B-24 and B-17

NorwichDad

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On a NJ Beach yesterday I looked up and watched a B-17 and a B-24 fly by. They were just off the beach and I could see them very well. Aside from thinking these bombers were 70 years old. I was struck by how slow they were. Must have been real brave airmen that flew these planes into combat.
 
Too bad you didn't have your camera with you! Would have loved to seen the pics of that! :thumb:
 
Too bad you didn't have your camera with you! Would have loved to seen the pics of that! :thumb:


I was thinking the same thing afterwards about the camera. I did find a story and the tour site and they may be coming to an airfield near you. Must have been on way from Trenton to Belmar. I was south of Seaside. I did not see the Mustang though. I only wish I could get a day off I would pay $425 to fly in one of these.
Story
http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index....s_of_freedom_zoom_into_millville_airport.html

Tour Site
http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

Picture:
600
 
Thanks for the pic and links. Awesome looking planes! Closest the tour gets to me, unfortunately, is at least a 7 hr drive so I guess I'll pass this year. Maybe they'll hit the southeast next year or maybe even later this year. There is certainly good reason to avoid the southeast during the fall hurricane season.
 
Must have been real brave airmen that flew these planes into combat.

Go ahead and look up the casualty rates and total numbers of 8th AF airmen killed or wounded. The 8th had more casualties in WWII than the Marines and Navy COMBINED.

Brave men? Yes. Yes indeed,,,,
 
Go ahead and look up the casualty rates and total numbers of 8th AF airmen killed or wounded. The 8th had more casualties in WWII than the Marines and Navy COMBINED.

Brave men? Yes. Yes indeed,,,,

Worth noting the numbers:
From May 1942 to July 1945, the Eighth planned and precisely executed America's daylight strategic bombing campaign against Nazi-occupied Europe, and in doing so the organization compiled an impressive war record. That record, however, carried a high price. For instance, the Eighth suffered about half of the U.S. Army Air Force's casualties (47,483 out of 115,332), including more than 26,000 dead. The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. The Eighth's combat record also shows 566 aces (261 fighter pilots with 31 having 15 or more victories and 305 enlisted gunners), over 440,000 bomber sorties to drop 697,000 tons of bombs, and over 5,100 aircraft losses and 11,200 aerial victories.

Cant even comment on that except what comes to mind is the "last full measure" part of what Lincoln said at Gettysburg
 
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One of the perks of living 15 miles north of Oshkosh, Wisconsin is that for one week in July, I can see B-17s, B-24s, B-29, P-51, T-6, and hundreds of other Warbirds fly over the house all day long. We live right on the north end of Lake Winnebago and that is used as a rally point for formations flying in the airshows. It never gets old. This year was a little slower with none of the active military planes being here, but it is still a great show.

Stealth_81
 
One of the perks of living 15 miles north of Oshkosh, Wisconsin is that for one week in July, I can see B-17s, B-24s, B-29, P-51, T-6, and hundreds of other Warbirds fly over the house all day long. We live right on the north end of Lake Winnebago and that is used as a rally point for formations flying in the airshows. It never gets old. This year was a little slower with none of the active military planes being here, but it is still a great show.

Stealth_81

That must be awesome. It is amazing the age of these aircraft and the care they get from their owners. Then again we have a lot of active B-52s that really are not that much younger.
 
Any B-36s still flying? ...............Wiki search shows only static tours in AZ.
 
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Any B-36s still flying? ...............Wiki search shows only static tours in AZ.

None. They are not in flying shape, would cost too much to restore, nobody privately owns one, and i'm not even sure you could find the parts anymore.
 
Go ahead and look up the casualty rates and total numbers of 8th AF airmen killed or wounded. The 8th had more casualties in WWII than the Marines and Navy COMBINED.

Brave men? Yes. Yes indeed,,,,

My wife lost an uncle in one of these craft in '44, ETO. She was born 10 years later and her uncle's generation was a very large family. I think it was 13 kids or something like that. Anyway, in the way of "it's a small world" stories, another uncle met an airman who served in his squadron in the late '90s. During the course of their discussion the man said "You know, I have film footage of his plane going down". The whole family now has digital copies of it and it seemed to bring some sense of closure to everyone. Weird how things work out sometime.
 
On a NJ Beach yesterday I looked up and watched a B-17 and a B-24 fly by. They were just off the beach and I could see them very well. Aside from thinking these bombers were 70 years old. I was struck by how slow they were. Must have been real brave airmen that flew these planes into combat.

I, too was on the NJ beach yesterday, just a bit farther south on LBI. Sadly, the planes did not come down that way.
It brought to mind the AC air show. That was a great show, and the only one I know of one can watch while waist deep in the ocean on a summer day. I'm sure that show suffered greatly from the military air show grounding.
 
I, too was on the NJ beach yesterday, just a bit farther south on LBI. Sadly, the planes did not come down that way.
It brought to mind the AC air show. That was a great show, and the only one I know of one can watch while waist deep in the ocean on a summer day. I'm sure that show suffered greatly from the military air show grounding.

I was a little north of you , they probably wanted to run by the Boradwalks to advertise. Windy yesterday, big waves and cold water.
 
Back in HS our biology teacher was a WW2 B17 pilot. When we suspected a pop quiz it was my job to distract him long enough so there was insufficient time left for the quiz. I recall once asking him: "Mr. Warner. I heard that the B24 was a much better plane than the B17. Is that true?" Needless to say we did not have a quiz that day. :biggrin:
 
My wife lost an uncle in one of these craft in '44, ETO. She was born 10 years later and her uncle's generation was a very large family. I think it was 13 kids or something like that. Anyway, in the way of "it's a small world" stories, another uncle met an airman who served in his squadron in the late '90s. During the course of their discussion the man said "You know, I have film footage of his plane going down". The whole family now has digital copies of it and it seemed to bring some sense of closure to everyone. Weird how things work out sometime.
Cool story. What were the chances of that?
 
My wife lost an uncle in one of these craft in '44, ETO. She was born 10 years later and her uncle's generation was a very large family. I think it was 13 kids or something like that. Anyway, in the way of "it's a small world" stories, another uncle met an airman who served in his squadron in the late '90s. During the course of their discussion the man said "You know, I have film footage of his plane going down". The whole family now has digital copies of it and it seemed to bring some sense of closure to everyone. Weird how things work out sometime.

Great story
 
^^^^^
Slim to none. And it was none for many many years.
 
Great neighbor. I am sure he has some great stories. My father was a Bombedier Navigator on the B-25. We get a B-17 almost every year at Oxford Airport which is about five miles down the road. Big Silver Bird that flys over the soccer fields as they make their big turns. God they are slow. Can't wait for the walk through, especially the Mustang. :thumb: BUFF must have been a milk run after the others.
 
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