how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missionsst joseph, mo traffic cameras

How many Lancaster bombers lost in ww2? The old saw goes the first casualty of war is truth, and it is entirely likely that there were other planes and/or crews between Hot Stuff and Memphis Belle that completed the vaunted 25 missions that constituted a completed tour of duty, a bar that was moved at various times to 25, 30, and 35 missions, depending on the overall loss rates, the degree of mission difficulty, as well as the conditions that they were operating in. Also aboard were Andrews staff and four clergymen. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The plane crashed into the side of a mountain near the airfield in Iceland. 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. TogetherWeServed.com Inc. All Rights Reserved | Not a U.S. Government Website. Army Air Force planners decided that a tour of duty for bombers was to be 25 missions. For this famous B-17, surviving 25 missions in World War II was the easy part. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. (LOL). According to Warbird News, our government was anxious to report uplifting and inspiring stories of the war that would capture the American publics imagination. Kneeling, ducking, trying to shoot down the bad guyscouldnt feel that comfortable! What Was Found At The Top Of The Grand Canyon. IX bomber completed 213 missions but this aircraft was destroyed in a crash at Calgary Airport in Canada, two days after V-E Day, see . 1917, and 1918, the United States government issued Liberty Bonds to raise money for our involvement in World War I. He needs to ensure that ALL of them responded because otherwise it would be a sign that their oxygen mask has frozen. However, after WWII and the lessons of the early years filtered in, the need for well trained aerial gunners became apparent, so the first specialized aerial gunnery school was opened in Las Vegas in mid 1941. The man at the back of the trailer is attaching the tail fin, which is secured by a ring collar screwed onto the threads on the bomb itself. What will happen to my Steam games when I die? Andrews and his entourage hitched a ride on Hot Stuff, and in doing so bumped five crew members from the flight. 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. 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. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. George Eisel survived the crash. It flew in both the ETO and North Africa. By . A claim is made that Gene Roddenberry, screen writer for Star Trek, completed 89 missions in the 324th bomb squadron. The 314th BW needed replacement crews and the 8th AF crews were to absorb experience, which they could later pass on to their fellow crews. There will always be those who subscribe to particular yardsticks though, so to summarize: Hot Stuff was the first B-24/crew and the first heavy bomber to complete 25 missions on February 7, 1943. The consensus in this discussion is that WWII bomber crews were rotated home after 25 combat missions. The worst B-29 mission, against Tokyo on May 25, 1945, cost 26 Superfortresses, 5.6 percent of the 464 dispatched from the Marianas.. More than 8,000 men were killed in training accidents or other non-operational flying during the Second . Object Number - FRE 5112 - Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951. He completed his initial training when he was 17, and was called up to active duty before he graduated from high school. Its basically like doing regular day-to-day tasks with your hands you need both. The problem was, the Memphis Belle was not the first heavy bomber to survive 25 combat missions. 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 pilot, co-pilot, bombardier and navigator, as commissioned officers, were seated at the front of the plane, with the navigator positioned at a desk below the cockpit. The B-29 Missions From 3 Feb 1945 to 14 Aug 1945, the 6th Bomb Group officially flew 75 missions. So he promptly retrieved his discharge and it stated he had really flown 137 missions. He told me (and has since passed away, so I cant verify it, that 37 missions was the cap and he was on his second round. How many crew members did the b17 have? post. The B-17 dropped more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft in World War II. It completed four more missions to Vegesack, Wilhelmshaven (2) and Rotterdam before being retired from combat on March 31, 1943. The first refueling stop before heading out over the Atlantic was scheduled for Prestwick, Scotland, but the crew decided to fly directly to their second refueling stop at Reykjavik, Iceland. Of the 120,000 who served, 55,573 were killed including over 10,000 Canadians. Martin Baltimore. My father Thomas Jack Showers served in the 330th of the 93rd from December 1943 to some time after July 25, 1944, when he completed his last combat mission. 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. Approximately 120,000 were air crew members and only one crew in five completed their tour of duty. Nearly half of all the bombs dropped in World War II came from B-17 airplanes. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". In 1943, having flown over France, Belgium, and Germany, the Memphis Belle crew became one of the first to reach that goal. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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 . But Mighty Eighth War Diary shows no raid on 2/7/43. Or even 16 aircraft, which would be 28 percent of the Air Force's current fleet of 58 B-52Hs. He completed his initial training when he was 17, and was called up to active duty before he graduated from high school. We would love to see some images from that log book if you feel comfortable scanning and sending them along! Short Bier is housed here. 31. AFTER THAT I WAS SENT TO KB-29 AIR REFUELING SQ IN LOUISIANA. A great resource for some of the 8th AF B-24 groups is TEDS TRAVELLING CIRCUS available at Amazon and elsewhere. The 91st Bombardment Group, 324th Bombardment Squadrons B-17F Flying Fortress Memphis Belles crew flew their 25th combat mission on May 17, 1943, against the naval yard at Lorient, France. Many thanks for the message Monty That sounds like a fascinating artifact. Then, the bomb shackle is attached and the dolly moved under the bomb bay. My uncle, by marriage, was a waist gunner with the 8th, I believe. Daily life The everyday lives of most aircrew, unlike other servicemen, were a unique mixture of danger and normality. And yes, I have some unofficial photos of the B-25 aircraft and activities in Italy. 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. Carlo Quintiliani Updated Mon 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.. Read More What is the song 'Norwegian Wood' really about? There was no time to waste. Hanson . Although the risk for hypoxia, altitude and decompression sickness, and barotrauma was high; bombers were only given oxygen masks. During World War II, workers in factories signed milestone aircraft, such as 1,000th aircraft built, before they were delivered. Martin Maryland. It completed its 25th mission on February 7, 1943, three and a half months before the B-17 Memphis Belle ." Average age of air crew member is 19 or 20 years old. The 328th. The 25-mission milestone becomes harder to pin down when considering changing crew members due to rotation, death, injury, illness, leave and equipment failures leading to spare planes pressed into service, errant wartime record-keeping, etc. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They took over the aircraft from the original crew of Jerk's Natural, which had completed its 25 missions. Today, 46 planes survive in complete form, 10 of which are airworthy, and 39 of which reside in the United States. The four men by the waist window are using grappling hooks on two rods to lift the bomb onto the dolly, a three-wheeled cart. Do modern Germans regret having lost their eastern territories at the end of World War II? We were having some drinks and I was listening to some of his war stories when he told me he had flown 137 missions. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Memphis Belle was supposed to be the first B-17 bomber to fly 25 bombing missions and return back to base safely each time. For those members of the RAAF serving in RAF Bomber Command, more than one in three were killed; amounting to 20 per cent of all Australians combat losses in the Second World War. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. He said they would literally strip the plane, but I dont remember if that was before they left Italy or in Cuba. There were many B-24s in the 8th Air Force that completed 25 to 30 missions long before the first B-17 Hells Angels or Memphis Belle completed their 25th. It was a gradual adjustment over about two weeks. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. #11: Missions would often last for 8-10 hours. I have no idea). completed a remarkable 201 combat missions, a feat that made it the highest mission scorer of any Allied medium or heavy bomber. , Retired university lecturer in German. `MEMPHIS BELLE never quite rings true. More B17s were built than the Lancaster, but some, many, were used in the Pacific Theatre as well. Hawker Hind. WWII POW Stalag Luft Camps in Germany Perhaps this only applies to the European theater of the war. It is mentioned that the units flying out of Africa and Italy had no such standard mission tour cap . In the end the significance of specific mission counts are completely arbitrary. As the son of one of the Hot Stuff crewmen bumped from the ill fated final flight, I was unaware of the fate of Gen Andrews, his entourage, and remaining crew. Yep, my pawpaw flew on that bird. Hot Stuff was being flown home to the US since Captain Shannon had completed his tour of service. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. According to my brother, it was in the Ploesti raid that their lost all their fuel when anti-aircraft shells went through their wings without exploding. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. If I recall correctly (at least in the 330th) the 25 mission count only included completed primary target missions. by Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor) Kermit Weeks Douglas A-26B Invader (41-39401) made its first successful post-restoration flight on February 20th, 2023, making a thirty-minute hop from Chino Airport in Chino, California. Interesting question. completed her 25th mission on May 1,1943. Consider for example the Operation Tidal Wave strike by American B-24 bombers against oil reserves in Ploesti Romania in 1943: of 178 bombers and 1,726 men on the mission, 54 aircraft, and nearly 500 men failed to return (310 killed and 186 captured). B-17F Hell's Angels, tail number 41-24577 and crew. It has since been renamed Joint Base Andrews. The unit used B-17s, according to what I read. The Memphis Belle was one of the first heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions with no crew fatalities. Restoration: The Memphis Belle. It does not store any personal data. What happened to the real crew of the Memphis Belle? Bomber crews needed to complete 25 missions before they were allowed to go home but that number was almost statistically impossible in Europe. Before reaching that mark, 57 percent of them would be dead or missing. The B-25 was designed by North American Aviation, Inc., in response to a prewar requirement and was first flown in 1940. The U.S. produced an amazing 276,000 aircraft . VIII Bomber Command 25. 1 How many missions did ww2 bomber crews fly? IN 1959..FROM THERE BACK TO LOUISIANA WHERE I CHECKED OUT AS ENGINEER IN THE KB-50 AIRCRAFTABOUT 2000 HOURS THERE, THEN TO HUNTER AFB GEORGIA TO FLY THE GREAT C-124. Martin Caidin wrote the definitive book on the plight of the bomber crews in Black Thursday, which chronicled in great detail the 2nd Schweinfurt bombing raid of October 14, 1943, where 60 bombers and their crews were lost. It flew about half of its approximately 30 combat missions over Europe, with the remainder being strikes in Africa and patrol missions over the Mediterranean. Based on a true story, the film concerns the famous B-17 bomber Memphis Belle, which delivered 25 successful missions before the plane and its sterling crew retired from the skies. Divers from the Research Center of the Scuba School of Lake Bolsena and the Fire Department of Viterbo . She and her crew were promptly sent home to the United States to join the War Bond selling tours. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps. Many ground crewmen felt the Libs belonged to them and were only "loaned" to the air crews. Which colour is the best colour in iPhone? The second bomber to have completed 25 missions is said to have been the Hells Angels, but it wasnt widely promoted since its name wasnt aesthetically pleasing to the War Department. What Is The New Name Of Dixie State University, Alphabetical List Of Names On The Vietnam Wall, Cisco Job Application Status Under Review, What Is The New Name Of Dixie State University. 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. It was an airplane named Hells Angels. How do you identify neurotypical disorders? My Dad flew 25 missions in a B-24 and B-29 with the 8th AF /466th bomb group. A high-wing monoplane with a twin tail and tricycle landing gear, it was powered by two 1,700-horsepower Wright radial engines, had a wingspan of 67 feet 7 inches (20.6 metres), was 53 feet 6 inches (16 . Im have no dog in this hunt. Memphis Belle is a fictionalization of the 1944 documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress by director William Wyler, about the 25th and last mission of an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, the Memphis Belle, based in England during World War II. The Memphis Belle was not the first B17 to complete 25 missions. 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. por | Jun 3, 2022 | journey to the savage planet moist vestibule | emma chambers face surgery | Jun 3, 2022 | journey to the savage planet moist vestibule | emma chambers face surgery Just imagine how hard it is to complete tasks in uncomfortable clothing from the mask to the boots. How many missions did B-17 crews fly? My dad was a waste gunner on a B 24 in ww2. I only know he was somewhat of a wild man with numerous shrapnel scars. Aero Trader performed. The Memphis Belle in the sky, June 1943. So on July 5, 1945 the 8th AF landed on Guam . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. There was an similar earlier raid that included Regensburg that cost the same.. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Good day! How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? A raid on 14 February is listed as the 34th 8th Bomber Command mission. The 381st lost seven of 18 deployed. He said it was all politics. Bomber crews needed to complete 25 missions before they were allowed to go home but that number was almost statistically impossible in Europe. Those who flew the Memphis Belle did seem to have particularly good luck though as none of her crew died or was significantly injured on her missions, despite being routinely riddled with bullets and damaged by flak, reportedly going through 9 engines, both wings, two tails, and both main landing gear assemblies over the course of her seven month combat career. Since 1943 Word War II aviation history considered the Memphis Belle as the first heavy bomber to reach the 25-mission mark. Answer (1 of 14): The twenty-five mission mark was more honored in the breach than the observance, as the saying goes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the bonds became known at War Bonds. B-17F Hell's Angels, tail number 41-24577 and crew. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. "Hi. To be the first to complete 25 missions was significant because once completed the bomber and its crew could return home. Its a great thing for any crew/plane to have completed 25 missions, but I think the 8th flying to the heart of Germany had a tougher nut to crack than the 9th flying against targets mostly in Africa and Italy (although nobody had a tougher target then Ploesti). Why the Stein crew posed in front of War Baby instead of Jerk's Natural is a bit of a mystery. GOOD PART OF THIS IS THAT THE WING H Q WAS AT HICKAM FIELD HAWAIIALWAYS A PLEASURE THERE FOR THE ANNUAL FLIGHT SIMULATOR AND CURRENT GROUND TRAINING EDUCATION. , former Teacher by Profession, Teacher by Soul. I hope my information is correct. 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. I ate 4 eggs and 4 bananas for dinner. I am returning to your web site for more soon. How do people travel around the world with no job? 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 . The 303rd Bombardment Group 358th Bombardment Squadron, B-17F Flying Fortress Hells Angels, after which the Group later named itself, completed its 25th mission on May 13, 1943. great information you have got right here on this There is some report that 25 missions was a full tour with that group, which would indicate more than three tours. Hot Stuff later crashed in Iceland under the command of Captain Robert Shannon in May of the same year. In October 1943, 20-year-old SSgt. They knew what they needed to know to successfully perform their duties but other than that, they had limited information. It therefore fell to Memphis Belle as the face of bomber aircraft during the war. 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 uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I asked my 16 year old son what music he was liste Did the British ever fight Japanese soldiers durin What does Professor Oak do with the third Pokemon? All onboard were killed except the tail gunner when Hot Stuff crashed into mountain in Iceland on May 3, 1943. My father-in-law claimed that he flew more than seventy-five missions, mostly over Northern Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Germany. 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Flak-Bait 's crew poses with the bomber after its 200th mission on April 17, 1945. Why did the U.S. absolve the Japanese of paying war reperations after WWII? In early May 1943 as the crew prepared for their flight to the States for their War Bonds publicity tour, they got a call from the office of Lt. General Frank M. Andrews, Commander of the European Theater of Operations, asking if he could hitch a ride back to the States. It was tough out there. Example: Ploest was single credit. Although the U.S. Army Air Force sent its individual war heroes to War Bond rallies, it preferred sending 10-man heavy bombers crews. Bomber Command aircrews suffered a high casualty rate: of a total of 125,000 aircrew, 57,205 were killed (a 46 percent death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions. How many missions did ww2 bomber crews fly? Just sayin. The B-17 and B-24 were both great airplanes. Your email address will not be published. But flying it proved deadly. So whatever Hot Stuff was doing it wasnt going on raids conducted by 8th BC. However, it is generally agreed that between 50 and 70 Lancaster bombers were lost in World War 2. The US War Department would use the bomber and its crew for public relations activities back home, The Daily Courier reports. 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. Andrews, an experienced, instrument-rated pilot, bumped the normal co-pilot off the plane and flew in his place. The aircraft was returned to the states on January 20, 1944, for its own publicity tour. Those uncertainties aside, on May 19, the Memphis Belle flew its 25th combat mission on a strike against Kiel, Germany, though manned by a different crew. Many considered the occupation to be a death sentence. Kneeling, ducking, trying to shoot down the bad guyscouldnt feel that comfortable! ok how combat flights did the guys did before beening sent home ..for i know it most crews where 25 mission or 50 misson before beening sent back home to train new crews ..i have read that some people flew 25 misson or 50 misson before going home ..so was it 25 or 50 missions ..along with did they fly once a week or twice a week or every two weeks in a one year tour as a air crew.. #14: The tradition of wearing the silk scarf started from pilots in World War I but its more than just for fashion purposes. Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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 . So they parachuted out and spent three days walking back from behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. 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 . Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Unknown crew of 392.'. 23' - 12.6 mils. This one is easy! (Photo is a jubilant Memphis Belle crew following their 25-mission). A bomber crew of the 392nd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. It made its first mission on Oct. 21, 1942 over Lorient, France. 25 This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. John Comer kept a journal of the 25 missions he flew in 1943 when the casualty rate on his base was close to 80%. He joked that after WWII, raising six kids was a piece of cake. I bookmarked it. Over the years he has been studying the history behind bomber aircraft activity during the war. In 1945 Camp Springs Air Base in Prince Georges County, Maryland, was renamed Andrews Field in Gen. Andrews honor. The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. 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. After returning to the States in June 1943, the bomber and many of its . Nor was she the second. Now an academic from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona, Florida has revealedthat it was the B-24 named Hot Stuff that was the first bomber to make 25 missions and return home, not the Memphis Belle. Closing in of Reykjavik, they ran into snow squalls, low clouds, and rain. Just to add some fog to the issue, the my fathers certificate of mission completions had only 30 places to list missions. What movie plot hole bothers you the most? Many surviving examples are painted to represent actual planes that flew in combat. Hot Stuff completed its 31st mission on March 31, 1943. Battling flak and enemy fighters over the skies of Europe during World War II, the US Army Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder bomber named Flak-Bait? He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. They arrived to find the weather at their destination quite dicey with snow squalls, low clouds and rain. Both crews are GODS! Beautiful Swiss German Words, In the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, 15 co-pilots from the 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bomberswere in flight school for less than a year. For the survivors, there wasn't much time for contemplation of those lost. Five other crewmen were bumped to make room for Andrews and his entourage. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". On May 13, 1943, the 303rd BG B-17F Hells Angels became the first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions over Europe, four days before the Memphis Belles crew. What a tragedy. Waldock also discovered that Lieutenant General Andrews was a VIP getting a return flight back to the US along with his close aides and staff, who took the place of the bombers original crew. I am trying to find information on which B-24 crew he was a member of but I am not having much luck. FROM TACHIKAWA TO ROBBINS GA. FOR FINAL PROCESSING OUT TO A GREAT RETIREMENT. 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 was supposedto be the first B-17 bomber to fly 25 bombing missions and return back to base safely each time. How many B-17 fly 25 missions are there? Doesnt matter who was first. 1 What was the first b17 to complete 25 missions? I have some 7500 hours at the controls, never for an instant not valuing the knowledge and expertise in that sideways sitting position, behind me. The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. It was sent to North Africa to support the 12th Air Force after its 10th mission in the ETO and returned to Hardwick, England in February 1943 after completing its 27th mission. This was almost a suicide mission to say the least. ARZBtc.com > > > how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions. PC even then. Probably because the P47 was a fighter, not a bomber. Waldock says that because Hot Stuff crashed and never made it home it never became as well-known as Memphis Belle. The B-17 Flying Fortress was flown extensively by men from the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. 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.

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