B-24 / LB-30 Liberator Diamond Lil Walkaround
Vložit
- čas přidán 26. 04. 2015
- Video sponsored by Air Models
airmodels.net/?aff=57
Allen Benzing was nice enough to give us a detailed walkaround of the B-24 Diamond Lil. This B-24 is one of only two still flying in the world. The Commemorative Air Force has done a superb job in keeping this great piece of American History flying.
My father flew in 25 bombing missions on a B-24. He was a radio operator and waist gunner. He was shot down (the plane exploded 3 seconds after he bailed--the cabin was filled with fuel from those wings), taken POW, and was in the Black Hunger March. He weighed 80 pounds when liberated. I have a world of respect for the people who flew in combat. My dad was in the 15th Air Force, so he flew in a later model. The waist gun had a lock on it by then, which prevented it from reaching the tail. It broke once during a battle and my dad almost blew the fin off. He once almost flew out the window; the gun broke his trajectory and kept him inside. There were lots of discomforts in addition to combat dangers. Lots of guys were airsick. There was a box near the passage to the cockpit, and it had a lid with a hinge on one side. They would throw up into it, and there were often several guys sitting around it, feeling utterly miserable. They often flew at 30,000 feet, where the air temperatures were -60 to -70. The clothing didn't always fit well; sometimes my dad would turn his body and the air would shoot into an opening. He'd quickly turn the other way, and another opening would emerge. He said that it almost felt like knives being thrust into him. Their worst fear was burning, and that was even in their fight song--"We'll go for fame or go down in flames." Flak terrified him because it was completely unpredictable--a plane could fly into it in any second and be ripped apart. His last plane was called Rough Deal Lucille. Thank you for posting this--it's enabled me to more vividly visualize many of his stories.
Awesome. I was lucky enough to get to fly on “Diamond Lil” in Wendover, UT in about 2001. One of my fellow passengers was a B-24 Driver from the PTO, there with his two sons for his birthday. He must have been 80+, but when they fired up those four Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasps, and we took off, his face just lit up. He was a young man again, striking out over the vast reaches of the Pacific.
“Keep ‘em flying!”
It never ceases to amaze me when I read about and see the stories of these craft and think of the men who used these, who fought and died in them. They were tough men with nerves of steel. It is essential that we preserve our land and freedom and remember that we may enjoy it, but it wasn't free. Great video.
They were not really men but grown up boys in their teens and twenties
Sadly the B-24 doesn't get the love it deserves like the B-17 which was great but overhyped because it lost 30,000 airmen killed in combat in B-17s (B-24 crewmen KIA/MIA numbers were much less) so they have to make the claim that B-17s were better, I guess.
I admit that the B-24 is uglier than the B-17 but the B-17 was truly a one-trick pony (short England to Germany bombing runs). B-17s were worthless in the Pacific (and retired from the Pacific in mid-1943!!!) and Atlantic because they couldn't bomb ships or submarines and they weren't able to bomb Romanian oil refineries in 1942-43 like B-24s. B-24s could do everything, OTOH. It won the Battle of the Atlantic and was crucial to winning the Pacific theater. It was the only U.S. heavy bomber to serve in every theater throughout the whole war and not get retired like B-17s in the Pacific! It is sad that the only movie or series depicting a B-24 in combat is the fantastic "Unbroken" movie.
This is the single best video I have ever seen on and about the B-24.
Thank you very much.
My late father served with a B-24 Liberator outfit in the 15th AF in Italy 1944-45 and trained with actor Jimmy Stewart before they both went overseas - Stewart served as a Squadron Commander with the 8th AF in England. I wish they had stayed in touch after the war.
It is very emotional for me to see this airplane knowing my Dad faced death each and every time he boarded his airplane.
My late mother said he suffered from nightmares and cold sweats for many months after he returned stateside after the war.
She said he had lost his very crazy sense of humor and had a very short fuse and bad temper (which I seemed to have inherited from him). Obviously he had PTSD that was never formally diagnosed.
He never spoke much about his wartime experiences and years after he passed I researched his unit and what he did. I quickly learned why he didn't talk about his experiences and what he saw.
His unit lost more than 50% of its original air crew in combat and suffered some of the heaviest casualties in theater.
He was regularly escorted on missions by the Tuskegee Airmen who were stationed about 60 miles down the road and flew bombing missions over some of the most heavily defended strategic targets of Nazi Germany - including many against the Ploesti oil refineries in Rumania.
My Dad received two (2) Purple Hearts and his unit received two (2) Presidential unit citations for their contribution in WW2. Obviously I am VERY proud of him.
I miss you and love you Dad.
I look forward to seeing you and Mom again and spending eternity with you both.
Thank you again for sharing this wonderful video.
My father was also in the 15th and flew out of Italy in 1944, until he was shot down and taken POW. His name was Robert Holihan.
Thanks. Amazing history. I wonder if he knew my father. My father was in the 15th 450Th Bomb group 720th squadron in Manduria Italy ground crew. Their main target was Hitlers oil fields.
My dad was a bombardier 455th BG, 740 squadron, San Giovonni Italy. 35 missions.
You wanna' start a fight? Just ask two former A/Cs which bird was better... the '17 or 24. Then stand back.
@@brianholihan5497 So did my father. 15th AF, 450th Bomb Group(Cottontail Liberators), 721st Bomb Squadron. Manduria, Italy(the Base is still there!!!!)B-24Js(mostly).
My dad was a Naval Aviator with VP-23 "Hurricane Hunters" and flew the Navy version PB4Y2 which had the vertical fin. The last time I saw Diamond Lil, she was at Tulsa Jones Riverside and in the Tulsa Tech hangar. At the time she was painted in a sand brown color. I am glad to see she's undergone a restoration and will soon be coming back to Tulsa's Air & Space Museum at Tulsa International Airport. I plan to be there, and enjoy her once more!
I got to see Diamond Lil take off from the redbird airfield one time many years back (I think before the Confederate Airforce changed to the Commemorative Airforce name, but I could be wrong on that). I was driving an armored car for Dunbar at the time and when I saw her coming down the runway, I pulled over on the shoulder of the road and both me and my hopper (guy who runs the money bag) sat in awe as she took to the sky like the incredible, stately old girl she is. We were both left speechless seeing something that incredible. I hope she continues to fly for another 80 years at least.
As a machinist, I manufactured all new hinge pins, plus, added grease fittings and a new hydraulic cyl for Diamond Lil's port main gear. I then took a ride in the flight engineer's seat, with the in-flight intercom head set! What an unforgetable experience!
Thank you for helping restore this aircraft
They had no zerk fittings to begin with or did you just replace the zerks??
Thank you so much for this video. It gives me an insight into how much courage it took to fly these. An Australian cousin served with RAF Sqn120 as a captain on convoy protection missions during the Battle of the Atlantic. Under heavy fire he attacked and destroyed a U-boat, and although the aircraft was significantly damaged he was able to return to base and land safely, for which he was awarded a bar to his DFC.
Thanks for the tour. Those were some brave and hardy souls.
I toured the Diamond Lil a few years ago at Buffalo NY , never realized it was a very early model . Very nice video . After watching this video , they were the "Greatest Generation" for sure .
And she's not a FORD!!
Thank you Mr.EJ for B-24 walkaround movie!!!
Thanks for the tour. My dad was a B-24 pilot in 8th Air Force 389th bomb group stationed at Hethel AFB from Sept 44 to end of War. Appreciate more now than ever what he and his crew must have experienced and see why he was buried with 8th Air Force Captain’s wings as his grave marker.
It makes me so happy to know there is still a flying b24 b29 and b17 i wish that 1 of every plane ever made was kept running purely for records
Brayden Jewell i was recently at a museum and its in bits and pieces right now but they have been slowly gathering spare/donor parts and are trying to restore a B26 marauder into flight worthy condition there are no curently air worthy B26s that im aware of (they often get confused with the A26 invader)
That's the original mission of the CAF. And.. there might be a squadron near you. Volunteer experience is bloody, tiring, greasy, oily, and very satisfying. You will instantly have brothers and sisters you never knew you had.
My grandpa flew on one of these, top gunner and engineer, shot down by friendly fire, but first or second crew to all live after ditching one of these
My Uncle was a Navy bombardier on this type aircraft during WW2 flying anti-sub missions over the Bay of Biscay. Unfortunately him and his crew perished when they were attacked and shot down by five German JU 88's. Thank you for this video.
My great uncle flew B-24s over the hump. He is also still alive at 97.
Daniel C very cool! Thank him for his service for me please
Daniel C my grandfather was a cook at a base in korea maby not as cool as being on the aircraft but he kept the crews fed lol
So did my great uncle...flew B-24's over the hump. His name was Robert ("Bob") Morris (from GA).
happy 98th birthday!
Hats off good men one and all no free rides correspondence guys probably 😂 didn't volunteer after the first ride Churchill quote about their service sums it up, salutations always.
Truly incredible. From the engineers,designers, machinists, fabricators, final assembly. To the men that had to operate and fly these machines in combat…
I had the pleasure and privileged of climbing inside this aircraft when she was flown here to the UK and displayed at airshows all over the UK,my son was so small i sat him on one of the huge wheels,my son is so big now he could put me on the tyre now ..Diamond lil was Pink back then ,,I actually have a photo of my son on that tyre..thanks for the Memory by showing this wonderful old Bird..
Thank you for the walkaround of this early model B-24 she's a beauty and the nose art is exceptional. atb Opal
Thanx, Dad ! A B24, Liberator pilot, with 12 missions, in the Pacific. 7th A.F, 494 bomb group, Kelly's Kobras.
Finally got around to watching this. Great video, thanks, Erik!! Hope she’s happy in her new home in Dallas.
Back in the late 1980s they had a B-17 and a B24 at Melbourne Airport in Melbourne Florida. For $10 you can do a walk through tour of both aircraft. I was mostly interested in the B24 because my dad was a waist Gunner on one of them. I walked through both aircraft thoroughly and took pictures with my 35 mm camera. One thing that surprised me was how small the cockpit really was in a B-17. The B-24 seem to be one of the later models because it had the ball turret and the turret in the tail. I still have all those photos to this day. I had some other people there take my camera outside the B24 and take a picture of me holding the 50 caliber machine gun in the waist position.
I saw her in Harlingen in 1975. Thanks for keeping her flying.
This makes walking and chewing bubble gum at the same time look easy! Beautiful bird and awesome presentation.
Thank you very much for this wonderful tour of a B-24. My grandfather was a bombardier during World War II on this aircraft. He just passed away and this was a wonderful chance for his family too see the aircraft he flew on.
Je Ma
Sorry to hear about your Grandfather passing. We all owe these WWII veterans so much for our freedom they fought for. RIP sir and salute!!
Great video, thanks very much. I was lucky enough to get a tour inside when she came to the UK in 1992, such an epic journey for this Old Lady, and very much appreciated as sadly there no flying examples of the great B24 in Europe. I remember hearing about Fortress crews referring to the B24 as 'The Box the B17 came in' ha ha. I love this aircraft.
MrEp880 Very cool. Glad you enjoyed the video
Well done walk around. God bless you for your passion for these wonderful machines.
Amazing......Thank you. These videos keep getting better all the time. Love It !!!
This is the most informative video showing the complexities of flight in WW ll era planes, that I have seen. I imagined the crews she had, as this walk around progressed. Very well done! Thanks for this unique in depth perspective! I now more fully understand the efforts it took to from those air crews to accomplish their missions. The fact that Diamond Lil is still around, is a supreme testament to their skill , and keeping her going demonstrates the depth of our ongoing respect for their courage and sacrifice. Thanks again!
Absolutely beautiful video. Thank you for making it. So informative. Well spoken, well said and we'll done. Keeping this plane alive is sooooo admirable. Willow Run, a fantastic piece of history. This plane is a rare and beautiful piece of history. Thank you for restoring it so very well.
My father was a nose gunner in the later model and started by flying out of Africa and the Italy. His plane and crew flew some scary missions... the raids on Ploesti, bombing of sub pens on France, oil fields in Vienna. They were shot to heck over Vienna and ditched in the Adriatic Sea. They were picked up by Italian fishermen (they would go to sea when they saw bombers heading out and wait out there to see if any had to ditch). 2 wks later, they were in a new plane over Vienna again. Credited with 50 missions, purple heart w/ oak leaf cluster and many other medal, him and all that served in this war were truly the greatest generation.
Lots of great info can be found at the 376th Heavy Bombardment Groups web page. Mission histories, flight crews and pilots and some really great pics... check it out!
Thank you for this. So very appreciated.
Very informative and enjoyable. Thanks for keeping this bird active for all the enthusiasts who treasure WW ll heavy metal
Thank goodness it was changed back to Diamond Lil. I remember the earlier paint scheme from when she was kept in Harlingen, TX. Diamond Lil was my favorite.
when pilots truly had to fly and aircrew were beyond brave!!
...and these missions were often 10 hours long in temperatures at altitude that reached 50 below. So besides facing flak and 20mm cannon fire from the Luftwaffe, you had to manhandle this flying truck from England to Berlin and back.
The pilots had right to be cocky, cause they were the COX!! The whole crew could fly the the bird if need be.
Not to mention the 6 week training course before going into battle. Truly our greatest generation.
A friend of my late father was an instructor pilot on B-24s before he was assigned to combat in the 8th AF. One night over dinner, many years ago, he told us about flying the Liberator, that it was difficult to hold steady in formation, that it was control-heavy and more of a wrestling match to hold in a tight formation. But he claimed that it could fly higher, faster and with a larger bomb load than the B-17. His biggest concern flying the B-24 was losing an engine on takeoff. He instructed pilots how to avoid a wing-over and crash, but in England he witnessed two fully-loaded Liberators crash in flames on takeoff on two different missions. He said that when he instructed and flew with a student to demonstrate an 'engine-out' takeoff , those Liberators carried no bomb load or aircrew. Hard lessons for college-age pilots to learn...
Great vid. Thanks. I saw this aircraft fly into CLT a few years back, and saw her up close on the ground. What a treat!
Man, do i love yer walkarounds!
Scoobz187 Thanks, glad you like them. I sure love making them!!
My father flew in a B-24 out of Horsham England it was it was referred to as the fastest B-24 in the European theater of operations the aircraft was named the Howling Banshee it was two aircrafts made into one with the largest engines available. The 458 Bomb Group
Nice tour!
Thanks!
Fascinating talk. When you see the physical effort involved in flying the plane,you can understand the stories of heavy bomber pilots being soaked in sweat despite being at seriously sub -zero temperatures at 20,000 feet.
Be nice to see a tour of a late model version with all the gun turrets installed.
What a fantastic aircraft, thanks for the tour. ❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍
my great grampa was the pilot of the b29 at wwll. he served through most of the war. he got shot down but made it out alive. sadly he dies from a stroke after the war
this video surprisingly helped me visualize what it was like in the book unbroken. Great video!
Excellent!! Thanks so much for posting it here.
I love these walkaround videos! Thanks for uploading.
Matteo Di Giovanni Your very welcome. Glad you liked it
One of the great events in my life was being able to get up in the flight deck of Diamond Lil with my B-24 combat pilot dad in Wichita Falls, TX. 1995!!! I had never been in one before and grew up listening to his war stories, looking at his photos, etc. all my life. He had never been in one since the last Lib in transported, by himself, from Menphis, Tenn. to Kingman. Az. for salvage, late 1945. So to be with him there, he in the right seat, me in the left, was unforgettable! He flew them for a very long time. When I was born in early '43, as a Firt Lieutenant, he was flying them in antisub patrols, Galveston, TX. In Feb. '44 as a Captain and part of the new 15th AF, he and his Group, the 464th, left Pocatello Idaho, in their new '24s heading for Pantanella, Italy. He named his ship the 'Three Cornered Kid', from the fact that he and two other officers just had their first son. The Kid survived 15 missions In the 776th Bomb Sqd. until comming back from Vienna, with one engine gone, a co-pilot out with a head wound and no hydraulics, dad made it back and crash landed it at base. Dad was extremely upset about loosing his ship. He was later promoted to Major, and was the flight ops officer for the 777th Sqd. for the rest of his 51 mission credits. For several months in the summer of '45 he flew decommissioned Liberators from Memphis, Tenn. to their doom at the salvage yards in AZ and California. He said that was the scariest duty of all; the ships had been stripped of everything, and he flew alone!
Thanks for the tour.
The simple fact that this B-24A (Production Model #18 of ~18,000 assembled from 1941-45 at 3 or 4 plants across the US!) is still around and in flying order is astounding. Diamond Lil' is a rare, rare gem! Thanks for the video, Erik!
Did fantastic work with coastal Command, spending many hours on patrol
Great Video. VERY informative. Thank you.
Thanks for the great video! I'm currently working on a story about a B-24 non-combat crash, never satisfactorily explained, mechanically, in the Pacific (Hawaiian Islands). My father, who's nearly 92 now, was piloting the ship that day and has lived with the memory of lives lost since. I have hours and hours of oral history (and still get more from time to time) and have transcribed training tapes on flying the thing, Dad's recall is amazing; when I fact check him, he's almost always spot on. But there is nothing like this sort of video and talk to give a real feel for the size and spatial relationships of the plane. I am grateful for having it. I've believe I've been in a B-17 and B-26 (he flew night intruder missions in the Korean War, USAF 731st) but not a B-24 since I was a very young child and have only the vaguest of recollections and, later, was in awe but didn't pay enough attention for what I'm trying to do now. This is an invaluable resource.
Thanks for posting this video!!!
What a fantastic video!
Had to laugh at “if it’s not dripping oil, then you’re out of oil” 😂
Thankyou so much for the tour!
Great video! Thanks for posting.
Aircraft 64 a B - 24 D flying from north west Libya became hopelessly lost retuning from mission to Naples Italy. Early morning hours in very dark night entire crew bailed with aircraft on auto trim.
Nearly 500 miles south easterly of home base.
Aircraft sat in situation in amazingly good condition for 16 years before discovery.
All gauges, radio, most guns still in operable condition.
Frosted from blistering heat and blowing sand she was totally recognizable as her mission that night.
Crew suffered horrible deaths after week lost in most inhospitable terrain imaginable.
Views there appear as the terrain of Planet Mars.
She was painted in a desert sand pinkish hue and had been monikered Lady Be Good by crew consent.
To me she represents the dedication and sacrifice of our aircrews globally in the Liberator flying armada.
A flyover at a major sporting event stadium with the old girl would be more to me than words could ever speak. 🇺🇸
Very, very interesting tour !! Enjoyed it !!
I have a great interest in WW2 and am in the UK. I have just watched a video Aviation at War on the construction of the B-24 Liberator . It was fascinating and am finding this just as good. Brilliant! It looks quite spacious compared to the British Lancaster. I didn't know we flew B-24's under Lend-Lease.
Watched a vid on the Willow Run Plant. Turning it from a farm to a plant and then building these eventually at a rate of one per hour. Amazing for sure.
My grandfather (RAF) used to fly B-24s straight from the willow plant all across the atlantic to the west coast of britain. He was with coastal command and the B-24 was perfect for maritime operations.... The B-17 got all the glamour but the Liberator was a far better bomber.
Altered Beast
Dad was B17 tail gunner, shot down on a raid over Germany, liberated by the Russians. The Fort got a lot of good press simply because of their inferior range to the Libs, they were based close to the shore, making an easy journey for the press who, of course, did a short piece then got back to London, filed a quickie story and went out for a night of binge drinking. I read somewhere that the average number of successful aircrew bailouts was only something like 30%.
Outstanding tour! What a beautiful warbird.
Very cool! My grandfather was a crew chief on B24's during the war.
Wonderfully made video, thanks.
We built tens of thousands of these and other aircraft, but only a few still exist and are flyable. I wish we had preserved more of them.
I was lucky enough as I was shown around this magnificent aircraft when she flew into Norwich for the 50th anniversary of the 8th Army Airforce coming to East Anglia. I also met a pilot who was based at Rackheath during the War and David Hastings who helped fly her when she was flown across the pond via Iceland. Never to be forgotten moments.
I was fortunate enough to walk into this B24 when it was at FT Lauderdale executive airport for a showing. Loved this plane
My next door neighbor here in Aiken, SC was a radio operator/gunner on a B-24 in the CBI theater. He's 92 now, but he still has pictures of his crew mates, an escape map with Chinese writing on it, and a wooden model of a B-24. He's in poor health now, but he is one heck of a nice guy. He would love to see this video.
Very good, informative video, many thanks for sharing .
A great man and a great plane! Thank you.
Another great walkaround. Slot of CZcams channels don't even put effort into their videos but I can tell that you do.
My Great Grandfather was founder of Consolidated Aircraft. Thank you for carrying on the legacy of this great aircraft.
riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..........
Do you even know who the founder is?
JC Fleet of course i do, he's your great grandfather, i learn so much from youtube comments
Great video.
Great expert detail. Thanks so much. Wish I could fly her.
Proud to say I have been on board this aircraft once when at an air show.
What a beautiful plane.
justforever96 same
It was in fact ugly, as opposed to the elegant shape of a Spitfire, but its purpose was uglier still. More of these were built than B-17's as they had a bigger payload and longer range than the Flying Fortress. And a few years into the war Army Airforce generals knew that their prewar thinking about penetration of enemy airspace with heavy bombers with 'acceptable' loss ratios were nonsense. The aircraft were effectively obsolete so they relied on sheer brute force to overwhelm the enemy. Long range fighter escorts cut losses but antiaircraft fire brought down more bombers than ME-109's and FW-190's. Had the Germans built large numbers of ME-262's a year or so earlier things would have gone differently.
@@russg1801 beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Didn't they do the lionsshare of the night bombing of Germany 2 prong attack B-17 did day time attacks.
Thank Eric sir. For very nice tour pleased my curiosity.
Diomnd lill really a mighty plane. Very nice to see working condition 70 year old plane.
Diamond LiL looks to myself from this video to be in A1A SHAPE. She's a very fine example of an early prototype LB30. Absolutely Outstanding.
My father, now passed on, was a nose gunner in one of these with the 5th Air Force, 90th Bomb Group (Heavy) flying from Australia (Iron Range) and from fields in New Guinea. Among his more reported missions was the first raid on Rabaul in August 1943.
Great video thank you well done .
Thank you for this information. I shared it with friends.
Simply Amazing 👍
& Super Super Cool
My Dad was a radio operator/air gunner flying in these for the R.A.F. coastal Command during WW2 on U Boat patrol.
The aircraft was fitted with RADAR and a Leigh light mounted under the wing. Target located by RADAR and then when close enough illuminated by the Leigh light.
absolutely awesome...great narration by the AC.....
My dad was a tail gunner and flew over Italy. I wish he were alive today to see these videos.
My father Ward B. Richie was the Captain of the B-24 Gollwalloper.
I got s picture of my dad with a B-24. Awesome!😅😅😅😅
GREAT JOB THANK YOU...
I was in this aircraft back in the 90s, when it was at Lunken Airport , in Southern Ohio. many planes that day and the Old Diamond Lil painting was on it then. They allowed us to walk though it . pretty cool.
Saw one of these flying over our neighborhood two days ago. It was thrilling to say the least. One person knew it was a heavy bomber but if it wasn't for the unusual twin tail roundish discs on it, we wouldn't have been able to ID it online. One person gave thanks to these planes and the seemingly fearless men who flew them.
As a teen, I built a model of a B-24 so it was interesting to learn about the variations and improvements which worked into the design as they were built.
Very nice video !!! :..Thanks.
Outstanding
Awesome video. My grandfather parachuted out of a modified B-24 at night over northern France while in the OSS to help supply French Resistance forces prior to the Normandy Invasion. The ball turret was removed and enlarged to promote safe evacuation of both covert operators and supplies. According to him, solo B-24's modified in this fashion with night drops helped to conceal that paradrop operations were being performed.
Your grandfather was part of Operation Carpetbagger, and he was a very brave man. Info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Carpetbagger . My dad was a pilot in the 492nd BG as part of this operation in the late going of the war.
I had the pleasure to ride in Diamond Lil recently. It was a highlight of my life and really took my appreciation for the service men who operated these machines for us to a whole new level! Thank you for keeping these machines flying and continuing the history lessons. Nothing short of amazing
Love this bird. Thanks for making many trips to KOSH. (Still like the old paint and nose art better). Camo-side up, and keep em' flying!
Great video. I wish we had one of these wonderful aircraft over here in the UK, all we have in flying condition is a B17 (Memphis Belle) and a Lancaster bomber.
Excellent
I can't believe I found this. My step-father, Haynes "Hank" Elliott was a gunner in one of these. He was a Liberator. I came with him to Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville, TN to see you when these two planes were on display there in about 2002 or 3. I think it was you that spent a lot of time with him that day. It brought tears to my eyes to see the plane I had heard about from him so many times, but just couldn't quite imagine. He was a very big man, 6 ft. 4, and I could not believe how small the space was he sat in. This video is great because it gave me the view he saw as gunner on the Ploesti raids, at age 20. I remember he told me, and I think he discussed with you, how they kicked the plexiglass out to keep the shards from piercing their skin and eyes. He still had small pieces work their way out of his eyes up until a few years before he died in 2012. He told me a lot of funny stories and he told me a lot of very sad stories. I wish he had gotten to see this video. Thanks. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning something I took for granted and looked at as "old man war talk" until I became an old woman and took time to absorb it. Again, thank you.
Actually I just realized that you are not Mr. Benzing. I think maybe he was the one we talked to. I remember whoever the man was that spent time with Haynes was the son of a Liberator.
My grandfather was a tail gunner on the plane "no love no nothin". A true badass.
23:54 That 200 mph wind you alluded to is prop-wash, right? My dad was a tail gunner (I think his unit was 264 Black Panther), but I never thought about the challenges of prop-wash before. I flew a Tbird Ultralight at 2000' ASlL from 1000 ground level in the heat of July in a demo flight, and I was thankful for my sweat top and leggings that day. When Dad worked in a grain bin in February on our farm ,he was satisfied with jersey gloves with holes in the fingers while I was freezing in double layers. Severely cold and terrifying for him.......and he might probably think I'm talking too much. I hope not.