The P-38 Lightning Ace that Just Wouldn't Die
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
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This is the story of Jack Ilfrey, the first American P-38 Lightning ace and one of the luckiest pilots in history. This was made using the World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series and War Thunder. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder
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FIRST
Pin it dude
TJ3 - You said "comment on which story I should cover next ?" = OK, so......
Why don't YOU narrate/cover the astonishing tale of tail-gunner Sgt Nick Alkemade ?
Fell 18,500ft = WITHOUT A PARACHUTE & SURVIVED !!!! - (on night of 24th March 1944)
His crew's Avro Lancaster were shot-down by Nightfighter Junkers Ju.88 pilot, Heinz Rokker
The Lancaster (serial DS.644), nicknamed "Werewolf" caught fire, leaving Alkemade "no choice"
It was either "burn to death & be cremated alive" or, "end it all, by jumping to his death, night sky"
Nick chose the latter & knowingly FULLY expected to die - However, fate would take a turn...
He hit 45-60ft tall Pine trees, covered in snow, along with a 5-6ft snowdrift on the ground.
Whilst he didn't end up breaking a single bone in his body, he WAS pi$$ing blood after that...
Took him 20+ mins AFTER the fall, to awaken & realise that he WASN'T "dead" after all !!!
Each RAF Bomber crewman, had a steel whistle attached to their "Irwin" flight jacket....
Hearing Alsatian dogs (German soldiers), Nick Alkemade blew hard on that whistle.
After capture, NO-ONE believed his TRUE & astonishing story - (understandably)
Overnight, he was kept in German Police cells. The Gestapo arrived the following morning....
By sheer luck, whist being interrogated, other soldiers HAD examined the wreckage of "DS.664"
Inside the charred fuselage, they found his (still unused) parachute-pack AND harness
Latter had his Name/Rank/Serial-RAF service-number etched into it.... "Eureka" !!!!!!!!!
Finally, finally, the Germans believed him - Nick slowly recovered & became a P.o.W
Nick survived the war - shoulda died in March 1944, BUT, instead lived until June 1987
He even appeared (once) on the famous T.V show, "What's My Line ?"
Lastly this....
In 1995, Joe McCreary, navigator of "Werewolf/DS.664" went to visit Heinz Rokker, in Germany
There IS a photo', taken by the local German press, of the two men, discussing their 1944 combat
Not all the crew survived, but gladly, Joe & Nick DID - a partially happy outcome.
That story & the "18,500ft FALL WITHOUT A PARACHUTE - AND SURVIVED" is FAR too GOOD to miss
There are still a lot of younger folks, who DO NOT know about this amazing 'true life' tale.
That's "WHY" you should cover it, on your channel..... (cheers)
Jack's P-38 in North Africa was "Texas Terror". There was actually more than one. At one point, he tore half a wing off with a telegraph pole while chasing a bf109, and came home one 1-1/2 wings, trailing several hundred feet of telegraph wire. He also came back with a 20MM cannon shell hole all the way through the left engine. That was just in North Africa.
While Doolittle did think a great deal of Ilfrey, he also busted him back from Captain to Lt right after he made Captain.
Ilfrey was a skilled, aggressive, smart pilot, who just never quit.
I bought autobiography on him, he was still alive. He signed my book and I was able to talk with him.
I asked him several questions and his detailed answers really enhanced my outlook. In North Africa
1/2 his squadron mates were killed. When he landed in Portugal, he was showing the major the controls
when another P-38,a Capt. Harmon had the same problem with fuel flow. (It was a new concept to have drop tanks,
they weren't vented they siphoned out fuel). When Harmon was landing he throttled up, knocked off the major, took off.
They didn't treat Harmon very well. He was released later to rejoin. Later Harmon was Killed.
Wow, very interesting!
@@TJ3 I would like to chat with you on ww2 air combat
Jack Ilfrey flew in Tunisia, when the USAAF was still inexperienced (and with unproven tech, at the end of a rather 'ragged' supplyline) and there were still LOTS of German and Italian Ace pilots in theater. Every victory he got was hard earned
@@nickmitsialis I was thinking the same thing; an early P-38 version, with all it's issues, and a new pilot, flying against seasoned German pilots, in 109's and 190's.... Mr. Ilfrey must have worn that 38 like a glove, and been an incredible fighter.
@@austinado16 and he must have had the world's most attentive guardian angel, too. Luck plays a big part in these sort of things.
For anyone interested his escape report number is E&E 759. It can be downloaded.
I was at an Experimental Aircraft Association meeting in Salt Lake City, it had to be in the late 1990's. Someone had brought Mr. Ilfrey with them to the meeting. He spoke for an hour and a half or so. I could have sat there for days listening to his stories. Somebody there videotaped it. I wish they would put the video on UA-cam. What a great example of the Greatest Generation!
Amazing story, both escaping internment in Portugal and after being shot down. His book, named after the plane, ‘Happy Jack’s Go Buggy’ is one of the best wartime books I’ve ever read. Just amazing. Great video = thx!!
Love hearing about these heroes who lived long lives after the war.
Believe me it's truly a blessing to comeback from chaos, conflict and the Fog of war especially in your right mind 🙏
You might consider doing a video on another very famous P-38 pilot, Charles Lindbergh. Although, the US government would not give him a commission when war was declared - FDR hated Lindbergh and ordered it so, Lindbergh was hired as a civilian consultant who visited frontline bases in the Pacific and actually several flew combat missions until the brass found out and shipped him back state-side. He is even credit with a kill.
Colonel Lindbergh was known as the "Old Man" because he was 20 years older than the 20- year old P-38 pilots he was instructing how to lean out the P-38's two engines in order to vastly increase their combat radius of action. During one mission, Colonel Lindbergh engaged and shot down a Japanese float plane. Once FDR found out, Lindbergh was called back to the states. 🤠
Doesn't matter if Portugal is Neutral, POWs have the expectation to try to escape if possible. And to his credit he did just that.
For clarification ;@6mins 20 secs narrator states Jack Ilfrey became 1st P38 Lightning ace . This applies to ETO/ Mediterranean theatre . Richard Bong (dec 42/jan 1943) and Tommy Lynch (first 3 kills in P39 next 5 in Lightning DEC 1942 /JAN 1943) preceded Mr Ilfrey in PNG theatre.
Can you do a story about the first American daylight bombing of Berlin , my wife’s grandfather was the lead B-17 pilot that day. Thanks
Very cool how you even got the video detail down to the shadow of the crashing P38 on the ground, TJ! I'm pretty certain you've covered this most famous P38 Lockheed Lightning great adventure (or have it at least on your list) but I love the story of the P38 vengeance attack to take out Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto! From planning stage to intelligence and coordination, this was easily one of the top missions of the US Army Air Corps!! Jim C.
I did it a long time ago, but I'm hoping to re do it soon!
A few hours after Ilfrey landed in Portugal another pilot in transit, Captain James Harman, also had to land his P38 in Portugal due to fuel shortage. Harman was repatriated and was killed during an escort mission for B17s in North Africa in April 1943. His P38 was impounded and served in a Portuguese squadron of impounded P39s and P38s. There is some suggestion that the confusion created by Harman's arrival may have aided Ilfrey's escape.
9:42 animation shows him bailing out...annnnnd he's back in the plane 😊
He was definitely a lucky man, and remarkable pilot.
Great video, Happy Jack was extremely lucky, also, I have heard of pilots who were decapitated bailing out of P38's.
As always I look forward to your next video.
Was a risky plane to jump out of!
I've been told the safest way to bail out of a P38 was to roll it on its back and let gravity help clear you of its tail.
The safest way out was to roll inverted, that's the safest way out of any fighter like that.
The other way was to slide off the back of the wing.
There are actually very few reports of uninjured pilots being killed bailing out, especially outside of compressibility dives.
@@TJ3 No it wasn't. They all had elevators to the rear of the cockpit. One just slid off the wing and you would miss the elevators.
He may have been the luckiest American fighter pilot, but I'm sure that most of the very lucky pilots would have been German. Karl Borris, for example, made his first aerial victory claim, a Spitfire, over Dunkirk, in June of 1940, and his 43rd, and last, again a Spitfire, on January 14 of 1945. He survived five years of combat against well-trained US and RAF pilots, as well as heavily armed B-17s and B-24s. No Allied pilot came close to facing such difficult opposition for such an extended period.
Indeed, he flew the whole war against the Western Allies all with JG26. Except for a few diversions (time spent 'ironing out the bugs' of the FW190; being shot down and wounded a few times) he was a true first=to-last pilot. He was the only pilot I know in a 'Western' Jagdgeschwader who started in 1939 and stayed on active duty right to surrender, without being 'sidetracked' to staff or higher unit command or fighting 'the paperwork war'. From the Donald Caldwell JG26 unit history, a number of their pilots joined in 1941. 1942 and 1943 who were successful, survived and made it to the end of the war. Funny thing is, many of these men's air to air score was not that different from the Allied Aces Even though they had 'plenty of targets' to shoot at, they and THEIR commanders were more cautious about when they engaged in combat.
@@nickmitsialis it wasn't quite the turkey shoot his contemporaries in the luftwaffe enjoyed on the eastern front in the beginning of the air war
@@kenneth9874 'Turkey shoot' is overstating things but the 'Tech Advantage' the 41/42 LW pilots had (the 109F4 vs Ratas in Russia or vs Hurris and Tomahawks in The Desert; FW190A2-to-A4 vs Hurris and early marks of Spitfires) was quite 'overwhelming'. That being said, being 'stupid or careless' would get you killed very dead.
Very excellent story! Thanks for all the hard work you do.
Do something about the Diesel engined German water-plane BV 138.. It flew a lot of special missions. Especially around the battle of Berlin.. Believe it flew wounded to Copenhagen..
Do you think you could do a video on Marine Wildcat aces like Joe Foss and Jefferson DeBlanc next?
On my list to cover at some point!
Excellent suggestion!
The viewers would enjoy hearing of Buzz Beurling whom my Dad served with in the RCAF.
Happy Jack was a Blessed man with a clear purpose for his life. Furthermore he lived a full life because combat takes years away from you. Please consider a Sabre jet ace, I think his name is Mc Connel? But his story was interesting. Good reenactment video.
So good you're doing this...lucky jack alright..😎👍
Nice story ,well done animation ,i love those videos .
After the war, one of Ilfrey's friends was Larry "Scrappy" Blumer, who was another P-38 ace, accomplishing that feat in less than twenty minutes. Ilfrey had a picture that Blumer gave him, of Blumer's P-38 that he bought in the sixties, in flight. It had the message "Jack, remember when? Larry".
Should do a story about Richard Bong in the Pacific theater.
John Loisel should be included in any discussion of WWII p38 aces
You mean "Big" John Lowell?
@@AlanRoehrich9651 John S Loisel. Double ace in the P-38. More time in combat than any other pilot of any kind in WWII. Commander of the 475th at age 25.
The wing missing like 4 feet of wingspan actually happened in the pacific with a TBM Avenger
The pilot told his crew to jump and just after they jumped the plane regained control with the pilot still in
The 2 crew who bailed were captured and most likely killed on the island of Chichi Jima
I recommend the book Flyboys by James Bradley for the full story
If they were captured by the Japanese on Chichi Jima, they were also eaten. The Japanese garrison on Chichi Jima committed cannibalism and not because they were running out of food.
@@badwolf7367 yup I know
Great story and great video, thanks for your work.
Thanks for watching!
P 38 a formidable dogfighter? Hard to believe and not true.
@@foreverpinkf.7603 I believe Richard Bong would disagree.
The greatest generation is an understatement.
The P-38 correctly progresses in the video. The plane in Portugal has the sleek engine nose without the chin radiator and the Normandy planes have the chin radiators of the much better J or L version.
Can you do B17G “silver dollars” 42-37781?
Truly excellent cg in this video. And a great story, well told.
There's no such thing as luck in those situations. God's hand was watching out for him.
Bro $hut y0 rel1g10n @$$ up
So true.
Amen brother
And luck.
Amen
My great great uncle flew a p38 in the pacific and was shot down and survived.
Love this channel. Do you use war-thunder as your AI? I also love that game!
I use War Thunder and IL-2 Sturmovik.
Great thanks
Read up on Louis Strange. There is an airman with an interesting and exciting history.
Great story! Loved it!
He does buggying around behind enemy lines, that went crazy looking for him and died in disbelief they were played on by a fake deaf mute.
I-dont-know-how-he-got-those-planes-in-the-air-with-those-balls-of-steel.
hey tj3 i love ur videos im only 10 and evrybody in my school thinks im a history geek one time i eas explaining to a friend about the nzis and he actually yelled out what the f was a nazi and i was the one who got sent to the office😅
Haha, thanks for watching :)
@@TJ3 😃
That's why i love P-38 in simulation games. In one flight in War Thunder i've had similar situation when my right wing was took of by flak, but i returned to airbase🥵. Next flight in the same map - my left wing was took of by bv238🥴. But base was close, i've tried to return, this time unsuccessfull🤕. So Ilfrey had a plenty of luck👍.
old fashioned piston engine air planes are the most fun in game right 😎
I wish tj made story about jay t. robbins p38 pilot in his combat exploit in the pacific esp in new guinea usaaf air campaign
Cover "Douglas Bader" !!?
Another very lucky fella? ;-)
Note... in the hands of a well trained pilot with multi-engine skills the P-38 did well against German fighters... the big trouble was in the ETO many of the pilots were put into P-38 squadrons with NO training in multi-engines!!! NONE! This has been well documented.
The 1st and 20th FGs, both P-38 groups, did well in Africa and ETO. Both trained from the ground up as P-38 groups.
Great narrating , and great story....
How's about Bong, another P-38 Top Ace of WWII
The top p38 ace
Cover the Yankee Clipper that flew around the pacific during the start of WWII or take on the Doolittle Raid (if you haven’t).
You do an awesome job editing these videos
Bro really survive a fall and landed on the roof of the best French family wiling To help. That is two luck in a row.
Great video. I loved the story of Happy Jack a skilled pilot.
7:58 engine on P-38 breaks
meanwhile next scene: engine never was touched what do you mean sir
Awesome story
Hey Tj! I think it would be a cool story of "Ye ole pub"
How bout another story bout another p-38 pilot Captain Tommy Lynch from Catasauqua Pa. was also another Ace. He was eventually shot own over New Guinea.
I don't know if you have done Don Beerbower, great story there.
Sounds like he landed on the resistances doorstep
TJ, pleeeeeese do an episode on the ghost P-40
👀
I’d love to to one on the black sheep
Pappy boyington next
Course he's a Texan!
For YEARS I thought that the P38 must have been the ultimate in piston powered fighters.
Chuck Yeager found them difficulty to fly over Europe! And he found the P51s to be a highly superior aircraft.
Who am I to disagree?
Still, the two of them remain my favorite piston aircraft.
I'm just sayin'...
###
How about He 162 aircraft and or pilots.
Outstanding video and presentation.
Expert pilot ..
Sometimes?!? Every damn day.
How about Gabby Gabreski of the 56th.
Thank you so much for your content. Could you please consider a video on Guy Gibson?
Do a review on red tails
I'd say by the grace of GOD! 👍
Amen
I say so too. no such thing as luck
SIIIICK!!!
Great story!!!
this was fun
hey tj3 may i ask u which is better il2 1946 or il2sturmovik battle of stalingrad?🤨
Love your channel. What's next 250k or 500k subs?
How's about McGuire the second greatest US Ace in a P-38 of WWII and his unfortunate death
stories about any allied pilots prior to dunkirk
Not just luck and skill. It's also God.
As far as we really know, just luck and skill.
Nice Video keep up the good work
Thanks!
Nice
Footage from WT?
Can you try to make a video about Jesus A Villamor?
Did the 110 have cannons in the prop hubs? Like the 109 did.
I do not believe so.
No need for them. Just like the P38, all armament could be in the nose of the aircraft.
@@SemperParatus1234 And indeed was.
Thanks! Enjoyed your video. Just want to say, when it ended, ( video) another video came up with option to cancel the newly offered video, but before l can hit cancel, it starts playing the next video, which keeps me from giving you a thumbs up, so l have to, go to library, find yours and endure the ads again, so l can return to your video, so l can give the thumbs up. Perhaps this is causing you to miss some thumbs up? This happens on a lot of other videos, if this is changeable within my phone, l haven't figured out how to get it off, but l am tired of it happening, as l am perfectly capable of finding what l want to watch without having it pushed on me. Thanks again for your interesting video of Happy Jack. 🌈
Wow
So is he lucky or unlucky?
Why don"t you talk about the Red Tail fighter pilots?
Just got some commentary on them in Dallas. They are coming.
Ah yes another video.
😂😂😂😂😂. Lucky Man....
Go Bicycle!
Lol
Love to hear stories of sky Aces using such a practical tool! Do you have any stories where the downed airman hijacked a sailboat? If we're talking fantacy... I totally see a pilot bailing... riding covertly to a port, and just full sending a sailboat back towards England! Aces gotta do!
I'm glad I got here early
Halu
I totally like the excellent video productions that you put out. But, I want to comment that the numerous references to: "The Hand Of Fate", ... "Good Luck", seem nebulous and unneeded. Of course "Luck" (randomness) happens, including being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In dynamic circumstances, human responses can affect things in myriads of ways. My particular viewpoint is that Jack Ilfrey experienced those unexpected, unpredictable things, and survived. There is no "Fate" involved, unless an outside intelligent causation is in play. Maybe, just maybe, God Almighty had his hand on Jack, for whatever reason, to get him back safely.
TJ3 - You said "comment on which story I should cover next ?" = OK, so......
Why don't YOU narrate/cover the astonishing tale of tail-gunner Sgt Nick Alkemade ?
Fell 18,500ft = WITHOUT A PARACHUTE & SURVIVED !!!! - (on night of 24th March 1944)
His crew's Avro Lancaster were shot-down by Nightfighter Junkers Ju.88 pilot, Heinz Rokker
The Lancaster (serial DS.644), nicknamed "Werewolf" caught fire, leaving Alkemade "no choice"
It was either "burn to death & be cremated alive" or, "end it all, by jumping to his death, night sky"
Nick chose the latter & knowingly FULLY expected to die - However, fate would take a turn...
He hit 45-60ft tall Pine trees, covered in snow, along with a 5-6ft snowdrift on the ground.
Whilst he didn't end up breaking a single bone in his body, he WAS pi$$ing blood after that...
Took him 20+ mins AFTER the fall, to awaken & realise that he WASN'T "dead" after all !!!
Each RAF Bomber crewman, had a steel whistle attached to their "Irwin" flight jacket....
Hearing Alsatian dogs (German soldiers), Nick Alkemade blew hard on that whistle.
After capture, NO-ONE believed his TRUE & astonishing story - (understandably)
Overnight, he was kept in German Police cells. The Gestapo arrived the following morning....
By sheer luck, whist being interrogated, other soldiers HAD examined the wreckage of "DS.664"
Inside the charred fuselage, they found his (still unused) parachute-pack AND harness
Latter had his Name/Rank/Serial-RAF service-number etched into it.... "Eureka" !!!!!!!!!
Finally, finally, the Germans believed him - Nick slowly recovered & became a P.o.W
Nick survived the war - shoulda died in March 1944, BUT, instead lived until June 1987
He even appeared (once) on the famous T.V show, "What's My Line ?"
Lastly this....
In 1995, Joe McCreary, navigator of "Werewolf/DS.664" went to visit Heinz Rokker, in Germany
There IS a photo', taken by the local German press, of the two men, discussing their 1944 combat
Not all the crew survived, but gladly, Joe & Nick DID - a partially happy outcome.
That story & the "18,500ft FALL WITHOUT A PARACHUTE - AND SURVIVED" is FAR too GOOD to miss
There are still a lot of younger folks, who DO NOT know about this amazing 'true life' tale.
That's "WHY" you should cover it, on your channel..... (cheers)
Poor guy, imagine having to try to defend your aircraft with the almost ineffectual rifle caliber guns on his plane
GOD Almighty creator of the heavens and the earth makes zero mistakes period. Great story.
oo another video im also early and nice
Thanks!
God has His plans for His purposes.
FIRST
Big fan man
Luck, hand of fate.....oh gosh, MEN OF THOSE TIMES know the Living God- God the Father, Jesus the Son, The Holy Spirit
Happy ✨Jack. ʸᵉᵃʰᵎᵎ े ̡̡ ⍤⃝ ̢̢ेे ꒳ᵒ꒳ᵎᵎ This deserves 💯 points out of 10. 🍀👍🏻👏👏👏.
Thank you!