Britain's Forgotten WW2 Heavy Bomber | Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Today we're taking an in-depth look at the history of the Armstrong Whitworth A.W 38 Whitley.
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Recommended reading:
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Since 1913 (Putnam's British Aircraft) -amzn.to/3MTT6uq
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft (Archive Photographs) -amzn.to/47NX681
Aircraft Profile No. 153: The Armstrong Whitworth Whitley -amzn.to/3QI7DKU
The Bomber Command War Diaries: An Operational Reference Book 1939-1945 - amzn.to/3RbPFC6
The British Aircraft Specification File - amzn.to/47p2378
0:00 Intro
2:33 Design Origins
6:55 Prototype Development
17:04 Whitley Mk.I
19:30 Whitley Mk.II
21:19 Whitley Mk.III
25:29 Whitley Mk.IV
28:14 Whitley Mk.V
31:02 Early WW2 Service
42:42 OTUs and Coastal Command
45:16 Whitley Mk.VII
47:36 Paratroop Operations
56:49 Experimental Use
59:12 Obsolescence and Legacy
F.A.Q Section - Ask your questions here :) Q: Do you take aircraft requests? A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:) Q: How do you decide what aircraft gets covered next? A: Supporters over on Patreon now get to vote on upcoming topics such as overviews, special videos, and deep dives. Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others? A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both.
Are you planning on eventually covering the Handley Page Halifax?
I would really like you to do a video on the life of RAF ground crews. Sorry if this does not sound exciting and maybe I would be the only one who watches 😉... but they performed a vital role, often in appalling & dangerous conditions and never get any recognition. Many of them were brave men and some women, who would definitely stand tall in your hanger!
Have you heard of the Air-Tractor Sledge? It was the first plane taken to Antartica and was apart of the 1911-1914 Australasian Anatartic Expedition. May consider doing a short video of the evolution of aircraft’s used for Antarctic exploration.
In the vain of unsung/forgotten heavy bombers, I always had a bit of a soft spot for the Short Stirling.
This piece on the Whitley was fabulous. If you take requests a Fleet Air Arm series would be appreciated.
On March 2nd 1941 a squadron of Whitleys took off to bomb Hamburg. One aircraft developed engine trouble over the Netherlands and turned back, but kept losing height and the crew were forced to bale out. prearranged finding each other with prearranged bird calls the crew walked about ten miles to the coast, hiding in ditches or bushes whenever they saw headlights. Purloining a fishing boat, they made their way across the North Sea, rowing the last 5 miles when the fuel ran out. After landing near Cromer and almost being shot by the home guard they spent the night in a police station, supplied with fish and chips and bottles of beer. By means of a milk train, two buses and a farm cart they finally returned to their base to find no planes there at all. Worried that their comrades had suffered a disaster the ran to the agjustant. He put their minds ease, glancing at his watch & telling them the lads weren't due back for another three hours.
Oh my god that’s amazing 😂 how did they still manage to return first?! That’s incredible!
No chance that would have been the same raid. Look up how long it takes a fishing boat to get from the Netherlands to the UK.
Oh, you had me in the first half. That's a great joke
@@PolakInHolland it's a joke on how slow the Whitley's were.
Unarmed, not to mention performance restricted, those crews flying the supply runs into Malta, are, to my mind, the very epitomy of brave and dedicated men.
They needed a Dakota to follow them, to carry their brass nuts!
had us in the first half not gonna lie.@@MartinMcAvoy
My grandfather operated in a similar position and role for the luftwaffe
Indeed! And a critical role it was. You could due a whole alt history based just on Malta falling to the Axis and the snowball effect that it would have had.
@@MaticThePrototell us his story please?
Brilliant video, well researched and presented as always Rex! So glad you've done the Whitley as it's the aircraft that my wife's Grandfather flew in. He arrived at Driffield, home of 102 squadron, fresh from training, with next to no time to unpack he was immediately sent on his first mission on 19 May 1940. Flying in Whitley V DY-O N1376 as an Observer, it was brought down by flak over Gelsenkirchen with the crew of 5 surviving. His first and only operational mission was over within a number of hours. He then spent the rest of the war at Stalag Luft III, incidentally spending some time jumping over a certain Wooden Horse whilst some brave chaps were doing a spot of digging underneath it......
Wow, that is a heck of a story!
@@MartinMcAvoy yes! The account of the shooting down is in "It's suicide, but it's fun - the history of 102 squadron" by Chris Goss. It's as comical as it is serious, my wife's Grandfather couldn't see the target to bomb, so the pilot came down to help point it out to him, leaving a Canadian (ironically also on his first mission) to pilot the aircraft. Because it was the Canadians first mission he flew straight and level which made their Whitley an easier target for the flak, which knocked out an engine forcing them to evacuate the aircraft.
My respect for your relative, and everyone who flew in these aircraft has grown considerably since watching the video. Anyone who spent even a minute in one was an absolute hero.
@@marccs1978 I have that book in my collection, but I'm yet to read it. This has definitely bumped it up on my priority list!
One combat mission then the rest of the war as a POW and help in some small way to the great escape he played his part in winning the war my thanks to him
"more troublesome than a slightly intoxicated honey badger" I need to remember that phrase.
Rex's hangar, Drachenifel, and military history visualized. Together they're the first triumvirate of historical military vehicles
Many Australian crews flew in Whitleys. "Ops in a Whitely, Ops in a Whitley, who'll come on Ops in a Whitely with me? And crash of the flak as they flew o'er the Rhur, Who'll come on Ops in a Whitley with me?" That's the best I can remember from a long time ago. Apologies if not correct. Great work again Rex.
I want to work this morning, I dont need 1 hour videos from Rex... Ok, cancel apointment, aaaand press play 😁
Eh, just gonna cancel my mother's funeral
@@intellicadeeshe’ll wait
I need this AT work, but I can't find my headphones!!😩
Fortunately we were told to leave early.
I’m on a road trip right now, got all the time in the world.
My father was an armourer stationed at Drem in Scotland, told me about some Whitley’s coming back from a mission only to find fog covered the whole area,despite all the ground crews efforts lighting oil fires along the runway only one or two landed safely,he recalled hearing “those poor lads” circling around trying desperately to find the runway only for them to run out of fuel and crashing ,he said he felt totally helpless,sad days
Excellent coverage. My father R. B. Barrie (1920-2006) was a rear gunner/WO in 77 SDR based at Driffield. he joined the RAF in 1937 and took part in leaflet raids into Germany Vienna and Milan. In March 1940 his Sqd raided the Seaplane base on north German coast they were lost in a storm on the way back flew over Holland and were intercepted by two new Fokker G1 fighters and my fathers plane KN-H became the first kill for the G1 flown by Lt Piet Noomen. On fire and with my father wounded shot several times in the back, Sgt James Miller (RCAF) fell to his death without his parachute and the Whitley crashed in a farmers field in Utrecht. The rest of the crew survived and were interned until the Germans invaded in May, The return to England was a drama in itself, assisting a British Ballet group, being nearly shot by the Dutch resistance, Stuka attack on a train and a dash across the channel. Three of the crew survived the war including my dad who then joined the RNZAF after the war and we ended up in Australia, Dad passed away in 2006 with a Dutch bullet and Whitley shrapnel still embedded in his back(always a surprise for a doctor looking at his X rays] . The pilot FO Trevor Geach saved my fathers life with excellent flying and the crash landing in flames, he was killed MIA with his whole new crew in the North sea just weeks later.
Your old man had some Ball's May he rest in peace .
Cheers!!@@lablackzed
It is good, isn't it. My father was 'hostilities only' and slightly younger than your father. He didn't have to sign up till he had finished his electrical training. Or whatever the actual title was. Anyway, he was put into the RAF trades as Electrician. I know he worked on Whitleys in the Sahara. He told me this story. In the morning we went out to service the bombers. The various tradesmen went to their own jobs and he went through checking the electrics, flicking switches and so on. The armourer had not definitely said he was present but he carried on and checked the bomb-bay doors. The electric part worked, he carried on but then he saw fitters slipping off the wings and the engine. They were running up the sand dune around the aircraft. Enemy aircraft coming, he thought and got out ASAP and joined them, face down. But no sound of the enemy. After a while he whispered to someone near him to hear what's on? "Some dam fool has dropped the thousand pounder." "Right fool". They waited till the armourer did turn up, with a powered cart. He estimated it was about 10' to the ground from a nacelle.
That Whitley did not crash in Utrecht but just south of Rotterdam. As the Netherlands (Holland is just a part of it) were strictly neutral they had to intercept any plane regardless of where it came from; although it is clear that sympathy was on the Allied side... The goal of the 2 intercepting Fokker G1's (from the Rotterdam Waalhaven airfield) was to bring the intruder down, if possible by landing. However, the Whitley didn't show any sign that they would obey the demand to land; instead it tried "zigzagging" to fly away; a useless attempt given the performance difference between a Whitley and a G1. The G1 of Lt Noomen then had orders to shoot it down as it did; remarkable fact is that the Whitley didn't return fire. Most probable they felt that shooting over neutral territory at a plane of that neutral country could create a diplomatic incident... The plane came down in flames, Sgt Miller for unknown reasons decided to jump out of the Whitley when it was nearly at the ground, some say he jumped out at 35 meters above ground, others claim it was just 10 meters. But whatever the height was, it was a fatal jump. And unnecessary: had he just stayed inside the Whitley he most probably would have survived the crashlanding, as did the rest of the crew. Lt Noomen not much later would find himself in real wartime battle. On 10.05.40 the Luftwaffe flew with large bomber formations westwards, north of the north coast; as to let the Dutch to think they were on their way to England. Which indeed happened.... Passing Den Helder 1 formation turned south to bomb Schiphol Amsterdam airport, the rest turned south a little later so they flew south, parallel to the Dutch coast. A 2nd formation then turned eastwards to bomb Bergen airfield; because that airfield was brand new but had major problems with drainage all G1's there stood in line on a concrete platform; ideal for the Luftwaffe to bomb them... The 3rd formation turned east near Rotterdam to bomb the Waalhaven airfield. Because the driver of the car which was supposed to bring the pilots to the planes didn't show up the pilots and tail gunners had to run to their planes, amidst falling bombs and shooting German planes... Noomen managed to get into his G1 but his right engine didn't want to start, when it finally ran he managed to get airborne to hunt for the Germans: he managed to shoot down two Heinkel He111 bombers.
There was a guy in the UK collecting parts of crashed Whitley bombers with a view to rebuilding one, one day. I helped with recovering some bits of airframes off Welsh and Scottish mountains many years ago. I have heard nothing of him for a long time, so I don’t know how far he got or if he is still working on it… I hope he is.
If they transport the parts in a van they'll be going faster than they ever did in the air.
I remember a joke about all those leaflettes being dropped. A crewman says he dropped them still in bundles; a listener pipes up, good God man! You might have killed someone!
I always knew of the existence of the Whitley, but I’d no idea that it was such a wonderful old warbird. It’s a real unsung hero.
That wing angle of attack blows my mind.
The Whitley always reminded me of the B24 and Ju86. Not good looking, but with the chin sticking out like an eager street-brawler. Gave good service and wore a lot of hats, some more ill-fitting than others. Thanks for yet another long, thorough and obscure video of an almost unknown aircraft. As I watch these after a long day of work, and I'm old, I often doze off for 20 minutes or so in the middle of the video, and wake up before it's over, then rewind to see what I missed.
"Slightly intoxicated Honey Badger". 🤣🤣🤣
My Father & Mother were both in the RAF during the war, my father flew the Whitley Hampden, Wellington, Sunderland, etc as a Navigator in Coastal Command St Eval in Cornwall , while mother was stationed in London. 1939-1945
What a fascinating ‘deep dive’. I had always thought of the Whitley as of being of little use in the war, outdated,obsolete and consigned to cooperation and initial training for bomber crews, little realising the range and depth of its ‘have a go’ capabilities. Thanks for shining a spotlight on it Rex.
A propeller from an Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley came up in the trawl (the net) of a large trawler, wich was fishing, way out..to the south of Iceland 🇮🇸. This was well before the year 2000. The propeller blades were bent (i.e. under power when it landed on the sea). That was the first time I became aware of this plane at all. -But, although I don't know more about it's story, I've always wondered what this Whitley was doing,.. WAY out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...somewhere between 🇬🇧 and 🇮🇸.
Probably a Coastal Command anti submarine patrol.
@@alexandermonro6768 Yes, you're right, of course. But what surprised me most at the time (when I saw that 3bladed propeller & read the short text), was *where* it was found. It came up (really deep out) in the middle of the north Atlantic. (Somewhere between Iceland 🇮🇸 & the Faroe Islands 🇫🇴, if memory serves). By my understanding, they will have been a *really* long way from home. ... Because Whitleys were never stationed here in Iceland 🇮🇸 -Anyway, I have always found this interesting (although I don't know more about it)... Best regards from Iceland 🇮🇸 -K.
I’m Aussie, I have an education degree from Oxford. Rex - You are a great Australian and a brilliant teacher. Thank you enormously for your excellent work.
Aussiophile much?
Might as well be! We've got it better then most! @@guaporeturns9472
Good job Rex. As a "yank" who grew up in the 60's building kit models I somehow missed the A.W. Whitley for many years. I have a decent aviation library with references including the Whitley but none dedicated to it exclusively. I'm interested in aviators who received the US Medal of Honor or the Victoria Cross. Not long back I obtained an Airfix Whitley kit which I will hopefully build in honor of Leonard Cheshire. I liked the long format. Channels like yours are a much appreciated alternative to the trash and advertising on American television! (Although most YT ads are bogus)
Treat the ads as a comedic intermission & they're more bearable The lies of several are outright unlawful in the UK & EU but they persist.
There are many ways to get rid of ads on youtube, including youtube premium and ad-blockers. Although for the latter part it does hurt content creators... @@Farweasel
A testament to the strength of the Whitley, my thin sheet cardboard model is still " flying" guard over my porch, having endured 2 years of New England's 4 seasons with absolutely no ill effects. In contrast, the Hampden has twice lost wings, engines, and tail structure. My Swordfish has only slightly warped, but, my poor Horsa has become a butterfly. Evidently, wing spar strength is key in outdoor paper model storage! 😀👍
Thanks for this really interesting video. It particularly appealed to me as my father worked at the Armstrong Whitworth factory at Bagington, Coventry from just before the war until it ceased production and he was moved to Bitteswell, until that finished in the early 1960s too. He was employed as a skilled fitter, presumably building Whitleys, until they ceased and then making Lancasters. He was also in the Auxiliary Fire Service, so he was building Whitleys by day and putting out fires by night. He was on duty in November 1940 when Coventry was very heavily bombed and saw the cathedral destroyed. Terrible times. The last aircraft he worked on was the Argosy freighter.
Absolutely fantastic. I had no idea that the Whitley made such a large contribution to the war effort. Great anecdotes, notably the piggy back event.
Yes, the Whitley! One of my favorite aircraft! Slow, sturdy, totally unfamous and underappreciated. What a shame there's not a single one left.
Boy, that chap who landed in a German field, the pilots and navigator must have had a tense debrief! 😬
It's most appropriate that you continue to devote such time to the original order of battle squadrons on the eve of World War II. Few people study anything prior to 42 or even 43. I've devoted extensive time to all the early campaigns waged by Bomber Command. So much learning. So much courage. So much sacrifice. So few survivors; yet so many inspired that went on to win the war. You've gone far to ensure the legacy of this generation will not be forgotten. Thank You.
Thankyou Rex the best information on the whitley ive found i live in Whitley in Coventry the whitley has been a favourite ww2 bomber since i moved here some 30 odd years ago one again Thankyou for bringing a long forgotten bomber back in to the spotlight
My dad was an Airborne Radar mechanic during WWII, mainly servicing GEE sets on Wellingtons. He always referred to the Hampden as “the flying suitcase” and the Whitley as “the flying pencil”
My granddad was an in-flight missile mechanic on the V2...
@@flyingsword135>>> Only flew ONE mission? 😉
My grandfather was part of the ground crews for the Whitley. His aircraft took part in the first bombings of Berlin.
Incredibly important raid.
God bless the erks! My grandfather was ground crew for Halifax IIIs in Yorkshire.
Excellent video, very gratifying to learn that this relatively unknown aircraft was not just weird but rugged, reliable & effective in several roles. I appreciate your good diction too
Really good! I have always had a soft spot for under-rated and often forgotten aircraft like the Whirlwind, the Gannet, the Beaufort and the Stirling, and even the Halifax, the last two both eclipsed by the Lancaster. I can't join the Patreon crew much as i would like to because I live with motor neurone disease and finances are a bit marginal. Thanks for these deep dives which are well researched and interesting.
From each according to their (financial) ability Hang in there mate
Kind and thoughtful words are worth more than money.
Love listening to these at work or on the drive home. Every single one is fantastic. Never stop doing what you're doing. It's important and fun to learn about!
Some say, the B-52's flight attitude was inspired on the Whitley. All we know is: even the Stig thinks it's weird.
Maybe, but the reason for the wing on the Buff is different - it has a bicycle landing gear, so can't rotate for takeoff.
It does that even in level flight.
Thanks very much, Rex! Leonard Cheshire wrote a lot about the Whitley in his astonishing autobiography but as you say, the lack of glamour of this plane means that there is not much information and many of the crews never survived the war. The exploits of Lancs in 617 Sq, cast a very long shadow...
I believe Leonard Cheshire was fond of the Whitley?
Yes, 'First Light' but back in the 1950s I read his tail gunner's (Rivaz) book 'Tail Gunner'. Nickel raids did provide the Germans with toilet paper. I think the later use as a radar-equipped Coastal Command a/c was a great achievemnt for its long-lasting design.
@@johnjephcote7636 Rivas seemed to be an interesting fella, older than Cheshire but he greatly respected him. I always remember in Cheshire's book, how sometimes he would fly missions with inexperienced nervous pilots and his calmness gave the terrified crews greater courage. Also Cheshire, unlike Gibson, was quite fond of his ground crews. They were all extraordinary people, mostly below the age of 25.
Excellent! I especially like the aerial picture of Coventry airport as I learned to fly there in the 1990's with the AWA flying group. This was originally a club for Armstrong Whitworth employees.
An excellent take on probably one of the more forgotten bombers of WW2 let alone in the RAF...
You are far from being the only one. The impression I got from my dad was a rather condescending one - he was clearly wrong. But he flew RAF Coastal Command Flying Forts out of the Azores [His pet hate was the Short Stirling - He called it the 'Flying Coffin' and always said how glad he was to be sent to Coastal Command Forts ......... I suspect that was in part because all the crews had a lucrative export / import business sneaking Azorean Bananas home with them on leave].
How happy would you feel watching a Live bomb land on its exit door before leaving !..the Whitley was British garden shed goes to War in Design , but a great Vid as always Rex..
Very comprehensive documentary, well done! If I recall correctly, Whitleys were also used to parachute Jeburghs and other assorted spies and agents into occupied Europe.
My father worked on the Whitley and Lancaster at the Armstong Whitworth factory at Baginton and nearby Whitley in Coventry during the war.
Yes the Withley is my second favorite bomber (just under the Halifax.) Thank you rex. This is amazing
High praise indeed from an American!
Halifax is my favourite too - though I am totally biased because my dad was an air gunner in them for 30 ops +
Very nicely done. The lack of a preserved Whitely isn't really a surprise when you consider the attitude to obsolete aircraft at the end of WW2. They were a source of scrap and not a lot more. I don't think we can judge people at the time for that - it was a much less nostalgic /backwards looking era. Today, we've become overly nostalgic and focused on objects. I'd like to see an HP 42 or an Argosy, but they don't exist so that's that.
What you say is true, but were there not preserved aircraft from the 1st world war at the time? The scrap value of a single aircraft wasn't particularly significant, nor was the preservation cost (if you didn't want it to fly anyway). HMS Victory had been preserved as a museum and there was a lot of support of preserving things like HMS Warspite, but those actually coated a lot of money to preserve.
I think with aircraft especially it's proportional to the level of interest in keeping one and most aircraft were relatively unknown to the general public and simply went under the radar (pun intended).
@@Joshua-fi4ji The Whitley - and many others - weren't seen as particularly important at the time. Warspite had some support, but other things had more and nothing had a lot. We struggle to get out of the 21stC nostalgia bubble on here.
Y'all gotta realize that GBR was damned near financially ruined at the end of WW II. I'm sure there were a lot of people at the time who would have loved to preserve many of the military vehicles, ships, planes, etc. but there was simply no money for it.
@@thekinginyellow1744 I think a lot of people just wanted to forget it all; we obsess about it because it's far from us. For them, it was too close and too painful to be reminded of. they wanted to get back to normal.
After learning all that, yep, the Whitley shows you have to walk before you can run, but a strong walker can be useful too. I wonder if early turret shortages related to the ill-fated B-P Defiant turret fighter program? Those had 4x .303s, not jus one. I was surprised by the versatility of the platform, like the Stirling or Battle. With a Whitley [or Stirling] you could train pilots & test/try all sorts of heavy, big or just niche stuff, that more 'useful' planes could later employ in battle. Plus Coastal Command liked big-boned planes. Your episode on the Fairey Battles' real success as the finest trainer for promising Hurricane, Spitfire & then Mustang pilots was excellent btw [the poor Anson springs to mind here too]. I'd argue the Whitleys battle record was almost entirely made up of stuff that was never promoted, hence we learnt bugger all. Until today! Even in WW2 the news cycle wanted to show sexy Spitfires, Beaufighters & Mozzies. Thanks from Canberra.
Just perfect! Really is about time this much overlooked aircraft got some attention.. thankyou! Somewhere in my mind there is a wonderful RAF filled with nothing but ungainly Whitley’s and Defiant’s and a Fleet Air Arm chock full of equally odd but wonderful Skua’s! :)
And don't you forget the jet and turboprop complement, the sensuously curved English Electric Lightning and trim Fairey Gannet.
Leonard Cheshire's brother Christopher also flew Whitleys and on one occasion made an emergency landing in a field outside the village where I was (much later) born. The next day the plane was refuelled and stripped of all unnecessary weight and crew and took off again in a distance of about 600 yards.
So much detail here and some fascinating photos of and, as you say, under appreciated aircraft. Thanks Rex.
Excellent work, thanks! I've been looking forward to you covering the Whitley as it was a type flown by my uncle Randal A. Scott serving with No. 58 Squadron in 1941. Sadly, he and his crew were lost when they were shot down over Moers whilst returning to Linton-on-Ouse. Once again, thank you! Looking forward to your next video.
The plane to counter the argument "If it looks right, it flies right."
Thank you for such an informative video.Just south of where I live in the North of Scotland there is the site of the crash of a Whitley.It happened in January 1942 when the plane, on a navigational excercise from its base at Operational Training Unit in Forres ,hit the top of Carn a Choire Mhoire -2000ft near Tomatin. Four of the crew were killed and three were injured.Large pieces of the plane were still there in the 90s .These were taken to the English Midlands for a restoration project but I think it wound up.There was a memorial to the crew at the site which had deteriorated badly.I renewed it a few years ago .Two of the crew are buried in the beautifully kept military cemetery in Kinloss Abbey near Forres.
Handles Page Heyford being slightly confused is such an understatement.
Excellent summing up of the Whitley. I heard it just took off on its own at a certain speed, and there wasn't much the pilot could do about it- a bit like the Twin Otter.
I always liked the Whitley. Flying with that big chin angled down. Nothing glamorous, just a hard working plane. There is something admirable about that vs. an over-hyped looker that didn't do much.
I'm from Coventry so I guess I'm biased. Whitley is an area of Cov and Armstrong Whitworth we're based here aswell. It had deficiencies but so did all it's counterparts. It was a step on the rung towards the Lancaster but an important step. Thanks for remembering it.
For some strange reason, my favourite aircraft of WW2.
I do have a love for this quirky looking plane, where it appears that the engines are flying off the wing, or that there's five fat blokes sat right at the front buggering up the trim. What also interests me is that the UK's intentions to deploy night flying heavy bombers go back to the very early 30s. The 1:72 Airfix kits are great builds by the way!
G'day Rex, Just a quick note to share some info. The Armstrong Siddeley car company named most of its post war models to commemorate some of the aircraft used by the RAF in WWII, with models such as the Lancaster, Hurricane, Typhoon, & the Whitley. Andrew
This video is incredible ,in fact better than that , just s point in the late 90s a tail section was preserved at the Coventry aviation museum, also a large portion of a fuselage was being used as a chicken coop until the late 80s nr' North Frodingham in E Yorks , awesome video
That was an excellent informative video on an aircraft that seemed to have been largely forgotten when compared to its contemporaries. Thank you for shedding a great deal of light on the subject.
Another excellent video! I love learning about aircraft that do a lot of work in a lot of roles, but slip "under the radar" in regards to history. It is a real shame that none were preserved, as this aircraft really deserved more recognition for all its firsts.
Great research, Rex. I've seen plenty of pictures of the Whitley over the years but new little about their service, until now!
Thank you Rex, another excellent video of a personal favourite of mine. Given it's inauspicious start it continued to be a useful type through the war, no mean feat!
It annoys me when during the first two years of the war , night bombing was so inaccurate that few found their target . Critics blame the crews for being badly trained and inefficient. In total darkness , usually with thick cloud to find the right country was a miracle. How many know that as late as 1945 the USAAF with all of the latest navigational aids , Oboe , Gee , GeeH and HXX , still couldn't find the targets in daylight.
RAF at the outset of the war simply did not have the ability to effectively bomb at night. There were a great many reasons for this, but a lot of it came back to the higher ups refusing to believe that there actually *were* problems other than crews not doing the work. Most, if not all of the procedures being used were faulty-not due to crew errors or mistakes, but because the things they were being told to do simply did not work for anyone. In many cases not only did the RAF blow up a lot of grass and kill innocent livestock, but in fact the target supposedly under attack had no clue that they even were a target. Bombs were landing five, eight, even ten miles away and scattered all over the landscape, including as you say even into the wrong country is some cases. They were flailing around with poor navigation aids, poor training and a command who simply would not admit there were problems.
@@cammobunker Of course the RAF high command were aware of the failings , and there was also some in the government that wanted the enterprise stopped for waste of resources . The appointment of Arthur Harris was in some ways , the last throw of the dice. His thousand bomber raid on Cologne was a public relations exercise. It's important to realize that the British public needed some indication that we were fighting back in 1940/1 when all of the news was bad. The early tactic used by B.C. was changed after Harris took charge , hitherto bombers went out singly and bombed wherever without any concentration , the Germans realized this by setting a haystack on fire would act like Moths to a candle. The game changer was Oboe and Gee , the former could be jammed , the latter's drawback was its short range . During August 1942 the 8th AF USAAF decided to dip their toes in the water . Target Railway Yards at Rouen France . Twelve B-17's in two flights of six bombed in perfect conditions from 30,000ft . General Ira Eaker led one of the sections , he was so impressed with the outcome the upon returning cabled Washington extolling the eficacy of daylight bombing. Not realizing that 50% of the bombs missed the target killing and injuring a number of French civilians. The exercise was repeated a few weeks later 34 B-17's with the same result , except French casualties was proportionally higher . The RAF's biggest success was with operation Gomorrah in July 1943 the bombing of Hamburg. Numerous docs will tell of the firestorm that developed killing thousands , none that I have seen refer to the USAAF's involvement , or should I say none involvement. I was planned as a joint venture , Brits by night , Yanks by day. For the 8th a series of failures from the start , heavy cloud over England forbade the B-17s formating so 390 were recalled . Others couldn't find the target , 90 actually reached Hamburg but their target the Blohm and Voss factory concealed by smoke , dropped their bombs nonetheless . I mention this not to demean the Yanks but to impress upon those like yourself the difficulties of strategic bombing , that was encountered throughout the war.
Great to see a full length deep dive again 👍
An absolute treat! Thank you for this awesome presentation!
Again, a wonderful presentation: I wish that you had a DVD/Blu-Ray collection of your material,for sale: I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Thanks for another informative, well researched video.
Thanks Rex fantastic video, keep em coming 👍
Been to a Whitley wreck near me, flew from Donnie Bristle in Fife and got lost on returning from a Anti Submarine flight. flew up a glen and hit a cliff face head on.
Such an amazing and thorough video, very appreciated and interesting on such planes. Thank you.
Fascinating, and a really good look at this little-known plane. I'm always impressed by ones with this kind of variety and length of service. It shows that the fundamental design must be really good if it can cope with such unexpected demands. The sturdiness is also impressively illustrated by the two photos of significant damage that the plane survived - there can't be many that could survive having such a massive gap ripped in their fuselage or such a large amount of wing skin going missing in action.
Well done, Sir! Your long form Deep-dives are uniformly excellent. Thank you.
One of your better ones Rex, could tell you have a passion for this one! Great to hear about some of the aircrew as well as the technical stuff.
39:47 HOLY EFFF!!! 42:11 Surprisingly common predicament for Ansons in many photos I've seen. 46:14 Few airframes have ever made the merlin engine look inadequate! Great deep dive for underrated aircraft. I now know more than I will ever likely find elsewhere in one source on the Whitley.
Yay!!! I have been so waiting for this one!!!! Made my day.
When I pressed the like button the counter changed from 4.2K to 4.3K. I feel like I gave your video the 100 likes it deserves! Interesting and enlightening....what's not to like. Thanks/
A brilliant piece of work. Thanks very much for this.
As ever a totally enjoyable hour spent in detailed information which is extremely well researched and delivered!!! top marks!
Excellent video Rex, a tremendous amount of work you have put in, thoroughly enjoyable to watch, thanks 😎🇬🇧✌️
Very interesting and thanks for covering this air craft.😊
Watched the whole thing, was very good, very informative thank you ❤
Excellent as usual.
Wow Brilliant video. Thank You so much for investigating, compiling and editing this amazing video. 👍👍👍
Thank you, that was fantastic. I love the early RAF bombers. Nice to see this dedicated to such a cool subject.
Very well done Sir, as usual; I would like more of this format.
Thank you for your long form videos.
Excellent video and narrating - really enjoyed all the details of a long forgotten bomber that was so overshadowed . Cheers !!!
great video! thanks!
Very informative, subscribed.
Brilliant. I appreciate this aircraft a lot more thanks to your video. Good work.
They did solve the Manchesters problems. It's was even suspected sabotage was involved. Numerous foreign objects were in the oil system. Once the engines were stripped and cleaned at unit level lots of problems went away.
Excellent presentation.
Such a nice way to enjoy a morning. Nice long video to watch and a fresh cup of coffee. Thanks for putting out this awesome content.
Great video. Very educational. Thanks !👍🛩
Well worth the wait. Thank you Rex.
Thank You very much for this documentary! I was looking for this a Long time! :-)
great video- enjoyed it immensely
Outstanding Rex
As a kid I read a German WW II magazine for the Luftwaffe, called „ Luftflotte West“. My grandfather, a fighter pilot in the First World War was in Sperrle‘s staff in WW II and seems to have collected them. I read 1942/3 magazines. I remember seeing a lot of pictures of downed Whitley, even a complete article of pulling a crashed Whitley from the sea and scrapping it transforming it into german airplanes. Sadly the magazines have disappeared over the years.
Excellent video. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video. My father was a wireless air gunner in 10 Squadron in 40-41. He was shot down in September of 41 and spent the rest of the war as an unwilling guest of Adolf and his cronies.