I'll be tooting my own horn here but this is a really interesting story. As you know, in 1944 Germany officially transitioned to the jet fighter. Embark with me on the history of how, with mass production of the Messerschmitt Me 262 and Heinkel He 162 starting, the loss of factories and airports required Germany to switch to forest workshops and highway landing strips - and what this meant in the end.
2023-12-16 19:32:52 +0000 UTC
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The Messerschmitt Me 264 is popularly known as the Amerikabomber. Join me as I explore the history of this machine that was developed to allow Germany to strike the USA. I go into all the details, the history, purpose and the practical hurdles Germany would have had to overcome.
Adding to this video is my own research at the German Military Archives (made possible by your generous support) and the military historian Dr. Klaus Schmider who teaches at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He recently published the book: Hitler's Fatal Miscalculation: Why Germany Declared War on the United States (2021) and provides a unique insight and expertise to this video with his research on the Me 264.
Thank you for supporting the channel.
Chris
PS. Interested in Dr. Schmider's book - find it here:
Amazon [US] https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Fatal-Miscalculation-Cambridge-Histories/dp/1108834914
Amazon [UK] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitlers-Fatal-Miscalculation-Cambridge-Histories/dp/1108834914
Amazon [DE] https://www.amazon.de/Hitlers-Fatal-Miscalculation-Cambridge-Histories/dp/1108834914
2023-12-11 19:59:30 +0000 UTC
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Kicking off a new season of Inside The Cockpit is the B-17G Flying Fortress. Step inside a piece of flying history with me, and experience what it must have been like for bomber crews flying over Germany during World War 2. From the outside over to the inside, nose to tail, you will see it all.
Big thank you for supporting me and making ITC 100% community funded. This video exists because of your support!
Chris
P.S. Keep an eye out in the coming days - more ITC episodes are launching as a big end of year batch!
2023-12-04 11:22:05 +0000 UTC
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Linebacker II was the last great American bomber offensive in the Vietnam War. The short bomber offensive saw B-52s bomb targets in Hanoi and Haiphong in December 1972. Let's talk about how the USA and North Vietnam prepared and adapted for this operation.
This video is also sponsored by our recurring partner, the Naval Institute Press. Until Dec. 31, 2023 they have books that are 50% (and free shipping in the US) so if you've been eying a book - or fancy the one I recommend in the video above - now is the time:
25% OFF - Use code: MILAVHIS to receive 25% OFF
(Holiday Sale until Dec 31, 2023: 50% off and Free Shipping in the US)
Get yours here: https://www.usni.org/press/books
My reading list: https://www.usni.org/press/books?f%5B0%5D=subject%3A1959
Big thank you to you for supporting my channel!
2023-11-29 14:39:44 +0000 UTC
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In 1942 the US Army Air Force flew their first missions against Germany. Join me as I look at how the Luftwaffe adjusted to this new threat and address a few myths associated with this time frame.
Big thank you to all of you that make these archive trips possible!
Best,
Chris
2023-11-22 23:19:50 +0000 UTC
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A new episode in early access - today I am looking at Electronic Warfare in the Air Domain in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Joining me is also expert Dr. Thomas Withington to add additional insights and analysis.
Also, you will see that we have a launch sale coming up for our new book! This will run from Nov. 18 - 25th and include a 15% discount on ALL our books!
Thank you for the support, I hope you enjoy the episode. Let me know what you think!
2023-11-14 21:16:33 +0000 UTC
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I was lucky to run into Geri "K12" Krähenbühl at RIAT23. He flies the Me 262 for Airbus Heritage/ Messerschmitt Foundation and was happy to be interviewed about his experience flying this aircraft at air shows. Big thank you to the community supporters for their support - and Geri, Airbus and the Messerschmitt Foundation for facilitating this interview.
A big thank you goes to you - as a channel supporter you enable me to make this content as it is 100% community funded!
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A peak behind the curtain: At RIAT we had to do things on the fly (pun as always intended) and thanks to everyone helping out - it went smoothly in the end. It was touch and go at some points but we all pulled through in good spirits and managed to get all this content recorded for you. The storm on Friday had compressed everyone's 3 day schedule into 2 days which really is 1.5 days. You can imagine what that means: Josh (our camera virtuoso) and me PLUS old school media outlets PLUS the VIPs - let's not forget about the VIPs - being rescheduled, overlapping, clashing, calling and texting frantically and wondering what's up.
In the end I had about 60 minutes to get the Inside the Cockpit episode of the Me 262 filmed (that video you have seen already) plus the interview. Now for Josh and me, that is plenty of time under normal conditions. We are used to him just switching on the camera and me...well, talking I guess. However, in those 60 minutes we had to negotiate, discuss and at times wrestle (in a friendly way) with other 'media' outlets over access and make sure that we are in no ones way and that no one is in our way. It's all done in good sport - no drama - but you need to be on the ball and cooperate, firmly but nicely. Big thank you here to those that facilitated the coordination on the ground - you know who you are and you made it happen. I am really happy we got it done properly, despite the conditions of wind, rain and last minute rushes.
2023-11-13 17:06:35 +0000 UTC
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Ever since the Cold War, NATO Air Forces have centralized around a smaller number of Airbases. After two decades of asymmetric warfare, the question is now whether NATO airbases have not become too vulnerable. Joining Chris is Prof. Justin Bronk from RUSI, to explain how NATO could improve their airbase protection - and for a budget price.
More conversations with Prof. Bronk are in early access and available here:
And with Dr. Thomas Withington here:
Thank you for your support!
2023-11-01 22:40:18 +0000 UTC
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I just uploaded 50 Wallpapers from the trip to Oshkosh’23. See the little sneakpeak above to have an idea of what images are available in the album. Included are not only pictures from Oshkosh but also the various museums that I visited and filmed at. I hope all of you enjoy the album and of course, use them on your desktop - that’s what they are there for!
This way to the album: https://imgur.com/a/uq3zHI6
Have a great weekend y’all and thank you for making Inside the Cockpit a reality through your ongoing support!
Chris
2023-10-28 19:00:03 +0000 UTC
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A new Early Access video for you! Electronic Warfare (Electromagnetic Warfare) affects identification, surveillance, communication, observation and tracking capabilities of any modern army. Join me as we discover how significant the Electromagnetic Spectrum is for today's armies and what the historic parallels are.
2023-10-25 21:46:24 +0000 UTC
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I was invited to the The Tank Museum for my Bottom 5 Targets! I took on the challenge with gusto. Tank fans across the globe felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
2023-10-23 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Sneakpeak of the upcoming Inside The Cockpit on the J32 Lansen - thank you for supporting me over Patreon, your support funds these filming trips!
2023-10-21 14:00:02 +0000 UTC
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I recently had the pleasure of chatting to Dr. Thomas Withington, an Electronic Warfare Expert at RUSI: https://www.rusi.org/people/withington
Thomas was very accommodating with lending me his time and we got to record a few videos about Electronic Warfare. These will become part of future videos, either in segments or in full. For you, there are already accessible exclusively for you here in a raw format with nothing cut out.
Though you may choose to watch them in any order you would like, the order I present them here is the most straightforward as one video tends to loosely build on the previous.
Remember, you also have three more videos here that I recorded with Prof. Justin Bronk, incidentally also from RUSI:
Big thank you for your support!
Chris
2023-10-19 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
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A little teaser for a soon to release Inside The Cockpit video. Big thank you to you, as you sponsored this filming trip via your support on Patreon.
2023-10-16 14:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Round 2! Eng. Calum Douglas, author of The Secret Horsepower Race, and me will be doing another stream about aircraft engines during WW2 (see Part 1 above). Now is the time to ask questions which I will bundle up and prioritise during the stream. That's right, as Patreons you get to ask the first questions! Let me know in the comments what you would like to ask Calum.
2023-10-14 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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EARLY ACCESS! Enjoy a new video on the F-104 Starfighter. Didn't I release this like a week ago? Yes, but thankfully due to a eagle eyed viewer a hiccup in the data became obvious. Annoying for me, as I had thought I had checked it all but extremely gratifying to have a community of people who can pick up on these things. So here it is then, the final cut on the Starfighter.
The F-104 Starfighter has a poor reputation. Popularly known as the "Widowmaker", let us have a look at the data showing crash and air crew death numbers, to check if it is truly - data wise - an exceptional case compared to its fellow Century Series aircraft.
2023-10-11 20:06:29 +0000 UTC
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After about a month in the US of A and many many many hours of editing, the first content is rolling out! In this one, I give you a rundown of Oshkosh 2023 - an event of ginormous proportions that can never truly be captured. That considered, I think I did somewhat of an alright job!
I do want to say a very special thank you to all of you who have helped me and the channel come this far. Without you as a (past or present) Patreon supporter, this would not have been possible. This trip is as much a celebration of aviation as it is of this community! Thank you!!!
2023-09-25 20:28:58 +0000 UTC
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Early Access to a new episode! The F-16 played a massive role in the Coalition's air campaign during Desert Storm. Though initially conceived as a fighter, in an ironic twist of fate it became a premier ground striker platform during the operations against the Iraqi army and Republican Guard. Let's explore the operational planning and the sorties flown by F-16s during DS!
2023-09-20 08:05:12 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy your early access to the next video! Today I am talking about US Navy carrier aviation.
The Carrier Raids, the Battle of Midway, the Marianas Turkey Shoot - none of these would have been possible without the US Navy's carriers, aircraft, and pilots. To sustain the fight against Japan however, America had keep aircraft flying, a precariously neglected capability. With an unprecedented expansion of repair and maintenance facilities and capacities, the USN helped set the stage for victory.
Thank you for your support!
2023-08-21 19:33:07 +0000 UTC
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Here is your Early Access to a brand new episode. The Supermarine Spitfire vs the Messerschmitt Bf 109 - is there a more iconic match up during World War 2? Let's have a look at what Luftwaffe pilots and aces said about the Spitfire, what value such statements have in isolation and whether the context of an engagement is not more important than the pure paper performance.
This video also features expert guest appearances by German and British military historians Dr. Jens Wehner and James Holland!
Thank you for supporting my channel!
2023-08-17 14:49:07 +0000 UTC
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Hey,
As you know, I am right now on a grand US trip for Inside the Cockpit made possible by the community. Approaching the closing stages of the trip, I will shortly start uploading exclusive rewards to the crowdfunders who directly supported the project here: https://www.ship-shape.org.uk/product/operation-krautkosh-2023/
Those rewards are dedicated for this trip and include exclusive rewards for crowdfunders (see more info on the page). If those interest you, have a look at the page linked above.
For you as a Patreon supporter, I will upload some sneakpeaks here and of course you also benefit from early access as usual - including the SBD Dauntless dive-bomber pictured above that I filmed. If you want to get more up to date information on the trip and future projects, consider signing up on the official mailing list for this (yes, that's new). It is the best way to get regular updates from this trip.
You can sign up with your email here: SIGN UP
If you prefer the direct but not as nice looking URL, here you go: https://embeds.beehiiv.com/6fdcad70-5f4f-4274-aed9-a4fa002ce8fb
Looking forward to sharing all this great video content with you - Thank you for supporting the channel!
Chris
2023-08-07 16:22:37 +0000 UTC
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Hey
It has been a while since the last update but for a good reason. As you know, I am right now on a filming trip in the USA. Having just completed a very interest one-week filming stay at Oshkosh'23 - the largest airshow of the world - I really wanted to sit down and give you an update on what has happened so far. Now I had multiple filming stops before reaching Oshkosh (and am on the way to more) but for now, I want to focus on the big one.
First off all, I am blown away by Oshkosh - it truly is an aviation paradise. People are friendly, interested to talk about every and all aircraft, and it is fantastic seeing so many different birds on display. If you have been before, I am sure you will agree. If you haven’t been yet, I highly recommend that you go. It is exceptional.
For filming, I have so much that I have my work cut out for me - a good problem to have. Next to walkarounds and interviews with pilots, many of which were impromptu, there are the ‘regular’ Inside the Cockpit videos that were planned for this trip. On the ground coordination with the respective owners and operators was excellent and we got so much more than expected in the end. For Inside the Cockpit you can look forward to a smorrebrod of content on:
- P-51D ‘Twilight Tear’
- P-40K ‘Aleutian Tiger’
- P-47D ‘Bonnie’
- B-25/PBJ-1 ‘Devil Dog’
- B-25J ‘Miss Mitchell’
- SBD-5 Dauntless
- P-38J (walkaround only)
- Mosquito B.35 (walkaround only)
Big thank you to the owners/ operators of the aircraft, including Fagen Fighters, the Commemorative Air Force, Aircorps Aviation and EAA for the access and of course all of you for making this project a reality! And here is the kicker, I am not done yet - I will film even more in the US in the coming days!
Chris
2023-07-31 02:03:32 +0000 UTC
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The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first mass-produced operational jet. Flown by the Luftwaffe during World War 2, it was a milestone in aviation. Join me on this full tour of a flying Me 262 maintained by the Messerschmitt Foundation, Manching, Germany and Airbus Flight Heritage.
Filmed at an active airshow: Winds and Jet noise included.
2023-07-20 01:06:09 +0000 UTC
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The Gripen and the Swedish Air Force are symbolic of the readiness Sweden has maintained despite the end of the Cold War. Joining Chris is Prof. Justin Bronk from RUSI, to explain how different the Swedish operational approach is to NATO.
Remember that you had additional conversations with Justin in Early Access here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/84949989
US trip:
In a few days I will be heading to the US for filming - if you want to support the trip via a dedicated Krautfunder, here is the link: https://www.ship-shape.org.uk/product/operation-krautkosh-2023/
2023-07-12 15:05:43 +0000 UTC
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Hey, you may have seen the announcement early this month but I thought I'd ping out a nippy reminder to you! Here is your early access to four interviews I conducted with Prof. Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute. These, and snippets out of them, will be released over the next months - enjoy this exclusive early access!
Topics include:
Big thank you for all your support,
Chris
2023-06-22 09:45:20 +0000 UTC
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Recently video material has surfaced from the Russo-Ukrainian war of a Kamov Ka-52 Alligator (Hokum B) firing it's anti-tank guided missiles 9K121 Vikhr at M2 Bradleys and Leopard 2s. With several M2s and the Leo 2 appearing destroyed, how did the Russian helicopters pull off this success?
Included in this video is also an assessment by a Leopard 2 gunner and an AH-64 pilot!
Big thank you for all your support in making this channel possible.
Chris
2023-06-21 07:12:33 +0000 UTC
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Germany just published its first national security strategy*. It has some changes from the usual, including commitments for more Air Defense, NATO, nuclear weapons and not wanting to push forward with anti-satellite systems. Oh, and nothing about drones, a bit on China and Russia, Ukraine, space, cyber, lots of EU, NATO and multilateral diplomacy. Let's talk about it!
Big thank you to all of you for supporting the channel!
*Reunified Germany, ignoring somewhat similar but not really similar documents.
2023-06-14 22:33:20 +0000 UTC
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Yeehaw, it is finally happening. I received many messages from you about heading to the United States for filming. This year I will make the first step and by popular request, a crowdfunding option is available.
Naturally as Patreon supporters you are already helping with the content but if you are interested in providing direct support for this trip, you can do so here: https://www.ship-shape.org.uk/product/operation-krautkosh-2023/
2023-06-13 14:44:41 +0000 UTC
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Edit: link was fixed!
The Saab Gripen is a 4.5th generation aircraft designed for austere, de-centralized dispersal operations. While the Swedish Air Force gets great value out of the JAS 39, many air forces such as the United States Air Force, the Luftwaffe, or the Royal Air Force operate differently. How well prepared are NATO air forces in terms of Gripen's operational model and dispersal operations as a whole?
2023-06-07 23:00:21 +0000 UTC
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Here is your early access to four interviews I conducted with Prof. Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute. These, and snippets out of them, will be released over the next months - enjoy this exclusive early access just for you!
Topics include:
Big thank you for all your support, looking forward to your feedback, opinions and input!
Chris
2023-06-06 19:14:20 +0000 UTC
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