how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions

He finished flight school at the age of 18 in 1944. Enola Gay was flown by a modified Crew B-9 for the Hiroshima mission and Crew B-10 for the Nagasaki mission. or 26.8% completed . He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. 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. For nearly four months, he flew out of Foggia, Italy, on 50 missions that usually took between 5 and 8 hours each. Many considered the occupation to be a death sentence. But the B-17s stayed on unwaivering courses to their targets . Before reaching that mark, 57 percent of them would be dead or missing. 2LT Harold J. Rider. The raid prompted the Japanese to retain four army fighter groups in Japan during 1942 and . Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Unknown crew of 392.'. 32. Instructing had its dangers, too, as it involved flying with inexperienced recruits in old aircraft. 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. This website is about the 50 combat missions my father, Donald Wise, flew in 1944 in the B-17 bomber "PIG CHASER". 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 . He had to get a waiver to receive his diploma in absence. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? 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. On what was then called Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1944, McGovern flew his first combat mission in the right-hand, co-pilot's seat of a lumbering B-24, an aircraft he always said was demanding and difficult to fly. The . Suzy-Q nose artthe circled areas highlight combat damage repair. The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. During the peak of WWII, being a member of a heavy bomber crew meant you were incredibly brave, and you put your country over yourself it was that dangerous. The artwork on this jacket depicts Hitler as a "Shifless Skonk.". chin turret > dia. Aircraft losses were appalling: 10,561 planes of varying types were shot down, 4754 of those were B-17 heavy bombers. A total of 315 men flew in operations in the Lancaster and 101 were later killed when . Daily life The everyday lives of most aircrew, unlike other servicemen, were a unique mixture of danger and normality. It was April 17, 1945, and World War II in Europe was . 31. 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.. 15' - 8.3mils. The "Schifless Skonk," misspelled on R.L. During World War II, Allied forces united to stop Hitler in his tracks and his thirst for world domination. He was the captain of the aircraft regardless of his rank (in relation to other crew members) and the most important crew member. The attrition was so high that the Army capped a crew's tour to 25 missions. The Memphis Belle in the sky, June 1943. The B-25 Mitchell was a twin-engined medium bomber used in World War II, and manufactured by North American Aviation. Lockheed Hudson. To great fanfare, the plane (number 41-24485) and crew were rotated home. 23 February 1945 Crews - 8 Crewmen Remaining Waist Gunner removed from crews NOTE: Individual Groups and/or Squadron made exceptions on some missions and some crews used additional Waist Gunners. He was responsible for the lives of all the crew and the aircraft whilst in the air. It was a gradual adjustment over about two weeks. Of the Eighth Air Force's renowned 100th Bomb Group and its 4,700 airmen, nearly 60 per cent (2,700) completed their required missions and returned home without fanfare, took off their uniforms and moved on with their lives. Pilot. (more) Bomber Command's Losses. Parker's jacket, was the name of a B-17G bomber of the 568th Bomb Squadron. For the survivors, there wasn't much time for contemplation of those lost. According to David Greene, navigator, this photo was taken at Biggs Army Air Base, El Paso , TX., on March 29th, 1944 while in the process of forming the combat crew. Tens of thousands of men served during the Second World War as pilots or crew on Army Air Corps bombers. . November 2008. 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. level 2. A bomber crew of the 392nd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. Bomber crews needed to complete 25 missions before they were allowed to go home but that number was almost statistically impossible in Europe. Their 26th mission was to fly back to the United States for a heroes welcome, Bond Tours, etc.. 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 . Top Stories For You. upper turret > dia. Hell's Angels The aircraft was one of the first B-17 United States Army Air Corps heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions with her crew intact . As losses decreased and the fighter escorts started hitting the pipeline, 30 and then 35 missions became the requirement for going home. The wreck, a B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber, crashed in Lake Bolsena on Jan. 15, 1944. A highly modern aircraft for its day, it first saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force. It was powered by two 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engines, but conditions were changing rapidly in 1937, due to events in the Chinese and Spanish wars. (USAF photo) According to the memoirs of Robert Morgan, the pilot of the Memphis Belle, Wyler had picked a different bomber for the feature film, a B-17 known as "Invasion 2nd.". For now: Bomber Command crews suffered 55,573 killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew (a 44.5% death rate) and 9,838 (7.9%) became prisoners of war. "Hell's Angels" was the first B . Of the 120,000 who served, 55,573 were killed including over 10,000 Canadians. These bombers were B-17s and B-24s, both of which had a ten man crew. 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. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. But the B-17s stayed on unwaivering courses to their targets . And, although air and ground crews rarely mingled, there was a special bond between crew chief and pilot. . In examining crew members who began a series of 25 missions for the 8th, only 559, or 26.8% completed all their missions. But flying it proved deadly. Or even 16 aircraft, which would be 28 percent of the Air Force's current fleet of 58 B-52Hs. Memphis Belle was the first B-17 to complete 25 missions and return to the United States. 07 June 1944 Crews - 9 Crewmen One of the two Waist Gunners removed from crews. They did get in a few 1000 . Nearly 71 percent of the bomber's crew were either killed or labeled as missing in action, which accounts for approximately . Lieut. I'm sitting here with raw WWII data - my father's complete flight record from April 7, 1941 (training as a cadet before Pearl Harbor) through 1950 as a member of the Reserve USAF. The worst B-29 mission, against Tokyo on May 25, 1945, cost 26 Superfortresses, 5.6 percent of the 464 dispatched from the Marianas.. Hawker Hind. After each raid Comer gathered the crew together and pieced together the air battle from a 360-degree perspective. Divers from the Research Center of the Scuba School of Lake Bolsena and the Fire Department of Viterbo . 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. By 1945, the British had more than 1,500 aircraft and 108 different squadrons. From Arthur Hayes' collection. Another 20 per . For this famous B-17, surviving 25 missions in World War II was the easy part. Nearly 71 percent of the bomber's crew were either killed or labeled as missing in action, which accounts for approximately . In fact, it is believed that Memphis Belle was the third to complete 25 successful missions. The first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions in the European Theater, May 13th, 1942. A bomber crew of the 305th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Lallah-V" that belly landed on the runway. Identified as B-26B-25 MA Bureau No. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. Apr 2, 2012. B-24 Liberator Bomber Aircraft. 1LT Stewart W . 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 . Flak-Bait 's crew poses with the bomber after its 200th mission on April 17, 1945. Doolittle Raid, (April 18, 1942), during World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces bombing raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. The B-25 was named in honor military aviation pioneer General Billy Mitchell. She was originally B-17G-105-VE 44-85718 and is now painted to . 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. Mark Bernstein. The aircrews of RAF Bomber Command during World War II operated a fleet of bomber aircraft carried strategic bombing operations from September 1939 to May 1945, on behalf of the Allied powers. Many ground crewmen felt the Libs belonged to them and were only "loaned" to the air crews. On March 24, 1944, a fleet of P-51 Mustangs led by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, commander of the Tuskegee airmen, set out on the longest escort mission their crews would fly during World War II. Aircraft commander. Enola Gay, Regular Crew (Crew B-9) Crew B-9 flew five combat missions, including the Hiroshima bombing mission. For nearly four months, he flew out of Foggia, Italy, on 50 missions that usually took between 5 and 8 hours each. If wounded are included in the count, the total casualty rate goes up to 54.3%. John Comer kept a journal of the 25 missions he flew in 1943 when the casualty rate on his base was close to 80%. On May 23, "The Cold Blue" hits theaters to bring the brutal conditions and harrowing missions of B-17 bomber crews to life. Pilot. On May 17, 1943, the crew of the Memphis Belle, one of a group of American bombers based in Britain, becomes one of the first B-17 crews to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the . Martin Baltimore. William Waldock is a professor at ERAU and he says that Hot Stuff flew her final and 25 th mission in February of 1943, which was over three months earlier than the Memphis Belle completed her 25 missions. Their chance of survival was less than 50 percent. Since 1943 Word War II aviation history considered the "Memphis Belle" as the first heavy bomber to reach the 25-mission mark. Perhaps this only applies to the European theater of the war. Wreckage of a Wellington bomber shot down by flak over the Netherlands, lost in a raid on Bremen, 13-14 September 1942. That plane - and five others - were shot down on an April 17, 1943, mission to Bremen. The pilot of a bomber crew flew the aircraft throughout the operation and co-ordinated the actions of the other crew members. This would be an example described for May 1943, 305BG whose authorized sqaudron levels were for 12 B-17s per Squadron, but probably 60+ B-17s actually in the Group at peak strength. The successes of Bomber Command were purchased at terrible cost. The missions were hazardous--many beyond description. B-17F Hell's Angels, tail number 41-24577 and crew. World War II - Bombers; World War II - Pursuit . Answer: The B in B-17 and B-24 stand for Bomber and the P in P-38 stands for Pursuit. Between its initial flight on Dec. 29, 1939, and September 1945, nearly 18,500 Liberators rolled off the production line at five plants. Robert A. Lewis. Now just imagine 60 B-52 bombers shot down in one day. So that would be 17,280 airmen on such a mission, and they never managed any 1700 plane raids. Flak-Bait -- the ultimate survivor of the air war over Europe -- completed 207 WWII missions. 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. In the period prior to D-Day, the fatality rate is close to 65%. During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% became prisoners of war or evaders. Not only were they the first crew to complete 25 missions, they also had to combat rumors after the war . . 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. In 1942-43 it was statistically impossible for bomber crews to complete a 25-mission tour in Europe . By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . By 1944 and 1945 the luftwaffe was decimated and losses were much lower. The swastika marks a German aircraft destroyed, while the parachuter indicates Parker had to jump. In 1941 to 1943 bombing missions against Germany losses of 2% were regarded as acceptable. At a forward airfield in Le Culot, Belgium, ground crews worked feverishly to ready the 449th Bombardment Squadron for another mission. Baldwin and his crew would go on to fly 48 missions before returning to the U.S. for their own bond tour in 1944. 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. The Memphis Belle was chosen to . The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. 23' - 12.6 mils. The book had other interesting info like: Testing done by the USAAF found that the bullet pattern from a B-17 during ground testing had the following results for 12 rounds to 600yds: ball turret > dia. This crew of a B-17F has completed 25 missions and is going home. When bomber crews completed 25 missions, they got credit for a combat tour and went home, but in late 1943, the odds were against their doing so. . Of every 100 airmen who joined Bomber Command, 45 were killed, 6 were seriously wounded, 8 became Prisoners of War, and only 41 escaped unscathed (at least physically). This website is about the 50 combat missions my father, Donald Wise, flew in 1944 in the B-17 bomber "PIG CHASER". He completed his initial training when he was 17, and was called up to active duty before he graduated from high school. 21' - 11.7mils. The B-17 Flying Fortress was flown extensively by men from the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Design work began in 1936 by Donald Douglas, Jack Northrop and Ed Heinemann as the Model 7A attack-bomber with a crew of two, a top speed of 250 mph, and a gross weight of 9,500 lbs. A search link to find all missions flown by each aircraft is available at the top of this page. 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. Cinematic masterpieces "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "Ben-Hur" (1959 . During World War II, workers in factories signed milestone aircraft, such as 1,000th aircraft built, before they were delivered. Only 24% survived the war unscathed. The 100th Bomb Group lost 17 of 19 deployed. The aircrews of RAF Bomber Command during World War II operated a fleet of bomber aircraft carried strategic bombing operations from September 1939 to May 1945, on behalf of the Allied powers. During the peak of WWII, being a member of a heavy bomber crew meant you were incredibly brave, and you put your country over yourself it was that dangerous. This would give a survival rate for 25 missions of 60%. 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. VIII Bomber Command 25. Navigator. B-17 and General Aircraft Terms FAQs. Memphis Belle was the first to complete 25 missions and return to the United States. Photographs 3. Pacific theatre losses were far less (4,530 in combat) owing to smaller forces committed.. WWII POW Stalag Luft Camps in Germany The 'lucky' Lancaster bomber, called EE136, was taken on 109 missions, including 14 raids to Berlin, Germany. 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. More than 8,000 men were killed in training accidents or other non-operational flying during the Second . It flew combat missions early in the war in the Pacific from February-October 1942, when it returned to the US for a war bond tour. 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. 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. 1-5 of 281. 2LT Richard McNamara. What does the B stand for in B-17 and B-24 and the P in P-38 stand for? Capt. Martin Maryland. Possibly as close as you . After five such sorties, he moved to the left seat and commanded his own crew aboard a Liberator dubbed Dakota Queen in honor of his . 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 missions were hazardous--many beyond description. 578th crew chief T/Sgt Lowell D. Hale paints bombs showing missions completed on #42-7624, Flying 8 Ball. The U.S. produced an amazing 276,000 aircraft . The consensus in this discussion is that WWII bomber crews were rotated home after 25 combat missions. 30. The demonstration aircraft was completed on May 8, 1945 at the end of hostilities in the European theater of World War II. After 25 missions, the crew and the Belle went on a . These records show that Flak-Bait was assigned to fly on 216 missions. FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE-Wash. -- On Oct. 14 1943, 8th Air Force launched what became one of the most infamous battles of World War II.By the end of the day, the attack that came to be known as "Black Thursday," Mission 115 to Schweinfurt, saw the loss of more than six hundred Airmen who were killed or captured, the loss of 60 B-17s, and the future of the American daylight bomber offensive in . First element: The German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France is the Primary (P) target for a force of 78 B-17s despatched from 91BG . . In October, Eaker declared the primary role of fighters to be support for the heavy bombers. The 381st lost seven of 18 deployed. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. Many considered the occupation to be a death sentence. Restoration: The Memphis Belle. 12 December 1942 This mission is composed of two elements. See object record. 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. She had some incredible luck and a superb crew. B-24D Hot Stuff Thunderbird is the name given to a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress. These listings have the complete inventory of all 459 B-24 Liberator bombers that flew missions with links to their history, B-24 photos, B-24 nose art and final dispositions. Excellent account by an American bomber crew member in WWII of flying his 25 missions. Very broadly, a typical fighter pilot might rack up 250 - 500 combat missions from 1941 to 1945; a bomber pilot, perhaps 50 - 100 if they survived (considering Bomber Command losses were averaging 5% at times, completing one tour, let alone more, was statistically unlikely). 41-31173, the twin-engine medium bomber then took its place . However, some missions were much more brutal and some squadrons had few survivors of whole tours. That's almost 50 percent more than the 12,741 B-17s .

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