Hey,
Here is your early access to the next episode, coming out next week! This one is full of primary sources I found in the archives, can't wait to share it with everyone :)
Remember, you also have the following videos still in Early Access as well:
DH Sea Vixen https://youtu.be/-GpYBEve-1U
Hawker Sea Fury https://youtu.be/7VgvHddwYuw
Hope you enjoy,
Chris
Above you can find your early access to the next video on the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor - something you voted on in the last poll. It will go out very soon, and because of the complexities in making this video + because it is sponsored, I sadly couldn't share it earlier.
Remember that you have three additional videos in early access just waiting for you here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58330797 !
Looking forward to your feedback!
Chris
Hey, I will be streaming this Saturday 27th, at 7pm ZULU. That's 2pm Texas, and 8pm Central Europe. Trying a new format, let's see if it works - See you there!
2021-11-23 19:17:24 +0000 UTC View Post
If you haven't seen it yet, Saturday's live Q&A is available on YT via the link above.
Thanks for all the great questions, if you have more, put them down below!
Chris
I'll be streaming on YouTube today, Saturday 13th at 7pm ZULU. That's 2pm Texas, and 8pm Central Europe.
Questions that have been previously supplied here will be answered, and the remaining time will be used to asnwer general audience questions or just to chat.
See you there!
I am planning to host a livestream next weekend, most likely on Saturday 13th (TBC). For this I would like to host a live Q&A session, with priority going to you as a channel supporter. As such, please submit your questions on this post so I can collect them in advance and answer them live on stream.
Looking forward to it!
Chris
Hey all,
Three, yes three new videos for your viewing pleasure are in Early Access:
Fairey Swordfish
Hope you enjoy, let me know your comments and thank you for making this possible!
Chris
Here are a few resources the A-10 fans amongst you might appreciate. As mentioned in the video released today (see above), I am sharing these links here as a special thank to you for supporting me.
Enjoy!
Chris
Here is your early access to three upcoming videos - click on the respective titles to be taken straight to the video!
Dramatic but Overrated? - The A-10s GAU-8 30mm gun
(Voted for by you in this poll) The Warthog's 30mm cannon was built for tank busting yet was barely ever used for this. Going over early anti-tank trials, Desert storm and changes with technology, as well as its recent use for CAS in Afghanistan, let's analyse the perfomance (and relevance) of this unique weapon system. Includes a practical example with DCS's A-10 module and made in collaboration with Thrustmaster.
How To Protect a Ship from Kamikaze
This was filmed on July 5th but took a long time to get out (I'll spare you the reasons for they are incredibly bureaucratic). Filming onboard HMS Belfast, I go through some of the changes in the ships AA-suite and how this reflected the trends in WW2 (add more guns!), which becomes especially relevant when the ship was meant to sail over to the Pacific theatre. Made in collaboration with Wargaming and World of Warships (an agreement that pre-dates the rather poor decisions the company made regarding this game).
Why Britian Had No Fuel Injection in World War 2
(Previously shared but still in early access) When it comes to the early air war in Europe, no story would be complete without segwaying into a discussion as to why Britain had no fuel injection in their engines, while Germany did. To answer the way, once and for all, I have invited Calum Douglas, writer of 'The Secret Horsepower Race' to give us the full story.
Three Inside The Cockpits will come to Early Access soon!
Looking forward to your feedback and thank you for the support!
Chris
Hey all,
Another big update here about what is going on with the channel.
First off, as many of you know, the campaign for our new book has been successfully completed a few days ago over on Indiegogo: http://stukabook.com. +1600 backs (amongst them many of you), from 61 countries not only made this project possible but allowed us to push through all the stretch goals. Another special thank you here to all of you for your support and help with this campaign! We are now going to focus a lot on the final steps and both Bernhard and I have been really busy with this, but it is a ton of fun seeing everything come together. If you are supporting us on Indiegogo, we will also be putting updates there until the books are being send out.
Second, your contribution to the 'In Defense of...' poll that was run here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56673890 Thanks very much for voting (113 votes, that's about a third of you which is a great turnout!), the results surprised me - I didn't expect the B-26 Marauder to win but it did both here on Patreon and with the YT Members. My personal favourite , the SM.79 Sparviero is the runner-up, so I am taking both of those planes and placing them as my priority. Special shout-out also to those that have suggested other planes, like the Bf 110, Blenheim, Fairey Battle and more - I've added them to my spreadsheet.
If you haven't yet, check out my last 'In Defense of...' videos here
And last, the upcoming Early Access releases:
Early next week (fingers crossed) I will release three new videos incl. the A-10 video y'all voted for in the last poll. The timing depends on getting the greenlight by Thrustmaster, with whom I partnered for this video.
Are you a fan of Inside The Cockpit? Well, three new episodes are nearly done! I've sent them off to my 'reviewer' who checks the editing and makes sure I don't have strange gaps or bad audio, and once I get this corrections. In theory this means that you will get six videos (well, two times three) in early access relatively soon!
Any suggestions or feedback, let me know in the comments below and as always, big thank you to all of you for your support!
Chris
Hey all,
After recently putting out my In Defense of the Brewster Buffalo, I am looking for a contender for the next episode. Together with fellow supporters on Discord, I already put together a preliminary list that you can vote on here. Once I have the results, I will check the feasibility and let you all know about the final decision.
Also, feel free to suggest your own submission (Option 5) BUT please consider the following important aspects:
Looking forward to the results and suggestions
Chris
Hey all,
Here is your advance look at the Ju 87 Q&A in support of our new book that you can still get over http://stukabook.com
Hey all,
Big thank you to all of you for taking part in the last poll. A total of 181 votes were cast, accounting for just under 50% of all Patreons which is a good result and preference indicator. A further 11 votes were cast on YT by YT Members. The Patreon results can be seen in the image above.
As you can see, the winners are the A-10 and Fw200 videos, and I can already confirm that the A-10 is slotted for October 14th. The Fw200 might require a few more weeks. The initial plan was to have it published this month, but that appears unlikely simply as this project is a larger one and I am currently still on the A-10 and the writing of my book.
For the remaining videos, the video on SAC will most likely be made at a later date. I already know what I want to address in it, but am still struggling with how *exactly* I am going to pitch and say it. For an interesting video, it's not just the topic that's important, but also a compelling presentation with a proper structure. Although not really the most popular topic, I was also surprised to see that Japanese ASW did so well compared to the other videos (although of course scoring lower). This video is already recorded (it's a discussion with Justin Pyke) and as such will most likely be released in Q4 2021. Trying to source pictures for it is a nightmare though, hah.
As for Inside the Cockpit, here is an interesting divide between you Patreons and the folks over in YT Memberships. Over here, ITC scored lowest. Some of you have commented that while you enjoy them, you consider them more as fillers between the main episodes. It's funny, when I started with ITC some years ago, I thought about it in exactly the opposite way but by now, I tend to agree. From what I gather though, most of you are still interested in them - but this might depend more on the plane than the actual series(?). The votes cast on YT however were close to 50% for ITC, making it the big winner there. Interesting divide of opinions.
How did you find this polling idea? It gives me some good data and I can prioritize projects that you prefer, but it would be good to know if you want to do more! thanks as always for the support
Chris
The next bundle of early access videos has arrived! As always, just click on the title and you'll be automatically taken to the video.
Should Germany buy Gripen or Rafale? Or something completely different?
Not exactly a newcomer, it must be said. This video has been in early access for a few months now but I am linking it here as a reminder. This video is of course a discussion of various suggestions for planes that Germany could buy in order to substitute Tornado.
Why the US should be concerned of Chinese Air Power
The Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) has made some massive improvements to their capabilities as of late. What exactly has happened, and why should we care? I discuss this with returning guest Justin Bronk from RUSI.
Why Britian Had No Fuel Injection in World War 2
When it comes to the early air war in Europe, no story would be complete without segwaying into a discussion as to why Britain had no fuel injection in their engines, while Germany did. To answer the way, once and for all, I have invited Calum Douglas, writer of 'The Secret Horsepower Race' to give us the full story.
Hope you enjoy and let me know what you thought about the videos!
Chris
Hey,
I am currently planning out my videos for the last months of 2021 and wanted to put the question to you: what videos would you prefer to see? I plan to make all of these videos but this will help me judge the relevancy and interests you have, and might influence how soon they come out. Of course please feel free to add comments to this as well.
Attached is a poll with the following options (you can vote for multiple options but in the interest of creating a focus point, it would be great if you only vote for your two most favorite options).
Option 1: Video on the A-10s Reputation vs Actual Performance
Option 2: Strategic Air Command - How The US built & maintained a fleet of Nuclear Strike bombers
Option 3: Fw 200: Scourge of the Atlantic or Waste of Time?
Option 4: Japanese Aerial Anti-Submarine Warfare during WW2
Option 5: Inside The Cockpit (Various aircraft)
Thank you for the support
Chris
Hey all,
In support of, or perhaps rather in celebration of hitting the next stretch goal in my book campaign (over at http://stukabook.com), I will be hosting a Q&A about the Junkers Ju 87 'Stuka'.
Please put your questions down below or in the comment section of YT and I will collect them shortly.
All the best
Chris
Hey,
For a while now I have been thinking of relaunching a Patreon exclusive Q&A format on the channel and for this I would like to have your input. While I generally like the format, the main problem in the past has been that not enough questions were submitted to make dedicated videos in a consistent manner, and that overlal interest seem to be low. As you can imagine, if I relaunch Q&As and don't get enough questions after episode 3, the format doesn't really work.
Some other YTers do not seem to have this issue (for example I recently had a chat with Drachinifel who hosts a very successful weekly Q&A that's over an hour long), so for me it was always puzzling as to why this format never seemed to hit off and work (with me). Hence why I would want to ask your input on this, to help me understand why Q&As don't seem to work on MAH - any feedback, as farfetched as it might sound to yourself - would be appreciated :)
By now, a lot more of you have joined Patreon so I think that this issue might be naturally overcome now due to the general rule of more people = more questions. At the same time, I am not exactly convinced yet that this is the case. As such, I have some ideas on how to give this a new twist, perhaps with smaller Q&A segments at each end of the month in a new video format, or simply to make them less often. In any case, let me know what you think of Q&As.
All the best
Chris
Hey,
First off, a massive thank you to those that have already supported my new book over at http://stukabook.com. More than 380 backers have helped so far and even pushed it into the next stretch goal, which is amazing - a bonus episode going live today can be found here: https://youtu.be/BIqKK9BBGF0
Second, here is your early access to the next episode. This one features the Brewster Buffalo, exploring the history of this bird and explaining why it perhaps does not deserve its reputation. Let me know what you thought of this episode and whether you have any more suggestions for this 'In Defense of....' series.
Chris
Hey,
To celebrate the launch on my crowdfunding (or shall we say Krautfunding) campaign for my book on the Junkers Ju 87 'Stuka', I went to film the Ju 87 G-2 of the RAF Museum. Big thank you at this point to all those that have already supported the campaign. We are about 2/3s of the way to be funded! If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here: http://stukabook.com
As one of the only surviving Ju 87 exhibits, this episode will feature the most extensive walkaround I have done so far. Sadly the cockpit was closed off due to conservation reasons (radiation + rarity of aircraft) but it is still one of the best videos I have made (in my own biased mind of course) and shows the direction I want to take with future Inside The Cockpits too. Hope you enjoy and thank you for the support!
Chris
Hey,
Today is the day - my new book is now in crowdfunding! You can watch the announcement above or go directly to the Indiegogo site here: http://stukabook.com (The public release is still an hour or two away, so this is fresh, hot off the press with you the first ones to know.)
This is my first book as the main author and I could not be more excited :)
As announced previously, the book is an unprecedented look at the doctrine, tactics and operational experiences the Luftwaffe had with the Junkers Ju 87, based on 8 translated original documents. To quote our campaign, these documents include:
If you are interested in my book, check out the Indiegogo campaign running until the end of this month.
Chris
2021-08-04 16:21:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey,
I've added three new wallpapers for your own personal use over in the rewards album found here (if you are a new supporter, you'll find a bunch of previous wallpapers here as well!). These were taken during my recent visit to Navy Wings and feature the cockpit of the Sea Fury, Sea Vixen and the exterior of the Texan. Hope you enjoy and let me know if you want more wallpapers in the future. Always good to know if they are being used.
Thank you for the support,
Chris
Hey,
This week has been busy as I have been gearing up for the reveal of my new book project next week. If you haven't heard about that yet, check out the last post I made.
Yesterday, I filmed at the RAF Museum in London and did a full tour of their Ju-87. As one of the last few remaining examples left in the world, this video is perhaps the most comprehensive 'walkaround' I have made as of yet. I couldn't get inside (conservation and radiation reasons) but I think you will be very happy with the 30+ min tour. Of course, it ties in with the book campaign as well, which is nice timing and I am very thankful to the museum for making it possible.
This video will hit early access beginning of next week prior to the public release at which point I will also release more information about the upcoming book.
Thanks for the support!
Chris
Hey,
Finally I am able to share the big news. On August 4 I will launch my crowdfunding campaign to release my new book. This project is similar to the two previous books I published with Bernhard from MHV but with some distinct differences!
First, and most importantly, it will be about a plane. Second, it's a collection of +7 documents, with additional background information and context added to explain the relevant sources in full detail. Third, it will be fully in English instead of a English-German side-by-side presentation.
The plane in question is the Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber. The Stuka, as it is often known, has featured in many books but never like this. The documents are carefully curated and collected from multiple archives to provide you the best foundation on the actual training, use and operational experience with this aircraft. I don't think I am wrong, based on what I have seen in books, that the vast majority of the documents have yet to be published in a book - but that will change this Fall with this project!
Above you see an early testprint. Things are progressing so quickly that it is already out of date but at least the cover (WIP) shines through. Can't wait until I am done and hold the final one in my own hands :)
All the best
Chris
Why hello there,
After yesterday's post, now is the time for the big reveal. Over the past two days, I filmed in the UK at Navy Wings, an organisation dedicated to preserving the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
Next to a range of aircraft, they operate a couple of Fairey Swordfish (of popular fame, no introductions needed, see picture), a Sea Fury FB.11 (one of the fastest piston engine aircraft ever) and a Sea Vixen (a cheerful yet oddly asymmetric late 1950/early 1960s) jet. It's these planes that will be given the Inside The Cockpit treatment, and I am hyped to share it with you. Navy Wings gave me a spectacular degree of access and I am sure that will also shine through in the videos.
It was extremely satisfying to once again film for this series that was put on ice during Covid. Not only does it represent what I consider the core of my passion and mission to get people interested and close to these machines, but I know that many viewers enjoy it a lot and have been patiently waiting for its return while keeping up the amazing support. Thank you for making it possible, without your support Inside The Cockpit is not possible since it covers everything from the travel and accommodation costs, over to buying equipment, and the research that goes into it. I am looking forward to sharing these videos with you soon, and film many - many - more!
All the best
Chris
Hey,
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the summery days now that we are half way through this year!
As mentioned previously, for months...in fact more than a year, I had to postpone one museum trip after the other due to Covid restrictions. I was thus unable to produce any Inside The Cockpit videos during this time, but thankfully this has recently changed (somewhat).
Today I have filmed the first new Inside The Cockpit episodes courtesy of a fantastic organisation that maintains aircraft in a flyable state. I can post more news in the following days, and disclose the details then. You will of course be the first to know.
All in all, three brand new episodes await you soon, including a plane that was on my bucket list from the very start of the series! Going to be very exciting sharing that with all of you.
All the best and thank you for the fantastic support (over the last year in particular),
Chris
Hey,
Here comes July! 2021 is beyond the half-way mark and time continuous to fly, so let us not waste any of it and immediately go into all the new content that is ready for you!
Is this REAL footage from the Battle of Midway? – 8th July 2021
With this video, I wanted to try out something new (at least for my channel). Since archive footage features so prominently in all the documentaries we see on TV, as well as here on YT – and because I use it myself – I wanted to have a look at some special clips from the Battle of Midway, 1942. As you probably know, John Ford and his camera team managed to get some real combat footage from the Japanese attack at Midway, working it into a 18min long movie shown later on at home. The footage he and his team shot continue to feature heavily in documentaries, but do they really only show footage from this famous battle? Let’s find out and also have a more detailed look at the action you see. Video sponsored by World of Warships: Legends.
Russian Air Power: An OVERHYPED Threat – 15th July 2021
Russia inherited a massive air fleet from the Soviet Union, one it has recently also deployed in multiple conflict zones, leading to various opinions on the striking power of the new, restructured Russian Aerospace Forces. The question here is simple – what are Russia’s true capabilities in the air, and how do they compare to the ‘the West’? To help answer this question, I chat to Justin Bronk, Research Fellow at RUSI and author of the recent Whitehall report on Russian airpower.
Should Germany buy Gripen or Rafale – 22nd or 29th July 2021
It is finally coming out this month. In the ‘Why Germany won’t buy the F-35’ video, a lot of other options were proposed by you the community. Let’s have a look at these and discuss which ones could realistically be bought by Germany.
Upcoming content
Filmed only two days ago on HMS Belfast, this episode will highlight the changes made to ships throughout WW2 to protect themselves against aircraft and especially Kamikaze attacks, by adding as many guns as possible.
Sadly no progress on this video, as a lot of time went into other projects
This video is progressing but at a slower pace than anticipated, mainly due to the volume of sources I am currently combing through, but also because I am still looking for the prefect way to pitch and present this battle. Updates to follow.
Script done, filming in progress. A fun video this will be, and it opened my eye to another fantastic topic I want to bring all of you in Q3 2021, namely the early air campaigns by Japan in Southeast Asia and the reasons why they were so successful.
My conversation with Justin on this topic has gone through the first two rounds of editing. His input in this video was invaluable as always and it will give you a fantastic overview over what Japan did to combat US submarines at the end of the war.
Thank you for the support, looking forward to your feedback and comments!
Chris
Hey all,
Here is your early access to the next three videos!
Panzerblitz - Luftwaffe Anti-Tank Rocket
Another deep dive into German military archive files, this time focusing ont he question why the Luftwaffe switched from cannons to rockets in 1944 to combat tanks.
Rafale vs Gripen - What should Germany buy?
Based on viewer comments, this is a look at a wide range of current aircraft that were proposed on the 'Why Germany doesn't buy the F-35' as possible solutions to Germany's dilemma in substituting Tornado.
Future of Fighter Jets - FCAS
A look at upcoming 6th Gen fighter jets with a deep dive on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This video is an interview with Dr. Ulrike Franke, who is also on the Airbus expert panel and works there on how new technologies are integrated into the platform.
Looking forward to all your feedback and thank you for the support!
Chris
Hey,
Here is your early access to the next Inside the Cockpit, this time on the venerable Panavia Tornado! The next two early access videos will be released soon - in the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the recent post giving you an overview of the upcoming content.
Enjoy, thank you for the support and looking forward to your feedback!
Chris
Hey all,
Here is your update on the upcoming videos! I just noticed that this month is going to be a very 'German' month, with all three videos having some sort of link to the Luftwaffe, either WW2 or post-war. I didn't even realise as I was making them but there you go.
Inside The Cockpit - Panavia Tornado - 10th June
A new Inside The Cockpit episode - again this comes with a big thank you to you! Inside the Cockpit could simply not work without your support.
This time I jump inside the Panavia Tornado, a staple aircraft of the RAF, Luftwaffe and AEI during the Cold War. Developed as a multilateral aircraft, this aircraft has a lot of fans to this very day. At the Luftwaffe museum in Berlin-Gatow, they have an absolutely immaculate exhibit so I am looking very much forward to showing it to all of you. This video is 100% completed and in early access soon. It took slightly longer to complete due to an issue with my editing software and some additions I made to it for extra detail after talking to someone who flew the aircraft.
German Late-War Tank Busting - 17th June
As the spiritual part 2 of the previous episode on Luftwaffe WW2 tank busting, this video focuses on anti-tank rockets. The Luftwaffe started to heavily invest in these round about the Fall of 1944, and based on some of the files I found in the German Military Archive, I want to introduce you to these. This video is 75% complated and sponsored by War Thunder. War Thunder will provide some additional footage as usual, which I am currently waiting for.
Replacing Panavia Tornado - But How? - 24th June
In my last video 'Why Germany doesn't buy the F-35', a lot of viewers have suggested alternatives to Germanys plight in finding a replacement to the Panavia Tornado. I am really happy about this as I wanted to talk about a lot of these options but didn't know how best to approach the subject. Having a fantastic pool of suggestions now, in this video I will go through them one by one and explain which could work for Germany. This video is 75% completed.
Additional videos in the works
Looking forward to sharing these videos with all of you!
Chris
Hey,
In the upcoming episode on the Battle of Midway, my 'Task force' counters could use an update! As you can see in the picture below, the work in process icons for the US fleet already features a USN Yorktown-class carrier but the Imperial Japanese Navy has a placeholder (same Yorktown class).
Since there were four different ships used by the Japanese at Midway, help me decide which one I should use to depict the 1st & 2nd Carrier Division!
What ship would you choose? The winning CV makes it into the video :)
Chris