how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions

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. The plane and her crew was on the return flight to the states for a War Bonds publicity and morale-boosting tour on May 3, 1943, and Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews, Commander of the European Theater of Operations needed to get back the the states as he had been summoned to Washington DC by the General of the Army, George Marshall. For this famous B-17, surviving 25 missions in World War II was the easy part. Apple says hackers may have exploited security flaws on iPhone, iPad, and Macs - BBC News BBC News 143K views 2. Sept. 1, 1998. In early May 1943 as the crew prepared for their flight to the States for their War Bonds publicity tour, they got a call from the office of Lt. General Frank M. Andrews, Commander of the European Theater of Operations, asking if he could hitch a ride back to the States. Now an academic from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona, Florida has revealed that it was the B-24 named Hot Stuff that was the first bomber to make 25 missions and return home, not the Memphis Belle. Im trying to work out the losses to compare it with the losses of the Avro Lancaster which peaked around 44% of total. I, too flew the C-124, first from Travis, 1956-58, then Hickam 1958-9; and later (college break) Dover, 1963-5, and McChord, 1965-7. Army Air Force planners decided that a tour of duty for bombers was to be 25 missions. , studied Self-Teaching & Curiosity at Lake Howell High (2016). I asked my 16 year old son what music he was liste Did the British ever fight Japanese soldiers durin What does Professor Oak do with the third Pokemon? Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Martin Maryland. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Bombing operations during the Second World War were one of the most hazardous undertakings Americans had to endure throughout the conflict. How many missions did bomber crews have to fly in WW2? , So proud to be Deaf, I have a Ph.D. in it. Is there Delhi quota in Lady Hardinge Medical College? The reason for this misinformation seems to have been to obscure the fact that the Supreme Commander was absent the theater. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The former Royal Australian Air Force fighter will take part in []. My uncle, by marriage, was a waist gunner with the 8th, I believe. Which b17 bomber completed the most combat missions? By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . Its basically like doing regular day-to-day tasks with your hands you need both. Cisco Job Application Status Under Review, The Memphis Belle is a World War II-era bomber that completed 24 combat missions on 15 May 1943. He said it was all politics. The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. Five bomber groups of the US 5th Air Force operated B-17 bombers in the Pacific Theater, with a peak of 168 bombers in Sep 1942. Restoration: The Memphis Belle. This one is easy! Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. In 1942, during the first three months of Americas combat flights over Europe the average bomber crew was expected to complete 8-12 missions before being shot down or disabled. The crews were men from the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and occupied Europe, especially Poland, France, Czechoslovakia and Norway, as well as other foreign volunteers. 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 . The B-17 Delta Rebel II of the 91st BG, piloted by Capt.George Birdsong,Jr. 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). 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. Written in pencil on the pouter skin behind the scanners hatch: Pilots are a funny bunch what we call pussy, we call lunch. That wasnt you, was it? Nearly half of all the bombs dropped in World War II came from B-17 airplanes. What was the first b17 to complete 25 missions? 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? Im just conveying the facts I uncovered while researching information for a friend who was the bombardier on Hot Stuff. Byrd. He told me (and has since passed away, so I cant verify it, that 37 missions was the cap and he was on his second round. Miraculously the injured tail-gunner, Sgt. Unlike the 8th, the 9th didnt had a set limit of 25 missions. Tags: "Hell's Angels", Audie Murphy, B-17F, John Basilone, Liberty Bonds, Memphis Belle, Norman Rockwell, Pearl Harbor, U.S. Army Air Force, United States, USAAF, War Bonds, War Bonds Tour, World War I, World War II. My dad, Charles R. Toner, was a B-17 pilot who completed his 35 missions in 1944. Valor: The Right Touch | Air & Space Forces Magazine 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. chin turret > dia. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Why? Did the Battle of Britain cripple the Luftwaffe? According to Warbird News, our government was anxious to report uplifting and inspiring stories of the war that would capture the American publics imagination. To promote selling the War Bonds, rallies were held throughout the country with famous celebrities, usually Hollywood film stars, sports personalities, and war heroes such as John Basilone and Audie Murphy. It flew in both the ETO and North Africa. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. AFTER THAT I WAS SENT TO KB-29 AIR REFUELING SQ IN LOUISIANA. 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 second bomber to have completed 25 missions is said to have been the Hells Angels, but it wasnt widely promoted since its name wasnt aesthetically pleasing to the War Department. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. How many crew members did the b17 have? Behind every successful air mission are two things: powerful war birds and skilled crewmen. I ate 4 eggs and 4 bananas for dinner. What happened to the real crew of the Memphis Belle? It was an airplane named Hells Angels. 329th and 330th squadrons were under Ted Timberlake. So, the answer is YES, if anyone ever asks you if the might 8th AF ever bombed Japan. However, others stayed behind to complete 30 missions to avoid having to return from the states for a second tour of duty. We have nothing but respect for the brave men who have endured all the sufferings just to help us attain freedom. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? Example: Ploest was single credit. This was almost a suicide mission to say the least. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. A bomber crew of the 392nd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. After some time of ineffective high altitude bombing, some of the B-17 bombers adopted skip bombing, a technique usually practiced by medium bombers rather than heavy bombers. So whatever Hot Stuff was doing it wasnt going on raids conducted by 8th BC. Robert Hanson, 85; Last Living Crewman of the Memphis Belle The technique of skip bombing scored several sinkings. . Doolittle Raid, (April 18, 1942), during World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces bombing raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. My dad was a waste gunner on a B 24 in ww2. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Perhaps our paths crossed, as I was in the front seats of that magnificent noise-maker. Enola Gay, Regular Crew (Crew B-9) Crew B-9 flew five combat missions, including the Hiroshima bombing mission. They did get in a few 1000 . Yep, my pawpaw flew on that bird. Good day! 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. These records show that Flak-Bait was assigned to fly on 216 missions. The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America white America, anyway. He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. There is some report that 25 missions was a full tour with that group, which would indicate more than three tours. How many Lancaster bombers lost in ww2? 41-31173, the twin-engine medium bomber then took its place . He has shared a diary of the 50 missions that will be made public upon his passing.. 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. 2LT Richard McNamara. 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. According to decades of World War II aviation history, the crew of the Memphis Belle became the first B-17F Flying Fortress crew to complete 25 missions following a strike against Kiel, Germany. Is there Delhi quota in Lady Hardinge Medical College? From Arthur Hayes' collection. I bookmarked it. Waldock says that because Hot Stuff crashed and never made it home it never became as well-known as Memphis Belle. Pilot. Forrest Vosler, who had grown up in a small New York state town, was assigned to the 358th Bomb Squadron of the 303d Bomb Group, stationed at RAF Molesworth in the UK. The crews were men from the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and occupied Europe, especially Poland, France, Czechoslovakia and Norway, as well as other foreign volunteers. In fact, it is believed that Memphis Belle was the third to complete 25 successful missions. So on July 5, 1945 the 8th AF landed on Guam . 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. Im trying to find out how many B17s were operational in the European Theatre of Operations. Vintage Aviation News is a company founded by a group of passionate aviation enthusiasts who love the history and technology Aviation and Flying Museums preserve for the public. Hi, (more) The crews were men from the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and occupied Europe, especially Poland, France, Czechoslovakia and Norway, as well as other foreign volunteers. By 1944 and 1945 the luftwaffe was decimated and losses were much lower. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? Because it was World War II, and the bombing campaign over Europe was a bloody affair. Hawker Hind. (MAINTENANCE ON KB-29) THIS PROVED TO BE A WORKING NIGHTMARE, SO I MADE TO FLIGHT ENGINEERS SCHOOL AT CHANUTE AFB, IL. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. my friend Russell Erickson piloted 33 mission in the b24 L Of the 15 aboard, 14 died. The B-25 was designed by North American Aviation, Inc., in response to a prewar requirement and was first flown in 1940. It does not store any personal data. Double credit missions were more about long/latitude vs how hazardous the target was. Top Stories For You. For many years the author has held a . My brother said it was their 49th mission. I have his diary which chronicles some of the activities of the 330th in 1943. Required fields are marked *. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". by Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor) Kermit Weeks Douglas A-26B Invader (41-39401) made its first successful post-restoration flight on February 20th, 2023, making a thirty-minute hop from Chino Airport in Chino, California. The pilot, co-pilot, bombardier and navigator, as commissioned officers, were seated at the front of the plane, with the navigator positioned at a desk below the cockpit. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the bonds became known at War Bonds. Hot Stuff and crew were in the 9th from the begining of Dec 1942 on, flying missions from bases in Africa. Does that sound like a truthful story? The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. 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. The Eighth Air Force, "The Mighty Eighth" Was Born on This Day 1942 What was the first bomber to complete 25 missions? The US War Department would use the bomber and its crew for public relations activities back home, The Daily Courier reports. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. Of the 3,885 crewmen aboard B-17 Flying Fortresses that went down, 2,114 (54.4 \%) did not survive; 866 of the 1,228 on B-24 Liberators (71.3\%) died; 190 of the 236 (80.0\%) fighter pilots who went down perished. ANATOMY OF A BOMBING MISSION - 392nd BGMA Please let us know. My father Thomas Jack Showers served in the 330th of the 93rd from December 1943 to some time after July 25, 1944, when he completed his last combat mission. Posted on June 8, 2022 ; in pete davidson first snl episode; by After flying 48 combat missions, it returned to the US for a war bond tour, but not until 1944. ten The B-17 and B-24 were both great airplanes. how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions This in no way denigrates the contribution of the B-24 crews. Before reaching that mark, 57 percent of them would be dead or missing. 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.. The Memphis Belle is a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress used during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress and the 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle.It was one of the first United States Army Air Forces B-17 heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions, after which the aircrew returned with . (Photo is a jubilant Memphis Belle crew following their 25-mission). The U.S. produced an amazing 276,000 aircraft . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Its just a lot of booze gone to waste. 07 June 1944 Crews - 9 Crewmen One of the two Waist Gunners removed from crews. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. What happened to the bomber crews in World War II? After completing 25 missions, Hell's Angels remained in theater until 1944 and flew a total of 48 missions without any injured crewmen or abort. The most vulnerable body part that a flak can hit include the lower extremities (legs) followed by the upper extremities (arms) and the head. Many thanks for the message Monty That sounds like a fascinating artifact. How many B-17s were in the Pacific in 1942? The story of Hot Stuff, heading home at last after at least 30 missions completed, ends in tragedy. After each raid Comer gathered the crew together and pieced together the air battle from a 360-degree perspective. They took over the aircraft from the original crew of Jerk's Natural, which had completed its 25 missions. There will always be those who subscribe to particular yardsticks though, so to summarize: Hot Stuff was the first B-24/crew and the first heavy bomber to complete 25 missions on February 7, 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Unknown crew of 392.'. B-17 Sally B was used in the movie Memphis Belle to look like the Famous B-17 and was usedfor scenes requiring pyrotechnics such as smoke and sparks indicating machine gun hits Via. Just sayin. Copyright 2017 - Warbirds News. Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. I have some 7500 hours at the controls, never for an instant not valuing the knowledge and expertise in that sideways sitting position, behind me. One famous B-17, the Memphis Belle, had its story immortalized in the 1990 film of the same name. How many crew members were on a B-17 bomber? The Memphis Belle in the sky, June 1943. Crew Configuration The B-17 could hold a crew of ten. Further, this isnt really obvious if you take a cursory look at 8th AF operations, but the B-24 groups didnt start large scale operations until after the P-51B was available. In October 1943, 20-year-old SSgt. Fortunate me I discovered your site by chance, and Im stunned why this twist of fate Grant Rondeau only told us that he wasnt aboard the final flight. In fact, it is believed that Memphis Belle was the third to complete 25 successful missions. great information you have got right here on this Have taught English in Germany. Hot Stuff completed its 31st mission on March 31, 1943. Big and slow, the B-17 delivered twice the payload of its predecessor. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? The 'lucky' Lancaster bomber, called EE136, was taken on 109 missions, including 14 raids to Berlin, Germany. The B-17 dropped more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft in World War II. The group leader sometimes flew in one, sometimes the other. He was 85. That the Memphis Belle story, though abetted by a government anxious to report uplifting and inspiring stories of the war to its people at home, captured the publics imagination, doesnt make the story any less inspiring and does not and should not be perceived as taking something away from the countless others who made sacrifices for their country, just as the recognizing the achievements of the crews of Hot Stuff and Hells Angels dont diminish the sacrifices made by those unfortunate souls who went down in flames whether on their first, fourth or 24th mission in service to their country. During World War II, workers in factories signed milestone aircraft, such as 1,000th aircraft built, before they were delivered. RAF Bomber Command aircrew of World War II - Wikipedia This website is about the 50 combat missions my father, Donald Wise, flew in 1944 in the B-17 bomber "PIG CHASER". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The B-25 first flew on August 19, 1940, and the U.S. Army Air Corps accepted the first five B-25s in February of 1941. He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. Alphabetical List Of Names On The Vietnam Wall, 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. Last month, through his fundraising efforts, Lux returned to Iceland for a 70th anniversary memorial service attended by some of the descendants of the crew of Hot Stuff and a plaque was installed telling the story of Andrews, Hot Stuff and her last, ill-fated flight with a granite monument planned to be installed at a future date. Flak-Bait 's crew poses with the bomber after its 200th mission on April 17, 1945. The Memphis Belle was not the first B17 to complete 25 missions. While the article on Memphis Belle had included the qualifier first B-17 United States Army Air Force heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions with her crew intact, which on a factual basis at least made the article correct insofar as it specified that it was the first to 25 missions with her crew intact, but the truth is, while were reasonably knowledgable about WWII lore here, the name Hot Stuff didnt spark any particular recollection in us or among the several other warbird enthusiasts we asked about it, though one fellow we spoke to did remember it as the plane General Andrews lost his life in, but generally there wasnt much recognition. The aircraft in the photograph (42-40128) had two names: Ball of Fire III on the port side, and War Baby on the starboard. Im have no dog in this hunt. Typically, the bombers had to fly right through the multiple volleys of gunfire, but it was the "waist-gunners" who absorbed the majority of the shrapnel, as they were positioned near an open window in the rear of the plane. B-17 Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber | World War II Database - WW2DB Why did the U.S. absolve the Japanese of paying war reperations after WWII? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Which colour is the best colour in iPhone? They arrived to find the weather at their destination quite dicey with snow squalls, low clouds and rain. Overcoming the odds, the B-17F Memphis Belle became the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to return to the United States after completing 25 missions in Europe, and was selected by the Army Air Forces to be the symbol of the heavy bomber crews and support personnel who helped win the war against Nazi Germany. With a crew of 10, the bomber usually carried . I guess flying a P-47 doesnt count, only B-17 & B-24 when it comes when it comes to keeping records. For those members of the RAAF serving in RAF Bomber Command, more than one in three were killed; amounting to 20 per cent of all Australians combat losses in the Second World War. Bomber Command aircrews suffered a high casualty rate: of a total of 125,000 aircrew, 57,205 were killed (a 46 percent death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. 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. The "Belle," named for Col. Morgan's sweetheart went on to complete 25 missions, the last ones were filmed by William Wyler's movie crew. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Now I dont know what to believe! These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The most authoritative source would seem to be the combat mission reports of the 322nd Bombardment Group (BG), Flak-Bait 's parent organization during its 21 months of combat operations. Memphis Belle is a fictionalization of the 1944 documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress by director William Wyler, about the 25th and last mission of an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, the Memphis Belle, based in England during World War II. 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 . Doesnt matter who was first. Flak Bait: The bomber with the most combat missions in WW2 The aircraft was returned to the states on January 20, 1944, for its own publicity tour. So that would be 17,280 airmen on such a mission, and they never managed any 1700 plane raids. 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. My hero. It flew most missions unescorted and saw plenty of flack and enemy aircraft. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. B-17F Memphis Belle crew overcame long odds to complete 25 missions It does not store any personal data. Memphis Belle is the nickname of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, and a 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle. How long does it take to form a habit of waking up early? Heavy Bomber "Firsts" - National Museum of the United States Air