The most underrated Allied aircraft of WW2 | PBY Catalina
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- čas přidán 18. 06. 2024
- The PBY Catalina was probably the most versatile aircraft of the Second World War. Involved from start to finish, in every theatre, in a variety of roles. It was a Catalina that spotted the Bismarck, the Japanese fleet sailing towards Ceylon and the Jappanese carrier fleet at Midway. They ranged far and wide out into the Atlantic and north towards the Arctic Circle.
Jeff Boyling is a part owner and pilot of Catalina G-PBYA. In this video, he explores the design, operational history and his own experience with the Catalina. Thanks to Jeff, David Legg and The Catalina Society for their help in making this video.
Find out more about the Catalina Society: www.catalina.org.uk/
Explore and licence the film clips used in this video from IWM Film:
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Find out more about IWM Duxford's flying aircraft: www.iwm.org.uk/events/flying-...
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Attributions:
Thumbnail image by Sergey Vladimirov. CC BY 2.0. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Images of G-PBYA courtesy of Caz Caswell, David Legg and the David Legg Collection.
When I think of the cat I think of how many lives they saved, plucking sailors and aviators out of the water. They did an incredible job.
Not just sailors, aircrews ditching their damaged or out of fuel aircraft!
@@petemitchell8525 Yeah..."aviators". :D
This. When I read "Left To Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau" as a kid, I was introduced to just how ballsy Catalina pilots had to be.
They were the rescue helicopters of WWII, truly one of the Great Planes.
I still think the Catalina is one of the best looking aircraft of WW2 and it was so supremely useful in multiple roles.
One of my favorite facts: a PBY made the only successful US aerial torpedo attack during the Battle Of Midway, hitting a Japanese tanker in the wee hours of June 4, 1942. Very cool planes.
I love the way it looks. It's an oddly pretty plane
I'm sure it was the most beautiful thing in the world if you'd been bobbing around on a life preserver for 12 hours fighting off hypothermia, sharks, and strafing.
The proper livesaving methods required for saving dying Hypothermia victims were not known early on in the war. Everything tried that seemed to be "logical" just killed them. Research on very brave human volunteers eventually determined that two of the major steps to save lives were to:
(1) prevent the victim's exterior chilled body from warming up to room temperature.
(2) "assist" the victim to breathe "warmed air".
I also think it's a beautiful aircraft.
Decades ago, when driving on a highway. I was overtaken by a Catalina. It flew low and slow, so I could watch it for some time. Learned later that it was on its final flight to the Swedish military aircraft museum. An unforgettable memory.
Wow!!! It doesn't get much cooler than that these days!
Great story!!!
50 yrs ago, I worked my 1st Fire Season on a U.S. Forest Service Hot Shot crew. On a # of fires, Modified PBY's were used to water or other fire retardant onto the fire to help the hand crews gain control of the fire. The PBY could carry about 1,500 gallons of water or other retardant and lay the water on the advanced edge of the fire allowing the hand crews to punch through the fire line to encircle the fire. Only 2 planes could carry more water than the PBY. These were the B-17 and the California Air National Guard C-130. The B-17 carried 1,800 gallons, while the C-130 carried about 2,200 gallons. It was neat watching these "air shows" as they had a direct impact on our safety.
On another tact, in the Pacific during WW2, there was a unit called the Black Cats. The PBY's were painted black and were used to interdict Japanese convoys attempting to resupply or deliver fresh troops onto islands our forces were either engaged in combat, or would soon invade. They did an awesome job. They were also used to hunt for army pilots or naval & Marine aviators that had been shot down, either while attacking Japanese held islands or after attacking the Imperial Navy. They saved many pilots and sailors.
I don't think that anyone who knows anything about the Catalina would ever have considered her to be underrated.
I think that's sort of the point though. She's underrated by the majority of people because so many simply haven't heard of her. "Catalina" doesn't occupy the same part of most people's brains as "Spitfire", "Hurricane", or "Lancaster".
I think the Catalina's versatility and numbers had a lot to do with her success. Catalinas seemed to be able to do anything, and there were enough of them that they "showed up" when needed.
John Cruikshank VC is (as of today 19th June 2024) still alive at the age of 103. Less than one in ten thousand men in the UK live to the age of 103 . That in itself is quite the achievement.
He’s 104. He was born May 20th, 1920. Best of health to him.
My grandfather was a bubble gunner on a cat in the pacific in WWII. He never spoke about his experiences, but he and his two brothers all came back (one was an F6F pilot, one was a tailgunner on a B-24.)
For the record, you don't 'win' a VC, despite it being a common expression. You are _awarded_ a VC. You _earn_ a VC.
A VC is a *Victoria Cross,* right?
It took me a while to figure out what he meant by VC. (Assuming I'm correct.)
Yes, I'm an American.
My father was in the R.A.A.F in WWII as a aircraft mechanic and worked on many planes including the Catalina. He not only served in Australia but he was also seconded to the R.A.F.
After the war he worked maintaining the Catalinas for Quantas out of Rose Bay in Sydney.
Thank you for looking after one of these lovely flying boats, keep her in good shape.
❤
My Dad, also RAAF was ground crew working on Cats in Bowen , North Queensland. Few people know that the RAAF went from just a few obsolete aircraft pre war to the 4th largest airforce by WW2's end . 60 Squadrons operating 6000 aircraft, from a population of about 7 million. Australia had 168 Catalinas in operation during WW2
My father, Jock Mercer, was a cook with the RAF based at Lake St Lucia on the Natal, South African coast. The Catalinas patrolling the Southern African coast in WW2 were based at Lake St Lucia. As children we were dismayed that he didn't fight in the war, but he replied, he fought to keep the pilots fed!
mans gotta eat
Well said. Too often we forget all the backup that goes into winning. The pointy end of a stick is useless without the rest of the stick.
Everybody did their part.
Our motto in the navy: Always look out for the cooks. An important and integral part of the system.
"An army travels on its stomach." General George S. Patton, US Army
My paternal grandfather served in a PBY-5 Catalina for the RAAF in the Pacific. It’s always been an especially important aircraft to me my whole life. Thank you for making a video about it!
Same (except it was my Maternal Grandfather) based in Kogala with the 205 Squadron.
I had the privilege of seeing a PBY Catalina at the Aviation Heritage Museum in Perth way back in 2015. If you do get a chance, please take the opportunity. Well maintained static display.
If you ever go near Shellharbour, there's a flying black Cat at the HARS museum at Albion Park. Along with plenty of other great aircraft, many in flying condition.
My granddad also was in an RAAF Black Cat squadron in FNQ, 1942-1944
Cats saved many lives, a good example is a Catalina found the survivors of the USS Indianapolis in 1945 and radioed the position, then landed on the water and many men climbed aboard her. So many men climbed about she could not take off, but ut was safe for the men from the sharks.
I was going relate the same anecdote about the USS INDIANAPOLIS! However, I believe
Made a model when I was a kid 40 years ago and this plane is still special to me :)
So did I was it an Airfix Kit ?
same here, Dad made it, but gave it to me
Me too. Very entranced with this special airplane
I love the fact that that they cut down on drag by making the wing tip floats retractable. They definitely earned their keep and the crews feserved every award that came their way
one of the most gourgeous planes ever made
A very good explanation by someone who is clearly not only knowledgeable about the subject, but passionate about the aircraft too
I'm old enough to remember that Jacque Cousteau had one on the old National Geographic shows, I remember having the old Revell model kit as well.
I'm old enough too😂
It's surprising how much building a kit can teach you about an aircraft, and respect for its designers.
My brother built the Revell. I believe he still has it!
Yep I do too. Omg we are old.
Me too!
Back in the 1970's the Alberta Forest Service in Canada used them for fighting forest fires. I watched a group of them practicing. It was a very wet and rainy fire season. They would come over the skimming the lake as the filled with water .Gain some altitude turn and drop the water back in the lake. And do it over and over again. This went on for some time. It a great show of flying.
My father in law RIP flew Cats during WW2 in both the Atlantic and Eastern theatres with the RAF.
Excited to see a Canso (Canadian Catalina) in person for my first time this summer!
I took a ride in a PBY in Long Beach in 1972. There were a few during Navy day at the Long Beach Naval shipyard.
def one of the coolest planes of the war.
Thanks for a brilliant story, expertly presented.
I just had an airshow in my area on Father's Day and had a PBY Catalina flying over the house. Absolutely beautiful aircraft.
My grandfather flew Cats for the USN in WWII. Nearly every room in his house had a painting or picture of the gorgeous birds. I still remember the first time I asked him about the pictures. That was the longest my eight year old self ever sat silent.
I've never heard of the Catalina described as they most underrated in anything. Quite the contrary.
Maybe not as well known as the usual suspects, but never underrated. One of my favorites actually ❤
I agree! But I think practically every follower of WWII history knows of it's reconnaissance mission and rescuing sailors and aircrews. I think the underrated part is it's record in combat.
@@alecfoster4413the underrated thing is just for a clickbait
This Catalina flew over my house in Switzerland on the 4th and 5th of May 2013. I know this because I went inside it at Farnborough in 2014 and one of the crew confirmed it was over the Vierwaldstättersee on those dates. Good video, nice to be reminded of her. One of my favourite WWII aircraft.
The first aircraft in which I flew, when I was about five years old, was a Canso still in service with the RCAF. My family was being moved to an isolated radar base up the west coast. My strongest memory of that flight was that, when we landed on the water, the spray hit the underside of the window above my head. Years later, that memory prompted me to ask my father if that was the type of aircraft that carried us. Thanks for an excellent video.
I love that aircraft. I built a 1/72 scale model of it when I was a kid. When I was in Civil Air Patrol, I went to the annual Watsonville Fly-in a couple years and we provided safety watch, wing walkers and perimeter patrol protecting the aircraft.
I got an incentive flight and the crew chief quietly suggested that I sit in the center strut seat for the flight so I could see out both sides. It was great.
What a cool plane, Miss Pickup artwork, like the PBY Catalina, is a very lovely lady. She has found a nice home at the Imperial War Museum.
as part of a fixed wing drone course in college i built a cardboard drone inspired by the cat, i figured the boatlike hull would be suited to landing and taking off from powdersnow, and our drone was the only one to survive all testflights. I love the Catalina!
One of my uncles was radioman on a PBY in the Pacific during the war. One story he'd tell was of their plane landing at a small island that they thought was already captured, only to have to run like hell back to the plane and get in the air when they found out it wasn't.
I remember seeing one in a hanger north of Kingston Ontario and was amazed at how large these flying boats actually were.
My father was a pilot of B17s and PBY Catalinas in the South Pacific of WW2. He proudly carried his USN Pilots License which said, Multi-Engine and Amphibious. My Dad loved the US Navy, Annapolis, the Sea, and Flying. But most of all he loved my Mother, his Family, and his Country, the United States of America. I wish I could remember all of his stories of Guam, the Philippines, Marshall Islands, and the Maryanas. Dad spoke of loving to fly the PBY and of his first time flying a B17 into a tropical storm and expecting the wings to be torn off. I'm sorry he is not here today to tell you himself.
👎👎👎 Do you mean Mary & Anna ?
On Thanksgiving Day, 23 Nov 1944, a PBY Catalina from the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron rescued my father and three other survivors after their B-25 Strafer was shot down while bombing Japanese installations on the island of Cebu. After both engines were destroyed and most of the left wing was shot off, dad was able to ditch his aircraft in the bay off the coast of the island. His B-25 immediately sank, but within minutes, the PBY landed next to him and the remaining crewmembers pulling them through one of the side blisters. Dad was 22 years old. Greatest Generation.
My father served as the radioman on a PBY in the Pacific. They rescued downed airmen (once under Japanese fire), carried out reconnaissance missions as well as patrolling for submarines and transport vessels. They once approached Hong Kong but quickly retreated when met by a hail of anti-aircraft fire. When the war ended, they were ordered to fly back to Pearl Harbor. When they arrived, they were put on a ship back to the States, and that was that.
I'm lucky that my local aviation museum, HARS, has a fully flying black Cat. Cats were huge in the south Pacific, where RAAF & US crews did hundreds of low level, long range sea mining operations. These operations significantly reduced Japan's ability to resupply & move their forces in the littoral environment.
Edit: The RAAF aircraft were modified after delivery, as Consolidated refused to produce them without the armoured plates, they were required by US regulations. We took out the armoured plating & the guns, & added more fuel. So their defence was just to fly low & try not to get spotted. This was why they flew over the target zone at night, hence the black paint scheme & the natural moniker black cats.
My Uncle Elmer Locke flew in one during WW2 in the Pacific Theatre. He was a radioman/gunner. I enjoyes listening to him about his experiences during the war. He was one if my hero's growing up.
My father was part of the forgotten war up in Alaska during WW2. Due to the limited resources during this conflict the American forces were forced to become creative and created the black Cat which was a Catalina painted black and used as a dive bomber. After the war it was found that Japanese forces in Alaska had reported that the Americans had a gigantic new dive bomber that looks similar to a PBY.
The PBY-5A. That's my idea of a sport-utility vehicle. Wonderful video. Thank you.
My dad flew his second tour of duty in Catalinas with 240 Squadron RAF, based at Red Hills Lake, India (his first tour was on A/S Rescue patrols in Ansons with 280 Sqn.). Most of his patrols were met flights, but his very last wartime patrol was eventful: He found the crew of an American bomber that had ditched in the Indian Ocean, and guided a destroyer to their dinghy to complete the rescue.
My father worked on the black cats in darwin. They did a bit of everything, supplying coast watchers, mining Japanese harbours, And rescue missions. Wonderful aircraft.
I love the Catalina. Looks and sounds so graceful.
If I was insanely wealthy I would want a Catalina to fly around. It is just so cool and I love the amphibious nature of it.
Agreed 100% Also it's a very stable craft.
My dad was the mechanic for the PBY-5A and B-17 that were a part of the Air Search and Rescue team for the Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed at the Panama Canal Zone, Hickam AF base. After his service he became an aerospace engineer and made great contributions to the Atlas-Centaur missile platform used by NASA to launch satellites into orbit and beyond. RIP, Dad ... love you!
Many years ago, in Northern Ontario and as a newly licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, I experienced the PBY 5A at very close quarters. My very first daily inspection and solo run-up was on one of these beauties. (CF-DFB) I remember the event clearly to this day, some 50 years later. Those were wonderful, glorious years, and the PBY, along with the DC-3, DeHavilland Otter and Beaver, remains dear to my heart. Thank you for the video!
10:00 He also turned 104 last month!
Great video! Beautiful plane!
Catalina also the one that makes important discovery over Akutan, Aleutian Island. Spotted a intact Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter which help American a lot in how to design their future aircraft and employ new tactic defeat like what is weakness and it strength
I really enjoyed this video, beautiful aircraft with a crisp and informative video. Keep them coming!
I was an avid aircraft model builder in my teenage years (I'm 65 now). My first one's this beautiful aircraft. It's beauty lies in it's "ugly" appearance because of its functionality. Kudos to the designers.
Functionality has a beauty all it's own.
Love the Cat. There's one in my neighbouring suburb in Perth, WA.
Sydney here. Where exactly is it in Perth. I'm guessing that it must be somewhere on the Swan River, of course. But where?
@@frenzalrhomb6919 Ah, it's in the suburb of Bull Creek at the RAAF Aviation Heritage Museum. Unfortunately, not really near the water but it is a great museum. They have a Lancaster, Spitfire, Canberra and most recently a Tornado GR4. I'm very pleased to have it just down the road from me.
My father was a pilot with the 413 Squadron, RCAF, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), from 1942 to 1945. He flew out of Koggala Lake, Sri Lanka. I remember building him a model, which he cherished. I found his navigator in a news group in the late nineties and arranged a get together in February, 2000 and the two of them spent the afternoon talking of their times together.
From Sunderland in the UK. The Catalina is a great looking, functional and successful plane…obviously well loved by its crew and feared by its adversaries. But shout out to the Sunderland as well. Brave men, with massive amounts of stamina, flew them. Very moving.
It takes a special breed of person to fly long, boring patrols for hours and hours over sunlit, sparkly ocean.
My dad was a flight engineer on an OA10 (USAAF) during WWII. He always said Catalinas take off at 110mph, land at 110mph and cruise at 110 mph! LOL!
Steward-Davis converted several Catalinas to their Super Catalina standard (later known as Super Cat), which replaced the usual 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines with Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engines of 1,700 hp (1,300 kW). A larger, squared-off rudder was installed to compensate for the increased yaw which the more powerful engines could generate. The Super Catalina also had extra cabin windows and other alterations.
My Father was in the Navy during during the Korean War and stationed in Panama. He flew in a Catalina looking for submarines etc.
My father, a navy pilot, flew the Catalina over the North Atlantic and over the US west coast during WW2 and the Korean War. He said the Catalina was a plane that required the pilot to be hands on, flying it most the time. He said if they ever crashed in the North Atlantic and went into the water, they would be dead in minutes from hypothermia.
Know it well. Part of Cold War operations under Norad. The Canadian Navy operated out of Halifax, NS doing the same job in the North Atlantic, but with more modern aircraft.
@@billfarley9167 Now that you mention it , I remember my father telling me about having to land in New Brunswick N.S.
There is a video on CZcams where this plane was in Scotland and had trouble and could not fly from Loch Ness. The video is about the repairs and rescue. Posts with links are not always published so search for the channel "Wonder" or the title "Rescuing Rare Catalina Warplane Before It's Lost Forever | Loch Ness: Plane Rescue | Wonder"
My Dad served in the RNZAF in a Catalina squadron in the Pacific during WW2 as a navigator gunner
They served in the Solomon Islands including Guadalcanal, I can't remember if it was No5 or No6 Squadron
I think they are a beautiful aircraft, we have one flying in New Zealand and it is sometimes stationed here in New Plymouth where I was lucky enough to be able to climb inside and have a good look around
My USN Dad loved the Catalina. Flew it all over during WWII and later. He especially liked the overhead throttles! He was a real stick-and-rudder guy so the Catalina was perfect for him.
Great piece, but why describe it as the 'most underrated'? Widely revered would be closer to the mark!
My dad, a WW2 pilot, had a friend in San Francisco who bought one of these as surplus, took the wings off, converted it into a houseboat built a viewing port on the bottom with a light at night to sit and watch the fish go by. I was very young but I still remember!
I remember seeing a Cat converted to a houseboat on the Murray River, South Australia sometime in the sixties. The RAAF operated 168 Cats , they were withdrawn from service in 1950 so I guess quite a few were sold as surplus.
Just an awesome aircraft. Thank you IWM for putting the spotlight on it. 👍
I live in Darwin Australia where there were two Catalina bases, also Sunderlands and a Qantas base before the war. There are a number of sunken Cats in the Harbor. There was for many years a derelict Catalina lying in the mangroves up what is known as East Arm of the Darwin harbor.
Thank you for flying and educating us! I love this plane!!
Catalina is an island off San Diego and Orange County in California. It DID NOT have any factories. It was famous for the movie stars who would go there on weekends for weekend fun. The Consolidated factory was actually located at the current location of the San Diego International Airport which is not far from downtown San Diego.
PBY Catalina’s were delivered to the U.S. Navy by taxiing them across San Diego Bay to what is now Coronado N.A.S. The concrete ramp they used to taxi out of the water and onto Coronado is still there and is easily visible when sailing past.
I worked for a guy who was the Navigator on a Canso. The first story at 8:39 sounds a lot like what he told me about what happened. He deeply regretted the sinking of the U-Boat "50 men went down with that damn boat"
My grandad flew one for the RCAF, first on the Atlantic (not sure where he flew out of) and then for the remainder of the war, from Tofino BC - with 4 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron on Vancouver Island. Beautiful aircraft. I have a photo of him in the pilot's seat, taken from behind, a photo of his particular ship and one of his squadron, gathered on and around a Catalina
My Dad was a radio operator in PBYs in the Aleutians in WWII. On his first training flight the radio operator he was training under had a huge can of pencils that he would work on sharpening when they had idle time. He thought it was odd since how many pencils are you going to use to take down messages? When they came in to land in heavy seas rivets started popping out of the hull and the radio operator would take a sharpened pencil, jam it in the hole, and snap it off. 😉
My father, Robert Clapp Aviation Metalsmith 2C, repaired PBY's at U.S. Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in the early part of the WWII. As a youngster I marveled at his stories of sometimes having to make a hull repair while swimming in the bay. On one occasion, he had dislocated the middle finger of his right hand. He went to Sick Bay to have it relocated. While there Medical Officers decided to remove his appendix just because. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!
That is a awesome compilation !
Great video, thanks. The Catalina is beautiful in its perfection of design, one of my three favourite aircraft along with the Supermarine Spitfire and the Boeing 747.
I have ALWAYS thought that the Catalina would make a wonderful flying camper.
Imagine living in it while traversing here, there and everywhere.
What a great idea 😊
There was at least one such conversion built; the fabled Landseaire.
czcams.com/video/9TaBTjHVx6A/video.html
Really liked to listen to jeff explain everything
Bless you all! The Catalina is absolutely my favorite aircraft of all time. One of the few military aircraft that probably saved more lives than it took.
Lovely, wonderful, life-saving aircraft. Great video; thanks.
Excellent info sir, keep it flying!
Great video thanks for posting.
I've never thought of the PBY as underrated. It's range alone made it immensely useful. The Thunderbolt P47 might be the underrated overachiever of the war.
The Catalina is one of my favorite aircraft of WWII. I think it’s beautiful.
Looks like someone's been reading my Quora answer about the Catalina as being the most underrated ww2 aircraft. Glad it inspired an informative video!
Yesterday whilst waiting outside the home of one of my customers in Stubbington near Lee-On-Solent (Hampshire, UK) I heard and then saw what I think must have been a Catalina which had just taken off from the small airfield which lays between Stubbington and Lee.
It was very noisy! A magnificent sight, but sadly my view was restricted by trees and buildings.
Just along the coast at Tangmere (near Chichester, West Sussex) there are a few Spitfires which regularly fly along the coast, and I get to see them on a fequent basis.
It's great that dedicated people such as the presenter of this video have chosen to restore and maintain these wonderful aircraft.
Saw this wonderful aircraft take flight at duxford 50th anniversary last year. What a sight to see
Well done! the gent doing the narration was spot on and well spoken. We are losing these men daily to time. thankfully we have places like youtube etc to preserve these moments
My Dad flew those, Air Sea Rescue in the Gulf of Mexico late in the war. They would carry a whole sheaf of pencils so that if you popped a rivet you would jam in a pencil and break it off and thus seal the leak...had bunks on board for long range flights and they had two or three bilge pumps.
My great Uncle flew Catalina's in WW2 and Korea, It is one of my favorite airframes.
A Catalina is what my grandfather was Aircraft Chief Machinist Mate on when his squadron went into battle and he got downed and earned his Navy Cross
My pop was a USN man. He bought me my first airplane model, a Revell PBY-Catalina. I was about six or seven years old. Pop told me it was a rescue aircraft. At any rate, that kit was the first of dozens and I continued model building all through my eight years of active duty.
Excellent video. Very informative. Great aircraft.
Really interesting, I always look out for it when I go past the museum!
That nose art should never have been banned!
I'd love to have met that model!!!
My father was in the Royal Canadian Air Force squadron 162. At age 19, he flew anti-sub patrols from Iceland in Canso aircraft. The Canadian Canso was not painted ... just silver metal. His crew sank one U-boat, captured another and flew weapons to Norwegian resistance fighters from Wick in northern Scotland. His log book shows the longest flight was 18 hours. I believe that was a U-boat suppression flight flying a box pattern ahead of the high speed Queen Mary, then acting as a troop carrier.
Respect.
Saw one of these Giants at Air Show last year. Just awe inspiring
It's incredible to see this aircraft flying! It looks great in it's current scheme.
Big Beautiful Cat ! Thank you for this presentation. Be safe and keep on flying !
One of the most beautiful machines ever built
I’ve always loved this gorgeous plane. In the mid sixties I had a gas engined, string controlled PBY model. I loved it! It flew so well…
Great video, love a VC story as well 😄
I've learned a lot about the B-17 through the years. My father was in B-17s and PBYs. But I never knew much about the pby other than Dad slept in it as well as flew in it! The rats couldn't get you out in the bay! He came home with some of the winter gear for those long flights! He snuck into the war when he was 16, was in the air before he was 18! God bless the greatest generation, we wouldn't be here without them!!
Fascinating and informative
My dad actually obtained one of these finally after that war that he served in