Wildcat v. Zero: The Legendary Battle Of Two Flying Aces | Dogfight Over Guadalcanal

Wildcat v. Zero: The Legendary Battle Of Two Flying Aces | Dogfight Over Guadalcanal | War Stories

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2 жыл бұрын

Over Guadalcanal on August 7th 1942 two of WWII's most famous pilots engaged in a dogfight that would go down in history. Showing mercy to one another in what was a brutal aerial battle, James 'Pug' Southerland and Saburō Sakai sparked one of biggest mysteries of WWII. Why didn't they go in for the kill when they had the chance...? To this day the mystery remains unsolved.
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@WarStoriesChannel 2 жыл бұрын

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@stephensanchez3982 2 жыл бұрын

What seldom gets mentioned is that this wasn't the first time Sakai had spared the enemy. During the Battle of Java, he had intercepted a Dutch military cargo aircraft that was headed for Australia from Java. He flew along side and saw that there were women and children on board. He let the plane go. After the war he became a Bushido priest. Bushido was the Samurai's equivalent of chivalry. He probably practiced this philosophy before, during and certainly after the war.

@ThaCrustyOne 2 жыл бұрын

🍻

@jsullivan9238 2 жыл бұрын

At an airshow in Missoula, MT I got to mee Sakai and Joe Foss. They were like besties. The best outcome of war. RIP both of you warriors!

@soldier7167 2 жыл бұрын

Saber Sakai was wounded on the 1st day of the Battle for Guadalcanal. Sakai dived on 4 Dive Bomber and ran straight into their 4 machine guns. They riddled his plane but what is amazing is how he flew his plane back to Rabaul. I believe it was 6 hours, wounded and having trouble staying awake but he managed to land the plane on the same runway that he took off from. Truly Amazing Skill from Sakai.

@roguespearsf 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a badass to me, and he fought the Great Satan

@MrDlt123 2 жыл бұрын

Props to the natives who took care of the wounded pilot. He surely would have died if they hadnt.

@tomhath8413 2 жыл бұрын

They hated the Japanese. Same as on every other island Japan captured early in the war, atrocities were well documented.

@ramal5708 2 жыл бұрын

Many Solomon natives rescued and took care of sunken naval and aircrews. Including future POTUS JFK, him and his PT boat crews were rescued and treated by the natives before US rescue arrived

@PaulHigginbothamSr 2 жыл бұрын

I read Sakai's book. He said he could feel the weight of the bullet in his head. Knowing the bullet went clear through though shows me how weak he was to travel 500 miles before help. He went on to have a very large war history. A man of legends.

@akajd5907 2 жыл бұрын

👍🏼There needs to be a full length feature film from Japanese & American production crews. (much like the cooperation for the excellent 1970 film, Tora Tora Tora) To tell this true story of these two honorable combat aviators of WWII. An amazing true story of the Pacific War. Quote from 17th century Samurai Miyamoto Musashi - "The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win" Saburo Sakai is truly a Samurai warrior. 64 wins by the end of the war. May both of these men forever RIP. 🇺🇲/🇯🇵Stay well. Go in peace.

@TheOriginalCFA1979 Жыл бұрын

Maybe in a few years if Hollywood comes back to reality, but let’s be realistic, if this movie was made today it would be billed as 100% fact and be the story of the first black US pilot and his rivalry with the Japanese pilot he would meet after the war and fall madly in love with and they’d get married and live happily ever after. Either that or the first US female fighter pilot who was the bestest evar and never has to improve or learn anything. Because they wouldn’t tell the true story or anything resembling it right now, it would have to be altered for Da Message. Plus that way when it bombs for being awful they get to cry “yous racisexaphobes!”

@cristossinatra9635 2 жыл бұрын

Six .50 cal machine guns and one jams, doesn't that leave 5 fully functional guns?

@CFarnwide 2 жыл бұрын

Exactly what I was just thinking…

@guaporeturns9472 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe all five (or three) others had already jammed , and they just failed to mention it.

@chucks_88 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe the others were out of ammo?

@cristossinatra9635 2 жыл бұрын

@@guaporeturns9472 All six jamming at the same time? Very unlikely.

@guaporeturns9472 2 жыл бұрын

@@cristossinatra9635 very unlikely

@neilrobinson3085 2 жыл бұрын

At 47:30 the narrator declares Sakai to be the IJN's highest scoring ace. This is wrong. Hiryoshi Nishizawa, also from Sakai's unit, the 4th Kokutai, is credited with shooting down at least 86 allied planes. Nishizawa, unlike Sakai, perished during the war.

@nattybumpo7156 2 жыл бұрын

Like Tommy Maguire(sp?)

@benjaminrush4443 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely Superb WWII Aviation Combat Story; Told exceptionally well. Thank you. Watch & Enjoy.

@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe 17 күн бұрын

IJN marksmanship was outstanding in order to bring down the sturdy lumbering Wildcat.

@danielgreen3715 2 жыл бұрын

What a story!! ..This is real Historical investigation at its best great video

@jacobsteele7138 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing true story!!!

@brahmburgers 2 жыл бұрын

Both top notch warriors. Full respect.

@jakeyoon64 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing story

@henrykelly7837 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent

@galatians-2.20 2 жыл бұрын

I'll never forget these guys who served. What they did what they sacraficed should never be forgotten. So many young men gave up their comfort and safety and even gave up their future, their future children, never seeing their family again, never doing the things they love again. They sacraficed all of that when they gave their lives for each and every one of us. Imagine if they hadn't....imagine the world under the thousand year reign of the third Reich. Life as we know it would be non existant. Freedom would be only a memory

@Mastergamer8860 2 жыл бұрын

Feel like that is happening now lol

@galatians-2.20 2 жыл бұрын

@@Mastergamer8860 I'm afraid you are probably right. Things are really bad right now

@NVRAMboi 2 жыл бұрын

@@Mastergamer8860 Ask someone from Poland. You'll quickly learn the difference.

@johnnyjarrett8166 2 жыл бұрын

@@Mastergamer8860 they're obviously going for the classic Commie takeover...i present u: the 2nd amendment

@markrobinson1135 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks to General MacArthur we're still paying for World War II in Japan.

@taggerinc2652 2 жыл бұрын

It's a good vid if you skip the theorizing. There's no way they can make any concrete claims based on random parts found in the mud decades later. There are more holes in his theory than there were in the bits of plane that he found.

@chucks_88 2 жыл бұрын

That was the whole part of this video. Sucks to be you that you had a problem with that.

@hansmueller3029 2 жыл бұрын

@@chucks_88 too much manufactured production. A crashed Navy plane on Guadacanal ? Probably a hundred or more wrecks that would have been salvaged for scrap within a few years after the war. The story of an aviator told by a native that would have to be 90 years old. A 1911 Colt .45 just happens to be uncovered that day ? Yeah, I know...but it's entertaining. Wait wait did they have any serial number or anything that definitely told us this was the subjects Wildcat ?

@hansmueller3029 2 жыл бұрын

Exactly

@tomhath8413 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Wildcats had 6 guns, losing one wouldn't have stopped the other five.

@ricardocorbie6803 2 жыл бұрын

@@tomhath8413 they all don’t typically have the same amount of ammo, as the outer guns have 2X the ammunition as do the inboard one’s, those could’ve been empty!! The belt of ammo could’ve become damaged during the dogfight as the fighter took a lot of hits from behind!! It’s possible!! IJS!!

@DThinkTalker 2 жыл бұрын

great story!

@muhammadsabirin6947 2 жыл бұрын

Nice

@raymondyee2008 2 жыл бұрын

Saw this on the National Geographic Channel. Very interesting.

@bobmenzies4137 2 жыл бұрын

that was before, all is forgiven 1949 Japan/ usa are best friends & allies.

@valdellar Жыл бұрын

Amazing

@carolecarr5210 2 жыл бұрын

What an amazing story. Both men were phenominal. Nice to hear about the other side - the Japanese pilot was ichibon!!!

@Javaman92 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, that this happened on my birthday 14 years before I was born really makes this intimate to me. The turning point of the war...

@killyourtelllievision 2 жыл бұрын

Honor among Airmen

@lst141 2 жыл бұрын

They round his gun?, fantastic

@robertmorey4104 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent documentary! I've read some about Sakai and Guadalcanal but didn't know this story. Excellent air to air photos and so amazing to find "Pugs" plane and .45 handgun. Very well done.

@erictaylor5462 2 жыл бұрын

12:30 They don't seem to mention it here, but most of the time they flew without a parachute. They felt being captured alive was the highest dishonor, so they didn't even think about bailing out.

@bluthammer1442 2 жыл бұрын

why do american documentaries have to repeat the exact same phrases so often. Its a 20 minute documentary in effect

@silentdogfart4892 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. No offence to the Americans but 90% of the documentaries they produce are just awful.

@kingssuck06 2 жыл бұрын

Is that why you both voluntarily came to an American website, showing an American documentary?

@thegreyghost5846 2 жыл бұрын

8:45 the US didn't use any battleships to board Guadalcanal, the island was shelled by cruisers and destroyers

@tallahassZ 2 жыл бұрын

New subscriber here!

@9bangsmith625 2 жыл бұрын

It hurts to see somebody call a 1911 automatic

@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647 2 жыл бұрын

Somethings you can't be forgiven for

@erictaylor5462 2 жыл бұрын

16:55 It seems funny to me how often they add the Ju-87 sound effect when a plane (any plane) is crashing.

@ghmainus 2 жыл бұрын

Solomon Islanders are friendly, fierce, and clever. They know every bit of war “rubbish” in their clan’s territory. If you want Amelia Earhart’s bones, they’ll help you find one or two in the “unexplored” areas.

@SL4PSH0CK 2 жыл бұрын

20mm cannon wont be a kept secret after their countless attack using em.. it was so meta in terms pilots knew how to avoid them

@duanerobinson3975 Жыл бұрын

Generally, a well-done story, but some of the facts are a bit off Sikai did not end the war as the Japanese top-scoring ace, Outo Nisazowa had 88 air victors the book Samari by Sakai claimed more it's a good read.

@DisEnchantedPersons 2 жыл бұрын

Wars are fought by governments not men!

@nattybumpo7156 2 жыл бұрын

Wrong. Government starts wars. Then men die to clean up politicians messes.

@onthehunt964 2 жыл бұрын

Greatest adventure ? What in the world would lead you to say something as crazy as that ? Clearly your drive to sensationalize reality has warped your grasp on reality . Life and death struggles of this nature are certainly not an adventure . The brutal truth of war is not something to evoke starry eyed visions of and while this is surely a tale of the human ability to rise to unfathomable levels of strength and endurance I doubt either of these two great men would think of this as an adventure .

@ProperLogicalDebate 2 жыл бұрын

12:45 An attrition war is IMHO one in which the will to suffer is paramount, even above the means until such point that you simply can't continue. I think there are many examples throughout history.

@carlwessels2671 2 жыл бұрын

Yes for U.S. Vietnam and Afghanistan have to come to mind immediately.

@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe 17 күн бұрын

Don't think top IJN ace Nichizawa spared anyone.

@patrickfreeman8257 2 жыл бұрын

You have the memoirs of both pilots. So why the mystery?

@fryertuck6496 2 жыл бұрын

An exercise in padding. This story could have been told in 5-8 minutes, not 50 repetitive minutes.

@user-zj5kd8hk7d Жыл бұрын

ZERO forever

@pimpompoom93726 2 жыл бұрын

I thought Sakai came upon 8 Avengers, not 8 Dauntless dive bombers? Anybody know the story on that?

@brinx8634 2 жыл бұрын

They were Douglas Dauntless that Sakai mistook for fighters that he had the drop on. Thus, he maneuvered in close for the kill.....he would never have mistaken the large and portly Grumman Avenger for a fighter.

@TxRattPack 2 жыл бұрын

Anyone else shaking their head at the guy pointing a loaded, rusty weapon at someone?

@JStryker7 2 жыл бұрын

Ya I was thinking that. Just because it's old and rusty doesn't make it safe. That mag is still loaded.

@carlwessels2671 2 жыл бұрын

The chamber might still be loaded. Old ammo and old explosives are STILL DANGEROUS. Yes him covering people with the muzzle bugged me.

@Purplexity-ww8nb 2 жыл бұрын

Pug was not an "ace" at the time of his dogfight with Saburo Sakai. Also, 70 year old men trying to equate their experience in the jungle with that of highly trained 25 year olds, even if wounded, is a bit nervy. Props to the teenagers who helped Pug.

@deimantassidorenko3386 3 ай бұрын

Zero. Pilotas. Mušė. Vaild. Ket. Ir. Hel. Ket

@9bangsmith625 2 жыл бұрын

I hate people so narrow minded that only solves why one of the guns did not work

@astridservel7511 2 жыл бұрын

“The most epic dogfight of all time” really. The RAF and the Luftwaffe were going up against each other up to 4 times a day for weeks without stopping during the Battle of Britain. As for the Japanese pilot training, well if you look at some of the British pilots they were rather small and outwardly gentle men, but in battle they were pitiless.

@ihitnukes993 2 жыл бұрын

My friend I think they meant for the pacific theater .

@alanjones511 2 жыл бұрын

You know the Yanks must do it better ….. and when they were doing it their fighters were so much more superior to the Japanese ones which were old technology by that time - it wasn’t an equal playing field . Hence why so many American aces… Spitfire vs 109 far more equal and down to pilot skill.

@gedeon2696 2 жыл бұрын

"in battle they were pitiless". I guess you're talking about 303 POLISH squadron, RAF. They were the top scoring RAF squadron!!

@alanjones511 2 жыл бұрын

@@gedeon2696 And ? The point is ??

@redcloudshaman2509 2 жыл бұрын

@@alanjones511 Your theory holds no weight. Different planes, different tactics. Look into the AVG fighting Zero's with inferior P-40's. It was a case of once again where the tactics made the difference. I must admit that I adore the Spitfire. It was the one of the finest fighters of the war in my opinion.

@tripleo4255 2 жыл бұрын

Was there a co-pilot with Sakai? Cuz u can see at 46:05 that someone in his plane was eating chicken fingers right above him (possibly even trying to give Sakai a bite?) but instead dropped ketchup in his eyeball