Cheers! 👍

My dad was a bombardier in B-24s flying out of Italy in 1944-45. Even a year after the events discussed here, a mission to Schweinfurt counted as two toward your total of 35 before rotating home.

@Matt-416

5 ай бұрын

My father's uncle was killed over Hamburg in late June '43 with the 303rd. He was a tail gunner and, according to After Action Reports, his B17 was hit head on by fighters and was last seen dropping out of formation in an uncontrolled inverted flat spin with a right wing fire. No survivors. Nor were any remains found. It was his 9th mission. May God bless these heroes and the sacrifices made never be forgot.

Most if not all the planes in this raid would have been the B-17F. The chin turret that increased protection against head-on attacks came with the B-17G, which was not yet in service. The G also staggered the waist gunner positions (one further forward than the other) so that the gunners wouldn't have to dodge each other while trying to track targets.

I felt the same way about Buttler's portrayal of Cleven after the first two episodes. I tacked down and read Harry Crosby's memoir before seeing ep3. Cleven is depicted exactly as Crosby described him. He was a Captain America prototype. That "take it you SOB" moment was exactly as it happened, Cleven wasn't aware that he was he was talking over the crew channel of the intercom at the time.

@VloggingThroughHistory

6 ай бұрын

Yep. That exact scene is also in the book Masters of the Air as depicted. I'm going to be diving into Crosby's memoir during my trip to the UK next week.

"Nearby hospitals were spared". I guess they mean the Barmherzige Brüder hospital, located right next to the former Messerschmitt grounds in the west of Regensburg. Sure, back then there were no direct hits on that hospital, but that hospital still exists, and I remember quite a few times in the last years that it had to be partially vacated because of a WW2 bomb found nearby.

Great to see a video of you that includes my home city Regensburg👍

You make a very interesting point with Goering. He absolutely knew his stuff. A lot of the time, however, like.. a perfect example being the Battle of Britain.. his intelligence staff just straight up lied to him about losses, British strength, the effectiveness of raids. Had the Germans kept attacking airfields, we might've seen a very different outcome. Goering, and also Ernst Udet, another WW1 vet who also was involved with the Luftwaffe, had issues with drinking and vices. Goering notoriously spent, ate, drank, and dressed lavishly. That really pissed Hitler off, and I don't think the two of them ever truly got along very well, especially when Goering's failures started accumulating.

@lyndoncmp5751

6 ай бұрын

The two week long German attacks on the RAF airfields was a complete failure. None of the sector stations were put out of action and only one for a few hours. On every day except one during those two weeks the Luftwaffe lost more aircraft than it destroyed. The Luftwaffe couldn't catty on with that kind of attrition. The Luftwaffe gave up attacking the airfields because it was a failure and didnt even remotely work. In frustration they turned to bombing cities.

On top of the failure at Schweinfurt, it was found, post-war that over half the Ball bearings Germany used were... made in Sweden. So while Ball bearing manufacture faltered, the Germans made up the shortfall by importing more from Sweden.

@simonrooney7942

5 ай бұрын

Sweet deal

The 381st (who lost the most planes of the Schweinfurt force) are pretty much the reason I became interested in the 8th AF because I grew up close to their base. They were the closest US bomber group to London, so they had a number of VIP visitors, including (I think) Princess Elizabeth, and actor Edward G Robinson who christened a B-17. The group was also unlucky enough to have a bomb explode while loading on the ground for what would have been just their second mission. 23 men from the group, and 1 local farmer were killed.

The Commerative Air Force has a traveling airshow of the B-17 "Sentimental Journey" and B-25 "Maid in the Shade" that offer 30 minute rides ( a little pricey, but worth it). The noise in these aircraft was incredible. Can't imagine hours of that. Best position is the bombardier seat in the front, but you can't stretch because once you are in there, you cannot really leave that position. It's really cramped for 10 people. Anyway, check their website for their touring schedule.

B 17 Flying Fortress. Tough and reliable and very well made. Go Air Force! Veteran...Respect.

@chrisbolland5634

6 ай бұрын

Lancasters may possibly have been better, but they were deaigned to do different stuff so it's kinda apples to oranges.

In Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant and frightening 1964 film, Dr. Strangelove, LeMay is seen in two characters: first the cigar-smoking General Jack D. Ripper, who sends his wing of nuclear armed B-52s against the Soviet Union all on his own because he has become completely paranoid; and then as the George C. Scott character, General Buck Turgidson, the head of the Air Force in the Pentagon who, instead of seeing Ripper’s act as a disaster, sees it as an opportunity. In the famous scene that takes place in the Pentagon War Room, the president asks for Turgidson’s assessment of the situation if the U.S. goes ahead with an all-out nuclear strike. Turgidson pushes for it, but in a bizarre moment of his own strange reality, he confesses: “Sir, I’m not saying we won’t get our hair mussed, but [we’d lose] no more than 10-20 million killed tops. . . Uh, depending on the breaks.”

I think it could be interesting to see what Clark Gable did as crew of one of those Flying Fortress.

My dad, who served as a radio operator in the 614th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group stationed in Deenethorpe, England, flew 33 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and Germany between May 7, 1944, and Aug. 24, 1944, including two missions to Schweinfurt and three missions to Berlin. On July 18th, during a mission to Peenemunde to bomb the Nazi's rocket development center, his plane was heavily damaged by flak. Flying on three engines with another damaged, the pilot, Capt. James Risher, managed to keep the plane in the air and were escorted by two P-51 Mustangs until they were over England where they crash landed in a pasture. My dad and the navigator were seriously injured but survived.

Great video as always Chris. If you are reading this and not subscribed to The Operations Room and their sister channel The Intel Report, you are missing out!

After viewing your video, I think I'll watch Masters of the Air, then watch The Great Escape as a weekend marathon since I've seen neither.

I actually live in Regensburg and the area formerly ocupied by the Messerschmid factory is now partly a BMW factory and on a other part of the area the town of Neutraubling was founded by refugees mainly from the Sudetenland

@jhdix6731

6 ай бұрын

A few small remains of the factory (some metal sheets used for testing the bord guns and a few meters of narrow gauge railway track) can still be seen in the greenery west of the Wernerwerkstraße (near the supermarket).

@lyndoncmp5751

6 ай бұрын

I've been to Regensburg many times (Im from England). Beautiful town. Enjoyed my stays there very much.

Took a German class in the late 80's, Southern Connecticut State. My teacher was an older, 60-70 yo German woman from Regensburg. Also in the class was an older American student who one day quietly pointed out he was part of bombing runs over Regensburg during the war. He didn't make it known to her & neither of us brought up the war to her. But I wish I'd known more about it to ask him better questions. I do remember him mentioning how crazy those first jets seemed to him

My Great Uncle, Lt. Roger Layn, was a co-pilot during the Schweinfurt mission. He was in the 91st Bomb Group and his plane was called "My Prayer". He earned the Silver Star on that mission, but was originally put up for the MOH. He was shot down on a later mission and was a POW at Stalag Luft I. I was lucky enough to know him most of my life and he would tell me some of his stories. He passed away a couple of years ago at age 100. He is one of my heroes!

@VloggingThroughHistory

6 ай бұрын

What a treasure you had to be able to know a man like that. The Greatest Generation indeed.

In the classic sci-fi movie "The Thing From Another World"(1951), one of the Air Force men remarks about another man freaked out about having seen the alien monster that "I haven't seen him this scared since Regensburg". It's a reference that probably sails by unnoticed by modern viewers, but any audience sitting in a movie theater in 1951 was likely to have included WW2 army air force veterans who would have immediately gotten it in an emotionally gut wrenching way.

I would LOVE to see more reactions to The Operations Room. Specifically the war in the Pacific.

Father was a radio operator in the 401st BG, 614th “Lucky Devils”bomber squadron. I heard that a B-17 was being rebuilt Grimes Field Urbana, Ohio on US 68. When I checked it out, I discovered the build is sponsored by the 401st BG Association.

The Polish 303 was not only one of the top, it was actually the best RAF squadron.

Can't wait for this series.

Curtis LeMay proud Buckeye. Born and raised in Columbus and engineering graduate of the Ohio State University.

Really looking forward to your video Chris, as well as Masters of the Air. I’m hoping it’s on par with Band of Brothers although I think that’s a tough target to reach given BOB’s brilliance. Boing Boing 😊👍

Their detail is amazing.

An underrated channel i would recommend you could so some reactions to is Warhawk, they got some good Civil War videos

I'm a big fan of The Operations Room. They've done excellent videos on the battle of the bulge as well as the atomic bomb missions. Regarding the latter, I did not know how much complexity went into those mission until I saw their video.

You should consider doing a Gary Grigsby war in the west playthrough to go along with the show. It’s heavily focused on the strategic bombing mechanics.

Good to see you in that GRFC top. Great content as ever too 🇬🇧🔵🔴⚪️.. b t w Ed Sheeran is from Framlingham area

8:59 it's not often there are mistakes in the content but this is a rare one (and yes I'm a bit of a river counter) . The top aircraft is not a Bf109, that is a Spanish Bucheon and in general terms that's the wings, fuselage and tail of a 109 is connected to the British Merlin engine.

@nigeh5326

6 ай бұрын

I spotted that too easiest way to tell is the ME109 had an inverted V12 with low set exhaust stubs but the Buchon had as you say the Merlin with an upright V12 so the exhaust stubs are higher

@thethirdman225

6 ай бұрын

Genuine airworthy Bf-109s are hard to come by.

Great stuff as always Chris. My grandfather was in 303 squadron, he sadly passed before I was born. Would be great if you looked at something focused on them!

I just watched that episode yesterday.

I'm met a b17 ball turret gunner randomly at a mall near my folks place. He said "he had great view of the war"

*Me* I'm subscribed to just about every history channel on KZread. I shall not miss a thing 😄 Wait.....There is a new Band of Brothers type show coming out? Why did nobody tell me 😅

You really gotta check out Fat Electricians “Old 666” They are in the Pacific, however their story is pretty badass

Interesting video

The question remains, if it was really that necessary to attack the ball-bearing factory in Schweinfurt and the Messerschmitt-plant near Regensburg at a time when the Luftwaffe was still fully operational and the cities' air defense was also highly developed. After the attack, Messerschmitt moved further out of reach of allied bombers, as well as the ball-bearing factory. I think it was more of a clear moral sign of the US to the Germans: we are able to attack you anywhere! But less of a military benefit.

Commenting on the length of time of this particular mission to Regensberg, my father wrote in his diary that they were in the air for almost 18 hours before getting to N. Africa. He was on the Piccadilly Lily of the 351stSQ, 100thBG. He describes the death and destruction he saw from his right waist gunner position of '17s getting shot up and bursting into flames, German fighters getting shot down, and crews jumping from flaming ships with some not getting their chutes open. His entry on AUG18th talks of the effect it had on him of all the empty beds as his lists his buddies that did not make it to N. Africa. Gut wrenching reading.

@VloggingThroughHistory

6 ай бұрын

I can't even imagine how hard that must have been. Appreciate you sharing it. Are you watching the series?

I just watched Episode 3. It dropped early. Wow!

@VloggingThroughHistory

6 ай бұрын

I think every episode is going to be released at 9pm Eastern on Thursday. Same happened last week.

Aww yiss, just rewatched your trailer reactions. I'm so ready for this show

commenting on the kill claims of the gunners: my father wrote that he got 2 kills ( later confirmed) and that his other crew claimed 6, for a total of 8 for the Piccadilly Lily. However, those may be inflated numbers based on guys shooting at the same German fighter before it goes down.

Though not directly related to this video's topic, the 303 Squadron (and the many other Polish fighters who fight alongside the Allies) were a remarkable group of souls, among a bigger group of remarkable souls. What the Allies did to Poland (and those from Poland who fought alongside us) is not as well known, and was a tragedy. All in the name of Geopolitics.

@lyndoncmp5751

6 ай бұрын

Britain went to war for Poland and gave refuge to thousands of Poles fleeing Nazi Germany, feeding and housing them. Would you have preferred if Britain didn't?

24:15 , This is not relevant but I just find it funny that your time says 11:54AM, and mine also says 11:54AM. I'm from the west coast so that's why the time is the same. I threw me for a loop for a second and thought it was funny. Thank you for the video tho and I'm very excited for Masters of the Air.

Fire bombing of residential areas was done under the reasoning that factories can be rebuild in months, but skilled workers can take a decade to replace.

This mission was the worst day for USAAF with loss of 147 B-17s due to landing in Africa where nothing was prepared for huge repairs.

Imagine what battles like this would look like today with phones and modern cameras

YA! I recomended this this video by "Opertations room" there is second video too

please do more operations room reactions!!!

It's amazing those planes got off the ground considering the size of the stones those guys carried around.

@bodavidson2804

6 ай бұрын

That's why they needed four engines.

Japanese pilots figured out the same tactics. The Fat Electrician has a video about "Old 666" B-17 crew that also covered this aspect. That is where most bombers, from many nations, were the weakest.

I have to disagree with your assessment of Herman Goering. He was totally inept as Luftwaffe commander. He spent the war looting art treasures and jockeying for position in the Nazi hierarchy rather than concentrating on the Luftwaffe. Regarding the B-17s let's remember it was 10 men to a crew, so 60 planes shot down was 600 men lost either killed or captured.

@VloggingThroughHistory

6 ай бұрын

I think I did a poor job communicating what I meant. He absolutely KNEW his stuff. He just didn't always apply that knowledge to the situation. You're absolutely right he was more concerned with position, wealth, and addiction than the war.

@benjo_pharmer

6 ай бұрын

@@VloggingThroughHistory wow you replied! That's really cool, and I agree he must have known the theory. I love your videos by the way, binge watching at the moment. I'm from the UK, but currently loving learning about the American civil war.

Was just in Regensberg!

@thethirdman225

6 ай бұрын

I passed through there in November.

12 o'clock High....excellent movie....check it out if you haven't 😊

Masters of the Air may be my favorite, definitely better than the Pacific

Everytime you see a B-17 go down , thats 10 guys in there. So if 10 bombers go down thats a 100 guys.

@thethirdman225

6 ай бұрын

Quite a few of them got out.

@daffyduck1974

5 ай бұрын

@@thethirdman225 return to duty did they?

@thethirdman225

5 ай бұрын

@@daffyduck1974 The point is that not all of them died. Many survived 'in the bag' and some actually escaped and made it back to fly and fight again.

@daffyduck1974

5 ай бұрын

@@thethirdman225 where did i mention that they all died in my origonal post? I assumed sum people were smart enough to read between the lines there? Guess not.

@thethirdman225

5 ай бұрын

@@daffyduck1974 *_“Everytime you see a B-17 go down , thats 10 guys in there. So if 10 bombers go down thats a 100 guys.”_* *_”where did i mention that they all died in my origonal post.”_* You didn’t but you didn’t clarify and you should have.

When did the p51 join the war effort? I know it was a game changer.

@waynec3563

6 ай бұрын

P-51B, the first version with the Merlin engine, started to arrive in the ETO in late 1943. The earlier P-51 with the Allison engine started service with the RAF in the first half of 1942, known by the RAF as the Mustang I. The Mustang I was unsuitable for long range escort as it lacked altitude performance. The P-51/Mustang was originally built for the RAF. The RAF wanted another source of P-40s, North American said they could build a better fighter instead. Initially the USAAF wasn't interested in the Mustang, but would soon change its mind and order a dive-bomber variant, the A-36, and the P-51, both of which started combat operations with the USAAF in early 1943.

Actor Jimmy Stewart was on this raid.

@VloggingThroughHistory

5 ай бұрын

Not sure how that's possible. Stewart was stateside until November 1943. He flew a B-24 for the 703rd Squadron, 445th Bomb Group. Their first action was in December 1943, several months after the Regensburg raid.

@MichaelBOverthinking

5 ай бұрын

@@VloggingThroughHistory my mistake, he was in the documentary "The World at War" talking about the raid, so I assumed he was on it. Thatnks for the context and correction, Chris!

i just got the masters if air ad before this haha

w/d chris

Whether night bombing was safer is still in dispute. The worst loses the 8th Airforce lost were the sixty bombers lost on the second Schweinfurt raid. Britain lost ninety bomber one night in one raid.

@georgefox4982

4 ай бұрын

On Black Monday March 6 1944 the 8th army air force lost 69 bombers and 11 fighters

My mother, grandparents and 9 month old uncle,were surviors of the Aug 1943 bombings of that day!!!!!!!!

@VloggingThroughHistory

6 ай бұрын

Wow. Glad they survived it!

@George-zd6rb

6 ай бұрын

@VloggingThroughHistory They did,they were taken out of the rubble of thier apartment building by the weremacht and transported, I guess a hospital.My mother was 6 and remembers the building on fire and some still collapsing. She married a American soldier and we were stationed in schweinfurt in 1970.

The targets were precious, but the Germans knew that, too, and fortified these cities heavily. Flying straight into that was a bad idea, frankly.

@George-zd6rb

6 ай бұрын

My mother told me that the anti-aircrat guns were at the train station.She also told me that we got many of them! WAR IS HELL , My mother and uncle ,grandparents were down below those bombers on that August day!!!!!

Hey Eastory just uploaded a World War 1 1914 eastern front video

Let’s go first!

That shirt 🤮🤮🤮🤮

I can't be the 1st.