Special interest is the year of 1943. It therefore fell to Memphis Belle as the face of bomber aircraft during the war. Can someone hack my PC through online games? , former Teacher by Profession, Teacher by Soul. How do you identify neurotypical disorders? I was told that 25 missions was the max and they never told you when your next mission was for worry that word would leak out. It flew about half of its approximately 30 combat missions over Europe, with the remainder being strikes in Africa and patrol missions over the Mediterranean. MG Carl "Tooey" Spatz assumed command in May 1942 and established a headquarters at Bushy Park about 15 miles west of London on June 25, 1942. The 91st Bombardment Group, 324th Bombardment Squadrons B-17F Flying Fortress Memphis Belles crew flew their 25th combat mission on May 17, 1943, against the naval yard at Lorient, France. 4 How accurate is the movie Memphis Belle? Now I dont know what to believe! What movie plot hole bothers you the most? `MEMPHIS BELLE never quite rings true. Waldock is an air accident investigator and has undertaken many archaeological digs related to aviation. I'm a 'scientist'. Those uncertainties aside, on May 19, the Memphis Belle flew its 25th combat mission on a strike against Kiel, Germany, though manned by a different crew. Its a great thing for any crew/plane to have completed 25 missions, but I think the 8th flying to the heart of Germany had a tougher nut to crack than the 9th flying against targets mostly in Africa and Italy (although nobody had a tougher target then Ploesti). The B-17 Flying Fortress "The Memphis Belle" on its way back to the US after completing 25 missions from an airbase in England, June 9, 1943. . I have no idea). Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Top Stories For You. did not took place in advance! how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions. Short Bier is housed here. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 2LT Harold J. Rider. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station . He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. The four men by the waist window are using grappling hooks on two rods to lift the bomb onto the dolly, a three-wheeled cart. He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. Copyright 2003-2021. The successes of Bomber Command were purchased at terrible cost. Thank you. Good day! B-17F Hell's Angels, tail number 41-24577 and crew. Nor was she the second. Bombing operations during the Second World War were one of the most hazardous undertakings Americans had to endure throughout the conflict. The 25-mission milestone becomes harder to pin down when considering changing crew members due to rotation, death, injury, illness, leave and equipment failures leading to spare planes pressed into service, errant wartime record-keeping, etc. Why? God bless all of our heroes in WW2. B-17E Suzy-Q The Suzy-Q, a 19th BG B-17E, was the first USAAF heavy bomber to complete 25 missions and return to the US. Because temperatures could easily fall 60 degrees below zero, B-17 crewmen had to wear heavy gloves andelectrically heated suits (which can possibly short circuit). I hope my information is correct. Have taught English in Germany. It flew in both the ETO and North Africa. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Can someone hack my PC through online games? Identified as B-26B-25 MA Bureau No. How many Lancaster bombers lost in ww2? The first refueling stop before heading out over the Atlantic was scheduled for Prestwick, Scotland, but the crew decided to fly directly to their second refueling stop at Reykjavik, Iceland. They were the only crews in their squadron to see combat with the 20th AF. Of the 120,000 who served, 55,573 were killed including over 10,000 Canadians. The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. A bomber crew of the 392nd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. Hot Stuff completed its 31st mission on March 31, 1943. You had to have gloves on, or else your hands would stick to just about anything metal. Your email address will not be published. Flak-Bait 's crew poses with the bomber after its 200th mission on April 17, 1945. The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. In the article comments, we were contacted by Air Force veteran Jim Lux who stated "The first heavy bomber in the 8th Air Force to complete 25 mission in World War II was the B-24 Liberator Hot Stuff. Belle crew was not intact through out the 25 missions. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By the summer of 1940 when it appeared the United States would be drawn into World War II, bonds again were being sold as a way to remove money from circulation as well as reduce inflation. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. They knew what they needed to know to successfully perform their duties but other than that, they had limited information. We would love to see some images from that log book if you feel comfortable scanning and sending them along! I ate 4 eggs and 4 bananas for dinner. 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The Idiotic WWI Aerial Formation The Allies Used In The Second World War, And How It Dealt Them Huge Fighter Losses, Heres The Latest Video Update Of That Bf 109 Restoration Were All Waiting For. Object Number - FRE 5112 - Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Irving Ostuw died this 11/29/14. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. So dangerous was flying heavy bomber combat missions, the USAAF had a policy that when an aircrew wrapped up 25 missions, it was deemed to have completed their tour of duty. The War Department would then bring the bomber and its crew home to conduct nationwide promotional tours to sell war bonds to help fund the war effort. The swastika marks a German aircraft destroyed, while the parachuter indicates Parker had to jump. My dad, Charles R. Toner, was a B-17 pilot who completed his 35 missions in 1944. He was lost on his 25th mission, the low-level raid on Ploesti, August 1, 1943. One the return journey Lieutenant General Frank Andrews took over the flying and when the plane hit severe weather conditions. His ob states he flew 125 combat mission over Europe in his P-47 bomber and received 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 24 Silver Stars. A total of 26,000. If Hokage Naruto took on every member of the Akatsuki at once (Minus Madara, if he even counts) would he be able to win? How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? Suzy-Q nose artthe circled areas highlight combat damage repair. #13: Bomber crewmen werent trained to jump out of airplanes with parachute. To put this into sobering perspective - the 8th Air Force in Europe lost more men than the entire US Marine Corps did in World War Two - both horrible thoughts to consider. Norwegian Wood is a song about John Lennon's infidelity, John Lennon wrote that song because he wanted to tell his first wife, Cynthia indirectly that he had affair with ot Why won't my daughter let me see my granddaughter? A radio operator, he was in the crew of one of two bombers that in which the group leader flew, with radar where the belly gunner would normally be. IN 1959..FROM THERE BACK TO LOUISIANA WHERE I CHECKED OUT AS ENGINEER IN THE KB-50 AIRCRAFTABOUT 2000 HOURS THERE, THEN TO HUNTER AFB GEORGIA TO FLY THE GREAT C-124. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Andrews and his entourage hitched a ride on Hot Stuff, and in doing so bumped five crew members from the flight. An amusing sidelight was that he was highly indignant that every third mission they got liberty and that at 50 missions , they were one short and did NOT get liberty, even though the war in Europe was over. They arrived to find the weather at their destination quite dicey with snow squalls, low clouds and rain. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". But Mighty Eighth War Diary shows no raid on 2/7/43. However, others stayed behind to complete 30 missions to avoid having to return from the states for a second tour of duty. The 314th BW needed replacement crews and the 8th AF crews were to absorb experience, which they could later pass on to their fellow crews. Between its initial flight on Dec. 29, 1939, and September 1945, nearly 18,500 Liberators rolled off the production line at five plants. The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America white America, anyway. Dick is a long time dead now, but I would like other confirmation. The most vulnerable body part that a flak can hit include the lower extremities (legs) followed by the upper extremities (arms) and the head. This one is easy! According to my brother, it was in the Ploesti raid that their lost all their fuel when anti-aircraft shells went through their wings without exploding. P. S. Hes here to tell the stories. The plane's service ceiling of 25,000 to 35,000 feet (7,500 to 10,500 metres), depending on the bomb load, put it above the worst of the German antiaircraft artillery, but, firepower notwithstanding, formations of B-17s proved unable to fight their way unescorted to targets deep inside Germany in the face of determined fighter opposition without Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Martin Maryland. Nine-O-Nine was a Boeing B-17G-30-BO Flying Fortress heavy bomber, of the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, that completed 140 combat missions during World War II, believed to be the Eighth Air Force record for most missions, without loss to the crews that flew her. I bookmarked it. What happened to the bomber crews in World War II? How do people travel around the world with no job? By . The Memphis Belle was supposed to be the first B-17 bomber to fly 25 bombing missions and return back to base safely each time. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. ANY WAY I HAD FLIGHT EXPERIENCE ON THE B 26 TOWING TARGETS HERE IN THE GOOD OLD USA. A highly modern aircraft for its day, it first saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force. During World War II, workers in factories signed milestone aircraft, such as 1,000th aircraft built, before they were delivered. Brittany Williams Lite Brite Height, The 93rd BG dispatched aircraft on 9 of the first 34 raids by 8th BC. Just sayin. According to Warbird News, our government was anxious to report uplifting and inspiring stories of the war that would capture the American publics imagination. A total of 315 men flew in operations in the Lancaster and 101 were later killed when . IX bomber completed 213 missions but this aircraft was destroyed in a crash at Calgary Airport in Canada, two days after V-E Day, see . The consensus in this discussion is that WWII bomber crews were rotated home after 25 combat missions. I have more rights to her daughter than her husband anyways. Does that sound like a truthful story? The B-29 Missions From 3 Feb 1945 to 14 Aug 1945, the 6th Bomb Group officially flew 75 missions. So that would be 17,280 airmen on such a mission, and they never managed any 1700 plane raids. So he promptly retrieved his discharge and it stated he had really flown 137 missions. Read the complete story. That's almost 50 percent more than the 12,741 B-17s . In 1945 the number of B-17s and B-24s withing the group on VE Day (assuming no more losses after April 25) would be 72. Doolittle Raid, (April 18, 1942), during World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces bombing raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. PC even then. You didnt know if you would be headed back out on another mission in 24 hours or 5 days. Bomber crews needed to complete 25 missions before they were allowed to go home but that numberwas almoststatistically impossible in Europe. Although the risk for hypoxia, altitude and decompression sickness, and barotrauma was high; bombers were only given oxygen masks. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Waldock says that because Hot Stuff crashed and never made it home it never became as well-known as Memphis Belle. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. . The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. Pilots need to take flash photographs after dropping the bombs otherwise, it might not be included in the required number of missions for a single tour. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. And, although air and ground crews rarely mingled, there was a special bond between crew chief and pilot. Double credit missions were more about long/latitude vs how hazardous the target was. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Eyewitnesses and early documents tell a different story: "Hot Stuff" was the first B-24 crew and the first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions on February 7, 1943. Example: Ploest was single credit. So, the answer is YES, if anyone ever asks you if the might 8th AF ever bombed Japan. There were nine crew members on a B-17 bomber. 1917, and 1918, the United States government issued Liberty Bonds to raise money for our involvement in World War I. Although the U.S. Army Air Force sent its individual war heroes to War Bond rallies, it preferred sending 10-man heavy bombers crews. Col. James H. Doolittle led 16 B-25 bombers from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Hornet in a spectacular surprise attack that caused little damage but boosted Allied morale. , Retired university lecturer in German. A claim is made that Gene Roddenberry, screen writer for Star Trek, completed 89 missions in the 324th bomb squadron. 2 What happened to the real crew of the Memphis Belle? All Rights Reserved. On a recent post here at Warbirds News, we reported on the anniversary of milestones in the history of what is perhaps one of the most famous bombers of all time, the Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, Memphis Belle. During a Memphis Belle mission, the 91st Bomb Group unknowingly blew up an entire cellar of cognac. Hot Stuff and crew were in the 9th from the begining of Dec 1942 on, flying missions from bases in Africa. Have you ever been punished with corporal punishme budisuryanto001, see what's new and featured for June. Wrinkled end sheet in this copy. Which b17 bomber completed the most combat missions? Employees of the Glenn L. Martin Company rolled the B-26B Marauder that would soon be dubbed Flak-Bait off the Baltimore production line on April 26, 1943. A dear friend of mine was the navigator/turret gunner of the lead plane on the 2nd successful Pelosti mission and I saw the commendation for that and for the 50 missions that B24 crew made.. General Andrews, considered to be the father of the modern USAF, was replaced by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. Probably because the P47 was a fighter, not a bomber. Uber From Kissimmee To Disney, She is one of the few surviving flyable B-17s, and is the largest aircraft housed at the Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Galveston, Texas. Hi, Their chance of survival was less than 50 percent. He was 85. Because it was World War II, and the bombing campaign over Europe was a bloody affair. It was sent to North Africa to support the 12th Air Force after its 10th mission in the ETO and returned to Hardwick, England in February 1943 after completing its 27th mission. The NASM B-26B-25-MA nicknamed "Flak-Bait" (AAF serial number 41-31773) survived 206 operational missions over Europe, more than any other American aircraft during World War II (A de Havilland Mosquito B. Mk. THE GREATEST GENERATION OF AMERICANS!!! Many ground crewmen felt the Libs belonged to them and were only "loaned" to the air crews. The Memphis Belle was not the first B17 to complete 25 missions. On May 13, 1943, the 303rd BG B-17F Hells Angels became the first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions over Europe, four days before the Memphis Belles crew. B-25, also called Mitchell, U.S. medium bomber used during World War II. Since 1943 Word War II aviation history considered the "Memphis Belle" as the first heavy bomber to reach the 25-mission mark. Imagine trying to move around? WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN FLYING AND THE GREAT MACHINES.SO MUCH SO THAT I ENLISTED IN AIRFORCE AT 18 AND 1/2 YEARS OF AGE.FORTUNATELY WAS ABLE TO GO TO 3 TECH SCHOOLS PLUS FLIGHT ENGINEERING SCHOOL.JUST MISSED FLYING STATUS IN KOREA AS I WAS CLEARED FOR FLIGHT IN KOREA JUST AFTER I MADE THE LIST FOR ROTATION BACK TO US IN 3 MONTHSI BELEIVED IN LONGEVITY SO DEEPLY THAT I QUICKLY CHANGED OUR MINDS ABOUT FLYING STATUS IN THE WAR ZONE. Lieutenant General Andrews is remembered however, Joint Base Andrews in Maryland is named in his honor. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The crew of Hot Stuff didnt land at their scheduled stop on their way to Iceland, which if they had of stopped they would have found out about the incoming bad weather conditions, and may have waited until it passed and was safe to fly. How many B-17s were in the Pacific in 1942? The 303rd Bombardment Group 358th Bombardment Squadron, B-17F Flying Fortress Hells Angels, after which the Group later named itself, completed its 25th mission on May 13, 1943. Is producer and executive producer the same thing? Based on a true story, the film concerns the famous B-17 bomber Memphis Belle, which delivered 25 successful missions before the plane and its sterling crew retired from the skies. Martin Caidin wrote the definitive book on the plight of the bomber crews in Black Thursday, which chronicled in great detail the 2nd Schweinfurt bombing raid of October 14, 1943, where 60 bombers and their crews were lost. In the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, 15 co-pilots from the 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bomberswere in flight school for less than a year. Answer (1 of 14): The twenty-five mission mark was more honored in the breach than the observance, as the saying goes. We have nothing but respect for the brave men who have endured all the sufferings just to help us attain freedom. What can I do? Billy Burke Evangelist Wife, The story of Hot Stuff, heading home at last after at least 30 missions completed, ends in tragedy. Whistle Stop Rail Trail, VIII Bomber Command 25. Dad flew 37 missions for RAF. As a 24 yr old Capt and pilot,he said when you dropped all your bombs,you headed back or did splash missions with the P-51s. She and her crew were promptly sent home to the United States to join the War Bond selling tours. It therefore fell to Memphis Belle as the face of bomber aircraft during the war. 4 Which b17 bomber completed the most combat missions? Before anything, consult the FEO! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Hot Stuff was being flown home to the US since Captain Shannon had completed his tour of service. WHAT A GOOD FLYING, FORGIVING AIRCRAFT WITH PLENTY OF POWER WITH 4 R-4360 PRATT WHITNEY ENGINES.PLENTY OF FLYING EUROPE FROM HOT WEATHER IN SOUTHERN ITALY TO THE COLD OF ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. Hawker Hind. Of the 15 aboard, 14 died. For nearly four months, he flew out of Foggia, Italy, on 50 missions that usually took between 5 and 8 hours each. Will there Do narcissists sense a loss when they realize they Mike, check out the latest from publishers you love. Battling flak and enemy fighters over the skies of Europe during World War II, the US Army Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder bomber named Flak-Bait?