Big Friends of WW2

Today’s Daily Dose short history film covers the Allies’ heavy bombers, nicknamed “Big Friends” by Allied fighter pilots.

Citations:

“Its two supporting elements…” USAF Historical Division, Development of the Long-Range Fighter Escort, p. 54 “This acceleration shortfall…” Ibid, pp. 77-79

“Roughly 73% of the airmen…” Miller, Masters of the Air, p. 143

“By war’s end, the Eighth would suffer…” Ibid, pp. 6-7

“The technological tail…” Tillman, The Forgotten Fifteenth, pp. 12-13

“If daylight bombing was to continue…” Ibid, p 13

“Aircraft manufacturers developed…” USAF Historical Division, Development of the Long-Range Fighter Escort, pp. 109-110

“Brig. Gen. H.S. Hansell suggested…” Ibid, pp. 80-81

“Eaker called the German’s development…” Ibid, p. 87

“How the entire ten man crew escaped…” Dorr, B-24 Liberator Units of the Fifteenth Air Force, pp. 487-489

“Both later claims…” Ibid, pp. 496-500

“whether the notion of daylight bombing…” Ambrose, The Wild Blue, p. 118

“Christie saw only one other parachute…” Mahoney, Bombing Europe, pp. 48-51

“On the ground and in the harbor…” Ambrose, The Wild Blue, p. 118

“it remained unclear…” Ibid, p. 118 “It took the pair about two weeks…” Mahoney, Bombing Europe, pp. 158-162

“24 enemy fighters opposed the bombers…” Blake, P-38 Lightning Aces of the 82nd Fighter Group, Kindle locations 1088-1112

“Air-to-air combat raged…” Blake, P-38 Lightning Aces of the 82nd Fighter Group, Kindle locations 1088-1112

“…we had six aircraft and they were all shot down…” Ball State University Library, Oral history repository, Art Leadingham interview

“The attacks set Wenzinger’s liberator…” Ibid, p. 53

“German fighters wounded waist gunner…” Mahoney, Bombing Europe, pp. 52-56

“…test pilot Stanley Umstead applied…” Jablonsky, The Illustrated Biography of the B-17, pp. 11-12 “…implemented an Open Production Pool policy…” Ibid, pp. 33-34

“During the peak years of production…” www.airpages.ru, B-17 Fuel System

“By May 1945, 12,726 B-17s…” Capps, Flying Colt, pp. 68-69

“During combat, the backs of both waist gunners…” Miller, Masters of the Air, pp. 82-84

“When the plane was in flight…” Ibid, p. 82

“The reflected signals picked up by the antenna…” Ibid, p. 235

“Throughout the war…” Ibid, p. 236 “…against a terrible nothingness…” Ibid, p. 83

“When not firing his guns…” Ibid, p. 83

“One look into the pilot cabin…” Infield, Big Week!, pp. 31-32

“…by an astrodome above him…” Miller, Masters of the Air, p. 83 “Pilots were supposed to…” Ibid, p. 68