Please support my work here! My FREE WWII History Newsletter: tj3history.ck.page/0440475ff7 OR go above and beyond and join my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/TJ3History -Thanks so much for watching - See you next time!
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Historical notes: Everything should be pretty accurate here! Only notes: This is not a Taylorcraft shown in training, but the closest aircraft I had available to use. Also, Don, being in the Navy used various Hellcats throughout his missions. However, for clarity - he will be flying Hellcat 115 throughout this series just for clarity! Part 2 coming soon! Thanks for watching :)
@patrickunderwood5662
7 ай бұрын
What is that aircraft? Looks like a PZL but I can’t place it.
@simtalkayak
7 ай бұрын
It looks french, what is it?
@ArcticNemo
7 ай бұрын
Taylorcraft is pretty much a Piper Cub without flaps... Surely you had an O-59 model available.
@brookeshenfield7156
7 ай бұрын
I really enjoy your work. Thank you and Aloha!
@rustysteed8414
7 ай бұрын
Did not know folks had TV's in 1945. Great video.
@alexpodtburg7410
6 ай бұрын
Don is a very dear friend and goes to my church. He is the most humble man I know and never tells his story to brag. Thank you so much for sharing his story and giving everyone a chance to visualize what he went through.
@sally-sp8ee
6 ай бұрын
Don Knotts ?
@bobrusso-c8o
6 ай бұрын
Very cool that he has lived so long. I looked him up. He is 102!
@sally-sp8ee
6 ай бұрын
BS
@robertcaccavalla6469
5 ай бұрын
@@sally-sp8ee no, Don Macpherson
@warfarenotwarfair5655
4 ай бұрын
@@sally-sp8eeThere are 16mil veterans in the United States. Veterans are everywhere in America.
@dairyqueenshake6719
7 ай бұрын
This story is amazing, the extra effort and resources that you've been putting into your content hasn't gone unnoticed TJ, thank you!
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Thanks so much!!
@LancelotChan
7 ай бұрын
That was such a close call... engine quit and got hit losing rudder!
@rodneywalden5358
7 ай бұрын
I love to hear these old warriors talk
@nickradner5325
2 ай бұрын
Same. National treasures. Isn’t it wild to think these were the hardest men history made. And on all sides. Old age gives them all a reflective and calm attitude? Never cease to amaze me
@Spitfiresammons
7 ай бұрын
The Grumman Hellcat is a lovely US navy aircraft even the British FAA pilots love the Hellcat too during the Europe and the pacific campaign I can’t wait for part 2 story.
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Thanks!!
@briancooper2112
7 ай бұрын
British pilots likes the F4U too.
@Kirk-kz5sf
4 ай бұрын
My father instructed rockets at Ream Field. His last tour was on the Lexington and VF-20. So was Alex Vraciu. The fleet was hammered by Kamikazes. Dad and Alex in the new model -5s approached via the treetops and destroyed a Kamikaze airbase. The model 5 had hydraulic controls for easier handling--compared to wires in the -3. The F6F was a forgiving warbird and stable at landing approach--compared to the F4U, which had a tendency to snap roll, thus the term "Marine Killer."
@papalegba6796
3 ай бұрын
FAA pilots loved the wildcat too. It was perfect for convoy protection duties flying off small escort carriers.
@travelbugse2829
7 ай бұрын
Many thanks - wonderful to hear Don's story. He recounts it like most of us would for a trip to the supermarket. He's undoubtedly one of America's heroes. Best wishes from London UK.
@Atpost334
7 ай бұрын
Fantastic story and another great video. My Dad was in VF-82 flying off of the Bennington in a Hellcat. He often talked about fighting when they were anchored off of Ulithi Atoll. Brings back a lot of memories.
@paulmanson253
7 ай бұрын
Consider writing down your recollections. Otherwise the stories will be lost.
@Atpost334
7 ай бұрын
@@paulmanson253 I actually have been doing that. Also very blessed by the fact that my Dad kept a detailed journal and also sat down and did 2 different oral history’s some years ago.
@paulmanson253
7 ай бұрын
@@Atpost334 So much the better. My own father was a navigator in the RCN. Like many vets,he never spoke of things. Oh,lighting a pipe on an open bridge in the North Atlantic,breakfast of canned tomatoes and bacon,but put the rest into silence. So detailed stuff such as you have is literally priceless.
@jamesharvey8374
7 ай бұрын
My father was also in vf82 on the Bennington. I have his flight log from that time. Eugene K Harvey.
@01ZO6TT
7 ай бұрын
Looking forward to part 2. The Hellcat is one of my favorite airplanes from WW2. Great story.
@JasonMcCord-qk3yb
7 ай бұрын
Mine too. They are an absolute flying tank, when it comes to taking fire.
@warbuzzard7167
7 ай бұрын
Best fighter of WW2, because of what it empowered Naval Aviators to do.
@DRFelGood
7 ай бұрын
Thank you for your service, courage and sacrifice for our country ❤️🇺🇸
@BaldJohnnyRhythm
7 ай бұрын
My great-uncle Don was an F6F Hellcat plane captain and trained folks on maintaining them.
@JasonMcCord-qk3yb
7 ай бұрын
Great video, as always! Don is a great storyteller, as well! Thank you, Don, for your service!
@JUNKERS488
7 ай бұрын
Another great video TJ you never let us down. Thanks for all the hard work and time you put into making these incredible videos for us. Pleas " Keep 'Em Flyin"
@jimc6687
7 ай бұрын
Wow! Top shelf reporting/production and interview once again, TJ! Jim C.
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Thanks Jim!
@matrox
7 ай бұрын
00:43 Pilot Don McFearson was fearsonless and showed know fearson as he flew his F6F against the enemy.
@ProfRage
7 ай бұрын
I was on the edge of my seat..! Great story.
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@rednef71
Ай бұрын
I love the detailed history you give. I thought I knew every detail of WWII until I watched your videos….also I haven’t played War Thunder for years. It really looks amazing now! Subscribed!!
@p38cobra
Ай бұрын
Very Good Documentary with great guest (Thank You for your service) and the Franklin debacle
@lil2nerdy645
7 ай бұрын
As a testament to the durability of the Essex class carriers none were sunk in combat during the war despite many ships of the class having suffered major damage and of the ones that entered service during the war only two (USS Franklin and USS Bunker Hill) were decommissioned after the war due to severe battle damage.
@arlangodthaab3672
5 ай бұрын
I had an uncle aboard the Essex. He was only seventeen when assigned to the ship. A few days after his first Kamikaze attack (or maybe it was the first air attack during his duty), he noticed what looked like gray hairs beginning to push through his scalp. By the time the war ended and he was discharged, the hair on his entire head was solid gray. He was handsome, he was funny and a great singer. God bless all the pilots and seamen aboard the USS Essex. I thank them for their sacrifice, their devotion to duty, and the extreme nature of their service.
@milesvanrothow2067
7 ай бұрын
A great story. I have so much respect for these old-timers and what they went through in WW2.
@craighansen7594
7 ай бұрын
First, I have to thank those serving and who have served our country. I remember as a child my father, a US Army Captain at the time, and I went to a military aircraft salvage yard. I wanted to take everything there home with me. I can still recall the sight of all types of aircraft lined up in rows just like the automobile salvage yards, it was incredible!
@stevenbailey8743
7 ай бұрын
Wow! Whoever created these graphics is fabuous! Well done on the entire vid!
@AZTrigger
7 ай бұрын
The animations in your videos are the best I have seen- well done!
@dr.frankenphoon6254
7 ай бұрын
Outstanding! Your videos are getting better and better! Can hardly wait 'till the next one.
@stevo196two9
7 ай бұрын
I saw one of those hellcats start up and idle over at Cheetle airport in California. I was probably 100 feet away man that thing was loud. I thought I open head hot rock was wild. Everyone of those airplanes were open headers😅😅😅
@stevo196two9
7 ай бұрын
Sorry, Chino airport
@outinthesticks1035
4 ай бұрын
From what I have heard , when air forces started doing night ops one of the factors they had to deal with was loss of night vision caused by the open flame coming out of the exhaust. Can remember hearing that one of the first things visible on a plane was the exhaust flame
@maralyn-pi2zl
5 ай бұрын
I love to hear these old warriors talk
@CinimodNorton
7 ай бұрын
An old friend, I worked with 30ish years ago, served on a cruiser during this battle and some others. He died a few years ago, sad loss.
@rrtownsend6432
7 ай бұрын
F6F is one of my favorite propeller driven warplanes. F4U, P-51 and the P-38 were a close second. Thanks for your videos. RT
@FrancisSullivan-j7t
5 ай бұрын
I agree!!!
@FrancisSullivan-j7t
5 ай бұрын
P 47 razor back
@johnphillips8922
4 ай бұрын
Crazy a big plane like the P38 was so fast and maneuverable. Pilots loves them, well I guess they loved them all. They say the Corsair was great but don’t hear as much about it
@BTillman48
5 ай бұрын
What a pleasant surprise to see Don's video. He contributed memories to "August 1945: When the Shooting Stopped." A rare perspective by the time I wrote the book. As others have noted, the video's completely weird contraption at 3:30 onward defies comprehension. CGI options for U.S. trainers of the era appear online including the Stearman PT-17 (Navy N2S). Around 18 and 20 minutes: CGI carriers are Saratoga and Enterprise; definitely not Essex class. However: Certainly looking forward to Part 2.
@williamkrusejr1846
7 ай бұрын
The plane taking off of CV 18 was USS WASP that my Dad served on as a Aviation metalsmith 1st class he lost a lot of friends on the Franklin
@HornetCinematics
7 ай бұрын
Wonderful video as always! Fascinating story with awesome visuals as well (we all love Sparky)
@vger9084
7 ай бұрын
And here I thought the Corsair was the Sweetheart of Okinawa 🤣🤣🤣
@born2fly1948
7 ай бұрын
Great work, thank you.
@garychynne1377
4 күн бұрын
muchas gracias.i enjoy your movies.
@davidshettlesworth1442
7 ай бұрын
Thank you for your service and sacrifice. A True Warrior and Patriot!
@brianford8493
6 ай бұрын
'Vandal Havoc!'..... Brilliant as usual...ta chap!✌️
@dragonsthorn3245
6 ай бұрын
I knew a veteran who was on Iwo Jima, he told me a couple of stories about it. I don't remember if he was one of the group raising the flag or was just present for it, but he was on the summit when it was raised after capturing the island. He told me of the two closest times he knows of for sure that he was to getting killed, once while they were pushing forward a bullet ricocheted off the side of his helmet. The other was a little more sobering, he was in a mortar crater using it as a foxhole with a squad of other guys. They had been in there for several minutes before he had a feeling of he had to move, he ignored it for several minutes before he finally broke and started running, he made it about 10 steps before a mortar landed in the hole and killed everyone in it, and knocking him off his feet. Luckily he wasn't injured and managed to scramble into another hole before getting shot. He was lucky enough to make it through the fight for the island mostly uninjured. He also mentioned that the closest depiction of how bad the war was in a movie was Saving Private Ryan. The D-Day scene was too much for him, he had to get up and leave the theater because it brought back unpleasant memories. I wish I had spent more time talking with him, but he moved back to California several months after our last conversation, sadly he's since passed away.
@larryyoung5757
7 ай бұрын
Great story by a humble hero.
@StarPilotXY
4 ай бұрын
This is awesome! I'm obsessed with ww2 arial stuff.
@johnheart6890
7 ай бұрын
Excellent!
@davidbigbee3556
7 ай бұрын
Another amazing download!!!!!
@luckyguy600
7 ай бұрын
I really like these interviews. Because we all know that sooner than later ... There will be no more. And it will all just be history.
@ruxpercnd
4 ай бұрын
Great job, TJ.
@airthrowDBT
7 ай бұрын
I'm starting to suspect Mr. McPherson really appreciated the Hellcat's 2000HP!
@KennethMcDonald-i7o
7 ай бұрын
Oh my gosh my grandfather Kenneth green mcdonald died on the uss Franklin on March 19th. He was asleep in the barracks after a long night on battle duty. He was killed when the second bomb hit the deck causing the massive destruction taken by the Franklin.
@KennethMcDonald-i7o
7 ай бұрын
He was a mechanic aboard the Franklin. Thank you for covering this.
@veekatore8983
5 ай бұрын
Many Japanese Aces met their end thinking the new Hellcat was the under powered Wildcat. A tacit the Japanese would utilize is having a Wildcat chase them straight up, then stall and the Zero would swoop down for a easy kill but then to sell a Hellcat gaining as they turned down and be ripped to shreds but it's 6 -50 cals.. The Hellcat had the highest kill ratio at 19 to1. The Corsair had a 11 to 1 Kill ratio. The hellcat downed 5,156 enemy aircraft in just two years, accounting for 75 percent of the Navy's aerial victories during the war.
@coffeecocaine8878
7 ай бұрын
May God bless all our vets
@Xanthrochroid
7 ай бұрын
Just one thing: no one was watching these film clips at home on television during the war. People saw newsreels at their local movie theaters. At home, news came over the radio.
@JSFGuy
7 ай бұрын
Showed up this time.
@nickradner5325
2 ай бұрын
I love this man
@atomant451
7 ай бұрын
From my understanding is that the Wild Cat would be forced into a Vertical with the Zero and would stall out, making an easy pray for the Zero, the Japanese took advantage of this. However since the Wild Cat and the Hell Cat are almost identical the Japanese mistook the Hell Cat for a Wild Cat and forced a vertical, however the Hell Cat had a bigger weight to thrust than the Wild Cat and could out climb the Zero in the vertical and then the Zero was the first to stall out and the the Hell Cat would pounce, nothing easier than shooting down a plane that is out of control, and then the Japanese had no idea, Wild Cat, Hell Cat they had no idea and their one advantage was lost.
@karlheinzvonkroemann2217
6 ай бұрын
This is a very late war story. The F6F was a great plane and we Americans had tons of them and tons of pilots against a collapsing Japanese Empire. The Japanese had some pretty good fighters (Army and Navy) but their training programs were severely lacking. Add to this the huge and increasing fuel problems across the entire Japanese military and the fact that Japan at the time was a fourth rate industrial power. A small correction for the editors. Kyushu IS a part of mainland Japan. My was father in the USMC and made four landings on Japanese controlled islands in the Central Pacific as a member of the 4th Marine Division. Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. Luckily he was never badly wounded and made it back home intact.
@georges.patton4241
7 ай бұрын
How are yall getting some off the cockpits open in warthunder?
@hariszark7396
7 ай бұрын
Is this a mod of WT or vanilla? Because the WT I was playing 2-3 years ago was nothing like that....😮
@davefellhoelter1343
6 ай бұрын
One gramps a Seabee, another B 17's ETO, one RCAC, RAF, and USAAC, one mabe AVG or Tigers, an Uncle on the Mighty Mo, others oilers, Gramma and other Uncle was Air Powers RnD developments Burbank, Palmdale, and Long Beach. RIP GREATEST!
@theminutemen1275
7 ай бұрын
Great Video!
@philgiglio7922
4 ай бұрын
In those days Gruman was known as 'the Iron works'
@ericsahagun5344
7 ай бұрын
As much as of these documentary on World War II whether it's naval infantry or air 16 minutes into this 25 minute video and I'm bored to tears When is the action going to start?
@musicwerks
7 ай бұрын
Salute!!!
@Everythingallthetime666
7 ай бұрын
"Stroke of treachery" sounds like metal band or an S&M movie.
@cheyeannepaulette7042
7 ай бұрын
great Storie as usual the hellcat is definitely one of my favourite ww2 planes now 👍keep up the amazing videos 😀
@Rob-157
7 ай бұрын
Good job on the video. 👍🇺🇸
@MGB-learning
7 ай бұрын
Great video
@mebeasensei
7 ай бұрын
17:06 "When we got to ______???________nara? airfield..." ah.. i see... Nittagahara, Miyazaki, Kyushu.
@ReaA-nn2jx
5 ай бұрын
The greatest generation, words cannot do them the respect and admiration of what these folks will always deserve. No fanfare , no gloating , completely devoid of b.s. always giving you the basic truths of what they need you to understand. Little need to expand on thier tails of combat, they're just doing thier job and nothing more ! That is what i always find in common with every ww2 vet i've ever had the honor to converse with. Is what i call 'American exceptuallism'.
@kennedymcgovern5413
6 ай бұрын
Interesting. I never heard of this hit on the Franklin before. But from what I do know, I can add some context. By the time we had all of the Essex Carriers at sea, and we were attacking Kyushu and Honshu...the nips were done for. Their fleet could not move because they were out of oil. They were down to the bottom of the barrel in terms of pilots. They were in the process of training their women and old men to kill our Marines and Soldiers with bamboo spears when the land invasion happened. They were gassing up the aircraft they had left with just enough fuel to get from the airstrips to the landing beaches for one way Kamikazi runs. This says there was a single dive bomber. That makes sense, because they did not have the fuel to send a whole squadron. I imagine it was probably easier to slip a single aircraft through than a squadron. This sounds very much like we got over confident, went to sleep, and got sucker punched as a result.
@davidgarbersr.8065
7 ай бұрын
It was a damn shame what the C O did to his crew after that attack o the Franklin.
@jacksavage7808
7 ай бұрын
Great video. One of the best channels for content.
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Thank you!!
@23tha11
7 ай бұрын
Hi tj im only 11years old and i love your vlogs always form the Philippines
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for watching!!
@ambiention
5 ай бұрын
Correct Kyushu pronunciation = “queue + shoe”
@paulgregg722
7 ай бұрын
Excellent.
@pencilpauli9442
6 ай бұрын
What is the parasol aircraft in which Don is talking to his instructor during a spin? Looks like a French Loire, a single seater and not a two seat trainer 🤷♀🤷♀
@deadbol8090
4 ай бұрын
707 horse power is crazy
@OG-Productions
7 ай бұрын
Nice
@RandallSoong-pp7ih
7 ай бұрын
Awesome!!
@bbrf033
7 ай бұрын
A good video, but i was misled by the title. Scant info about the F6F
@brianandjillianadamson5479
7 ай бұрын
Good story of a brave man's experience. Mind you, the mispronunciation of a good Highland surname! ('mik-ferr-sun' rather than.. ah, no matter.. LOL)
@danielgregg2530
3 ай бұрын
Terrific interview. The CGI and narration have issues.
@matrox
7 ай бұрын
02:19 I too watched the attack on Pearl Harbor live on TV as it happened. Seems like just yesterday.
@jamescherney5874
7 ай бұрын
Navy never had anything close to that plane depicted in the training sequence. Also please use the full screen when showing the actual combat footage. Shrinking it in that TV screen makes it harder to see. Otherwise great job!
@airplayn
3 ай бұрын
Why did you usi something that looks like a Polish PZL fighter (even had four 30 cal machine gun pods) to represent his Navy trainer when he clearly stated he was flying in a Taylorcraft?
@thomashenshallhydraxis
7 ай бұрын
That must of been a hell of a spot to be in … a hellcat pilot. If I was in WW2 I would have wanted to fly and not be a ground pounder. I was a ground pounder in Iraq; wish I could have flown.
@fishbike9103
7 ай бұрын
Could that be Lowell Thomas reporting on Pearl Harbor?
@markmencer9244
3 ай бұрын
Earcraft? Ear power? Were they pilots or otorhinolaryngologists?
@ArcticNemo
7 ай бұрын
Though there are certainly sexier fighters out there, we could have gotten through the war quite handily with the Hellcat and the Thunderbolt. Dunno if we ever really needed the Corsair or P-51
@robertmarsh3588
7 ай бұрын
Don't forget, neither were in the front line till 1943. You can make a case for not needing the Corsair, but the P-51 was pretty important in Europe, though the Thunderbolt could have done a much better escort job if it had been fitted with drop tanks earlier.
@williamortner7495
7 ай бұрын
why the news reels on tv-no tv then
@jarentz
7 ай бұрын
Yeah 🤣🤣🤣 there were TVs in 1941? Actually there were but hardly anyone would have owned one.
@edcew8236
7 ай бұрын
What is that trainer aircraft? Don't recognize it as a normal trainer... And wouldn't they learn the SNJ before going to the Hellcat? Good videos, but...
@TJ3
7 ай бұрын
Yes. SNJ came after this trainer. And this is a French aircraft painted as an American trainer, as I am limited by my flight simulators.
@kevingouldrup9265
7 ай бұрын
I'm an army man but I tell you if I was a young man in WW2 I would want to be in the U.S. Navy in the war! The last mother loving all out Navy war!
@fishbike9103
7 ай бұрын
Where the hell is “KAIushu”?
@otadashi1570
4 ай бұрын
The strategic value of the airstrips on Iwo Jima was a complete lie. When the 5 days of expected fighting turned into 37 days of death, those who ordered the attack had to come up with something to explain the disaster. So, they made up a lie about needing the airstrips. Those who made the call without knowing anything about Iwo Jima should have been run out of the military. About 6 weeks later the US attacks Okinawa and takes over airfields there making the attack on Iwo Jima completely worthless.
@brooksroth345
7 ай бұрын
Later the navy court marshalled any sailor who abandoned ship no matter why. Pure viciousness by the sorry excuse of the Franklin's captain. These court marshalled sailors were later exonerated fifty years later. This incident was covered up by the navy. Hundreds of lives were ruined this way.
@paulbriggs3072
7 ай бұрын
There were no televisions in the US in WWII.
@heydonray
5 ай бұрын
You lost me with the goofy training aircraft animation…..
@mygremlin1
7 ай бұрын
TJ3 Please stop the little T.V. screen. It's ridiculas
@PeterLukeable
4 ай бұрын
Adjust the tone on his voice. It's way to midrangey, hard to understand!
@danieliglesias1669
4 ай бұрын
Oh boy, the “cadence” of some “KZitem narrators”of saying just like 3 to 5 words snd then stop,4words then stop, 3words, the stop, then 4 words thn stop….. sounds so fake and so fake…amd annoying. The heroic s tories of these men deserves better. 🤔🇨🇺🇺🇸
@jeffgoesrandom4217
7 ай бұрын
Listen to me. Good stories, but your intro ads last for almost half a minute. I won't watch your videos. 5 seconds is the norm. I think you have a choice. Have some respect. Over.
@dareisnogod5711
3 ай бұрын
👎👎👎Why the christ do you say KA-YOU SHOO ? You can see it is written Kyushu, Q-shoo. I'm told I shouldn't complain since the average american ( H.S. grad ) has trouble with his native language.
@bobtate6812
7 ай бұрын
Feb 29 2024 , Loosing NATO forces desperation resorts to killing 24 civilians in the city of Donetsk downtown, eastern Ukraine.
@Sunbeard.9
2 ай бұрын
O.k Russian bot what ever you say.Not!!!!!
@bobtate6812
2 ай бұрын
@@Sunbeard.9 Name calling? Felling helpless? Depressed? Things do not go your way? All NATO combined is only 15% of world population. Guess what other 85 thinks about you clowns?
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