The Incredible Story of How Robin Olds Scored His First Kills

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
  • Robin Olds is most famous for his role in the Vietnam War when he led a Fighter Wing and shot down four MiGs. But his career started more than two decades earlier in World War Two. He was initially trained for P-38 Lightning and after flying many bomber escort and ground-attack missions without even seeing an enemy fighter, on 14 August 1944 he would finally get a chance to show what he could do in an air-to-air engagement.
    This is the first video on this channel fully produced using IL-2 Great Battles.
    Source:
    - Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds
    amzn.to/3Aj5Fsb
    Donate via Paypal:
    www.paypal.com...
    Join our Discord server:
    / discord
    Support the channel on Patreon:
    / showtime112
    #militaryaviationhistory #wwii #warbirds

КОМЕНТАРІ • 113

  • @apflyingamer3623
    @apflyingamer3623 2 роки тому +16

    If you remember anybody from Dogfights, you probably remember Robin Olds.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +2

      Sure, it's hard to forget the guy.

    • @shootfirst2097
      @shootfirst2097 13 днів тому

      @@showtime112 In his Dogfights episode, he claimed he had a 1,000-pd bomb slung and that his wheels left a mark on the other plane's wing

  • @joeschenk8400
    @joeschenk8400 2 роки тому +31

    This is a nice change of pace being set in WWII. I enjoyed it very much, more from WWII would be welcomed. Thanks for the post.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +5

      Thank you for watching and commenting! I think I'll cover WWII more in the future. So much stuff to cover and many assets to use in IL-2.

    • @_ace_defective_
      @_ace_defective_ 2 роки тому +1

      @@showtime112 This is late but I also found this really enjoyable. IL-2 works really nice for this too because it has more WW2 content than DCS while also being a good simulator in its own right.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      @@_ace_defective_ Il-2 definitely gives more options for WWII than DCS. The biggest flaw is the lack of heavy bombers but I hope they will correct it soon.

  • @ronaldwatson1951
    @ronaldwatson1951 2 роки тому +18

    As always the historical information is great, my favorite warbird the P38, good video and you can't go wrong with WW2, Vietnam or the Korean conflict.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks! There's something about the Lightning, I agree. Vietnam will be the next video and after that not sure but maybe another WWII story.

  • @enzoflyer7522
    @enzoflyer7522 2 роки тому +8

    I like the gun camera effect!

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks, I was quite happy with it!

  • @Nick10407
    @Nick10407 2 роки тому +22

    I’m surprised you didn’t choose the engine out, glide mode kill, as thats quite a story. I saw him explain it in a television programme. On an escort mission he dropped the drop tanks in order to engage a German fighter but forgot to switch the fuel selector. He has a page on wikipedia for more info.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +3

      That's the story from the first episode of Dogfights. To be honest, that one is a bit hard to do and I'm still learning the IL-2 mission editor. Once I'm more proficient with it, I'll do some more complex scenarios. Probably that one as well.

    • @Lemard77
      @Lemard77 2 роки тому

      @@showtime112 Would be hard to recreate too as IL-2 doesn't have drop tanks yet, they are planned but it will take months as each plane gets them implemented.

    • @ronaldwatson1951
      @ronaldwatson1951 2 роки тому

      Engine out and still get a kill? Very interesting if that's the case, good suggestion 👍

    • @AlanRoehrich9651
      @AlanRoehrich9651 2 роки тому +1

      That one is pretty well documented. And there's already a CGI video. He scored three, one with both engines out, one after he fired both engines back up, and one that bounced him as he recovered from a near terminal compressibility dive. His wingman, B.E Hollister scored at least one as well.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      @@AlanRoehrich9651 You probably mean the video from History Channel's Dogfights. Their level of CGI is pretty much outdated now. I've already done a few stories that had been covered in that show.

  • @scullystie4389
    @scullystie4389 2 роки тому +3

    My great uncle also arrived in the ETO in 1944, and flew P-38s until transition to P-51s. He scored one victory against an Fw-190 that he caught on final to its airfield. When I was a kid he showed me old VHS tapes of his gun cameras and all his old memoribilia, he was very proud of his exploits over there.
    It hadn't occurred to me that Olds flew the Lightning in Europe. Makes me wonder if they knew each other.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +2

      Thanks for sharing. If you knew exactly in which units your great uncle served at what time, it could be compared to Olds' service and see if they served together.

  • @michaelpascual3581
    @michaelpascual3581 2 роки тому +9

    This only makes me more excited for your future F-4E Phantom II videos. Top class work as always.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Thank you for sharing! There will be videos about Olds in Vietnam.

  • @EastGames-uy6mc
    @EastGames-uy6mc 2 роки тому +4

    Refreshing! 😃

  • @josemunguia1883
    @josemunguia1883 Рік тому +1

    WOW to see a p38 lightning ⚡️ in person is to see your favorite hero it takes your breath away I love this channel

  • @dth999
    @dth999 2 роки тому +3

    Olds actually bounced a wheel off the P-38 blocking the runway. Left a mark. He and his wife had dinner overlooking the bridge.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +2

      That's true. However it proved to be extremely hard to reenact so I 'simplified' it a bit. The dinner part was a bit hard to do as well 😁 But thanks for contributing additional info.

  • @mikemontgomery2654
    @mikemontgomery2654 2 роки тому +2

    Olds set a record in the P-38, as well. As he was bouncing a BF-110, he jettisoned his external tanks and both of his engines died. This alarmed him for a moment but, he then quickly realized he was lined up for a shot on the 110. Olds took the shot, downed the 110, realized he forgot to switch his fuel selector from auxiliary to internal fuel. As he made the switch, his engines came back to life and he proceeded to attack the other enemy aircraft that his wingmen were engaging. That earned him the record, if I remember correctly, only confirmed enemy dead stick kill. At least, one of very few that did so, otherwise.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +2

      That would be quite hard to reenact in IL-2 but someday, I might try it.

    • @mikemontgomery2654
      @mikemontgomery2654 2 роки тому +1

      @@showtime112 that would be hard to nail. Lol

  • @_marcoopuccii
    @_marcoopuccii 2 роки тому +4

    Yess!! Ww2 content!

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +2

      Thanks! I intend to do more of it, seems like a new and exciting thing to do.

    • @_marcoopuccii
      @_marcoopuccii 2 роки тому

      @@showtime112 fantastic!!

  • @dharmendrasharma1458
    @dharmendrasharma1458 2 роки тому +4

    Something new and still too good, would love to see more from IL-2.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks! I'm very likely gonna do more.

  • @iansum1268
    @iansum1268 2 роки тому +3

    this is the superhero origins story we need

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      He sure was extremely charismatic.

  • @byronbreese3454
    @byronbreese3454 Рік тому +2

    Not a few Vietnam pilots had WW2 combat experience. What people need to consider even from the summary of this mission in the vid, are: how skilled Olds was (note the take off issue), how cool he was when things went wrong, his positive combat aggressiveness, and his healthy ego (victory rolling the German pilot who survived his attack). Plus, whilst alone he bombed the right bridge, unlike the rest of the unit. And doing all these things in a P-38 also shows how he knew the versatility of that particular aircraft's abilities. Sure, the P-51 gets all the glory, but you've got to understand how brilliant the P-38 was at the same time as it was a difficult plane. That Olds mastered it is hugely important for his more 'sexy' reputation in Vietnam: the P-38 (and P-51) taught him how to be successful as a pilot and leader in the F-4. It's a little difficult for those who are as far from WW2 as I was from WW1; most of the WW2 vets are gone now and prop-driven a/c aren't as sexy as the exclusively jet age world since, say, 1950. And 1950 seems like ancient history for most now. But one must keep in mind that the beginnings of aviation isn't even a trillionth of a second in human history, so whatever happened since 1914 in terms of combat aviation is astonishing, and someone like Olds as a young fighter pilot is exceptional.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  Рік тому +1

      I agree, Olds was one of a kind. And P-38 deserves a bit more praise. I did a video about that too recently :)

    • @byronbreese3454
      @byronbreese3454 Рік тому

      @@showtime112 This is the version I copied out by hand as a 12-year old when my family visited the USAF Museum at Wright-Pat in Ohio. Before the P-51, Lightnings were all we had to escort bombers. The link has more info and the disputes about authorship:
      Oh, Hedy Lamarr is a beautiful gal, and Madeleine Carroll is too,
      But you'll find if you query, a different theory amongst any bomber crew
      For the loveliest thing of which one could sing (this side of the pearly gates)
      Is no blonde or brunette of the Hollywood set -
      But an escort of P-38s.
      Yes, in the days that have passed,
      when the tables were massed with glasses of scotch and champagne,
      It's quite true that the sight was a thing of delight us,
      intent on feeling no pain.
      But no longer the same, nowadays is this game
      When we head north for Messina Straits
      Take the sparkling wine-every time,
      just make mine an escort of P-38s.
      Byron, Shelley and Keats ran a dozen dead heats
      Describing the views from the hills,
      of the valleys in May when the winds gently sway
      In the air it's a different story;
      We sweat out our track through the fighters and flak
      We're willing to split up the glory
      Well, they wouldn't reject us, so heaven protect us
      and, until all this shooting abates,
      Give us courage to fight 'em - one other small item -
      an escort of P-38s.
      p38assn.org/songs-and-poems/ I don't think the P-38 org has the right version, but they are THE org for all things P-38.

  • @tallman2210
    @tallman2210 2 роки тому +2

    Great video. I've wanted to see this re-created since reading his book.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Glad to hear it, thanks for commenting!

  • @koetaj848
    @koetaj848 2 роки тому +5

    Za slatkoljubce propelerca 💪

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Mislim da će biti još toga.

  • @waltergreif4836
    @waltergreif4836 2 роки тому +1

    that was fantastic! Please consider doing more WWII videos!

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Glad you liked it. I would like to do more WWII stuff in the future. All of my videos on that subject underperformed badly. Except for the last one and that gives me hope

  • @manzelli1981
    @manzelli1981 2 роки тому +6

    “Performed several victory rolls…” only because giving the middle finger out of the cockpit is against Army Air Force regs. 😂 Would love to see more WWII content if you’re willing to do it!

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks! It looks like I'm gonna do more WWII stuff.

  • @andywells397
    @andywells397 9 місяців тому +1

    Excellent

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  9 місяців тому

      Thank you, I am glad you appreciate this (somewhat overlooked) content!

  • @t.j.payeur5331
    @t.j.payeur5331 Рік тому +1

    That was great, thanks.

  • @kaa8643
    @kaa8643 2 роки тому +1

    great video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more WW2 videos plz!

  • @guydespatie6881
    @guydespatie6881 11 місяців тому

    As always... Equal to your usual awesome self ! Well done trooper !

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  11 місяців тому

      I appreciate your positive feedback, thanks! And I'm glad people watch these older videos that didn't do too well.

  • @vyshnav4092
    @vyshnav4092 2 роки тому +2

    GOOD OLD CLASSIC.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Thanks for appreciating the content!

  • @donparker1823
    @donparker1823 2 роки тому +2

    I had forgotten General Olds was also a WWII airman. I wonder if he also served in the Korean war? He was indeed a clever and able Wing Commander (twice in Viet Nam). Great job with this episode!!

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks for the comment! Olds didn't participate in the Korean War. I think he did request to go but he was turned down for some reason.

    • @lferlan
      @lferlan 2 роки тому +1

      No he didn't fly in Korea, it was politics, his wife was an actress in hollywood and they knew a lot of politicians,and they didn't want him to fly in that conflict incase he was shot down.

  • @im2noob4bronze
    @im2noob4bronze 2 роки тому +3

    5:16 bet you felt very proud about that drop hahah

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      To be perfectly honest, I cheated 😁

  • @rafaelaldana1503
    @rafaelaldana1503 2 роки тому +2

    il2 nice

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Thanks. More very likely to come.

  • @PappaBear_yt
    @PappaBear_yt 2 роки тому +1

    I like this a lot! 👍🏻👏🏻💪🏻🙋🏼‍♂️🍻

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      I'm glad. It's a shame thst my WWII videos can't get any views because I know the audience for this exists. But YT algorithm doesn't want you to do anything different. I'll keep trying nevertheless 😁

  • @StevenMRA
    @StevenMRA 2 роки тому +2

    Great vid! I am very familiar with Olds' exploits in Vietnam, but did not know his history in WWII.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Thanks! That's exactly why I made this video, I thought it would be a worthy story to tell.

  • @ratagris21
    @ratagris21 2 роки тому +2

    A strong, dedicated leader, warrior, and true aviation expert. 🎩🎱🏁🎯♠♦♣♥🌼🏵🌸💙💛🔱🌻🇺🇸🍀

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      He was quite an extraordinary person, no doubt.

    • @ratagris21
      @ratagris21 2 роки тому

      This just got uploaded on him. ua-cam.com/video/kWMYICWrFuw/v-deo.html

  • @MrOlgrumpy
    @MrOlgrumpy 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks for the detailed research and entertaining presentation.🙃

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Thank you for watching and commenting!

  • @jdsaldivar5606
    @jdsaldivar5606 Рік тому +1

    82ND AIRBORNE
    P - 38 Lightning : The Forked Wing Devil... Yeeehaw!!

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  Рік тому

      There's something about it. Personally, I like P-38 more than P-51 even though the latter is more popular. Maybe that's the reason :)

    • @jdsaldivar5606
      @jdsaldivar5606 Рік тому

      @@showtime112
      82ND AIRBORNE
      Thee enemy gave the Lockheed " Forked Wing Devil" for a reason. I do not recall at this time a nickname for the Mustang.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  Рік тому

      @@jdsaldivar5606 I can't remember anything either.

    • @jdsaldivar5606
      @jdsaldivar5606 Рік тому

      @@showtime112
      82ND AIRBORNE
      Hey man... don't feel so bad...I couldn't remember anything after my Prom date...

  • @bjornsmith9431
    @bjornsmith9431 2 роки тому +1

    Robin Olds first wife was an actress Ella Raine who was staunch Anti Communist and famous Hollywood star, form fighter pilot aces to marrying a star of films Robin Olds was one lucky man.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +3

      I'm surprised no one has made a film about him yet. You don't have to be a genius to make a good film from that kind of a material.

    • @SmashedGlass
      @SmashedGlass 2 роки тому +4

      @@showtime112 His biography book "Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds" is a very good read, endorsed by his daughter.

  • @Piydarija
    @Piydarija 2 роки тому

    super si to odradio . mogli koji put skupa letit

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Hvala. Dođi na discord pa ćemo vidjeti.

    • @Piydarija
      @Piydarija 2 роки тому

      @@showtime112 ciji discord

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      @@Piydarija Moj. Link je u opisu videa.

  • @shooter2055
    @shooter2055 2 роки тому +2

    "Stop with the negative waves! It's a beautiful bridge and it's gonna be there!" --Oddball. Mister Olds disagrees.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Despite general confusion of the whole mission, at leas one guy knew what he was doing.

  • @cartersmith8560
    @cartersmith8560 2 роки тому

    when In was in the second grade (1969-70) I wrote a letter to the USAF academy saying I would like to be a pilot.....the man who cordially answered my letter was BGen Robin Olds .....I long ago lost the letter sadly

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Interesting. Such a shame you lost the letrer.

  • @raphaelmiguelbalon9226
    @raphaelmiguelbalon9226 2 роки тому +1

    Looking for more...

  • @jackmunday7602
    @jackmunday7602 2 роки тому +1

    Robin Olds would of been the first jet Ace of Vietnam, had it not been for the US Air Force command. Who would of repatriated him immediately for propaganda purposes, had he downed five enemy Migs. But Olds loved flying too much, he wanted to do what he loved, not become the Airfoces P.R man. So after downing four Migs, Olds would no longer fire on Enemy aircraft. Instead he would just latch onto them, allowing his Wingman to claim the kill.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Yeah, that is widely accepted. I'll probably deal more with that in the future.

  • @rossmum
    @rossmum Рік тому

    Victory rolls over the bailed-out 190 pilot? Man would've been reported for toxicity, what a gamer 🤣

  • @jagers4xford471
    @jagers4xford471 2 роки тому +2

    Olds Bong Yeager Bud Anderson all American heroes

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      Yeah, and the stories are quite well documented.

  • @andrevrignaud4436
    @andrevrignaud4436 Рік тому

    Good morning
    During this fight the second German pilot was to be Ulrich Hillger of the JG2 'Richthofen' squadron on a mission to Evreux that day and he was flying a Focke-Wulf fw190-A8. After being chased above the town of Montmirail his plane was damaged and after having traveled about twenty kilometers He ejected (his parachute did not open) and died in a field in the town of Chapelle-Royale (Eure et Loire - France).
    I am researching this fight and for the next exhibition in my village which will take place in 2024 and I would like to broadcast your video and above all complete my 2022 document on which I indicated that Lieutenant Richard Garland of 392 Fighter Squadron - 367 Fighter group had engaged in combat but without succeeding in destroying this plane above the Evreux base to attribute this victory to Lieutenant Robin Olds.
    Can you tell me if it would be possible to have your agreement and to have a digital copy of this video.
    Cordially

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  Рік тому

      Hello and thanks for contacting me! Yes, feel free to use the video for your presentation. You can contact me on showtime112b@gmail.com and I can upload the original video for you to download.

  • @TurboMountTV
    @TurboMountTV Рік тому

    Couldn't have the P-38 escorted B-17 on early bombing raids when they had bad losses?

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  Рік тому

      It actually was used for bomber escort in late 1943 and early 1944 but there were certain problems. Then, the Mustang was introduced and it was more suitable for the job. There's an interesting article about it here:
      www.historynet.com/p-38-flunked-europe/

    • @TurboMountTV
      @TurboMountTV Рік тому

      @@showtime112 Well thanks for that article. Guess it was the altitude and temp.
      Brought up what I was thinking - why didn't switch out engines like early mustangs did.
      Raises another question - why didn't early missions use the P-47, which wouldn't have had the 38 issues.
      But arrival of 51 solved everything.

  • @guinnog2
    @guinnog2 2 роки тому

    Il-2 or DCS?

  • @eugeneoreilly9356
    @eugeneoreilly9356 2 роки тому

    looks like he caught the Germans napping as the FW190 would out fly the P38.Thats why they were rarely used over Europe,it was mostly over N Africa.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому

      It was a surprise, sure. But that's how air combat mostly looks like.

    • @AlanRoehrich9651
      @AlanRoehrich9651 2 роки тому +1

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
      Except that Olds, Ilfrey, Morris, Lowell, and Blumer, among others, did extremely well in the P-38 against the very best that the Luftwaffe had.
      And Olds nailed TWO 190's in a two on one engagement, easily outflying them both, in a P-38.

    • @showtime112
      @showtime112  2 роки тому +1

      @@AlanRoehrich9651 I expect to dig more deeply into the P-38 operations over Europe in the future. I kinda like to point out to some lesser known facts in military aviation.

    • @rossmum
      @rossmum Рік тому

      The 190 really wasn't all that, especially the radial-engined variants by this stage of the war. It had a good rate of roll and dived fairly well, but the sole reason it had been such a nasty shock to the western Allies was that it could outperform the Spitfire Mk.V when it entered service and in particular had a fantastic rate of roll (hence the clipped-wing Spitfires, to try remedy this disparity). By 1942 the Spitfire Mk.IX had regained the upper hand and the 190 was no longer some bogeyman as the IX had superior performance in many respects and pilots had already learnt to fight it by exploiting its weaknesses. For its own part, the P-38's agility was surprisingly good for a twin-engined fighter and it had excellent speed and climb characteristics, and the main reasons for its high loss rate in Europe were meddling from the bomber mafia (so they often went without tanks, which hurt its combat radius) and inexperienced pilots bounced during ground attack missions, mainly over the MTO. The P-38 was largely replaced by the P-51 over Europe because of a mix of politics and aforementioned bomber mafia meddling, it was extremely successful over the Pacific in the fighter role.