By comparison, the US Eighth Air Force, which flew daylight raids over Europe, had 350,000 aircrew during the war, and suffered 26,000 killed and 23,000 POWs. A Bomber Command crew member had a worse chance of survival than an infantry officer in World War I. This covered all Bomber Command operations including tactical support for ground operations and mining of sea lanes.[clarification needed. Now you know why I would want to be in an easy to fly and rugged B-17.īomber Command crews also suffered an extremely high casualty rate: 55,573 killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew (a 44.4% death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. Flak not fighters was the real bomber destroyer. It is about 1.5 inches long by 1” wide, and viciously jagged. A deceased family friend was a B-24 tail-gunner. It could be argued that the Liberator had a better gun defense than the Fortress due to the tail turrets, and nose turrets in later versions.
#B 24 bomber crew positions free#
If you’ve never done a free fall skydive, do it! These positions were the closest thing to the freedom of skydiving I have ever felt in an aircraft. In the turrets you are just hanging out there at the end of the plane with a fabulous view. Most of the crewman in WWII were considerably smaller in stature, but I guess with the flight suits they wore they were about the same in girth. I am 5’11” 220lb and was amazed I fit into the tail and nose turrets of the B-24. Perhaps it was due to a life long indoctrination of how tough and reliable the B-17 was, but I think the layout of the aircraft also influenced the feeling. Even though it was peace time with good preventative maintenance, with no bombs or heavy fuel load, the stories of fuel leaks in B-24s resulting in explosions did cross my mind once or twice. During the flights I was in every crew position other than the pilot seats, ball turret, and tail-gunner position in the B-17. I have flown as a passenger in the CAF B-17 Sentimental Journey and the Collins Foundation B-24 Witchcraft. The Fortress was easier to fly and more rugged, both of which increased aircrew survival. Without the Liberator there would have been no Tidal Wave, and patrols over the Atlantic and Pacific would be seriously hindered. Some missions would never have occurred, and been hindered without the B-24.
From a performance standpoint, both flight and bomb load, the B-24 was a better Bomber. The commitment to the B-24 occurred before reports of battlefield damage comparisons with the B-17 accumulated.
The people buying the B-24s were concerned about performance more than crew survival.
I like to have the best chance of personal survival.
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