ouisana belle from England. , So proud to be Deaf, I have a Ph.D. in it. Please let us know. I guess the RAF must have had it much easier than the 8th Airforce. It was tough out there. The former Royal Australian Air Force fighter will take part in []. 25 missions On May 17, 1943, the crew of the Memphis Belle, one of a group of American bombers based in Britain, becomes the first B-17 crew to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States. One of my relatives was in the 330th, Captain Hugh R. Roper, He piloted B-24D Exterminator, 41-23717. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How many B-17s were in the Pacific in 1942? My brother said it was their 49th mission. They did get in a few 1000 . Lux has also been in contact with the National Museum of the United States Air Force, turning over to them debris he recently retrieved from the site of the crash and is negotiating with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for a Hot Stuff display. A great resource for some of the 8th AF B-24 groups is TEDS TRAVELLING CIRCUS available at Amazon and elsewhere. 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. 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. Waldock says that because Hot Stuff crashed and never made it home it never became as well-known as Memphis Belle. The wreck, a B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber, crashed in Lake Bolsena on Jan. 15, 1944. completed her 25th mission on May 1,1943. Hollywood feature Film Entitled the "Memphis Belle" That the Memphis Belle and her crew had a more storybook quality to their military careers that better fit with the narrative that the government desired for home-front consumption is obvious. The story of Hot Stuff, heading home at last after at least 30 missions completed, ends in tragedy. great information you have got right here on this The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". So much so that the odds of a B-17 crewman surviving the 25 missions required to complete a tour were only one in four.. Until the 1944 introduction of the P-51 . In the end the significance of specific mission counts are completely arbitrary. The Air Force changed the 'pursuit' designation to 'fighter' after WW2 which is one reason you may have noticed P-51s being referred to as F-51s in . The 300 men shot down were obvious casualties, but when the battered bombers returned to their home bases, they carried another 301 wounded in their fuselages. I also have an anecdote, but Im not sure which bomber group he was in. The Memphis Belle was supposedto be the first B-17 bomber to fly 25 bombing missions and return back to base safely each time. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. I have the Bombardier Bob Abbs flight log book.straight from his widows hand to mine twenty years agountouchedunmolestedand he recorded it in ink in his own hand. The group leader sometimes flew in one, sometimes the other. Parker's jacket, was the name of a B-17G bomber of the 568th Bomb Squadron. WAS TOO YOUNG FOR THE BIG ONE, HOWEVER I MADE IT TO KOREA AND VIET NAM BEFORE RETIRING IN 1969. Important factors in that decision were: The physical stress of high altitude flight in poorly heated, unpressurized aircraft . 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. 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 swastika marks a German aircraft destroyed, while the parachuter indicates Parker had to jump. 25 missions On May 17, 1943, the crew of the Memphis Belle, one of a group of American bombers based in Britain, becomes the first B-17 crew to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States. In fact, it is believed that Memphis Belle was the third to complete 25 successful missions. Hells Angels was the first B-17 crew to complete 25 combat missions on May 13, 1943. 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. Im just now gathering all these materials from a box of memorabilia We have. So he promptly retrieved his discharge and it stated he had really flown 137 missions. Belle crew was not intact through out the 25 missions. Divers from the Research Center of the Scuba School of Lake Bolsena and the Fire Department of Viterbo . More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. 31. FROM TACHIKAWA TO ROBBINS GA. FOR FINAL PROCESSING OUT TO A GREAT RETIREMENT. 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. It completed its 25th mission on February 7, 1943, three and a half months before the B-17 Memphis Belle ." Why? What will happen to my Steam games when I die? Identified as B-26B-25 MA Bureau No. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. THE GREATEST GENERATION OF AMERICANS!!! What does the B stand for in B-17 and B-24 and the P in P-38 stand for? Your email address will not be published. William Waldock is a professor at ERAU and he says that Hot Stuff flew her final and 25th mission in February of 1943, which was over three months earlier than the Memphis Belle completed her 25 missions. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. He completed his initial training when he was 17, and was called up to active duty before he graduated from high school. Im trying to find out how many B17s were operational in the European Theatre of Operations. And, although air and ground crews rarely mingled, there was a special bond between crew chief and pilot. 25 The Memphis Belle is a World War II-era bomber that completed 24 combat missions on 15 May 1943. That's almost 50 percent more than the 12,741 B-17s . Because it was World War II, and the bombing campaign over Europe was a bloody affair. World War II - Bombers; World War II - Pursuit . They were simply given instructions. After several landing attempts, Hot Stuff crashed into the side of 1,600-foot-tall Mount Fagradalsfjall, near Grindavik, Iceland. One reason it survived was the tail gunner had six confirmed kills and several more unconfirmed. Grant Rondeau only told us that he wasnt aboard the final flight. There was an similar earlier raid that included Regensburg that cost the same.. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Average age of air crew member is 19 or 20 years old. 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. Then, the bomb shackle is attached and the dolly moved under the bomb bay. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the bonds became known at War Bonds. Both crews are GODS! The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. The Belle is also known as the first (and one of only three) a/c that completed its tour without losing a single crewman. Perhaps you would be interested in submitting an article yourself? 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. The limit was based on other factors, like degree of difficulty and the places they were operating from. What was the first B-17 bomber to make 25 missions and return? A raid on 14 February is listed as the 34th 8th Bomber Command mission. According to Warbird News, our government was anxious to report uplifting and inspiring stories of the war that would capture the American publics imagination. Damage to the "waist-gunner" area of the bomber accounted 21.6 percent of all the hits the plane took. The demonstration aircraft was completed on May 8, 1945 at the end of hostilities in the European theater of World War II. I am returning to your web site for more soon. "Hi. Here is how this would go (oh yeh, and we are looking at Akatsuki as in Akatsuki not Edo Tensei): But before that lets quickly go over what Naruto has as Hokage: Full Yin-ya Answer: To put this into sobering perspective - the 8th Air Force in Europe lo. Although the U.S. Army Air Force sent its individual war heroes to War Bond rallies, it preferred sending 10-man heavy bombers crews. Hot Stuff was being flown home to the US since Captain Shannon had completed his tour of service. The 'lucky' Lancaster bomber, called EE136, was taken on 109 missions, including 14 raids to Berlin, Germany. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". `MEMPHIS BELLE never quite rings true. Although the risk for hypoxia, altitude and decompression sickness, and barotrauma was high; bombers were only given oxygen masks. A bomber crew of the 392nd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. Cinematic masterpieces "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "Ben-Hur" (1959 . They only found out later. 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 These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. Ellen: In February 1943, the 93rd BG B-24 Hot Stuff became the first Eighth Air Force heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions. It was the B-17 going toe to toe without fighter escort with the GAF that is at the heart of the story of the 8th AF. My Dad flew 25 missions in a B-24 and B-29 with the 8th AF /466th bomb group. 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. That movie "Hearing impairment" is an insult to Deaf people. Which 3 Of These 7 Top WWII Fighter Planes Would You Put On Your Team? How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? Consider for example the Operation Tidal Wave strike by American B-24 bombers against oil reserves in Ploesti Romania in 1943: of 178 bombers and 1,726 men on the mission, 54 aircraft, and nearly 500 men failed to return (310 killed and 186 captured). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Helpful info. Because his leg got tangled up in heavy wreckage, he couldnt move. Memphis Belles crew completed 25 missions May 17, 1943 (without any loss of life). Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. , former Teacher by Profession, Teacher by Soul. Aero Trader performed. No Built - 18,188. However, others stayed behind to complete 30 missions to avoid having to return from the states for a second tour of duty. This in mind, the US Army Air Force decided that 25 missions while serving in a heavy bomber of the 8th Army Air Force would constitute a completed tour of duty because of the physical and mental strain on the crew. While the 25 Mission edict was a tall order when it was made, it was a number crews could believe in, and provided some hope of a light at the end of the tunnel, particularly necessary with the grim statistics bomber crews faced early-on, before long-range fighter escorts significantly improved mission survivability when they arrived later on in the course of the conflict. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. 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 . After flying 48 combat missions, it returned to the US for a war bond tour, but not until 1944. I told him he was telling lies. I bookmarked it. Object Number - FRE 5112 - Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951. The worst B-29 mission, against Tokyo on May 25, 1945, cost 26 Superfortresses, 5.6 percent of the 464 dispatched from the Marianas.. More than 8,000 men were killed in training accidents or other non-operational flying during the Second . 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. After flying 48 combat missions, it returned to the US for a war bond tour, but not until 1944. ten Sept. 1, 1998. How do software engineers solve problems? In October 1943, 20-year-old SSgt. Between its initial flight on Dec. 29, 1939, and September 1945, nearly 18,500 Liberators rolled off the production line at five plants. Four members of the original crew died in combat as the plane was hit by cannon and machine-gun fire. He was 85. Whistle Stop Rail Trail, 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. Probably because the P47 was a fighter, not a bomber. He finished flight school at the age of 18 in 1944. Is producer and executive producer the same thing? He was lost on his 25th mission, the low-level raid on Ploesti, August 1, 1943. Following his wife's death in an air crash while returning from a war bonds tour, a devastated Gable decided to enlist.
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