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WWII Hypothetical - 8th Air Force crew member or foot soldier
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:04 am
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:04 am
I’ve been reading “Masters of the Air” by Donald Miller and it is nothing short of tragic to me. I visited the 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah, GA last August and got to see the B-17 there. It is a marvelous looking machine but I don’t know if I would have been able to summon up the courage to do what those crews did, especially from 1942 until D-Day. After reading this book and watching some documentaries and propaganda material from the war, I think I ‘d rather have taken my chances on the ground. Sure,it was a glamorous job compared to the grunts, but having to take flak, Me 109 attacks, lack of oxygen and frostbite and potentially taking a nose dive in one of those lumbering giants would be too much for me
P.s. I believe there is another Tom Hanks / Steven Spielberg mini series coming out base on “‘Masters of Air.” I look forward to its release, especially if it is anything like “Band of Brothers.” It is a damn shame our national consciousness has forgotten what those guys did in the skies over Europe.
P.s. I believe there is another Tom Hanks / Steven Spielberg mini series coming out base on “‘Masters of Air.” I look forward to its release, especially if it is anything like “Band of Brothers.” It is a damn shame our national consciousness has forgotten what those guys did in the skies over Europe.
This post was edited on 3/30/19 at 11:07 am
19
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:05 am to Armytiger87
In the rear, with the gear....
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:06 am to Armytiger87
Ground, easily.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:07 am to Armytiger87
fighters, baw
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:15 am to Armytiger87
quote:
believe there is another Tom Hanks / Steven Spielberg mini series coming out base on “‘Masters of Air.”
Called “The Mighty 8th”
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:23 am to BRgetthenet
quote:
In the rear, with the gear....
This must be you...
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:25 am to Armytiger87
Conscientious objector, desk duty or towel boy
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:31 am to Armytiger87
My great uncle was a B-17 bombardier in the 8th Air Force during World War II. I really never got to hear any good stories from him as he got throat cancer when I was very young and could no longer properly speak after all the work they did on him. But my grandmother told me he would send photos home from England that would horrify them. In one photograph, their plane was so shot up by shrapnel she never could believe they managed to get it back to England in one piece.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:33 am to Armytiger87
The 8th Air Force suffered the higest casualty rate of any American unit in WWII in any theater of war. So hand me a rifle.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 11:55 am to stelly1025
quote:
This must be you...
It's definitely me. The Navy used to call us "storekeepers," now we're "logistics specialists."
ETA: My uncle was a waist gunner on a B-26 flying out of N. Africa. There was on place to hide when you're being attacked. The worst place to be was in the ball turret.
This post was edited on 3/31/19 at 8:07 am
Posted on 3/30/19 at 12:35 pm to Armytiger87
My Dad was the engineer/top turret gunner on a B-17 in the 8th Air Force during WW II. He was named a member of the Lucky Bastards’ Club. I have the plaque on my wall. It reads in part “...for having this day achieved the remarkable record of sallying forth and returning no less than 35 times, for having braved the hazards of Hun flak, for bringing to Hitler and his cronies tons of bombs, for bending the Luftwaffe’s back; all through the courtesy of the Eighth A.A.F. who sponsors these programs in the interest of liberty loving people everywhere.”
He would RARELY talk about the war, but the plaque hung on the wall in our den...the only sign that he had served. I did persuade him to go to the Grand Opening of the WW II museum. It took some talking and I went with him and my mom. Once there, he met other Eighth AAF vets and he opened up talking with them about their experiences. They went through intense and frightening times.
He would RARELY talk about the war, but the plaque hung on the wall in our den...the only sign that he had served. I did persuade him to go to the Grand Opening of the WW II museum. It took some talking and I went with him and my mom. Once there, he met other Eighth AAF vets and he opened up talking with them about their experiences. They went through intense and frightening times.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 12:38 pm to Armytiger87
If I got to fly fighters, I'd take the 8th Air Force. If you told me B-17 or rifle, where are the rifles?
The bombers of the 8th Air Force suffered horrific casualty rates, like 47,000 casualties with half of those dead. Something like half of all casualties in the entire Army Air Corps in WWII came from the 8th Air Force. They flew long range missions from England into occupied territory before the invasion, but the fighter escorts couldn't go all the way from bases in England to the targets because they were limited by the fuel they could carry. At some point, the fighters would have to turn back to be able to make it back to base and the bombers were left to the wolves, and the Luftwaffe KNEW it. They'd just wait until the bombers were alone, then attack them viciously until the bombers got over the flak. The ones that made it through and were able to drop their bombs and head back to base got to do it all in reverse, flak then Luftwaffe through the German gauntlet before fighters could provide cover again and they were relatively safe.
Once bases and facilities on the continent were available for the fighters to use, the life expectancy of bombers crews went up appreciably as the fighters were finally able to put the heat on the Luftwaffe and tear it down while providing escort cover for the bombers.
Before then, the life expectancy of a B-17 crew in the 8th before D-Day was absurd, something like 5-10 missions before they could expect to be KIA, MIA, or POW. 25 missions were required to get to go home. Needless to say, those men knew that one way or another they probably weren't coming home. That they still threw their giant brass balls over their shoulders and climbed into those bombers anyway speaks volumes to their courage and character.
The bombers of the 8th Air Force suffered horrific casualty rates, like 47,000 casualties with half of those dead. Something like half of all casualties in the entire Army Air Corps in WWII came from the 8th Air Force. They flew long range missions from England into occupied territory before the invasion, but the fighter escorts couldn't go all the way from bases in England to the targets because they were limited by the fuel they could carry. At some point, the fighters would have to turn back to be able to make it back to base and the bombers were left to the wolves, and the Luftwaffe KNEW it. They'd just wait until the bombers were alone, then attack them viciously until the bombers got over the flak. The ones that made it through and were able to drop their bombs and head back to base got to do it all in reverse, flak then Luftwaffe through the German gauntlet before fighters could provide cover again and they were relatively safe.
Once bases and facilities on the continent were available for the fighters to use, the life expectancy of bombers crews went up appreciably as the fighters were finally able to put the heat on the Luftwaffe and tear it down while providing escort cover for the bombers.
Before then, the life expectancy of a B-17 crew in the 8th before D-Day was absurd, something like 5-10 missions before they could expect to be KIA, MIA, or POW. 25 missions were required to get to go home. Needless to say, those men knew that one way or another they probably weren't coming home. That they still threw their giant brass balls over their shoulders and climbed into those bombers anyway speaks volumes to their courage and character.
This post was edited on 3/30/19 at 1:09 pm
Posted on 3/30/19 at 1:49 pm to Armytiger87
Ground forces.
My grandfather was a radio operator and great-uncle was a pilot on B-17s and there is no way in hell I would want to go into combat in one. I’ve been in a couple and they’re small AF on the inside. I can’t imagine being stuck in that flying coffin at 25,000 feet with shrapnel from flak flying through and enemy fighters and bullets with no place to take cover. Having to bail out only to get pitchforked by some pissed off German civilian.
No thank you.
My grandfather was a radio operator and great-uncle was a pilot on B-17s and there is no way in hell I would want to go into combat in one. I’ve been in a couple and they’re small AF on the inside. I can’t imagine being stuck in that flying coffin at 25,000 feet with shrapnel from flak flying through and enemy fighters and bullets with no place to take cover. Having to bail out only to get pitchforked by some pissed off German civilian.
No thank you.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 2:40 pm to Armytiger87
depends on theater/situation. i'd rather be a grunt in ETO army anytime after DDAY, but i'd rather take my chances on a b17 than storming Omaha.
similarly, i'd rather be b17 crew than in most of the island fights the USMC had out in the central pacific.
my grandfather was a b24 bombardier and great uncle was his pilot.
similarly, i'd rather be b17 crew than in most of the island fights the USMC had out in the central pacific.
my grandfather was a b24 bombardier and great uncle was his pilot.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 2:59 pm to Armytiger87
B-17 guys took some heavy losses but they were banging the British girls in between missions while their men were walking across Europe.
I’ll take the 8th.
I’ll take the 8th.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 3:05 pm to Armytiger87
Dogface.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 5:16 pm to Coach Yo
Coach, my father was also in the 8th as a top turret gunner. Shot down in March 45, by a 262. What group was your dad in?
Posted on 3/30/19 at 5:24 pm to Armytiger87
Infantry
8th had horrendous casualties
8th had horrendous casualties
Posted on 3/30/19 at 5:37 pm to Armytiger87
Probably 8th Air Force
Neither were good.
My dad was on Okinawa and that has probably shaped my aversion to being on the ground.
Neither were good.
My dad was on Okinawa and that has probably shaped my aversion to being on the ground.
Posted on 3/30/19 at 7:45 pm to Kcprogguitar
quote:
Coach, my father was also in the 8th as a top turret gunner. Shot down in March 45, by a 262. What group was your dad in?
Wow, what a coincidence regarding top turret gunners.
My uncle was a top turret gunner / flight engineer on the B-17. He flew with the 384th Bomb Group out of Grafton Underwood.
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