tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post7281660773254028605..comments2024-03-28T13:23:25.055-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: WitchcraftOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-91277314701819612532015-04-25T17:21:44.357-07:002015-04-25T17:21:44.357-07:00I do believe that you're right Virgil.I do believe that you're right Virgil.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-49004350164361089362015-04-25T17:10:38.686-07:002015-04-25T17:10:38.686-07:00PPS: And IMHO if ever there was an action that jus...PPS: And IMHO if ever there was an action that justified such mass awards Ploesti was it.. (Although Schweinfurt and Regensberg come close)virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-76843033041229334282015-04-25T17:03:58.755-07:002015-04-25T17:03:58.755-07:00PS: Should have added: "On The Spot!"PS: Should have added: "On The Spot!"virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-19345088262195526422015-04-25T17:00:29.277-07:002015-04-25T17:00:29.277-07:00IIRC after the raid because of its unprecedented n...IIRC after the raid because of its unprecedented nature, the Wing Co, "Killer" Kane "Battle-field promoted" EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the raid one rank and awarded a single-msn air medal to every single crew member as well!virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-20602613795273323892015-04-21T07:00:58.685-07:002015-04-21T07:00:58.685-07:00I believe the "official" Widowmaker was ...I believe the "official" Widowmaker was the B26, although I think there were several airplanes that probably could have qualified. <br /><br />Your point is well made about the weapons/fuel loads being so much that there wasn't much (any) margin for error on takeoff. Any loss of thrust whatsoever usually resulted in a crash.<br /><br />Unbroken is queued up in my Kindle. I'm looking forward to it.<br /><br />Ferried an F-4 from Moody to Taegu ROK in the early 80s. 2 ten + hour legs strapped into an ejection seat. First couple of hours wasn't bad, Next 3 hours were painful, then your butt went numb. Last hour was the worst. Just get me there! The 135s knew when we had enough gas to make it. All 16 went to mil power and left them in the dust.<br /><br />The Liberator entry in wikipedia has a list of notables who've flown the plane. Some were surprising. They postulated that flying it was the reason for McGovern's anti-war stance later in life.<br /><br />Took a lot of courage to fly bombers in WWII, a salute is the least we owe them.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-56122518400054379992015-04-20T23:36:13.780-07:002015-04-20T23:36:13.780-07:00I went on that same plane when it was in town. Tha...I went on that same plane when it was in town. That catwalk got me. Felt like you were on a circus high-wire and as you say the bomb bay doors looked like flimsy garage doors. <br /><br />Sarge - if you went along the Pacific Highway in San Diego - saw that huge complex of buildings I believe at one time they were the old Consolidated plant, where they cranked out B-24s. <br /><br />Wasn't this plane also known as the Widowmaker? <br /><br />If you haven't read the book Unbroken I recommend it. It is about the life of Louis Zamperini, but the author Laura Hillenbrand went into great detail about what it was like to be a crewman. <br /><br />A passage I will always remember concerned the mission distances in the Pacific - so many hours - would like to say up to 10 but can't remember - navigating with the crudest of instruments all to find a fly speck of some island. <br /><br />And if you had to ditch in the water the high wing made survival iffy. <br /><br />Those planes would take off so loaded with bombs I have to wonder how many died at the end of the runway. I remember another passage (I guess told by Zamperini to the author) where they took off from some coral atoll and once off the runway they could see a palm tree scrap along the belly of the Liberator, seen through the gaps in that flimsy bomb bay door. <br /><br />BTW a little known fact - George McGovern was a captain in one and saved his crew when he nursed his shot-up plane back to an abandoned airfield in the Mediterranean. <br /><br />I think the 15th AAF flew predominantly B-24s; the 8th AAF B-17s. <br /><br />A salute to all those who flew them....Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720206407574457665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-4244806282978092212015-04-20T17:30:18.436-07:002015-04-20T17:30:18.436-07:00Thanks, Yes, they were. They were from the "L...Thanks, Yes, they were. They were from the "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave".juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-11288523886927428302015-04-20T14:54:17.720-07:002015-04-20T14:54:17.720-07:00Another smashing post, Juvat. Thanks again!
After...Another smashing post, Juvat. Thanks again!<br /><br />After reading your post I dug out my "Airwar" by Edward Jablonski and reread the Ploesti section. I can't find the right words. I don't think they've been invented. The first abort landed back at Benghazi in zero viz with a motor on fire, hit a concrete utility pole and blew up. The lead plane, Wingo-Wango, went out of control, recovered and began to climb back into formation, then nosed over and dived directly into the sea. No one has ever figured that out. All that remained was a haunting smoke column rising from the calm August Mediterranean. With the lead nav out, the strikers misidentified the IP and turned to soon, heading for Bucharest vice Ploesti. So much for surprise. When the raid made Ploesti the German and Romanian gunners were aiming in direct fire mode with instantaneous fusing.<br /><br />Those Liberator crews were Americans.PrairieAdventurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-50358747752449415782015-04-20T14:21:17.866-07:002015-04-20T14:21:17.866-07:00Well, I pray you're wrong, but I'm afraid ...Well, I pray you're wrong, but I'm afraid I am.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-53614121775237759452015-04-20T14:07:09.458-07:002015-04-20T14:07:09.458-07:00There will be wars in the future where Ploesti-rai...There will be wars in the future where Ploesti-raid-level casulaties will occur... and there will be targets justifying the casulaties.Paweł Kasperekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17636249014878876718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-31878047257839682792015-04-20T06:16:01.183-07:002015-04-20T06:16:01.183-07:00I'm quite good at making sawdust, actually. O...I'm quite good at making sawdust, actually. Other aspects of woodworking, though....well, let's just say work in progress. <br /><br />Yeah, I was a little disappointed we couldn't get in there. I'll bet the peacetime view from their would be fantastic, if a bit disconcerting. Wartime though, I think I'd like a bit more between me and the incoming than a piece of perspex.<br /><br />Thanks.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-45522343115916356812015-04-20T05:01:39.652-07:002015-04-20T05:01:39.652-07:00I did not know that you had a sawdust factory. Ver...I did not know that you had a sawdust factory. Very nice.<br /><br />That bald guy gets around doesn't he?<br /><br />We also have a new standard of measurement in photographs, <em>the Juvat foot</em>.<br /><br />Ya know we've often mentioned the stones needed to be a belly gunner on a B-17 or B-24 but that shot of the nose turret got to me.<br /><br />I can't imagine sitting in that thing, watching a flight of 109s or 190s rolling in hot on your bird. Coming straight at you. Dang!<br /><br />Great post Juvat.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.com