I hate to say it but there's an image of A4 Skyhawks in there labelled as IAI Daggers too. You should've uploaded tomorrow and been able to blame it on being a Monday. 😉
Much respect for him from the USA as well. Since he was also a F4 Phantom pilot I can imagine him comparing notes with Robin Olds on the combat effectiveness of the two different platforms.
Fly High Sharkey. I bought his book "sea harriers over falklands" many years ago(a most excellent and recommended read) and was much amused to find he and I shared the same vitriol for REMFs 😂
Sharky was court martialed for very low level flying. What people don't fully realise, is that this was the vital experience required for him, years later, enabling him to fly at 10' AGL, to achieve a kill! Good work that man, you make me proud to be British!
@@WALTERBROADDUSand there's no such thing in real combat....pilots that push themselves and their aircraft in and out of combat win real fights Pilots that never do win good conduct awards and graves in wartime.
@@Manco65the Italians used to do ‘unofficial airshows’ and ‘low flights’ over and near family, girlfriends, and so on. A lot of them paid the price: hitting trees, hills, mountains and didn’t live to tell. There’s a time and place for low flying.
My father, Lt Cdr Doug Taylor, conceived of and designed the Ski Jump (more complex that it looks - he took a year's sabbatical at Southampton University to do the calculations). It proved crucial to the outcome of the Falklands War, enabling Harriers to take off with a full complement of fuel and weapons. He made himself unpopular with the RN top brass, who wanted to keep their big aircraft carriers and it took him 10 years to convince them to back his idea. Southampton University awarded him an MPhil for his work; the Queen gave him an MBE and the Admiralty made an 'interim payment' of £25k for his contribution. The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm museum at Yeovilton has a mock-up of a ski jump with a Sea Harrier taking off but, apart from that, there's no mention of the Ski Jump or my father anywhere. Surprising, as he was one of their own and the Ski Jump was a notable success for the Fleet Air Arm.
Greetings, Brother. I was apprenticed [''Catagory A''] on the first Harriers, AV8As [Gr.50] with VMA-231. There were no formal Harrier tech schools yet, so they sent me to a working squadron for OJT. I was an Avionics troubleshooter.
I served with a Sharkey Ward in 1974 at HMS Osprey, naval air station Portland in Dorset. He was a chopper pilot and a Lt. It's been a long time since those days and a few of the guys I served with were killed in the Falklands but the photo of him is an older version of the Sharkey I knew and he was a good bloke even though an officer.
Had the pleasure of meeting Sharky Ward and Surgeon Rick Jolly at Holborn library at an Air Britain meet in the late 80's. I was with some work colleagues from Holborn Police Station. We invited them to our local, the Queens Head and was pleased they said yes. Was thrilled, had Sharky Ward one side at the bar and Rick Jolly the other side. Never forget that night. Great blokes.
Both Sadly no longer with us. Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly was a true Humanitarian officer, who was respected by all who met him, regardless of uniform.
@@stephensmith4480 Never seen a bad word written about Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly. There is an excerpt in "Above All Courage" by a sailor who was drowning and unable to get to the basket lowered to him by a helicopter and just as he gave up he was pulled to the surface by Jolly who had jumped from said helicopter to get to him.
@@goodshipkaraboudjan 💯% My friend. He was awarded I think it was the Order of Merit by the Argentinian Government for his treatment of their wounded soldiers. The only person to be given an award by Both sides. That speaks volumes.
The Falklands guys are now starting to leave us and now is the time to interview them Rick Jolly Sharkey ect were remarkable men and were so important God bless them and I thank them all for what was achieved in 1982 please do more Falklands stuff
Brian was a great reporter on this conflict and went into history with those words. These days the woke BBC would be siding with the Argentinians and criticising the Navy, RAF and Army 😡
In the late 80s, I had a job teaching English in Frankfurt. I had a long break, so I decided to walk up to the Zeil to have lunch. On the way, I went by the Frankfurter Hof, a well-known hotel. A large crowd was in front, and I asked what the deal was. "Maggie Thatcher--ze Iron Lady!" was the answer. I waited and waited, and finally left for the Zeil. I had lunch and did some window shopping. As I passed the Frankfurter Hof on the way back, a limousine pulled up and out got Margaret Thatcher who did that palm-up Queen wave. Talk about timing.
My family and I have made several trips to the museum it is a very interesting and educational afternoon out, there is a small cafe there I recall, well worth a visit
There is a Falklands War Veteran Sea Harrier on display at the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum airfield with 4 victories. The aircraft is Sea Harrier XZ457.
I remember Brian Hanrahan's "I counted them all out, and I counted them all back.", wow 42 years ago! I was woken, while serving in Hameln, and having my parka taken, with everyone elses, no reason being given - this was before the task force was announced. It caused a lot of rumours if I remember correctly!
Anyone who earnt a SAMA medal is truly worthy of admiration That conflict was a serious test of our ability and highlighted some pretty outdated kit, but as we have historically, we dug in, got on with it and were victorious, although nobody wins in war
Ward came to St Louis to talk to the Harrier team at McDonnell Douglas about his experiences in the Falklands. I remember he described how tough the C-130 was. He said he hit it with a Sidewinder that set one engine on fire and emptied his entire magazine of cannon shells into the fuselage from such close range that he knew every round was a hit, and he could see splashes on the water from them after they'd gone through and through the target aircraft. Only after all of that did the C-130 finally go down. It was the first time we'd heard actual combat stories about Harriers (granted, Sea Harriers that we'd had nothing to do with building, but still) and it made a deep impression on me, which is why I remember it 40+ years later.
Most interesting , Mark . I was based at Lyneham during the conflict . The incoming Hercules ' cargo wasn't always pleasant . Later , I always enjoyed watching the Sea Harriers flying in and out of , Dunsfold aerodrome in Surrey . The Dagger , I believe has been produced in many guises , ; The IAI Kfir , and , the Atlas Cheetah . Much respect to "Sharky " . RIP , and thanks for your service .
The real downside of losing the real carriers, thank you Denis Healey and Harold Wilson, was not so much the loss of the Phantoms and Buccaneers, but the Gannets. Because the loss of a flying AEW radar aircraft meant that the Argentines could sneak up close to the Taskforce by flying low. Had the Gannet still been available even the regular Harriers could have dealt with the Skyhawks and Super Etendards and intercepted way ahead before they got within range of the fleet, because they would be detected far earlier. Now the fleet was left vulnerable and the carriers had to be stationed so far west they were nicknamed taskforce Capetown, severely limiting CAP time over the Falklands and the ships engaged in the San Carlos landing.
Yes, but you also must acknowledge that the SHAR got more flying time due to the sea state in the South Atlantic, where VSTOL aircraft were more suited. You’re right though; the AEW is still a great hole that hasn’t been replaced.
Thank you very much for the reference to the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum. I had never hard of it but it looks well worth visiting (and donating to).
Great video! I was stationed in West Germany with the USAF when the Falklands war occurred and was very much a supporter of the UK. I had a Union Jack on a wall at my desk with “The First Annual Falklands Cup” tennis tournament written on cards on it and kept score as either side lost a ship. I worked a guy from San Antonio, Texas who was of Hispanic descent and who sided with Argentina. I went on a couple of days leave and while away, my off had British military visitors who saw my “score card” and loved it until they saw the score had been changed by my coworker. Lol. But seriously, the British operation to take back the Falklands was really quite incredible.
Well done Britain ! Great job Sharkey Ward ! I like the way he retired to Grenada , likely enjoyed the climate , and slowly faded into history. Salute'
I actually have Sharkey Ward's book on the flying the sea harrier and Falkland's conflict. Very interesting read and in it he was none to complimentary of the Admiralty ...
I'm Australian and love your channel, I had the pleasure of sitting in a Harrier Jump Jet at the Avalon Airshow. I told my English father in law how Proud I was!
Thank you for this video. Regrettably, I had little to no understanding around the Falklands War. This isn't the first time your videos have led me to fresh insights and perspectives.
I remember as a young air cadet in the 1980s sitting outside in my maewest life jacket and parachute patiently waiting for my Chipmunk flight. Then there was all this commotion and all our flights were put on hold as 2 Harriers flew in, one of them had to make an emergency landing after a bird strike as the other circled the airfield. All I can say is the Harrier is one of the loudest aircraft I've ever heard, an amazing aircraft. Another great video Mark.
We have an air museum just up the road with a Pucara and a Sea Harrier in its inventory. The former was found in Port Stanley after hostilities ceased and taken off the island.
Point of order, Mark The Sea Harriers were retired in 2006 but surplus and cascaded RAF Harriers remained onboard until _Ark Royal_ was decommissioned in 2010
It was never sold in the Fleet Air Arm museum book shop. It was too critical of RN and RAF senior officers for their liking. My favourite paragraph in his book related how the crew of the Black Buck 2 forgot to arm the bombs and dropped 21,000 lbs of inert metal on to Stanley airfield
I was a little boy when the Falklands War occurred, I remember watching news about the task force steaming out to take back the islands and rescue the civilians there. Being American, I heard lots of anti-British comments regarding the whole affair. I never got the whole story until finding Dr. Felton's channel. As always your research educates, illuminates, and venerates. Thank you Dr. Felton for all your hard work.
A design feature that assisted the Harrier in a turning dog fight is that the engine vents were beneath the wing. This provided a measure of protection against old style infra red seeking missiles which required a hot zone for the seeker to provide a lock, unlike the all aspect Aim 9L sidewinder.
My hometown is CFB Trenton (I have epilepsy so no flying for me) and we would have amazing air shows in the 80's. The Harrier was always one of my favorites, no matter which model it was.
Watched this video yesterday and I've today just come back from that museum. Great to see the Harrier and all the other stuff, and it's well worth a visit.
There was a large amount of bravery displayed by both argentines and british in this conflict. Even though argetines Lost the conflict and had issues in the tactics, their air force was not a donkey court.
First! A lot of Argentines consider Sharkey an executor for his shooting down of a surveillance Hercules. I personally think Sharky embodies a true warrior focused on engaging the enemy and winning the battle. I despise war and regret the losses on both sides, I think it's unfair to accuse Sharkey of wrongdoing in that incident.
That's laughable. Not directed to you, but to the Argentine claim. If Hercules was a military plane in a war zone, playing a military role. To say that it's wrong to shoot it down, shows dishonesty, or a complete lack of understanding of war.
Sharkey Ward actually chatted with the son of the downed Hercules pilot on a Caribbean radio station a few years back. As far as he & the Task Force were concerned, the Hercules had to be stopped resupplying Port Stanley. However, the RN Harrier pilots agreed among themselves that they would signal first to the Hercules to ditch themselves and save their lives. They were uncomfortable with the idea of shooting an unarmed plane. In the case of the downed Hercules that Sharkey shot down, he literally was at fuel limit and had no time to signal to the crew to ditch. So he had to take the shot.
I remember the Falklands War. The US news carried it pretty extensively. One of the problems was the distance. There really wasn't any way you guys could slip up on them, unawares. I think you did pretty well.
@@Jabber-ig3iwNot really. The British were vastly outnumbered, thousands of miles from home with all the problems that brings in supply lines. On paper the Argentinians should of won. But it was a third world military vs a first world one. Besides, I've seen written in a few books how PM MT had parked a couple of nuclear armed submarines within range of Buenos Aires should it have gone tits up.
Fly High Sharkey. For anyone who hasn't already, his book "Sea Harriers over Falklands" is a highly recommended read. I've had my copy for over 15 years.
Mark, great job personalizing the air to air situation with a review of Sharkey Ward's triumphs. I'm doing a series on the Falkland Islands War and my generic reviews lack this personalized attention to detail, exceptional method, thanks for the idea. Cheers
Years back. Had the thrill of privately owned harrier swoop down and due a 360 100yds away from me on a airshow course boat. One of the most awesomest things I've ever experienced.
When we read about the Falklands War in school around year 2000 I first thought that it was a fiction book. It just felt so unreal that the UK and Argentina would go to war over an island I didn’t know existed.
I remember the song "Red Skies At Night" by The Fixx. Supposedly written about the conflict. still one of my favorite tunes. I was about 15 years old when this happened and I remember reading everything I could about it.
I was young (10) but I remember well those times - well before the Web and instant news. we were watching on TV how this conflict was doing, rooting for the valiant British. and the Sea Harriers (as well as the Vulcans) were impressive in our minds.
Thanks for this.. HMS Invincible visited NZ in the 80's and a guy I know was Tactical Radar Operator on it during the Falklands War he didn't know if he was going to live or die!.. I have the book by Dave Morgan interesting read... we have a GR-3 Harrier in a museum here 👍🇳🇿
Sharkey Ward was like superman to me as a child I was absolutely obsessed with anything Falklands (I was born in 83’) a brilliant no nonsense pilot and he made me so proud to be British 🇬🇧
XZ493 (001) was Sharkey’s aircraft during his time on 801 Sqdn, which is now part of the FAA museum. I was surprised at the amount of pre Falkland pictures you used, including pictures of 800 aircraft, when speaking about Sharkey who was as you say the CO of 801 Sqdn.
Fascinating, my wife and I discovered we were both fascinated by the Falklands war (we were both in high school, albeit in different towns) at the time of the conflict. I hope that Dr. Felton brings us more content regarding this conflict - especially since the Argentines are once again making threatening noises about those islands.
I believe the yanks made available the latest version of their Sidewinder which had faster lock-on and made quicker turns. This was a great help and no doubt provided good sales pr for the missile.
Argentine here. Yes, the brits had those yankee missiles fresh from factory, their most important advantage was all-position lock on target. Our fighter pilots had older french missiles that only locks on target directly from behind at the exaust, plus the Mirage delta wings are high speed interceptors, not agile dogfighters. Not to mention our pilots had to fly from the continent and back and they had fuel for only minutes of combat. The Harriers had an enormous advantage air-to-air in the conflict.
@@Stewpot-p5l I'm not a native english speaker but I'm pretty sure my comment is very clear. Even with older AIM-9B (equivalent to the old R.550 Magic in the Mirage IIIEA), british pilots would still had many advantages air-to-air, and your good old helis went down with the Atlantic Conveyor or were hunted down by Pucará pilots. It's a real shame your magnificent L-85 bullpup was not ready in time for Malvinas, it would fared very well against our obsolete cold-forged FALs and FAPs for sure!
As soon as I had first heard of the Falklands War I’ve been enamored with it. A modern conflict fought between two distant nations where no other nations involved themselves.Incredible feat of the Royal armed forces to complete such an undertaking. I fear that the modern United Kingdom could not pull off such a feat again.
"no other nations involved themselves"... Argentine here. You need to know that Chile was a BIG part of the conflict, the US provided full intel, satellite info and the latest missiles for the brits, the URSS provided us with their satellite info on the position of the brit vessels and Perú gave to us some soviet portatile AA missile launchers and were ready to send some 4000 voluntaries for combat. The Malvinas War is a VERY VERY present thing here, some of the worst things you can do in Argentina is dispute our rights on the South Atlantic or call the islands "Falklands". Every veteran from the war is revered as a national hero here. And the Invincible was very damaged by our pilots, the UK still says it was not hitted but it's a lie.
I remember it well. The Iron Lady showed some mettle sending a very weakened UK force to fight so far from home. There was a lot of doubt whether they could defeat the Argentine forces. I always liked her. Tough woman.
