Re: WWII Question On B-17s
- From: "Walt" <Walterm140@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 9 Jun 2006 11:16:46 -0700
Joe Delphi wrote:
A few questions about USAAF operations in WWII:
Q1: When the United States entered WWII in Europe, how did they get the
B-17s to England? Did they have the ability to fly them over, or did they
have to send them over on ships?
All the B-17's that were sent to Europe were flown. If you watch the
William Wyler "Memphis Belle" movie, you'll hear the narrator say that
Captain Morgan had "flown this ship across the Atlantic." When you
think that this was only 15 years after Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic,
people watching the film in WWII must have given a big 'ooh' and 'ahh'.
Some P-38's were also flown to Europe. I have seen pictures of P-38's
being off-loaded from ships too. I think early on they flew, once they
got the logistics set up, they probably shipped them.
Q2: Did the bombers based in England operate from airfields with concrete
runways or did they operate from flat, grassy fields that just happened to
be long enough for takeoff and landing? If it was grass, were there any
problems with getting enough friction for a good takeoff and safe landing?
Seems like the USAAF operated from 130 air fields in England, each
built at a cost of $4,000,000. The Brits footed the bill. Seems like
I just heard that the other day.
The 91st BG at Bassingbourn was lucky enough to take over a pre-war RAF
post. I'd guess they were others. One hears a lot about the 91st
Group, but their record didnt match that of some other groups. The
303rd BG was an elite unit in the 8th AF.
Walt
.
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