History Followed a B-17 today! FLIGHT PICS ADDED!!

Kermit had some crews in last week that were having a reunion. Less of these guys every year...

22 Bomb Group and Kermit



95th Bomb Group and Kermit. His B-17 walk-thru is done up in 95th colors

 

Memphis Belle tribute showed up today at Fantasy of Flight . To be
"movie" painted as the "Swamp Ghost" for some shooting this week.

 

About 25 years ago I worked at a company where there was a older drafter named Bob. He was extremely friendly, helpful, and a little guy, maybe 5'4" at best.

About 15 years ago, my father mentioned that Bob had died, somewhere in his 70's. He told there was a very nice write up in the paper along with an impressive list of his military service.

I asked what he meant and he told me Bob had been a highly decorated tailgunner with many missions and over 30 kills. Of course, Bob had wound up a tailgunner because of his small size and very good eyesight. He must have had brass balls, too. I was really surprised and wished I had talked to him about it when he was alive.

 

Ball turret is plenty cramped too. They loaded this old vet back into a static display last year. I can only imagine that he's smiling because he knows he won't be dealing with sub-zero temps,flak,and enemy fighters trying to punch his ticket. Either that or he thinks he's twenty again.

 

The Dallas Cowboys' coach, Tom Landry, was shot down while piloting one over there. When asked if he was scared he replied "Heck no, I was 18 and invinceable". The Brits had a saying about the B-17 yank crews: "Overpaid, oversexed and over here".
Chuck

 

My dad and the rest of the crew.




another shot hanging out the window.





My dads brother also flew on 17. He never made it home. This is the plane he served on. He died when it crashed in 1945.



The crew members,

 

http://life.time.com/history/world-war-ii-color-photos-of-u-s-bombers-and-crews-in-england-1942/#1

 

Hardwick, England: My great uncle flew out of there on B-24s before going to Libya and then going on the infamous raid to Ploesti Romania. He was the top turret gunner. He didn't come back from Ploesti.

Someday I'd like to visit Hardwick.

 

I read this book...totally riveting. Didn't want to put it down. Almost brought tears to the eyes at the end of the book.

 

Took this pic last summer at Hamilton, Ontario. This Lanc calls Hamilton home.
It flew over my place in Edmonton back in '09...sweet sound hearing those 4 Merlin engines at song.

My Dad wasn't Air Force....He landed at Juno beach and fought his way to Germany right til the end.

 

Some veterans don't like to talk about their time in the military. Too many of their friends were killed and they don't like to bring those thoughts up. Many buried those thoughts and kept busy with other things to avoid having time to think about it. It might have been why the WWII generation accomplished so much.

 

This wing flew over flabob airport Riverside , vets day

 

Wish I could have seen this in person!

 

I've posted this pic in the past. Galveston beach, summer of 1952. I wish I could have been there to HEAR that in person. DD

 

My Dad was a gunner also, on B17 & B29. He was shot down, no fatalities. He was slated to visit tthe skies over Japan when the war ended. He finished up in Arizona. He's 87 now and doesn't talk about the war much, never has.

 

6 3350's (?) pushing, had to be awesome!

 

Nope...4360s! I was a twelve-year-old kid when the last B-36 mission was flown in 1959. Probably heard a hundred of 'em fly over the New Orleans skies where I grew-up.......at 30,000 feet. If you've EVER heard a B-36 fly over, even that high up, you will NEVER forget that sound. Pusher propellers always produce a different sound. B-36 propellers were over 19 feet in diameter...times six, of course. What a sound! DD

 

I was about the same age in Southern California, always looking up. One day, I did see a flight of three B36's........ at 30,000 feet, but no mistaken what they were. Those three were the only ones I ever saw. It was the sound that got my attention. As great as aviation is today, it's not as good as it was then.

 

Just a little trivia here.The flight and maintainece crews did`nt like the Studebaker engines much.They were oil hogs.Reliable and robust though.On the AT6/SNJ(Navy version)the brakes on the P51 were the same.Also,the crew chiefs found that if the P51`s were un painted and highly polished and waxed,they were appx 15KTS faster at cruise than the painted and un waxed P51`s for a given power setting.I think that Doc can confirm this OR correct any mistakes.Thanks to all who have posted on this thread.God bless the Greatest Generation.Thanks.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo