Odd fact about a B-17 and you average A string

[74JMP]

I am a history nut and was watching a documentary about the B-17. Having taken a walk through tour of one , I realized the metal skin was extremely thin, but I actually just saw that it was .032 thick, Except in a few sections that required thicker pieces. I realized it is the same thickness as the A string in my set of Dr. 9 to 42. Mind boggling how actually fragile these planes were. Yet the abuse they tool and still got back home.

 

[brokentoeswalker]

Here is an interesting read if you are interested.

75 years after his last mission, WWII bomber pilot recounts ‘sheer terror’ of bombing runs over Nazi Germany

The Eighth Air Force suffered more killed in action during World War II than the Marine Corps.

www.militarytimes.com

 

[six-string]

My maternal grandfather worked as part of teams with the RAF building planes during WWII.
He said that most planes were built as quickly as possible and the crew was of minor consideration.
It was assumed that many would not return from their missions. If they did return, they just kept sending them back out until they didn't.

 

[redcoats1976]

had a neighbor that flew mustangs over germany during 1944.he was a hell of a guy,even at 90 years old.drove a mercedes 450 SL and said it was his war trophy.

 

[Roberteaux]

My father was a B-24 pilot.

He once told me of a raid over southern Europe-- they were bombing oilfields in Yugoslavia-- and of all his combat missions this one was the worst when it came to sheer volume of fire. They ran into German fighters on the way in, flak the whole time they were over the target, and then more fighters when they returned to base after the mission.

He said that he got out of his aircraft and started counting holes. There were bullet holes and holes where fragments of antiaircraft artillery exploded near his bird. He lost one engine while over the target.

He told me that he stopped counting at 100 holes. I figured that was the whole aircraft-- 100 holes in the bird altogether. He said that no, that was just the left side of the aircraft from the bomber's position in the nose, and back to just one wing. He never even got to the waist of the aircraft or its empennage before he decided to stop counting.

100 holes. And the way I figure it, that was maybe 1/6th of how many hits that aircraft took.

I think I recall that he said that 20% of the bombers sent out that day were shot down.

Not a game for those whose nerves are made of something less steel.

--R