Masters Of The Air - The 4th Fighter Group And The P 47 Thunderbolt

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Күн бұрын

Masters Of The Air - The 4th Fighter Group And The P 47 Thunderbolt
The P-47 Thunderbolt was the stalwart pursuit aircraft for the 8th United States Army Force in the early days of combat in the skies over Europe. Don Blakeslee of the 4th Fighter Group would personify the fighting spirit of the American pilots that travels to Britain before America's entry into World War 2. Flying with the Eagle Squadrons, Don Blakeslee would be the first pilot of the 8th United States Army Air Force to score a kill in a P47 Thunderbolt. He would do this will flying as part of Rodeo 204 on the 15th April 1943.
This is the story of how Don Blakeslee and the men of the 4th Fighter Group would become Masters Of The Air in the skies above Europe flying the P-47 Thunderbolt during World War 2.
#mastersoftheair #p47thunderbolt #warbirds #thunderbolt #donblakeslee #ww2wayfinder #p47 #historydocumentaries #il2greatbattles #dcsworld #spitfire #p51mustang
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Пікірлер: 84

@jamesdrew6726 Ай бұрын

Thanks for that compilation. The 4th Fighter Group made a great contribution to the war effort with it's highly -skilled and fearless pilots. My Great-Uncle Maj. John T. Godfrey flew with Blakeslee in the 4th and it's always nice to see them get the recognition they justly deserve !!

@WW2Wayfinder 12 күн бұрын

Oh wow, sorry I’ve only just seen this comment but that’s incredible that Major Godfrey was your Great Uncle!!!! I’m a huge fan of the 4th FG and I love how they kept their RAF traditions and carried them across into the USAAF!

@A14b19 2 ай бұрын

My friend lived 300 yards from that airfield I walked it many times just picturing the planes flying over , going to the pubs in the village they went to so much history. You walk past a blister hanger 100s of yards from the main runway so much 🎉

@WW2Wayfinder 2 ай бұрын

Always something very special about walking those old airfields isn't there!

@ian1090 6 ай бұрын

Great video. Don Blakeslee has been a hero of mine for a long time. What a legend.

@WW2Wayfinder 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! I’d have liked to have shared a beer or two with him and listen to his wartime exploits!

@lewis730 2 ай бұрын

A hero of mine as well. A superb combat leader!

@lewis730 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for posting! Thank you for remembering this superb combat leader!

@WW2Wayfinder 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! Blakeslee will forever be one of my hero’s. A true fighter pilot in every sense!

@troykauffman3963 7 ай бұрын

Absolutely great video, well done. Thank you. 🫡

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! I’m hoping to do a few more featuring both Allied and German pilots in the coming months.

@stephenhill560 7 ай бұрын

What a man, what a machine and what a fantastic history. Brilliantly told

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

He was a legend, and I would love to have met him and shared a beer with him to hear about his exploits first hand!

@TribeTaz Күн бұрын

What a great story. Thank you

@alantoon5708 7 ай бұрын

COL Blakeslee persuaded BG Kepner that if the 4th FG was issued P-51's the pilots would "learn to fly them on the way to the target". The first P-51 mission by the 4th was the last day of the Big Week...and they learned the Mustang just as promised.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

He was an incredible leader wasn’t he! As Heros go I don’t use the word often but Blakeslee for me is definitely one!

@91Redmist 7 ай бұрын

Excellent video! A big pleasant surprise was learning that he was from Fairport, Ohio, which is less than 10 minutes away from where I live!

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Oh cool! I wonder if there’s any memorials to him there?! If not there should be as he was an absolute legend and needs remembering!

@91Redmist 7 ай бұрын

@WW2Wayfinder I'm not sure. Fairport is a small locality on Lake Erie that is home to several marinas, as it has a natural harbor. I'll bet that he had a bit of sailor in him as a kid growing up. :) I'll have to go check to see if they have a memorial. That'll be a small project for me to do for you. Also: It made me proud that 7,000 Americans volunteered to help your Great Britain in her time of peril. What a generation of men and women both countries had.

@91Redmist 7 ай бұрын

@WW2Wayfinder Ok, Jon. The only thing I was able to find was a bridge in Fairport over the Grand River that was renamed, under state law, in Blakeslee's honor. That's Great, but why did it take someone here in Ohio 75 years to do him an honor???

@steveb5341 7 ай бұрын

Class vid mate. Loving the 3D computer imagery 🫡👏🏻

@robertmorey4104 7 ай бұрын

Love you videos, one minor quibble the side bars have a lot of great info, pilot bios etc, but they go by too fast. I have rewind several times to read all the info. Can you pause the pages a tad longer?

@firstcitytraveler 7 ай бұрын

Another outstanding video. This is a topic I don't read about. I look forward to more aviation videos.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! I’ve got plans to cover more of the air war and from both the Allied and German perspective as it’s such an in-depth part of the war but hard to cover without the benefit of being able to show some of the actions using flight sims etc. Thanks again for watching 😃

@CalTheKiwi1 2 ай бұрын

WW2 Wayfinder…brilliant YT channel 🙏🙏

@WW2Wayfinder 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@clementaut7287 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for this great documentary

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! I’ve got a few more planned for the Air War in the near future!

@edgaraquino2324 5 ай бұрын

Good video! DB should have been promoted at least to BG upon his retirement....I am sure that because of his great abilities, including as Navigator, great experience, aggressiveness & his character traits both in the air & off the ground caused less talented superiors to "punish" him by not promoting him...a man of his experience should have been a general officer involved in maintaining & developing future fighter tactics...

@WW2Wayfinder 5 ай бұрын

Agreed! His leadership would have done wonders at the top as he was a proper leader and not a yes man.

@edgaraquino2324 5 ай бұрын

@@WW2Wayfinder Yup!

@alantoon5708 7 ай бұрын

Like COL Robin Olds a generation later, Blakeslee's log book and other records did not accurately reflect his true number of missions or combat flight hours. He did not want to leave his men and be sent home. A true leader in every sense of the term.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

You’re right. I’d love to know the true amount of hours he really flew in combat. I suspect they were much higher! A real leader the likes of which we don’t see very often!

@thethirdman225 3 ай бұрын

Source?

@jonalbright8968 4 ай бұрын

Great topic. Thanks.

@thenoworriesnomad 7 ай бұрын

Another great video and informative too, great research.. 👍👍

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Something a little different for this one but glad it was interesting! Blakeslee was an incredible pilot and leader!

@eamo106 7 ай бұрын

I follow few WWII pages, yours is a new addition and very worthy. Brilliant post Wayfinder, Blakeslee was brilliant for all you showed in your homage! Thank you ! May I suggest as a very similar pilot in terms of 16 WWII victories , your part II could be Colonel Bud Anderson (now a General). Bud Anderson is still alive, look up his page..>> "to fly and fight" made by his son Jim, himself a 20 year USAF Veteran pilot. Tell them I sent you. Anderson arrived in England in February 1944 and began flying combat missions in March 1944. He quickly established himself as one of the top pilots in the 357th Fighter Group. In June 1944, Anderson was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for shooting down five German aircraft in a single day. He was the first American pilot to be awarded the DSC for his actions in Europe during the D-Day invasion. Anderson continued to fly combat missions until the end of the war. He finished the war with 16 enemy aircraft shot down. Very similar story to Blakeslee buy a very different style of pilot. Blakeslee very technical and precise, Bud being more of a maverick. Same scores.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

General Anderson is a great man and I’ve been lucky to correspond with him so I think you’re right, an episode on Bud would be a worthy endeavour!

@richardmardis2492 4 ай бұрын

Our P-47D was (I believe, could be wrong) the only surviving “razorback”! This was at the Champlain fighter, aircraft museum in Mesa, Arizona.

@stephenhill560 7 ай бұрын

A great loss. Church Fenton lacked the same atmosphere

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Agreed. From what I saw of FL at Church Fenton it just wasn’t the same, which is sad. Hopefully as the airshow develops there it’ll find its feet but somehow I’m just not sure

@TheWordofHistory 7 ай бұрын

What an epic story, thanks for sharing mate.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thanks mate! Blakeslee was a proper leader and a real character, one the modern military could do with again!

@TheWordofHistory 7 ай бұрын

@@WW2Wayfinder couldn't agree more bro

@bugs5644 7 ай бұрын

p47s were made about ten miles away from my home. there is a airpower museum in one of the original hangars still there today.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

They were an incredible machine and huge when you’re next to one. Also incredible to think at 7 tonnes how it managed to fly and fight!

@PeterGunn1958 7 ай бұрын

I'm sure it will come as no shock to you that I absolutely love this video, it hits pretty close to home for me. Col. Don was a great man and a great leader, my father was pretty sure that Blakeslee had roughly 30 air to air victories (which I can neither confirm nor deny) but did not always report them, much like his combat flight time. After we moved to Florida I did meet him once, hell of a guy, didn't suffer fools easily it seemed but truly a great man. I can also confirm that while the Thunderbolt was a good fighter, but... when dad first strapped on a P-51 it was love at first flight. The Thunderbolt was solid, but the Mustang was a war winner. The proof is in the numbers, in the toughest battles of the air war the Mustang shot down more than the P-47 and P-38 combined, and that was against the best the Luftwaffe had to offer. Great video as always, keep 'em coming.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Amazing you got to meet Don! I would have loved to have sat down with him and heard his stories, your father too! The men of the 4th FG will always be held in the highest regard by myself for what they achieved and style with which they did it!

@PeterGunn1958 7 ай бұрын

❤@@WW2Wayfinder Thank you for those kind words, I can't tell you how in awe I was growing up and while he would have totally dismissed it, dad was a total hero to me and still is. I must admit, there are many of your videos that can really choke me up if I watch them too much, (guess I'm getting sentimental in my old age) but that is a good thing and I hope about the highest compliment I can give you for your hard work. Thank you. Also, you said it correctly, they had STYLE.

@cameron3815 7 ай бұрын

The footage in your videos are amazing and you tell an amazing story everytime. I look forward to whenever you release a new episode of WW2WayFinder. Thank you for all the hard work you put into these videos.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

If people enjoy it and we can keep getting the stories out from this era then it’s all worth it! Glad you enjoyed it and I’ll have a few more aviation based ones over the coming weeks as it’s where my passion for WW2 really lays!

@stephenhill560 7 ай бұрын

From memory he did attend the flying legends show a few years ago

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

I think I’ve seen photos of that. I hope he had a great time there. Flying Legends at Duxford was the jewel in the airshow crown!

@harley909 7 ай бұрын

Great job! I wish he would have written a book…

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! And likewise, his autobiography would be incredible and no doubt a best seller. I’ve got numerous books about the 4th Fighter Group but it would have been great to read about his war in his own words.

@RobJones262 7 ай бұрын

Very enjoyable video. Gotta love the P-47! What sim was the virtual footage from?

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! So I used both DCS and iL2 Sturmovik: Great Battles. Both are great but have limitations. DCS is the easier to build missions for in the mission editor but iL2 has the greater range of WW2 aircraft. I love them both though and they’re great for learning about how operate those incredible aircraft.

@RobJones262 7 ай бұрын

@@WW2Wayfinder Cheers mate, i'll have to go spend some money ;)

@user-wz2qe2pv6r 12 күн бұрын

What a fascinating fun character and great leader....

@WW2Wayfinder 12 күн бұрын

He was truly one of the greatest fighter pilots to ever live! I just wish I could have met him.

@cameronhansen3775 6 ай бұрын

Respect to those pilots who served in this war!!

@robertvirtue 7 ай бұрын

Excellent

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Thank you so much

@brianaustin8989 7 ай бұрын

Well told as usual with your videos. I had read another version of the generals comment on Blakeslee emerging with two scantily dressed WAAF.s, which I liked, when he was threatened with punishment. "Hell no, any man who can keep two women satisfied, at the same time warrants a medal"

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Hahaha, either way definitely a bit of a legend! I’d give him a promotion and a medal!!!

@christiancruz4533 5 ай бұрын

Lov this show

@WW2Wayfinder 5 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@jimwatts914 6 ай бұрын

Howdy folks! Fascinating account of an Atlantic convoy as the tide began to turn in favor of the Royal Navy. Aided by carrier and land aircraft, Johnnie Walker’s gang outfought the U boats.

@Baskerville22 7 ай бұрын

He must have been one of America's most decorated military men

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

He certainly didn’t shy away from the right and had the medals to prove it! It’s a shame he didn’t write an autobiography as it would have been a best seller!

@Simulator96 3 ай бұрын

What sim did you use for the footage is it IL2 1946?

@jamesburns2232 5 ай бұрын

When you look at what happened at 7:23 in the video, it's not surprising that Blakeslee never made General. 🤭

@WW2Wayfinder 5 ай бұрын

Haha he was a legend wasn’t he! Hard fighting and hard living! Everything a true fighter pilot and leader should be!

@stephenm.fochuk7795 4 ай бұрын

He was pissed that was covered in a post war book. Well, that's what he told me when I spoke to him.

@wolfganggugelweith8760 6 ай бұрын

Brave German pilots!!!

@richardmardis2492 4 ай бұрын

I can see our cousin British at first seeing the P-47: “Did you listen to anything we said!” It’s like the opposite of a Spitfire 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@DavidHumphrey-fu5gb 7 ай бұрын

Bf.109 not Me.109

@WW2Wayfinder 6 ай бұрын

Both are correct. The Bf designation stood for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Me for Messerschmitt and became the popular name for it after Bayerische Flugzeugwerke was renamed to the Messerschmitt Aktiengesellschaft in 1938 so both terms are absolutely correct for the 109.

@ALA-uv7jq 7 ай бұрын

Masters of the air. What a joke. I think 100's of Luftwaffe pilots would disagree.

@WW2Wayfinder 7 ай бұрын

Doubt it, they lost if you didn’t know

@cameron3815 7 ай бұрын

Why would you say that? I would make bet you know nothing about what it takes to pilot a plane and you criticize someone who did it with honor. And why don't you ask those Luftwaffe pilots how they felt about him, oh that's right you can't. Comments like your really reveal the type of person you are. It's amazing how just a few words can make you seem like a total idiot.

@PeterGunn1958 7 ай бұрын

A hundred might disagree, but thousands would not be able to, the Luftwaffe was soundly beaten down into the ground, the numbers don't lie, deal with it.