how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions

Irving Ostuw died this 11/29/14. In fact, its main practical use is for protecting your neck against the wool material of theuniform which will likely cause blisters. He completed his initial training when he was 17, and was called up to active duty before he graduated from high school. I was told that 25 missions was the max and they never told you when your next mission was for worry that word would leak out. He finished flight school at the age of 18 in 1944. 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. The successes of Bomber Command were purchased at terrible cost. After returning to the States in June 1943, the bomber and many of its . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. How many crew members did the b17 have? We have nothing but respect for the brave men who have endured all the sufferings just to help us attain freedom. The reason for this misinformation seems to have been to obscure the fact that the Supreme Commander was absent the theater. 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. 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. Heavy Losses Led to the Abandonment of Unescorted Bomber Raids Deep Into the Third Reich. Hells Angels a B-17F Flying Fortress became the first 8th Air Force B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in June 1943. Big and slow, the B-17 delivered twice the payload of its predecessor. She and her crew were promptly sent home to the United States to join the War Bond selling tours. Please let us know. After each raid Comer gathered the crew together and pieced together the air battle from a 360-degree perspective. I read several years ago somewhere on the net that the Delta Rebel II didnt get recognized because of its name and Confederate soldier painted on the nose. Waldock says that because Hot Stuff crashed and never made it home it never became as well-known as Memphis Belle. After his first B-17 mission over Germany, the young radio operator-gunner was convinced that he could not survive 25 missions . 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. He joked that after WWII, raising six kids was a piece of cake. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Belle crew was not intact through out the 25 missions. I am trying to find information on which B-24 crew he was a member of but I am not having much luck. 7 How many missions would it take to complete a WWII bomber mission? 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. I only know he was somewhat of a wild man with numerous shrapnel scars. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. For nearly four months, he flew out of Foggia, Italy, on 50 missions that usually took between 5 and 8 hours each. Do modern Germans regret having lost their eastern territories at the end of World War II? It was an airplane named Hells Angels. 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.. 15' - 8.3mils. God bless all of our heroes in WW2. 6 How many missions would it take to complete a WWII bomber mission? My Dad flew 25 missions in a B-24 and B-29 with the 8th AF /466th bomb group. , former Supervised Therapist at Mental Health Facilities. It was tough out there. Yes, in 1943 the USAAF in Europe determined that heavy bomber crews would be rotated home after 25 missions over enemy territory after first trying a one-year tour or a tour consisting of a pre-determined number of flight hours. Cinematic masterpieces "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "Ben-Hur" (1959 . Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-18 Mustang A68-104 (VH-BOB) arrived at Avalon Airport in Avalon, Victoria on Friday March, 4th 2023, touching down just before 10am. In the end the significance of specific mission counts are completely arbitrary. It completed four more missions to Vegesack, Wilhelmshaven (2) and Rotterdam before being retired from combat on March 31, 1943. Nearly half of all the bombs dropped in World War II came from B-17 airplanes. The plane crashed into the side of a mountain near the airfield in Iceland. What was the first b17 to complete 25 missions? 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 . 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. Good day! My father like most of the true heroes of that war rarely spoke of the action he saw in the war except to say that few of his friends came home with him. This email was sent by Quora (650 Castro Street #450, Mountain View, CA 94041). The plane's service ceiling of 25,000 to 35,000 feet (7,500 to 10,500 metres), depending on the bomb load, put it above the worst of the German antiaircraft artillery, but, firepower notwithstanding, formations of B-17s proved unable to fight their way unescorted to targets deep inside Germany in the face of determined fighter opposition without Im just conveying the facts I uncovered while researching information for a friend who was the bombardier on Hot Stuff. Grant Rondeau only told us that he wasnt aboard the final flight. (LOL). Which colour is the best colour in iPhone? 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. We would love to see some images from that log book if you feel comfortable scanning and sending them along! Many thanks for the message Monty That sounds like a fascinating artifact. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. I miss old shakey, but I enjoyed flying Pan Ams B-727 even more (a career with PAA followed, 1967-91). Uber From Kissimmee To Disney, How many missions would it take to complete a WWII bomber mission? Your chances of completing all 25 missions, at least unscathed, were slim to none. How accurate was the movie Memphis Belle? What was the first bomber to complete 25 missions? After several landing attempts, Hot Stuff crashed into the side of 1,600-foot-tall Mount Fagradalsfjall, near Grindavik, Iceland. What will happen to my Steam games when I die? My hero. They took over the aircraft from the original crew of Jerk's Natural, which had completed its 25 missions. Did the Battle of Britain cripple the Luftwaffe? The most vulnerable body part that a flak can hit include the lower extremities (legs) followed by the upper extremities (arms) and the head. Photographs 3. And I understand the desire behind it perfectly. I recently found his combat flight records and most interestingly a certificate stipulating the 33 completed combat missions he flew. Your email address will not be published. In order to complete their missions, the 6th Bomb Group had to run a gauntlet of Air Defenses, ranging from fighter to radar-controlled AA guns and rockets. Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. 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. 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.. ANY WAY I HAD FLIGHT EXPERIENCE ON THE B 26 TOWING TARGETS HERE IN THE GOOD OLD USA. To be the first to complete 25 missions was significant because once completed the bomber and its crew could return home. How do people travel around the world with no job? 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. The swastika marks a German aircraft destroyed, while the parachuter indicates Parker had to jump. Memorial Day in United States is observed on 25 May. 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. I'm a 'scientist'. The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. On a recent post here at Warbirds News, we reported on the anniversary of milestones in the history of what is perhaps one of the most famous bombers of all time, the Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, Memphis Belle. He flew 28 missions over Italy and Germany before his 20th birthday, and flew 48 missions by the time the war was over. The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America white America, anyway. Before reaching that mark, 57 percent of them would be dead or missing. The first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions in the European Theater, May 13th, 1942. A total of 315 men flew in operations in the Lancaster and 101 were later killed when . Read the complete story. How do you identify neurotypical disorders? More than 8,000 men were killed in training accidents or other non-operational flying during the Second . Alphabetical List Of Names On The Vietnam Wall, 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. I guess the RAF must have had it much easier than the 8th Airforce. How many Lancaster bombers lost in ww2? After flying 48 combat missions, it returned to the US for a war bond tour, but not until 1944. ten Divers from the Research Center of the Scuba School of Lake Bolsena and the Fire Department of Viterbo . 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. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps. George Eisel survived the crash. The first to complete 25 combat missions was the crew of B-24 Liberator named Hot Stuff dropping bombs on Naples, Italy on February 7, 1943 three-and-a-half months before Memphis Belle flew her 25th mission. That movie "Hearing impairment" is an insult to Deaf people. Hanson and his wife, Irene, had moved from Arizona to Albuquerque recently to be close to their daughter. 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? Source: www.b17alliance.com How many B-17 survived 25 missions? The Idiotic WWI Aerial Formation The Allies Used In The Second World War, And How It Dealt Them Huge Fighter Losses, Heres The Latest Video Update Of That Bf 109 Restoration Were All Waiting For. Have taught English in Germany. Nor was she the second. They arrived to find the weather at their destination quite dicey with snow squalls, low clouds and rain. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? 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. The Air Force changed the 'pursuit' designation to 'fighter' after WW2 which is one reason you may have noticed P-51s being referred to as F-51s in . How many missions did B-17 crews fly? I, too flew the C-124, first from Travis, 1956-58, then Hickam 1958-9; and later (college break) Dover, 1963-5, and McChord, 1965-7. The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. 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. Now an academic from EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona, Florida has revealed that it was the B-24 named Hot Stuff that was the first bomber to make 25 missions and return home, not the Memphis Belle. Setting aside all the caveats for the moment, the research performed and documentation provided by Jim Lux seems to conclusively show that the 93rd Bombardment Group, 330th Bombardment Squadrons B-24 Liberator Hot Stuff and her crew flew their 25th mission on February 7, 1943 dropping bombs on Naples, Italy, and went on to fly five additional missions thereafter, before Hot Stuff and her crew were recalled to the United States, where they were scheduled to go on a War Bonds Tour, a home front publicity junket, where combat aircraft and crews of significant accomplishment were sometimes pulled from frontline service and flown back to the United States to serve as the stirring personification of the heroism of Americas military, helping move the paper and boosting public morale. Wreckage of a Wellington bomber shot down by flak over the Netherlands, lost in a raid on Bremen, 13-14 September 1942. Nine-O-Nine was a Boeing B-17G-30-BO Flying Fortress heavy bomber, of the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, that completed 140 combat missions during World War II, believed to be the Eighth Air Force record for most missions, without loss to the crews that flew her. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Im hoping you can help. You had to have gloves on, or else your hands would stick to just about anything metal. Its just a lot of booze gone to waste. No Built - 18,188. There was no time to waste. The Memphis Belle was one of the first heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions with no crew fatalities. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The Memphis Belle was supposedto be the first B-17 bomber to fly 25 bombing missions and return back to base safely each time. So on July 5, 1945 the 8th AF landed on Guam . The B-25 was designed by North American Aviation, Inc., in response to a prewar requirement and was first flown in 1940. That the Memphis Belle and her crew had a more storybook quality to their military careers that better fit with the narrative that the government desired for home-front consumption is obvious. 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. Why? In October 1943, 20-year-old SSgt. Waldock is an air accident investigator and has undertaken many archaeological digs related to aviation. 2 How many crew members did the b17 have? , Retired university lecturer in German. I live by HAFB museum and visit every Memorial Day. Was A German Invasion Of Great Britain Actually Possible? The Memphis Belle is a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress used 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 the 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle.It was one of the first United States Army Air Forces B-17 heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions, after which the aircrew returned with . My fathers had an additional 3 missions typed into the margin. Thunderbird is the name given to a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress. From Arthur Hayes' collection. Fortunate me I discovered your site by chance, and Im stunned why this twist of fate Bomber crews needed to complete 25 missions before they were allowed to go home but that number was almost statistically impossible in Europe. It establishes hearing as the norm or standard to which we are compared, and then indicates that we are "defective" accord Japan was completely impoverished, on the verge of mass starvation, and reeling from nearly an entire generation of men wiped out. How often did bomber crews fly in ww2? `MEMPHIS BELLE never quite rings true. Many ground crewmen felt the Libs belonged to them and were only "loaned" to the air crews. Posted on June 8, 2022 ; in pete davidson first snl episode; by Example: Ploest was single credit. Hot Stuff and her crew went on to fly five additional missions before she and her crew were recalled to the United States, where they were scheduled to go on a War Bonds Tour. great information you have got right here on this I was able to find a B-24 named Red Headed Woman Liberator #645 (44-41645) that was part of that exact group and the time frame is correct, but I cannot find anything definitive. 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. He was 85. PC even then. World War II - Bombers; World War II - Pursuit . Hot Stuff was in the 8th Air Force 2nd Air Division, 93rd Bombardment Group, 330th Bomb Squadron. If I recall correctly (at least in the 330th) the 25 mission count only included completed primary target missions. He was 85. It was April 17, 1945, and World War II in Europe was . 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 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. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is one of America's most prolific heavy bombers of WWII and the backbone of allied strategic bombing missions before the introduction of B-17 and B-29 WW2 bombers. Kneeling, ducking, trying to shoot down the bad guyscouldnt feel that comfortable! Since 1943 Word War II aviation history considered the Memphis Belle as the first heavy bomber to reach the 25-mission mark. Enola Gay, Regular Crew (Crew B-9) Crew B-9 flew five combat missions, including the Hiroshima bombing mission. Today, 46 planes survive in complete form, 10 of which are airworthy, and 39 of which reside in the United States. Hot Stuff completed its 31st mission on March 31, 1943. One of my relatives was in the 330th, Captain Hugh R. Roper, He piloted B-24D Exterminator, 41-23717. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". (USAF photo) According to the memoirs of Robert Morgan, the pilot of the Memphis Belle, Wyler had picked a different bomber for the feature film, a B-17 known as "Invasion 2nd.". Is there Delhi quota in Lady Hardinge Medical College? John Comer kept a journal of the 25 missions he flew in 1943 when the casualty rate on his base was close to 80%. Why? 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. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. There is some report that 25 missions was a full tour with that group, which would indicate more than three tours. 1-5 of 281. Interestingly, this raid was the Belles 24th combat mission as the original crew occasionally flew missions on other planes and other crews took the Belle on missions as well. , former Teacher by Profession, Teacher by Soul. What happened to the bomber crews in World War II? completed her 25th mission on May 1,1943. In the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, 15 co-pilots from the 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bomberswere in flight school for less than a year. 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. 23' - 12.6 mils. I simply wish to offer you a huge thumbs up for your Jewish Organizations To Donate Furniture, Bomber crews needed to complete 25 missions before they were allowed to go home but that number was almost statistically impossible in Europe. Flak-Bait 's crew poses with the bomber after its 200th mission on April 17, 1945. 2LT Richard McNamara. Exercises To Dunk A Basketball, His ob states he flew 125 combat mission over Europe in his P-47 bomber and received 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 24 Silver Stars. Following his wife's death in an air crash while returning from a war bonds tour, a devastated Gable decided to enlist. I bookmarked it. 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. chin turret > dia. Big and slow, the B-17 delivered twice the payload of its predecessor. 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. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Dick is a long time dead now, but I would like other confirmation. Imagine trying to move around? Doolittle Raid, (April 18, 1942), during World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces bombing raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Many considered the occupation to be a death sentence. Discovering the historical discrepancy in 1999 through a friend and fellow Commemorative Air Force member, USAF Major Robert T. Jake Jacobson, who was one of the bumped crew members that fateful night, Jim Lux began seeking to correct what he sees as an injustice perpetrated by history and is working on not only getting Hot Stuff and her crew their place in the history books, but is also working to have a monument erected near the site of the crash, enlisting the US Ambassador to Iceland, Luis E. Arreaga as a liaison to the Republic of Iceland and has gained the support of a growing number of other Air Force retirees who after seeing the documentation, agree that the crew of Hot Stuff is getting short shrift. The Liberty Foundations B-17 Memphis Belle is one of only 13 B-17s that still fly today. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Hell's Angels B-17 Crew The first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions in the European Theater, May 13th, 1942. how many ww2 bomber crews completed 25 missions. 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. 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. One reason it survived was the tail gunner had six confirmed kills and several more unconfirmed. On 23 Dec 1943, the Memphis Belle, having completed its combat assignment with the Eighth Air Force (8 AF), 91st Bombardment Group (91 BG) in Europe, and its subsequent stateside war bond drive, was assigned to MacDill Field, Florida. So they parachuted out and spent three days walking back from behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. Byrd. 41-31173, the twin-engine medium bomber then took its place . Although the U.S. Army Air Force sent its individual war heroes to War Bond rallies, it preferred sending 10-man heavy bombers crews. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. When WW2 ended, a total of 12,700 B-17 bombers were built. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The bumped crewmembers were told that they were to remain in England to train new crews. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? . Coming it third place was the Memphis Belle, which completed 25 combat missions on May 19, 1943. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown flying a B-17F Flying Fortress was crippled and badly injured but Luftwaffe fighter pilot Lt. Franz Stigler spared him. Because the Memphis Belle hit that momentous milestone without a crewmans death made her the likely candidate to be first to return home for a War Bond tour. It completed its 25th mission on February 7, 1943, three and a half months before the B-17 Memphis Belle ." It flew in both the ETO and North Africa. William Waldock is a professor at ERAU and he says that Hot Stuff flew her final and 25th mission in February of 1943, which was over three months earlier than the Memphis Belle completed her 25 missions. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. However, others stayed behind to complete 30 missions to avoid having to return from the states for a second tour of duty. He got a certificate for The Lucky Bastards Club for flying at least 30 missions and includes a list of all his missions. 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. So much so that the odds of a B-17 crewman surviving the 25 missions required to complete a tour were only one in four.. Until the 1944 introduction of the P-51 . The Germans really dialed in shooting bombers out of the sky with their sophisticated FLAK systems and method. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. How do software engineers solve problems? In 1942-43 it was statistically impossible for bomber crews to complete a 25-mission tour in Europe . However, some missions were much more brutal and some squadrons had few survivors of whole tours. Andrews, an experienced, instrument-rated pilot, bumped the normal co-pilot off the plane and flew in his place. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. He was also involved in one of the Ploesti fields mission. Whistle Stop Rail Trail, B-17F Hell's Angels, tail number 41-24577 and crew. He, the copilot and two other crewmembers were bumped from the flight back to the U.S. by Lt. Gen. Andrews, his staff and three chaplains. . Sept. 1, 1998. Therefore, a total of 75,446 airmen (60 percent of operational airmen) were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Answer (1 of 14): The twenty-five mission mark was more honored in the breach than the observance, as the saying goes. Identified as B-26B-25 MA Bureau No. Therefore, a total of 75,446 airmen (60 percent of operational airmen) were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. What movie plot hole bothers you the most? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Upon impact, the aircraft disintegrated except for the tail gunners turret which remained relatively intact and 14 of the 15 aboard died except the tail-gunner who, though injured, survived the crash.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'warbirdsnews_com-box-4','ezslot_1',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-warbirdsnews_com-box-4-0'); Hot Stuff and her crew were soon forgotten. A claim is made that Gene Roddenberry, screen writer for Star Trek, completed 89 missions in the 324th bomb squadron. The unit used B-17s, according to what I read. However, it is generally agreed that between 50 and 70 Lancaster bombers were lost in World War 2. All Rights Reserved. For nearly four months, he flew out of Foggia, Italy, on 50 missions that usually took between 5 and 8 hours each. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions during WW2? You didnt know if you would be headed back out on another mission in 24 hours or 5 days. Robert A. Lewis. I am trying to find information on my uncle, Joseph Farese, who was a bombardier/navigator and flight officer in the 5th BG, 72nd BS, 13th AF and was in the Pacific Theater, Philippines, etc. 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.