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“Stocky” Edwards was an amazing person and humble Canadian. I was fortunate to have had lunch with him back in the late 90s. We talked flying and he recounted some stories from his time in WWII. I was sad to hear of his passing this past Saturday.

He's my great-grandfather ♡ he sadly passed away just under a year ago, an amazing man and so proud to be his granddaughter.

The venerable P 40 was used throughout the war and in spite of limitations, in the hands of a skilled pilot the Hawk was a very formidable machine. A very reliable & worthy fighter, often underrated.

Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed! Some notes: First off, I tried to do this pilot justice and create a compelling story after I heard about him passing away earlier this month. Hopefully I served his memory well. Secondly, I based this off of the most accurate information I could from the combat reports from this time. His dogfights with Schulz and Marseille are pretty well confirmed, but the kill with Steinhausen is still subject to some debate based on the time of his sortie and the time of Steinhausen's death. Thanks for watching and please consider subscribing!

Thank you for this video honouring a quiet legend of the skies. He has recently departed on his last patrol and it’s fantastic that his service is remembered - to live on. We are grateful for his service and your tribute. Salute

As a Canadian I wish to thank you for this story on "Stocky" Edwards. I only heard of him from another KZfaqr a week ago. So many Canadians who served are long forgotten to time.

Can’t help but shed a tear at the end. 100 years ago and one hell of a life

What a fine gentleman! I hadn’t heard of him, till now!! Thanks! Rest In Peace Ancient Warrior!

Old fart here...I had six uncles that served in WW2, only 3 came back. Two killed in Europe, one in the Pacific. Of the survivors, one was a fighter pilot (P47), one bomber pilot (B17) and one was a Jeep driver for officers. He was a liberator @ 2 camps, never, ever talked about it. All 3 survivors were terrible drunks after the war, but my driver uncle was saved by my aunt, who turned him into a very good and sober man. Don't know much about the other uncles, as no one really knew much about them, but none were returned to the USA for burial. IMO, heroes all.

As an Aussie, I'd appreciate any Australian aces both in the Pacific and Europe/North Africa,we had many. Another under represented country that had many aces was Italy, the RAF used to say over Malta"When the 109s fly home check your tail because their could be a Macchi on your tail!"

Stocky recently passed away.... As a Canadian, he is a legend to us!

Australian pilot Clive Caldwell the highest scoring P40 ace of WW2 with 22.5 victories including five Stukas in one action and a total of ten 109's He was ambushed by a German ace and his wing man and although wounded and his P40 heavily damaged he shot down the wing man and damaged the aces 109 causing him to break off.He also shot down another German ace.Transferred to the Pacific from the desert he finished the war on 27.5 kills confirmed fly ing P40'S and Spitfires

Thank you for the blog. With his recent passing another legend has gone on his last patrol. It’s great that you have honoured him in this video. Great job - thank you

He's one humble ace killer. Deserves respect totally!

The P40 didnt have the performance of the 109s at altitude but at low and medium altitude it could be competitive.

You can also talk about the free french ace Georges James Denis ( only knowed as James Denis during the war, with 6 victorys ) this french shoot down Hans Joachim Marseille two time during the war. And James Denis flew in Hurricane against HJ Marseille in a BF109E7 so it wasn't easy !

Fabulous effort, fabulous telling. Remarkable man, clearly his honesty and honor, and his flying skills put this fine man in good stead for life.

Extraordinary! Especially in a Kittyhawk …

Wait a minute...the P-40,with all its limitations, was a fairly manoeuverable aircraft. I heard it deemed as a kinda "poor man's Spitfire"

'Never say "War" to a Canadian!'

And all in that Glorious "Jack of all Trades" P-40 !!! 👍 Semper Fi

His nickname was Stocky. He gave up a pro hockey career to join the RCAF. Some say his skill at hockey was what made him such a great fighter pilot. He became Canada's most decorated and skilled fighter pilot of the war. He retired from the RCAF as a Colonel.

Wow! Great story and video! The terrain mapping is very authentic!

Great account. From documentaries I've seen with the p40 going up against Japanese planes , the American pilots had to depend on making high speed passes with accurate bursts of fire . Not getting into a dog fight with the more nimble Japanese planes. These accounts of this Canadian pilot seem similar. Somehow he was above the German pilots and able to gain speed and catch the by surprise in their superior 109's. Great tactics , whatever they were. Sometimes you just have to make the best with what you have!

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Edwards a number of years ago. He was a true gentlemanman. He was also the ranking officer at my uncle's funeral, who was killed in a Sabre crash at 2(F) Wing at Grostenquin in 1953.

Excellent video. Rich historical account. Thanks for sharing.

damn Wing Commander Edwards lived to 100. A long and illustrious life

Hey man, glad your still making videos. I have a request and a future video for you. You may not know but I am a passionate builder of model aircraft. I have just purchased Tamiya's superb P51D mustang in 1/32 scale. Whilst researching paint schemes, I came across one that took my fancy. "American Beauty" piloted by captain John J Voll. A video about him would be fantastic. With 21 aerial victories he was one of America's highest scoring aces, but better still he has performed a feat that very few pilots can claim. Becoming an ace in a day. While leading an escort mission to Munich on 16 November 1944, Captain Voll experienced electrical problems and left the formation. As he returned alone, he spotted a single Ju 88 over Udine, Italy. Chasing the German aircraft as it attempted to return to its base, Voll was suddenly jumped by 12 Bf 109s and Fw 190s. He quickly shot down the Ju 88 and turned into the enemy fighters. In a swirling, five-minute battle, John Voll destroyed two Fw 190s, one Bf 109, had two probables, and two damaged, making him one of the 38 Army Air Force "ace in a day" pilots. He ended the war with 21 air-to-air kills, all while flying the P-51 Mustang. Keep up the great work mate. 👍

at low level the P-40 could maneuver with the 109. BF was faster but once engaged was a secondary in most cases. warhawk gets a bad rap many times, but it outturn the P-47 and P-51at it's operating altitude. haven't seen anything on a contest with the Spit but then again, hurricane was able to outturn the 109 so maybe he wasn't as handicapped plane wise as many people speak to

Great video! I think the battle of Malta would be a good follow up!

I had to find out about Wally Conrad to see if he survived. He did, and went on to win the DFC twice. His wingman knocked his tail off over France in 1944 but he bailed out, evaded capture and returned to duty after escaping through Spain. I think he ended the war with 7 kills and many ground attack missions under his belt.

Wonderful story of a humble man and deadly pilot. Good video

Great video of a very brave man RIP ...

Great story. Well told with re-enacted with animation.

Such an amazing Pilot & story. RIP good sir. Thank you for your service. -fr: Another Saskatchewan boy

Thank you for telling his story.

Noteworthy: Walter 'Wally' Conrad survived being strafed by Nazi vermin Otto Schulz. Flt Lt Conrad went onto further glory during the war, returned home after the war, and died peacefully at an old age in his beloved home, Canada.

These WarThunder shots looking pretty cool 👍

I'd heard and read about James Francis Edwards many years ago when I was seriously into reading about Canadian Aces. One other very unknown Canadian Ace is George "Buzz" Beurling. Also known as 'The Falcon of Malta'. Credited for 27 axis aircraft in 14 days!

Good video, something I heard, the British in N.A were the first to have the famous sharks teeth on their P40s

Wonderful story, what a hero.

sir, you have to make a video of George Beurling the "Knight of Malta"

As I understand what happened, when a pilot in the allies attained hours or kills they were brought off the front line to train, the Germans kept three aces in the air till they were killed

Kitty Hawks were widely used for the west coast defense of Canada during the war. In addition, I think there were two dedicated RCAF kitty hawk squadrons deployed overseas to N.Africa. The RCAF did deploy kitty hawks to Alaska during the failed Japanese invasion of the islands too

Marmaduke Pattle was a notable commonwealth pilot in the Mediterranean theatre as well.

Thank you for this video on an under-appreciated pilot!

It's not true that the Kittyhawk wasn't highly maneuverable in comparison to the ME 109. It wasn't as good as the Zero or most Japanese planes in that department but few or no allied planes were. Without the second stage super charger it couldn't dictate the fight because the me 109 could always climb above the p-40. With as many as the old aces that survived the war that went on to live to ripe out ages it shows how rigorous the selection process was especially early in the war.

SO GOOD

I have seen a few of your videos but this one made me change my status from "lurker" to "subscriber".

In more than one specialized source I read that the P-40 behaved worse than the Spitfire and the 109 SAVE IN HANDLING AT LOW-MIDDLE ALTITUDE, AND IN ITS RUGGED CONSTRUCTION. As a matter of fact, some pilots who flew both the Spit and the P-40 affirmed that at low and middle altitude the Curtiss fighter-bomber can out-turn a Spitfire, and hence a Bf-109. A Bf-109F was right in the red line of what a Kittyhawk could confront to, but in good hands that was still possible. At least a Kittyhawk was not a Hurricane.

Thank you for covering all too often under-reported Canadians.

I have always been told the P-40 was more maneuverable (turn and roll rate) than the 109, and wasn't such a slouch at low altitude which is where this war was fought in Africa?

War produces rapid advancement in technology. Many YT videos go on in comparisons of the various aircraft of WWII, often ignoring the critical element of who was flying those machines. Take a lot of WWII front-line fighters and put them against one another, and the more skilled / experienced pilot would win. As one veteran of that combat stated, a pilot who survived the first 7-8 hours of air battle had a very good chance of surviving, but the attrition among rookie pilots was enormous.

I love the Afrika Corps. They look so cool. It would mean a lot it tou coupd make more videos based on the afrika corps

Thanks, and Respect!

Good information

Great video!

Uncle flew 40s in the Med. Actually the P40 could out maneuver a 109 below 15,000 feet. Its real strengths were at below 10,000 feet nose down aircraft with fantastic roll capability. Split S and a rolling dive.

Can you please do a video about James Denis a French pilot who joined the RAF and flew the Hawker Hurricane. He defeated Hans Joachim Marseille twice .

I used to challenge myself in the Microsoft WWII flight sim, & fight against aces intentionally, a simulated triple ACE myself. I’d eventually get them, but way more challenging than all the others I had shot down, forcing myself to dig out all the tricks. Miss that a lot!!! My computer eventually became obsolete, & I could fly no more. 😞 I miss sawing their wings off!

Fighting seasoned veterens in an outdated aircraft and coming off the better , what a smart man . R.I.P

5:31 i think Me 109 F 2or4 Trop didn't have wing gun gondola called R2 "Rustsatz2" ; but fitted on type G :Gustav

One allied Ace said the biggest limitation of the P40 was the pilots

The account that I read many years ago said Edwards had over 20 kills and that he figured he had numerous others but had not seen them crash so he didn't claim them.

I thought he was Caldwell. Deeply surprised,never even heard about this man.

Unless I missed it..what game are you using for footage? Amazing tale..I study WW2 and enjoy pilot stories

North African oil deposits were not discovered until the late 1950s. WWII in North Africa cost both sides a lot of oil but didn't afford any to either.

In the far East, the p40 did very well, could take a beating, good turns in dogfights, even against the Zero, which had similar abilities (just without the ruggedness:s) regards and thanks!!

Rip thank you for your service

Sad how the MSM has other things on their minds rather than honouring Canadian veterans. Thank you for this post. TJ3.

When the 109 was topicalized to fly and not cook itself in North Africa the performance disparity between the 109 and the P-40 pretty much disappeared. The DB 605 was a heavy mother for the power obtainable compared to the V-1710 and on the little airframe and wing in the density altitude of the desert compared to norther Europe and Scandinavia, it was defanged pretty heavily.. A good pilot in a P-40 stood a good puncher's chance of being successful against Axis airplanes.

I have to disagree. The P40 was one of the most maneuverable American aircraft of WWII, given its moderate wing loading and relatively large wing and tail surfaces. Despite its obsolescence and lack of proper turbo supercharging, the P40 could fly with anything at mid to low altitudes. Clive Caldwell, also flying in North Africa was a 20+ kill ace in the P40. Saburo Sakai said it best when he recalled that the best allied aircraft he faced in WWII, when flown properly, was the P40.

The p40, although an older design, had several advantages. It had an excellent roll rate, superior dive speed, it was heavily armed, and heavily armored. When using tactics to employ these advantages, it was a killer.

I remember reading the story of Otto Schulz being shot down by James Edwards waaay back in 'Fighters Over The Desert'. I noticed in the book, that when Schulz would damage an Allied aircraft to the point it needed to be belly land, he'd always come back and strafe the wreckage to make sure it could not be salvaged. Then on one mission he was caught doing just that, and shot down and killed. I was surprised how 'abrupt' it was.

at low altitude the P-40 was Fast, faster than a P-47 for example. And at low altitudes, it could out turn an Me109, making it "maneuverable" at low altitudes too. It was capable of defeating het Me109 if you played to the P-40's strengths (which is true for 100% of all dogfights in history). Notice how no one claims the Hurricane was obsolete in Africa or the med, even though it was. The Hurricane was retired from service early in the war, but the P-40 and Me109 soldiered on through the entire war as capable machines.

RIP Mr. Edwards.

Keep in mind that Germany started the war and racked up kills against mostly unskilled pilots on all fronts. In the later years of the war, it got VERY tough for these pilots once the other nations adapted.

nice story

I would have loved to have met him!!!

Luftwaffe ace, Hans-Joachim Marseille,158 kills by the time he was 22 years old, and died due to mechanical failure of his BF109. Smoke filled the cockpit and he was suffering from asphyxiation when he ejected and hit the tail knocking him unconscious. He fell to his death. He was only 22 years old when he died. He was known as the Star of Africa and appropriately, so.

The P40 was a gun and run fighter. Anyone fool enough to get into a dogfight with a zero , BF109 or FW190 had better be a top notch pilot. The zero could dance ri gs around it, The BF 109 out climb and out dive it and the FW190 out e everything on it.These stories of P40,s going toe to toe with german aces in 109 and 190,s are just that STORIES. Marsaille would have had a field day with a flock of P40,s.

I'm pretty sure I've read that Marseille's plane was never hit by a single bullet. Have to look into my library where I read this, but I think it was in the Epic of Flight books, there is one dedicated solely on the Luftwaffe.

Different rules for scoring confirmed kills between the RAF, USAAF and the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe pilots didn't need witnesses to their claimed kills, they could claim them and other Luftwaffe pilots claiming the same downed aircraft as a confirmed kill, hence their tallies being ten times higher, but not actually realistic. Allied pilots would have to share a kill or not claim it if multiple aircraft contributed. Also, as soon as Allied pilots got to around 30 kills, they were taken out of the frontline to train novice pilots. The Germans left their aces out until they got the chop. It cost them dearly in the long run.

Rest in peace ace

A color scheme or trim is referred to as a "liv-er-ee". Thanks for an excellent docu.

There are accounts on other p40 youtube stories of an Aussie P40 pilot who used to SKOOL yanks in their shiny new P51s that you dont mess with a P40 when its in its envelope . A highly capable machine when you use its many strengths and not believe all the bad press it got because of newer aircraft coming on line. Learn to use what you got, learn what it CAN and cant do and take it to them . So it didnt have a flash 2 stage 2 speed S.C that could take it to 40000 plus, but get it mad at 12000 ft and below and you better know what your doing against it. I believe Greggs airplanes did a very involved comparison of what if..... a Merlin 2 stage engine would have done, NOT a lot it seems. Other accounts Ive read say the RAAF over boosted the very tough Allison , because it could take it , unlike more on the upper edge designs, and got very good results. It was more a case of This is what we got, we are not getting anything else, we are facing this adversary, and this is what we have to do to maintain some kind of equality . If it blows up , at least we tried, but if we left it stock, we are burnt toast anyhow. The Allison took it, and allowed the RAAF to compete. The RNZAF also flew P40 kittyhawks in the Pacific but I dont know if they followed suit. If i knew what I know now I would have been able to ask my Airframe and engine instructor when I was an apprentice 45 years ago. He was RNZAF mechanic in the Pacific. R.I.P "Saki "Bill Harold. The saki bit came from his love of liberated Japanese wine.

odd how many new unknown aces are popping up recently

So the "Ace Killer" was like Hans Rudel, flying an outdated fighter, but scoring good!

Stocky Edwards, the Canadian legend !

The Germans had no breaks, served on multiple fronts and gained vast experience using capable aircraft over long time lines, frequently against less experienced pilots

My book, "The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille has interviews with both German and Allied pilots regarding the Marseille story. I have no doubt that James Edwards killed Gunther Steinhausen and also shot down Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt. Both of those men were Marseille's best friends, and both were flying in his place due to his 109 being damaged. I also believe that I can confirm that Edwards also shot up Ludwig Franzisket, and See my discussion on Marseille at Forgotten History here on KZfaq.com. This was a well done tribute. I had interviewed Edwards years ago. he was a great and humble man. I also believe that Edwards damaged Erbo von Kageneck forcing him to crash land. Later Clive Caldwell got him.

starting to watch. I too had not heard of him really. But i live in the Comox Valley. My neighbor, a retired fighter pilot knew him well. He loaned me one of Stocky's 2 books "Kittyhawk Pilot". Sure garnered huge respect here in the aviation community. Two CF18s did a flyover at his funeral. RIP sir.

Please do a vid on Witold Urbanowicz

UnKnown is the favorite word of my friend. Imma send it to him.

Always enjoy your graphic demonstrations and history. Luftwaffe pronounced “Looftwaffe” rather than Luft as in actress Lorna Luft.

P40 lack of climb and high altitude ability. Yes very maneuverable.

Edwards died on 14 May 2022, at the age of 100 . . .

the angel that received his wings BEFORE going to heaven !!!

Sorry, Marseille died by leaving his ME. He had to give up the plane because of difficulties with the Engine!