B-17 Flying Fortress Heavy Bombers Over Germany | 1943 | World War 2 Documentary
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- čas přidán 14. 12. 2013
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This old USAAF film is a documentary on a daylight operation of the US 8th Army Air Force, in cooperation with the Royal Air Force, against German industrial targets in 1944.
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@Griffin Apollo yup, have been using flixzone} for since november myself :D
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My farther was a flight officer (Navigator) on a B-29.
These men were truly some of America's greatest!!!
Films like this should be mandatory in our education.
God bless America and all free people.
My dad was a bombardier on a B-17! His first mission was on D-Day and his last mission on Christmas Eve during the Battle of the Bulge. They were shot down. He was one of the three survivors. Three men stayed in the plane. Three others died trying to land. He said they had one training jump from 30’. He landed on a frozen field in Belgium. He injured his left ankle and couldn’t walk right for two years. He never asked for a penny of disability payments. He used the GI bill to become a physician. He had joined the Army when he was 17. I asked him why he went to War: “We had to stop Hitler and I’m an American.” He died at age 92; I respect the heck of him, he was a hundred times braver than me! I honor and respect all of our men and women risking their lives for our freedom and peace!!
My stepdad was 23. pilot of a B-17 flying out of Italy. Flack hits caused fires. He said his plane exploded. He fell from the sky unconscious squirting blood from a cut artery. He said that he had no idea how his chute opened. Woke up by the Austrian youth who turned him over to the SS. He spent 6 months in a German Red Cross. They fixed his shoulder. It was cut through the joint. POW. Rehabilitation then pilot of a B-29 in the pacific during the Korean conflict.
your dad is why we are not speaking German, greatest generation of all time
@@kennethwood713 yes. They were true hero’s. My stepdad flew B-17. We was a pow.
My great grandfather was a bombardier too
No son he wasn’t braver than you.. he had a duty.. men are “brave” when they accept responsibility and take on the burden of duty.
Men and women who embrace duty tend to carry it forever.. he didn’t take disability because he wasn’t disabled.. he was still fighting, he was a hero..
Dad was a flight engineer/top turret gunner on the B-17, Ye Old Cock. He kept a diary of all their missions, thirty five, which is very informative. His group, the 303, “Hell’s Angels”, is in this video. All those men have my utmost respect, especially those who did not return.
Ich weiß nicht ob die 500.000 Kinder es genau so sehen würden, die in den Städten verbrannt sind. Zivilbevölkerung zu vernichten ist immer ein Verbrechen.
Thank You very much! My Uncle "Wild Bill" was a bombardier on a B-17 stationed in England. This gives me great insight as to what these brave young men went through!
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My dad was a gunner in the B-17G. Today he died 8-10-18 at age 92. He was a real Christian man who made Jesus the King of his life and savior for his sins, he taught his 3 sons to follow Jesus. He did not like talking about the war, he talked about someone who died. Miss you DAD. In Kingman Arizona he took his gunnery training and at the same time he got his private pilots license so the captain let him fly the B-17G for fun. He retired as a United Airline captain on the Dc-8. He taught his 3 sons to fly. His last trip I was up front with him, he let me taxi. All FAA and company approved. I cried most of the morning he died.
hero
Your dad did his duty, tough though it was. He didn't start the war, but he helped to end it. Thank God for your dad and the many millions of men just like him.
God rest his soul.
A True Hero
The average age of a b17 crew was 25 and under most about 20 years old , the odds of completing you're string of missions less than 50% , I can't see today's youth facing such a task , I'm a retired aircraft mechanic I also worked in aircraft assembly on dod projects on and off for years ' standing in a b17 I could see that it was little more than a flying tin can ' to think of being in one with flack and fighters shooting at it as anything but terrifing I think we lost something like 50 000 boys during the war in bombers alone God rest there souls !thank you for you're sacrifice !
These men had uncommon Valor. It is rare in our society now. . My stepfather was a B-17 pilot. He was shot down over Austria and was a POW. The only survivor of his aircraft. In a German Red Cross unit for six months to get his arm fixed and better. Then in several camps. He was 23 on his 23rd mission. After the war he piloted B-29’s. He was Maj. John Thomas Farrington. He is at rest at Arlington National cemetery.
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My, VA"Daddy" was a
B-17 navigator over the Pacific. He survived being shot down 3 X. He swam in shark-infested waters for days until being rescued by US
submarines. We must never forget
the millions who fought and died during WW11.
Another Hitler may
gain power if people allow!
Flyers being saved by subs isn't well known, generally. I'm glad one of our boats could save him. My grandfather was a WWII submariner, Radioman 3rd Class. He and his boat are on Eternal Patrol, all hands lost, but they picked up downed airmen, too.
My uncle Pat Was a waist gunner . On his last mission, the Bombs wouldn't release. Then the landing gear wouldn't go down. and he was the only one small enough to go down into the bomb bays and as he described it, kick the bombs out of the bay. The bombs all fell into the channel and then the plane bellied in for a landing. He was given the DFC.
Thank you for posting this. God bless all the men and women who fought for our freedom.
Makes me sick how our Democrat enemies within completely piss away all that was fought for.
@@totallysmooth1203 Bone Spurs
@@totallysmooth1203 Treason in high places used too be the death penalty.These😈😈😈never😴.
My Dad too, fought in the the battle for Manilla. Including hand to hand fighting. I cannot see my Father doing what he did. He was a "forward observer". He went as far as, behind enemy lines to give firing coordinates to the big guns that blew up the Spanish walls. All my Uncles volunteered. My Grandfather and all my uncles served in WWII in both theatres. I have a distant cousin who was KIA in France during WWI. Sorry for blathering but I want them to be remembered.
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Sir, i am humbled and honored for you to answer this. You must now be around 90. the courage all of you bomber crews and the suffering that you endured watching your budies go down is difficult to imagine. My uncle served in Nam for two and a half tours, he came back only because he got his tank blown from under him by an RPG, all crew got killed except for him who was manning the 50 cal and got shot out of the tank by the explosion..
You must be tired of hearing this but i thnak you for your service. You are the first b-17 crew member that ive "met".
My father was a B-17 tailgunner stationed in Italy flew over 18 bombing missions and I believe landed five he went into the war at age of 16 he didn't talk about it much if at any but most respect for the men and that lost their lives
My Great uncle Lynn Blue was a B-17 pilot in the 8th Air Force and I wonder if I have ever seen a film with him flying, he made it home to America
@always right he flew more missions than he had to in order to come back home.
My dad was a B-17 command pilot and bomb group commander at the end of the war. Thank goodness he was late to the "Show", although he was disappointed he didn't get to fly combat missions after all the hard work to get his group ready and in theater. He did fly some POW's out of Japan to the Philippines just after the surrender.
I really appreciated seeing how everything worked together to make a bombing mission happen. A lot of men worked together from start to finish - ground crews, intelligence officers, command staff, air crews, and even waterborne search and rescue crews. I found this video to be very educational.
Me too
I have often thought of the bravery of these air crews, not only on the first mission but particularly on the 24 following missions, knowing what they were in for and knowing that statistically the odds were stacked very much against them making 25. Seeing empty bunks in the barracks over and over knowing yours could be next--these brave fellows had to have one strong constitution. We all owe them our gratitude.
Honour & Respect . Lest we forget .
fesahasrhe46
They were way more stronger and leaner than those bulky overweight Pentagon operatives now.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Agreed.. very well spoken
I love this film.
Dedicating it to the memory of my Uncle Henry, who flew as a co-pilot in a B-17, in the Mighty Eighth, from Mendlesham Airfield, England.
RIP
I recently laid to rest a friend, mentor and genuine America hero. Lt Col. Erwin H. "Buster" Halverson, USAAC/USAF Ret. Piloted an amazing 644 combat missions in WWII, Korea & Vietnam(flew B-17s in the beginning). 2 Distinguished Flyer Crosses(WWII & Vietnam) among numerous other medals. 26 years active duty service plus Reserves. RIP Buster! What made me write this was when his son arrived at DaNang AFB, he, like all other new arrivals in country, was shown a training film like this one. When he saw his Father twice in the training film he jumped up and proclaimed, "That's my Dad!" No one believed him. I miss you Buster!
He must have been good and lucky. He is an American hero.
I’ve watched this video a thousand times. I remember when it came out. This was everything to me when I was just a ten year old little boy who just wanted to fly B-17s like the one my grandfather was on in World War II. I know this is weird but WWII was my childhood. If it wasn’t football I was watching this with my dad. I’m 17 now. The spark is still there. I’m not gonna lie, I’m tearing up right now at the fond memories. Thank you so much for this. May God bless you.
"I know this is weird but WWII was my childhood. If it wasn’t football I was watching this with my dad. I’m 17 now."
You don't look 17, fraud.
I've had the honor and privilege of knowing many WWII veterans during my lifetime and I agree that each and everyone of them were fine outstanding men and women of the greatest generation. One of them was the father of my best friend while I was growing up. His name was Ralph McIntyre. Mr. McIntyre served in the United States 8th Army Air Force. He was a 1st lieutenant and was stationed in Nuthampstead England. He served as lead navigator in a B-17 Flying Fortress and flew 30 missions over Germany. He went on to become a lawyer in Detroit and Highland Michigan. I am sorry to say that Mr. McIntyre passed away at the age of 87 on February 19, 2010. This is a tribute to him and the many others that sacrificed their time and and sometimes life to fight for freedom for us all.
I appreciate the old videos being a collector of WWII USAAF items this just adds to it.....hooked on them!
My Dad was a radio man/radio gunner in 17s based in Kimbolton England. 34 missions in ‘45. Hair raising experiences even that late in the war.
Wow-the 305th out of Chelveston. Apparently, this film was made on Saturday, 9 October 1943 (the middle of “Black Week”), when the 8th attacked Marienburg (with excellent results), Anklam, Danzig and Gdynia (all in Poland). On Sunday, 10 October, the objective was a cathedral and surrounding areas of Munster. And four days later (Thursday, 14 October), came one of the most infamous, deadly operations of WW2: the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt. Eighteen B-17s took off from Chelveston that damp, foggy morning. Three aborted. Only two of the remaining 15 bombers came back. Black Week cost the 8th Air Force over 150 bombers and hundreds of dead and wounded crew members over the seven day period. I hope it is still appropriate to say Thank You to surviving family and friends of those four terrible missions.
Excellent. Most people watching combat movies do not realize this one thing: Behind every aircraft or soldier deployed into action, there are 20 to 30 people doing the apparently mundane task of weather survey, targeting, fuel, ammunition & fuel supply, armament, mechanical & technical, medical casevac, radar... on and on
Only 30% in active combat role in an army.
Excellent video. I've seen a lot of footage of B-17's growing up, but never appreciated how the orders were distributed to the various wings or the different briefings for each crew speciality. Thank you so much for putting this together.
I didn’t either. Thank you
I was privileged to climb aboard the Memphis Belle on Mud Island in Memphis. I was beyond thrilled to see this famous bomber, enjoyed the visit, and talked to James Cash, who described himself as a "B-17 driver
I believe the B-17 ball turret gunners had the highest fatality rate of anyone in WW2. Respect.
I lived in Germany during the 70's, while working for the STARS & STRIPES Army Newspaper. I also spent two years helping a German butcher slaughter pigs and prepare sausages (his first wide was my dad's real cousin, and my grandma's sister lived in his home; his daughter had polio and he had arthritis, so I helped them for a couple years). He went AWOL from the Nazi army in '43 and spent the last two years of the war as a POW in a camp in Texas. He told me that the BEST two years of his entire life were those two years as a U.S. Army trustee in a POW camp. For then first time in his life, he had enough to eat, and time to play football and write letters.
He said "the Americans are foolish if they think the Russians are their friends". No, they are running a dictatorship, same as Hitler!. THEY WILL BE YOU FRIENDS AMERICA, AS LONG AS YOU ARE GIVING THEM SOMETHING. AFTER THAT--WATCH OUT!
My dad was on a B17, top turret gunner and flight engineer. His crew ditched twice in the Channel and he could not swim. He landed the plane one time when his pilots were injured. Before the war he had his own plane. The pilots taught him to be back up. My dad was wounded when he landed the plane at the field upon return.
Possibly these great USAF they’re still kicking alive
My father was a tail gunner on these planes he just passed away 2 weeks ago
Rip... Jesus bless
The tail gunners had real courage. Brave men indeed. RIP.
@@SuperSlightofhand 3
GOD BLESS YOU
My uncle Jimmy was a B17 tail gunner. Came bach from the war a drunk crazy fkr. Took 40 years to get right. Finally dried out and got right near the end of his time.
Just ran across this - amazing the number of briefings beforehand, and the information flow back up the chain afterwards. We often think - oh, bombers flew over Germany - but the amount of planning and training that had to go into those missions was amazing. I hadn't seen that before.
I just love these old news and training reels. They are so dry and stiff it's totally obvious that these were the guys and not actors. A near and dear friend of the family, who passed away about 7 yrs ago, was the Nav officer on a B-17 for 37 missions. Piece of Flak through the leg sent him home. He loved telling stories about the fun and trouble he got into with the English locals, but really didn't want to talk too much about the actual missions. He did say he lost a lot of buddies over there.
Priceless footage
Thanks for your service! These people are above being BRAVE!
About 10 years ago I was looking toward Baldwin Hills in South Los Angeles from my Hollywood rooftop and I heard a sound that I hadn't heard since the 50s and an olive drab B-17, flying impossibly slow, flew into view, from the east (downtown) at about 300 feet and the airplane slowly banked to the south, perhaps to the Santa Monica Airport. "I can die happy, that was no hallucination" I thought. I wept with joy.
Thank you!
My Da was a bombardier on B-17s 15th AAF WWII. He was the oldest guy on the crew at 23. He had also been in the Army for 5 years when he went overseas. He was a Staff Sargent in the Signal Corp then a 2nd Lieutenant overnight training on The Fortress to go to North Africa and Italy. He was the bravest most compassionate man I have ever known. He is still my hero. God bless all the bomber boys. ❤
very conscise step by step of all procedures. Great job in finding this gem
Thanks for uploading
This an amazing documentary about the 8th Air Force. It goes into such detail on planning and executing the Mission. Definatelty the best I've ever seen !!! Yes , they were the Greatest Generation and in my opinion some 8 decades later it is even more true today . Such brave men !! , some as young as 18 years old , just kids that had to grow up fast over the skies of Europe and each and everyone a hero in my book. 🇺🇸😢
Certainly not 18, maybe 20 for the youngest.
@@internetcensure5849 plenty of 18 yr old waist gunners, tail gunners and ball turret gunners.
What a great documentary! Thanks for preserving it!
I am truly sorry for your loss. That generation of men and women had BALLS! ( I Apologize to all the ladies out there). All of the friends out there, Thank you for your service and sacrifice, God Bless and stay safe. Aloha
My grandfather was with the RCAF squadron 430. P51’s. They flew recon, bombing sorties and some bomber cover flights. Details of course are murky but I believe they launched at 4-5 am on D day as surveillance pre invasion. Then forward into France.Those 2 planes saved the World.😊
Showing the processing of the film really took me back to my early days in Naval photography.
When one sees how extremely complex and highly organized a bombing raid was planned and initiated by this stage of the war, it is hard to fathom that the first bombing raids by the RAF in 1939 were such ad- hoc affairs. In the earliest raids by the RAF the aircrews selected their own departure times and routes to the target, sometimes flying with other aircraft, sometimes alone, and the first raids were invariably daylight attacks. The extremely heavy casualties sustained by the Royal Air Force in the first months of the war forced the high command to rethink its tactics, and night time bombing was introduced as the only alternative. The German Luftwaffe came to the same conclusion during the Battle of Britain and its aftermath, the "Blitz" on London and other main British towns. This is why the RAF was dumbfounded when the Americans entered the bombing war with the intention of carrying out only daylight bombing raids. Even despite their experiences during the first months of the war, even up to 1942 the RAF had occasionally sent formations of bombers to attack German targets during the daytime. The losses sustained were staggering and therefore everybody in the RAF thought that the Americans were either extremely overconfident, at least, or suicidal and mad, at worst, to attempt what both the RAF and the Luftwaffe had abandoned very early in the war. However, the USAAF showed everybody how it was done properly, if you had the right type of aircraft and later - much more important - fighter protection all the way to and from the target. Nevertheless, until the advent of the P 51 "Mustang", the Americans suffered terrible losses to the bombing forces when attacking targets deep inside German territory. The aircrew of the American bombers at this stage must have often heard " I told you so" from their Royal Air Force comrades. Finally, when watching the footage showing the crews of the B17's eat their breakfast, bantering with each other and making jokes, and during the pre- flight briefings one cannot help thinking how many of these young men survived even this raid - how many were made POW's just a few hours later, and they were the lucky ones - and how many never returned home at all. How many survived the next raids and their tour of 25 missions, which was five less than their RAF comrades, who after a rest period, went on to fly another 30 missions?. Not many survived the sixty missions required by the RAF from its aircrews. Despite the greater danger of flying daylight missions, the American airmen had a far greater chance of surviving the war than the RAF airmen, or in fact their German enemies, who had no tours of duty - the Luftwaffe pilots and aircrew invariably flew until killed or crippled by wounds. What a terrible waste of intelligent, highly trained and motivated young men. I don't think that humanity will ever see such a combined might of aviation strength and power again as seen in the massive formations of USAAF bombers on their way to a bombing raid. The men who flew and manned those aircraft were extremely courageous and dedicated. We all owe them our freedom for their service and sacrifice and they never will be forgotten as long as documentaries like this are shown to the following generations. 🌟🌟🌟
P51's had nothing to do with it, that's a total myth.
P47's and P38's were both escorting bombers over Berlin before P51's were, the reason that the early bombing raids went unescorted is because the "Bomber Mafia" Generals that ran the USAAF wanted to prove their concept that the bombers could fight their way to the targets and back on their own, as a result they actually forbid the fighter's at the time to use drop tanks on escort missions, this was to purposely limit their range.
After the horrific early losses and when it became apparent that the bombers needed to be escorted all the way they relented and allowed the fighter's to use drop tanks, then they came up with the narrative that before the advent of the P51 no fighter had the range to escort the bombers deep into Germany which was a total lie to cover their asses over sending those bombers unescorted on the early missions so they wouldn't get drug in front of a Congressional inquiry.
Over three months before the first Schweinfert and Regensburg missions the 56th Fighter Group had already been receiving the P47D-15 which had the under wing pylons that could use the US made all metal pressurized drop tanks, it was this very configuration that was used to escort bombers over Berlin along with other targets deep in Germany before the P51 came online as a bomber escort.
Even before the P47D-15 all P47's in the ETO always had the shackles that could have mounted drop tanks, not the all metal pressurized tanks but still drop tanks that would have given them the range to take the bombers all the way to their targets using the relay system, the awful truth is they just weren't allowed to do it.
@@dukecraig2402 you are true in your facts. But the real truth is the fighter aircraft of WW Two were so overpowered (for performance at high altitude) any single engine fighter could have carried enough fuel in belly tanks, wing tanks whatever configuration you want to escort to Berlin. That includes the early spitfires even the ME 109. Horsepower to weight simple math. The problem was simpler. An overloaded fighter was an easy target. So if you had to drop the tanks because you were jumped over the English channel you were left with internal fuel and not enough range, back to square one. They actually tried external tanks and that was what happened. Did you think the people whose lives were on the line were idiots? Do an internet search. The info is easy to find. The p51 could carry sufficient internal fuel to reach Berlin. The p47 had to carry wing tanks which when attacked had to be dropped. The p 47 actually escorted bombers to Berlin toward the end of the war because the p-51 protected them while they were lugged down with wing tanks as well as the bombers.
@@tlt3921
Thinking that fighter's took off with the bombers and flew with them all the way to their targets and back is a popular misconception, even P51's had to use the "relay" system to escort bombers into Germany, also your narrative about the HP of fighter's isn't exactly accurate either.
Like a performance car just going down the highway those fighter's weren't run at maximum power during their flight, as a matter of fact one of their throttle positions was called "cruise" and they actually got pretty good mileage (for lack of a better term) when their throttle was set at cruise power.
The real problem, and the reason that fighter's had to escort the bombers using the relay system was that the speed and altitude that the fighter's got their best mileage was an entirely different speed and altitude that the bombers ran at, so what they did was one group of fighter's would take off with them and escort the bombers so far matching their speed, which guzzled their fuel running at a speed that slow for a fighter, and then another group of fighter's that had taken off well after them would catch up running at their most efficient throttle setting and altitude and relieve the first group of fighter's, relays were usually 3 or 4 flights of fighter's each one taking off at a predetermined time that wound catch up with the flight that took off before them to relieve the fighter's that were assigned their "leg" of the mission.
No fighter be it a P51 or any of them could fly all the way to targets in Germany and back with the bombers because of the difference in speed and altitude that fighter's and bombers got their best mileage, it's a popular misconception that they did it that way.
Also concerning the ranges of the different fighter's that varied so much from one design to the next it all depended on what the fighter's original design intention was, the Spitfire for example was not designed to be an offensive fighter, it was designed to defend England, the designers original intention for the plane was to take off and gain altitude as quickly as possible to intercept incoming bombers, to do that they sacrificed range for weight by giving it a small fuel capacity.
Everything about designing an aircraft is about making compromises, if you want it to climb fast you have to make sacrifices in other areas to lighten it up like having a smaller fuel capacity, there is no such thing as a fighter that could climb faster than all the other fighter's and have a range further than the other fighter's and have heavier protective armor and carry more ammo than the other fighter's, no such plane existed, if you want more of one thing then you have to give up something somewhere else, it's just basic physics and no one has a magic wand that can design some magical plane that can defy the laws of physics, the Japanese Zero is a prime example of that, oh yea it could climb fast and had a long range, but as a result of them not having armor protection for the pilot and self sealing fuel tanks for the sake of durability so they could get that climb rate and range one good squirt from the .50 cal's of a US fighter and they either came apart or just exploded in a fireball, the Japanese tried adding armor protection for the pilot and self sealing fuel tanks with one variation of the Zero but the added 500 lbs completely trashed the planes performance and as a result they only produced 400 examples of that variation and then went back to no armor and no self sealing fuel tanks.
Had the Japanese been able to significantly increase the power of their engine's and develop better superchargers during the war like the Allies did they could have added those features due to the increased power, but for a variety of reasons they couldn't, like the Germans they didn't have nearly the increase in the power of their engine's from the beginning of the war to the end as the Allies did.
Another thing it seems that most people don't understand about WW2 piston engine aircraft is their supercharger types and the effect they have over altitude variations, for whatever reason neither the Germans nor the Japanese fielded fighter's with 2 stage superchargers (except maybe a few of their rarer fighter's that weren't fielded in enough number's to make a difference anyways), they stayed with single stage superchargers throughout the war and it cost them dearly, as a result of only having single stage superchargers on their engine's they were hopelessly out matched at high altitude, the Spitfire started out with a single stage supercharger on it until the 2 stage supercharger version of the Merlin started seeing service in mid 1942, even the early Packard built Merlin's only had a single stage supercharger on them, but after the 2 stage Merlin engine was fielded is when the Spitfire's really started to out perform German fighter's, previous to that when they still had single stage superchargers on the Merlin engine they were pretty much evenly matched but after the 2 stage Merlin engine was fielded it was all over for any German fighter's that had the misfortune of getting into it with a MK IX or higher Spitfire.
One exception to that was the Seafire, the engine on it retained a single stage supercharger throughout the war because it was used primarily as a ground attack aircraft so the added expense and the drop in performance that 2 stage superchargers have at lower altitudes would have been detrimental to it's use as a ground attack aircraft, as a matter of fact not only did they have single stage superchargers on them but they had one's that were optimized for low altitude by having their impellers "cropped down" smaller than a normal single stage Merlin supercharger.
WOW; great comment, very inspiring and insightful! Thanks for posting.
@@dukecraig2402 Great comment but hard for someone not an aviator to comprehend. Everything is much more complicated than we think? Thanks.
Why did it take me so long to find this. Incredible. Thank you!!
@The Best Film Archives
It may interest your viewers to know that the survival rate for American airmen flying B17's who bailed out or crash landed was for the combined Regensburg and Schweinfurt raids on 17th August 1943 approx. just over 80% - under 20% were killed in action (60 aircraft lost). For comparison, the survival rate for RAF bomber crews was - on the Berlin raid on 16/17th Dec. 1943 - a mere 10% (59 aircraft lost).A staggering 90% of RAF aircrew men died after being shot down, due to crashing in the North Sea on the return flight or in landing accidents and collisions in England due to heavy fog. This may not be truly representative for all raids, but I think it is safe to say that the crews of a B17 had under normal conditions at least twice up to three times a better chance of surviving being shot down than their brothers in arms of the RAF. The 82.5% (actual figure) of the survivors from B17's include POW's, airmen who evaded capture and those rescued from the sea by the Royal Air Force Air- Sea Rescue service. Nearly all of the RAF survivors became POW's, apart from a few evaders from capture. The average survival rate from damaged B24 Liberators was less than from crippled B17's, and the fire hazard was far higher. The survival rate from RAF aircraft varied, depending on the type of aircraft - the Short Sterling, while being highly vulnerable due to its low ceiling, had the highest rate of survival, the Avro Lancaster the worst of all types. Lancaster pilots were very seldom seen in POW camps, their chance of getting out of a crippled Lancaster were minimal to zero. These statistics were taken from Martin Middlebrook's fantastic books "The Schweinfurt - Regensburg Mission ; American Raids on 17 August 1943" and "The Berlin Raids" dealing with the RAF "Battle of Berlin 1944-45" campaign. Also highly recommended is by the same author "The Nuremberg Raid - 30/31 March 1944" in which the RAF bombers attacked the southern German city in full moonlight, losing nearly 100 aircraft - the worst attrition rate of any bombing raid by a large force in WW2. The second raid by the 8th USAAF against Schweinfurt later on the 14th October 1943 cost the 8th Air Force another 60 bombers lost. They were brave men on both sides in those days.
What makes Middlebrook's books so interesting are not just the detailed, sometimes minute by minute, descriptions of the missions, but also that he was able to interview veterans from both sides for his books. 🌟🌟🌟
Some of the bravest people anywhere, strapped on a B-17 day after day and flew to Germany in broad daylight, in an aircraft, as I understand it, with very little armor. We lost a lot of B-17s going to and returning from Germany. But those planes and pilots sure got the job done ...
Lm
N u❤
Excellent vid. I'm amazed at the complexity of the bombing mission preparations.
Спасибо ВАМ , СОЮЗНИКИ ! Может благодаря ВАМ мой дед пришёл живой с войны !
Love the authenticity and detail ................. fantastic !
Salute and respect from NZ 👍🇳🇿
The show "12 oclock high" showed the inner tickings of these squadrons... 10 men per B 17/29...Some missions lost a dozen planes.
Very beautiful video, thank my friend ! History yes !
My uncle, a Lancaster pilot, burned to death as he was trying to let his crew bail out. I offer my respect and admiration to all the participant and victims of WW II regardless of their national or political allegiance, they were victims of a insane conflict. Please protect me uncle Henri, from your nephew, a Naval Officer, L, Ciao, L.
+lancelot1953 I have read that the Lancaster was a terrible aircraft to bail out of- It only had two small exits, and 1 of these was just for the tail-gunner. It was a fantastic aircraft, but this was one of its major deficiencies, and crew losses were high on downed aircraft.
wotevrpnt You are right, it was a difficult airplane to exit. The rear gunner had to turn the turret a certain way and could "fall back" out that way (if he had enough space to have operated it with his parachute on. The crew would otherwise have to go over the joined spars of the wing to reach the rear exit (the normal entry to the Lancaster). In an emergency, the bombardier could use a nose emergency hatch which was very small with the heavy heated gear/parachute, while the rest of the forward crew could pop a special section of the top of the canopy which was nearly impossible while an aircraft was under poor control (being flaming or with shot controls). The bail-out survival rate of the Lanc was the lowest ~15% according to some studies. Their crew loss rates were horrendous. Happy Holidays, Ciao L
I had an Uncle that was in The US Army Air Corps in WW2, I never knew this until I was almost a grown man myself, I don't know what he did or where he was at all I know is he was in WW2, he also was In the Korean War and he did 2 tours in Vietnam, as far as I know he never was wounded in WW2 or Korea but he was wounded during both of his tours in Vietnam, he Retired after 31 years of Service. He and my Aunt and their family always lived in Florida and I was born and raised in Kentucky so we didn't see each other much and I was very young when I was around him much and didn't know he was even in. Sorry so long winded. I did 5 years in the United States Marine Corps, if I had known and had gotten to talk to my uncle I would have probably been in the US Air Force!! It would have been a lot better on my old body! Semper Fi from an old Marine.
@@jerrygirdner2753 Hi JerryGirdner2753, I know what you are talking about ("old body" wear and tear), I served 28 years, flew 118 combat missions with the Marines and ... have the "scars" to show for it!!! But these are the best people I ever served with regardless of one's MOS; a USMC fighter is first and foremost (and always be) a Marine. This is something that our drill instructor made very, I mean very clear early in my career. Peace be with you, Semper Fi, Ciao, L
Amazing footage and really gives an insight into what these crews endured, nevertheless the Germans themselves! Really well filmed for that time especially.
Excellent film. Amazing. We had no idea how much effort went into each mission. Every man had a vital role of maximum importance. They did all of this using analog & hand drawn weather maps. War today is high tech. Strategy was well thought out down to the minute.
Thank God for these men.
wow really great footage there dude love it thanks for the doc really enjoyed it take care !!!
A superb appraisal of the intricacies involved in organization of such operations. My father served in 603 City of Edinburgh squadron & witnessed many such events. I was only a youngster at the time but I offer respect & sincere thanks to all the nationalities that kept us free of fascism.
One of the best I have ever seen on this subject!!!
Thanks for posting this. My Uncle was a B-17 Pilot with the 381st BG, so this is very interesting to see. Thanks again.
I salute him. Don't you hate the fucking idiots that whine and claim that the US and UK committed war crimes simply by trying to win/end a war?
I do hate it. The goal was to win the war as quickly as possible. War crimes, I don't think so. Thanks for the salute.
If your uncle flew with the 381 st he must have been based at grafton underwood which is a tiny village in northamptonshire
I don't know if he was stationed at Grafton Underwood. He was stationed at Ridgewell England from August (I believe) 1943 to March 31, 1944. He was killed in a plane crash on base on March 31. If my research is correct, he was stationed in the States prior to his assignment at Ridgewell.
i live just a few miles from grafton and it has the 381st on the war memorial. It also says that the first mission and the last were flown from grafton underwood.There were a lot of units in my area and im sure they moved from base to base It would be nice to think your uncle was based there if not maybe in my area
To those who had family who served in ww1 and2: to the solders who served in the army and died for Australia. U will always live on through the Australian sprit. Also if ur looking for an inspirational movie, I suggest unbroken. It's. Good ww2 flick.
Extraordinary demonstration of organization capacity.
This is an interesting variation from the standard approach to presenting WW2
My Mother was stationed at Bassingbourn in SE England and worked as a wirless operator communicating with the air crews. She never spoke of her time there. I can only imagine how she feft every time she had to report the loss of a B17. The only thing she ever told me in later life was the slang morse crews would send from doomed aircraft. Dit Dah Dit DIt. (To hell with it).
This is an excellent film of the fortresses in WW2,love it,keep them coming please.
Thank you for watching my uploadings Miachael. :)
Never forget the women that were working long hours in American factories to keep our guys with Aircraft
X
No P.C. Nonsense back then, all serious business - take notes Politicians... Great documentary!
Amen
When it's your life at stake then all the P.C. ends and the shit hits the wall. Don't worry, I'm quite sure at the present rate we are going we will most likely see it again.
+Private Yeltsin Many, many politicians still rape and get away with it. Many more do things that are even worse.
I'm totally fascinated with the 17th and all other world war 2
Thanks for posting this fine tribute to these American airmen - we shall not see their like again ! I spend a fair amount of time in USA and notice what a sad country it has now become by comparison, sad to say but perhaps it takes a real war for men of this calibre to step forward.
You are welcome Mike! :) Thank you for watching!
aj stew I hope you are wrong, and Putin isn't the new dictator who is buoyed by the placid and fractured West. What if a Nato country is next?
Your opinion means nothing. This is serious business, not Facebook.
aj stew I think it's more likely that your kids are involved in a major war. Political stability is threatened by environmental collapse, and that is happening. :{
aj stew AJ, The evidence is overwhelming. 97% of scientists believe there is a direct relationship between Greenhouse gases and temperature rise. You believe what you want to believe.
These men were 10,000 times better men that I will EVER be.
And it is an understatement.
MY UNCLE WAIST GUNNER ON B17 KEPT HIS SKULL CAP HAD BID ORANGE GOGGLES TOOK TO SCHOOL SHOW AND TELL PLANE WAS SHOT UP NEVER DOWN WHEN ESCORTED BY P51 D TO BERLIN AND BACK HE SAW BOMBS HIT THE GROUND HE WAS BORN IN BERLIN AT THREE SENT HERE WITH HIS MOM BEFORE WWI RIP UNCLE FRED HIS STORIES WERE AMAZING AMEN 🙏
Excellent thanks.
Thank you for this footage
After carefull research I conclude following on this run:
This is Fliegerhorst E45/VI Woensdrecht
Left :(right view) ( Hits Flak position and I prosume K.O. or damage at least one 2cm Flak and a maybe a plane at parkingbox 51.428570, 4.343122 )
Start 51.429024, 4.360675
End 51.429693, 4.347757
Centre:
Start 51.430469, 4.360675
End 51.429720, 4.347671
Right : (left view)
Start 51.432075, 4.360332
End 51.432449, 4.355525
Footage of run is within airfield boundries
Good Despatch:Return ratios compared to the beginning of the war when crews werent even completing their "Tour of Duties".
All I think to say, when watching videos like this is, "Thank you, boys. Thank you."
49:30 I love the piston engine noise.
B24s and P47s like those shown at that point in the video have air-cooled radial piston engines
We owe those guys alot
war criminals
Very detailed video! Felt as if I was there! 💯💯💯
This is just the surface of what it took to organize missions over Europe. I am surprised it was able to be done so many times in such a short time with eventual devastating results on Germany's war industries.
Air force was the most affected in terms of manpower killed. A slow death after a quick battle. What a way to loose one's life, many were killed on the first sortie while other's had luck on their side's and completed 20 sorties and lived to tell their tales, above and beyond their call of duty. Brave brave boy's. 😔☘️✊
I am amazed at the complexity.
With this being the beginning of the Memorial Day 2014 weekend, I hope that Americans and British citizens alike will take time to remember the efforts and sacrifices of the valiant crews of the heavy bombers (Lancasters, B-24s and B-17s). God keep them all.
i9 hope they burn in hell like the mass murders they are god keep all the victims and burned babys in his glory. no glory in burning to death civillians
Beautiful mindful words. You have all my respect!!
At 1:13:47 the dog is as interested as the people as to how many returned home.
Thanks for this , Hollywood left out a lot of details .
very great documentary ...
My grandpa was a navigator in a Lancaster. We had his flight logs and pictures. Somehow they got lost.
When you see the 17 taking off, you can tell how much weight they're carrying from how slow they appear to be moving.
great documentary !
Boy! No kidding these guys aren't actors! 8-D I love the fake yawn and grumpiness when the crew roused at 3:00 AM, and the banter at breakfast!
In the first attack on the factory the narration went to great lengths to tell the viewer that it was a strategic bombing raid, as apposed to area or carpet bombing, but what should be noted is that there was little chance of “collateral” damage, everything around the factory was open farmland, and that with the Norden Bombsight there shouldn’t be any bombs failing to hit their target, “pickle barrels” accuracy springs to mind. Let’s not be shy, that part of the narration was deliberately designed to distance the USAAF from the RAF tactics of area bombing, a tactic that did cause collateral damage and many civilians died, but bombing at night (we learnt early in the war that daytime bombing was not a realistic option for the RAF, we didn’t have an endless supply of aircraft, and more importantly, aircrew) was always going to be difficult and inaccurate, perhaps a better way to navigate at night would have helped, or a better bombsight, like the Norden, but even that wouldn’t have helped without it being night vision enabled, so, the only way we could strike back at the Nazis was to follow their tactics, bomb the cities, just like they did in the Spanish civil war, the blitzkrieg of mainland Europe, and the blitz on cities like London, Coventry, York, Portsmouth, Southampton etc etc etc, it was war, and war means death, civilians or military, it makes no difference, every person in a country at war is at war, not just the military, just because a person, who is employed in a munitions factory is not at the factory at the time it’s bombed doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be a target, destroying the workforce is as important as destroying the factory itself. The USAAF carpet bombed areas when it suited them, Tokyo was fire bombed causing vast numbers of civilian deaths, Nagasaki and Hiroshima were wiped from the face of the earth, so please, don’t think that the USAAF was any different to the RAF, or the Luftwaffe, imperial Japanese airforces, Italian airforce, or soviet airforce, war is hell, and getting it over as quickly as possible, however you achieve that, it’s the end result that counts, obviously things like the Holocaust, Japanese treatment of POWs and civilians are different matters, that had nothing to do with winning the war, that was just heinous, insidious, barbaric and evil.
Thanks for sharing this interesting and informative documentary, very enjoyable. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴
The vaunted and TOP SECRET Norden Bombsite may have had its uses in the USAAF but it was also a handy PR tool for the Pentagon to justify a daylight "precision" bombing campaign; something rarely, if ever practiced by the RAF Bomber Command, which flew mostly at night. Due to the limits of the technology of the 1940s "hitting the target" included an area roughly the size of several football fields. It was more or less "smart -dumb bombing". The RAF made no pretense in regards to accurate bombing, night or day, as they just blasted the "target" (e.g. the City of Hamburg) with all of the kinetic energy they could put on or in their own bombers.
@@Frank-mm2yp All very true, thanks for your reply. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴
Excellent
My uncle had gone back to England back in the seventies in search of his old air base where he use to fly B-17G's out of.
Amazing
The Greatest Generation. The likes of which cannot be fathomed by todays liberal kids. We would no doubt be speaking German or Japanese if it were not for the courage of our armed forces. Thanks Uncle George for your service and that of all the allied forces. RIP Technical Sergeant George D. Cathcart, Jr, US Army Air Corps, 353rd Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group, waist gunner B-17G commanded by 2nd Lt Allen R. Ferguson.
I'm 46 dem voter. They irony of the word liberals did not those fellow including my uncle who spent 4 full years in th Philippines as well did all solider navy personal and the fine airmen LIBERATE Europe and the pacific from the evil axis. Yet we had a commander and chief dodge the draft and say meeting different women was his own Vietnam......I'm a civilian working for the navy and we have to say thanks to the forgotten hero's the civilians men and women that built the ships and planes and subs without our fine civilians giving our boys the tools they need .........well just wanted to add that bit of info
We don't call it "interrogation" after a mission anymore. We call it "Debrief".
WOW that was amazing
and helpful.