America Obliterates Half North Vietnam's MiG-21 Fleet In 13 Minutes - Operation Bolo
2024 ж. 11 Нау.
1 497 275 Рет қаралды
Support my channel by getting Fishing Clash on your iOS/Android device for free fishingclash.link/TheFatElect... ! Use my gift code FATFISH to get a $20 reward, and share your biggest catch in the pinned comment!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Merch Store & ALL Other Links:
thefatelectrician.com/
Seriously EVERYTHING is on my website
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Other channels:
The Fat Files
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MY PC SPONSOR:
Xidax PC's
www.xidax.com/?xdx=1157
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Equipment used:
www.amazon.com/shop/thefatele...
Support my channel by getting Fishing Clash on your iOS/Android device for free fishingclash.link/TheFatElectrician ! Use my gift code FATFISH to get a $20 reward, and share your biggest catch in the pinned comment!
You should talk about operation Eland even I can’t believe that actually happened
Have you done operation paperclip
Always been a fan of the military an history especially military history but then your channel got me craving more
just tried typing in the promo code and it’s not working
could you do a video about desmond doss the medic who didn't'use a gun?
The more I learn about the Vietnam War, the more I'm convinced that several people in our government wanted us to *lose.*
More than several
I was just about to make this same post!!
There should have been a law saying that until you carry out said operations with said rules of engagement you shouldn't be able to make such stupid decisions against our country.. if there was a McCarthy type trial it should be against those who voted for those bs rules/laws.. no wonder stupid people are advocating for communism 😂😂
Winning a war quickly just ain't profitable, Jack
Fr they want the usaf to do it on hard mode
This is literally what Rambo meant when said "somebody wouldn't let us win".
Yup
Gaahhh it's so frustrating!!! Did the people making these decisions not have enough context to make reasonable rules of engagement? For example I don't know anything about open heart surgery so how could I make reasonable rules about how it's performed without at least having an experienced advisor?
@@robotswithryan8348 I think maybe they were trying to avoid WW3 only 20 years after WW2. Frankly, if I was in front of any of those politicians during that time, I'd be calling no balls.
@@robotswithryan8348the controversy of the war itself and the fact it's on of the first televised wars made it very important to control public perception of the war back home
@@robotswithryan8348Some of it was naivety, some of it was intentional. A lot of the politicians/State Department officials didn't "want" the US to be there in the first place so they went out of their way to sabotage things. The State Department is always terrified of anything that might result in an angry note from another country and politicians are scared of anything that might negatively effect their re-election chances.
One of my favorite pictures is Robin Olds climbing out of the cockpit of an F-4 and someone has just handed him a martini. Dude was a legend.
He was even married to the Hollywood film star Ella Raines.
@@BigTrain175 Which he regretted, She went behind his back to Politicians she knew through Hollywood to keep him from getting sent to Korea for a Combat Command, when he finally found out that she's gone behind his back, their already soured marriage was pretty much done. He stayed married mostly for the sake of Chrissy and Susan, and finally divorced when the Girls were old enough to understand. He was up for BG as the Commander of an F-101 Wing at Bentwaters in the UK, he flew some really over-the top aerobatics routines, which stymied his Star, Violating regs JUST enough to kill the promotion but not get him a Court. And got himself into the running for the 8th Wing. Instead of 12 months IIRC he was able to fudge things and stay for an extra 4-5 months before being dragged kicking and screaming from Thailand, and getting his star from LBJ...who Olds PROMPTLY pissed off by telling him what he REALLY thought about the way LBJ and McNamara were prosecuting the war. He was also able to use his Assignment to the IG office at USAF Pentagon to get a few more trips to Thailand, and another dozen or two combat missions in. They Broke the mold with him.
A press guy got in Robin Olds' face at the party after the landing and asked him what happened, because for once, no one had spilled it to the world. Olds' Response? "We tangled, they lost.'
My father flew an F4 in Vietnam. Those guys were brutal.
Why can I not find this photo?
The last statement at the end by Olds is badass personified. "The migs came up, they were aggressive. We tangled. They lost". Deadly serious the whole time saying it.
"You know what technology doesn't fix? Politicians being fucking stupid." I replayed that bit no less than 10 times and laughed my ass off each occasion.
Tyty
can we get that on a shirt?
Truer words were never spoken, and I second the motion for putting this on a shirt.
@@JoshRiolu I second that
Well the French did have one piece of technology for politicians.
Hearing politicians telling the military to not bomb anti air and making them take a specific path and only that path genuinely angered me.
Same
Its not just the fact that they will ROE the military into a suicidal corner of death or cowardice in the face of the enemy, unable to actually fight back. Its the absolute level of cognitive arrogance and gall to question the men applying their ROE's, and wondering why the plan isn't garnering any results when it hinged on not having any of those ROE's in the first place... Or Politicians being Politicians. Its not even stupidity anymore. I believe that today's politicians took every possible page from the politicians of the 60's and 70's, and perfected it to ensure probably deniability and a higher pay out for a new endless war. The Benghazi incident and the conspiring events afterwards by the State Department, DoD, and Administration to cover up the fact that they practically left Americans to die, and then had to figure out a new story because they miraculously survived despite all odds, and tried to cover up the fact that Christopher Stevens was murdered by people whom we should not have helped in the first place... Especially considering that Libya was one of three "Arab Spring" experiment nations that the Administration was trying to prop up via Proxy Warfare, especially when all three were beginning to have close ties, or solid ties to, foreign nations and didn't want "American Democracy".
Oh boy, have you been missing out!
Wonder why Ukraine isn't doing better? Look back at other proxie wars...
this is what they did with any diplomatic convoys. had to be in extremely obvious vehicles that needed to be kept clean in the desert, had to take specific routes, and had were not allowed to engage until they could verify the exact person firing on them. they made them convoy vips on premapped predictable paths THROUGH cities, never around. then they pinned all the blame on blackwater, and ended up acquiring all of their stuff for a steal after they seized and auctioned it off for nothing to another friendly contractor who gobbled up the rest of the US PMCs, forming one private military group that wins every US contractor bid, because they are all thats available.
There is a new memorial for Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. here in Pensacola, his hometown. His statue and an F4 Phantom are in a plaza at the foot of the newly named Chappie James Bridge spanning Pensacola Bay. He grew up watching new Naval Aviators being trained over Pensacola Bay, and it inspired him to pursue aviation.
Some of the GPS or RNAV waypoints for an approach into PCola used to be named, in order, "CHAPE, EATNN, TUNNA," and some 5 letter GPS fix name for "Sandwich" that I cant remember. The Missed Approach Point was "MAYYO". Because apparently Chappie loved Tuna Sammies with Mayo. I havent been able to find them on Foreflight recently but I remember that when I was in Flight School there in 2017 era. What a legend. "Blackman and Robin!"
I heard about Operation Bolo about three or four times a year during my AF career (1970-1981). One thing that was never mentioned though was the use of the F-105 radar jammers on the F-4s. Thanks for filling in that one piece of info to complete the puzzle.
Yeah, I don't understand his research. They made radar jamming equipment for F4s in the 60s. Also.. all production F4s from 1963 onward had gunpods. Not sure why he said something different.
@SpaceCaptnFace The likely reason for using the 105's jammer was to perfectly mimic their effects, the F-4's jammer could look different from the receiving end, not sure. Edited cus I read wrong
"...they can probably fuck up boiling water." A man after my own heart and mind when it comes to politicians, cackled like a goblin after hearing that!
Funny how he always says politicians but it was in fact LBJ the traitor ordering this... and he never mentionned his name once...
Boiling an enemy is a war crime. Therefore, unless you can prove that you are boiling water for IT's own good, you can be found guilty in International Court.
Except they're doing that when it comes to wanting to get rid of gas stoves.
My dad always says "you could fuck up a wet dream"
Y'all giving them too much credit. To many assumptions in that they know how to begin boiling water in the first place.
Still waiting for the Destroyer that faught like a battleship. USS JOHNSON, and Uss Roberts.
It's more than just them. Johnston led the charge, but she had two wingmen with Roberts close behind them. That entire battle is a master class on late war American FAFO dispensary.
He did a while back Double checked and he did not do it. I could have sworn he did
Earnest E. Evens!!! M.O.H LEGENED!!!!
*fought
Actually the destroyers the Japanese thought were Baltimore cruisers and kept missing because overshoot.
Im a retired F-15C pilot, I was a little too young for Vietnam, but my father was a fighter pilot in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, as was my uncle, although we lost him in the skies over Korea. Two of my older brothers flew in Vietnam, one an F-4 pilot in the US Air Force, the other flew A-6's in the Navy. Another brother was a LRRP Ranger and helicopter pilot in the Vietnam war. Dad knew Robin, although he didnt fly in this battle. He was leading an F-4 squadron of his own at the time. You did an excellent job with this video, its rare that people get the facts right. Thank you for your attention to detail and accuracy.
Did you ever fly 8546? I was a crew chief on her from 2002-2005 at Eglin.
My father was stationed in Vietnam and participated in Bolo. A portion of the F4s came out of Da Namg. He was tasked with wiring the 105 pods into the F4s. As a result, he missed the holiday Bob Hope show to get the job done. In the 80s I was at an airshow and my father was talking to an airman about his unit. The airman knew all about Bolo and kept asking questions. Later I asked my dad why that guy kept questioning him about somthing called Bolo. :)
I'm a Vietnam vet who just turned 74 today. What a great birthday present to be able to sit and watch this story. We (Vietnam vets) often hear about how we "lost the war." My answer is that the FUBAR politicians in Washington lost the war; we were just innocent bystanders. The F-4 is still my favorite airplane, and the Huey is my favorite helicopter. Btw... Your channel is the best channel on KZhead. It always makes my day when I see that you posted a new video. I've never been disappointed. Keep up the good work brother. A quick story..... about 10 years ago i had the honor of meeting one of the Tuskegee airmen. One of the nicest men I've ever met. When I met him, he walked over and put his arms around me gave me a big hug. He then whispered in my ear, "You and I are brothers!" I hardly ever cry, but I got tears in my eyes when he said that.
Happy birthday to you, Sir 07
You did not lose the war, you were forced to quit because a lot of loudmouthed hippies badgered our government into pulling you out of a war they micromanaged into failure.
I am 21 and I get into arguments alot with people who say that the military lost the war the f***ing politicians did mor than handicap you guys in the war they forced you all to lose.thank you for your service
Awesome story and happy birthday my good sir and thank you for your service! Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Happy birthday!
Our soldiers over in Vietnam must've been looking at the politicians like "Your tactis confuse and frighten me, sir."
My father was a crew chief on F4C when he was in country in 1966-67 and when he returned to Edwards AFB he work in the F4E test program. I remember one time during the program he was working longer days. I found out later that during the first test fight and firing the nose cannon the exhaust caused one if the engines to flame out. My father got his start in WWII as crewman on a P47 so he got to work with some interesting planes until his retirement in 1973.
Owen, our dads overlapped at Edwards on the F4 test prog. Mine was on it 72-76 or so, when he moved to B-1A. His Vietnam tour wasn't fast; he was in EC-47's. We were at USAFA when Olds was Commandant of Cadets. You can imagine his effect on the cadet wing. He was there for the June Week F105 flyby that broke Mach and shattered windows in the dining hall and others.
Here's a good 105/window story: www.usafa68.org/History/ch5.htm
Robin Olds' memoir "Fighter Pilot" is also an amazing read. I highly recommend it.
My physics/calculus teacher in high school flew the F4 and did two tours in Vietnam. He described the Phantom as "what happens when engineers set out to prove if you give a brick enough thrust, you can make it fly." Great physics lesson.
I recommend you look up in google images "F-4 glide ratio"
ironically, I'm pretty sure that's also the Soviet Pilot's general opinion on the Mig21
If you want a good laugh, I recommend you look up "F-4 glide ratio" in Google images.
I think I saw his video on the F-15, it doesn't need wings, it's just a rocket.
@@jayeisenhardt1337the wings provide control surfaces, not lift. 😅
This reminds me of a Quote that I heard in the 1970's, while in the USMC. "We the willing, led by the unknowing. Are doing the impossible, for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, that we are now capable doing anything, with nothing."
Thats an amazing quote.
One of the things I learned as a young marine that definitely stuck with me
I am infertile from eating scented candles
🥺🥺🇺🇸🇺🇸❤
Perfect description of the Marine Corps.
We studied Olds and Operation Bolo as part of our Leadership course when I was in the USAF. Lot of good lessons in there.
I love that story. I have heard a shorter version before. But yours was way more detailed. Thanks for the attention to detail. Keep up the great work.
“Black Man and Robin” is the dopest duo name I have ever heard. 💪🏻💪🏿
Bat man and Robin...this took me longer to realized then I care to admit, let just say when I heard him say it. I was like this sounded familiar LOL it wasn't till I read your comment it sunk in -_- NOW I understand why this is the most dopest duo name I heard LMAO.
i want to know how many takes that took
It's not politically correct (by today's standard) but you gotta admit it's smart and hilarious
I laughed so hard I had to pause the video to catch my breath when I heard that
@@makukawakami and somehow, someway, people will get offended on Chappie's behalf, even though I can guarantee you he found it endearing to be respected to the extent that he was.
"Blackman and Robin" is the best nickname for a duo that i have ever heard, and the fact that a 4 Star General and war hero was okay with it, means we have to also, no comments
It's the greatest thing I've ever heard. The credentials of each of those mofos makes the name that much better. This is coolest black dude possible + coolest white dude possible named, with pun and literal names, after the greatest superhero duo. AND the real duo would beat the fictional one. So badass.
This story only scratches the surface of just how badass Robin Olds was. As he neared his 100th sortie, (at that point they sent you home) Olds continued to erase the flight numbers on the blackboard so he could keep going up.
I stumbled on to one of your videos a few months ago and I have to say, by far, this is my favorite channel on any App. Don't change a thing.
Oh goodie! Another ‘he didn’t even get a chance to fuck around, he just found out.’ story!
One badass fact about Robin Olds you could have mentioned was. Normal pilots went home after 100 complete missions. But Olds ordered the record keeper to miss count or represent his number of missions to the point where Olds had 130+ successful missions over north Vietnam before the top brass caught on and sent him home.
Even more badass? Olds knew that if he became the first Ace in Vietnam the Air Force would send him home and use him as a publicity asset. He got his first 4 kills fairly quickly, and then every single opportunity after that, whenever he had a kill lined up he would pass it off to his wingman. This man could have easily had 8+ kills if the threat of pulling him from command wasn't so real. He would have beaten Cunningham and Ritchie to the title by FIVE YEARS.
He also got a kill in a glider (technically) because he forgot to switch his fuel tanks to internal when he dropped the extras. That maneuver was also taught to olds by a soldier named Raspberry, it was called the "raspberry roll" for a long time.
@@TheScorch191 YES! He pulled that off in a P-38.
Olds is an absolutely fascinating character that could have a 2-3hr discussion about. Married to a Hollywood actress, he got multiple kills in Vietnam that he attributed to his squadron mates instead, was commandant of the AF Academy & retired because they wouldn’t let him kick out cheating cadets.
He would frequently have the records show that another pilot flew his mission or scored his victory so that the REMF's would leave him there.
This is the best video I've seen in years. Love your fast talking style, makes it a concentrated fountain of info. Had to hit pause from time to time to let what you said sink in. Great job!
A moment of silence for thicc sparky… his wife constantly roasting his existence… keep it up Ms. Electrician
It’s been rumored Chappie eventually wound up helping a high school kid rescue his dad who was being held behind enemy lines in the eighties by hijacking 2 F-16’s.
That's such a batshit story I kind of want details.
@@the13inquisitor59 It’s the plot from the movie Iron Eagle. The character Colonel Charles “Chappie” Sinclair played by Lois Gossett Jr. was inspired by General Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. The movie ended on a cover up because the Air Force didn’t want to admit a high school kid and retired colonel jacked two of their birds and went on a rescue mission that wasn’t approved. An impressionable kid with a vivid imagination watches it in the eighties and starts thinking I bet they would cover that shit up. Boom you find out he’s based on a real dude and you got yourself a goddamn urban legend?
I had that exact thought when I heard his call sign. I watched it as a kid many times.
I thought “Iron Eagle” was a documentary?
@@Mrhalligan39 I can neither confirm or deny that assessment at this juncture
Definition of Old Man Strength. Never doubt the old warriors.
Absolutely
Theres a good reason their old
"never question an old man, in a occupation where men die young"-i dont remember someone on the internet
They made it through for one reason or the other 🤷🏼♂️
If they made it through the shit they are undoubtedly The Shit, not but fucked with!! Old man in a young man's game or a warrior in a garden are all terrifying
Thanks again, you never cease to come up with the most fascinating stories!! Love your channel, thank you for all your hard work and research
Hey I have two great video suggestions to add to the list #1. Richard Flaherty. Nicknamed the giant killer. Also was the smallest serviceman in U.S. history. Earned a silver star, 2 bronze stars and 2 purple hearts. #2. Medal of Honor Recipient Stephen W. Pless. 780 combat missions in Vietnam. He was the only Marine aviator awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War.
Col. Robin Olds is so bad ass his Wikipedia article includes a whole ass chapter on his out of regulations mustache.
“Maybe I’ll go mow the lawn.” “But it’s winter.” Promptly loads up Lawnmower Simulator
LOL
It reminded me of the best Walmart commercial ever. Guy calls up his buddy About playing Madden at midnight release. Tried to call him out that he's playing...I'll let you imagine his response to the call out. (No spoiler)
You laugh, but I have drought-resistant rye grass that was green well into winter. It took a deep freeze to brown it, and only for a few weeks at most.
I love to hear you talk about the U.S. Ghost Army during ww2. Your storytelling would make it the funniest thing
Ive heard a couple people tell this one before, but the energy and detail you show made me watch your take and im so glad i did!
Robin Olds is the poster boy of the USAF and arguably the best pilot of the entire war.
Maybe ever triple ace is insane
One of his subordinates put it perfectly, "In another age, Robin would have been a warrior king."
@@the_fat_electrician a fantastic pick but still a tough call. swede vedjesa, those guys in the up-armed b17 that shot down something like 9 zeros in a circling dogfight. it's like they say: if you don't know who the best fighter pilot in the world is, it ain't you!
@@billynomates920hmhmhm your referring to old666.
@@the_fat_electrician Look up Francis "Gabby" Gabreski, top American ace over Europe with 28 kills (all in the P-47 Thunderbolt) and then fought in Korea for another 6.5 kills in the F-86 Sabre for a total of 34.5 kills, nearly making him a septuple ace.
Mrs. Electrician: I know that the research, filming, editing, etc. of these videos cuts into family time. I don’t know how involved you are in the production but regardless I’m sure you are making some sacrifices for these videos to happen. I wanted to thank you for supporting your husband, this is my favorite KZhead channel.
Facts! Go Mrs. Electrician!
Bro he used to be an electrician, that means he’d work for 12 hours a day then go home and drink beer for a few hours. This isn’t a sacrifice 😂
Wait he has a husband I thought he had a wife
Everybody knows his husband is Eli Doubletap, and Congressman Herrara is the side peice.
@@JoryMcDaniel Careful he's gonna boop you on the nose.
Blackman and Robin would certainly fly today as well! Literally and figuratively.
This was gold.
I've been bingeing the hell outta your channel and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Such great stories and storytelling!
My father is a Vietnam veteran and he always said the Vietnam War was not a “real war” and that it was more about politics than it was about actually wanting to win the war.
Ever heard of "cabinet wars" there is a period of human history where wars are "fought" by shuffling troops around, capturing territory without loss of life while the ambassadors are busy hashing out the peace while the troops are shuffling about...
The strategy pursued by LBJ was especially crappy, it should've been handled more like Korea where you sweep the area, instead it was just a spotty presence.
“No Guts, No Glory” Robin Olds, the man was a legendary fighter pilot and a leader of men, I still remember watching the Operation Bolo episode on Dogfights and see him talk about his experience in combat
That was my very first Dogfights episode!
Same here! Dogfights was an absolutely epic series.
Loved that series
Catching up on your content is a friggin blast. You've become one of the channels I'm pumped about alerts for.
Here's a lead on a possible story for you. I was having a conversation with a fellow aviation/military enthusiast and he mentioned one of his favorite stories is something about the black PBY Catalinas from WWII possibly being the world's first stealth bomber. Apparently they did a lot of raiding of Japanese shipping but also..."stuff" that was dangerous, risky, and sometimes unwise. Sounds exactly like your cup of tea!
"Never pick a fight with an old Warrior. They're either really good, or really lucky."
And it's usually the former.
@@jkrolak7978 agree......& ready to go..
Sometimes both
Never confuse skill with luck - the Replacement Killers.
..and you don't want to tangle with either.
And another thing to add to Robin Olds being an absolute badass pilot: during an escort mission on August 23, 1944, he and his wingman were about to ambush a group of approximately 50 Messerschmitt Bf 109s and “Just as Olds began firing, both engines of his P-38 quit from fuel exhaustion; in the excitement of the attack he had neglected to switch to his internal fuel tanks. He continued attacking in "dead-stick mode", hitting his target in the fuselage and shooting off part of its engine cowling. After fatally damaging the Bf 109 he dived away and restarted his engines,” making him the only pilot of the war to down an enemy aircraft while in a gliding mode
@the_fat_electrician also this!
What an absolute Chad.
The episode of Dogfights about Old's is a must watch. It shows this dog fight, along with at least one other in WW2, and then operation BOLO.
@@709mash yeah it's one of the best episodes of the series
I’m guessing there might be a few Me 163 pilots who would like a word on that claim. Assuming their own fuel didn’t melt them during a hard landing.
I never had the sack to serve myself but I love these stories and how accessible you make military history
I love your knowledge of military history, I myself am a military aviation historian by acquiring my own education on it, your videos are amazing and I can’t wait to see more of your videos.
Politicians: you cant shoot down enemy jets until you can physically identify them as enemy jets Pilots: Aim7s are on sale today boys, buy one get 3 free. Politicians: how did you ID those jets from 10+ miles away? Pilots: Sir, chow hall serves carrots 3x a day and no allied planes were in the sky. Only enemies were positively identified.
Keep in mind the target identification issue was a known concern when the F-4 design being finalized, circa 1961. A Texas Instruments AAA-4 IRST pod was mounted under the nose to handle the associated issue with the USN F-4B, and of course in the USN development process the F-4 was intended to operate alongside the F-8 Crusader. The original intent effectively being that the F-4s would be able to quickly respond to Soviet Bombers closing on a CVBG, and the F-8s would then engage anything that got past the F-4s. In turn the USN correctly identified the main issue was a lack of appropriate training systems resulting in the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program, aka Top Gun, Following the Korean War the USAF on the other hand had been involved in a number of questionable Fighter Programs, and the ill-conceive AIM-4 Falcon Missile Program. None of which worked for purpose, leading to them ultimately being forced to adopt a USN Plane and Missile, aka the F-4 Phantom II. Mind they dragged their feet on the Navy missiles part leading to a lot of needless deaths, because the AIM-4 Falcon was _that_ bad. In turn a lot of the difficulty with missiles the USAF had, actually revolved around... the AIM-4 Falcons, and the USAF dragging their feet on acknowledging that problem. They also happened to have had the M61 Vulcan program finishing up around that time, and the USAF switch over to F-4s with that saw minimal improvements because... The USN was right and the USAF was wrong, again. The USAF being the USAF though waited until 1975 to acknowledge that maybe the Navy had a point and start Operation Red Flag, mind the US ended the Vietnam War on their terms in 1973, and then noped out of the 1975 follow up. Along those lines the USAF was slow to follow the USN/USMC practices for the WSO part of the F-4 crew. So instead of having someone specifically trained to operate the RADAR and what-not, they just threw two pilots into the things, which led to... avoidable issues. That said the breakdown of USAF F-4 combat losses was... 83% to AAA, 8% to SAMs, & 9% to MiGs, with them suffering far, far more losses than the USN in all categories.
All I'm really hearing is, politicians are why we lost the Vietnam war.
Wasn't really a war it was a occupation
You didn't lose the war. It was stolen from you by a dumass Texas oilman and an ex-Ford executive that was into eugenics. Together they were almost as smart as that beagle that Johnson picked up by its ears. Key word is "almost."
@@user-nd5eq6yb9sbasically yea
Yes, many politicians in power when we left had pro communist sentiments and made sure communism won in Vietnam.
I'm hearing the same thing. American politicians are as thick as English politicians...... Absolutely useless. 😑
Great story. Beautifully told. I knew about Operation Bolo, but the details made it real.
There is so much information packed into this epsiode that it should be a reference point. Awesomeness Fat, just brillance.
No one's gonna mention that freakin awesome duo nickname?!?!?? Hell no!! 😂😂😂 Blackman and Robin is just ridiculously hilarious 😂😂😂 Merit above all 💪🏻
😂😂😂😂😂 i thought it was hilarious too.
I'm black myself and that name is legitimately hilarious, sounds like something my old buddy Dave would've come up with 😂
Rambler: “I heard you’ve engaged the enemy, where are you?” Olds: “Back off, kill-stealer.”
Bro was having topical war thunder chat before wt was even a thing
Another great video brother, thank you so much. I first learned about Operation Bolo from Bull Whittle and his “The Cold War: What We Saw” podcast. His “America’s Forgotten Heroes” is another great series. You and Bill have very different styles of telling a story but are masters of your craft.
Im so glad I found your channel. You have been the best history teacher I have ever seen!!
[13:00] I've had 2 bosses in my career do this. Came in and the first thing they did was sit with the engineers & techs and do their daily jobs with them. Learn not just any tech he wasn't up to speed on, but also how the business was operating. Then maintained open communication on why they started making the changes they wanted to make. The two best bosses I've had in over 20 years in IT. The first one was at my first real job and was literally logged into the queue answering Level 1 tech support calls with the rest of us for most of a week. Same guy that sunk into me one of the standards of my entire career: "If you don't have time to fix it right the first time, when are you going to find time to fix it again?" He really set a high bar for every other boss I've had.
"If you don't have time to fix it right the first time, when are you going to find time to fix it again?" i like this
@@jayeisenhardt1337 It's been a core value for my over 20 year IT career, and one of the main reason I've been so successful. I quote it often and try to instill it in every newer co-work I've mentored. Unfortunately it's usually at odds with most corporate executives that are primarily focused growth and increasing revenue.
I've been responsible for running some big teams over the years in high pressure situations and the people in those teams have made me look really good. My bosses never clicked that the team ran the show, I just learned on the line with them how the job needed to be conducted.. Stay humble, learn and trust. Great things can happen. And great friendships forged.
Yeah, lived it too. Everyone needed their PC or they couldn't do their job so ANYTIME the image install failed, huge stress as to redo or hope. The user ALWAYS went with hope, until it failed, then I was a complete idiot. If my company wanted 99.999 uptime then they should have budgeted spare parts, training and maybe allow OT if I'm going to stay on an image for 6 hours after work. When I first started, HP, IBM, Compaq, Epson would ALL send trainers with repair kits with full technical manuals (that I never read every page on) and it was made real that we knew how to handle the new equipment. It deteriorated to no parts, extreme stress in that portions of the business were down because the unit was down and my company gave me the Microsoft link to "Learning Windows 10" and expected me to become an expert in repair when they gave me the user orientation link. It sucked.@@mga149
The bit about completely bypassing the NSA in order to use their fancy silver spy plane is fucking genius
Airforce: how are we going to pull an operation off involving all the branches and every plane we have without telling our spy guys? Some grunt: idk don't tell em Aiforce:🤔
the moment you showed the first pic of the double ace! my mind was blown. so many characters in movies n media all connected to the og ace! cool story!
"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather" I lost it there
Your sniper rifle analogy hit home. While I was in Afghanistan in 2014, our hands were tied so tightly by ROE, it became disgusting. My gunner literally couldn't shoot at peopleaiming weaponsat us. We finally bought our own stuff off Amazon to build an EOF kit so nothing would have to be reported in a SIR report. I knew a lot about what you talked about regarding the politicians, but it still annoyed me. Good video, I enjoyed it.
Unrelated to the video, this is one of the best ad skits I've seen on KZhead. That's an achievement in itself. Congrats!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Honestly, Mrs Electrician is the best supporting character. Period.
@@PhycoKruskshe also has GYATT
@@TexasNationalist1836 yo, chill. Be respectful to her and her husband, ya know, the guy who makes these videos lol. ( not that you're wrong 😬
@@TexasNationalist1836 the fuck is "gyatt"?
You're ability to wrap something up in a hilarious one liner is fn great. Love your videos.
I love this story. Certainly not the first time I've heard it, yet it's always worth another listen. Ols and Chappy, what a couple of Studs! A couple of guys who stood out among their peers in the Greatest Generation the US has ever seen! I always think of my Grandad when I think on that generation. He sawed down trees and hand split every stick of firewood he burned till he was 91 years old. His only means of heat was a woodstove, so needless to say he cut and split alot of wood, and he liked it warm in his house. A stroke stopped him from cutting and splitting wood at 91, and he passed at 92, but I saw him do things in his 80's and early 90's that most 20 somethings in today's generation can't and or won't do. That generation of folks were amazing! I doubt the US would be in the mess we're in if that generation were still around and capable.
As a millennial I'm seeing a similar pattern in Afghanistan where politicians make rules that handicap our soldiers and after fighting in that hell hole for 20 years the politicians tear up a peace treaty/deal we made with the Taliban and now we "lost" again because politicians left behind $100s of millions in military equipment and vehicles, American citizens, and the Taliban run the show now.
America has never lost a war. America's politicians have lost SEVERAL.
Only this time, they’re not afraid to show that they want us enslaved or worse
...and soldiers leaving the service had to account for equipment they were ordered to abandon in theater.
100s of 100s of millions
Remember that the moment we let loose, the world cries war crimes
Another story from Vietnam: Roy Benevitez. Survived 6 hours of hell and saved 8/12 men in a squadron, all of which were almost definitely gonna die, without Tango Mike Mike, his call sign i think. Can’t recall the details 100%.
That Mean Mexican
And we probably would not even know of his story if he hadn't spat in the face of the doctor who assumed he died from his wounds after getting on the helicopter while the doctor was zipping up his body bag that he had been placed in.
I think Simple History covered this man. Not sure if Yarnhub also covered him.
@@triadwarfare Mr Ballen also talked about him
I read Roy Benevidez's book. A true badass legend.
Awesome show I always enjoy your videos keep up the great work
Thank you, awesome lunch time story, got me fired up to go bak to work.
Robin Olds, while not the highest scoring ace as far as jets kills go, stands proud as the embodiment of the rockstar pilot. He was simply built different. A relic from the past still holding his cutting edge. Honestly, if we're talking about pilots, look no further for people to do vids on than the Aces of the Korean War. Some of those F-86 Sabre pilots were straight up nuts. Pilots like Robby Risner, James Jabara, Joe McConnel, Ralph Parr, and more. Truly a different breed. If you're looking for a "1 v Many" situation for the ages, Israel's ace of aces, Giora Epstein is certainly a case. He was initially denied entry into flight school due to a heart murmur. So, he became a paratrooper, and eventually got his wings later. He would go on to earn 17 kills all in Mirage 3's and Neshers. On October 20th, 1973, he was locked in an ambush with his flight of 4 during the Yom Kippur War in against as many as 20 Egyptian Mig-21's. Not only did he manage to survive it, but also managed to nab a couple kills from the hoard.
Some estimates of olds total Vietnam war kills to be around 17 and his daughter confirms a high kill tally upwards of that. He credited other pilots with his kills to stay longer. Ending the war with 4 total victories..
@@aldoraine9487 Olds also erased his name from flight rosters to keep his hours down to do the same thing. He refused a promotion to Brig. General for as long as possible to stay in the cockpit. Truly built different
man, you are hands down the best storyteller I have ever seen on you tube! I have been binging your vids for the last 2 days. Can't believe I didn't watch you since I follow donut and ak jesus. But I see ya now3. THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DO.. Much love from Oklahoma
Well that left me entirely with goosebumps, entirely choked up and completely entertained. You good Sir have a rare talent for telling a story and bringing it to life. Thanks for not allowing the amazing feats of the past die and pass from our collective memory. Waiting eagerly for the next video.
Having talked with vets who have experienced operation bolo first hand they had mad respect for the tactics of olds and the balls he had to do things his way.
"Taco Flosser" I learned something new today. Thank you kind sir.
Guy must really like Taco Tuesday
Olds, Ford and Rambler....great cars. As a fun historical tidbit. John "Shorty" Powers was a spokesman for NASA, USAF as well as....Oldsmobile! He was a transport pilot, on C-47s, did over 100 round trips during the Berlin Airdrop, learned how to snatch transport gliders from the ground without stopping, flew combat ops in Korea, earned a Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. After he retired, he opened his own PR firm, and was the defactor face of Olds, doing commercial for the Delta 88 with the Old Rocket V8! He also advertised cigarettes using NASA technology, and was a raging alcoholic, which sadly cut his life short at 57. The man was the emobodiment of the 60s veteran. I am pretty sure when they named the flights, they were inspired by Shorty, the Oldsmobile star. You got one Olds already, and Fords used to be any color as long as its Black, and all you needed was a Rambler, which at the time, was pretty badass. They couldnt name the third Dodge, since they were doing anything but dodging migs lol. I love these connections.
I absolutely love your channel! Thank you so much!
"Why do I hear the Freebird solo?" - Half of the North Vietnamese MiG pilots during Op. Bolo
15:45 "Black Man and Robin" is fucking amazing 😭
Robin Olds and his guys are one of my all time favorite stories of the Cold War and Vietnam era. Really happy you did a piece on him, and the impact he had on America's military leaders to - quite literally - save them from themselves. You should also do a video on John Boyd.
Your stories and delivery are the best man, always a good laugh+a solid "holy sh!t thats awesome" 🤠
Could you imagine if the US military was actually let off the chain and allowed to run at full capability? I remember all the handicaps they placed on us in Iraq and Afghanistan. Made life 100 times harder for us.
I mean, look no further than Vietnam. There were a few weeks where - due to politician nonsense - the U.S. was allowed to actually prosecute the war with its full capacity, and North Vietnam more or less was ready to quit.
We'd have already fought WW3
@scotto7924 ... and won
The Japanese are the only ones to ever feel that wrath.
Nobody wins that one.@@06capoeirista
Olds was also the only known pilot to get a kill "dead stick". He was so obsessed with getting a German BF109 he dropped his wing tanks and forgot to switch fuel pumps and stalled the engines of his P38 lightning.
So he closed on a 109..gliding?
@@sommebuddy Flies right behind, drops tank, forgets to switch from external to internal fuel, shoots guns anyway, plane go boom.
@@sommebuddy The quote I heard is that he literally claimed to be the only person to shoot down an enemy aircraft in a glider.
I was a "weapons control systems technician" on the F-4C, D, & E Phantom II. I arrived in S. Viet. during the 1968 Tet Offensive & Rolling Thunder. Your presentation was spot on except for a couple of minor facts. Col. Olds' squadron based at Ubon, Thailand was know as the "Wolf Pack". While other F-4 Squadrons flew both air to air & air to ground (bombing & ground support) missions, the Wolf Pack were considered air to air specialists. F-4 squadrons based in S. Viet. flew bombing missions over both N. & S. Viet. F-4C's & D's were modified in Viet. to accept the Suu-16 20mm Gatling gun (cannon) pod on their centerline for air to air or air to ground use. Lack of a good sight made their use on F-4C's for air to air not optimum. The pods also increased drag. Col. Olds was our hero in Viet. & the USAF allowed all members stationed in S.E. Asia to wear a handlebar mustache. I did!
Your videos are just incredible bro! Thank you!
OK Fat Electrician, now we need the "Rest of the story" on Daniel 'Chappie' James Jr. He is another main character in history that we need to know. You can't just leave us with that little bit! That is just cruel. You just did an incredible segment with two main characters but only really gave a view into one. Oh and thank you for the hard work, it's appreciated.
Yes. He was the AF Commander in Libya I believe when they went rouge...
DANG! I have heard this story before, but ... Your high-energy presentation is by far the Best I have seen or heard. Thank You from this old Marine ground-pounder.
@@pauldietrich6790The Lybians were putting on make-up? 😂 ETA: He said rouge, not rogue; there's a big difference.
@@modelwrongI saw that too. My 1st thought "is that anything like 'going plaid'?" (Spaceballs)
Blackman and Robin! As they were known lovingly.
The moment you put Robin Olds on-screen, I immediately said, "you'd have to be stupid to fuck with that guy." Main character energy for sure.
I can’t believe I didn’t know about this channel till recently. Loving the storytelling
Ah yes 2 ace pilots grounded half of the country's airforce in 13 minutes where have i heard that befo- *DISTANT FLAMENCO GUITAR PLAYING*
Hello, I have a question. When did you realize that you could really razzle dazzle the people of the world with your voice and choice of words? It is GOLD.
Started making videos about 2 years ago i still dont understand why people like me lol and thank u
The way you explain things and the regular humor through every episode makes every episode great. The kids and wife have all learned at least a little from you. Lol. Wife really liked the Aldi episode but I think was most shocked by the cheese bunkers. Lol. You're great Nick. Please keep doin what you're doin.
I started to see other people doing clips on your videos cracked me up
@@the_fat_electrician Cause of your storytelling and humor.
@@the_fat_electrician always, if you haven’t covered November 8, 1965 then let’s do it!
It is not quite a fighter pilot story, but I know someone with his own Vietnam story and as a pilot. This man was a Huey pilot, but he only flew one combat mission. He still flew Hueys for the war, but his experience with this mission got him barred from ever being sent out to a combat zone. However, this was because of his air boss at the time. What happened was that he was part of the troop carriers. First wave of troops in, they came under fire. His Huey ended up getting hit and shot down, but fortunately, he had only just lifted off the ground when it happened, so it was not much of a crash - still wrecked the Huey, but not enough to trap or kill anyone in it. Thanks to that, he and his copilot quickly bailed, sprinted to one of the later Hueys, and caught a ride on it back to their FOB. Once they made it back, the air boss saw them hopping out and asked what happened. They told him that they were shot down just as they were about to lift off after dropping off their troops. The air boss had heard the radio calls of enemy contact, so he largely let it slide and sent them to fly another Huey to carry more troops in, which they did. They flew in with the next wave and dropped off their next batch of troops. This time, the Huey got shot up before they could even lift off, so the Huey was pretty much grounded. The copilot ended up taking some shrapnel from the Huey - not enough to cripple or kill him, but it turned out to be enough to ground him after they caught another later Huey and made back to the FOB again. With a second Huey now shot down, the air boss was getting pissed. He angrily commented that they were "costing the Army too many Hueys," but he still sent the man out in a third, this time with a different copilot, and once again with more troops. For the third time, they flew in, dropped off their troops, and started to leave. This time, it looked like they were about to get out without getting hit or shot down. Unfortunately... they still got hit and shot down, but this time, not only were they higher up than the other two times and thus resulted in the worst crash, but the man was wounded in this one. To this day, he does not know what exactly happened. He only remembers something blowing up against the Huey, pretty much destroying the rotor and causing them to slam into the ground. He does not remember if he was wounded by the crash, what shot them down, or both. All he remembers of that time was everything before they were hit in this third flight, them being hit and going down, and him being carried by this other copilot, who was wounded too but not as badly as him, to yet another later Huey. Once again, they made it back to the FOB, but before he got sent away for medical treatment, the air boss chewed him out for "losing so many damn Hueys." The man does not remember what exactly went down after that moment, and he attributes that to being out of it from the wounds and the anesthesia for the treatment. He only knows that after that, while he was still allowed to fly Hueys, he was barred from ever flying to or even around combat zones and would predominantly fly transport between secured locations. Also, the last time he flew Hueys for the Army was the fall of Saigon (he was one of the last Hueys out of there, but he was not in any of the ones you see in photos about the evacuation).
Cool story, thanks
thank you for sharing
Man got shot down 3 times and lived.
What a great story! Thank you for sharing. One of my best friend’s dad was shot down in a helicopter in Vietnam. His name was Jim Kelley, and he was our police chief back home for a long time. Jim was about 6’ 6” or 6’ 7”… not exactly a great size for being on a helicopter or airplane. Anyway, he was on a chopper that got shot down and I believe had to spend the night underneath it before he was able to get picked up the next day. He said they had a big board in the chow hall that had the names of guys killed or missing from their missions, and when he walked back in, his name was on the board, and one of the guys who had seen his chopper go down said something like, “Well hey, Jim! Somebody thought you were supposed to be dead! Great to see ya back from the other side!” Jim passed from a heart attack a few years ago, but he was a really really cool guy.
Great video! And I love the playful banter between you and your wife, it's funny and lighthearted. You both have a great sense of humor, and that shows a healthy marriage. :)
Thanks for making this a totally merit-based video! What a great piece of badass history!
Normal politician shenanigans already gives me an aneurysm but the beginning of this video has given me a full on hematoma.
Yo, Nic. You forgot about one of the other main characters of this story: Col. Freddy 'Boots' Blessé. If Olds was James Bond, you can think of Blessé as Q. Thing is, Olds was actually a staunch proponent of the idea that the Phantom didn't need a gun, whereas Blessé argued the opposite. The two once got into a shouting match and almost physical fight over the subject at the Pentagon. Eventually, Olds was sent out to figure out how to fly the Phantom (which Blessé was already qualified on) and Blesse got some Pentagon money to keep developing his idea of the Phantom gun pods. In 1967 Blesse managed to get a hundred or so 20mm gun pods sent to Vietnam. Along with a few guys he knew, they trained how to use 20mm as well as actually get some kills in. Story goes that Olds was still unconvinced, but let a couple of his guys carry the guns. During Operation Bolo, four MiGs were shot down with guns; their usefulness was unquestionable at this point. In credit to Olds; the best part of this particular part of the story is that after the conclusion of Operation Bolo, Blessé was unable to return to his base at Da Nang and had to divert to Ubon, where Olds was based. Upon learning this, Olds stormed to the officer's club...to shake Blessé's hand.
From what I recall, its not so much that Olds didn't want the gun, its that the gunpod was heavy, inaccurate, and took up a drop tank pylon. Blessé did his gunpod 'trial' flight with a handpicked team of good pilots who knew how to dogfight; most pilots in vietnam didn't have such training or experience, and Olds thought that having a gun would put them in more trouble unless they received proper training first. Both were right in different ways, but the gunpod turned out to be a good idea, as we know now.
I don't think Olds was opposed to the F-4 having an internal gun like the later models had, he just wasn't a fan of the gunpods which heavily hindered flight performance and reduced fuel capacity.
@@DaisiesTC Yeah I agree with you on the training part. Definitely most pilots who lacked the skill, experience and/or knowledge of how to employ that weapon would suffer, but that means nothing to the people who do have any one of those. As to the problem of the pods taking up space for gas. In 1967, before they started flying deep into North Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and taking off from bases in Thailand, that wasn't a problem. The Phantoms gas tanks were large enough for most missions even without the drop tanks (which the Phantom could carry 3 of). I read a book long ago (long enough ago that I don't remember much else about it) that said most pilots liked the drop tanks because they helped attenuate some of the Phantoms' (well documented) weird handling characteristics.
7 kills were scored during Operation Bolo, 4 with Aim 7 Sparrow's and 3 with Aim 9 Sidewinders. So who told you that gunpod baloney?
@@tqdzwamaramba5523 It's notable that the USN and USAF's response to losses in Vietnam were quite different. The Navy created the "Top Gun" program, and began massively emphasising proper BFM training. The USAF went and got the F-4E with an internal gun, but didn't focus quite so hard on the BFM training. The difference in losses and kills between the two services gives a pretty stark example of which was more important, the gun or the training. And given the USN had the vastly superior ratio while never operating a Phantom with an internal gun, the needle is decidedly on the "training" part.
Favorited, youtube algorithms doing their job in the suggested videos tab. Loved your narration and commentary!
Love your work man. Informative and entertaining and eyecandy. Really enjoy you bringing the wife into the mix. You two look really good together.
@The Fat Electrician I think youre popular because you remind the U.S.A. who we can be. Thats noble no matter which way you slice it. Thanks. Keep up the great work.
I try thank u
@@the_fat_electricianYou sir get a POB 👍🏻👍🏻👋🏻👋🏻
Dude your wife is hilarious. Thanks for your hard work, I show these all to my kids, 1 is supply changing to Doc in June, the other is in Japan as landing support with the Marines. You're changing lives man.
Great story telling, really enjoyed that one!
As I’m watching, I’m seeing the video’s likes going up by the hundreds every minute. If there isn’t an award for “Best KZhead Historian”, I hope they make one just for this channel
Thank u means alot