Swordfish V. Bismarck | Pilots Recall the First Torpedo Attack (Part 1 of 3)
Part One of Three: To be continued ...
• Bismarck V. Swordfish ... ◁ PART TWO - The attack on HMS Sheffield
It was a pivotal moment in the struggle between battleships and aircraft. The Royal Navy's biplane Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers were flung against Nazi Germany's finest battleship - the Bismarck - in a desperate bid to prevent it wreaking havoc on vital supply convoys.
The Swordfish was under-rated. It represented the pinnacle of biplane technology. It was big. It was strong. It could fly in atrocious weather. Its nickname "Stringbag" was derived from its ability to carry almost anything. It was also fitted with a world-first - air-to-surface (ASV) radar.
The Bismarck was a marvel of German engineering. It was big at 41,700 tons. It was fast at 30kts. It was heavily armed. It had modern anti-aircraft directors and guns. It also had a torpedo defence system capable of withstanding a 550lb TNT blast.
The first clash came when nine Swordfish of HMS Victorious' 825 Naval Air Squadron found the Bismarck in the North Atlantic on May 24, 1941.
The outcome was surprising. And held severe implications for Bismarck in the days to come.
NOTE: For the full story of the survival of Patrick James and his crew (nine days in freezing North Atlantic weather) you can find his audio account at the IWM online archives: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...
Other audio records:
William Garthwaite: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...
Leslie Sayer: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...
Patrick Jackson: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...
Philip Gick: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...
Donald Bunce: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...
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My Uncle was Pat Jackson, who after the attack ditched in the North Atlantic the next morning. By a miracle as they came down through the clouds his navigator Dapper Berrill pointed down and there was an empty lifeboat wallowing in the sea. When they got into it and baled it out with their flying boots they found a five gallon bottle of water, 500 Craven A cigarettes and a box of ships biscuits plus some fishing lines. There was also a mast and a suit of sails but no boom, they found a rusty axe and fashioned a boom out of an oar. Pat, who was a keen pre war dinghy sailor set course for Iceland which was about 800 miles away. They were at sea for 9 days and overturned twice in a hurricane also met a lifeboat full of Norwegian crew from a torpedoed freighter who after asking for food sailed off in the wrong direction never to be seen again. They caught a few fish and some sea birds. On the 9th day they were picked up by a Canadian coast guard vessel and taken into Rekyvick which was British North Atlantic HQ. Pat was interviewed by the port admiral, given a weeks leave and sent back to his ship. Tough days, he was 21 years old and a sub lieutenant. Subsequently, their survival has been regarded as one of the great sea survival stories. Incidentally, he always disliked his flight commander Esmonde VC and regarded him as a glory hunter who in the channel dash attack on the Scharnhorst and Gneisnau quite unnecessarily took highly trained navigators with him for an attack only ten miles off the English coast in clear sight of land. None of the Swordfish pilots and navigators, many of them Pat’s friends, survived. The whole attack without air cover was crazy and achieved nothing apart from the death of everyone. Esmonde wanted to emulate his father who was awarded a VC in the Great War. Lastly, when Pat died the Daily Telegraph gave him a half page obituary on November 11th - Remembrance Day.
Lifeboats tend not to have a wooden boom, as a boom is dangerous in a loaded lifeboat. They have a rope sewn to foot of the sail instead.
Thank you for sharing/ addiing this. Appreciated.
Most interesting. When I was interviewing for the IWM , I seem to remember interviewing one chap Kingsmill who was FAA aircrew who survived the Channel Dash. Maybe he was a TAG. The interview would have been in the 80s or 90s.
@@johanvanzyl8479 A totally "leftfield" question Johan, but are you of South African origin? And do you know if you had an ancestor named David Van Zyl who served onboard HMS Dorsetshire during WW2?
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 absolutely South African. No van Zyl family in WW 2. My father was 17 in 46 when he joined the army. Did you know how popular the surname is? In the Afrikaans community about 6th most common surname.
My wife's Grandfathet (Lieutenant Edward King) was the pilot in Swordfish 13, and was not expected to survive, but he did. He said that they had to approach the Bismark at approx 30 ft from the sea and release their torpedo at approx 150 yards from the target. He didn't talk much about his war but not a lot of the men involved did. God bless.
Gods are fictional. Blessings are worse than useless. Grow a brain.
Wow! Remarkable true story, remarkable people
@@MichaelKingsfordGray , what a thoroughly unnecessary and disgraceful comment , certainly lacking decent respect .
@@alexandradane3672 So, you support the mentally ill at all costs? Perhaps you are one of them. Say that Santa is fictional is the same as saying that gods are fictional! Anyone who believes in gods needs to grow a brain. If you find that disrespectful, then seek professional mental health-care. What deserves any respect whatsoever? Fraudulent parasitic priests lying to gullible undereducated saps? Learn some grammar before coitizing real adults.
@@riazhassan6570 😂😅😅😅
The Swordfish carried three crew, a torpedo on the way out, the early long wave surface radar with more draggy antennas and five hours of fuel, all on 900 horsepower and a fixed pitch propeller. On top of that it was an excellent deck landing plane for flying in terrible weather conditions and its torpedoes worked which was something the Americans didn’t have until 1944. It did alright.
I read a comment by a German who claimed that the Swordfishes slowness was a benefit to it, as the Bismarks Gunnery Radar couldn’t track anything under 120mph.
From what I read the larger calibre AA crews had not been trained properly. The smaller calibre AA gunds didn't have any trouble hitting th Swordfish, they were shot full of holes.
These men truly were the greatest generation. ❤
My Father worked at Kelvinator on The Wirral in the early 60's. Had been in The RAF himself. Got chatting to a fellow worker who turned out to be Donald Bunce, Telegraphist Air Gunner, Swordfish 5B. Father was fascinated when Donald recalled the slowness and low level of their aircraft probably saved aircrew lives during the attack. As a young schoolboy, just having recently built a 1/72 scale Airfix plastic model Swordfish, I was over the moon at the story. Never forgot the name Bunce. 😊
Slide clips to delete them
As a yank who grew up in 60s, w/ ww2 vet uncles, and neighbors, loved all ww2 docus, but especially w/ Sir Larry O narrating, & ww2 movies- family night maybe Guns of Navoronne, "Dirty Dozen," or Casablanca,but, alone, I'd hook elementary school, and if lucky, catch afternoon B&W Brit Navy movies like" Sink the Bismark", "Under Ten Flaggs", or Battle of the River Plate" In old age I've gotten to read enough books and watch enough youtube to start to grasp the world wars, now, recorded accounts, like these gems, I am very very grateful!
Nice to hear your comments have a great day
The Sir Lawrence documentary you refer to is a CLASSIC, ‘The World at War’ ! Just saying/hearing it reminds me of its haunting classic music intro with a flaming scene.
From a grateful Yank to the men of the RN, especially in this case to the Swordfish pilots. Takes one hell of a lot of nerve to press an attack in those conditions, with not just AA, 20mm and up, but Big B’s main armament throwing up those huge gouts of water 💧, like bricks walls, suddenly appearing in one’s flight path. Surprised that those planes could fly with the 3 pairs of *balls of steel* added to the weight of the torpedoes that had to be held up by those “Stringbag” wings. If anyone quibbles that that hit in the stern was just lucky, well a *bullet in the bum* will even the fight with even the biggest of foes. A well-deserved *Salute* to those men! 🇬🇧🇳🇿🇦🇺🇺🇸⚔️🩸♥️ = 🌎🕊
Well said Sir. Well said.
Ditto. 👏👏👏
I think you're an aged Brit, dressed in the clothes of Uncle Sam. 😮 Shame on you!
"The mightiest serpent can be defeated by a swarm of ants" - Admiral Yamamoto.
@@kiwitrainguy Well Said.
Balls…..balls bigger than King Kong!……….to approach such a heavily armed warship in such a slow plane & hold your position until you were in range😯. Bravery beyond question 🇬🇧🫡👏👏👏
I didn't realize those Swordfishes were "all weather" (night is considered weather, at least it is in the USAF). Imagine landing a biplane (which is easily affected by winds) in the dark of night, in stormy weather on a pitching deck. Those pilots had nerves of steel. The vast majority of those military men who were survived that war didn't come home to parades and cheering, most were release from service over a period over many months. They didn't complain, they didn't whine "oh poor me, I saw such terrible things, etc", they just wanted to get back to a normal life, get married, have a home and family, a different generation for sure. They were my teachers, Boy Scout Leaders, fathers of my friends, my milkman, postman, they were an everyday part of my life when I was growing up. My favorite hero was my father, not because he fought in France and Germany, but for being a someone who loved me unconditionally, who was loving, hard working, and my best friend.
Well said Frank. A "nail on the head" comment for sure. My own father, conscripted into the Royal Navy in Feb 1940, took part in the rescues of Bismarck survivors whilst onboard HMS Dorsetshire in May 1941, in Apr 1942 he survived the dive bombing and sinking of Dorsetshire in the Indian Ocean, in Sept 1943 narrowly avoided death again after the "Fritz X" attacks on HMS Warspite at Salerno. In Feb 1946 he finally returned to find his family's prewar home in Bootle Liverpool had been destroyed by bombs, and after travelling the length and breadth of England looking for work, ended up driving buses around the city of Liverpool for 34 years. He "crossed the bar" in 2013.
I had the great honour of knowing Les Sayer for a few years before his death. Such a modest gentleman, and sadly missed. RIP Les
The casual insane bravery of these men is utterly awe inspiring and humbling.
"I was beginning to wonder what the next world was going to be like". Wonderful British understatement.
This is pure 'Gold' . . .
Percy Gick. My father's best man.
Really!
One of the TAG's Don Bunce was the Technical Director of a company I worked for as a Design Engineer. He was a truly lovely man and very approachable and helpful. It was our chief engineer who told me about his exploits in WW2. We should be eternally grateful to people like him and all the other young men who put their lives on the line to give us a future. I believe he moved to Devon to be near his daughter and family but has since died. RIP Don.
boys to Men.... What a time! Truly appreciative and grateful for your dedication, determination and service! 😇🙏
Amazing to think that sometimes old technology works. Those pilots and crew were incredibly brave and should never be forgotten.
They were very lucky they were in the old Swordfish aircraft. If they had been 100 MPH faster, they would all have probably been shot out of the sky by the Bismarck. It also must have been God's Providence that the torpedo from the Ark Royal that hit the ship hit the rudder, one of the worst places for the ship to be damaged. A ship that can't steer can't go where they want to go.
Bismarck was hit on the first attack amidships before the second strike that sealed her fate
Yet these biplanes had radar!
A fabulous first hand account of great British pluck and courage. How they all got back for tea and medals is just incomprehensible.
What is not commonly known is that there were two Fairey Fulmar fighters that accompanied the attack on Bismarck from HMS Victorious.... they both failed to locate the carrier on their return Journey were never seen again.
To land these planes on a 90 foot swell was simply amazing. Well done and thank you.
I wonder how those planes would of survived during the Midway conflict a few years later compared to the devastators the US Navy had.
@JZ's BFF Actually I believe there was. One tail wheel was damaged.
@@job1778 Japanes Mitsubishi A6M Zeros would have dealt with them rather easily.
I find it just incredible that a fabric covered biplane was equipped with radar! My father was in the very first US Navy squadron to fly from aircraft carriers at night and or in bad weather. He served aboard the USS Enterprise in Night Torpedo Squadron 90 flying the much more modern radar equipped TBM Avenger. Their first war cruise began on December 24, 1944. The concept of flying from a carrier at night was revolutionary, and one the US Navy fought against as being too dangerous, yet the Brits were doing it 3 years before we were and doing in in biplanes. What a story! Those Royal Navy pilot had nerves of steel to attack Bismarck flying at maybe 110 mph. I believe it was the slow attack speed of the Swordfish that threw off the aim of Bismarck's gunners.
The Swordfish was designed as a biplane to provide the huge lift needed for heavy lift STOL operations. They did not need steam catapults for launch but could take off unaided, usually near the middle of the flight deck to avoid the extremes of pitching that happened at catapults up near the bows. When Ark Royal's Swordfish took off for the fateful attack on the Bismarck sextant readings taken from the Ark's bridge showed that her bows were rising and falling by 60ft between wave crests. A fact that most people are totally unaware of, instead laughing at the "first world war antique" that the RN used... an "antique" that ended the war with a enemy shipping tonnage sunk record second to none.
The pilots and crews of the Swordfish must have all been exceptionaly courageous men. To have attacked such a massively armed battleship like the Bismarck - whose anti- aircraft battery alone could have sunk a Royal Navy destroyer - flying an obsolete aircraft that could only fly at about 100 knots per hour, was either the height of madness or sheer outstanding bravery.
The swordfish where actually to slow for the Bismarcks AA to track.
The cunning English
Give the swordfish its due, it was the most successful torpedo bomber of the war, sinking a greater tonnage of axis shipping than any other aircraft. The men who flew them had balls of steel.
Great video and some fantastic stories in the comments. Thanks to everyone for sharing.
One has to admire the skill shown by the pilots and crew of the Swordfish in their first operational mission. Nice to see all the clips from "Sink The Bismark" film.
It’s a great film. It’s responsible for quite a few myths, though. Namely, that two string bags were shot down which was incorrect as none were shot down (although they were all hit multiple times) and also the destroyer HMS Solent was sunk by Bismarck. Poor old Solent! She’s been sunk in gawd knows how many films and novels. Well, I can think of three, anyway. Never actually existed, of course.
I have that video 👍
Great video ..I have a giant 1940's oil painting of the Bismarck being attacked by Swordfishes from the Ark Royal.
saying those men were brave is not enough,
Absolutely brilliant! A story told by the people who created it.
My grand-uncle, Paul Compton, was a Fl.-Lt. who flew a Fairey Swordfish and was the only one of three brothers who survived the war.
We are all u tube warriors here
@@RobertJamesChinneryH KZhead does not ENTIRELY consist of thick headed kids who try to tell you that Hitler was their uncle, or their dad was the bombardier on "enola gay", There are also real genuine family members whose relatives really did take part in cataclysmic events during WW2. I know, I'm one of them. Try to use your skill, judgement and wisdom to differentiate.
Gig McSweeney , my sincere respects to your Grand-Uncle , his brothers and your family . . My father too served during the war , as a young Officer in the Navy . He was torpedoed twice in the North Atlantic on convoy duty , decorated for saving lives and his encouraging cries in the water to many was to instruct them to swim to the ice , get to the ice ….in short get out of the water . He never spoke of the details of his war , only that of others in recognition . In our family, “see you on the ice “ became a “catchphrase” when things might have become “a bit tricky” , when up against it a bit , in support and memory of those who fought so valiantly and well ….a reminder to not moan nor whinge . Stood us in good stead in life - to recall how many , gave so much and sacrificed so much .
@@RobertJamesChinneryH What a ridiculous comment. My family lost three killed and five severely wounded in the two world wars, with, at last count, 24 members of my family having served across five generations, in every branch of our armed forces and in every rank, from private to general. So according to you that makes me a "u tube warrior". How pathetic and small-minded you are.
@@alexandradane3672 Your father sounds like he was a good man. Respect to you and your family.
Many of the Swordfish Fleet Air Arm pilots trained at HMS Gannet, now City of Derry airport. A section of runway was marked to represent the deck of an aircraft carrier and they would practice taking off and landing. As a boy I lived close by and enjoyed watching them.
Interesting tidbits of the day, HMS Victorious, fresh out of her post-war refit with her new massive radar system and angled deck, plays herself in the movie Sink the Bismark! By then the last of the armored carriers. And Prinz Eugen actually survived the war, being subjected to two nuclear attacks at Bikini Atoll. Surviving each blast and finally sinking at Kwajalein Atoll.
Didn't know that. I'll have to watch the movie again
Don't make them like the use to.
Some of the on board shots featured another carrier, HMS Centaur, I believe.
Prinz Euagen nade it to Brest 1week after the Bismarck was sunk. Apparently after the Bismarck sunk Hitler never sent his surface ships into the North Atlantic again. The Bismarck sister whip, the Tirpitz, never saw an actual combat mission
@@sukhastings4200 She did unleash her guns on a raid on Spitsbergen if memory serves me right. And the Kriegsmarine did operate in the Barents Sea until Scharnhorst was sunk there. I reckon that Hitler rightly identified that the big surface raider strategy was a failure considering British naval superiority and U-boats offered a better alternative. But keeping his few big ships in Norwegian fjords as a fleet in being did tie up considerable British resources that could have been used to greater use elesewhere.
A Swordfish flew over us during the Festival of the sea at Portsmouth about 20 years ago and it was hardly moving. It was at those moments that I realised how extra brave those crews had been.
About thirty years ago, I was looking out my office window on the 81st floor of 1 World Trade Center when, out of nowhere, I saw a PBY Catalina slowly circling the Statue of Liberty. So slow that it seemed more like a sailplane or a glider. Almost motionless. I'm just now imagining the air crews in these Swordfish slowly working in toward Bismarck, forty or fifty feet above the waves, at about 75 mph. All these courageous young men that we hear as old men telling their stories... Thank you, ArmouredCarrier for editing the video and voices of these heroes.
Thank you for putting this documentary together, very humbling listening to these young men putting their life on the line. A real David and Goliath story. Well done.
i'm not hearing any young men just some crusty old ones
The Swordfish were designed as biplanes to maximise the lift generated by its large wing area and the relatively low powered aero engines available in 1935. Such was the lift created that the Swordsfish could take off from a carrier's deck WITHOUT the use of the steam catapults then fitted. This freedom from not having to use the carrier's catapults (which were fitted at the carrier's bows) allowed them to take of from amidships on the flight deck (abaft the bridge superstructure). The degree of swell in heavy seas is MUCH less amidships that at the bows, and it was this fact that allowed them to become airborne in the MOUNTAINOUS Atlantic swells both on the 24th May from Victorious and 26th May from Ark Royal.
People seem oblivious to the concept of time. Yes, the Swordfish was a contemporary to the Devastator. But its primary area of operations was to be the North Atlantic, and not the Pacific. It met these day/night all-weather conditions so well it remained in service until mid 1946. It wasn't front line. But its combat role was later filled by another second-line aircraft, the helicopter.
The carrier catapults were hydraulic in those days, much less powerful but the weights and take off speeds were lower too.
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 My mistake, a quick search shows the BH3 catapult was actually hydro-pneumatic.
I have to also pipe in and congratulate you on a fantastic job you are doing . The fact that you have also made the veterans' commentaries , the centre of your videos , adds a quiet authenticity that is riveting . Also your editing of the newsreel and 'Hunt The Bismark footage is really seamless . These aircrew represent a a proud spirit , yet they are all self effacing but have a modest and wry sense of humour . The pilot speaking on camera , reminds me of my late Dad , who to his initial chagrin missed World War Two but then flew fighter jets for the RAF in the cold war. One of the narrators mentions 'Empire Day' Do we still recognise that or has it become innappropiate today ? Thank you for your efforts , one of the best historical sites on youtube
Thank very much for such high praise. And yes, I agree: Their experiences deserve to be front and centre. It's not always correct - they lived personal experiences, not the entire scenario. But it's authentic. And their interpretations shaped the war. It takes a bit of cutting, editing and a lot of time to weave their separate accounts into a story. But it's well worth it.
@@ArmouredCarriers Well worth it, though. This is priceless stuff, preserved for posterity.
In one account of the Bismarck's first and last voyage' a German survivor of Bismarck, describes the Swordfish's attacks on Bismarck as akin to being attacked by "flying antiques" while being fully aware of the potential damage they could cause.
‘ I know you’ve never done this before, but go bomb the largest warship in the atlantic if you can find it, then come back and park your plane on a moving ship if you can find it and if you don’t die, which you probably will. And 1 last thing, you will be flying slow, open cockpit biplanes’. Effin balls on ww2 soldiers, from all sides.
I met a Swordfish pilot some many years back - don't know which ship he was on (in those days we didn't really talk about the war!), but he was full of praise for the 'Stringbag'! Great film, thanks!
I've a book titled " To War in a Stringbag" about this conflict. Proud to own it. The string bag name was explained as a crocheted bag to carry purchases in from the grocer. It's an analogy in that it is a rather floppy bit of an aircraft to fight a war with. Dad was a ball turret gunner. 8AF 487 bg 839bs.
And just like the crochetted bag it could carry just about anything...... bombs, depth charges, torpedoes, rockets, air radar sets.
Every time I see one of these historical accounts I am filled with humble admiration for the chaps stoically putting their lives on the line, generation after generation to assure the freedoms I enjoy; and saddened to think how those freedoms and the rich culture they protected are being belittled and squandered in one or two generations of selfish, narcissistic, self-indulgent consumers of base nonsense brought up during the easiest time in human history to think they're special and precious, with no sense of responsibility to do anything like what previous generations saw as being their solemn duty.
That's always been the case. Your post could quite easily have been written in any culture at any time in the last few thousand years. A seeming golden age that's been squandered by younger generations. When the novel was popularised for the first time, it was said that society would collapse because young people were wasting their time reading. Imagine! Young people reading too much. I'm not immune from it either. I only thought the other day how my old man used to cycle 30 miles to work, I walk and cycle everywhere, but not that far, and 'kids these days' can't seem to walk 100 yards. It's also worth noting that as terrible as WW2 was, the 1930's were not much fun at all in general. My partners Grandad lied about his age and joined the army before WW2 so he could eat properly on a daily basis. He used to laugh and shake his head when people tried to call him a hero, or give him pity. Although he was permanently injured in Italy in 1943, he always claimed that WW2 was a better experience than his childhood with 12 brothers and sisters in depression era Birmingham.
You put it magnificently.
@@jimb9063 That can't be right Jim, we're all guilty of "white privilege" don't you know? I know my own family dined on the finest roast pheasant & poached quail's eggs & quaffed Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the soup kitchens where they were fed at Bootle in Liverpool in the late 20s early 30s.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Ha yes, the over privileged position of Merseyside. It's about time they levelled up the south east and invested some money down there for a change, takes the piss. Still got family up there, my Dad's parents got married in Liverpool in 1928, and moved down to Shropshire (I'm currently eating badger and pheasant souffle).
They never fought for any freedoms and you have NEVER been free - Hitlers Germany and Italy escaped from this scam system and Mafias exposed in this video here and they did the right thing exposed in this video by arresting and jailing the bankers and taking over their banks and printing their own debt and interest free money and spent it into their economies creating full employment and making their people the best off they have ever been so the Allies got the Polish government to start to ethnically cleanse and murder the Germans living in the German areas handed over to Poland after WW1 to force Hitler into going to their aid and so that he would get the blame for starting WW2 and they have lied and conned everyone ever since about what really went on back then and as this video shows about everything since the day we were born kzhead.info/sun/bJyqpp2yq52Nko0/bejne.html
Whatever you think about war etc, what an incredible group of people and the stories and experiences they went through
Amazing the Hood had any survivors at all. Even the Bismarck lost all but 114 out of her crew of 2000
Marvellous as usual. I do love your stuff so. Bloody wonderful. Could watch all day everyday.
Thanks very much. It's fun. But time consuming.
Agreed !
@@ArmouredCarriers I can imagine!:)
Hearing these accounts,making deep digs at history thus proving accuracy & validity😲😲...I'm truly in awe of these blokes who rode ponies into jaws of tigers with no flinch; and so Won that battle ..... Mispronounce American English as you must, I'll Forever salute that undiluted Bravery of you regular guys ..... I can't truly express my meaning......
"Happy Birthday Pat!" Laughed out loud there, can you imagine it? 🙏
Great video..such humble heroes “travelling at around sixty knots toward the Bismarck with all her guns blazing..I thought this was a bit slow”..just don’t make em like that anymore 👍
Sixty knots, mate, not naught’s. Short for nautical miles.
What a fantastic story told by absolute heroes. God bless you all.
Excellent video, great use of veterans recollections of the operations and archive footage. Thank you.
This is important work you’re doing! Love this channel
Thanks for uploading these. Really enjoy them.
Fantastically well put-together video - combining the totally authentic and compelling participant accounts, real footage and clips from the film. Thank you so much. 👏👏👏
Thank you for another great video!
Btave boys ..... God Bless em all.
brilliant
Fascinating video. Thanks for your hard work
A very well done program. Thank you for this interesting episode in history that was so vital. ethermail
Remarkable story coming from men who were participants. Kudos to the photographers for the accompanying video. I had no idea a USCG weather ship was that close to the action and really appreciated a look at the onboard radar of the aircraft. I had no idea the were outfitted with any.
ASV Mk II
Great video very informative! Great insight into this attack! Respect to these guys
That's the Brits for you. Saying "Happy Birthday" in the middle of attacking one of the most powerful ships ever built!!! Bloody good!!
Brilliant production as usual. These are the most informative videos of any aspect of the 2nd World War. The way the pictures match up with the text and narration is so very well done. I never get the feeling I'm watching B-roll like most other documentaries.
Great job! Ty!
Wonderful to hear these voices. Most lost to us. God bless them!
Quite unassuming but terribly brave, typical of the time.
Wonderful another great doc by this channel
The Vicky was a lucky ship. One of the few armoured carriers that got thru the war unscathed. Thanks for another excellent vid!
Also the last of the armored carriers, surviving the rest of her class until her unfortunate end at the hands of the Wilson government in 1968. When her luck finally ran out. Then again the UK Treasury and Whitehall have always been the most lethal foes of the British armed forces.
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 Do you mean Wilson should have kept in service leaking, creaking and outdated warships not fit for purpose in 1968?
@@johnburns4017 No, those were disposed off in the 50's when the refit of Victorious kept getting more and more expensive. Which was why the Implacables were scrapped. What Wilson did was cancel the CVA-01 program, the new carrier and others of her class that should have replaced Victorious, Eagle, Ark Royal and maybe Hermes in 70's. Which left successive governments with leaky falling apart warships in the 70's and no replacements. And which forever killed off conventional RN carrier aviation.
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 What Wilson did was put in motion the notion of smaller cheaper throw away carriers. Big carriers are of yesteryear. Too many eggs in one basket.
@@johnburns4017 No, Wilson did away with all carriers, believing the sweet nothings of the RAF that their fighters could cover and deploy everywhere. Thing is, a fighter wing that deploys in theater arrives with no support infrastructure in place and has to wait for everything else to arrive in place in well. Whereas the carrier air group arrives in theater with everything it needs to operate, down from the munitions, support staff up to the radar systems and command and control. An airfield is a fixed asset that cannot be moved and needs to be staffed in order to be useful. The carrier is a moving base, that's where it usefulness comes into place. As for small carriers being more useful then big carriers, that's a mistake too. Take HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes at the Falklands. Both were roughly the same size, but Hermes larger internal hangar and flight deck allowed it to carry twice as much aircraft then Invincible. The operation might have failed if you swap Hermes for another Invincible. Quantity is a quality of its own. Similarly the armored carriers of the Royal Navy of WW2 were designed to carry about 40 aircraft, whereas the US Yorktowns carried almost twice as much and the Essex class even more. As a result they packed more of a punch in combat and the Royal Navy learned that it was better to have more aircraft then superior protection. A carrier that is small and carries a small airgroup is of limited value. You're trading in a high value unit, that is, yes, a basket with a lot of eggs, in for a unit that has little to no value. That is not a good trade off. Far better to invest in additional frigates and destroyers to protect your high value unit then to dispose of high value units in favor of useless low value units.
What a great video, a definite sub, so glad I found you.
These videos are treats to be revisited. Again, my thanks.
The US Coast Guard cutter shown looks to be the “Evergreen” in its’ first configuration. An oceangoing buoy tender, it served first off Greenland as a weather ship, then in other capacities until the ‘90s. I served on her briefly as navigator. The story I heard relating to these events were that she emerged from weather, was fired upon, and retreated smartly. Semper Paramus… to be outgunned.
Awesome content and audio links! So glad I discovered it (through Drachinifel's channel).
It's funny, my Dad was a FAA mech on Trouncer, he loved working on Swordfish and Corsairs but really didn't like Seafires at all
Unlike the Army, the US Navy rejected the use of water cooled engine aircraft for good reasons. Higher in maintenance and lower resistance to battle damage.
The undercarriage of Seafires wasn't really suited for a carrier deck
So much more interesting hearing it from the men who were there.
Very interesting video. Lots of great information and insights 😉
Nothing short of impressive video!
A long while back I watched a documentary on the sinking of the Bismarck and one of the witnesses was a German officer who had survived. In his thick German accent he said of the first Swordfish attack..."unt zen zey attaked uz viz antiques"
Fantastic stuff. The oral histories of these heroes need to be captured at full length
Alan Sullivan, I agree and captured , to be played for all time. A good lesson and example for the young of today ?
Watched from Old Harbour Jamaica 🇯🇲 👌
Swordfish squadrons use to be based in Jamaica 🇯🇲 at Palisades Field, then called HMS BUZZARD. They use to conduct antisubarene patrol. I heard of a book that mentions this and I would love to get a copy.
Fascinating. These audio recordings appear to have been made post-war by Swordfish aircrew survivors. Assume the Esmonde referred to is Eugene Esmonde VC, the pilot who later led the Swordfish attack on the Channel dash ships (Scharnhorst & Gniesnieu) and lost his life in this operation.
He didn't just lose his life, but the lives of everyone he took on that attack.
This production is a fantastically good piece of work. Very very well done. I worked as an oral history interviewer for the Sound Archive of the Imperial War Museum from the 1970s to my retiring in 2002. These recordings were made by me with Sayer, Gick, Garthwaite and the other gallant officers recorded here. I am so pleased that you have made such use of them to produce this great piece of work. I am now 80 years old with a wife and 5 descendants. I am so pleased to have discovered this.
@@badwolf7367 Is this correct? I seem to remember tape recording the memories of a gentleman by the name of Kingsmill who survived the Channel Dash and who, with extreme hypothermia, was rescued from the sea and hospitalised in Kent. The recording is in the Sound Archive of the IWM.
What was the music at the beginning, please?
@@conradwood6700 According to Wikipedia 5 of the 18 crew survived. Another comment on this video is from Clive Cosby a relative of one pilot who apparently regarded Esmonde as a glory-hunter, (although if he was under orders to carry-out that attack it may be unfair). That relative also pointed, however, that he had no reason to take along the navigators, valuable trained men, who were not needed for a trip off the coast.
What a wonderful video and channel to which I have now subscribed . I am so looking forward to watching all of them. Thank you very much indeed.
Thanks. I hope you find them informative
Les Sayer was a neighbour of ours in Old Windsor and used to chat with my dad as they both worked at Heathrow ( dad was BOAC, Les with BEA). Later when I was old enough I went to a local pub where Les's son was landlord.
So brave
I love the line "dropped my fish"!
Fantastic Jamie. Thank you. Although I have long suspected USCGC Modoc was not there by accident. Three cutters were in a line searching for a "lifeboat". It just so happened, again, purely by accident I am sure, that a British PBY piloted by an American naval aviator (a group long accustomed to working with USCG) was there to pick up the cutter's report.
The PBY actually made two sorties to keep track of the Bismark. They were struck by AA fire on their initial sighting, and flew back to base to have the plane checked out to find it was ok to go back and "shadow" the German dreadnaught.
@@tomt373 Official ONI Report 5. We started leg EG of area at 1000 and at 1010 I sighted what was first believed to be Bismarck, bearing 345 at 8 miles. Definite recognition was impossible at the time due to visibility. I immediately took control from "George" (automatic pilot); started slow climbing turn to starboard, keeping ship sited to Port, while the British officer went aft to prepare contact report. My plan was to take cover in the clouds, get close to the ship as possible; making definite recognition and then shadow the ship from best point of vantage. Upon reaching 2000' we broke out of a cloud formation and were met by a terrific anti-aircraft barrage from our starboard quarter. Immediately jettisoned the depth charges and started violent evasive action which consisted of full speed, climbing and "S" turns. The British officer went aft again to send the contact report. When making an "S" turn I could see the ship was a BB [battleship] and was the Bismarck, which had made a 90 starboard turn from its original course, (This was evident from wake made by his maneuvering), and was firing broadsides at us. The A.A. [anti-aircraft] fire lasted until we were out of range and into the clouds. It was very intense and were it not for evasive action we would have been shot down. The barrage was so close that it shook the aircraft considerably (one man was knocked from his bunk) and the noise of the burst could be hear above the propeller and engine noise. Numerous bursts were observed at close quarters and small fragments of shrapnel could be heard hitting the plane. The fitter came forward to pilots compartment saying we were full of holes. As soon as we were well clear of Bismarck we investigated the damage, which consisted of a hole in after port hull (about 2" in diameter) and one in bottom hull directly below instrument panel (about 1" in diameter). No other damage was visible at the time. I made short flight test (several turns, checked engines, etc) and finding everything satisfactory returned to area to resume shadow of Bismarck. 6. From this encounter it was obvious that there were two German warships in company on same course (140 true) and the leading ship was not identified but was of BB or CV [aircraft carrier] class. 7. The 240 squadron plane had intercepted our contact report and set is course to intercept the ship from the position given in our contact. 8. As we had lost contact with the ship we returned to position of the Bismarck. The navigation was somewhat in error, due to evasive action, etc., and we could not find the ship the second time. According to reports that we intercepted from 240 plane, he was being attacked by enemy aircraft. We immediately set course to intercept him. We joined up with him and he was in contact with Bismarck. We stayed in company for 45 minutes and then took departure for Lough Erne at 1530; the time specified by Group Operations Officer. 9. We landed at 2130 with approximately 250-300 gal. of gasoline remaining.
@@benwilson6145 Another great post Ben. Thanks.
Fantastic bravery. What stories!
1:08 "The balloon went up" Always loved that old Brit expression. Think it dates from the 19th Century balloon events. Crowds would gather and then cheer when the balloon finally and often unexpectedly ascended.
The matter of fact calmness of these men is astonishing. I like the comment on how nice Bismarck was, but the Germans weren’t very friendly!
90 foot rise and fall in the decks height due to swell, that must have been very very hairy.
I amazed how little vets talked about there time in WWII. My uncle was shot down and then was run over by a German truck and never brought it up . I heard about it when he thought I was sleeping and he was talking to another vet. I remember a few Hobo's around the train tracts that thinking back were probably suffering from shell shock but my uncle insisted in 1939 and got home in 1945. His family only heard from him occasionally when the letters got through.
Same as my father. Called up to the RN in February 1940, in his 6 year 5 months of service he saw his family ONCE during that period, inspite of seeing some of the heaviest action during the war in episodes such as the sinking of the Bismarck, surviving the sinking of his own ship during Japanese Indian Ocean raid in April 1942, and surviving attacks using Fritz X radio guided bombs on his ship during the Salerno landings in the Med in Sept 1943.
So brave people and we owe so much to them for what they did and such a scary situation to be in and lisening to this story how the pilots of the swordfish didn't belive they had hit the bismark but now with new adventures have proven they did and there's a hole in the rudder part of the ship. But we owe so much to these brave people and never forget
a great video
Amazing stories here from those brave pilot's 👏🏻
Love the Swordfish. Just amazing!
This is the very 1st time iv heard about the USCG ship! As a war buff its quite a surprise!
19:20 "...she didn't appear very friendly..." I simply love the Brits! 🇺🇲🤝🇬🇧
19:29...YOU WERE 9 SECONDS OFF-(!)
Marvelous stuff. TFP
You just have to love the Brit’s no matter how harry it is they take it and a cupcake tea no big deal God Bless them all🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The outdated Swordfish , Tranto and Bismarck , amazing pilots and the skilled piloting of the 'string bag'. Proven technology achieving amazing victories. Like the T34 tanks and the underrated workhorse the Hawker Hurricane The Fleet Air Arm amazing too
And incredibly brave (aka young) pilots.
Great work on the carriers as always!
Listening to this again. The British knack for *understatement* is unsurpassed.
I'm working on part 2 now. It does seem to be a trait of the era ...
Commander Esmonde was a marvellous man. We had a Swordfish pilot friend of his present his Fleet Air Arm experience to us at school. He had a very different opinion to a previous poster's view of Esmonde's character: Torpedo bomber pilots recognised their extremely low survival chances and it lead to a certain tragic ebulience. Op Fuller (Channel Dash) mission was launched despite it being high risk; 2 swordfish torpedoes launched on target justified the risk. Ironically later escorted Beaufighter and Hudson attacks had a better chance but missed too. Shame the timing didn't happen after Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were damaged by mines.
Oh those dam Germans ,well done lads you were so very very brave what you did was above and beyond you duty
It's a shame that the aviator didn't continue the story of how he got rescued after ditching in the sea.
It would have taken up too much time ... You can hear his full story here: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80015090
@@ArmouredCarriers Ah; thank you for the link. Very much appreciated!
It only dawned on me here, that Hood was sunk on Empire day, something never alluded to before.
Listening to this it does makes you wonder for all the obsolete idiosyncrasy of the Swordfish it was a comparatively friendly and forgiving thing to land on a heaving flight deck in these conditions compared to a more modern fast high wing loaded aircraft. It could have actually been saving the lives of the pilots in these conditions.
It was a plane designed to operate in the stormy conditions of the Atlantic, a heavy lift STOL "do it all" aircraft, that could take aloft bombs, depth charges, torpedoes and later on even eight 60 pound rockets, as well as carrying ASV radar, and ended up outserving the aircraft that was intended to replkace it, the Fairey Albacore.
As I've heard it, the nickname "String Bag" does not allude to the construction of the Swordfish but to the fact that they were a universal "carry-all" like the string bags of the time used by shoppers, etc.@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684