As a birthday present for Tom, he, his sister Kris, Jonathan and William got to ride on a B-17 last weekend at the EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It was the flight of a lifetime on a “Flying Fortress”, the primary American heavy bomber primarily used in Europe during World War II. 15,000 were made and about 7,000 were shot down. Despite these horrifying numbers, the B-17 was known for its durability, sometimes returning to base with only one engine working. Its crews loved it, and many consider it to be the best all around bomber of World War II.*
*Information provided by William Schlueter, resident World War II historian.
Here are some snapshots of that memorable flight. There were three crew members and ten passengers on board that day.
Tom, his sister Kris, William and Jonathan in the radio room. The open space is where a machine gun would have been.
From the bomb bay, looking into the cockpit.
Looking through the plexiglass in the bombadier station.
William in the radio room, thrilled to pieces to be on board.
Looking at the plane during the pre-flight briefing.
2 comments
August 13, 2008 at 10:47
Beth
My great uncle was a bombadier (I’m sure I butchered that). Once he flew overhead as his mother was hanging out the laundry. He called her that night and asked if it got dry.
Looks like a great day.
August 14, 2008 at 18:16
abigail
Not sure what kind of airplane dropped the bomb on Hiroshima but one of my good friend’s father was on active duty during WW II in the Air Force like my father who served on U.S. Coast Guard ships around the world at that time. Her father was an optometrist in later years, but he was one of the men on the actual mission that dropped the bomb on Japan. He came home a broken and scarred man from that deed, just as my father was affected by the clean-up at Pearl Harbor when they bombed our ships, leaving over 1,000 men entombed in one ship and over 600 in another. Dr. __________ couldn’t forgive himself for the deed and turned to alcoholism but continued his career. I met the man once and God spoke to my heart to pray for him and later, at the Holy Spirit’s leading, I wrote the man a heartfelt letter and told him about my father and gave him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a long letter and I told him there are times when God calls his people to battle evil and people do die, sometimes including women and children. I told him if he had not done his job, it might have been his wife and children who died. I asked him if his heart was right with God and encouraged him to cleanse his heart before the Lord and to also ask for courage to be able to forgive himself. Less than a week later, the envelope with the message I had sent him was laying open on his dresser. He went to take his morning shower and never came out. His wife, after seeing water running under the door from the bathtub, entered the room to see her husband kneeling with his hands folded in prayer and he was dead. . .I’d like to think he made it. I can think of no other reason why the Lord would give clear directions for someone to write him a message with no other motive other than to obey the Lord’s leading. I have peace that this man, too, was forgiven just as I have been forgiven my sins as a child of God. It is right to take pride in those things that help assure our freedoms, but it is also a sobering experience to see the power and think of what these amazing machines are capable of. . .this is a good post, Ingrid.