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The missions were
usually flown at altitudes above 20,000 feet in temperatures as low
as minus 30 degrees (Fahrenheit). The planes had no cabin heat and
no cabin pressurization. The crews wore electric suits for warmth with
electrically heated boots and gloves that all plugged into the plane's
electrical system. Frostbite was a common problem. They wore leather
helmets with headsets that plugged into the plane's radio system to
communicate with each other because inside the plane it was loud. At
various times, they put on 45 lb. flak vests to protect them from the
shrapnel of enemy flak grenades, parachutes to bail out, and "mae west" flotation
vests. They wore oxygen masks connected to the onboard oxygen system so they could
breathe in the thin air. Sometimes the moisture from breathing caused the
oxygen masks to freeze up. This added "death by suffocation" to the numerous
hazards of flight duty.
With all this gear on, they also had serious work to do.
The fighting men in most wars have been the young men of their society. Today
military aviators are highly trained and mature men. The crews of these
planes were young men in their teens and early twenties. |
Fighter support
was sparse in the early part of the war.
There were not enough American fighter planes and they didn't carry enough
fuel to fly with the bombers to the targets. Once the bombers left British shores,
the fighters turned back and the bomber formation was on its own.
These long-range aircraft were heavily armed
and, when over enemy territory, flew in tight formations in order to defend themselves
against the deadly Luftwaffe fighters.
Gun turrets were mounted on top of the aircraft
and on the bottom, in the nose and in the tail. Each of these 4 positions carried
twin 50 caliber machine guns.
In addition there were waist gunners with 50
caliber guns at each side of the plane.
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The flight crew consisted of 10 men.
The average duration of a bombing mission was 6 hours.
During the last half of 1943, the life expectancy
of any crew-member of an American bomber in the European war was about
15 missions. The assigned tour of
duty was 25. (Later in the war as fighter support increased, the assigned
tour was raised to 30 missions.) |
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