The title says it all really - in the next two early access videos I am taking you on a full tour of the B-29 Superfortress and A-10A Thunderbolt II. These episodes were filmed at the New England Air Museum - a great place to visit and highly recommended!
B-29 Superfortress: https://youtu.be/rZ-IxWazeKw
A-10 Thunderbolt II: https://youtu.be/pdDKeW_QaDo
2025-11-03 16:48:58 +0000 UTC View Post
The word "Fliegerkorps" has popped up plenty of times in my Luftwaffe at War series? But what is a Fliegerkorps and why is it so important? Join me as I delve deep into the operational mechanics of the Luftwaffe to explain how it could air power at the centre of gravity.
2025-10-28 17:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post
I have a new book out and to celebrate the occasion, here are three new videos and a massive discount!
Videos:
In the above video I deep dive into Germany's early thinking of dive-bombing (before it went nuts...in a way, it made sense given resource restrictions but that is a video for another time). In the video I explain why the Junkers Ju 87 was built in the first place. While most will know the role played by Ernst Udet, I explain that other reasons were just as important (if not more) on getting the Luftwaffe to built a dive-bomber.
Two additional videos are interviews with my co-authors and German military historian heavy-weights Dr. Roman Töppel and Dr. Jens Wehner. As Channel Members and Patreons you can already watch three of these videos right now:
Dr. Roman Töppel on the Junkers Ju 87 Siren: https://youtu.be/v1wA3JhgRJo
Dr. Jens Wehner on verifying or refuting Hans-Ulrich Rudel's tank kills with a Ju 87: https://youtu.be/dgsqk-1-Klw
Discounts:
This is all because my new book (with Roman and Jens) is released and to celebrate, all books in the Military History Group book catalogue are now up to 25% discounted until October 27th: http://militaryhistorygroup.com
Join me as I jump into a very special aircraft - a two-seater Bf 109 G-12. Though this is a Buchon (Spanish Bf 109) conversion, the G-12 did exist in order to help train 109 pilots at the end of the war. It's amazing that one still exists!
2025-09-29 19:25:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Why did Germany and the Luftwaffe not have long-range strategic bombers? As a follow on from the previous video on Japanese strategic bombers, in this episode I chat about doctrine, industrial capacity, resources, manpower and more - it turns out, the Germans made a conscious and calculated gamble.
2025-09-23 10:20:43 +0000 UTC View Post
What are the reasons why the Germans built fighter aircraft? The reason will, to paraphrase internet clickbait, "surprise you" - it has very little to do with defence against bombers!
Part 2 in the Axis Strategic Bomber mini-series will also be released soon.
2025-09-17 22:35:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Another episode with Justin Pyke on the Japanese Air Services of WW2. This is Part 1 in a two-part series on Axis Strategic Bombers (and why they basically didn't' use them). The second video will be on the Germans and I will likely finish the edit by early next week for all of you!
2025-09-09 18:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
A quick reminder that you have a video in early access since last week! Stahlfaust asked me about the tactical and operational difference in Luftwaffe Close Air Support and Bomber operations. My short answer is above.
Also, this August I have taken things a bit slower and am about to go on my first holiday since a while. Videos will resume second half of September. Have a good one and talk to you soon!
2025-08-27 12:00:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Two new videos for all of you! The first one, linked above, is about the Henschel Hs 123 - an outdated biplane that the Germans used as a Close Air Support aircraft. Or did they? I talk about that and the many misunderstandings/out of context myths surrounding this plane.
The second video is my first answer to the supporter Q&A. Stahlfaust asked me about the tactical and operational difference in Close Air Support and Bomber planes for the Luftwaffe.
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/SQOdRK87ZOE
Today I am looking at a subject I should have made a video ages ago, the French Air Force of 1940. It's a good annex to the last video about the Luftwaffe during Case Yellow. In this video I discuss the doctrine of the Air Force, the priorities of French Politics and (lacking) Army-Air Corporation. Let me know what you want to know about the French in the future!
2025-07-15 15:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post
The Battle of France 1940. What most expected at the time to be a long, drawn out campaign, was over in a mere few weeks. In today's video, I take the Battle of Sedan and the Race to the Channel as a case study to explore how the Luftwaffe concentrated its efforts in support of the Heer.
2025-07-08 20:57:53 +0000 UTC View Post
I am really happy to share with you my new standalone series: The Luftwaffe At War. In this series, I delve deep into the Luftwaffe, talking about strategy, doctrine, production, operations, war crimes, tactics and technology. The aim is to build up a video portfolio for you to choose from, where in each video I can build on previous work and let you discover all the details, nuances and intricacies with me. Four videos are already finished and you can watch them here:
Episode 1: "Aerial Blitzkrieg"? The Luftwaffe's Operational Air War https://youtu.be/lV5c1NDfNog
Episode 2: Zerstörer: Why The Germans Wanted This Heavy Fighter https://youtu.be/hE4-TdrgHPo
Episode 3: Why The Luftwaffe Built So Many Bombers https://youtu.be/MxSy8ugCxC8
Episode 4: The Luftwaffe in Poland: Between "Blitzkrieg" and Terror-Bombing https://youtu.be/6P0wsCXsoMs
As this is early in the series, do please share your feedback as that will help me improve.
Chris
2025-06-05 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Did Japan blunder at Pearl Harbor by not sending a Third Wave and destroying American Oil reserves? Joining me is historian and Pacific War expert Jonathan Parshall and we discuss why things are different than often seen, how war movies can shape perceptions of a battle far more than they should and how Japan fought their campaigns.
2025-05-27 16:31:59 +0000 UTC View Post
I was invited by the Imperial War Museum to talk about the duel between MiG-21s and F-4 Phantom IIs over Vietnam. The video is out and linked above - enjoy!
2025-05-17 12:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post
I'll be taking a week of holiday to meet up with family but before doing so, I wanted to make sure that you have something to watch in the meantime. Thus, three new videos are now in early access - two of which are on my second channel. I also added a new Inside The Cockpit episode on the F-4 Phantom II. Two other videos remain in early access for you before I publish them later this month and next!
Airpower 21 Channel
Inside the Cockpit
WW2 Luftwaffe
As I am working on the next projects (incl. all your great Q&A questions!), here is a reminder of all the early access videos already out. Perhaps you haven't seen all of them yet?
Luftwaffe during WW2
Trainstopping: The Battle of Luftwaffe vs Polish Trains https://youtu.be/p_w_VtvUwlU
A Bridge Too Hard? Why Ju 87 Couldn't Destroy (Some) Bridges https://youtu.be/oClcuunbhaI
Inside the Cockpit
Inside the F-100A Super Sabre: https://youtu.be/rXLuOnutnzw
Inside the F-104C Starfighter: https://youtu.be/AnaI0NeSnIc
A little while ago I asked you to submit questions on the Luftwaffe 1935-1940. The questions are great and I am now closing the entries for now, as I started to go through them to answer them in videos, either as the main topic or as a sidebar.
Here is a summary of the questions I am working on:
Meh/Jose: Spanish Civil War influences
Stahlfaust: Schlacht- vs Kampfgeschwader of the Lw (I will tackle this in the 1935-1940 timeframe)
Dollhousesouth: 4-engine bombers
Tony Guy: German bomber theory
Andy G: German pilot training
Fougere: German civil/military air defense
Here are the questions I have earmarked for the future
Jens: 109s > 110s for BoB?
Mason: He 177 "Dive" bombing
OD/Jan: Imagination vs Doctrine in Lw planning and force architecture
Yuri: German technical superiority in early war
Michael: German vs British/Soviet Biplanes
Marco: Abstraction of real world BoB into wargames
Chun: German squadron art
Questions that fell outside the topic range but that I noted down:
Hunter: Rockets used vs Allied Bombers
Five videos are in early access for you as a channel supporter! Included are two Inside The Cockpit episodes and three new episodes on WW2 aviation. The later include a detailed one hour breakdown of the development of armor and protected fuel tanks from 1914 - 1941, as well as a video on Luftwaffe operations against Polish rail (turns out, stopping trains is hard) and some really interesting learnings about attacking bridges with dive-bombers (which should be "easy" but isn't).
A big thank you goes to you for making Inside The Cockpit 100% community funded and also funding research trips to the archives!
WW2 Aviation
Aircraft Armor and Fuel Tank Protection: 1914 To 1941 https://youtu.be/LFW-famDBG8
Trainstopping: The Battle of Luftwaffe vs Polish Trains https://youtu.be/p_w_VtvUwlU
A Bridge Too Hard? Why Ju 87 Couldn't Destroy (Some) Bridges https://youtu.be/oClcuunbhaI
Inside the Cockpit
Inside the F-100A Super Sabre: https://youtu.be/rXLuOnutnzw
Inside the F-104C Starfighter: https://youtu.be/AnaI0NeSnIc
I am collecting questions that can be answered in video format to the following topic:
Luftwaffe 1935-1940
If you have burning questions, please submit them here. It's a good chance to open up the discussion on certain topics, looking forward to it.
2025-04-02 15:59:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Four new Inside The Cockpits are out in early access for you. Well, three if we don't count the Bf 109 I released a few days ago in a separate post. If you have seen that one already, then that should set your appetite for these iconic birds whoever:
Bf-109 G: https://youtu.be/lK4DLmRhd_8
F4U-4 Corsair: https://youtu.be/e2D9PSw5G9E
F-100A Super Sabre: https://youtu.be/rXLuOnutnzw
F-104C Starfighter: https://youtu.be/AnaI0NeSnIc
Just in time for the weekend too! Let me know what you think of these episodes and thank you so much for your support - which makes ITC 100% community funded.
Chris
2025-03-28 18:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Recently I published four opening episodes with Justin Pyke on WW2 Japanese Airpower. As we are gearing up for the next batch, we realised that putting our initial episodes into one makes a lot of sense. Not only did it allow us to adding new information but it is also a convenient episode to listen Ito and bookmark - rather than four episodes individually.
More coming soon! Thank you for supporting me over Patreon!
2025-03-25 20:06:26 +0000 UTC View Post
It's time for the Inside the Cockpit episode on the Messerschmitt Bf 109! Need I say more? Well, there is much to say but it is all in the video. Check out the Bf 109 G with me at the Messerschmitt Museum in Manching, Germany.
Thank you for supporting the channel and ITC - this series is 100% sponsored by you, the community.
Chris
In this video, I am pitting the Spitfire's cockpit against the Bf 109's. Yes, many things have been said but I think that many comparisons only focused on one thing: the space for the pilot to move and especially keep an eye on that dreaded six o'clock position.
In my comparison , I jump inside a Spitfire and Bf 109 to talk about:
Visibility
Ease of Use and Ergonomics
Instrumentation
This gives a more well rounded appraisal of the two planes and I think serves as a very good case study on how planes offer advantages and disadvantages in the margins.
Agree, disagree on my assessment - let me know!
A big thank you for supporting the channel,
Chris
Join me as I tour the Airbus A400M Atlas of the Royal Air Force on my second chance: Airpower 21st Century. Discover the power of the engines, the modularity of the cargo bay, the toilet for long flights, and the digital cockpit - all in one episode!
2025-03-19 20:41:44 +0000 UTC View Post
How did the Japanese Torpedo Bombers attack Allied ships? Let's have a detailed look together with our friends at Task Force Admiral.
As an annex to our four-part Japanese airpower series (more coming!), in this video I put the lens squarely on the aircraft, weapons and tactics. In the first video I already talked about dive-bombers, so with this second episode on torpedo bombers you get the full picture of the Japanese Carrier striking force of the early Pacific War period:
Torpedo-Bombers: https://youtu.be/rIfyNWy1yKY
Dive-Bombers: https://youtu.be/MTeupvnM8gM
This video is supported by our friends at DryDockGames who launched their Kickstarter for Task Force Admiral on February 11th. They had phenomenal success so far and as the pledging period is running fast, check out how you can support development and get some fantastic perks with it.
Over the past years, I've been working closely with them on videos - they always supplied great visual material and know their stuff about the PTO! I have also agreed to write aircraft bios for their upcoming title, which I am looking forward to. You can have a look here and pledge until March 22nd.:
Task Force Admiral: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/microprose/task-force-admiral-limited-first-team-physical-edition?ref=4ttnka
Not too long ago, NATO launched a new project to develop the helicopter of the future. It comes with really impressive, borderline ludicrous requirements, in order to really push for the "next big milestone". In this video I will provide insights on these and also show you a really impressive flight demonstration of one of the three main contenders - the X-2 concept of Sikorsky!
Big thank you to all of you who have supported me to get to the point where I can get such access, it continuously impresses me what this community is able to achieve. I have also asked Sikorsky if any of you have questions on their design, that we could make a follow up sometime in the future. So ask away and let's try to get your questions answered directly from the source.
2025-03-04 20:46:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Exactly one year ago, I flew on the Gripen fighter jet! To reflect and celebrate this anniversary, here is my take on what it was like, how it was different to what I expected, and the many questions I have now.
With this video, I am also launching my 2nd Channel. With Military Aviation History returning to the historic roots and focusing on WW2 and Cold War analysis, my new channel AIRPOWER 21st CENTURY will focus on contemporary aviation - so make sure to subscribe :)
It’s been a fantastic run so far in what is now likely our “primer” for a larger series in the Pacific Theatre during WW. Although you will likehave tuned in weeks ago when this was released on early access, if you haven’t yet make sure to join Justin Pyke and me as we expand the scope on this episode to chat about Japanese airpower.
Please post any comments, feedback or questions on the videos or directly here on Patreon. Justin and I answered a great number of them in the comments and marked down additional topics for videos.
Here are the link to all episodes:
Edit: Corrected links
How did the Japanese Dive and Torpedo Bombers attack Allied ships? That is what I will answer in two videos going into early access for you today!
As an annex to our four-part Japanese airpower series (see below), this is a practical take on the aircraft, weapons and tactics. You can watch the first video on dive-bombers and then jump straight into the second on torpedo bombers with the following links:
Dive-Bombers: https://youtu.be/MTeupvnM8gM
Torpedo-Bombers: https://youtu.be/rIfyNWy1yKY
This video is supported by our friends at DryDockGames who are launching their Kickstarter for Task Force Admiral on February 11th. Over the past years, I've been working closely with them on videos - they have supplied great visual material! I have also agreed to write aircraft bios for their upcoming title. You can have a look here and pledge from February 11th:
Task Force Admiral: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/microprose/task-force-admiral-limited-first-team-physical-edition?ref=4ttnka
Remember, I launched a four-part series with Justin Pyke - if you haven’t seen all episodes yet, they are linked just below for you. Episode 3 and 4 remain in exclusive early access for you until their public launch!
Episode 1 https://youtu.be/1ZwfZpGwvgA
Episode 2 https://youtu.be/N0XQs7ZiQc8
Episode 3 https://youtu.be/GwNSMCdZcW8
Episode 4 https://youtu.be/VfLmaFVyt_8
Following up from the previous two episodes, join Justin Pyke and me as we put the two previous episodes on fighters and bombers together and talk about Japanese air tactics in their entirety.
All episodes are already in early access, including the fourth episode.
Please post any comments, feedback or questions on the videos or directly here on Patreon. Justin and I have already answered a great number of them in the comments and marked down additional topics for videos.
Here are the link to all episodes (EP 4 now available):
Episode 1 https://youtu.be/1ZwfZpGwvgA
Episode 2 https://youtu.be/N0XQs7ZiQc8
Episode 3 https://youtu.be/GwNSMCdZcW8
Episode 4 https://youtu.be/VfLmaFVyt_8