How a P-38 Pilot Actually SAVED a Downed Wingman in World War II
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
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This is the story of P-38 Lightning pilot Dick Andrews and how he actually saved his downed wingman and flight leader, Dick Willsie. This was made using the World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder Have an idea for one of my videos? Submit it here! forms.gle/91xw...
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I downloaded it and I like it so far, great sponsorship!
I'd like more history of P38. The Mosquito, RAF Liberator. I had watched when the German Pilot Eugen Ludwig Zweigart got killed. There was another story where a German pilot shot at either an American bomber crew or a fighter pilot ejected from their plane. Then later on, the German pilot had to eject from his plane. As an American pilot, took revenge, shot and killed the German pilot as he was descending in his parachute.
I met the pilot who picked him up. I was at March AFB, Riverside Ca at the air museum and there was a P38 that was one of the last ones still flying, it look brand new. Sitting next to it was an old gentleman who we thought was volunteer to tell of some of the facts. Well we spent over 3 hours with him and hearing about all his combat time in the P38 to include the story I just watched. Amazing.
Very cool!
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Wow
Wish i could have been there. I have talked to a guy that drove a landing craft on Dday that had it explode around him. He spent the day on the beach fighting his way inland till he was injured.
It says a lot that in WW2 this action rated a Silver Star for Andrews, when in Vietnam Bernard Fisher was awarded a Medal of Honor for a similar action in the A Shau valley. What's crazy about that incident is that both Willsie and Andrews were involved in supporting roles!
Love to hear that story too!
On March 24th, 1944, my father's squad was pinned down by a Japanese Pill Box on Bougainville, the Solomon Islands. My dad crawled forward and dropped two hand grenades into it killing the occupants.
What was he awarded for this obvious act of bravery? The Bronze Star. Today, due to inflation, Dad would have been awarded the Silver Star or even the Medal of Honor. 🤕
My thoughts exactly
Thanks for sharing Major Fisher's story. Never heard it before, but looked it up after your comment.
@@jamesburns2232 but what are medals? Not all that many medals were awarded to British troops for Falklands campaign yet the American troops for the Grenada campaign of short duration a few years later received heaps of medals. Putin awarded medals to the troops who committed atrocities in Bucha Ukraine. It depends on the politics of the time.
I remember hearing this account some years back, and as I recall...these guys tried to replicate this procedure in the P38 cockpit, but couldn't. One of those amazing events that occur, but you can't do it again....like someone with adrenalin in an emergency exhibiting enormous strength.
Just an amazing story to have gone through that. Their quick thinking and lighting reflexes (no pun intended) saved both of their lives.
Amen, and that took a lot of courage on Flight Officer Andrews' part to take that kind of risk, too!
*lgithining
One of the best stories I've heard... When these guys were in their 60's nobody could have guessed the amazing thing they did.
another amazing story ive heard that was incredible 2 persons in 1 plane and still manage to fly in the air
TheP-38 could haul bombs in racks under the wings so getting an additional 200 pound human in the cockpit was nothing for the P-38 weight wise. Plus this far in the mission half the fuel from tanks were probably gone as well. The hardest part was squeezing them both in the cokpit.
I'm sure glad you do this. I'm 78and grew up with these veterans you speak of. My dad built minesweepers during the war. His generation is one I spent my early working days talking with theses guys. My uncles fought in this war and all came back safe and sound. I enjoy your type of programs, because this information was not around when I was a teen. I found out my mother's cousin Col. Howard Nelson Tann Jr. Graduated from West Point on June 6, 1944, I was three months old) he was too late to be in the war but he did serve in the Korean War, flying an F-80 and was credited with damaging the first Mig-15 with his F-80. He also flew F-4 IIs in Vietnam and retired a Colonel instead of accepting the rank of General. I'd sure like to see a video about him!
To add to how difficult the circumstances were with both pilots getting in Andrews aircraft within seconds of take off, when they tried to replicate the feat for the brass and Stars and Stripes it took them 15-20 minutes!
That's probably because no one was shooting at them during the reenactment (that tends to inspre a sense of urgency).
@@66desdichado it would surely motivate me
I just found your video. It immediately caught my attention. Reason being my father flew in WW2. He was based in Foggia Italy. He too flew P38s. One of his stories was about the similar event. He and his two wingman were returning to home base when they engaged German aircraft. In this event his wingman was shot down. Dad and his remaining wingman circled the area. Enemy forces were seen to be advancing on the crashed 38. The pilot had cleared the wreckage and was waving. Dad made the decision to land while the other aircraft strafed the enemy ground forces. He landed and the downed pilot jumped on his lap. Dad had the rudders and the other had the throttle and stick. They took off with the canopy open returning to the airfield. Over the years the story was not confirmed until later. At the 50th anniversary of the squadron in Texas my brother met the pilot that was saved. He confirmed dad's story. Dad never received any medals. Thank you for this posting. Still wondering if dad could be awarded posthumously.
He should be awarded the MOH!
Really excellent.
Thank you for sharing this!
Hungarians did the same with 109s, on bumpy terrain.
When the germans heard of it, they not wanted to believe that, because that was 200% risky and almost impossible because of the 109 landing gear.
If you need informations, names, dates etc about it, I can provide.
Would love to see it! Post links if possible.
Yes, please!
@@douglasjones2570 Already sent to TJ3! ^^
@@rolandhunter
Thank you!
WoW, amazing story, true friend for sure, combat brothers for life, greatest generation, no joke
It doesn't shock me a pilot risked himself and his plane to help one of his compatriots.
What shocked the hell out of me was HE REMOVED HIS PARACHUTE TO MAKE ROOM!!!
With Faith, Man can move mountains.
Incredible narration and cinematography in the sim! thanks for this outstanding history video!
Nice story. I'm glad that pilot did what he did for his friend.
Wow,what a story of true bravery,unheard of today.Thanks TJ3.
What a heroic act.
You're videos always send me away with a good heart warming feeling , Thanks again , Mark Battista
as soon as i saw the plane just by the freaken dullness/shininess i knew OH WARTHUNDER
Unbelievable story and great job telling it!
Thank you!
Silver star? Should have been the medal of honor all day long!!!!
There were multiple groups who attempted to get his award upgraded to the MOH, but they were unsuccessful.
It's a great story and excellent video. My Dad was a P-38 pilot during WW2. "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel" ("Fork-tailed Devil") was well-respected and feared in both theaters during the War. Thanks.
Wow....this is an amazing story. Thank you so much for posting. Really nice job.
Same thing happened with an P-47 during WWII. The cockpit is very crowed with a dude sitting on your lap.
Whoa . Great story . Thank you for keeping these stories alive
Thank you for this, that's what made America great, we looked out for each other
Great Story! In reality this was done quite a bit on the Russian Front. I read "Stuka pilot" By Rudel over the holidays and it was actually common for Stuka pilots to land and pick up crews of downed Stukas if it were feasible. Rudel himself did it many times and was actually banned from doing it again by Hitler himself. One occasion he landed in very wet bogged down land and got stuck. Russian troops arrived and the two crews had to run for it. Rudel was the only one who got away if I remember right and Hitler said he was too valuable to lose trying to rescue other crews. But Rudel disobeyed orders and kept doing it anyway.
thats nuts. man. bravest, baddest ass dudes that ever lived these pilots.
@@derekzimmermann2551 The soldiers that fought WWII on all sides had balls when I read their stories....
Rudel was a good pilot but ardent nazi. He shielded Josef Mengele postwar among many others
That lightning was an absolutely beautiful plane! I would love to have flown one!!
In the alternate universe, TJ3 is one of the WWII fighters pilot, fought both in the Europe and in Pacific until the end of the war, and he's also an ace with 9+ confirmed aerial victory
That sounds great to me.
All extremely impressive by those two. What also impressed me was "20 year old flight officer." Youngsters were motivated in those days. While I know we have thousands of fine young men and women serving in today's service branches not sure you could get a typical 20 year old out of their barista uniform these days......
Well, I was a 19 year old Army Aviator in Nam, and most of my fellow pilots were about the same age. I never worked at Starbucks though, had not been invented yet. I was a machinist at BIC Pen in Milford CT when I joined.
Miles Dee said, "Youngsters were motivated in those days."
--------------------
Motivation is hard to assess, but many Vietnam-era enlistees and draftees wanted to do their best, despite war protests and the lack of a Pearl Harbor-class event to galvanize the entire country.
In WW2, enlistment circumstances were much different-- essentially, enlist or be drafted, while a grim foreboding settled over the country after Pearl Harbor. Every training program telescoped the basics into a few weeks (the "Ninety-Day Wonder"), simply to put personnel into the war front. The more rapid the training, the younger the flight officer.
Complex training also demands more time. Today's war machines are far more technically advanced, so making a raw, recently-recruited 20-year-old into a pilot is likely to pass well beyond the 21st birthday.
Boomer energy right here.
Wonderful Story I'd never heard!
What an amazing story!
What an incredible story. I discovered the channel a few days ago. And I am enjoying. Greetings from Brazil 👏🏼🛩️🇧🇷
Thanks!
Watched the documentary where the guy who did this told his story!! A great watch!
That's an awesome story!
Thanks for sharing👍
Thank you food sharing such a fantastic story and presenting it so professionally.
Thanks for watching!
My Father was in the Army in the Pacific Theater. (Philippines, Okinawa, Japan.) He told me, he and the soldiers loved to see "The Fork Tailed Devils" flying over because they kew the Japanese would be suppressed (on the ground or in the air.)
Very good information
Outstanding video and presentation.
What a great story of two heros
Great stuff .
👍👍👍👍
The evil that men do is only erased by the heroism that over comes it.
I’ve read of Germans transporting crewmen, photographers, and civilians in the stowage compartment of the Focke-Wulf 190 and that is a pretty tight squeeze, but nothing like this!
The moral: never leave your friend
6:26 "NO YA DON'T! BACK OFF!"
A nice story .Glad they made it .It must have been pretty scary to drive that train without any chance for cover .It's tough what people go through in wars .
Anything & everything that moved was a target. When a group of escorting fighters were relieved they would go hunting for likely victims...trains, trucks, barges factories, airfields were especially prized.
@PhilGiglio
Some of them hunted Farmers on their fields and things like that ,so it's not amazing the farmers sometimes killed pilots if they could get one .
Violence always causes more violence ,it's sad that it don't looks like humans ever learn .
Feeding the UA-cam algorithm. Great video. I appreciate it.
Such and awesome video!!!!
Germans often landed far behind enemy lines to rescue pilots. Alone Hans Rudel, the most successful soldier ever (destroyed 519 enemy tanks, 1 battleship and helped to develop the A10) rescued 14! He was shot down or crashlanded 30 times, lost one leg and continued flying till end of war. It's a wonder her survived war.
Great video
My uncle, Harry “Cappy” Edward’s flew the P-38 in Europe during WWII.
This is the second such rescue I've heard about. First was with P-51s out of Britain.
Excellent as always
Thanks!
Just ask Admiral Yamamoto what he thinks of the P-38.....that was an awesome aircraft.
You make some great videos man.
Wow. That was cool.
Excellent job with the video. Animation also very good seems like Microsoft Flight simulator ...
Love the video TJ. Once again you've hit it out of the park. Great storytelling. Have a great weekend.
Aside from your face on the screen, good video. This kind of story is a sample of so many that most people never hear about. THIS is good content. My Dad flew in the pacific WWII, and wrote many stories about his experiences, but never talked about them. He was in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam too.
Not wishing to offend, I think your screen time may be something that could be limited or eliminated, to streamline your production. I think your subs and views would go up. Just trying to help. Thanks for your efforts.
Can you do "franz stigler" a german pilot that save a stricken B-17
The P-38 was first used in combat by the RAF
No, the so called Model 322 was only tested but it had much weaker engines and no turbosupercharger. It was rejected before entering service or flying combat missions.
www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_P-322.html
It is also the only fighter in production @ the beginning and end of the conflict, at least for Us planes
@@philgiglio7922 The F4f wildcat, B-17, B-24 , B-25 , PBY Catalina were longer production runs
@@philgiglio7922 It needed a lot of pilot training and skills to use it properly and only reached its mature from the J subtype (especially from the J-25 with dive brakes and hydraulic boosted ailerons) but without the doubt it was one of the most versatile fighter of WWII... and the most expensive as well.
@@Cuccos19 the British placed an order for some, but WITHOUT the turbo supercharger. They were nicknamed the 'castrated' lightning
I mean that's a cramped space to fit 2 pilots on a single p38 but still they did the impossible possible.
Yeah not only was it cramped. But it was cramped for 2 hours lol
The P38N night fighter had a 2nd crew sitting in the space behind the pilot with an extended bubble canopy. It looked awfully cramped
His account of their tandem seating position doesn’t make sense at all.
Do you have access to original pilot flight reports on what happened? Where do you get your detailed information?
As the Fokker DXX & the Northrop Black Widow were WW2 twin boom warplanes,the Lightning was not unique due to its twin boom.
you guys this story isnt animated but was actually a game amazing
Five sta* video. Thank you.
I don't know about you, but I call that an all in wingman. The type you want watching your 6.
Hey Hollywood why isn’t this a movie?
Good Question, that's what I'd like to know, too!
This country sure could use some of that kind of American spirit today in our country.
They should fly a twin mustang together
this is exultant channel.
Thanks!
Hey, I'd like to see the life of this Merchantman 'William Jessop of Hull' because there haven't been many stories of the great merchant men who risked their lives dearly to bring vital food supplies to Britain (I'm not British, im Australian, and my Great (Idk how many) Grandfather arrived here with the First Fleet.)
Hey TJ did you ever watch that episode of dogfights against the odds? If so will you please make a video on that?
Also what about making some videos on the Japanese ace subro sakai?
Fantastic
tell the story of i think were f-86's where one pushed the other to safe air.
The P-38 model is fantastic. Do you build the 3d models, or just animate them in environments designed by you?
I use a WWII flight simulator.
Video starts around 2:05
Nice ...
omg thats amazing
I’m not leaving my wingman!!!
Wonderful story of brave men. And this was a normal practice in the German Luftwaffe - sometimes with the result that the rescue plane didn't made it because of soft or muddy terrain. And I assume that the russians did it too - why not? Comrades are comrades - no matter on which side.
Thankyou
You’re welcome 😊
Brilliant 😊👍
Thanks 😀
I know what the American military thought of this stunt, but I'm curious to hear what the german soldiers who were there thought of it, because I'd be willing to bet that they must have been stunned that anyone would take such a risk!
The German fighter planes had small compartments behind the cockpit and I've heard stories of ground crew being transported therein. Which would be very dangerous in a combat situation. Be that as it may, I wonder if, given the fact that the German fighters had this capability, there are stories to share of German pilots rescuing their fellow downed airmen?
Nice
What a numerous no. Of Americans don't know is that European locomotives were considerably smaller than those in the US a good friend who was a cropduster in my hometown Bill Daniels flew P-47s and P-51s in Europe during WW2 and he told me that the .50 cal. BROWNING machine guns would literally roll those locomotives 🚂 off the rails. R.I.P. Bill
I'm sure a massive steam explosion had something to do with that
P-38 Lighting Was Army Air Force Best Fligher World War 2 Pilot General Robin Olds Double Ace Also Serve U.S.AIR FORCE Vietnam 🇻🇳F-4 Phantom 👻My Father Serve General Olds 81th Flighter Wing
0:44
Why not hook myself up to the new virtual reality machine and the morphine drop? Howard Hugh's didn't have to leave his bed?
👍
👏👏👏 ʸᵉᵃʰᵎᵎ े ̡̡⍤⃝ ̢̢ेे ꒳ᵒ꒳ᵎᵎ
There was no Russia in WW2.Some Russians fought for the Axis powers.
your heading is totally wrong . the wingman Andrews saved his leader willsee
Based in Italy but landed on a Russian airfield? What?
It was complex mission that I didn't want to ramble on about, haha. They were based in Italy, but this mission was a one way mission where they were transferring some P-38s to an American air base in Russia. And they were assigned to strike targets of value on the way, if that makes sense.
@@TJ3 Thanks.
These were so called shuttle missions. Many heavy bombers and escort fighters did this.
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