Jim Martin

I’m very happy that someone decided to share stories about the air war! My father, a B17 pilot in the 306th, died at 101 in December. The show validates many of his stories. Things the show has not mentioned: 1. fog so thick that vertigo would set in. He and his co-pilot would have to trade control because they could not tell which way was up. 2. Crews wore suits that had to be plugged in to keep from freezing in 60 Degrees below zero. 3. The pilot & co-pilot had parachutes on their backs. The rest of the crew had to grab their chutes and hook them on prior to bailing out. 4. Crews were generally given a few days off after 3 or 4 emissions to keep from going flak-happy. 5. He always wondered how they could get 1,000 planes in the air when the bombers carried 2,700 gallons of fuel.