I have lived all my life 8kms away from the Naval Air Station Nowra. As a child they had the best air shows, Sea Venom, A4 Skyhawk, Gruman Tracker, Westland Wessex and Sea King. Now all in the excellent museum. As a police officer later in the 90s, we would spend a week each year doing courses and training with Australian, British and American troops - counter terrorism exercises and it was also in the days of the 3RAR parachute training school. I did the free fall course with them and also attended several aircraft crashes and parachute mishaps.

Re Bren as an anti air weapon. A true story. The first German air raid on the U.K. was against the Rosyth naval base in October 1939. Britain’s first line of defence was my great uncle, an 18 year old private in the Black Watch, who was sat atop a linoleum factory equipped with a Bren gun ….and no ammunition

Airfix has immortalised this event by including the markings of the victorious Sea Fury in one of their 1:48 Sea Fury kits

My father was flying Sea Furies at NAS Nowra (HMAS Albatross) at the time of this event. He has regaled us on many occasions with the story of how the RAAF were unable to defend Sydney from an unarmed pilotless Auster and how the Navy came to the rescue and saved the day. It is my understanding that the ground crew put together some webbing and cut up a bit of sheet metal and made a big scary looking "medal" they named something like "the Auster Cross"and awarded it to the two pilots. A minor point, you should know that RAAF is pronounced R-double-A-F and RAN is not pronounced as the word ran (past tense of run), but spelled out as R-A-N. (Ex RAN aircrew here...)

Sea Furies, yay! One of the best looking aircraft ever. 🙂

Dad was in the control tower at Albatross that day and tells the story that there was 2 meteors. Nth sydney was out of range for comunications from nowra but the navy had another aircraft off kiama and for the first time a system of relay communications electronically was used by the navy. And dad remembers the navy pilots yelling Tallyho as they went into the attack and someone in the tower saying "Bloody Poms"

One of the Sabre pilots was Peter Aubrey Bolin (deceased) who years later related this event to me at the Singapore Flying Club. The Sabre was too fast for the sighting of and engagement with the slow target. Irrespective, mortified by the loss of face to the 'Navy' the squadrons weekend leave's were cancelled and the pilots were made to stand runway readiness ie full kit in the cockpit for a month.

A great story and a last Hurrah for the gorgeous Sea Fury

Excellent ! As an Alaskan Bush Pilot (years ago) I flew Taylorcrafts and other small single engine aircraft. I love all the old radials and taildraggers . This is a great story of how such small aircraft aren’t taken seriously . That had to have had a lot of people laughing by the time they read the news accounts. I can picture the two guys with the Bren gun thinking “this will be great sport” . This made me smile ,thanks from the U.S. ( I’ve seen our military do equally silly stuff)

I'm an Aussie who was toddler when this happened, but have never heard the full story until now. I can however add a funny note from our cousins in New Zealand, courtesy of a Kiwi friend of mine who flew Vampire jets there back in the '50s. His squadron leader was such a muppet that he damaged two Vampires by forgetting to lower the gear on landing. Consequently when ever he took off in one, the ground crew would station a van at the end of the runway, which would flash its headlights if Squadron Leader Muppet did not have his gear down.

Never underestimate the Australian ability to turn a very simple task into an international disaster.

As a 12 year old, saw the Auster slowly flying over North Sydney.

The Aussies, are really keen on calling the R.A.A.F. The “R double A F.

This is absolutely fantastic. It has had me in tears of laughter from start to near finish. Only in Australia can you get this level of humour. That proves that they can overcome adversity with humour

Wasn't sure what to expect when I added this to my playlist but very glad I did. 😂 Very entertaining, now subbed.

Wow, amazing how the little aircraft brought out the inefficiencies of the current leadership. Great training moment.

Tongue in cheek aviation history at its best. Well done, mate! Will you be making a video about the German bloke who flew a rented Cessna Skyhawk, undetected, through Soviet defenses and landed in Red Square, standing around, signing autographs for the curious, until the police finally woke up and took him away.

Thanks for the memories! My father gained his commercial license with VH-AET and I received my first flight in that Auster a few months before the incident. I recall it was operated by Kingsford-Smith Flying Services.

I visited Australia on an R&R flight in 1972 when I was in the USN. I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm a Texican & y'all had some of finest, friendliest, and most welcoming people I've ever met. Ended up leaving my Stetson Shorthorn with one your citizens. This guy & his wife seemed to find me all three evenings I was there & bought food & cold ones until I would have to say "No more." (Loved those roast beef sandwiches with the hot mustard on them. My choice. Missed my spices.) He kept looking at that hat. I could tell he wanted it. Their name was Campbell. His was Bill. Last night there I took a pen from the waitress and scratched out my name & wrote Bill Campbell under the crown & handed it over. His wife told me was one your combat vets from WWII. I'd studied all that. Somehow y'all get the hard stuff done. Anyway, your video gave me that memory. Thank you.

Brilliant. I fly model planes. We had one fly away and although we did not shoot it down, it flew several kilometers until it ran out of fuel and quietly landed in a ploughed paddock. It was very similar to the Auster. Light and with very large wings. Great story and with a mostly happy ending. Mike in Oz

The RAAF had a better chance of completing that mission in the 1950s than the RNZAF has today.

Wonderful! I joined the RAN in 1967, aged 16. I'd tried for the RAAF but my marks were not quite good enough. I'd never heard this story before. RAN 1, RAAF nil.

As the Kiwis would say, "It's so easy, even an Australian can do it". But not in this case, apparently! Great story and wonderfully presented. Loved it.

This is a great story that I'd never heard of, although I've lived in Sydney just after 1955. I wonder if the aircraft wreck was ever discovered? Must have sunk not far from the Japanese mini sub.

I had never heard this story, but it reminded me of the US story that you foreshadowed. Hilarious story and very well presented.

Never heard of this upside down Palmdale precursor but your presentation was excellent.

a great story, but I forlornly hoped for a happy ending for the little innocent runaway. very well told, thanks for sharing.

"Unable Archer" I got a real good laugh out of that.

This plus the Great Emu War make Straya look hilarious.

Dad was home guard . He had a Bren gun mounted above the fire place in his house on Kits Coty, awaiting German parachutists. I used to pick up the used rounds down in the chalk pits as a kid. Very light bullets!

God I love this channel, it’s literally everything an aviation dweeb like me could ever want

What about the Fokke-Wulf 190 that landed at RAF Pembrey in West Wales during WW2 by mistake. That is an hilarious story too. The RAE Royal Aircraft Establishment then had a first chance to tear it to bits to see how it ticked.

As a coincidence I just saw a video about the air battle of Los Angeles. 😂 It was just as hilarious as your fine recount of the air battle of Sydney Australia. Thanks for sharing.

I was in sub-junior, Brisbane State High School that year. I don't recall even hearing about this episode. Makes two 'new to me' items in two months. The other? A Japanese Zero over Brisbane. Cobbled together from damaged aircraft captured in New Guinea. Hugh Lunn, author, newspaper reporter, wrote about it a couple of months ago.

Just Brilliant and very Funny. Thanks very much from an Old Brit.

A tip of the hat to the Archer which conducted itself with far greater aplomb without a pilot than most of it's opponents with one.

I heard about this from a past member of a bushfire brigade in the 1980s. This presentation reminded me of him.

This is why I love Australia. There’s such a level of incompetence and informality that’s just so funny

Aussie here. Delightful story. :)

02:00 "Unable Archer" 🤣🤣🤣 It would been a real Chad move by the RAAF to call it that way.

This is every bit as good as the Emu War in Western Australia, after WWI , returned soldiers were given rural acreage to begin farming, drawn to the promise of easy pickings, "hordes of Emus began to eat the crops which annoyed the new farmers. A company of Infantry was sent to deal with the problem. After approx a month of frustration, the results were dismal, emus have a blistering turn of speed, coupled with an awkward swerving and tumbling gait which made accurate shooting difficult. To counter this Lewis guns were deployed however after 10,000 rounds were sent hurtling across W.A. the score was 9. The Army retired shamefaced. A W.A. politician suggested the minting of a medal, A NSW politician replied that if it was made it should be given to the emus

Great story of aviation trivia with an excellent amount of humor thrown in.

As an Australian, I found this very entertaining, if a bit embarrassing. The cliches were funny, light hearted and not at all jarring. What was very jarring, every time, was the pronunciation of RAAF. In Australia we say "are double ay eff" because it's easier to distinguish from the GBAF and it just sounds better. Letting you know in case the RAAF comes up in future videos. Otherwise, love your work! Subbed ❤

Very well done narrative on one of the less glamorous examples of Aussie airmanship. Thanks for not sinking the boot in too much on the “old enemy”. btw Nice segue into the Battle of Palmdale…

Reminds me of the story of the runaway pilotless MiG-23 Flogger that flew all the way from East Gerrmany before crash-landing (and unfortunately killing a teenager) in Belgium.

A Wirraway downing a Ki-43 Oscar would just about be the equivalent of a Gloster Gladiator downing an Fw-190. Altitude and the element of surprise was EVERYTHING when it came to dogfighting.

Recently declassified documents show the trainer was being flown by an emu.

We can only thank God that the emus never got wind of this.

Being a storyteller, I've told this story to dozens of audiences down the years. Of course, I had a little extra here and there to spice it up. Nevertheless, it's a true story. I was a sailor on HMAS Sydney, the aircraft carrier at that time.

This is a fabulous story. 😊 I was born a year before this happened. I never heard of it until now. 🎉

I do love these lighthearted tales of peacetime military ineptitude. And, yes, as your other video confirms in startling detail, the USAF really did top this with the Battle of Palmdale. First-class work.

Wonderfully presented and with a wry sense of humo(u)r. My late mother was born in Grimsby descended from an English adventurer who went to and struck rich in the Australian Gold Fields (and returned home with an Australian bride). She married an American who would land on Normandy beach D Day. I came along after the Korean. Das was an adventuresome as when he returned to the USA after the war, with mom and my oldest sister he had also had his mother in law in tow (she inherited a double helping of Australian DNA). I immediately hit the subscribed button.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 OMG this was frickin hilarious. Better than the Battle of Palmdale! Yeah this is definitely something that you will always be reminded of if you're on the screwing up side. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

The Brave Little Austen! An entertaining and factually detailed presentation of a humorous historical event. Well done!

I enjoy the way you present your stories. There is always an initial scenario, complete with foreshadowing, and this is followed by expositional background information, which in turn, leads you back to the initial scenario...then the conclusion. Well done. I enjoy what you present.

The most glorious day in the history of the RAAF.

That was entertaining. Thanks. Slow moving aerial targets are difficult to shoot down--just ask the crew of the Bismark. I hadn't heard of this incident before. Mentioning the Battle of Palmdale was a nice touch.

Fabulous and humorous brief, BRAVO ZULU, and many thanks.😂🤣👍

What a hilarious story! Great detail and narration! Now subbed also

Sea Fury is effectively the final form of the Spitfire with Radial replacing the Merlin. Of course it was the best prop driven fighter of the era. :)

A comprehensive demonstration of the inherent stability built into light aircraft. I, for one, never knew about this antipodean corollary to the Battle of Palmdale, despite owing the comprehensive BY S WILSON... and by the way, it's Arr DOUBLE aye eff...✌

Awesome story. Seriously wondering why none of them thought to tip the aircraft similar to what RAF pilots did in WW2 with the buzz bombs using the meteor (which was notorious for their guns to jam.)

Ever heard about the story of the RAAF Avro Lancaster that flew under their Sydney Harbour Bridge?

I am very pleased with the gentle and dry humor delivered in this narration. Sea Fury: now your getting serious. 13:07 beautiful

As an Aussie I find it hilarious. I love the piss taking by the pommie narrator, it’s well deserved. 😂

This just goes to reinforce the old adage that truth is stranger, or in this case, funnier than fiction.

As an Aussie I really enjoyed your telling of this event. Liked & sub'd 👍

"Never, in human history, has so little been done by so many in one afternoon. "

Ah, yes, the Archer. A plane of focus, commitment and sheer f*cking will 🧐😄

Nicely done video of a story I am familiar with, though I had forgotten that the Sea Fury pilots were from the RN. I suspect the two Lieutenants in question would be a little disappointed at being called Lootenants by a Londoner 😁. Keep up the good work, liked and subscribed!

Chap - have you done an ep on the self-downing of a RAAF Mirage in about 1969 on the RAAF gunnery range north of Sydney? Quite a story.

Another wonder into the stresses of unconventional battles in the air. Thank you. Ro

What a story - and very well told, thanks.

A wonderful telling of an amazing story.

that is so funny, near wet myself laughing, as an Aussie I can appreciate the almost slapstick comedy

Im am american and i would not argue at all about the sea fury. I have never heard this story and i loved it. Especially taking the pilots back to Sydney to rub it in. Australia couldnt get away with sending two diggers up in plane woth a bren gun now a days but back then it was probably the most Australian thing they could have done. Well unless Paul Hogan was there and had his knoife and just jumped on it from above.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the stability wonderful flight characteristics of the Archer? If it had sentience, or even sapience, I could imagine it muttering about "bloody hoons trying to show off" or "where did that silly boy who was trying to fly me go?". It wasn't doing any harm, and seemed to be taking every effort to avoid places that contained humans as much as it could.

This story is right up there with the Emu war's mate 😂

I don't know if this is the type of content you would make. But I think It would be interesting to see you cover the story of Neall Ellis a South African Mi-24 mercenary pilot who with his crew took on the Revolutionary United Front during the Sierra Leone Civil War practically singlehandedly.

I was a Firefly pilot at RNARS Nowra at the time and remember it well. I'm sure that John Bluett fired the first burst that spelt the end. the other comment is about Pete McNay. He and I shared a cabin on the Orcades when we came out on loan service to the RAN. He certainly didn't serve in Korea but maybe he'll see this video and put the record straight. Certainly The SMH made much of it next day with big headlines about the RAAF's inability to defend Sydney from an unarmed, pilotless aircraft.

Go Navy! The Air Force must have been pissed off that day, lol. I'm happy KZfaq recommended your channel after I watched another channel doing reenactments of RAAF Meteors in combat in the Korean War. Great stuff, thanks from the USA. Cheers.

What an awesome video, I’ve learnt something and had a good laugh too. Thank you 😂

I was rooting for the Archer!

Great story, and @14:15 I sat up straight as I saw the old Ent Air Force base in Colorado Springs. My father, who was an Army Lt. Colonel was assigned there. These days it's the Olympic Training Center. Very cool to see it again. Thanks! :)

You are a natural story teller. Wonderful episode.

Wonderful story telling. At least they didn't start ant brush fires like the USAF did during the battle for Palmdale.

What a crazy story, suprised I never heard of it. Thankyou.

Excellent. A great story very entertaininly told. Just remember that the Royal Navy pilots are 'Leftenants' and not 'Lootenants', :). Now having just found this I'm off to watch some more of your videos.

Brilliant story and narration, thanks

This was great. Thank you.

Great story, interesting subject, highly amusing! The best part, in my opinion, is your hability to maintain the viewer attention at all time, Subtle humor, never offensive, is another quality.

What a great story told with humour.

bloody good one mate from down under I'm, quite frankly, not surprised I don't know about this one, the RAAF certainly wouldn't have wanted me to

Amazing story, thank's a lot. It could be scenario for IL-2 sim.

Agree completely on the description of the Sea Fury. In addition, it is an absolutely beautiful aircraft. And yes, this Australian "debacle" pales in comparison to my native Southern California's own Battle of Palmdale.

Great story. Thanks for posting.

Excellent! quite a sea story.

This is a highly entertaining video. So well produced, great commentary. Good for you!

It has MUCH more humorous impact when you already know what the comment at 14:20 refers to. I bet you the Meteor pilot had a few harsh words with the squadron armorer when he got back. You've got to feel sorry for him. If his guns hadn't jammed that kill would have been his for sure.

A good enjoyable retelling of this grand old story. Minor point: the photograph with three trams in it at 3:58 illustrating the "slow news day in Sydney" is actually the Melbourne CBD. Colins Street, from memory, though I haven't lived there for many years and they've knocked most of it down to put skyscrapers up now.