How a Captured American Pilot STOLE a German Fighter to Escape to Freedom - The Story of Bob Hoover

coming up in world war ii there were thousands of american airmen who were shot down and taken prisoner by the germans of these airmen many faced harsh conditions in pow camps and attempted to escape through clever and risky ways there is one story however that stands out above the rest as one of true bravery and willpower in this video we will take a look at bob hoover the bold american pilot that was so desperate to escape german captivity that he would plan an escape and would actually steal a german fighter aircraft and attempt to fly it back to friendly lines [Music] hey guys tj here and before i tell you about this incredible story of the american fighter pilot that would steal a german plane to escape to safety ronald reagan saw it 40 years ago massive inflation that hasn't been seen since well today so that's why i turned to birch gold group the sponsor of this video in his own words inflation is as violent as a mugger frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hitman 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thanks again to birchgold for sponsoring this video robert anderson hoover best known as bob was born on january 24th of 1922 in nashville tennessee throughout his younger years hoover was always enamored and fascinated with planes he began flying lessons at 15 years old and simply couldn't resist teaching himself how to perform daring aerobatic flying tricks he even developed a resistance to air sickness through sheer force of will and repetition by the time hoover graduated from his training as a pilot in the u.s army air force world war ii was in full effect with the allied forces beginning their invasion of north africa he was sent to work in casablanca for his first official assignment where he tested planes before they saw combat his next assignment brought him to the 52nd fighter group as a spitfire pilot during this time hoover managed to successfully complete 58 missions before his luck would run out on february 9th of 1944 hoover's 59th mission brought him to southern france as he made his way along the french coast his spitfire experienced some engine problems making him a sitting duck for enemy aircraft he would be shot down shortly after by german ace siegfried limke limke was a seasoned pilot who would log more than 70 aerial victories in the war hoover would be his 19th fortunately for hoover he was able to escape the doomed aircraft and bailed out finding himself landing in the cold waters below a german patrol boat would float up to him and fish him out of the sea before bringing him to a prison in barth germany hoover remained captured here as a pow for 16 months by the summer of 1945 the german prison was losing more guards by the day and their ranks were thinning out as the remaining guards grew unmotivated and careless the war seemed to be finally coming to a close with the allied forces thrusting deep into axis territory civilians and soldiers alike could see the allied victory was all but certain hoover was getting more restless by the day however and couldn't bear to wait any longer despite general eisenhower ordering all american pows to stay put until they were rescued working with a fellow prisoner to stage a fight and distract the guards he used the chaos to escape with a friend the two americans climbed over the sharp barbed wire fence and tore into the woods nearby until they were far enough away to slow down after getting some assistance from a local woman hoover and his companion trekked through the german farmlands seeking some way to get back to allied territory as they picked their way through the countryside they noticed something odd and out of place an abandoned airfield filled with a great number of damaged german airplanes sprawling out in every direction with excitement and hope brimming from their chest hoover and his friend began to inspect the planes to see if any could fly but many were badly damaged and none seemed to have any fuel the pilot and his companion continued to search through the field until they finally came across a focke wolf 190 which to their surprise had a full tank of fuel with the help of a civilian mechanic that they found and held up at gunpoint they were able to get the plane started hoover's friend from the pow camp elected not to try and escape with him in the plane as he hated the idea of flying hoover gave him a brief nod of understanding and the two said goodbyes before he clambered into the cockpit with the engine roaring hoover took no time in pushing the throttle open desperate to get in the air he even declined to taxi and take off from the actual runway and instead opted to simply take off from an open field of grass attempting to take off in a plane that was completely unfamiliar was no doubt a challenge especially as all of the controls were likely in german but nonetheless hoover overcame the challenge and got the fock-a-wolf fighter off the ground as his plane soared into the air above hoover felt free again for the first time in what felt like a lifetime but his relief was short-lived he had a worrying realization that the plane emblazoned with glaring german crosses on the side would be shot down by allied forces if he came across any on his journey on top of that hoover even lacked simple maps to navigate with any accuracy thinking on his toes hoover decided the best bet was to fly above the shoreline and follow it until he began to see the netherlands trademark windmills below him this was no doubt a stressful flight for hoover with time ticking by extremely slowly every moment he was in the air was another moment that an american mustang or thunderbolt could jump him from behind not knowing that he was a friendly pilot he continued on his low course and maintained his heading praying to see signs of friendly territory soon on the horizon after flying for some time along the beach the dotted windmills finally appeared one by one and welcomed him to safety after circling for just a moment and not wanting to stay in the air any longer than necessary hoover picked an open field to land in and began his approach through extremely skilled piloting and likely some luck as well the american pilot brought down the german aircraft for a safe landing and brought the fighter to a stop as he climbed out of the cockpit hoover was greeted by a horde of dutch farmers armed with pitchforks and ready to defend their home if necessary he desperately tried to explain the situation as best he could but was unfamiliar with their language and his story was likely difficult to believe luckily a british army truck rumbled towards the crowd and heard his claims where they shortly thereafter took the american pilot to safety the war in europe would come to an end just a few weeks later and the germans would surrender when the war ended hoover would be claimed a hero and would actually make another claim to fame in the years that followed he joined the newly branded u.s air force and was selected to be a test pilot in the project to attempt to break the sound barrier although hoover was not the one manning the famous bell x1 rocket-powered aircraft he did fly in the chase plane that tailed closely behind chuck yeager on this occasion as a result hoover was credited with taking the first photographs of the historic flight in 1947. in the years that would follow he would impress many with his piloting skills as an air show flyer and would earn the admiration of many great aviators his acclaim grew to have him known as one of the best pilots in the nation even being dubbed the greatest stick and rudder man who ever lived by general jimmy doolittle in addition chuck yeager would even go on to say that bob hoover was the best pilot he ever saw before hoover's retirement from the military in 1948 he was awarded multiple honors including the distinguished flying cross and purple heart he would pass away in 2016 at the age of 94. thank you guys so much for watching this historical recreation if you want to 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Channel: TJ3 History

Views: 209,014

Keywords: focke-wulf fw 190, IL-2 Sturmovik, IL2, Flight Sim, World War II Flight Sim, IL-2 Great Battles, IL2 Game, American Pilot POW, FW-190, Bob Hoover Pilot, Stole a German Plane, WW2 Air Combat, Bob Hoover WWII, Focke-Wolf, Spitfire, Chuck Yeager, Spitfire Shot Down, IL-2 Highlights, Bob Hoover, WWII Air Combat, World War II, IL-2 Flight Sim, Combat Flight Sim, War Thunder, Realistic, History Channel Dogfights, Historic, Documentary, Mark Felton, Yarnhub, TJ3 Gaming, dark Skies

Id: vW_yqpxbGic

Length: 10min 3sec (603 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 11 2022