@@jakekm1767 I had not heard this story before, but I have seen a reference to Voo doo in a history of the glider regiment, where a "spare" glider was lost in a training accident.
But still full of Heroes doing amazing things. Can you imagine being in that cockpit over the North Atlantic and all you can see is your tow line disappearing into the fog ahead of you?
He should have gone along with the rather pointless game on the 1 condition that Pa Inlaw come along as cargo,then watch the fun as Daddah tried to stay on the ground,without looking a bit shabby in the bargain .
This is what my Grandfather did during WW2. He was a glider an C-47 pilot. He also flew C-47's during the D-Day invasion. 1st Lieutenant Gordon Ridgway.
I didn't realise that he was able to do both roles. I thought the C-47 pilots were Air-Force (either R.A.F. or U.S.A.AF.), while the glider pilots were trained army blokes, involved in the Airborne glider units.
@@warrenmilford1329, the war ended before my father deployed, but he was definitely in the Army Air Force. While he flew powered aircraft during training, his last months in the service were spent piloting gliders, preparing to land troops and equipment. God’s good rest, Dad; I wish that I could ask you more about it, but you left us all when I was young.
@@leehaelters6182 Thanks for the info. Yea, when I said Air Force above, in the US sense, I knew it was still part of the US army. I just didn't realise that gentlemen like your father, and the OP's grandfather, trained in both roles. I believe that the Brits had a unit called the glider pilots regiment, which I believe was originally set up as a combined RAF/Army training unit, but was then officially designated as an army unit. They didn't train as tow pilots, just as glider pilots I believe. They fell under the same umbrella as the airborne units (parachute/glider troops), the SAS, and army artillery air observation units. I believe they were collectively called the Army Air Corps. Sorry to hear you lost your Dad when you were a young fella mate.
More guts than brain s do you know how easy it is to get killed in one of those things i went up in comercisl gliders in the 70s across the Atlantic is nuts
He probably thought "I wish I'd gone with that daughter of the Head of Light Entertainment now. The worst thing he'd have asked me to do is make the tea..."
@5:08 My dad was an air navigator in RAF Catalinas and one of his more unusual missions involved flying over the North Atlantic looking for trouble. According to his brief, aircraft being ferried from North America were regularly getting lost in transit and the powers-that-be wanted to know why. What was causing so many losses? Were brand new aircraft defective, or did the Germans have a new, secret way of shooting them down? Was there a new long-range German fighter? Was there a secret antiaircraft U-boat? So he and his crew flew along the flight path of so many lost aircraft, looking to see what they could see. Fortunately they found nothing. Later it was realized what the problem was. Not every pilot was well trained in air navigation over water, so aircraft regularly flew in tight formation behind larger aircraft, like a bomber, which had an air navigator aboard. The ferry pilots would follow the bombers in tight formation. While in formation, the pilots would always be adjusting their throttles to stay in position. Adjusting their throttles led to increased fuel consumption rates until, sadly, they would run out of gas and glide into the ocean, never to be seen again. The solution was for aircraft to fly in looser formations so they didn't have to adjust their speed. The rate of losses fell, and my dad didn't have to search for German secret weapons over the North Atlantic again.
My dad worked with a guy in the early 90's who had been a radio operator on a B-17 over Europe early on. He later went on to fly C-46 transport aircraft over The Hump near the end of the war. He said flying through the Himalayas on instruments socked in with clouds was more terrifying than any bombing mission he flew in over Europe.
Another fascinating story, thank you. My Godfsther was a glider pilot at Arnhem. These were flimsy aircraft and physically demanding to handle so VooDoos flight really was extraordinary and must have been exhausting for the crew.
Never mind the _glider's_ durability - a round of applause for that poor, put-upon, twice-repaired tow cable! Never has so little nylon done so much for so long!
So did mine. 84TCS, 437th TCG, Mission Detroit (Operation Overlord i.e. D-Day), Operation Dragoon (Southern France), Operation Market Garden (Holland), and Operation Varsity (Over the Rhine at Wiesel). Managed to live through it.
Flying on tow is pretty focused work for the 8-15 min up to altitude in a glider, to do it in a cargo glider over long distances... You can see why they needed 2 days rest between flights. Gutsy
Towing to altitude is easier than towing on the level. When the aircraft are climbing the rope tends to stay tight due to additional tension needed to sustain climb. When towing at fixed altitude, it is much easier to throw slack in the rope any time the glider finds itself even slightly high, or even just due to gusts. In a moderate performance glider (Grob Astir CS) I found keeping the gear down and just cracking the boards helped a lot.
WWII grandpa stopped by on way to 45th reunion trip to Europe in 1990. Met my new neighbor who was Brit gentleman about his age who we found out was a D-Day glider pilot. He had flown several other glider missions prior to D-Day. They fought they way back! Incredible men!
WW2 was won and lost by madness, possibly the most close run war in history when we look at all the crucial turning points. If Heisenberg's graphite were not contaminated, presumably with boron, Germany would likely have had nuclear weapons first, and nobody wants to know how that would have gone; Hiroshima replaced by London. The list goes on and on. How the Brits held out still boggles my mind.
@@flagmichael Churchill seriously considered gas attacks if there was an invasion of Britain. They had large stocks and the devastation would have been on a comparable scale.
You managed to say that the commander suggested his own son-in-law for an incredibly dangerous mission without laughing. It seems like a very good way to get rid of a son-in-law.
Dear Mark: Of all the history channels I watch, yours is my favorite. Well edited, well sourced and credible. Also you are a clear and enjoyable narrator. Thank you for good history. "History guy" is second, with both of you the passion is obvious.
And you Stephen are bang on the mark with your assessment of the situation and the credit you give to both Professor Felton and Mr & Ms History-Guy. They are both brilliant and so much better than anything on free to air or cable.
Except WACO didn't build pianos, they built civilian aircraft from 1920 to 1947 in Troy,Ohio. The old product building now a warehouse called WACO warehouse. 😞
we live near raf brize EGVN. we used horsa gliders for huts as storage the one we had was taken to mosquito museum north west London on m25 was in 1975 not been there to see it we used to cut them up for fire wood used 2 trailers to move them happy days
Fascinating story. As a Canadian, I am surprised that have never heard about this exploit before. Mark Felton has a talent for uncovering, researching and very ably presenting some remarkable history.
A few years ago I read a book on the various roles played by the C47. Apparently a C47 with the engines removed and blanked over was towed across the Atlantic behind a powered C47. It would be a good story for Mark to do a video on.
Love the video, and, once more have learned about an event that I was unaware of until seeing the Mark Felton production. Thank you Mr. Felton, for being way better than television! "Repairs were necessary to the tow rope, which was badly worn." Holy crap!
My dad was in Reykjavik in WW2 a year or so before this flight. Volunteered out for parachute training and later ended up Glider Pilot Regiment by coincidence. Well, I expect it was a co-incidence. Surprising how low a profile the Icelandic part of the war has always been. This is a fascinating documentary
Great video Mark. I built a balsa Waco Hadrian from the old MAP plans service in the late 70's which had a 5ft wing span. The footage in this is amazing.
Crossed the North Atlantic in a Gearing-class destroyer in October... ditching in the sort of weather we endured and the water temperatures, even if you survived the initial ditching - probability about zero in waves that turn your destroyer into a semi-submersible - you have only a few minutes and you're dead. No, that PBY crew weren't rescuers, they were witnesses.
@@marcmelvin3010 You will stop moving after a few minutes. But you're not dead yet. There are people saved from drowning after 20 minutes in freezing water.
My father was in Iceland for two years. Then to Scotland where they were expecting to be shipped back to the US. His signal corp unit was then attached to the 101st Airborne and he had glider training. The pilots had flunked out of bomber and fighter school. I don't think he made any combat flights but he was at Bastogne with the 101st.
Absolutely fascinating. I'm glad I'm not the one who had to pilot Voo-Doo on that 3000-mile mission. It's amazing the weight these gliders could carry.
Daddy, daddy - where is Trevor - he didn’t come home last night? Oh dear me Vanessa, he sort of, volunteered, as it were, for a secret mission and unfortunately he got the chop. Oh Daddy, I’m heartbroken - my darling Trevor is gone..... Ummmm, yes, yes my dear, bad show all around I’m afraid....poor old fruit.
"But don't worry my dear. Roger is still alive and eligible after I sent his wife, I mean his wife volunteered for the same mission... I always liked Roger..."
I love when Seys and the Squadron Leader are examining the tow rope... the look on his face is priceless. "You mean to tell me you're going to tow this fully loaded glider, and me, to Scotland with a 3/4" line?!" Referred to as small stuff in Navy terms..... I wonder what he did to chap his father in law's hide?
The CG-4 glider was developed by the WACO Aircraft Company in Troy, Ohio, known for making some fast and manuverable small aircraft since the 1920s. My grandfather took a job there in 1940 as a skilled carpenter, making an impressive 75 cents an hour - more than double what he had been making as a locomotive fireman for the C&O Railroad. During the war, WACO built several models of gliders (the CG-3A, CG-4A, CG-13A, and finally the CG-15A). Many were built by other companies (Ford built around 4,000), including the "piano company" you mention in the video. They also built engine mounts for the P-47 Thunderbolt. My father worked there until joining the Army, as did his younger brother (who was only 14 at the time). Later in the war, WACO found a way for finished gliders to be picked up by tow planes without even landing - by flying low and hooking the tow-cables as they passed overhead. Biggest problem with this video , which grated on me throughout the story, was that the name was pronounced wrong - it's "WAH-co" not "WAY-co". Otherwise, nice job, and interesting story. There's a very active WACO Museum organization in Troy, if you're in the area. Lots of events and biplane rides, etc.I even found my father's Employee Picture ID in there collection. Link: www.wacoairmuseum.org/
One of my airline captains had been a ops officer in WW2. Once on a late afternoon, high over the Atlantic the conversation was about D Day and he remarked, "You know, the WACO glider was really critical on its center of gravity and could be very dangerous; but it's best thing was the box it came in. That box was better than the quonset huts we had in Britain. The walls were varnished,you could cut in a chimney here, a window there. Loved them!
Simply the best history channel anywhere! Mr Felton is perhaps also the finest story teller of history I've ever heard. In these dark winter, covid-19 days, Mark's stories are my favorite way to pass the time and to push all the covid/election news out of my weary mind. Thank you so much Mark Felton!!!
"Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill, commanding RAF Transport Command, volunteered-" Well, that's awfully brave of him! "-his own son-in-law for the hazardous mission." ...Ah, yes. I see.
As a former glider and C47 pilot, I truly relate to this amazing story, having flown solo across the same route in single engine aircraft. Thank you Mark !
My dad was a P-40 crew chief in the Pacific. When the unit would move up to a new airfield during the island hopping campaign, they would you use gliders to help transport their stuff. Dad had a civilian pilot license and since they were short pilots he would be “asked” to pilot a glider.
Mark please make a video about the germans that fled to Argentina after ww2. The creator of the fockerwolf came to Argentina and made other planes here. Also many top ranking SS members came for refuge. Many people have relatives that served in the SS and keep their medals and photos
Hes included it in his "Nazi Rat Lines" videos. 1-4 or 5 . Cant remember how many. At least 4. Not a whole video about it but he includes many names and towns in South American countries including Argentina
I loved watching this! (I'm from Rvk, Iceland) Sir Bowhill and his daughter must have enjoyed many a pleasant time together... And - only ten thousand more subscribers to one million! Spread the word, comrades!
Thanks for another great "little-known" story. I learned to fly sailplanes in an old Schweizer SGS 2-32. During a tow in turbulence (desired if they were caused by high thermal activity), it was two hands on the control stick and even ten minutes was exhausting. You must actively stay in the correct location behind the tow plane, or you if you fly too high you will send the tow plane nose down into the ground, or if you dip too low, you can enter the prop turbulence (maybe more down and side-to-side with a C-47). I cannot imagine 8 hours in rough weather, even if there were two pilots, flying over a rough icy sea. Hats off to those brave crews.
This historical scenario involves layers of potential bitterness: 1. Start with a successful fighter pilot. 2. Relegate him for _(de-rate him to)_ glider duty. 3. Assign him to a back seat position. 4. Tell him the back seat is in the second aircraft. Ouch! Just ouch.
You know General Bowhill probably hated Sey's guts, but his daughter begged him to take her husband away from the front lines. So the General had to think of a hair brained scheme to try and kill him off.
I've never heard of this and the story had me on the edge of my seat. What great piloting skill in the glider and the towplane. It became obvious, given the weather and turbulence, a fleet of towed gliders would not be feasible. A convoy among the U boats might be safer.
Dickie to his father-in-law, "You want me to volunteer for a experimental mission by flying a glider that I have no prior experience in using, over three-thousand kilometers over artic waters, in a airframe I cannot bailout from or even survive a landing in the ocean?" Air Marshal Bowhill, "Naw. It'll be fine."
An absolutely brave, heroic team; a testiment to the dedication and experience of the pilots. Honorable the air crew were awarded the Air Force Cross. Noteworthy the glider record stands to this day!
A phantatoc documentary, cograts!!!! And with this film something struck me especially, because...I got to know Richard Seys in person as a marvellous character in the 1980s during vintage car rallies in Austria he attended with his amiable and charming wife (a former dancing teacher, at some time also to a certain Miss Elizabeth Windsor). Although rallying old cars (ALFA Romeo 6C1750, Invicta 4.5 litre low chassis...) in more or less touristic events meant for entertainment and sightseeing was much more peaceful than the things he did with "Voo-Doo". he still did not shun danger. Driving a 1903 Oldsmobile "Curved Dash" in moutainous areas may provide some unpleasant surprises when the drive chain breaks, as this car has brakes only on the gearbox. He and his wife got away unhurt as he was quick enough to spot a counter slope... And later he drove an early Stanley Steamer (which used a gas-heated boiler under the seats), also of horseless carriage design like the Oldsmobile - until some time around 1988 he retired from riding this car, explaining to me: "Well, Helmut, at my age the flames of hell are approaching anyway, so I don't need to have them under my bottom on week-ends, too!"
Oh yes, his wife's name was Pamela, I forgot to mention. When I visited them in the eighties in their home south of London Richard also showed me a piece of the "transatlantic rope" on display on the wall of his study... But he would not make too much fuss about this adventure.
As always Mark Felton comes up with unknown war stories ! Flying a glider on tow for that length of time must have been exhausting . Being a glider pilot , I know hard work it can be for only a few hours under tow.
@@leehaelters6182 ...yes... ..."This document means PEACE in our time!"... ...(that is what he is saying as he waves that piece of paper in that newsreel clip)...
This reminds me of the stories of early flight services in the book, "Fate is the Hunter". Each take-off and landing stands as an accomplishment and adventure all by its self.
"(thinking to himself) Dammit, how am I going to get rid of this godawful git my daughter brought home as my son-in-law?" "Erm, Sir, you need to pick someone to fly a glider over the Atlantic." "Do I? Well I have just the chap"
@@keithallver2450. That’s not funny, and I am sure that your comment shows a dearth of understanding about comedy, and how to make people laugh.!.!.!.!.
Another great doc. . Mark Felton- Rich history lesson. Thanks for the contribution.! C47. (DC3) a beast of a work horse. What Brave men flew these missions. 👍
