper to operate than either the Corsair or Jug - but not nearly as rugged, esp for ground-pounding)._ The Hellcats were also great - easier to learn and fly and much safer to land - but the Navy itself phased out the Hellcats and kept their Corsairs. In mid-1943 the Marines "got stuck" with the best warbird they could hope for!
@@skywarriormedia - _forgot to mention, with the Navy declaring the Corsairs "unfit for carrier duty," until the Brits - Royal Navy pilots - mastered the art of landing the hot, long "hose nosed" Corsairs on pitching carrier decks, the Marines had an aircraft that was nominally "better" - certainly faster - than the Navy's Hellcats!_ 😃 But the moment the USN carrier pilots copied the Brit's Corsair landing profile, the Navy immediately stopped sending Corsairs to the RN, lol!
About the only real facts are the squadrons name, Pappys name, where they fought, Pappys conflict with Col. Lard who’s real name is John Smoak and Pappys being buddies with General Moore.
In all fairness to his claims about his service in the AVG's there are two facts which are beyond dispute. (1) All AVG pilots were given a $500.00 kill payment for all kills, regardless of in air, or on the ground. Boyington very definitely did get two, solo mid air kills against A6-m Zero's, and he. along with three other pilots, did kill 15 on the ground in a surprise strafing run. That gave each one 3.75 kills, rounded to four, for the record count. Claire Chennault cheated him out of his share of the payment, with the money having been stolen by the Chang's as the doubtless reason for it. Yes, his drinking was a problem, but so was Chennault's relationship with the Chang's. (2) Not all AVG pilots were stationed at their principle bases, from which they operated with amassed "blow through" tactics against the greatly superior A6-M (they in turn, had the P-40 C, because it was the only fighter that could be crated for transport, and furthermore, the only one allowed in theatre by the US Government, for fear of capture). Boyington was stationed at a satellite base, which is what accounts for the fact of his solo kills, and he was the senior officer at that base. It may be noted that both of these two sets of facts are very well documented. Geoff Rohde
Sorry, but you don't even have your basic "facts" correct. The AVG fought against planes of the Japanese Army Air Force, not Zeros, which were naval fighters. Read Dan Ford's book.
Glad you're enjoying it! You're a rarity, lol. So many guys are overwhelmingly F4U or P-51 fans--not that many Wildcatters out there. A video about Butch O'Hare is on my short list.
@skywarriormedia , I'll be looking forward to the video. I'm thinking it was the Wildcats at Guadalcanal that wrecked the cream of Japan's pilot crop, after that the F6F was going up against the B team or worse. The P-51 was the best at 1 thing, being an escort fighter.
Lots and lots of coral dust on those island airstrips, with a 13-foot propeller acting as a blower. The tape kept the barrels clean but didn't hinder gun operation.
Good mention. I interviewed Rossi for the Boyington biography. He liked Greg, though many others (such as Tex Hill) did not. They pretty much ostracized him from postwar events.
It will always be the Confederate Air Force to me. I do not believe in political correctness or the silly woke movement. If people get offended that easy they need to stop taking themselves so seriously.
I met Greg Boyington for the first time in 1978 at Oshkosh.
Shortly after arriving at my first Navy Squadron in San Diego I talked with him at length at a small airshow at Brown Field. He was in poor health by then but was actually gracious and we had a good visit.
Thanks for sharing this great insight!
78 I believe that was the year they had him on a tour saw him at K Bay in Hawaii !
Hmm,I have a story from daddy that aligns with the narrative
I believe the (forgive me if I'm incorrect) F4-U1 Corsair was the most beautiful bird in the sky , and it sounds really bad ass
There's nothing incorrect about your opinion! I'm sure some would argue the point, but not me. It was a beastly yet elegant fighter.
I met Greg Boyington on two occasions, both at Wally Olsen's airfield on Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver, Washington...He gave me an autographed copy of BAA BAA Black Sheep...Inscribed, with " Black Sheep greetings" Greg Boyington...The second of his books "Tonya" sits next to the first on my home library shelf and are two of my most prized possessions...He was most cordial and pleasant to chat with...
Thanks for sharing this fond recollection. Great stuff.
Cool Video !! When I was younger , 17 to 20 maybe, 'Bah Bah Blacksheep', a '70s T.V. show, was being filmed around the Channel Islands off Ventura, Calif. We'd see 6 or 8 F4-Us coming in to land at Oxnard Airport after the days shoot !! WAY Cool !
So awesome that you got to see that! I was 17 when the first episode premiered--so we're about the same age.
Thanks for sharing another great documentary. Take care and God Bless.
Thanks very much!
I am really enjoying this series. It's very captivating.
That's great to hear!
Excellent, enjoying the whole series.
Thank you!
I’ve enjoyed your books immensely…it is great to visually see what I have read. Thank you for this series!
Thank you very much--it's great to hear from a viewer who knows the book connection. Look for more content based on some of my other works as well.
The sound is deafening. Isn't it.Beautiful
If you're referring to the Pratt & Whitney R-2800, it sure is a beautiful sound.
@@skywarriormedia So, is that sound/audio from the actual footage, or did they add the sound?
@@mattfulmer4243 the audio is dubbed in but the sounds are authentic (Corsair engines and .50 cal guns).
A friend of mine told me back in the 70s when he was working for a company that had him go to different places where there was oil wells, being drilled and stuff like that is this is in the 60s he said flying on some of those old airplanes there wasn’t a whole lot of them left by then in the early 60s anyways he said that radio engine the drone from that was just low you right to sleep. He said it was a beautiful signing engine, you see that little bit of a fire pop on the exhaust he said it was a sight to see his name was Bill Exley
Thoroughly enjoying this series, great stuff! Having read a bit about the Squadron, I knew the TV series wasnt very accurate but learning a lot about the origins of the squadron and the men who flew in it. I know this series is about the men and personalities of VMF-214 but would have liked it if you included a little background info on the primary aircraft flown by the squadron - the F4F and F4U. On to part 4! 👍
Glad you're enjoying the series! I hear ya regarding information on the planes---a good topic for a follow-on video.
I have the hardcover of Black Sheep One and just ordered the last Hardcover copy of The Black Sheep on Amazon I read Baa Baa Black Sheep years ago and have a new paperback copy to read with your two books.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the books!
We currently live in Greg Boyington's home town. The logging is still going strong, but the whore houses are long gone.
That's a hoot! I explored Cour d'Alene and St. Maries about 25 years ago.
I worked for Tom in 1980s he did this during ww2he was proud of his service
Emrich? I really enjoyed being in his company at several Black Sheep reunions.
Awesome video!
Thank you very much!
Thank you!
fantastic video series!
answer to my hopes, quality, actual historical content with real archival footage! _(esp compared to SoS and fake history coming out of movie studios)_
It is indeed ironic, the Marines get the Navy's CAST OFFS... but in the Corsair they got probably the best all round prop fighter of the war, challenged only by the also massive P&W radial engined Thunderbolt. _(The Mustangs were great - easier to fly and cheaper to operate than either the Corsair or Jug - but not nearly as rugged, esp for ground-pounding)._
The Hellcats were also great - easier to learn and fly and much safer to land - but the Navy itself phased out the Hellcats and kept their Corsairs. In mid-1943 the Marines "got stuck" with the best warbird they could hope for!
I'm genuinely glad you enjoyed the series. Good comments, too!
@@skywarriormedia - _forgot to mention, with the Navy declaring the Corsairs "unfit for carrier duty," until the Brits - Royal Navy pilots - mastered the art of landing the hot, long "hose nosed" Corsairs on pitching carrier decks, the Marines had an aircraft that was nominally "better" - certainly faster - than the Navy's Hellcats!_ 😃
But the moment the USN carrier pilots copied the Brit's Corsair landing profile, the Navy immediately stopped sending Corsairs to the RN, lol!
WOW Awesome Thank you and well done!
Thank you very much! Apologies for the slow response.
Awesome 👍😎
Thank you!
Guy went balls out. Thats winning
so basicly the story told about the beginning of the blacksheep tv show was hollywood making things up such as the shooting down of yamamoto as well
About the only real facts are the squadrons name, Pappys name, where they fought, Pappys conflict with Col. Lard who’s real name is John Smoak and Pappys being buddies with General Moore.
In all fairness to his claims about his service in the AVG's there are two facts which are beyond dispute. (1) All AVG pilots were given a $500.00 kill payment for all kills, regardless of in air, or on the ground. Boyington very definitely did get two, solo mid air kills against A6-m Zero's, and he. along with three other pilots, did kill 15 on the ground in a surprise strafing run. That gave each one 3.75 kills, rounded to four, for the record count. Claire Chennault cheated him out of his share of the payment, with the money having been stolen by the Chang's as the doubtless reason for it. Yes, his drinking was a problem, but so was Chennault's relationship with the Chang's. (2) Not all AVG pilots were stationed at their principle bases, from which they operated with amassed "blow through" tactics against the greatly superior A6-M (they in turn, had the P-40 C, because it was the only fighter that could be crated for transport, and furthermore, the only one allowed in theatre by the US Government, for fear of capture). Boyington was stationed at a satellite base, which is what accounts for the fact of his solo kills, and he was the senior officer at that base. It may be noted that both of these two sets of facts are very well documented. Geoff Rohde
Sorry, but you don't even have your basic "facts" correct. The AVG fought against planes of the Japanese Army Air Force, not Zeros, which were naval fighters. Read Dan Ford's book.
P4 B Warhawks not P 40 C
Luving this series, it's got my 2 favorite airplanes the F4-F and the best all round fighter of WW2 the Corsair. The Wildcat is my favorite though.
Glad you're enjoying it! You're a rarity, lol. So many guys are overwhelmingly F4U or P-51 fans--not that many Wildcatters out there. A video about Butch O'Hare is on my short list.
@skywarriormedia , I'll be looking forward to the video. I'm thinking it was the Wildcats at Guadalcanal that wrecked the cream of Japan's pilot crop, after that the F6F was going up against the B team or worse. The P-51 was the best at 1 thing, being an escort fighter.
Gee a Marine that likes to drink and fight hard to imagine.
Good one!
Where is Episode 4? Can't wait.
Hi! It's live on my channel (@Skywarriormedia). Hope you enjoy it!
Question.. The film of the taxiing shows what looks to be tape over the gun ports...anybody know why?
Lots and lots of coral dust on those island airstrips, with a 13-foot propeller acting as a blower. The tape kept the barrels clean but didn't hinder gun operation.
to keep dust out _(which, mixed with humidity, would foul the gun barrels)_
Dick Rossi, AVG ace & was President of AVG association, told me he was his roommate in China. Dick said Greg did his share of fighting
Good mention. I interviewed Rossi for the Boyington biography. He liked Greg, though many others (such as Tex Hill) did not. They pretty much ostracized him from postwar events.
Why was that brigadier general have two stars on his lapel?
Because it's the only available photo of James T. Moore. He was a brigadier in 1943, but the photo was taken later in his career.
Video starts at 9:10
It will always be the Confederate Air Force to me. I do not believe in political correctness or the silly woke movement. If people get offended that easy they need to stop taking themselves so seriously.
😎
No not so
What is "not so"? Please be more specific, preferably with a time stamp. Thanks!
so basicly the story told about the beginning of the blacksheep tv show was hollywood making things up such as the shooting down of yamamoto as well
Either made up, or twisted around.