The Mighty Eighth Podcast

Here it is our latest podcast! open.spotify.com/episode/4Rv3eg…

I am really pleased to announce that Bomb Group is coming out in paperback this July. The pre-order price is an absolute bargain. Tale a look below...

In 1943, an American bomber flying over Germany was hit 11 times in the fuel tanks by explosive ordnance, but none of them exploded. ✈️ When the shells were cut open, they contained no explosives. One held a note in Czech that read, 'This is all we can do for you now.' 🇨🇿🇺🇸

That landing scene always chokes me up a little. A good movie.🎞️ The crew attempts to land the Memphis Belle with malfunctioning landing gear and only one working engine. Unabashedly sentimental, this war film was produced by David Putnam in partnership with Catherine Wyler, whose father William Wyler directed an acclaimed documentary about the real-life events depicted in the film.

Day 8 of the Masters of the Air - Mighty Eighth tour with the National WWII Museum culminated with a visit to the Battle of Britain Bunker Museum. A fascinating visit that allowed us to compare the Dowding system with the later German air defence system.

@Mighty8thPod RAF Framlingham - USAAF Station 153

@Mighty8thPod And they used the castle as part of their patch for the bomb group. My dad served in the 390th.

A view that was very familiar view to the crews of the 390th BG USAAF during WWII.

The B17 had a well-deserved reputation for robustness and, therefore, survivability. Many crews owed their lives to Boeing's rugged design.

One this day in 2000, Shirley Slade passed away. Born in Chicago 1921, she was a WASP pilot trained to fly Bell P-39 Airacobras and Martin B-26 Marauders. Here she is on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1943.

B-17G Fortress 'Miss Donna Mae II' drifted under another bomber on a bomb run over Berlin, 19 May 1944. A 1,000 lb bomb from above tore off the left stabilizer and sent the plane into an uncontrollable spin. All 11 were killed.

A Butcher Bird ... soon to be airworthy!

Today was a big day for us in London. After an exclusive behind the glass tour of the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall, we moved on to visit the IWM London. Consolidating on the previous six days of WWII history.

We have had a good day on the road, and we are settling into our London Hotel. On route from East Anglia, we had an absorbing visit to Bletchley Park. A great opportunity to gain further understanding of the events of WWII in a wider context.

Our final day in Suffolk included a walking tour of Bury St Edmunds. We paid our respects at the 94th BG Memorial in the John T. Appleby Rose Garden, located within the beautiful Abbey Gardens.

Faces of the Fallen - remarkable research work by Volunteer Jennie at the 390th Bomb Group Museum at Parham. Finding a picture of every man KIA flying with the 390th. The final stop on our visits to the WWII airfields of the 13th Combat Wing USAAF.

Yesterday, we called in at the Oaksmere Hotel to visit the B17 Pathfinder Memorial. This beautiful plinth commemorates the 13-man crew of an H2S radar equipped Fortress from the 482nd BG and 4 local civilians (and a horse) killed when it crashed nearby.

May 17, 1943. The crew of the Memphis Belle, one of a group of American bombers based in Britain, becomes one of the first B-17 crews to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States. The Memphis Belle performed its 25th and last mission, in a bombing raid against Lorient, a German submarine base. Photo caption : The crew of the "Memphis Belle" back from its 25th operational mission. All of the crew hold the DFC and Air Medal with Three Oak Clusters, and all started with this Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" and survived with only one casualty, a leg wound to the tail gunner. June 43. Renee Colours

Interesting thread. Find out more in our latest podcast...

We capped off another exceptional day of Mighty Eighth history and folklore at Horham with the 95th BG(H). The Red Feather Club was bouncing with 1940s music this afternoon!

Mr Security has a different look at the 95th Bomb Group!