The Cold Blue - HBO doc on 8th Air Force

[BabaYaga 15532]

34 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

What were the odds of surviving in a shot down B-17 in Europe?  In other words, what percentage survived by crash landing or by parachuting?

"In a B-17" - I'd guess close to zero.  Having bailed out of one, slightly better, but dependent upon so many variables.  I do know many, many RAF and American pilots shot down over friendly soil in the Battle of Britain not only survived, but often rotated back into a cockpit to continue to the fight.  Sometimes on the same day.  German pilots were either lost of captured.  Easier to bail from a fighter than a bomber, granted.

There we so many stories of limping B-29's coming on in tatters.  One landed DURING the Battle of Iwo Jima on the much needed runway.  The Russian Tupelov Tu-4 was a direct copy (down to the bolts and size of the wires) of a pair of damaged B-29s that were forced to land in Siberia after runs over Japan.  That old bird saw service through the Cold War and into the late 60's.  

[Nivek 17330]

Does anyone remember a show or movie in which there’s a bomber coming home with damage that was preventing the landing gear to deploy, and the bellygunner from getting out?

most of it was them trying to get him out or get the gear down, then when it looks like they will have to land on the belly with him still down there, he takes out a sketch pad and draws the plane with a cartoonish wheel deployed, and then on the real plane a cartoon wheel comes down and they land safely?

something I remember seeing as a kid in the 80s, no idea how old or new it would have been. Black and white but that may have been a choice. 

I still recall the cartoon yellow wheels. I would try to track it down, but i would be afraid it sucked.

[MissingInAction 25478]

That was an episode of Amazing Stories, and they did not age well.

 

 

 

[Nivek 17330]

.  America won the war based in part by the proficiency and determination of their fighting men/woman - but more so by our logistics, manufacturing, and supply capabilities.  I'd argue that the deuce-and-a-half, willys jeep, liberty ship, and DC-3 did more to win the war than the Sherman tank or P-51.  

Well Germans were still using horses as their primary means of moving supplies. 330,000 dodge trucks > horses and less than (30,000 trucks).

[atomheartbevo 90546]

12 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Well Germans were still using horses as their primary means of moving supplies. 330,000 dodge trucks > horses and less than (30,000 trucks).

Germany, the nation whose leader thought they could cross the English Channel and invade England with fucking river barges and tug boats.  

[BabaYaga 15532]

15 hours ago, Nivek said:

Well Germans were still using horses as their primary means of moving supplies. 330,000 dodge trucks > horses and less than (30,000 trucks).

The German's revolutionized mechanized warfare and the US revolutionized supply chain logistics and manufacturing.  

What's really crazy, is if you read the work of Stephen Ambrose on the ferocity of the Western Front (following the trajectory of the 101st), then reconcile this with the fact that 9 out of every 10 German casualties (estimated) happened on the Eastern Front, you get a appreciation for the scale of the war and devastation that happened there.  You had single battles in which each side lost more in a protracted engagement that the entire US total casualties of the entire war (including the Pacific campaign).  

[oSuJeff97 3438]

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

The German's revolutionized mechanized warfare and the US revolutionized supply chain logistics and manufacturing.  

What's really crazy, is if you read the work of Stephen Ambrose on the ferocity of the Western Front (following the trajectory of the 101st), then reconcile this with the fact that 9 out of every 10 German casualties (estimated) happened on the Eastern Front, you get a appreciation for the scale of the war and devastation that happened there.  You had single battles in which each side lost more in a protracted engagement that the entire US total casualties of the entire war (including the Pacific campaign).  

Yeah I remember a few years ago there was that animated infographic going around showing number of civilian and solider deaths by country in WWII.  TL;DR version is that Russia and China took the brunt of it BY FAR (especially when it came to civilian deaths), and it wasn't even close.