robroy:
Following on from CF’s link of the tour of the Lancaster, here’s the same guy in a B17 Flying Fortress.
I fully get that it was 40s tech, but both planes interiors are so basic, and look really primitive,.wasn’t exoecting hi tech, but you know what I mean…
Brave blokes, all the crews of both planes, to go up in them under constant danger both by day and night respectively.
On the same subject the US military cemetery at Madingley is worth a visit.
I also went to the ex US air base off the A1 at Glatton one day a while ago.(there is an adjacent church with a memorial there also) after reading the book ‘Flak Dodger’ about a Fortress crew based there…recommended if you are in to all that.
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Some of the guys mentioned in that book lie in Madingley.
Survival odds on unescorted and limited ■■■■■■ US daylight raids are reputed to have reached as low as 3/1 AGAINST.
It got so bad that crews were taking democratic votes on diverting to Switzerland where crew and plane would be interned for the duration with a considerable amount of documented cases.
It obviously got more difficult after the bombing of Schaffhausen which some say was deliberately targetted for that reason.
This is arguably one of the most hard hitting scenes in movie history up there with the opening and closing scenes of Saving Private Ryan if not moreso. dailymotion.com/video/xlh8uh
The Grand Slam Bomb, Medium Capacity, 22,000 lb (Grand Slam) was a 22,000 lb (10 t) earthquake bomb used by RAF Bomber Command against German targets during the Second World War. The Grand Slam was a larger version of the Tallboy bomb and closer to the size that its inventor, Barnes Wallis, had envisaged when he developed the idea of an earthquake bomb.
In service: 1945…The Grand Slam was so heavy that in the air, the wing tips of the Lancaster bent upwards by 6–8 in (150–200 mm) until the bomb was released; the aircraft then leapt 200–300 ft (61–91 m)
My dad told me that on occasions coming back from a bombing raid on Germany, they would find an excuse to land at a US base as they got a much bigger breakfast due to the US having much more in the way of rations.
Also, they used to stick empty milk bottles in the bomb bay - if there was room - as they made a loud screeching sound as they fell to the ground.
