ERIC "WINKLE" BROWN: The World's First Jet Carrier Landing (Restored Footage) This video and rare raw interview explore the death-defying, world-first jet aircraft carrier landing, accomplished by legendary test pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown on December 3, 1945. * Lesser-Known Facts: * No Hook: The first landings were "un-arrested," meaning Brown landed the jet on the deck using only its brakes, just like on a runway. This was done to prove the jet's handling was stable enough before attempting a fu

ERIC “WINKLE” BROWN: The World’s First Jet Carrier Landing (Restored Footage) This video and rare raw interview explore the death-defying, world-first jet aircraft carrier landing, accomplished by legendary test pilot Eric “Winkle” Brown on December 3, 1945. * Lesser-Known Facts: * No Hook: The first landings were “un-arrested,” meaning Brown landed the jet on the deck using only its brakes, just like on a runway. This was done to prove the jet’s handling was stable enough before attempting a fu

In this sobering reflection from The Ready Room Podcast, WWII veteran Lieutenant Commander Clyde “Cash” Barber recounts the tragic loss of the first PBY Catalina crew deployed to Guadalcanal in support of the U.S. Marines. At 09:30 AM, the crew sent a final distress call—under attack by a Japanese Zero floatplane—before vanishing without a trace. Despite extensive search efforts, no wreckage was ever found. It wasn’t until years after the war that the truth came to light: the crew had been shot

It's so rare that submarines face off underwater that this February 9, 1945, encounter is the first and only such dogfight in recorded naval history. Stream this story and more on the new season of Hell Below: http://bit.ly/2PnVqwW | Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation

32K views · 777 reactions | During WWII, the 1945 attack on Balikpapan was described as "hell on earth" by those who witnessed it. This rare footage shows the epic scale of the assault, in which 3,000 tons of aerial bombs and 46,800 naval ammunitions were used. Fall of Japan | Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation | Facebook