Ed is a national treasure. Thank you for preserving history and reminding us that there was a time when men strapped themselves to flying machine guns and threw themselves into hell.

Seeing a grandfather like figure touting the terms "torque", "compressibility", "trim tabs" and describing things we learned from sims only, really give me a chilling realization that they're the real deal and we're just kids trying to follow their footsteps and shadows.

being a retired US Navy veteran, I have been able to meet other retired veterans. My wife works at Asbury Solomon's, and she introduced me to the oldest living West Point grad and P-51 pilot who flew during WWII. He's Col. Kermit R. Dyke and passed away in May 2019. It's awe-inspiring and humbling at the same me meeting such men and women who helped change the direction and out come of WWII. Our WWII vets are almost gone, thanks for keeping their experiences alive, may we never forget what they did for all of us.

Fantastic job on Ed Mcneff story TJ3. Can’t wait for part 2.

These stories need to be told. I met a ww2 vet many years ago who recanted his experience of being a charter member of the 82nd airborne div.

So proud of you Sir! 💯🇺🇸🙏🇬🇧

Great video fella, I love how you're preserving the man, the story for all eternity! 😁😁👍 🏅🎖️

I could listen to Ed McNeff all day and then some!! Integral part of the greatest generation! I have no idea where these super brave men and women found the strength and fortitude to go to war and fight tyranny but my gratitude to them has no bounds!! Jim C.

Thank you TJ, for all your time and effort saving the stories of the true heros before they are lost forever. Great story as always, looking forward to part 2.

Interviews with these veterans like Ed are priceless. There aren’t too many left to interview, unfortunately. Another great piece.

The Luftwaffe had been in combat since the Spanish Civil War in 1937. When the US got into the air war in Europe, it was a steep learning curve.

My grandfather, Richard Irwin Kuehl, made the same journey this man did. P47's at Duxford and graduated to P51's. He was an ace, he also was shot down and captured by the Germans for a brief time. The germans executed all the American airmen at this particular camp---except my grandfather. His last name, KUEHL is the name of the town mentioned in this vid when he was diving on the ME 109 and encountered compressibility over, Kuehl, Germany. My grandfather lived to 99 years old and passed in 2020---with his family at his side and I was holding his hand. We will never know a greater generation. I miss my grandpa more than words can express. He NEVER would have allowed America to degrade like we are. He'd have rallied the boys and stopped the commies in DC. Love you, Grandpa. See you after we fix this.....

The P51 Mustang is one of my favorite aircraft pieces of all time. Beautiful piece of machinery. 🇺🇸

So much of this history is passing away every day. Thank you.

Awesome! Just awesome! Good on you for interviewing this vet. If we don't do it, we lose out on what is an important moment in history! Much love from Canada!

Well done, TJ! On March 16, 1944 the 8. USAAF attacked aircraft factories in Augsburg, Ulm and Friedrichshafen. 740 heavy bombers and 868 fighters came into bad weather and so some of the bombers attacked "targets of opportunity". Because of bad weather, heavy clouds and snowfall the I. and II./JG 1 (Fw 190 A-7) didn't have contact to the US armada. But a few Bf 109 G-6 of III./JG 1 had dogfights with Mustangs over the area of Ulm. No air victories were confirmed by the German pilots. Lt Hans Halbey reported, that they were low on fuel, so they had to return to their base. So it could be, that Ed McNeff escaped, because the unknown but experienced German pilot of III./JG 1 (probably) didn't have enough fuel to finish the lucky Mustang pilot. Can't wait for part 2 of Ed's story :)

Other side of the war, my Dad was a member of the Navy's new fighting construction battalion, the Seabees. They turned atolls into emergency landing strips in the South Pacific. Saved lots of men and areoplanes.

I have two, one of which was a relative. About 10 years ago, I was at a Veterans Day ceremony at the university I was attending at the time. Well, calling it a ceremony is a bit generous - it was just an outdoor speech with a flyover by the local CAF timed to the speech's closing. Anyway, I ended up speaking with the oldest veteran who was there. He was a Navy veteran, but he was not wearing a baseball cap that showed his ship, which was a little surprising. We talked a little bit, and I saw he was wearing pilot's wings. I pointed it out, and he said originally fought in the Pacific as an F4F Wildcat pilot. I asked him if he had flown at Midway or Guadalcanal, and apparently, those specifics caught him a bit off-guard. He quickly recomposed himself and said that his time started just as Guadalcanal was wrapping up. I then asked if he transitioned to the F6F Hellcat later on. My question surprised him a bit, but he answered with a slight smile that he did indeed. The highlight came when I then asked which carrier he served on. He answered, "CV-10," to which I immediately said, "The Yorktown? And the Essex-class one at that, huh? Then again, the previous Yorktown was lost at Midway, and you said you came in after then, so that makes sense." The look on his face said that he did not expect someone as young as me (I was in my mid-20s then) to know about the Yorktown or as much as I did about the timeline of the Pacific theater. He asked me why I knew what I did and what had to have sparked the passion needed to know those details, I told him about my great uncle (paternal grandfather's brother) who fought in the Pacific as well, but he was in the Army and was a part of MacArthur's escort back to the Philippines. My great uncle had said that he had shot at Japanese soldiers, but he never hit, let alone killed any, at least not as far as he or his unit knew. My great uncle's unit managed to get through their tours without suffering any serious injuries or casualties - a couple of Purple Hearts but no actual losses. They stayed silent about their seemingly supernatural luck/protection out of fear of possibly ending it if they spoke of it to anyone while they were still serving. They finished with no awards beyond the aforementioned Purple Hearts, but as far as they were concerned, getting through more-or-less unscathed was enough of an award for them. The only things from the war he brought back home with him were the M1 Garand and M1911 that were issued to him (their provenance is verified and certified), and before he passed away, he gave those to my older brother, who has been properly caring for them since. I regret not getting that Navy veteran's name. He has likely already passed away, and I hope he went peacefully.

A friend just told me about this video. I've been researching a fighter pilot by the name of Leonard B. Fuller of the 355th Fighter Group. 357th fighter squadron. I just looked at my records. I have goosebumps. This man flew with Leonard. He was in the same squadron. He flew on the same missions. I have the records. I see his name. I would love to contact him. Please tell me this heroic man is still with us.

God Bless You Ed and Thank You for your Service.

Know a living veteran of the air war? Please fill this form out! forms.gle/E34NmCJcYhERiq4v9 Also, please consider supporting TJ3 History on Patreon here so we can continue to make these: Patreon.com/TJ3History If you want to watch the other videos from Ed's story, you can find them here! Episode 2: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jduHaKWXrdiceWg.html Episode 3: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nqhgasZhy9PMj4k.html

Great story about Ed and looking forward to part 2 .

I love how you're preserving history. What great stories from a great pilot, Ed McNeff is a treasure! Keep making excellent videos, I'll see you on War Thunder, thanks!

This is a great story and I am very much looking forward to seeing part 2. Subscribed.

18:25 Oh how the turn tables Just giving you a hard time, outstanding video as always and thank you for giving this grizzled pilot a chance to record his story.

TJ I felt like I was in the cockpit of the P-51. It was an amazing, emotional and very well done video. Congratulations one more time. I look forward to the next ones. Thanks.

This channel is soooo underrated, Tj you do a marvelous job and have quickly become my go to channel for amazing air warfare history. Keep up the great work.

My father finished advance flying school (the schools were ground, primary, intermediate and advanced, if I remember correctly) in 1943. The whole class signed up for a P-47 group forming up in Maine. The Air Force needed about half the class and took them alphabetically, starting with A. I noticed that in Chuck Yeager's book, his buddies had surnames toward the end of the alphabet.

This is a highly entertaining yet informative video (as usual) TJ!

In August of 1944, Robin Olds faced a similar predicament, where he and his wingman attacked a formation of 60 109s. During the fight, he saw a P51 and dived down to save him, only for compressability to kick in. He managed to pull out of the dive, just feet above a wheat field, but in the process, a glass window in his canopy frame broke off, startling him. Please do a video on this! And Operation Bolo!

Another great story, TJ. Great to hear it from the WWII Vet. Thanks to whoever called this in.

These kind of stories are priceless, keep doing them!!

Excellent presentation! I greatly look forward to part II. My dad was a P-51 Mustang pilot in the Pacific theater.

Amazing video as always, had tons of fun filming this! o7 TJ!

Watched from Old Harbour Jamaica.

Superb video documentary. Looking forward to part 2.

Wow, time to try that snap maneuver in war thunder, thanks TJ and great video, you always make the best videos

These vídeos that you make for us with rich details, true stories and passion makes us feel these emotions for real. We fall in love right off the bat. I'm your vídeos buff. TJ thanks once again.

Dude I been following you since tj3 gaming. But wat you are doing with tj3 history is truly remarkable and so very important. Thank you.

15-20 years ago I spoke to a volunteer at the Evergreen Museum in McMinneville Oregon. He was telling me about the time his B-24 got hit by flak. Some of the hot shrapnel went down his collar. Then he reached in his pocket and showed me a piece of the flak that had hit him. That's living history!

your video´s are so exiting and fascinating! thx for preserving history!

You're doing great work, TJ..!

This is more than story telling; this is archival work that is Very Important. That None Would Forget The Struggle Of War, and The People Who Fought Them

Hey I just visited Sentimental Journey and Maid in the Shade ☺️☺️☺️ thanks for the video Ed and TJ. Can’t wait for part 2

I have great respect for all these air warriors of WW2.

This is a great story, thank you for taking the time to put it out there, Looking forward to the second half, Ed McNef, is a great pilot, thank you sir, for your service and duty to country. Outstanding American. Keep up the great work, and find the Vets and l them tell their stories, so we may never forget. Freedom is not free.

I absolutely love this content, been a aviation nerd my whole life, especially towards air combat during all of the major conflicts. Do you plan on talking about Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm in the future?

Thanks for sharing

Wonderful video, great graphics, thank you!

My dad flew P-51's and P-47's in combat in the ETO. 354th FG (Pioneer Mustangs, first Group to fly Mustangs in the ETO. Also had the highest aerial kill score), 355th FS (Pugnacious Pups) Dad got a "probable" on an Me 410, and heavily damaged an Me 262. He never claimed any kills, he told me he was there to do a job, not rack up a kill score

Thank you for your service sir.

You have a new subscriber. I love all these YT channels that highlight WW2 veterans.

Excellently done TJ!!..Like you I am also fascinated by WW2 aviation. And love seeing and hearing these stories of the men and women of the greatest Generation.

The P-51 is one of the planes of all time

What a great video! Thanks!

You should do a story on a P-51 pilot named George Preddy. He was the highest scoring ace in a Mustang in WWII and was killed by friendly AA fire.

Great Story can't wait for part 2

Well done Ed. You have been there done that and thanks for it.

Good script, excellent graphics. I even learnt stuff. Keep it up, TJ

My Gramps flew out of Gander protecting the convoys . He and crew ( Wing Commander John Young) sunk U-520 a type IX. Its a wonderful story with a terrible ending.

Glad he lived to see his sweetheart 🙏🇺🇸🦅

Wish my father was still alive. He was a P38. pilot in Foggia Italy. Lots of good stories over time. My first love is flying and his history in WW2 was my desert. Among many of those events, a favorite story was when his wingman was shot down over Germany territory. He landed safely in a field. Dad witnessed the entire event. He saw the pilot escape the crash. Although, at his higher vantage point he saw German troops heading towards the crash site. Dad and his other wingman strafed the soldiers. Dad decided to land his P38 and rescue the downed pilot. While the wingman continued to circle and fire on the enemy dad safely lands. The pilot jumped in on dad's lap. They had to keep the canopy open for the needed headroom. Dad had the rudders and the other pilot had the stick and throttle. They successfully took off and landed back at home base. Now, I know how pilots are when telling these stories. But in 1995 on at a 50th anniversary celebration in Texas dad met up with the rescued pilot, Warren ( whom. I am named after). Warren re-told the story exactly how did had told it for many years, and also to his surviving squadron and family.

It's a wonder Ed was able to pull out.

Thanks for sharing your video. I enjoyed watching. Take care and God Bless.

Great video!

Enjoyable interview!!!

The P-47 shown as Ma Fran 3rd was Norm Olson's OS-P. He was only 355th FG ace to score 6 VCs in the P-47. All other 19 aces were flying the P-51. Olson was killed by flak after strafing Gifhorn airfield with McNeff on his wing on April 8, 1944. The mission of March 16th resulted in the 355th FG to destroy 14-2-3 for loss of 2 (both to JG 26) in area surrounding Munich/Augsburg. The one mission in the P-51 one week after converting from P-47, resulted in scoring 1/2 of P-47 victory credits for the six months prior. General McNeff was also engaged in several of the 355th bigger air battles, on April 24, July 7,August 16th and November 26th 1944 - combined 70 LW fighters destroyed for seven 355th FG losses (4 to flak).

I love when videos about historical stories show footage of war thunder to show planes

Excellent video

And was quite an aviator. I must say he had a great plain. One of the best there was P 51D mustang. The earlier mustang sure is showing or P 51B. The P 51D had a slide back canopy the P 51 beer was what they call a Razorback. Razorback P 47 thunderbolt oh salt no P 47D also had a sliding canopy. It was a bubble canopy on the mustang and on the thunderbolt they said it was better to have one big solid cabin. The view was incredible. They even put a mirror on top of the canopy so the pilot could see what was behind him. I love this video it’s super cool.👍🏼😁💖❤️😎

I've heard stories about p47 pilots having to turn back to England because of lack of range even though they saw the Luftwaffe in the distance waiting to pounce the bombers. I can't imagine the anguish that must have felt like.

Great content.

Great Graphic’s “TJ3” Thank you McNeff for your service, courage and sacrifice for freedom 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

These are GREAT!

Great story from a great American..im looking forward for more..and much thanks to our veterans..god bless

Excellent guys!

old war bird is sharp as a tack still! and as a 59 yr old i got to meet a lot of our greatest generation fighters including family so i have heard stories by my age, but can u imagine someone from like 1066 or 321 ad or 75 bc reliving battles?

Very sorry to see that Gen. McNeff passed away recently. Condolences to his family.

Excellent video.

I BELIEVE THAT IS GETTING MIXED UP IN MIND FOR THEM, STOP STOP STOP

That experience of that spin Probably moved this pilot up on the skill level quite a bit. I'm sure he did a few things wrong before he became focused and took control. Also the confidence of knowing that even in a spin he had control And could recover.

The p51. Designed by North American for a RAF requirement. Engine replaced with a Rolls Royce Merlin and it became one of the best.

Wish you guys could've interviewed my grandfather before he passed. He flew P-38s in the pacific and had some crazy stories.

great video, i love dogfights

Another History topic should be the F-105 Pilot Leo Thorsness and his MOH mission.

Amazing video!

This is great to bed. Please hurry with Part 2‼️

Well done young man. Of course I'm making several assumptions here but that's Showbiz baby.

Some fun facts, the original P51 Mustang was armed with 4x 20mm cannons, about 500 were built The A51 Apache was a dive bomber version of the P51, hundreds of those were also built.

Everybody talks about the p51, but the top 10 p-47 aces all survived the war.

Thanks TJ!!!!!!!

How did that German know Mavericks Move? I'll Hit The Brakes, He Will Fly Right By. TOPGUN

P51 needed drop tanks to make it round trip.

My Dad was a WWII Army Air Corps pilot and spent the whole war as a flight and gunnery instructor. Checked out in almost all the fighters in service. He kept requesting a combat assignment but was always told he was more needed as an instructor. In 1945, he became a Pinball Pilot in P-63s and much later told me that fighter could outperform any other he ever flew himself or went up against except at high altitudes. After the war, he was assigned to fly a P-51 with the 40th Squadron - 35th Fighter Group for a year as part of the occupation forces in Japan.

Well done lad....

My father was in the artillery in the Philippine Army during W.W. 2. He survived the Bataan Death March. He turns 100 this year & lives in the Philippines. My younger son is a pilot in the U.S. Army. I used to have a neighbor that was in the U.S. Army and fought the Japanese during W.W. 2 in the Philippines.

Dam good stuff.

Thanks!

May Mcneff rapidly move out of purgatory and into heaven. He seems like a good guy.

not having part two ready to ticks me off!