Spitfire Shooting Down Me109- Must See RARE Actual 1940 Footage

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  • Опубліковано 26 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 211

  • @lewistaylor1965
    @lewistaylor1965 24 дні тому +5

    Came back to this mini-documentary of this engagement...Fantastic job from Wingleader Films...Big thank you...This should have a lot more views I think

  • @flare2000x
    @flare2000x Рік тому +14

    Neat to see CloD in the wild being used for the visual aids during the pilot's account.

  • @deathmisser85
    @deathmisser85 Рік тому +27

    Just wow not only we got to see the film towards the end of the dogfight but then to see the film of the Pilot being taken away for medical care. That is just epic. I think this video should be remembered at cost.

  • @ZedsDeadOK
    @ZedsDeadOK Рік тому +19

    Great bit of historical forensics. Before people get too dewy eyed over a downed German fighter, I always remembered an account my mother experienced whilst out shopping in Worthing High street a German fighter came down and strafed the street, luckily my mother was not hit and survived by diving into a shop doorway, others apparently were not so lucky, and luckily I'm here to share her story.

    • @28pbtkh23
      @28pbtkh23 Рік тому +7

      From what I have read, they did this often over the English countryside as well. I suppose that they developed a taste for strafing civilians during the Battle for France: all those columns of refugees.

    • @punkybrewster7667
      @punkybrewster7667 Рік тому +1

      That's interesting you should mention the Worthing incident. My grandmother who was aged in her 90's when she passed nearly 20 yrs ago also recalled it. Never provided much detail but certainly backed up your mothers experience. To this day I've never heard anyone else mention it.

    • @ZedsDeadOK
      @ZedsDeadOK Рік тому

      @@punkybrewster7667 Thank you for your reply, wow to think they were probably in the same area all those years ago? it became a standing joke in our family, because my Mother was pushing my eldest brother in a pram she left the pram and brother in the doorway and went in to the shop for cover, he always joked that she was trying to get rid of him, obviously not true. 😂 she also told me they use to stand in her garden and watch the dog fights going on above.

    • @punkybrewster7667
      @punkybrewster7667 Рік тому +1

      ​@@ZedsDeadOK - Ha, yeah I can imagine your brother becoming the joke with that story. My uncles (grandma's kids) used to also watch dog fights overhead and on one occasion found a live round dropped. One tells the story of pushing it into a fresh cow pat while friends gathered around. An air rifle was then used to shoot the primer. On detonation the shooter got a little cow manure around his ankles, the others copped manure in the chest & face. 😁

    • @ZedsDeadOK
      @ZedsDeadOK Рік тому

      @@punkybrewster7667 Thats funny, I can imagine just what kids get up too.

  • @SkylersRants
    @SkylersRants Рік тому +17

    That was really good. No hype, just clarity and factual and that makes it stick even more in your mind. Thank you.

  • @jerrybird9365
    @jerrybird9365 Рік тому +65

    Absolutely fantastic!! I love that kind of detective work. Bringing so many pieces together to make a fascinating story. Well done and congratulations Mark and Wing Leader Team.👏🏻😀

  • @gc2696
    @gc2696 Рік тому +75

    The most astonishing....or not at all ...was that the German pilot was saved at great risk to his rescuers. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

    • @emil_rainbow
      @emil_rainbow Рік тому +14

      It’s our islander way of being.

    • @herrlich1461
      @herrlich1461 Рік тому

      Yes, until some islander decided to relentlessly "carpet bomb" German cities with phosphor, blast and incendiary bombs without any mercy to men, women and children.

    • @steveperreira5850
      @steveperreira5850 Рік тому

      I would not have rescued him. Racist Nazi invader.

    • @jonathancox1231
      @jonathancox1231 Рік тому

      After Dresden churchill said ,are we monsters, though they did horrible deeds ,that pilot was still someone's son ,someone's dad,or uncle ,we are all human , yes both sides did bad deeds

    • @georgemorley1029
      @georgemorley1029 Рік тому +1

      Well, they were keen to get in to interrogate him, no doubt.

  • @colinrowe6521
    @colinrowe6521 Рік тому +8

    The single most important company in putting all the parts together, just bloody marvelous

  • @markr831
    @markr831 Рік тому +32

    The German pilot was extremely fortunate to survive. I have always admired the tenacity and grit of the English fighter pilots. Great footage and a very well put together documentary.

    • @davidh6300
      @davidh6300 Рік тому +2

      I was quite surprised that the German pilot survived.

    • @herrlich1461
      @herrlich1461 Рік тому +5

      True. And in my opinion this footage clearly shows, that despite radar, observers and careful planning and organisation of fighter aircraft for defensive purposes, air combat itself was comparable with man to man combat.
      Best regards from Germany.

    • @bobsakamanos4469
      @bobsakamanos4469 Місяць тому

      @@herrlich1461 normally, fighters flew together for mutual support, either in pairs, Vics of three, finger four sections, squadrons or wing formations.

  • @Pillboxer1940
    @Pillboxer1940 5 місяців тому +3

    Nice little presentation, with brilliant footage and impressive CGI - and/or a subtle(ish) advert for the excellent Wingleader Luftwaffe Crash Archive '...oh, look what we found on page...' :) ;)

  • @walterkronkitesleftshoe6684
    @walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Рік тому +15

    I have seen that photograph at 2:35 a number of times over the years and as soon as I saw the first few seconds of this excellent video, with the silhouetted 109 with 1 wheel down that very photograph immediately sprang to mind. I LOVE your investigative videos... they REALLY appeal to my own meticulous nature.
    My own field is family history. I MUCH prefer keeping my tree small but investigating each member as thoroughly as I can to produce as detailed a picture of the individual's life as possible, rather than a huge tree of meaningless, empty names, so to see this snapshot of a particular historical event researched and illustrated in depth & in full is just VERY satisfying to see. Thanks for the production.
    Another EXCELLENT and concise military channel on YT is "military history in a minute" well worth a look at.

  • @bobbending
    @bobbending Рік тому +3

    At 3:00 in the footage, you can clearly see the left undercard hanging down.

  • @pierrewilliams1533
    @pierrewilliams1533 Рік тому +8

    I clicked on this, not expecting anything too revealing. Wrong! It's a fabulous, gripping, well-researched account of a snippet of the Battle of Britain. By pure coincidence, I was in Folkestone, very close to where the first picture was taken, just this weekend. The harbour wall (arm) is still there - now a popular spot full of pop-up bars and eating places. By locating the exact spot where the photo was taken and taking the splash in reference to the harbour wall, it would be straightforward to locate the exact spot of the crash site. There should be plenty of 109 chunks down there if not the whole aircraft itself.

  • @maj0072
    @maj0072 Рік тому +7

    The chances of getting so much footage and a still of the same combat and rescue back then when film was at a premium and movie camera's a rarity. Wow, that's unique.

  • @jgibbs5118
    @jgibbs5118 Рік тому +2

    This is the sole occasion when the descriptor awesome is applicable, so pleased to have stumbled on this video.

  • @SpitfireCGI
    @SpitfireCGI Рік тому +5

    Great detective work ,truly excellent ,love the way the Spitfire peels off its attack then climbs rapidly knowing the 109's done for .

    • @richmacer2108
      @richmacer2108 Рік тому +3

      I noticed that. Possible wanting to remove himself asap from any ground gunnery. I hope he checked his 6!

  • @glyndowning3076
    @glyndowning3076 7 місяців тому +1

    That's the Harbour Arm, Folkestone. The old station has been restored and the signal box is a decent little tea and snack bar.

  • @tungstenkid2271
    @tungstenkid2271 Рік тому +4

    From PoorOldSpike-
    Speaking of rescues, it reminds me of a true account I read some years ago of a Brit POW helping to get an injured pilot out of his crashlanded Me 109 in France. (I forget the exact details).
    A German officer who witnessed the rescue was so impressed that he wrote a little note complimenting the POW and gave it to him.

  • @rich495
    @rich495 Рік тому +22

    My deceased father, fought in the Sherwood Foresters during WW2 as well as 8th Army etc.
    He was very badly injured in the trenches in Italy when American Artillery short-ranged an assault killing multiple men alongside my dad.
    He had a friend “Tim” from Nottingham who was a Spitfire pilot who, shot down multiple German planes .
    When I met him some 30 years ago, he had the appearance of a mild- mannered vicar.
    I asked him about his exploits, he declined any conversation about his kills, stating that killing anyone is nothing to be proud of.
    He did say he cried, every time he shot a plane down, also requesting that kill’s weren’t painted on his fuselage- a real man.

    • @awf6554
      @awf6554 Рік тому +2

      Indeed

    • @crazybrit-nasafan
      @crazybrit-nasafan Рік тому +2

      It would be interesting to find out what, if anything remains of that 109 in the harbour.

    • @jonathancox1231
      @jonathancox1231 Рік тому +1

      I seen a documentary about the battle of Britain, they interviewed a few surviving 109 pilots ,one said " you could get behind the spitfire,get him in your gun sights,give him every bullet you had ,and still not hit that " little bastard " ..." As he called it!!

    • @patrickporter6536
      @patrickporter6536 Рік тому

      The Yanks invented blue on blue.

  • @apollo8972
    @apollo8972 Рік тому +4

    So impressive is the lad walking barefoot making sure the Jerry pilot made it.

  • @alexhatfield2987
    @alexhatfield2987 Рік тому +7

    Remarkable collation of historic evidence, and a well told story that really brought to life the events of that day 80 years ago. Really resonated with me.

  • @fightersweep
    @fightersweep Рік тому +11

    Fantastic. Knew of the photo and the story behind it, but had never seen the footage before. So this is the most documented combat of the Battle of Britain. Remarkable. I imagine that the aftermath of Ray Holmes' ramming of Feldwebel Zehbe's Do 17 would probably be in second place.

  • @Dilbert-o5k
    @Dilbert-o5k Рік тому +1

    Wow Folkestone's changed a bit. I was there in the early 90s with the tunnel. Iirc there was a gap in the houses in tontine street where a house was bombed during the war and nothing was rebuilt. The railway to the pier (tram road) was still operational , although only used by tourist trains.
    Now that aspect would be dominated by a hotel that looks a bit like a ship , can't remember its name..
    Fascinating footage and amazing that several sources were available for the same event.

  • @pyewackett3822
    @pyewackett3822 5 днів тому +1

    Thanks!

  • @SMAZVidoes
    @SMAZVidoes Рік тому +8

    Brilliant story and detective work. Made my day for sure.

  • @adamwodarczyk6262
    @adamwodarczyk6262 9 місяців тому +2

    Bf 109E-4 (1969) 2+- of 4/JG2 was shot down by Flight Lieutenant I.H. Cosby and Sergeant N.V. Glew of 72 Squadron whilst defending bombers at 10.00. Aircraft crashed into the Sea between Folkestone Railway Pier and Copt Point, Uffz F. Dilthey, was rescued by a soldier and fishing boat. Wounded in the shoulder and with a broken leg, was in difficulties in the water and jumped in to support him until the pair were picked up by a fishing boat.
    72 Sq "Basutoland" - RAF Biggin Hill, pilots: Ivor Henry Cosby , Norman Vipan Glew
    II./JG2 - Dunkerque / Mardyck, 51°01'50.0"N 2°15'45.0"E
    II./JG2 - Beaumont-le-Roger, 49°5'42"N 0°47'33"E

  • @peterkerr4019
    @peterkerr4019 Рік тому +2

    I believe that the man in a greatcoat with corporal stripes at 4.47 is the same man mentioned at 4.57 as a rescuer. He's not wearing any side cap or helmet; his hair looks out of place, & he has his hands in his pockets suggesting that he may be quite cold. He's also not wearing a collared uniform shirt under the coat, suggesting that he's had to take off his shirt & put on the greatcoat instead. I think it's incredible that they may have caught the face of one of the brave men who jumped in the water to save a downed enemy.

  • @davetart7029
    @davetart7029 Рік тому +1

    A friend of mine who has been a commercial fishermen all his life retrieved a messerschit from Hythe Bay (not this one) a book was written about it called 'The reluctant messerschit ' it is worth a read

  • @RubyMarkLindMilly
    @RubyMarkLindMilly 6 місяців тому +1

    Fascinating stuff and some excellent research done superb all round 👍

  • @Trojan0304
    @Trojan0304 Рік тому +2

    Excellent new channel for Battle of Britain era. I’m a long time subscriber to the Battle of Britain Combat Archives series.

  • @thewatcher5271
    @thewatcher5271 Рік тому +4

    That Was Really Great! Thank You For Sharing.

  • @Paulvanacker1
    @Paulvanacker1 Рік тому +1

    Fantastic little film. BTW I have 4 of Mark's artwork prints. They are my favourites, hanging on my walls.

  • @PeterCook-s8k
    @PeterCook-s8k Рік тому +5

    Great work from all involved, I can't wait for more - keep it up!
    Peter Cook

  • @freakyflow
    @freakyflow Рік тому +2

    Awesome footage.. I still remember the radio of the BBC play by play of the stuka attacks on shipping 50 years later mind you

  • @ronaldbyrne3320
    @ronaldbyrne3320 Рік тому +1

    Wow, I’m floored. Glad I got to watch this. Many thanks for sharing.

  • @PaulCloves
    @PaulCloves Рік тому +2

    What a story I gotta love the dedication of some people to put in the hard yards and piece together a tale such as this

  • @seanhiggins978
    @seanhiggins978 Рік тому +1

    Wow. What a great report and footage. Have not seen this one before.

  • @nbandpinportugal
    @nbandpinportugal Рік тому +8

    Nice reconstruction. I wonder if the German pilot ever thanked his rescuers or realised how lucky he'd been.

    • @fritztheblitz1061
      @fritztheblitz1061 Рік тому +1

      I'm sure he did know how lucky He was, I hope He thanks his rescuer.

  • @rogerhill138
    @rogerhill138 Рік тому +3

    The piece of land by the shore in the foreground is known as the Warren. I used to live at the top in Capel - le - Ferne. My dad was a Hurricane pilot during the war.

    • @Dilbert-o5k
      @Dilbert-o5k Рік тому

      Isn't capel le ferne where the battle of Britain memorial is?

    • @bobsakamanos4469
      @bobsakamanos4469 Місяць тому

      How many times was he shot down in Hurricanes?

  • @dude126
    @dude126 Рік тому +1

    Excellent work.

  • @prv808
    @prv808 Рік тому +3

    More original and detailed research, which brings these individual historic elements together to form an interesting and compelling account - delivered in a balanced and fascinating manner. Excellent work. Phil Harvey

  • @ThePsiclone
    @ThePsiclone 8 місяців тому +1

    Good to know they both not only survived the encounter but also the war.

  • @FredericBruyelle
    @FredericBruyelle Рік тому +3

    Quite remarkable investigative work, accompanied by an explicit infographic composition. Many thanks to Wing Leader for this initiative and its archival research work. Fred

  • @lewistaylor1965
    @lewistaylor1965 Рік тому +5

    I wonder if the 109 is still there or been recovered...Should be relatively easy to find given the footage...That would be great to have it as a museum piece next to the photo and footage...

  • @bensmith7536
    @bensmith7536 Рік тому +1

    Remarkable. Ive looked for BoB content for decades, and here it is.

  • @gringo19860
    @gringo19860 Рік тому +2

    Good job Wingleader. You'll be Group Captain soon if you keep this quality up. Thank you .

  • @stuartbruff8786
    @stuartbruff8786 Рік тому +2

    Excellent. It makes one wonder what else remains to be discovered.

  • @Team_prolaps
    @Team_prolaps Рік тому +1

    Has to the best video I have seen on UA-cam, I only live 10 minutes from Folkestone and been there so many times and next visit will be a different one thanks to this video 👍

  • @stevecastro1325
    @stevecastro1325 Рік тому +1

    Gripping tale, and excellent research to pin all the points together.

  • @davidhorn6008
    @davidhorn6008 8 місяців тому +1

    It's obvious to those whom know - It's 'The Harbour Arm', Folkestone. The other side of 'The Harbour Arm' is not the Harbour it is 'open sea'.

  • @ToddSauve
    @ToddSauve Рік тому +2

    My compliments on a well done piece of detective work! From Calgary, Alberta. 🤠

  • @darrensmith6999
    @darrensmith6999 Рік тому +1

    Amazing bit of detective work sir (:

  • @tomoliver3177
    @tomoliver3177 Рік тому +1

    Simply amazing use of records to find all of these details

  • @daviddavies2072
    @daviddavies2072 Рік тому +2

    Thank you for this interesting video, it's good to hear that the German pilot was helped and survived x

  • @guyellis19
    @guyellis19 Рік тому +3

    Really great sleuth work and so interesting - thank you

  • @Chilly_Billy
    @Chilly_Billy Рік тому +3

    Great detective work!

  • @TheLaughingBrexiteer
    @TheLaughingBrexiteer Рік тому +2

    Wonderful video. fwiw I noticed the landing gear down within seconds at first time of watching - maybe I should come and work for you guys @Wingleader Films?! The follow up footage of the Luftwaffe pilot being stretchered is the icing on the cake!

  • @ronhudson3730
    @ronhudson3730 Рік тому +3

    Utterly fantastic research!

  • @ChitFromChinola
    @ChitFromChinola Рік тому +1

    Amazing story. Thanks for posting.

  • @rupedo1
    @rupedo1 Рік тому +2

    brilliantly interesting, should be shown to school kids, especially in the Kent area

  • @georgemorley1029
    @georgemorley1029 Рік тому +1

    Vivid reconstruction. Living history. Fantastic work.

  • @trevorhayes5414
    @trevorhayes5414 Рік тому +7

    Great work piecing all that together. So, does the question remain, that there is a 109 still to be found in Folkestone Harbour? Or was it retrieved at the time?

    • @markfryer9880
      @markfryer9880 Рік тому +1

      Isn't it outside of the harbour? That's where I understood it was?

  • @roygriffiths4399
    @roygriffiths4399 Рік тому +1

    Thanks for advising about Me 109s carrying bombs. I am particularly interested in this aircraft because I only found out in2016 that my father-in-law (pilot of a Beaufighter) was shot up by one over the North Sea.

    • @andrewbergman9315
      @andrewbergman9315 Рік тому

      I have a friend who lost his great uncle in a Beaufighter over the Mediterranean to a 109 in WW2

  • @TheLincolnshireFlyer
    @TheLincolnshireFlyer 7 днів тому +1

    Appreciate the video. Thank you 👍😊

  • @mandst5466
    @mandst5466 Рік тому +3

    Good work ! Huge respect to the pilots on both sides…… but mostly the RAF 😉

  • @TheFunkhouser
    @TheFunkhouser Рік тому +2

    WOW!!! Thank you, and subbed! I wonder if the 109 is still down there??

  • @peterrollinson-lorimer
    @peterrollinson-lorimer Рік тому +2

    Remarkable bit of research, well done.

  • @anonnemo2504
    @anonnemo2504 Рік тому +1

    An amazing story. Many thanks for bringing it to us.

  • @sanseijedi
    @sanseijedi Рік тому +1

    Utterly remarkable (& I try not to overuse that word) and I'm humbled by the research. Thanks very much!

  • @someguy999
    @someguy999 Рік тому +1

    Were the 109s used as fighter bombers in the Battle of Britain? That surprised me. Naively I would have expected the extra drag and weight to be a problem for an aircraft that barely had the range needed to reach England in the first place.

    • @WingleaderFilms
      @WingleaderFilms  Рік тому +2

      Yes, although Eprg210 was flying bomb carrying 109s throughout the Battle, from mid-September other Geschwaders started carrying bombs as well. In very simple terms, the RAF tried not to respond to high altitude Luftwaffe fighter sweeps, so to force a response, the Luftwaffe mixed bomb carrying 109s in with masses of fighters to drop bombs on London.

    • @someguy999
      @someguy999 Рік тому +1

      @@WingleaderFilms Thanks! I appreciate the answer.

    • @andrewbergman9315
      @andrewbergman9315 Рік тому

      Bf-109E 'Emil' model was used in Jabo role after the introduction of the much improved 'Freidrich' F model. Whether or not there were Jabo squadrons in the channel squadrons I do not know. But, yes, 109s could carry either a single bomb or a fuel tank under the fuselage.

  • @clive3100
    @clive3100 Рік тому +2

    Very interesting indeed and thank you!

  • @richardmarshall4322
    @richardmarshall4322 Рік тому +5

    Is the 109 still sat off the pier or was it recovered? Have seen the famous photo several times over the years

  • @HiddenHistoryYT
    @HiddenHistoryYT Рік тому +3

    Incredibly cool and very well done!

  • @derekalldridge4637
    @derekalldridge4637 10 місяців тому +2

    Does anyone know if the German plane was ever recovered from the sea? Or could it still be there?

  • @petergearing4796
    @petergearing4796 3 дні тому +1

    My dad told me a story of when he was a boy during the war. His mate and him watched a dog fight going on between a spitfire and a ME109. The ME109 came down and crash landed on the 9 hole golf course behind 'The Spa Hotel' in Tunbridge Wells. He said that they ran towards where the ME109 was coming down. Getting there just in time to be stopped by a local bobby along with a few other kids who had also turned up. Before he nervously walked up to the aircraft. As he did the canopy opened and the pilot climbed out. Who in turn popped open his hoister and handed his luger to the officer by its barrel. He of course was carted off to the Police station, awaiting MP's,. While a scene guard stopped the souvenir hunters also known as dad and his mate

  • @matthewgreenfield360
    @matthewgreenfield360 Рік тому +2

    Fascinating video, and great research work there!

  • @jamesfenton3751
    @jamesfenton3751 Рік тому +2

    In WW1 there was an Albatros pilot shot down, the pilot's name was Helmut Dilthey. Wonder if there was any relation to the pilot in this video.

  • @sapper82
    @sapper82 Рік тому +4

    As they survived the war, I wonder if the two pilots ever met?

  • @bombsaway6340
    @bombsaway6340 Рік тому +2

    Very nice work.

  • @vladimirzimonja8103
    @vladimirzimonja8103 Рік тому +1

    Great stuff!! And i like the comparison of the harbour images. Just look how higher the sea level is. P.S. If you're an aviation buff,you will see that the Bf 109 has a landing gear down. When the plane has only one landing gear leg down,you know it's in trouble. Oh yes,anyone please-where can i get those books about shot down planes? Thank you.

  • @jep1103
    @jep1103 Рік тому +3

    This is brilliant plus I have been collecting both sets of books

  • @luftwaffe6521
    @luftwaffe6521 Рік тому +2

    Amazing. Love this kind of stuff

  • @robleary3353
    @robleary3353 Рік тому +1

    Amazing!. Just discovered this channel, hooked!. Nuff said!. 🙂

  • @andrewlatona9271
    @andrewlatona9271 Рік тому +3

    Amazing !

  • @seanyoung8085
    @seanyoung8085 Рік тому +1

    Incredible research. You guys are great historians.

  • @smidon
    @smidon Рік тому +3

    Really interesting, thank you

  • @Noone-pu4gp
    @Noone-pu4gp Рік тому +1

    Fantastic, thank you.

  • @tony78uk48
    @tony78uk48 Рік тому +1

    Really enjoyed your video
    Thanks .

  • @oliverbourne9599
    @oliverbourne9599 Рік тому +2

    Absolutely love this type information. Subscribed

  • @busarider29
    @busarider29 Рік тому +1

    The 109 only 400 yards from the pier. Likely still there intact. Wonder if it could be retrieved and brought to restoration?

  • @ThundercatsHo69
    @ThundercatsHo69 10 місяців тому +1

    Fascinating

  • @stephenhowlett6345
    @stephenhowlett6345 Рік тому +1

    As Churchill said never was so much owed by so many to so few. Would love to know more about the RAF hero and his career in the war.

  • @rotte6
    @rotte6 Рік тому +1

    So are the remains of the Me109 still there?.

  • @DavidJones-gr8ku
    @DavidJones-gr8ku Рік тому +1

    Was the 109 ever recovered ?

  • @robertpoole2667
    @robertpoole2667 Рік тому +1

    For a change not just click bate. Very interesting thank you.

  • @johnnywarnerperfectroad66
    @johnnywarnerperfectroad66 Рік тому +1

    Fantastic work many thanks 👍

  • @abdulmismail
    @abdulmismail Рік тому +1

    Absolutely phenomenal!

  • @richmacer2108
    @richmacer2108 Рік тому +2

    Poignant yet immensely absorbing.

  • @ColinWatters
    @ColinWatters Рік тому +1

    Was the 109 recovered?

  • @Fundamentalist9473
    @Fundamentalist9473 Рік тому +1

    Almost every RAF plane had cameras to record their kills but we never ever get to see any footage of dog fighting I wonder why ?