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Started By
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100yr old B-17 pilot talks about his experience
Posted on 12/12/23 at 9:10 pm
Posted on 12/12/23 at 9:10 pm
Posted on 12/12/23 at 9:13 pm to TigersnJeeps
My uncle was B-17 pilot shut down over Germany on one of last missions but made an emergency landing and was captured. All his men survived the war though and used to get together every few years
Posted on 12/12/23 at 9:14 pm to TigersnJeeps
He must be a 4 star by now.
Posted on 12/12/23 at 9:27 pm to TigersnJeeps
My uncle was shot down over Italy and spent 1 1/2 years in a German pow prison. He was a Navigator on a B -17. Lost his teeth and hair due to malnutrition
Posted on 12/12/23 at 9:34 pm to TigersnJeeps
I saw him on C-SPAN. Damn good interview.
Posted on 12/12/23 at 10:15 pm to TigersnJeeps
Man, this guy is good Especially at his age,... Love this stuff.. Very informative on some specifics... About half way through now.
edit- naming planes.. interesting.. Want more detail
edit- naming planes.. interesting.. Want more detail
This post was edited on 12/12/23 at 10:26 pm
Posted on 12/12/23 at 10:28 pm to TigersnJeeps
Lafayette has a WWII veteran that’s still living, and he’s close to 100 years old. His name is Hewitt Gomez and he’s a client of mine. He flew in secret missions over Europe dropping off special personnel in the dark of night behind enemy lines in airplanes painted black to avoid detection. He wasn’t the pilot but he was part of the flight crew.
He’s the older brother of Ron Gomez, who was a state representative for Louisiana.
LINK
He’s the older brother of Ron Gomez, who was a state representative for Louisiana.
LINK
Posted on 12/12/23 at 10:42 pm to WWII Collector
And realize most if not all of that 10 man crew were in their early twenties.
If a pilot was 24 or 25, they called him the old man.
There were thousands of aviators killed on U.S. soil trying to learn how to fly both fighters and bombers.
12,000 or so B-17’s built and close to half lost in accidents and in combat.
If a pilot was 24 or 25, they called him the old man.
There were thousands of aviators killed on U.S. soil trying to learn how to fly both fighters and bombers.
12,000 or so B-17’s built and close to half lost in accidents and in combat.
Posted on 12/13/23 at 12:10 am to TigersnJeeps
amy neighbor growing up was one of Doolittle’s Raiders. Had a walll of metals.
His jacket was in the DDay Museum.
His jacket was in the DDay Museum.
Posted on 12/13/23 at 3:00 am to Ncook
My Dad was a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 . He was 19 yrs old .
Posted on 12/13/23 at 6:57 am to TutHillTiger
My mom had first cousins (twins) who flew B-17s during WWII. Both went in as 19 year olds. They were recalled during the Korean War and flew B-29s as refuelers.
Were two of the neatest men I’ve known.
Thank you for your service James and Warren.
Were two of the neatest men I’ve known.
Thank you for your service James and Warren.
Posted on 12/13/23 at 7:10 am to lsuson
quote:
That’s bad arse
That's an American Bad arse!
Posted on 12/13/23 at 7:12 am to wtfo
quote:
My Dad was a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 . He was 19 yrs old .
He must have been small. I say that because that’s usually what determined who would be the ball turret gunner. Small guys were the only ones who could fit in the damned things. But they had to have gargantuan balls of pure titanium to do it. It was one of the most dangerous positions to man. Due to the tightness of the turret, they could not wear a parachute. If the plane was going down, they had to be helped from the turret (and pray the hydraulics weren’t knocked out) then get their parachute on, all while the plane was falling rapidly from the sky. It was an incredibly uncomfortable and exceedingly dangerous job.
Posted on 12/13/23 at 7:49 am to Darth_Vader
Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell- 1945
quote:
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
Posted on 12/13/23 at 9:52 am to wtfo
Ever read Randall Jarrell’s poem “Death of the Ball Turrett Gunner?”
damn hour and a half late
quote:
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
damn hour and a half late
This post was edited on 12/13/23 at 11:01 pm
Posted on 12/13/23 at 11:37 am to TigersnJeeps
He looks good and is still sharp as a tack. He's still alive at 101. Here he was in Chattanooga (his hometown), earlier this year.
He's a badass.
Lucky Luckadoo at 101
He's a badass.
Lucky Luckadoo at 101
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