Fun fact: Crew from the German submarine U-537 set up an automated weather station in sub-arctic northern Labrador, Canada in 1943. Codenamed 'Kurt', this forgotten unmanned weather station was discovered in the early 1970s, but only identified as German in 1981.
I can relate. RCAF 2195, Lockheed PV-1 Ventura, was recovered from 50nm north of Yellowknife NWT in 1988. The Ventura Memorial Flight Association has been wanting to restore it airworthy and historically accurate ever since then. We know alot about Vents, but not fundraising.
I love this channel and narrative! It feels just like the old-school Discovery Channel war documentaries I've been missing since Discovery went downhill 15 years ago.
@@Arcticfox7 language is descriptive, not prescriptive. Common usage includes the use of quarantine as a precaution by isolation to stop infection. Chill
Curiosity: The Avro Lancaster who crash landed in Sweden in the beginning of the clip is called Easy Elise. She was one of the famous "Dambusters" who helped to bomb Tirpitz in Norway.
Mark Felton: *shows footage of a C-47 taking off that includes sound* Also Mark Felton: *pauses narration so we can enjoy listening to the C-47 fly over* Thank you for that. It's the little things.
8:50 - The destruction of Kee Bird was a travesty. Had they focused on recovery (in parts), instead of trying to fly it out (loaded with recovery machinery), it could now be a spectacular flying craft, and not a smoke stain on a frozen lake.
The very first time I saw the story I was wondering why they didn’t have fire extinguishers at the ready during the prep and engine runs. Then it caught fire and burned to the ground. Idiots.
It had a gas fueled heater to warm up the interior, (wasn't OEM, but put in by a ground crew) that caught on fire and destroyed the airplane. It had 4 overhauled engines and props installed and was making power runs in prep of takeoff....was a shame.
I think its to great that Mark is having such great success with his channel. Intelligent, accurate, well researched and interesting commentary really hits home. Keep them coming Mark, well done!
I canoed down the yukon river some years ago, and found an abandoned airstrip and barge that were probably used as a resupply point for the planes headed to russia. There were no planes, but there were old fuel bunkers, a hangar, and some outbuildings.
One weekend they brought in a old C-47 at a skydiving event in Florida. I made 7 jumps out of the aircraft that weekend, and on Sunday night, I saw a bunch of other guys standing around oooing and awwing, laughing and pointing at some old books. It turned out it was the logs of that C-47, that had made 500 runs during the Berlin airlift and had also crashed twice in its career. It still flies to this day back-and-forth from Seattle to Fairbanks, Alaska transporting salmon down South and grocery goods back up North. What a rugged, reliable and versatile aircraft.
You should be reminded that known history of humanity being taught in school starts from around 10k BCE while airplane history is just over 100 years. I sincerely hope your comment was meant as a stupid following of the trend of common YT comments. Otherwise, you are most unfortunate getting that low quality of education and should search the ways to improve.
I was deployed to Eielson AFB more than a few times and actually sat on the "Lady of the Lake" when the lake was frozen. It was way cool. Unfortunately, no one told me that it had been flying through Atomic Clouds and might have still been radio active. One more thing I need to deal with during Lockdown 2020.
Unless you physically inhaled/swallowed cesium or strontium isotopes, you'll be fine. HIGHLY refined materials are also HIGHLY unstable(think gasoline/alcohol).
@Luther Smith Cool! But if you need to put a piece of fruit in a beer to make it drinkable, it's NOT GOOD BEER in the first place! Corona beer really is "panther piss" beer! Drink GOOD beer, my friend!
Thank you Mark for these wonderfull historical videos. As a therapist in a Nursing home I used to tell all these interesting facts to a resident I took care of who loved hearing about them. We had hours of interesting conversations because of your work! Sadly the man I'm talking about died two days ago from Covid 19. I will miss our conversations!
Our grandad perished aboard HMS Celendine conveying goods to the Sowjets in 1943 aged just 31, never meeting his own son. Cherishing his Baltic Star medal. And James Donald Cameron is immortalized upon Birkenhead Cenotaph and Naval gravestone in Landican Cemetery. CWGC are also, unsung, heroes.
I still don't understand how some organization hasn't recovered these relics. They have to be worth some money. Edit: I realize cost is the main reason, but there must of been more than one crackpot millionaire with a historical interest to fund an expedition of sorts. The engines alone would be worth a small trip(several months of extensive travel, and salvage).
When I was a kid at cocos islands there were several crashed planes at the end of the airstrip from ww2 apparently they had crash landed during the war and they would just push them off the runway.
@Herbert B. Bondsh Absolutely. There's not much left of the Repulse and Prince of Wales. Pre-Hiroshima steel is worth it's weight in gold, so it's not unexpected I suppose.
Which episode? Sad I can't remember it, guessing it was the special where one of them attaches a bog seat to the back of their car, and they shoot SPAM with a shotgun?
We live in Tennessee and in 1964, my oldest sister received for her high school graduation a plane ticket to Columbus Mississippi. She flew on a DC3 for Southern Airways, an airline long since gone
My Great grandfarther served in the arctic convoy. My mum said he never spoke about it but when he did he talked about ice on the inside of his cabin up to 3 inches thick. He never received a medal from Britain until recently after he had passed away. Must of been a horrific convoy to be apart, not talked enough about if you ask me
I love your narration in your videos, the pronunciation of difficult proper nouns of foreign origin are always spot on. Your research of rare portions of history make each and every one of your videos quite an educational and informative experience. Thank you.
Watch you every day! Have been a ww2 war buff 4 65yrs. Thank god for you and the internet, as a kid all I had was victory at sea and books, and story's from mom and my Uncle's who were there.
3:56 that's the Geneseo Airshow in Upstate NY and that C47, named "Whiskey 7", is a local celebrity around here. She even returned to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-day last year.
3:48 that is Whisky 7, belonging to the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, NY. I had the pleasure of going for a flight a couple years back when my fiancee (now wife) purchased a ticket for me as a gift. Whisky 7 actually flew in combat in both the Mediterranean and Normandy campaigns. A true workhorse!
Glad I checked the comments I was going write the same suggestion, hopefully this helps ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CE9j-W_8USw.html
Yeah watched it years ago and was quite disappointed at the end. No reason it should have burnt up. Laziness and poor fire equipment led to its demise.
Wasn't it an improperly secured generator that shook loose and caught fire. It was terrible to watch. I believe it broke loose on the take-off attempt or taxi run leading up to take-off?
The C-117 at the end is like a quadriplegic crying for help. I think the best way to recover those worthwhile at all is to be airlifted by a Skycrane(aka S-64 Aircrane). In sections, if necessary. Thanks again, Mark, for keeping busy in these frustrating times!
I remember watching the 'Nova' episode on the 'Kee Bird' recovery. They came so close to flying it out but a generator popped loosed on the rough ice runway and started a fire. They'd replaced the tires, props, changed fluids and had everything ready and tested. One the mechanics literally worked himself to death in the process and all for nothing.
+Tom Servo Not a loose generator. They neglected to fix a fuel pump and ran the generator with jerry can of gas. The generator must be running on the ground and for low engine RPM.
I’ve had the honor to see this C-47 3:53 in person, and I got the rare opportunity to go inside it aswell. It’s nickname is “Whiskey 7” and from what I recall hearing about it is that it took part in D-Day and continued on throughout the European campaign. Such an amazing piece of history.
Mark your content is awesome, I’ve learned so much obscure history from your channel...where the hell do you find all these topics ? Keep up the good work 👍
@markfelton Im not quite sure if u already made a video about this, but an interesting event prior to ww2 was the bombing of Guernica by the German Luftwaffe. It is lesser known and maybe you find it interesting
Your work is so much better than every other military history channel out there. Well researched and full of fascinating information with no distracting music or special effects. Brilliant, please don’t change.
So weird we live in a world where high quality documentary content is available to watch from anywhere, and that each has its own little community word board with lots of discussions going on at any time
50 years ago in the summer of 1970, I was with the Canadian Army on an arctic training exercise and there were 3 planes there, one was 2 engine C47 type and one was a Lancaster type plane with the 2 vertical tail fins and the 3rd one was a more modern passenger plane. I often wondered whatever happened to those 2 old warbirds.
I too listen to Mark Felton all the time while I'm driving this guy is a wealth of information I would love to meet this guy and sit and talk with him... Shortly before my dad passed away he told me about his war campaign with the United States Navy and how many flew over Hiroshima and all the background and I was always intrigued but listen to this guy really really makes you wonder and think of how close the Germans actually came to winning the war
So the stock footage of the C-47 Skytrain is specifically of Whiskey-7, which was the lead ship of the second wave of paratroop transports during D-Day, and recently flew back to France for the 75th anniversary. It lives in Geneseo NY, and I'm quite happy to say that I had the wonderful privilege of flying on it. Thank you, Dr. Felton for these wonderful videos, and I'm always excited to see W-7's familiar face on youtube!
hop so lute ly great vidoes! wish i had an address to sent you some info about a video you did about carribean isl under cia >1970 you was unaware of. same isl different part [UNK 2 U] of same stuff b4 ganging up on Castro? Pls keep up the good work!
My granddad flew for the RAF, pre ww2 over the hump in a c 47, later in a training role mostly in Canada. He crash landed a 4 engine bomber on the tundra, he and the crew stayed with the plane while parts were flown in to repair it, then took it the rest of the way back. Theres one that didnt quite become a ghost plane.
So glad to hear about the Dakota's in South Africa 2020... April 1986 did my one and only parachute jump from a Dakota during my 2 years compulsory National service. My most favorite plane of all time of all the planes I have flown in including commercial airlines. ❤😎
@ It wasn't an APU _per se_ but a regular gas powered generator that had been used in the refurbishment process. It didn't need to be strapped down for that, and no one remembered to strap it down before taxiing. The rough ice and snow caused it to bounce and leak gas, and the rest is history. Heartbreaking outcome of a truly heroic effort.
@@hshs5756 Other commentators are saying it was the "Put Put", which is called an APU. The APU in the B-29 resides in the rear of the aircraft, just forward of the tail gun position. It is started on the ground prior to engine start by the tail gunner. Once the engineer has started all the engines, the tail gunner shuts the APU down before take-off. This is all described in at least one WW2 era training film for B-29 flight engineers on RU-vid.
@@vk2ig Thanks for that. In the documentary on this they don't make that clear, and now that I know it was a built-in piece of equipment, I wonder all the more why taxiing on rough ground would make it catch on fire, unless this is a case of "coincidence is not causation".
I rode on a commercially operated DC-3 back in 1973 from Ramey Air Force Base (closed since '73) in Northwest Puerto Rico to San Juan. My recollection of the experience was walking up hill to my seat and a super smooth ride, almost like floating along. What a part of history. Also rode around in an Air Force T-29 (Convair 440) while stationed at Ramey. That's another story.
I have seen a C-117 still in commercial operation out of Opa-Locka Airport in Miami. I could never identify it as the tail was so different than the other DC-3's. So glad Mr. Felton answered that question.
Hope one day we can get Mark Felton into Wichita and fly in B-29 "Doc". I live 4 miles west of his beautiful hanger. Get to see low flyovers twice a month if weather is good. The sound of him taxiing and takeoff will wake you up. love it.
If you haven't already, please try to do a documentary on the Tempelhof Airport, including of course the underground aircraft assembly of the StuKa and FW190. I was able to visit the underground and decommissioned parts of the airport the early 1990s - the basements were still covered in black soot that was caused from the fire of the film archive that Lufthansa had...who knows what valuable pictures and films were lost. Thank you again for your impeccable historical story telling!
Also in Nunavut are two plane wrecks near the airfield at Canadian Forces Station Alert. One is an Avro 683 Lancaster that crashed in the 1950's, the other is a Lockheed C130 Herc. Unfortunately both crashes had numerous fatalities
There’s a RCAF Halifax bomber off the coast of Sweden that’s in the process of being recovered For a museum near me in Alberta. Apparently it’s in really good condition still. It’s called the Halifax 57 rescue project if anyone is interested.
Watching this video reminds me of the B-29 that is sitting at bottom of Lake Mead. It crashed there after world war 2 (1948, in July) and still in great condition. I believe everyone survived but unsure if any are still alive today.
Eureekah Dear Mark, this is another fine example of your extra-ordinary work and outstanding achievements! On noting the passengers survived the crashes you mention, but how many would never have survived after the landings? To be shaken up badly after a crash landing and then to realise you are many miles from a warm bed, clothing, food and safety, it must have taken more than good imagination to stay alive and get to help, wow!
As a child my father was in the Air Force and we were stationed at Eilson AFB in Fairbanks. In base housing we would go to the gravel pit and use wooden pallets to raft out to the intact B-29 that was half submerged in the artificial lake. This was in 1960. I wonder if it is still there almost 60 years later.
This reminded me of a story I recall watching about a team who located a plane, many feet down, frozen in ice. They bored a hole and carved out a cave around the plane, it looked as though it was on display in an ice cavern and in remarkable condition. They then brought the plane to the surface a piece at a time, took it to a hangar and put it back together. I want to say it was a P38 maybe? I was expecting a bit on that story but did not see it. edit: Just looked it up- the "Lost Squadron" That P38 was restored to flying condition. They have since found 1 more. Still, 4 P38's and 2 B17's are still frozen in that glacier hundreds of feet down.
I have a book on the recovery effort called the "Lost Squadron" which is a photographic history of the loss and recovery effort. Filled with photos taken at the time of the aircraft laying on the ice after their forced landing, photos of the recovery of Glacier Girl, and firing the guns after recovery. Although they did locate one of the B-17s under the ice, the shifting ice had ripped it apart unfortunately....I have heard a rumor that others are planning on searching for the remainder of the aircraft.
Best military history channel on RU-vid. Detailed info. Great voice. I'd boldly claim Mark Felton the 'Attenborough' of military history. Many nights falling asleep to his voice 😴
This is something I have always wondered about after reading about the long recovery and restoration of a p38 lightning plane that was named glacier girl from a group of them that clashed in Iceland I believe. I still remember how much of a time capsule those planes were after digging into the ice. Complete with still armed and read 50 caliber browning machine guns. Their is even video online of them firing off their rounds. I imagine this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of places of all sorts that litter the globe. This one definately deserves a follow up if more are located. It's amazing that after so many years some are still being found in remote locations. Thanks mark!
The story of the recovery attempt of Kee Bird is truly a sad one, it costed the life of one of the men during the reconstruction process making the total loss of the aircraft so close to flying even more poignant .
My father was a P51 pilot in WWII 1943-1945 he was stationed in Termoli Italy and their runways were steel mats mostly on the beach of the Adriatic where they took off over the sea. He said the area had been used by the Americans Italians British and Germans at various times during the war. When coming in for a landing he could see various airplanes up to a mile off shore he could identify airplanes under the water that had ditched there from each of the various nations that had fought in the area.
21:13 The Keflavik Air Base plays an important role in the Tom Clancy Novel Red Storm Rising, and that picture syncs up remarkably well with the descriptions in the book!
A friend of mine looks for aviation wrecks in the Eastern serrias along the California/ Nevada border. He visited a B24 wreck site that was exposed due to a glaicer melt off due to drought conditions. I believe he was the first to visit this sight since the crash. He took the emergency hatch behind the upper turret. I trader him for the hatch. Still olive drab paint and stenciling. Even bits of canvas on it's interior, a cool find.
Holy hell the music Mark you outdid yourself again i must say i am quite impressed with this one and hope this will get a new trend here it fits so perfectly.
Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife, NWT, Canada still flies many C-47s and C-46s, all of which are warbirds. They were the subject of the six-season long show Ice Pilots, and recently the RU-vid series Plane Savers. Worth a watch!
In Greenland 1992....a P-38 Lightning Glacier Girl found and restored to its glory. Supposedly there are 5 more fighters and 2 B-17s buried under 200 ft of ice and snow. Another excellent video Mark.
... it always amuses me that the two areas of our beautiful Earth which contain the most water, are also the driest!.. great vid as always Mark... vielen Danke!
I live in Tulsa Oklahoma, we have a large airport that used to have a Consolidated Liberator factory on it. (Now it makes school buses) I think around 7 years ago the last B-24 we built was found wrecked off Sicily somewhere. Now the giant American Airlines base is restoring a DC-3 named after the city, which is going to be preserved in Dallas, do to some political problems.
A gold mine of information Mark. Thanks for the video. Makes this lockdown miles more enjoyable. Nice seeing supporting video's of the planes you've mentioned. Appreciate all your research and efforts!
Interesting aside, the USA was able to retrieve a Japanezo Zero aircraft that crash landed in the Aleutions early in WW2. This captured plane was brought back to flight status and was intensely studied to develop US fighters able to challenge the Zero.
I worked on Diego Garcia British Island Ocean Territory in 1992-93. On the Inner side of the beach was a half buried PBY Catalina. It was basically an intact airframe - but the aluminum frame was as shiny as the day it left the factory.
@@MarkFeltonProductions I have to say your video's are excellent in both content and production..! You should consider making videos covering historical events , copyright them and sell to schools for history class !! Between your narration talent, and music selection.....it grabs people's attention.........you got a winning formula here!! ...just saying....
I live in a town called Wasilla Alaska. On clear days, you can see the wreckage of a B29. It’s shinny metal fuselage reflects brilliantly in the sun. If you’ve got the time, you can hike up and look at it.
I remember the Greenland B-29 story from aviation mags back in the 90's. I have a dim and distant memory of reading about two P-38's that also landed on the Greenland icecap. They were in amazing condition, but buried deep in the ice. Thanks Mark.
Glacier Girl is flying but the B17 was crushed. They were under a hugh amount if ice. They had to be melted out. GG was the only one that could be restored.
The great lakes bordering Canada and the US especially lake Erie and lake Ontario have many relics on the bottom. There were many lost during training missions and target towing duties and remain in good condition at moderate depths, worth a look and discussion.
I was in Kentucky when I visited a local museum that was dedicated to "Glacier Gal", a recovered P-38 from Greenland. It was buried deep under the snow and ice. The plane was restored to flying condition and I believe that it has since been sold and is in Texas now.
While in Resolute Bay in the late 1970's, I saw a map in one of the air freight company's office with a number of coloured pins in it. I was told those were locations of crash sites, different colours for different types of planes. A list of potential parts was kept for each site and if needed, a mechanic was flow by helicopter to the site to source the parts. That was more economical than flying them up to the high arctic.
At 4:00 that was " Whiskey 7". Owned by National Warplane Museum in Geneseo NY. My former nieghbor was stationed at the Nome Alaska air base in 1946 worked on B-29s.