When 1 Pilot Fought 64 Japanese Planes

It’s December 13th 1943 and 2nd Lt Philip R. Adair is in the skies over Assam. The alert was sounded and he’s first Burma Banshee in the air. Flying Lulubelle his beloved P-40 he sees in the distance what looks like a flight of 4 planes. Adair is on his own as the rest of the Burma Banshees are still taking off…but he doesn’t hang around and he goes for a closer look.
It’s a force of over 60 planes consisting of both bombers and fighters and it's headed straight for his home base. What can one man do against 60 enemies? Adair makes the incredibly brave decision to engage the force alone. With original testimony from Adair and photos from the battle, we recreate this epic and little known moment in history.

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[mr.mac-n-cheese]

“And then I got smart” what a bloody awesome line.

[johnrust]

I'm surprised Adair's plane was able to stay in the air given the weight of his massive brass balls. What an incredible man!

[ylurrqw]

“And then I got smart” what a bloody awesome line.. Awesome that his family helped out with this. Keeps history alive.

[elonkvideography]

Rolling the plane upside down to gain attitude was bad ass moment. Smart move.

[dna]

i dont even know how they made this much research and animating this fast and manage to make the best video ever

[PrussianPoe]

Dude was brave enough to test his luck 3 times in a row even when he was damaged, Such a legend.

[adamgreen]

I wont lie, it brought tears to my eyes. What an absolute legend!!!!

[jerrymail]

When I was a kid, I built the "LuluBelle" P-40 from Matchbox. I didn't even know who was flying it and what this pilot did... But the skull looked cool ! ^^

[Crimson]

This man:

- attacked a large formation
- took down a bomber
- called it a skill issue when they missed
- attacked them AGAIN


What a goddamn hero, I love stories like this, really shows how some soldiers went above and beyond for the sake of their country.

[dheemanrajkhowa]

The Airbase Lt Philip R. Adair took off from in Assam is still used till today as Chabua Airforce Base by the Indian Airforce. My Grandfather's village was near the area, he remembers Japanese airraids that took place and the Americans who would share bread with the villagers if you waved at them by the railway tracks. A big thanks to the USAAF personell that served in the Burma theatre during WW2. - Love from Assam, India.

[fishsing]

Funniest thing about this is the fact that number 4 is consider bad luck in Japan because it pronounce similar to the word of Death. So his 44th sorties would be doubling the death to be death-er and this mad man still survive that by literally flipping his bird. Fate has some sense of humor

[robertlyndon]

I have to say the inverted flying, problem solving… brilliant and some ‘ace’ achievements. Great snippet of history. Thank you.

[Spudtron]

This man had a plane that had been badly hit, was losing altitude, and was too far from home... and he saw another enemy and said "Fuck it, why not?"
Absolute mad lad in the most true sense of the term.

[visassess]

This is probably your best video. The research, the narration, the animation, the amazing story and to hear from the man himself as well as see actual photos of the event combines to make it one of the greatest videos yet.

[dtbladeax]

1:32 :those snare pops and the music change had me clapping and rubbing my hands together! Hands freaking down, this is the best video I’ve seen from you guys! The animation looks amazing, the cuts with the archival photos are absolutely top notch, and the volume of the music with the archival audio was absolutely genius!

[michaelwatson]

This guys Autobiography should be called "Oh what the hell."

[Beckernoodles]

"oh what the hell.." this guy is a legend jesus christ

[Weird_kid]

Thank you Yarnhub, this was an amazing story that was told by a hero. Not only the wonderful pilot, but an amazing storyteller who helps bring war stories lost to history, back to the light

[onebridge]

LT. Adair had a badass paint job with that skull. Enemy remembered that bird for sure.

[danielellenwood]

The P40 was a very underrated aircraft. Durable and packed a punch with 6 50 caliber guns.