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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: BigBlock on July 30, 2015, 03:22:25 PM
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I know everybody likes pictures so I thought I would share some of the B-17 that flew into our fair little city up here in southern British Columbia. The Commemorative Air Force out of Arizona flew this bad boy here as one of their stops in their western tour. Last year they flew up a B-25. All I can say is incredible!!
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1195_zpsogmapob2.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1195_zpsogmapob2.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1200_zpsnduuhu1w.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1200_zpsnduuhu1w.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1199_zpsw1bay1n5.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1199_zpsw1bay1n5.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1207_zpsfux8dggg.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1207_zpsfux8dggg.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1202_zpsrzr7k8pc.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1202_zpsrzr7k8pc.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1198_zpsspe9ztfb.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1198_zpsspe9ztfb.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1204_zpswsfhy3r7.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1204_zpswsfhy3r7.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1203_zpsoimj9sdd.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1203_zpsoimj9sdd.jpg.html)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/IMG_1196_zps2e047du5.jpg) (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/Bigblockzuki/media/B-17/IMG_1196_zps2e047du5.jpg.html)
A short little video. Taken with my crappy little camera :laugh:(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/th_MVI_1209_zpswoubiifm.mp4) (http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/Bigblockzuki/B-17/MVI_1209_zpswoubiifm.mp4)
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and how brave the crews were that flew them .
Dusty
How true.
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I cannot imagine the terror of being in that clear nose with a couple of fighters making a head on pass at you. All the crews had great big brass ones. No, maybe more like steel. :bow:
GliderJohn
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My father was a bombardier in the nose of 1 of them during WW II and lived to talk about it while I was born in Spokane, Wa. :thumb: Don't think we met until I was 2. We lived in a Quonset on Okinawa when I was 3.(1946) I have the map of his bombing missions he made then over Europe. :bow:
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What a piece of art! Thanks for sharing the pictures
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My uncle was a turret gunner on one of those planes. He made it back home though lost the hearing in one ear due to a bomb that exploded too close to his position.
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I read somewhere that the 8th Air Force in WWII had more casualties than the Navy and Marines in the Pacific Combined.
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I read somewhere that the 8th Air Force in WWII had more casualties than the Navy and Marines in the Pacific Combined.
Something like 55,000 airmen were lost over Europe. 6000 B-17's were destroyed in accidents and combat. The USA appears to have lost more aircraft than any other combatant nation in WW2. Figures vary but close to 80,000 total. I believe the majority were accidents..
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I visited Chandler, AZ many years ago to finish my private pilot flight training. On an early solo as a student, I contacted the tower saying that I was ready. The tower told me to hold short of the runway for the B-17 on final.
Now I knew what a B-17 was.....but I wasn't sure what they were referring to in a modern airport. But, I did know the "hold short" command--and was amazed when an actual B-17 landed in front of me.
Later for a magazine, I wrote an article about an Auburn, WA fellow who flew B-17's in WWII. Includes nice photos of the Boeing Bee -- a B-17 that was being restored in Seattle at the time and WWII photos.
www.rf5b.com/flights/HankHendrickson-B17.pdf
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Back in the day I went to a couple of these.
If they still do it this way... it is worth the trip..even if you think your not interested,you'll end up amazed!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PpVjFPi0fE
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I was really pissed off when General Savage was knocked off by that trojan B17!
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BB,
You got me man. Tearing up thinking about my Uncle Harold F. Brown, COL USAAF. He captained 35 B-17 missions with the Mighty Eighth based out of England. He finished the war as a VIP pilot as a major. Continued with Kansas Air Guard-Reserve, and retired with a silver bird on his shoulders.
Hell of a plane, so was my uncle a hell of a man and pilot and warrior.
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Great pics. My oldest friend's father flew B-17s during the war and survived a crash landing. He just passed last year. When we were kids he took my buddy and I for a tour in the B-52 that he flew, man that thing was cramped inside. There's a B-25 stationed at the local airport about 2 miles from my house. I frequently get flyovers.
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On June 6th I went to McClellan field where several WWII aircraft were on display that were flown in by members of the Collings Foundation. While standing in line to board the B-17, the man in front of me said he'd offered to buy his father the "flight experience" for $450. He told me his father, when he was a skinny 19-year old, was a B-17 tail gunner and flew many missions in the European theater. Regarding the offer, his father said something to the effect that he'd spent far too many terrifying hours in those old aircraft. As a spry 90-something-year old he wanted nothing to do with reliving that experience he was fortunate enough to live through. The greatest generation was that indeed.
http://www.collingsfoundation.org/flight-experiences/
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I took the opportunity to walk thru this plane when CAA flew it into Lost Nations airport in NE Ohio near Lake Erie. On the following Monday morning, I called to find out if the plane had left on its way home to Arizona, and was told, 'no, it's leaving in 2 hours. Well, I cobbled up some excuse about a doctor's appointment, and when I arrived, the B-17 and a Heinkel HE-111 (actually Spanish Air Force version powered by RR engines) were idling. Very impressive watching the two planes take off and head out over the lake. I turned to walk to my car, and the fellow standing next to me said I shouldn't leave, the best part was yet to come. And it was. The B-17 made a low level, high speed pass over the airport with the Heinkel in hot pursuit. What a sight and sound.
Unfortunately, the Heinkel crashed a few years later, killing the pilot.
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Yeahoo, I can understand the feelings of the man´s father. Several years ago I watched an airshow in Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance (this is where the Dornier aeroplanes were made). The highlight of the show was a flyby of a B17 together with a BF (Me) 109 (in fact a spanish one with Merlin engine, but in German colours). I obviously was surrounded by several old german fighter pilots. And they had a hard time watching those two great enemies in a friendly formation.
I enjoyed it. For me it is a symbol. We can look at those great machines, remember what they were made and used for, and say "never again"!
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One of my uncles: Jack
He washed out of Aviation Cadets, but they found he was good, really good at Morse, so they made him a radio guy.
His position was the radio room, behind the bomb bay with the oblong window with a .50 machine gun.
On his first mission he was told " here they come", so he manned his weapon, and then all these bullets, machine gun and cannon, start passing through his little compartment, and as he said...." I was so scared, I wet myself"...well, he is wearing an electric suit to keep warm ( 12v), and he thinks he's going to get electrocuted. He is so despondent, because his mother is going to get a letter saying Jack died because he peed his pants. He is dwelling on this, and then he comes back because they are yelling at him over the intercom about photos or messages or something, he looks around and they are heading home and it's been over for a while.....
He was the first man of his generation that I ever heard that admitted to being scared.
He was in his second tour when the bad guys gave it up.
Uncle Jim was infantry in India-Burma.
Uncle Ray, rejected at first for being too old, but served with the Seabees in the Aluetians
Father was a Flight Officer ( didn't have college, so no officer rank ) and flew photo recon P-38
Mr. Sawyer, my mailman when I was a little boy, was a Marine, was captured and did the Bataan Death March.
sorry for the long winded reply, but these guys are the reason....
kjf
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We didn't feel very good on the ground either when they did their thing with the bombs! Jürgen
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Something like 55,000 airmen were lost over Europe. 6000 B-17's were destroyed in accidents and combat. The USA appears to have lost more aircraft than any other combatant nation in WW2. Figures vary but close to 80,000 total. I believe the majority were accidents..
Not even close. The Russians lost more of everything that anyone else. 150,000 aircraft or so.
The Russians lost more men just in the Battle of Kiev that the USA lost in all of World War II in all theaters. Anyone ever heard of the Battle of Kiev? Most haven't.
Which is why Russian textbooks barely mention the USA in their histories of the war. Our losses were like 4% of theirs, negligible in their minds ....
Just something to consider.
Lannis
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Great pics. My oldest friend's father flew B-17s during the war and survived a crash landing. He just passed last year. When we were kids he took my buddy and I for a tour in the B-52 that he flew, man that thing was cramped inside. There's a B-25 stationed at the local airport about 2 miles from my house. I frequently get flyovers.
My father was in the Army/Air Force for 20 years and flew in B-17(WW II), B-29(Korea), B-36, B-52. Retired @ 39 years of age as a Lt. Colonel. Lived in retirement to the age of 74. Got a heck of a lot more $ in retirement than active duty!! :thumb:
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A few years ago I was at an event where the RAFs last flying Lancaster flew over and it was a spine-tingling experience, and that was just 1 aircraft.
Lannis is right about those loss numbers - in fact I believe IL-2s were essentially disposable aircraft - when the engine wore out (and it did really soon) you just got a new one. If as an Sturmovik pilot you had lived that long!!
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Not even close. The Russians lost more of everything that anyone else. 150,000 aircraft or so.
The Russians lost more men just in the Battle of Kiev that the USA lost in all of World War II in all theaters. Anyone ever heard of the Battle of Kiev? Most haven't.
Which is why Russian textbooks barely mention the USA in their histories of the war. Our losses were like 4% of theirs, negligible in their minds ....
Just something to consider. Lannis
I forgot about the Soviets.... US aircraft losses vary greatly depending on the source. I also believe Stain killed almost as many of his own people...