The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka was an one-mission plane with a bomb-sized warhead at the front, solid-fuel rocket engine in the rear and the pilot wedged in-between them. We take you through how it works and how it was deployed. Ohka meaning Cherry Blossom, was used by the Japanese as a desperate attempt to change the course of the war. Let us know in the comments what you think of our new channel, what you would like to see and if we got something wrong.
The Messerschmitt Me-262A-1 "Schwalbe" ("Swallow") was the first mass produced jet fighter in the world that entered combat. With its maximum speed of 540 mph this sleek bird outran every allied fighter at the end of WW2. It was not a "wonder weapon" but it was still an outstanding and pioneering design. The Me-262 went into production too late to significantly impact the course of the war. We will show you how this plane works, what was good and what bad qualities the Swallow had and how Me-262 was used in its role as an interceptor. Tell us in the comments below what you think about this plane and please tell us where we made any errors.
The F4U-4 Corsair was produced for longer than any other American piston-engine fighter. Its design started in 1939 and the last planes retired from military service in the late 1970s. It's last aerial victory was achieved in 1969, well into the jet age. In this film we show you F4U-4 version - the last one created by the Chance-Vought Company that designed this plane originally. This variant served both during the last campaigns of Second World War through to the Korean War.
The M4 Sherman was the second most mass-produced tank in history. Its robust and easy-to-maintain construction made the Sherman the main "workhorse" of the US Armed Forces in WW2 and many US allies all around the world for several decades afterwards. We show you the M4A3(76)W HVSS a.k.a. the M4A3E8 variant of the Sherman, or Easy Eight as it was usually called. This model of Sherman tank participated in the battles of 1944-45 in Europe, in the Korean War and even saw action in Vietnam.
The Flying Fortress. A name that conjures up images of brave young men conducting daylight raids deep in enemy territory, far from home. The B-17 was bristling with defensive weapons and could also carry a heavy bomb load to distant locations. It rapidly became the symbol of US air power of early 1940s. We take you inside the B-17F to expose how it worked, how it was operated and the tactics that made it a formidable offensive and defensive weapon. It's reputation and achievements have made the B-17 one of the most iconic and recognizable aircraft in the history of aviation.
The B-17 Ball turret. Every military aviation fan has looked at this iconic piece of ww2 equipment and wondered how on earth anyone could be brave enough to spend a mission inside this cramped, cold and exposed environment. This small sphere was tightly packed with weapons, ammo, sophisticated mechanisms and one brave gunner who had to contort himself into position. This gunner was usually the shortest guy in the crew and his job was exceptionally tough. If you ever wanted to know more about the details of how the ball turret worked, what it was like to operate and its secrets then this is the video for you.
The Kaiten was one of the special attack craft developed in Japan in the later years of WW2. A Kamikaze weapon, it was designed to take its pilot on a one-way trip. It was effectively an enlarged crewed torpedo, combining in its design engineering solutions typical for torpedoes and for midget submarines. I was the brainchild of two IJN officers who perished in their own creation. In some ways it was an impressive underwater craft, that could reach the fastest underwater speed for any crewed submersible at that time. The best of the best young of officers from the Navy underwent dangerous training, improving the design and tactics in the process. They were ordered to conduct training runs again and again only to be sent on fruitless missions in a futile attempt to 'turn the Heaven's will' and thwart Allied offensive.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is the most produced single-seat fighter aircraft in history. The Bf 109 went through many modifications during its service which enabled its use in various combat conditions. It was used in tropical environments of Africa as well as in cold conditions of the Eastern Front, it was the Luftwaffe`s offensive weapon during the Battle of Britain, and at the end of the war an important part of the last line of German defense. In this film, we will show you the Bf 109 G-6 nicknamed Die Beule. Although the operational use of this variant started in early 1943 when the tide of war began to turn in favor of the Allies, the G-6 proved to be a highly successful and lethal fighter against enemy aircraft. Thanks to the Finnish Air Force Museum for their help in researching this film.
The Horten Ho-229 was the world's first jet-powered flying wing. This was the third prototype of this advanced German aircraft that never saw combat. It was developed in the late stages of the WW2 when Germany desperately needed new weapons to change the course of war. The design of the Ho-229 was an attempt to produce a fast and highly maneuverable jet. In the decades after the war the aircraft became famous for its unusual shape and resemblance to the modern, B-2 stealth bomber, sparking questions about its alleged stealth capabilities. But was it really stealth? In this film we will answer this question, and show you how it was constructed eight decades ago.
This is a compilation of the inside of some of the most legendary, influential, and terrifying machines that ruled the skies during the Second World War. Bf 109, B-17 Flying Fortress, F4U Corsair, Me-262, MXY-7 Ohka. All machines etched into the pages of history in tales of heroism and tragedy. This is the engineering behind them.
The V3 London gun was designed as revenge weapon by Germany and designed to be permanently aimed at London 100 miles away. If fully built this would have been the longest gun in history. With a barrel over 440 feet long, that could hurl projectiles at speeds in excess of Mach 4. The Germans were built a huge underground complex in Northern France that was designed to house 25 of these guns to ensure a continuous bombardment of London.
The most feared tank of World War II, the King Tiger—also known as the Tiger II—was a monstrous fusion of firepower, armor, and ambition. Weighing nearly 70 tons and armed with the devastating 88mm KwK 43 gun, it dominated battlefields with an unmatched combination of firing range and defense. Designed to break through the enemy lines, it represented the absolute peak of German tank engineering—an apex predator in steel. But beneath its imposing exterior lay a litany of flaws: original but unreliable engineering solutions, many complex systems, and exorbitant production cost. In this episode of blue paw print, we explore in detail the awesome King Tiger.
The V2 ballistic missile was the first long range mass produced ballistic missile. It was also the first man-made object that went beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The V2 was designed to be the ultimate attack weapon of WW2. One that no plane could intercept, no gun could shoot down and no counter measures could affect. It struck without warning and left ruin in its wake. But was the V2 truly an effective weapon? Did this missile give the Germans a chance to win the war? In this film we will analyze how this rocket worked, what impact it had on the outcome of WW2 and what was the greatest legacy of the genius of the V2 design.
The MiG-21 was the world’s most-produced jet fighter: a Soviet machine that shattered the Mach 2 barrier and became the first Soviet aircraft equipped with heat-seeking missiles. From the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Middle East, this overclocked jet left American strategists stunned and forced the Pentagon to rethink its air war doctrine. The many high-speed clashes between MiG-21s and Phantoms over Vietnam are etched in the history of aerial warfare. What secrets gave the MiG-21 it’s unmatched longevity across six decades of service in over 60 nations and how could such a minimalist design take on and sometimes defeat far more sophisticated Western jets? We take you inside the MiG-21 and show how it was built, how it flew, and how it fought.
Few aircraft in history are as feared, loved, and debated as the A-10 Warthog. The A-10 Thunderbolt II—better known as the “Warthog”—was built to survive and to save lives on the ground. Originally conceived as a Cold War tank destroyer, it went under appreciated for years, only to become a sensation on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Once derided in the 1980s as an “ugly duckling,” it ultimately emerged as a guardian angel for thousands of American soldiers on the ground. Why did the GAU-8 Avenger’s unmistakable “BRRRT” strike fear into enemies? How could the Warthog keep flying through damage that would destroy other jets? And why did the Air Force recently retire the Warthog, despite its cult status and fierce opposition from the Army?