The Most Incredible World War II Story You've Never Heard - Henry Erwin's Medal of Honor

coming up a lot can happen in 22 seconds a shoe can be tied a war can be declared or an entire crew can be saved from a bomb that has detonated inside their aircraft mid-flight for henry eugene erwin he learned first-hand just how much can be done when this exact same thing happened in 22 seconds in this video we will look at an american hero who while on board one of the legendary b-29 bombers would save his entire crew from certain death in one of the most courageous and absurd stories in all of world war ii hey guys what's up tj here and i have a question for you do you wear pants if so then you are going to love the sponsor of this video anson belt and buckle this company founded by a father and son has created a line of products that center around one thing making the best looking belts and making them super easy to use their belts are actually holeless so instead of struggling for a hole that is a good fit they have a micro adjustable system that makes sure it's always the 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severe poverty had its challenges but red always kept a positive outlook through his faith with a solid religious background red knew that there was never anything that god would throw his way that he couldn't handle when he was 17 years old red joined the civilian conservation corps he was quickly promoted to first sergeant and he was put in charge of over 200 men as they worked handling molten steel though the job paid well the hazardous conditions of this profession were many while working with such high temperature steel the high risk of getting harmed while on this job was very apparent for red but little did he know just how much it was preparing him for his future moment of trial when the united states entered world war ii red and his brothers joined the military red aced his entry exams with high enough scores to qualify to join the u.s army air corps he was hopefully one step closer to attaining his dream of becoming a fighter pilot after finishing basic training he was sent to military flight school in florida where he was taught the fundamentals of flying an airplane here he practiced flying taking off and of course landing but when his superiors watched his technique they realized that red was simply not equipped with the instinct that it takes to master landing and according to his higher ups this was something that could not be taught red thought his piloting days were long over when he was reassigned to radio operator technician but was happy to learn that flight was still possible in his future as a crew member initially when training started he was trained for the b-17 but when the new long-range b-29 was announced red eagerly offered to fly on this aircraft the new top secret b-29 was a bomber that america was excited to unveil doubling the size of the b-17 the b-29 was large and boasted the ability to fly at a range of over 8 000 miles this allowed america to perform direct hits on tokyo as they came closer to victory in japan the b-29 quickly became an aircraft that was feared by the enemy the reputation of the sheer power of this plane reached japanese emperor hirohito's wife who herself was even unable to deny the ability of this plane quoted in 1945 as saying unfortunately the b-29 is indeed a splendid plane and though this plane was an impressive piece of machinery it came with its fair share of issues developing and testing this aircraft was overwhelming with technical and mechanical issues that led to many fatal accidents despite troubleshooting and fixing known errors the planes still suffered from engines that overheated propeller speeds that were unstable inconsistent consumption of fuel and bombay doors that would jam and even cause blockages when bombs were released during one of these trials a major fire caused by an engine killed all 11 crew members on board the issues of flying aboard one of these b-29s in 1945 was extremely hazardous but fortunately red was equipped and almost used to working in danger as he learned the aircraft and took to the skies things went easily and without major issue for the young radio operator as he initially completed nine missions with flying colors on april 12th of 1945 however the very same day that president roosevelt passed away a combat mission of a low altitude strike on a chemical plant in tokyo was scheduled in a single line formation 167 b-29s took to the skies from the islands of guam and tinian red was aboard the aircraft named the city of los angeles red was specifically given the duty of dropping a phosphorous smoke bomb as the group approached their target after falling several hundred feet this marker would be seen for dozens of miles signaling where the airplanes would gather these signals were crucial for the flight of b-29s to be able to see where they needed to form up as they neared the target area but they did have their hazards white phosphorus is a wax-like substance which bursts into flame and burns when in contact with the air when white phosphorus burns it gives off a dense white smoke and generates intense heat it melts as it burns and small pieces tend to stick to the surface they strike as he was finally given the signal red released the phosphorus bomb not knowing how drastically his life was about to change as he released it the bomb failed to launch and actually ricocheted back into the aircraft and detonated at red's feet setting him ablaze the bomb hit the right side of red's face and covered his upper body with a gummy smoldering coat of white phosphorus that burned at over 1300 degrees fahrenheit as retold by his grandson john irwin red's right ear and nose were seared away his face hair and arms were on fire and his eyes were blinded the b-29 city of los angeles plummeted straight towards the ocean as it filled with a cloud of dark smoke that made the instrument panel impossible to operate rather than fear and untimely death red turned all of his energy and prayed to survive what seemed to be an unsurvivable situation despite being literally covered in flames and effectively blind red checked around the aircraft trying desperately to locate the bomb after locating it using his bare hands he carried the burning bomb to the cockpit window where according to red himself he could hear angelic voices cheering him on all the while the white hot phosphorus burning through his flesh at 1100 degrees there was a folding navigator table that actually obstructed his path towards the window but with unnatural strength red raised the table and the burning phosphorus searing through his flesh and managed to throw the bomb out the window the smoke quickly cleared from the aircraft with the bomb out of the way then just barely 300 feet above the ocean red regained control of the city of los angeles and single-handedly saved the lives of his entire crew all in precisely 22 seconds due to his selfless bravery in just 22 seconds red not only saved both himself and the entire crew but also earned the prestigious medal of honor in an unprecedented turn of events as red was in the hospital healing from what were thought to be fatal wounds the chief of staff of the army at the time general george c marshall expedited the process and quickly received president truman's approval for the medal of honor in just six and a half hours this was the first of many awards for red who received in addition a purple heart two air medals the world war ii victory medal and many others for his legacy through his determination henry eugene irwin survived the unsurvivable healed from the unhealable and received the highest possible honors for this incredible act of courage this famous airman would live to be 80 years old before passing away in 2002 thank you guys so much for watching this historical recreation if you want to support my content please check out my fan store here and make sure to click subscribe right here and if you want to go above and beyond feel free to support me on patreon which can be found in the description thanks for watching and i'll see you next time

Channel: TJ3 History

Views: 332,116

Keywords: b-29 superfortress documentary, b-29 superfortress, B29, B-29, Henry Erwin, Medal of Honor, IL-2 Sturmovik, IL2, Flight Sim, b-29 war thunder, World War II Flight Sim, IL-2 Great Battles, IL2 Game, IL-2 Highlights, Henry E. Erwin, b-29 bomber, WW2 Bombers, Heroes of the Skies, IL-2 Flight Sim, Combat Flight Sim, War Thunder, WW2 B29, World War II Bombers, Realistic, History Channel Dogfights, Historic, Documentary, Mark Felton, Yarnhub, TJ3 Gaming, Dark Skies, wW2 Air Combat

Id: LZhtyuBRrwc

Length: 10min 16sec (616 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 18 2022