Since radios were not so advanced, audio clips from World War Two are quite rare.
This make the following radio chatter clip of a Lancaster bomber being attacked by a German fighter during a war mission over Germany particularly interesting.
The crew seems to panic as the German plane engages the Lancaster shortly after the latter has dropped its bombed, and the captain at one point shouts “Okay, don’t shout all at once!”
Eventually one of the gunners manages to bring down the German fighter.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
This is what aerial combat during World War II over Europe looked like A video producer by the name of Loudon Maverick has compiled a color video including fighter gun camera footage, dogfights, flak fire, […]
Over Germany, Italy, Japan, “Flak” (anti-aircraft gun) was, along with enemy fighters, the main threat to Allied bombers. An Army Air Force training film explains FlaK (from the German word for Anti-aircraft gun – Flugabwehrkanone): […]
The USAAF faces Yugoslavian Yak-3s The years following the end of WWII were very controversial and did not bring to a real peace for those territories claimed by two or more parts. Just to remain […]
6 Comments
0.44 ‘ey jimmy tracer behind us’
truly fascinating, and a hugely courageous bunch of people. I imagine not every crew spoke the queens English like this but one thing is certain – this crew are not amateurs
Hi, it sounds jolly good, almost too good…
Unless someone provides a good explanation as to how this pristine recording came to be, I would be more inclined towards other theories, e.g. a staged propaganda soundbite or fragment of a radio play.
Australian crews in all transmissions are expected to maintain proper protocols, therefore no slang and an admonishment from the pilot when the chatter gets excited
A propaganda sound bite. On the final bomb run the Lancaster, like the B17 was under the control of the bombardier and most definitely would not have been weaving about. They would not have been able to identify that there were lots of fighters about’ either as 99% of British raids were in the middle o the night. The radio chatter for the period is too good and clear not forgetting no engine noise from all those 4 merlin’s
. The British used studio sound recordings often to boost civilian moral.
0.44 ‘ey jimmy tracer behind us’
truly fascinating, and a hugely courageous bunch of people. I imagine not every crew spoke the queens English like this but one thing is certain – this crew are not amateurs
Hi, it sounds jolly good, almost too good…
Unless someone provides a good explanation as to how this pristine recording came to be, I would be more inclined towards other theories, e.g. a staged propaganda soundbite or fragment of a radio play.
Here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039lmkg
Cool as a Cucumber, they did there job …
Australian crews in all transmissions are expected to maintain proper protocols, therefore no slang and an admonishment from the pilot when the chatter gets excited
A propaganda sound bite. On the final bomb run the Lancaster, like the B17 was under the control of the bombardier and most definitely would not have been weaving about. They would not have been able to identify that there were lots of fighters about’ either as 99% of British raids were in the middle o the night. The radio chatter for the period is too good and clear not forgetting no engine noise from all those 4 merlin’s
. The British used studio sound recordings often to boost civilian moral.