Update: Feedback Needed

Hey Bill, kill claims and confirmations were always dealt with by the country that inflicted them. As such, it would have been the USAAF that would have looked into who from the Tuskagee shot down what German/Italian aircraft when and where. The country that sustained these losses generally did not care what pilot inflicted them, save on what mission, day and potentially the type of aircraft involved. The likelihood that any information exists in Germany on squadrons like the Tuskagee airmen is pretty much next to zero, because such information doesn't really exist for any enemy squadron - it wasn't relevant. The only thing that matter to the Germans was what enemy squadrons were in the area, how many and what aircraft they flew. Who specifically flew the aircraft is superfluous information in that regard. It would be nice to have such information but it was inconsequential during war time. All the best, Bis

Military Aviation History

Some years ago, someone called my attention to how no African American fighter pilot in World War 2 was ever declared an ace. I've also seen that the "Red Tails" squadrons, assigned to bomber escort duty, did occasionally lose a bomber. But they stuck to the bombers, rather than go for air-to-air kill glory. The black pilots were thinking, big, thinking long-term, thinking of how they were under whitey's microscope, and had to be twice as good to get half the credit. But I still wonder if there was even one black pilot who downed 5 German or Italian aircraft. Where would the evidence be? Maybe after-action debriefings of Axis pilots would include reports of individual aircraft markings on American escort aircraft. I've thought of how finding the evidence would probably require a white man who could speak fluent German, and convince the archivists that he was doing anything but looking for evidence of African American aces. I remember one English teacher, who said that when she escorted a group of students, traveling in Germany, that the blond students were shown preferential treatment in restaurants. I'd be surprised if the same, probably genetic, tendency to be much more comfortable with those like ourselves, didn't pop up everywhere, somehow. So I'm not saying Germans are any different from anyone else. I just know that means they're like everyone else, and probability says there's someone in the archives who would interfere with such research, and that person needs to be diverted to looking elsewhere. No black-themed research going on here. Bis, would you be able and willing to do that research? I"m 61, and the best job I've been able to get and keep, with my disabilities, is as a part-time janitor. So I'm highly unlikely to be able to work through years learning to speak German, and still wouldn't be able to afford travel to the German military archives. Just asking.

Bill Lemmond

How about something on how to find and use archive sources for the ameteur historian?

Dave Saunders

Bis, a topic suggestion? Why did Germany go with *inverted* engines? After all the earlier and very successful BMW IV was upright, and earlier still in WW1 it was upright. It suddenly went inverted with DB600 series and Jumo 211 series. Many reasons were proposed, but a few years ago someone posted in LW forum that they found the report of some general who wrote the *main* reason for inverted was a better view. I can completely understand and agree it is the strongest candidate for why. Interesting?

Joe Kudrna

Hey Don, shorter and more focused videos on specific elements are in the making but they only start to roll out with the following months. As for the Corsair, the challenge is finding an example here in Europe at the moment. But it's one of my favourites so I'll get on it as soon as I am able.

Military Aviation History

Oh. I hit enter to move down a line and can’t get back to add the second line. Is that something you could fix.? ( Woops . I almost hit enter again. ) the second line is, i mentioned the bending of the WWII Corsair wing to make a shorter landing gear for carrier landings- this forced on them because they had such a huge prop to deal with. The solution was particularly brilliant, i think. And the bent wing was, perhaps, accidentally beautiful. I wish i could add a photo. But what I’m suggesting in the first sentence above is that such detail might be in a general program about brilliant solutions, not in a program about the Corsair. Just a thought. It might free your organizing to include such details in that way. Otherwise, you told me that you were waiting for a chance to get in the cockpit of a Corsair somewhere, and it hadn’t happened yet. ( i almost hit Enter again. ) tnx. don c.

How about a general piece on particularly brilliant design solutions.

Well, it would be great if you can spend more time doing your filming, but that depends on your time. For that matter, do you do initial research, check things out, learn about details on aircraft, function of systems? Let me just say your Fi 156 video was wundebar, was enough time to cover it properly, but with more complex aircraft it will take more time for same level of detail. Example is misunderstanding of flares on Me 262. Yours is a rare source of quality videos, all ahead to rule YouTube! :D

Joe Kudrna

Thanks. Do you have any suggestions?

Military Aviation History

Thank you. Collaborations are in the works, do you have any particular YT Channels you would suggest?

Military Aviation History

I would second that thought — more collaborations.

Michael Moran

Bis, I am also a very satisfied patron. Really love the "Inside the Cockpit" videos. More collaborations would be great too!

Mark Persad

Cheers, Jens

Military Aviation History

100% satisfied patreon And looking forward to this weeks Fw190!

Jens Backman