B-17 Crewmen Remember the German Missions.
Ex communi periculo fraternitas‘
FROM COMMON PERIL, BROTHERHOOD’
Aboard each of the thousands of b-17 Flying Fortresses that left the soil of England bound for targets in Europe were 10 young men. outwardly, they were no different from any late-teen or early-twenties boy you’d meet anywhere in America. Same faces, same names, same youthful vigor and sense of invincibility. but on their shoulders rested the hopes of a nation, a world at war. this article relates missions over Germany through the personal accounts of men no longer young. they have little in common but their memories and that they once flew high in the deadly skies over Hitler's Germany to deliver destruction to the nazi war machine. bombardiers and navigators, pilots and copilots, radio operators, flight engineers, ball, waist and tail gunners. Some were officers, most were sergeants. they came from factories and farms, small towns and big cities, and ended up in a narrow aluminum tube with four roaring cyclone engines, a dozen machine guns and four tons of high explosives. the air temperature was far below freezing even when it was woven with red-hot shrapnel and exploding cannon shells. Very few of them knew one another during the war, but they are forever bonded in blood and duty. Kids then, old men now, they tell their stories of life and death inside b-17s over Germany.
An Uneasy Sleep
Long before dawn reached the cold sky of East Anglia, a lone man entered the barracks where the aircrews rested in uneasy slumber. Then he began waking them up. Radio operator Don Hammond, who flew 28 missions with the 100th Bomb Group, recalls, “The Charge of Quarters came in and said, ‘Hey, you’re flying. Breakfast at five, briefing at six, takeoff at seven.’ Then they picked us up in a truck and took us to the Mess Hall. We had fresh eggs, served to anyone who was flying.”
Esta historia es de la edición 2019 Special Issue: WWII Air War de Flight Journal.
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Esta historia es de la edición 2019 Special Issue: WWII Air War de Flight Journal.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Keeping 'em Flying!- The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics
The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics. Nearly 80 years after the end of World War II, the fighters, bombers, and trainers that defended freedom continue to enthrall and inspire audiences at airshows, thanks to generations of warbird pilots, maintainers, restoration specialists and collectors. In our September, 2022 issue we introduced you to the young warbird pilots, maintainers and restorers who are already beginning to displace more "experienced" warbird fliers and fixers.
The Corsair Maker- Bringing the Vought Corsair to the fleet was a daunting challenge that spanned nearly three years.
When the first production Corsairs exited the Stratford factory in June 1942, Guyton, as seen here, was tapped to manage the flight and production test program. Armament was improved to six wing-mounted .50s, displacing the wing fuel tanks now placed forward of the cockpit which necessarily was moved rearward by 32 inches. Overall length was increased, armor plate added, landing, arresting and tail gear improved, aileron control enhanced, and a new version of the R2800 engine was incorporated. But those significant improvements unearthed numerous idiosyncrasies that would take an extended period to make the Corsair acceptable for carrier operations
STARFIRES Over Korea
F-94 pilots tangle with MiGs
Training Mission
BY THE TIME THIS TRAINING SCENE WAS RECORDED in Canne, Italy, in July 1944, Allied Yugoslavian airmen had several years of experience working side by side with the RAF.
KC-46A PEGASUS
Next generation aerial refueler
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WACO YKC - Stunning and Ultra Rare Golden Age Cabin Flier
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Double amputee fighter ace Douglas Bader and his Battle of Britain Hurricanes
Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
ZERO MYTH, MYSTERY, AND FACT
A test pilot compares the A6M5 Zero to U.S. fighters