My dad was an engine mechanic for the RCAF during WW2, and was assigned to a Halifax bomber squadron. They would be be tasked to a specific aircraft and its crew. He didnt talk much about his experiences but did say that he had 3 aircraft not return.
@@MrChiddler know that. I mean you can feel like you are a part of a ground crew. They didnt know what happened in the air, what happened to the crew members etc. Helplessness, lack of informations, enemy fighters, flaks, mechanical failure…
I recently finished reading the book & it was EXCELLENT. Also watched the series and it was very good as well, wish they could have put a little more into it from the book but it probably would have been 20 episodes or more. Glad to see them giving a little recognition to the maintainers in this as I was one when I was in. We did have two family members who served in WWII, one Navy & one Marines. I feel truly fortunate to have heard some of their stories first hand. We miss you Brownie & Norm. FLY NAVY!!!
American daylight bombing was practiced in the States. Then they came to Europe to try it out - where they met Atlantic weather (navigation nightmare, obscured targets), flak (the big killer), and the Luftwaffe. It was never going to work, and should have been stopped once the commanders realised the massive losses involved.
How would have bombing at night worked any better? Escort fighters like the mustang and fuel tanks to extend the range leading them all the way around would have helped if they had come earlier in the campaign. The Germans had the most up to date anti air system and night fighter fighters that still would have dealt massive losses. The Brits never had massive success at night either and lost a lot of bombers
Night bombing was very inaccurate at first, but the pathfinder squadrons improved it dramatically. In fact, some of the raids in the last two years of the war were incredibly accurate (including Dresden*). The biggest enemy to daytime bombers was flak - this was easier to avoid at night (but once the searchlights locked in on a plane, it was doomed). German nightfighters were poor to start with, but rapidly improved. They just didn't have enough of them. RAF and USAAF losses are very similar (RAF slightly lower), but the RAF were doing it since 1939! Interestingly, the RAF used B17s in early 1941 for unescorted daylight raids, which were a disaster. And the Americans told them it wouldn't work - until they themselves started doing it in 1942! * The USAAF attacked Dresden the day after the RAF night raid. 316 B17s bombed the target - the remaining 115 bombed the wrong targets. Instead they hit Prague (90 miles away), Plzen (125 miles), and Most (50 miles) - all in Western Bohemia (Czech). The people of Prague saw the planes coming and went out to cheer them - 700 died. @@MattKearneyFan1
It did work though. They wore down the German Industries like crazy with these bombings. As bad as the casualties and losses were, they ended up saving millions of lices by taking down those factories.
@@CzechImp somewhat true on most of what you said but American bombers didn’t have the tech the Lancaster had for nighttime bomb runs. Even if nighttime attacks looked safer, it still did not bring results. The main goal of the campaign was to destroy the German Air Force before d day.
daylight bombing was less about the strategic damage it could inflict on Germany and more about tying up fuel and luftwaffe assets to defend Germany's industrial base from the potential threat of strategic bombing damage. At the end of the day, had the Luftwaffe been able to shift its resources to the Mediterranean or the Eastern Front, the Afrika Korps may not have fallen or Germany may have been able to blunt Operation Bagration with close air support like it had in 1942 during the Battles for Rzhev. Either of those outcomes happen and you either dont get Operation Husky or Overlord. Without taking the fight to Germany through Italy or France, the USSR doesnt really have the manpower to chew through a German defense in depth with armored, motorized mobile reserves and CAS.
@@masterkenobi1787 nope and don't have to be. Every war is hell . I don't like it more then anyone but that's what happens when we let lunatics run everything
My dad was an engine mechanic for the RCAF during WW2, and was assigned to a Halifax bomber squadron. They would be be tasked to a specific aircraft and its crew. He didnt talk much about his experiences but did say that he had 3 aircraft not return.
unbelievably overwhelming scene. The lack of a shoot-down scene made the unknown touch even more.
Buck was a real person. You can Google what happened to him.
@@MrChiddler know that. I mean you can feel like you are a part of a ground crew. They didnt know what happened in the air, what happened to the crew members etc. Helplessness, lack of informations, enemy fighters, flaks, mechanical failure…
My grandfather is Captain Frank Murphy played by Jonas Moore also author of Luck of the Draw who my father had a huge part in writing it.
I recently finished reading the book & it was EXCELLENT. Also watched the series and it was very good as well, wish they could have put a little more into it from the book but it probably would have been 20 episodes or more. Glad to see them giving a little recognition to the maintainers in this as I was one when I was in. We did have two family members who served in WWII, one Navy & one Marines. I feel truly fortunate to have heard some of their stories first hand. We miss you Brownie & Norm. FLY NAVY!!!
Over 4700 did not make it.
That’s insane
American daylight bombing was practiced in the States. Then they came to Europe to try it out - where they met Atlantic weather (navigation nightmare, obscured targets), flak (the big killer), and the Luftwaffe.
It was never going to work, and should have been stopped once the commanders realised the massive losses involved.
How would have bombing at night worked any better? Escort fighters like the mustang and fuel tanks to extend the range leading them all the way around would have helped if they had come earlier in the campaign. The Germans had the most up to date anti air system and night fighter fighters that still would have dealt massive losses. The Brits never had massive success at night either and lost a lot of bombers
Night bombing was very inaccurate at first, but the pathfinder squadrons improved it dramatically. In fact, some of the raids in the last two years of the war were incredibly accurate (including Dresden*).
The biggest enemy to daytime bombers was flak - this was easier to avoid at night (but once the searchlights locked in on a plane, it was doomed).
German nightfighters were poor to start with, but rapidly improved. They just didn't have enough of them.
RAF and USAAF losses are very similar (RAF slightly lower), but the RAF were doing it since 1939!
Interestingly, the RAF used B17s in early 1941 for unescorted daylight raids, which were a disaster. And the Americans told them it wouldn't work - until they themselves started doing it in 1942!
* The USAAF attacked Dresden the day after the RAF night raid. 316 B17s bombed the target - the remaining 115 bombed the wrong targets. Instead they hit Prague (90 miles away), Plzen (125 miles), and Most (50 miles) - all in Western Bohemia (Czech). The people of Prague saw the planes coming and went out to cheer them - 700 died.
@@MattKearneyFan1
It did work though. They wore down the German Industries like crazy with these bombings. As bad as the casualties and losses were, they ended up saving millions of lices by taking down those factories.
@@CzechImp somewhat true on most of what you said but American bombers didn’t have the tech the Lancaster had for nighttime bomb runs. Even if nighttime attacks looked safer, it still did not bring results. The main goal of the campaign was to destroy the German Air Force before d day.
daylight bombing was less about the strategic damage it could inflict on Germany and more about tying up fuel and luftwaffe assets to defend Germany's industrial base from the potential threat of strategic bombing damage. At the end of the day, had the Luftwaffe been able to shift its resources to the Mediterranean or the Eastern Front, the Afrika Korps may not have fallen or Germany may have been able to blunt Operation Bagration with close air support like it had in 1942 during the Battles for Rzhev. Either of those outcomes happen and you either dont get Operation Husky or Overlord. Without taking the fight to Germany through Italy or France, the USSR doesnt really have the manpower to chew through a German defense in depth with armored, motorized mobile reserves and CAS.
This is the price of war. Gotta live with it
Are you a politician by any chance?
Sounds like trump..he calls vets suckers and losers
@@masterkenobi1787 nope and don't have to be. Every war is hell . I don't like it more then anyone but that's what happens when we let lunatics run everything
@@Hypocrisywatch1 and here enters the..... fool.
@@Hypocrisywatch1 Except he didn't. You've been lied to. You hate a caricature of the man who bears zero resemblance to the real thing.