The Fight For The Sky: Our Fighter Pilots Versus The Luftwaffe In Western Europe (1945) 

A family friend flew a P-47. On D-day his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. He said it blew the engine out of his plane. He survived the crash in a field (in France), got out of his plane & hid in a hedge-row for almost three days, without moving very much. He watched the Germans walk past him, as they knew he was near by. He was saved by a farmer. He said his face was swollen from insect bits because he remained still because of the Germans. Forty-years later he returned to the very spot he crashed & visited the son of the farmer who saved him. The young man showed our friend a plow his dad made from the P-47 our friend flew (change guns into plow shares?).

In 1944 I spent 3 months in Peterborough. I was 10 at the time. We had an American air force base close by and all us kids were invited to it. We walked through a B17 and were fed by the canteen there on the base. Ice cream, and bubble gum, which I had not seen for 4 years was available, and I had proper coffee for the first time ever. The "yanks" as we called them, were so kind to us, I can forgive them a little chest beating these days.

That was a touching epitaph to the pilots at the end, and rightly deserved, but not just the aces, the average by the seat of your pants pilots, the heavies, the transports, the PRs,AGs,Navs, AEs and spotters, they all deserve such a tribute, but we would be here for decades, so I will think of this as a tribute to them all, and may they RIP, Lest We Forget. 😔👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

My father was drafted in Jan 1942 into the 8th Army Air Force. He became a Staff Sargent Crew Chief first on P47's then P51's. His fighter squadron the 369th along with the 368th and 370th were stationed in East Wreatham, England. He let me know in no uncertain terms that the air war in Europe wasn't the glamorous sport that these Hollywood films portrayed. He related to me the times that they pulled shot up or burned pilots out of their planes. Not a lazy Sunday afternoon picnic.

…my dad flew Thunderbolts over Europe during the war…took me on trips all over Europe when I was a youngster…shot down 2-on his birthday, then got shot down himself moments after (his 2nd-time being shot out the sky)…he spent 2-weeks hiding in a Belgian farmhouse behind enemy lines…he was nursed back to health there by the family then given clothes and bicycle he used to get back to allied military custody, and eventually return to air service as pilot again…great footage in this film..

You forgot to mention all the other , British , African , polish, fighter pilots , who did a equally brave awsum effort , thanks to ALL brave pilots aircrew , ground crew who helped keep the fighter planes in the air , thankyou , Cos without you ALL we would be speaking German or Japanese. Less we forget.

RCAF Frank C Johnson flew the Hawker Hurricane shot down in Germany crashed in a farmers field. Frank was taken pow for the last few months of the war with serious injuries. Frank passed away in September 2017 at the age of 95 RIP uncle Frank God bless

Francis, Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski - Polish-American the best fighter pilot, who loved especially Thunderbold power of its engine and the power of its heavy guns, to suppress Luftwaffe German pilots in the air combat. I honor his memory and achievements !! AMEN.

Wow. One guy flying all those Thunderbolts, Mustangs and Lightenings...He must be good.

Hubert Zemke was shot down and ended up in Stalag Luft I Barth. He established a rapport with the Camp commandant Oberst Willibald Sherer, an old line Officer and veteran of WW1. Conditions in the Camp were poor and except for the Red Cross parcels food was inadequate. Officers weren't required to work so boredom and poor discipline were a major morale factor. Zemke transformed the dispirited POWS into something like a crack unit which he called "Provisional Wing X". When the order came to evacuate the camp Zemke refused. The Commandant, now Oberst Warnstadt, decided not to press the issue, and turned over command of the camp to Zemke and marched his men out. Zemke was there to maintain order until Soviet troops entered the camp on April 30 1945. Zemke was shot down by Gunther Rall who later served in the post-war Bundeswehr.

WOW!!! Best fighter footage from WW2 I’ve seen , those 3 wonderfull war birds and there .50 Cals blazing the sky’s across Europe, the water scenes were particularly enjoyable with the water shooting upward with each round as it approaches its targets , total eye candy, Thank you brave men in those beautiful machines for the courage and tenacity you’ve displayed they the war and especially the brave pilots that never returned.

Well, if my father didn’t make it through this war I wouldn’t be here. He was a P-40 pilot in China as one of the Volunteers. He was a p39 pilot and a P-47 pilot ( both Razor back and bubble top N-Model). He flew in every theater of WWII, amazing he’s still alive, this was a God thing!!!

Take moment to appreciate how well written that data is on the Pilots hand 16:09

Loved it when he said it was a beautiful summer "that day" man he must have lived in the uk to understand that one, but to end on a serious note this generation were of a different breed, my father was in the army from the day war was declared and he served and survived until demob but my uncle died on active service he was in the Royal Navy and was killed during the evacuation from Crete, army, airforce, navy and the other different sections all heroes, also great to see my favourite plane of all time in action the mustang the game changer of the air war

I've had the honor to talk with several WWII fighter pilots. They ALL said that they had and undying respect and reverance for the troops on the ground. My father was in the 5th Armored Division in Europe during WWII. He said that when they had tactical air support they didn't worry to much. I remember the air support we got in the Nam. Saved our asses alot

It's amazing how all of these incredible aircraft became instant junk at the end of 1945. You'd think they would have left some on exhibit at local airports across the nation. It was impossible to get close to aircraft anywhere, except during airshows which were few and far between.

The P-38 had 4 x .50 cal guns and one 20 mm cannon. The American 20 mm aircraft cannon had a tendency to not fire occasionally due to the firing pin not striking the shell primer hard enough. For a wing mounted gun that meant the gun was lost for the rest of the flight. However on the P-38 there was room in the nose to add a recocking mechanism. I don't know how this worked. If it was automatic or pilot operated. For the P-39, the pilot had a cable system that allowed him to recharge the 37 mm cannon if a round failed. I read that it took some effort to pull the cable back far enough to chamber another round. Later in the war, the Navy was going to 4 x 20mm cannon in place of 6 x .50 cal guns. I don't know if they had the problem fixed by then. The P-70 originally had 4 x 20 mm cannon located where normally (in an A-20) the bomb bay would be. I believe a crew member could reach the guns to replace the magazines or service them. Later they went to .50 cal nose mounted guns instead of the 20's. Perhaps because of 20 mm gun problems. The P-61 Black Widow had 4 x 20 mm cannons. As that plane didn't see service before mid 1944, perhaps the 20 mm cannon problem was resolved.

Completely & utterly amazing film! 👏🏼😎 The logistics for the missions are really mind-boggling, & think of all the mechanics, armorers, technicians, etc. that maintained everything! Think of the coordination required on these missions, & piloting skills! I salute every single one of these AMERICAN WARRIORS!!! 🇺🇸

When I was a kid my next door neighbor was a veteran Jug pilot that fought in Europe...He and many other brave souls are the reason we don't speak German or Japanese, today...by force...

Jimmy Doolittle is a freaking hero. Along with the men he commanded. If you fight for your country, and die got your country. Its something to be respected. I know this, even when some history today is being written off. I'll never write any of it off. Those today would never know what its like to fight like these and others have fought.

Thank you for posting this.

At 27:40 that's Mosquito NS522, shot down by two Mustangs on 6 October 44. F/Lt (46333) Alfred Ernest PALMER (pilot) RAF - killed, F/Sgt (1335101) Douglas GARDNER (nav.) RAFVR - killed. Squadron 2/Lt RE Lewis) who claimed an Me 410 nr Helgoland. Always thought it was odd to include that in the montage

Thank you for all this footage, particularly all the shots of 56th Fighter Group at Boxted in Essex. Thought I spotted Capt. Fred Christensen in the briefing as well as Col. Dave Schilling strapping in to his P47. I used to live just near the end of the main runway back in the 1970s and sometimes used to walk along the remains of the Peritrack or runway, trying to imagine all the P47 engines of the whole Group lining up for one of these missions. Only the ghosts there now, but there is a lovely little museum on the remains of the NW Peri Track near where the old T2 Hangar once stood

EXCELLENT photography . ( sound volumn so low, I miss a lot ) still great films of our AIR WAR . THANKS for action,otherwise, we would never see nor learn about

The Greatest Generation.

American airmen were brave and committed, my father did 28 missions on B-17's 1944-5. He had great things to say about the fighter jocks. However... The USAAF fighter arm prevailed because of: 1) Training, and the ability to provide extended flight training with experienced ETO fighter pilots. 2) Numerical superiority. 3) Tactics utilizing numerical superiority. Trained and experienced Luftwaffe pilots one on one were the best of any combatant nation in WWII and proved it with their kill ratios. However, when your pilots fly until dead or grievously wounded they can't pass on their experience to trainee pilots. Nor can you compete when fuel is so scarce you end up putting fighter pilots in the air with less than 20 hours of flight training. Germany lost the air war due to Attrition, Poor Planning, Over Extension and Allied Determination

What isn't mentioned is this. Because of the relay system with the fighter squadrons, most of the time our fighters were outnumbered when the Luftwaffe launched their attacks. Fighting at odds of anywhere from 1.5 1 to as much as 5 to 1, they still attacked the incoming German fighters. There's one case where a flight of P-47's was initially outnumbered 15 to 1 until some P-38's and P-51's were able to get to them. Yet they still engaged the incoming Luftwaffe fighters and kept them off the bombers. Talk about courage.

German Pilots had to fight from 1939 until the terrible end in 1945. They were forced to fight! Every day! They got an Iron Cross or a Wooden Cross!

@Greenhornet270 Thank you for you and your father's service. You are our heros.

The First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU) was the primary film production unit of the US Army Air Forces during World War II, and was the first military unit made up entirely of professionals from the film industry...Veteran actors such as Clark Gable, William Holden, Clayton Moore, Ronald Reagan, and DeForest Kelley, and directors such as John Sturges served with the FMPU. -- Wikipedia

What a fantastic find! Enjoyed every minute of it, while getting further and further behind at work.

That time when youtube recommends actually does something right.

Incredible those WW II fighter pilots were awesome

Awesome! I love how the WII fighter pilots dressed. I see teamwork among individuals.

Hands-down, the best collection of gun camera footage ever assembled.

Reed Hadley! As always, my favorite narrator of these types of films.

Gotta love the sound of those old radials.

50 cals. can do some real damage with 6 guns, and especially 8, as in Thunderbolts. But you sure dont want to be hit with more than a couple 20 mm cannon shots, lest your in a P47-D Thundetbolt, as they can usually take the hit and keep on ticking. With the tables turned on the receiving end those 50's can turn your ME109 or F190's into Swiss cheese in a 3-5 second burst.

The RAF also took part too, not that you would realise this from the film, great though it is. And fought the Luftwaffe for over two years before the USAAF made an appearance. But thank you for coming over here. Together we protect our freedom.

Good video 👍 thank you

Thank you for a great video. I watch these and always feel very in awe of the courage and skill.

Eternal gratitude to all these heroes who liberated my country from the beast.

29:46 A few feet off the ground. He wasn't kidding!

The bravest of the brave . God bless each & every one of them .

...at 3.35 note the Bamboo Bombers in the background !

So good video!Thank you a lot!

Absolutely Amazing Footage. Our Boys Then & now are As Tough as Nails . I really wish things from the 1940-50s were still the same today but yet with much of what we have today. It's just nice seeing how our men acted, Conversed & just many of the Common decencies between one another that they had back then , but we've Unfortunately lost in today's Society. However I'll never forget nor should you the things are forefathers did & lost in order for us to have what we have today here in America & much of the rest of the world.

No matter what it took brave men to defeat Germany . May God bless each & every one of them .

I'd really love to see a movie that captures this battle as fully as this documentary does. I'm surprised it's not really been done like "The Battle of Britain" was in the last 75 years!

Thanks Boyd!

Wow, this is the best war footage I have watched before now

Great tribute at the end.

Amazing stall at 24:00...

It was a great idea to put the British Rolls Royce Merlin engine into the Mustang, dont like to sound piky but credit where credit is due.

Lots and lots of gun camera action here, great stuff.

25:18 brutal scene! An FW190 on the ground, engine on, strafed while taxing... A tornado of cal .50 bullets over its engine and cockpit!

P38s, P47s and P51s bringing it to the enemy! Awake the sleeping giant and your chickens will come home to roost! This is by far the best combat film of ww2 gun cams! Our parents and grandparents saved the world from tyranny! From my grandfather (WW2 South Pacific Veteran) to yours, we proud Americans Salute you, the greatest generation!

If I am going into combat, give me a P-47 D40/RA every time. Tremendous speed, firepower and ruggedness. Super tough Pratt and Whitney Double Wasp radial engine could have cylinders shot out and still keep running. Fastest and most nimble of ALL WW2 planes at high altitude with the single exception of the long nosed FW 190s with the Jumo engines. Yes, if I want to come home to my lovely wife and mom and dad, then give me a Jug every time!

Thank you for the nice video!

Watching these guys makes me even more proud to be a citizen of this country. They did something incredible for the right reasons and we will likely have to again.

Back then with no GPS but only primitive tools like compass, rulers, pencils, watches, how they could navigate to their targets was incredibly amazing, apart from sudden change of wind/weather etc. Didn't matter how good the planes were but getting them over the target was a GREAT job. Without the courage/sacrifice of those adorable men/women, the world might be very different today. WWII's surely brought a lot of changes to the world.

I sometimes feel I'm living in the wrong time... The smell of avgas, the sound of a 100 radial engines, sweethearts at home and "nearby," and the music of the 40s! A smoke, coffee, a swig of bourbon and the flight plan! The tight feel of chute and harness, the rumble of your engine vibrating through you. If it weren't for the war and all the death, being a pilot in those golden days of flight, would be as close to heaven a pilot could get to! But it was the war and death all around you, that made the simple things in life so valuable! I salute all our fighting men, on the ground, on and beneath the sea, and always those who dwell above us, like eagles!

history every one should see

Thank the Lord these BRAVE pilots from America along with our own you cannot say enough of the Heroism these selfless people looking back Thank GOD we won the war as well as all those brave people whom we owe so much lost their lives fighting to save the civilized World we have NO ROOM for Dictators we all know WHY.

Incredible gun camera footage.

Even the German soldiers died, they deserve the same respect as well. A soldier is a soldier. He dies protecting his country. Real monsters are the politicians who start the war and have nothing to lose. Ask them, do their children go to war? Never! Only a common man joins the army and his whole family pays for it.

Most who lost an engine did not survive, including an experienced pilot who put a video online showing off his P-38 and giving the impression that he was very capable. With a sudden power failure you immediately put rudder and bank toward the good engine while feathering the dead one's prop or else the torque augured you in. One thing about the plane was that the guns were on centerline, which concentrated the rounds at any distance rather than them crossing at a selected distance out front.

Nice post. I've got an edited version of this on an old VHS tape so many scenes seen here are missing. And I'm sure the narrator is different too.

Thank you . I thinking of visual identification of the " Little Friends . Thank you

Guys, why are you all arguing and insulting each other over a war that ended 70 years ago?

Amazing that the cameras looking directly at the pilot didn't block his view. I mean, the cameras back then weren't the size of a GoPro. ; )

Good old gun-camera. Nothing shows more, the brutality of the modern warfare then the gun-camera. The P-47 was one of the best fighter-bombers of WW2. Mustang and P-38 also. The hardest are the german gun-cams, when thei shoot on the B-17 bombers. The hole film is very impressiv. Thank you for uploading.

One my favourites was the Lancaster bomber with 4 Merlin engines made at Castle Bromwich Birmingham England...

That’s where the line “Give them the whole 9 yards” came from - The length of a 50 cal belt

Excellent video.

Excellent documentary

now the meaning of "In war, truth is always the first victim" reveals to me

Look how low that jug is at 29:38! These young men were incredibly brave

A huge radial engine, R-2800 Double Wasp, 12:10, few sounds are as sweet as that! Wow!

Did you notice the pilots were actually wearing their oxygen masks? Something about Hollywood cartoon/video game movies in the last 20 years or so seem to think this was unnecessary. Respect for the guys who actually flew the missions should demand accuracy.

IGot this Thank you

.50cal armour piercing incendiary X8 Imagine being on the receiving end of that much firepower. That's a bad day 😧

Another problem the P-38s faced in Europe was that 4 of them landed at a German airbase in '43, which gave away their performance parameters. But after Lockheed put dive flaps on 'em they were formidable, avoiding compressibility in a dive, which meant the '109s usually failed if they chose to dive to get away. There's a video online that gets into the P-38's problems. It killed those who suffered a catastrophic engine failure near the ground on T/O - still does for those who own one.

I once met a former Luftwaffe pilot (who was actually Lithuanian) and he said he joined up for the money. My father who enlisted with the with the RAF during the war, told me he joined up because he liked the uniforms. Funny old World isn't it!

Thankfully no, but I'm quite impressed with your knowledge of events relating to WW2. Also as a matter of interest, aus welchem land kommen Sie, Deutschland?

A valid and interesting point.

Somebody should take some of the gun camera footage and clean it up, restore it and remaster it. I bet it would look great. The reason it’s so grainy with artifacts is because there was no way to keep the film reels free of dirt and dust which gets developed along with the footage.

Thank you for liberating Europe!

The flick was for wartime morale and fictionalized quite a bit; some of the planes being shot down are Japanese. Some of the American planes even have invasion markings on the wings and filmed during the D-Day invasion. The B-17 at 20:36 with "half his tail shot off" is a well known event where the bomber got out of formation and was struck by a friendly 500-lb bomb dropped from higher up. Encyclopedias of the 1950's such as The Book of Knowledge claimed the crippled bomber completed its bomb run and landed safely back at base. In fact, the B-17 went out of control and crashed. You can find numbers of references to the true story on the web, including the plane's tail number and crew outcome.

It's a P-51B-15, 43-24761, of the 361st FG, 375 FG, flown by 2nd Lt. Sherman Armsby, who was killed. It happened on August 26, 1944 at Perl, a small German town near Luxembourg.

That P-38 #162 was all over the place! And it could flip around into a mirror image and fly the other direction as well.

At 17:40 the term "grimly determined" was probably a common phrase. After all it was used by Dr. Morbius in the Sci-Fi motion picture made a few years later in the movie "Forbidden Planet". Dr. Morbius used the phrase "grimly determined" in that move as well when he introduced the crew for the first time into his home on Altair IV.

Some great combat footage here, one of the best videos I've seen! 👏🏼😎

In that one strafing run with the huge explosion, you can see the wingman's plane ahead and taking the brunt of the shock wave and almost engulfed in the explosion...one of the reasons why pilots were supposed to strafe with wider gaps in time.

One advantage I understand that the US Army Air pilots had was they used High-octane flight fuel.

WOW!!! Very Good Work!!!!!!BRAVO!!!!! Heroes!!!!!!!

Some of the German Gun camera footage when up close was taken from a Bf-110.

27:41, you don't see that very often, a DH98 Mosquito being shot at!

The guy in the aviator sunglasses at 41:05 looks exactly like me at the same age. Spooky doubleganger. Great film and tremendous sacrifice by real heroes. No comic book foolishness here. The real deal.

That's some of the best gun camera film ever! Another shinning example of the greatest generation ever! Thank you!