Fly a WW2 bombing mission - in a B17!

[xl_target]

You are a WW2 B17 bomber crewman. What does it feel like to go aboard a B17 bomber and fly a mission into enemy territory?
For most of us, it is something that we can only dream about. We can imagine what it might feel like but we cannot hope to ever experience it.

Recently, on SIGForum, I read about the experiences of an extremely fortunate gentleman who got to experience first-hand what a B17 mission feels like.
Here are a few photos of poster windhover's experiences. Please read the thread linked to at the end of the post.
He has very graciously allowed me to share some of his photos with you but to see the whole experience, you will have to read the thread. I highly recommend it.


Crewman "windhover" being kitted out


some equipment being issued to the crewmen


The barracks. You can see a link trainer in the background


being taught the basics of aerial bombing


The aerial gunnery trainer


getting the experience of shooting the .50


The USO girls entertain the troops.


The "Bird"; B17G "nine o nine".


windhover gets to be the ball turret gunner for a while


aircrew meals; SOS


airborne at the tail gunners position.


back on the ground after the mission

Please read the whole story HERE.

Thank you, windhover, for letting me post your photos here. You are an extremely fortunate man and I for one am quite envious of you.
Not only did you get to fly in a B17 but you got to bomb California!

There are more photos, videos and a better explanation at the post linked to (above).

[Mark]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing that XL!

[nagarifle]

thats awesome, however they do not seem to have any 105s aboard, so i will have to give it a miss

[essdee1972]

That's awesome! The full experience, down to the USO girls and the grub........ would have cost a pretty penny, but well worth it, IMHO!

[xl_target]

Esdee, Below is their schedule of events.
IT shows the cost in there.

Base Location:
Stockton Municipal Airport / Stockton Field Aviation Museum Hangar,Stockton California.
Target:
Top Secret Classified Information. Crew will be issued mission and target objectives on completion of crew training.
Cost:
$3,900 per person. Includes accommodations and food for two nights, materials, ammunition, and support supplies. Trainees must arrange travel to hotel. Transportation to and from training facilities will be arranged. Age restrictions: 16 yrs. and older. 16 yrs. to 18yrs. has to be accompanied by legal adult guardian .

Day One: Pre-Mission Training
* Basic outline of course and goals.
* WWII Heavy Bomber history, theatres of operation and primary missions.
* Identification of crew positions and duties.
* Crewmember orientation to essential equipment.
* Bombardier and turret training.
* Gunnery orientation.
* Target practice.

Day Two: Briefing and Mission Orders are Issued
* Refresher course / Q & A.
* Commanding Officer will brief the crew on the day's mission.
* Suit up and drive to the aircraft in bomb crew truck.
* Pre flight and further briefing on flight, mission and crew position.
* Load aircraft ordinance and prepare equipment.
* Fly the mission. - Hit the target and get back to base alive!
* Mission de-briefing.

quoted from here

About the original "Nine O Nine":

The original "Nine-O-Nine" was assigned to combat on February 25, 1944. By April 1945, she had made eighteen trips to Berlin, dropped 562,000 pounds of bombs, and flown 1,129 hours. She had twenty-one engine changes, four wing panel changes, fifteen main gas tank changes, and 18 Tokyo tank changes (long-range fuel tanks). She also suffered from considerable flak damage.

After European hostilities ceased, "Nine-O-Nine", with its six-hundred patched holes, flew back to the United States. While the rigors of war never stopped the historic "Nine-O-Nine", she succumbed at last to the scrappers guillotine, along with thousands of other proud aircraft.

quoted from Here

[essdee1972]

Thanks, XL. Another reason, apart from 2A, to make me want to immigrate!!

The last line is so ....... sad!

While the rigors of war never stopped the historic "Nine-O-Nine", she succumbed at last to the scrappers guillotine, along with thousands of other proud aircraft.

[brihacharan]

Thanks, XL. Another reason, apart from 2A, to make me want to immigrate!!

The last line is so ....... sad!

While the rigors of war never stopped the historic "Nine-O-Nine", she succumbed at last to the scrappers guillotine, along with thousands of other proud aircraft.

Another reason, apart from 2A, to make me want to immigrate!!
SAY WHEN!!! I'll join you

"Nine-O-Nine", she succumbed at last to the scrappers guillotine, along with thousands of other proud aircraft.
Oh so sad - I can almost hear the bugle 'Sounding the Last Post'
BTW - xl_target - Thanks for sharing
Briha

[xl_target]

Some more info on the original "Nine O Nine" (serial number 42-31909).


B-17G AAF Ser. No. 44-83575 restored to military configuration and flying as AAF Ser. No. 42-31909

I was surprised to see this:

The Nine-O-Nine, a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber of the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, completed 140 combat missions during World War II, believed to be the Eighth Air Force record for most missions, and never lost a crewman as a casualty.

A former navigator of the 91st BG, Marion Havelaar, reported in his history of the group that Nine-O-Nine completed either 126 or 132 consecutive missions without aborting for mechanical reasons, also believed to be a record.[2] M/Sgt. Rollin L. Davis, maintenance line chief of the bomber, received the Bronze Star for his role in achieving the record.

from wikipedia
B-17G AAF Ser. No. 44-83575 (the current aircraft masquerading as "Nine O Nine") was built too late in the war and never saw war service.

For WW2 buffs/Aircraft fans:
I posted some photos (last year) of a B-17G that dropped into our local airport on the way to the famous annual Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Experimental Aircraft Association) meet.
The aircraft was "Aluminum Overcast" and was in absolutely pristine condition.
That thread can be seen HERE.
There are some videos of aluminum Overcast on the above site linked to.

[Sakobav]

Nice but wasnt Indian Air Force flying B 24 as late as 1960s?..I am going OT but I think Air Marshall Shivdev Singh was one of the very few Indians who flew Bombing Missions over France / germany in WW 2

http://www.sikhreview.org/january2000/gallantry1.htm

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Galle ... E.jpg.html

I think he flew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Stirling

[essdee1972]

Grewal Sahib, thanks for the link!

Switching from Sterlings to Hurricanes at short notice, that was a feat!

[timmy]

Navi, here is your link to Indian B-24s:

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Aircr ... 7-B24.html

According to the article, B-24s were in service until 1968.

I posted this article once before; if you missed it, be sure to read it because it is a good one. I especially like the part where the test pilot refuses a bonus to ferry the B-24s to Bangalore.

[xl_target]

Ha! Very interesting article Tim.

[timmy]

Thanks, XL -- I expect that, with all of the talk in these articles about "Dakotas," a great deal of P&W R1830 parts were available for refurbishing the Liberators (which also used R1830s) Many earlier DC-3s used Cyclones, but a lot of the R1830s would have been floating around. This does absolutely nothing to diminish the accomplishment of putting the Liberators back into business, as these big bombers are very maintenance intensive.

You may be interested in looking for a copy of a book I picked up recently. It's titled Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Owners' Workshop Manual by Graeme Douglas, and yes, it actually is a Haynes manual! ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-4077-6, ISBN-10: 0-7603-4077-3

There are some interesting things in there, even if the book really won't be your one stop resource for maintaining your own B-17. I don't think that is really an issue, however, as book quotes these current operating costs for a B-17:

Cost of a B-17 today: ~ $1.5M - $2M
Rebuild an R1830: ₤30,000 (that's pounds, not dollars!)
overhaul one cylinder: ₤900 (there are 14 per engine)
gasoline for 1 hour's flight: ₤1,030
special insurance for flying in Europe: ₤25,000 extra, above normal insurance for large aircraft
batteries: ₤600 each (there are 3 of them)