Why this Bomb Group got their own TV show
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- The 100th Bomb Group is one of the most famous of the Second World War - earning the nickname 'The Bloody Hundredth'. In fact, the experiences of the 100th Bomb Group will be featured in the upcoming war drama Masters of the Air (2024). But where did their legend come from?
The 100th was not statistically noteworthy. They won numerous awards, but other groups won more. They didn’t fly the most missions, drop the most bombs, or even suffer the most casualties. In this video, IWM Curator Dr Hattie Hearn examines the real history of 'The Bloody Hundredth'.
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I used to live near Thorpe Abbots and worked as a volunteer in the museum there. Ever day we raised the American flag and lowered it at closing time. When we locked up the tower museum we said “good night boys”. The ghosts were still there I can tell you. I felt them often.
God bless you all. My Dad was a gunner in the Bloody Hundredth, most of my immediate family have visited the museum and appreciate the tribute the locals have made by saving it from being just a pig sty. I did an exchange tour flying the LYNX in the Royal Navy, one of the highlights of my flying career was arranging to land my LYNX there (was still a bit of the runway remaining) and tour the museum.
Great story. Good job. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing.
God bless Carol and Ron Batley for their love of Thorpe Abbott’s and loving my mother by preserving my Dad’s legacy with the 100th.
Thank you for volunteering!
Bless you Woody, thank you 🙏
the wounded man that takes a puff off the cigarette in your video was my Father , silver star for gallantry , purple heart for his wounds , july , 26 , 1943
I bet you were delighted to see that? I would have been 👍
footage used in a lot of documentaries@@Pesmog
that’s amazing
Salute!
That would make me cry.
A trip to Thorpe Abbots Museum is always worth it, a fitting tribute the the men of the Bloody Hundreth
Hundreth?
Firmly agree :)
It was on the way to my nans RIP 🪦
That and Flixton are real gems 💎
Yes 💯 agree, went last year twice in a week as there's so much to see. I really hope this series brings more interest into these museums and create more restoration projects.
@@davidedwards8552 There a few museums I volunteer at one in Hertfordshire
@@davidedwards8552 The museum i volunteer at has many genuine artefacts, part of a B17 wing which as used was a footbridge
My uncle was a tail gunner in a B 17 he flew his 25 missions and was ready to come home but a good buddy of his had gotten sick and was one mission short so my uncle flew it in his place on that mission he was shot down and spent the rest of the war a POW his bravery and sacrifice kept me going thur my tour of duty in Vietnam many years later
Thank you both for your service.
Good one mate
Getting to sit inside a B-17 is an experience in itself, just walking through the narrow space and imagining the sheer emotion of being inside there during combat
I've never been in a B-17, but I did "walk" through a Lancaster which was so constricted over the bomb bay I nearly pulled a muscle trying to get to the rear. I can't imagine how terrifying it was to be under attack thousands of feet above enemy territory. These guys earned their accolades and it's no wonder many didn't want to talk about it after the war was done.
I went in a b17 in McMinnville OR at their air museum. I was shocked how narrow and tight everything was.
I'm one of the lucky few who's flown in a B-17 (the Yankee Air Museum's "Yankee Lady") it was incredibly cramped and loud, huge respect to the men who flew those long, high altitude missions in them.
Walked through one in Morristown, NJ a few years ago. There was a B-25 and a P-51 Mustang there also.
20 years ago I worked in a local nursing home. There were two Air Force veterans residing there who each had a plaque hanging on their bedroom walls. The plaques each had 25 small metal plates identifying the cities in Germany with dates they were bombed. Most of the dates were only days or a week apart from each other. Both of those guys miraculously survived 25 bombing runs over Germany.
Touching to hear they found the dropping of food for Holland their most satisfying mission. They saved lives there.
The Germans occupying that part of the Netherlands agreed to allow the flights and their FlaK crews withheld their fire.
@@RogerWKnight True. But only after those Germans withheld food shipments to densily populated Holland for the whole winter of 1944-1945. In Dutch it is called "Hongerwinter"; the winter of hunger. Thousends died of starvation.
Outstanding quick look at the 100th! My uncle, 2nd Lt. Herbert Graham Nash Jr., piloted one of the B-17s and was shot down over Bremen on his 3rd mission - KIA (October 8th, 1943), along with co-pilot Speas and about half the crew. Both are portrayed on the Masters of the Air miniseries in Part 4. Nash is portrayed by Laurie Davidson. My aunt often talked about "Herbie". But it took a lot of research to find out more than she was willing to share - or knew. My research is available on Ancestry for those looking into Herbert Graham Nash Jr.
I read in the book Flying Fortress by Edward Jablonski that there was thought to have been a vendetta by the Luftwaffe against the 100th BG based on an incident on the Regensburg mission. Picklepuss commanded by Capt. Robert Knox supposedly lowered their landing gear in a sign of surrender, then when their engine problem cleared up they raised their landing gear and tried to make a run for it while shooting at the Luftwaffe fighters escorting them. At least that's the legend that made the rounds in England. The National WWII Museum site calls this legend "...highly dubious (and inaccurate)..." but it's fair to include that here since it shows up in "authoritative" sources.
100th Bomb Group Foundation website classes the "gear down" story as unfounded. And also the site says that Adolph Galland, in a post war interview, said he'd not heard of a special effort by the Luftwaffe to target the 100th - the Luftwaffe always targetted the most vulnerable part of a formation if they could.
In my opinion it's nonsense - a lone damaged B17 straggler with a Nazi fighter escort is not going to do something as stupid as firing on the escort when one of two disabled engines restarts. It's a long way home alone. The a/c crashed near Liege & six of the crew died the rest were POWs - the "story" surfaced after the war with no German corroboration. Interestingly there is another "gear down" story within the 100th which might be the origin of this legend. However the 100th were known to be ill-disciplined & rather 'relaxed' [they had to be retrained before leaving the States] so it is possible a plane broke the rules of war re surrendering & fired on their captors - but I doubt that the escort would fly close enough to be in much danger. Baloney - just another war story that's become larger in the retelling.
Real or not, the gear down story made its way through the 8th Air Force, even my USAAF father’s fighter group in Wattisham.
My old man was an original member of this group as a ROG and trained in the same ship/plane as Harry Crosby, with whom he retained a lifelong friendship. l have a personally inscribed and autographed copy of Harry's wartime memoir, "A Wing And A Prayer'' among my prized possessions, along with my old's slowly disintegrating A2 jacket. For a meticulously accurate and detailed description of Harry's wartime service in the 100th, this is well worth the read. He was Bob "Rosie" Rosenthal's navigator when Rosie commanded the lead "ship" on the thousand plane raids over Berlin.
For a photo of the three of them together at Thorpe Abbots, check out page 194 of Ed Jablonski's "Flying Fortress." Ed wasn't a member of a flight crew, but served with the group in an administrative role.
I'm sure I read that Galland said that there would have been no time for the Luftwaffe pilots to try and find a particular bomb group to attack it. I'm sure the crews in the 100th certainly felt like they were being singled out though.
My grandfather was the navigator for the Picklepuss crew. This is an interview he did in 1998 th-cam.com/video/5r_vhtrZVS8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=INhJJSqC5ExoMOGc
Most of the flak at this altitude would be 128mm guns, not 88s.
Great job telling the history of the men of the 100th.
Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal of the 100 Bombardment Group led the largest bombing mission against Berlin on Feb. 3, 1945, consisting of 1,500 bombers of the Eighth Air Force, protected by some 1,000 fighters. The resulting fire burned for 4 days, destroying the entire core of Berlin. This must have been deeply satisfying to Lieutenant Colonel Rosenthal who was Jewish.
He was a lawyer before the war and returned to his legal practice after the war, participating in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg.
It is also believed that Robert Rosenthal’s plane dropped the bomb that killed Roland Friesler.
I can just imagine him smiling as he visualized all the burning children.
Other interesting tidbits about Lt. Col. Rosenthal:
On his next to last mission on February 3, 1945, he led a mission to Berlin, which killed Roland Freisler, the notorious "hanging judge" (hated even by the Germans) of the Third Reich's Peoples Court.
After the war, Rosenthal served as an assistant to the U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, interrogating Hermann Göring.
thanks for that info .. nice to know that after the fight he worked for justice too ...
Just before shipping out as a recently licensed, junior deck officer on cargo ships, l asked my father to arrange a lunch meeting in a restaurant with him, Harry and Bob. They asked politely about my upcoming assignment on a ship. After thanking them for their interest, l asked them to pretend l wasn't ever there and just reminisce among themselves about the war. lt was the listening experience of a lifetime. l knew it at the time, but not in the way l did much later or now.
Rosie was just a straight up badass. What a legend.
That we never forget.. Thanks from a grateful Dutch 🇳🇱, TW.
Unfortunately, many Americans do not know about the 3 generations of Dutch families who tender the American Military cemeteries in your home country. When sleazy politicians like Donald Trump deride our allies like NATO, it makes me boil when there is still much respect for USA, UK and Canada for the liberation of Europe.
I visited Normandy and I think it’s the only place in France where they fly the American British and French flags side by side. There are around 8 cemeteries in the Normandy area for British and American and Allied soldiers. The British suffered 60,000 casualties and 2,000 tanks were destroyed in the Normandy campaign.
@@tonymanero5544 : In the Netherlands we have Remembrance Day every year on May 4, and we celebrate Liberation Day on May 5. Once every 5 years that day is a national day off. My grandparents' generation is almost gone, and it is therefore extremely important that we, the free generation, never forget what a horribly high price was paid for that freedom.
All the best to you, TW.
@@tonymanero5544 Joe Biden approves your message and will love you for a specified sum of cash via Hunters bank account.
Visited Thorpe Abbot Museum a few years ago. Very well kept. I went into the Control Tower, just me there. I felt a presence in there, an atmosphere. Not surprising really. Later on talking to someone, without telling him about what I felt in the Control Tower, he said that the Tower was known to be haunted! So much admiration for the bomber crews of the US and RAF. Unimaginable hell they went through!
For anyone keen for a really detailed, graphic, honest German prespective of facing allied bombers I strongly recommend a book called “Duel Under the Stars”. I liked the audio version on Audible, it’s a Gem!
It’s the prespective of a German night fighter who had to protect Germany from British bombers at night. The tricks, challenges and admiration both sides had, are well expressed in the book. No politics, just aviation and he talks about his journey through the war with great admiration for the American and British bombers.
How come "no politics" when it's about nazis?
@@CrasySailor Not everyone who fought in the Luftwaffe or Wehrmacht was a Nazi. You were called up for military service and had no choice.
LIberal democracies don't want their drones knowing about the mass destruction carried out against civilians for their infantile slogans.
Yep I’ve read it.
@CrasySailor unless they were SS the majority were drafted
Stood at Thorpe Abbots several years ago and listened to a survivor tell of his experiences. They were very brave!
Rosie Rosenthal, the best Fortress Flyer we had. The only thing he did better than fly a B-17 was be a good man that others would follow into the jaws of hell. That he didn't get a Medal of Honor is a travesty.
Respect, sir. Rest in peace
I was on a thru hike and went to the post office in Long Lake NY to get my resupply package. Then I seen a flea bag motel across the street and decided I would stay there and rest. I noticed a AAF insignia decal on the window. The proprietor was an old man and I asked if he was a veteran and he said he was and in the 100th. He had been a pilot and told me his story. He had kept flying most of his life and had returned to Germany and was a Lufthansa airline pilot. His final disappointment was his failing vision and losing his license.
anyone else watch "twelve o clock high"?
Uh, I disagree that John "Lucky" Luckadoo is the last surviving airman of the 100th BG. I know of one in Minnesota that will be celebrating his 100th birthday in a few weeks. He was flown out to Hollywood for the premier of "Masters of the Air" along with I believe 3 others.
I will be calling him in a day to ask him if "Masters of the Air" is History or Hollywood.
You're completely right. This was a typo in the captions. It should say that Lucky is the last surviving 'original' member of the 100th. Thankfully, there are a few 100th veterans still with us.
Was going to say this as well, there are multiple surviving members of the 100th
My uncle was a tail gunner in the mighty 8th the worst was to ploesti oil fields in Rumania his bomber jacket is on display at the mighty 8th museum in Savannah Georgia
I can honestly say I visited Thorpes Abbott back in the 90s when I was stationed at RAF Mildenhall, 100th ARW. I remember we did a formation march through the town of Thorpes Abbott in commemoration of the bloody 100th. I vaguely remember we either started or ended the march at a church cuz that was the first time I had a hot toddy.
Great Video! "Damn Lucky" the book about John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Major, USAF by Kevin Maurer is a good read. Early on in the book is the story of getting the B-17 to England with a not so health pilot that is worth the read alone. Lucky's emphasis on citizen soldiers really is a sobering thought when you stop to think about what the young men were asked to do as a job.
Really helps you to remember that they were really just kids as well!
You should read Harry Crosby's book 'On a wing and a prayer', in which he describes the missions he flew in the 'Bloody 100th', those guys were all heros and great examples to us all. LEST WE FORGET,
Harry and my father were in same flight crew in training and on the first few missions. They became lifelong friends and Harry later spoke at his memorial service in the late 70s. My personally autographed and inscribed copy of "A Wing And A Prayer" is among my prized possessions. l'd never have gotten it autographed and inscribed if not for my aunt, who lived in Tamworth, NH, only few a miles from where Harry retired in Lovell, Maine. She told l "had to go visit him" and l'm forever grateful for her "order." Miss them all very much.
You might recall that later in the War, as lead navigator for the entire 8th AF 1000 plane raids over Germany, Harry's solo decision to spare Bonn from being bombed as a "target of opportunity" because he'd recently read that Beethoven had grown up there. The fact the Bonn was barely touched by allied bombs and largely intact in 1945 caused it to chosen as the capital of postwar West Germany. When l read the story in his book as an adult, l recalled him telling the same story to my parents, many years earlier, when l was a wide eyed little boy.
@@frankmiller95 Thanks for the reply, I got interested in B24s when I found out our Great uncle was an Observer on one. Flying Officer Victor Edward Crowther RNZAF, he served with 224 Sqn. RAF Coastal Command. He was the squadron bombing leader. His aircraft crashed on the way home from an anti submarine sweep in the bay of Biscay. Six of the seven crew died, including Victor, he was only 24. The pilot was 21, the eldest on the crew was 26 and the only survivor was the tail gunner, he was 19.
Their aircraft FK242, had fuel problems and they were diverted to a nearer airfield in Plymouth but the struck a couple of barrage balloons damaging the aircrafts wing. It was really poor weather and circling the air field the wingtip hit a tree causing it to cartwheel. It then slid across a field coming to rest on a stone banked wall near a farmhouse.
Do a search for 'K-King, FK242, 30th October 1942'.
I've been researching what it was like for the aircrews and that's why I got a copy of Harry's book. They are all heroes to me, to get in an airplane not knowing what was going to happen takes a lot of courage. But one thing that has struck me is how young they all were.
Best wishes to you from NZ.
I have a copy of that book. I keep it as a reference.
I have it the audio version.
Actually reading it now
My Uncle was showing be photos of his time with the 303rd BG. One was what I thought was a Flak burst. He corrected me and told me it was what happens when a B-17 takes a direct hit in the bomb bay. We both sat in silence for a few minutes.
Great video and don’t forget viewers the masters of the air will be coming out on January 26 on Apple TV+.
Splitting the force like that is number one on the list of what not to do.As was shown,all that this split achieved was the luftwaffe being in the position to re-arm,refuel and have a second cracking at the bombers.
Splitting the force was not the issue, Where the issue happened was the Schweinfurt force didn't launch because the Air Division doing it had not trained to take off in mist or fog. The Ravensburg attack force lead by Curtis Lemay's Air Division had practiced taking off in bad weather before the raid and they couldn't hang about as their landing airfields in North Africa would have been in darkness had they waited for the Schweinfurt force.
cool video my father was in the 100th bomb group he flew missions in Germany and he didnt like to talk about it much but he would tell me a few stories I'm sure at my age I didnt understand but I keep his silver wings on my desk and his discharge papers in a drawer after growing up and studied what happened to them I see why he wouldnt talk about it much
Highly recommend the book “masters of the air” covers the European bombing campaign in great depth. Sometimes brutal to read but worth it
grreat, informative video many thanks to all involved, please keep"em" coming
My grandfather's brother flew 85 missions in a '17, he flew 3 in the waist and rest as a tail gunner.
4:26 It's "cannon" "Canon" is a camera company. Rant over. Still a great video!
Lol maybe it’s a British “thing”? 😂
@@Puppy_Puppington Nope, its been mis spelled.
I expected slightly more accuracy from a museum. 18 100th bombers started the Münster mission, but five turned back early due to mechanical problems. So stating that 13 planes took off for that mission is factually incorrect.
Great video and I'm currently reading the book 'Masters Of The Air', which is about the Bloody 100th or the Square D bomb group ^.^
Can you folks please do a video about the 379th BG next? A group full of amazing stories like that of the Jersey Bounce II and of course, Ye Olde Pub
I exist as a human being because my Grandfather survived over 40 missions flying with the 100th as a bombadier and navigator. Wounded twice, he was one of the measly 20% of 100th airmen who came home. That alone is a miracle, but what really gives me pause is that the night before he was to fly a mission, he was sidelined by an appendicitis. And while he was laying in a hospital bed, his whole crew was KIA. Then assigned to a new crew on a different bomber. I exist because of my Grandpa Joe’s appendix.
Судьба.
Enjoyed my time stationed at RAF Mildenhall for 5 years. The legacy of the 100th Bomb Group that the 100th ARW still carries on is amazing
My Great Uncle was part of a Canadian bomber group. I think he was in a Lancaster. (Great doc on netflix right now). Unfortunately, they didn't make it. He was my Gram's favourite brother and she spoke highly of him always. I have letters and the document that he had accepting him to be an officer gunner. RIP Bob and grams.
I hadn't heard about the helmet modification or the double decker thing.
Masters of the Air, is a upcoming television miniseries for Apple TV+ from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks follows the events of the 100th Bomb Group.
If you listen to the veterans of the 390th bomb group (they have a museum in Tucson and a you tube channel with many interviews), they mention tight formation flying as a key. The Luftwaffe picked on the weakest formations, which could be due to flak loss or poor Formation flying. Some of the veterans indicated that the 100th bomb group was not disciplined in their box formation flying, and that’s what made them more vulnerable to attack. The 390th was very detailed and flew as close as it could almost to the point of having collisions. They said that the groups that flew tighter had less attacks. I’ve listened to most of their accounts, and it was repeated several times. I thought it was an interesting perspective. But regardless, they all had significant losses. Check Raymond McFalone’s channel for amazing interviews of the 390th.
Flak brought down more B17's then the fighters,and if a fort took a direct hit from an 88 the chances of survival were slim but not impossible,some remarkable recoveries and flying were achieved by some outstanding flying
I heard the weight of B-17s was so much so, that once it faced a certain angle when facing down, the G force is too strong to change direction and it’s a one way trip to the bottom. And most pilots feared this when getting shot at by flak, as the imapact/damage could cause a momentary dip of the nose to that dangerous angle of no return as no corrective action would help.
@Maxrodon The museum where I volunteer we have a photo of a B 17 with no nose yet the pilot got it back remarkable
My father was a navigator in the 350th and part of this bombing group and he flew 27 missions. He was 21 years old at the time I think. He never talked about what he did and I learned about it much later but these young men did extraordinary things and their stories definitely worth knowing about.
My Dad was a gunner in the 100th. I got into WWII air war history, and he never mentioned he'd been a part if it. I didn't know about it until showing my grandmother a book with a picture about the Schweinfurt raid and she said he'd been on it. Total suprise. After that he'd tell me stories about peripheral things, but not the fighting. Like bar fights, the fact that a good breakfast with real eggs meant the mission was going to be a tough one, and getting busted to private and promoted back to sergeant within 24 hrs. That kind of thing. But nothing about the missions themselves. For lack of a better term, I don't think he wanted me to 'hero-worship' him for that part of his life.
I found four crashplaces of B-17 Bombers in Germany, they were shot down during the Schweinfurt Raids in August and Oct 1943. Two Of them belonged to the 350Squadron of 100thBombGroup, named Tweedle O Twill and Escape Kit. Most airmen could bail out and became POW, the killed were later buried in the US.
12 O'Clock High (TV Series 1964-1967)
"This series chronicled the adventures, in the air and on the ground, of the men of the 918th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force. First commanded by irascible General Frank Savage, and later by Colonel Joe Gallagher, the son of a Pentagon General. The group is stationed in England, and flies long-range bombing missions into German-held Europe." -Marg Baskin
A Quinn Martin Production
A friend of mine, now passed, was an upper turret gunner in Our Gal Sal with the 100th.
He told me one of the worst part of being on an air crew is rarely discussed were the abdominal issues associated with unpressurized flight. Granted it’s not a pleasant table talk subject. In short, there’s probably still a flack helmet buried next to one of the hard stands at Thorpe Abbots because he had to use it as a toilet on one mission. He wasn’t the only one.
We had a maths teacher who flew Halifax bombers in ww2 and it wasn't til his last year before retirement that anyone even knew because he was recognised at parents' evening. He was too damned cool to ever mention it.
My father in law was in the 100th BG. He very seldom spoke to me about it, he opened up when he knew his time was close. His crew’s B17’s was names Mason Bishion after the pilot and copilot. I met one of his original crew members named Jim Ewing years back. My FIL was awarded the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf cluster, but he never shared why he was awarded the decoration. He did 25 missions and was sent state side to Colorado to teach gunnery school.
My father was in the 453rd BG the same outfit that Jimmy Stewart and Walter Matthau were in. Stewart was the flight operations officer in the group. The 453rd air field was located at Olbe Buckenham, about 20 miles from Thorpe Abbots. My father was a flight engineer on a B24 and his plane was shot down on his 13th mission. Spent the duration as a POW. I miss the shit out of both of those men.
You pronounced Kearney beautifully!
Thank you gentlemen.
Eternally grateful.
You've got our back and we've got yours.
Ummm...we have a Presidential candidate quoting Hitler...
@@garryferrington811 Better than Biden, he talks Martian.😉
Better off with a Martian then a nazi.
Plus all that nazi has done is spread hate, increase the national debt, and fill his pockets. A failure of a human being. Oh, he also dodged the draft.
Its so sad… all the history forever lost. My grandmother’s dad was in a b-17 he was a ball gunner, shes not sure what squadron he was in as he and his plane was unfortunately shot down. She doesnt talk about it alot, but here i am 23 in 2024 hopfully about to join the air force 😅
I was born and raised in Thorpe Abbotts 25 years after the war ended. The airfield was the owned by a relatively strict custodian but as kids we played in the buildings dodging the gamekeepers, and the land owner in his Landrover. Occasionally we got spotted and frogged march off the land.
On better days we biked up and down the runways of Thorpe Abbotts imagining we were the B17’s taking off and landing. It was an ultimate playground of bunkers and buildings that stretched out over a 1000 acres or more.
The control tower was in a terrible state when we first ventured over the fields to see it but over the years it was amazingly restored and I remember the first time the Sally B (B 17) flew over, the sound was amazing and it painted a picture that no artist or film maker could ever do.
I’m now in my 50’s and look at these very brave lads with different 😢eyes as I did as a kid. Still super hero’s but super hero’s that didn’t always come home.
Thanks for the great history lesson. Very interesting. Cheers.
Wow Rosenthal was a true avenging angel
Who else came here after watching first couple episodes of " The masters of the air" ?
"In Eschelon We Carry On.." These USAAF Airmen were the heroes who made the USAF what it is today.
Without brave men like this, England wouldn't still be English and ruled by Englishmen, it would be German! Imagine London completely Germanic, it would be unrecognisable.
I've noticed that for most of the documentaries and videos similar to this one use the footage from the Memphis Belle documentary.
My father was Operations Officer under Buck Clevan.
Due to the efforts of Mike Faley (Historian), Carol and Ron Batley, (Thorpe Abbott’s Museum) my mother and my 8 brothers and sisters were introduced to the history and legacy of my father’s time with the Army Air Corp.
She met my father’s roommate from Stalag Luft III, Frank Murphy who filled in their experiences in camp and the gruesome, forced March to their freedom.
We gained a family that we treasure meeting with yearly at our 100th Reunions.
There is a lot of footage from the Memphis Belle Documentary in here.
No, FLAK is an abriviation of FLieger Abwehr Kanone, anti air canon, the stuff flyingof the exploding shells is shrapnel.
Flak is a perfectly acceptable term and was used widely to mean that. Shrapnel was the inventors name and referred to a cannister type shell fired from an old style cannon which contained small metal balls that then exploded in flight, used at the end of the 18th/beginning of the 19th century if you want to play anal pendatic arse olympics.
No, the origin is as you describe, but "flak" [not capitalised] also became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire as in "we took a lot of flak" [WWII], "...you can find Debris can fly up, pieces of flak can hit you in the face, and dust can get in your eyes, so cover them up with wide safety glasses" [a 90s USAF advisory during the first Gulf war."] Note also that US Army Korean war & VN body protection included items called flak vest/flak jacket despite their use by ground troops not facing FLAK.
My father-in-law was a B-24 tail gunner in the 409 BS, 93rd BG H) (Ted's Travelling Circus). He flew 30 missions from 1943 to 1944. The 93rd was in on the raid against the oil fields of Ploesti, Romania (Operation Tidal Wave). It's home was Station 104 in Hardwick, England.
I had a German language teacher in the early '80s who was a 12-year-old boy living in Muenster during the Muenster bombing mission. He was pretty emotional about it. He said there were no war-oriented industries in Muenster, so he thought they would not be bombed. Of course, it was a railroad town, so it was strategic. He was absolutely terrified.
My grandfather was a top turret gunner and flight engineer on a B-24 during ww2 with the 464th bg 779th bomb squad...he was with the 15th air force out of italy
They should do a tv show about the Vietnam bombers
I just finished reading Masters of The Air it was riveting and I couldn't put it down once I started. I knew Jimmy Stewart flew with the 8th but never realized how many combat missions he flew or that he eventually became squadron commander, and even flew in Vietnam eventually retiring as a General. Recently I watched Clark Gable's "Combat America" about his time with the 8th also. Rosie Rosenthal actually wanted to go to the Pacific & fly B-29's but never did as I believe they said something like haven't you done enough already. FLY NAVY!!!
George McGovern, a US Senator and nominee for president was also a bomber pilot.
Thanks so was Tom Landry former coach of the Cowboys. FLY NAVY!!!@@your_royal_highness
Tom Landry former coach of the Dallas Cowboys was too. Andy Rooney also flew with the 8th as well. I'm sure there are probably more as this is why they were and still are "The Greatest Generation". FLY NAVY!!! @@your_royal_highness
October 10 was indeed a horrible day for the 100th, but it's a little disingenous to say that their 13 B-17s were met by 350 Luftwaffe fighters. The 100th were merely one element of a raid that involved 236 Fortresses and 216 P-47 escorts. 30 B-17s were lost and 105 severely damaged that day but of course the 100th was by far the hardest hit individual unit.
It wasn't the shrapnel that was known as 'flak'; it was and still is all aspects of what was fired up into the air from the flugabwehrkanone, ie 'air defence cannons'.
*60, not thirty.
@@frankmiller95 I understand the Germans lost 62 aircraft. 30 B-17s didn't return, with a human toll of 38 aircrew MIA/KIA.
My father's first cousin was a member of the 100th. His 1st mission was late in the war, January 29th, 1945. Gene Greenwood. He flew 27 missions before the war ended. He had a midair collision with a B17 that took a direct hit from a flak round on March 23d 1945. His crew survived, but the 9 other men of the Patriotic Patty did not.
Rosenthal is a German Jewish name meaning "rose valley". May his spirit reside in such a valley as thanks to his humanity.
The 100th ARW is the only Air Force unit allowed to continue using their WW2 era tail fin insignia, the block D.
I was recently given a square D badge by no less than the current base commander of the 100th at Mildenhall. We had a lovely chat for about 15 minutes. As you say they are very proud of the 'D', and he did mention that the 100th are the only unit of the USAF that are permitted to continue to use their WW2 tail markings, such is their reputation. One of the crew with him said that there may be a TV documentary about the modern 100th ARW coming up in the next couple of years. 👍
Excellent video - really interesting topic, great script and and really good narration. Thank you!
The book "A Wing and A Prayer" by Harry Crosby is an excellent read. It gives a first hand account of a navigator in the 100th BG.
Re: the double decker B-17, she glossed over the fact that the ball turret gunner could not get out and the pilots killed the intercom to not hear him saying his last Hail Marys.
I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
This is a great story. Thank you for telling it.
Love your work, IWM 👍
A great tribute. Bravo Zulu, IWM..............
I absolutely agree. I volunteer as a blood biker: one of the best things is that it gets me riding at all hours & weather conditions (& for a good cause). I’d probably not go out in the dark, cold & wet otherwise but it often turns out to be really enjoyable & even inspirational. Keep riding 🙂
These airmen had the heart of steel to get shot at and still complete the missions.
a bit of a spoiler! 😂. ❤ Though i think you have the remaining original crew number off after munster.
I had the honor and privilege of growing up in Arvonia Virginia. Tom Jeffrey was our neighbor and friend.
He was a Colonel at Thorpe Abbotts in the 100th. He introduced me to Rosie. Cherished memories.
Another great presentation from the Imperial War Museums! And it only took about 11 minutes. It's too bad that so little of the war documentary content on the web comes anywhere near this standard.
Brilliant video.
Another excellent instructive video.
The Bloody 100th is is an upcoming video game.. I have it on my Steam wish list.
excelente informe
The AN-15-H flight helmet was not used in 1943. Most bomber crews wore fur-lined B-6 flight helmets. This is sad that research was not conducted.
My Dad was Pilot of the Carolina Moon B-17 out of Eye, East Anglia. 490th Heavy. The Navigators Diary was really something to read twice.
Highly recommend the Might 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah, GA, right off I-95. I have two episodes left of Masters of the Air, it is phenomenal.
Flying 52 missions is a crazy high number!
Huh, never even heard of them. Now the RAFs 617 squadron on the other hand...
This is no knock on the 100th. But I just really love how Imperial War Museums gave me an explanation of Why this Bomb Group are getting their own TV show.
The greatest generation ❤.
Surely, the jagged shrapnel from the 88s was lethal to those it rained back down on as well. Or is it not the case?
When the shrapnel fragments lost their initial momentum from the shell exploding,those that did not hit the bombers would have fallen back to earth at their terminal velocity ,which could,like any object subjected to the force of gravity,reach 120 mph,however,flack shell fragments were usually very small and would basically float down.
@@darkknight1340 I guess it depends on the weight of the shard of shrapnel. During the Battle of Britain, anti-aircraft shells which failed to explore at altitude, would often explode on impact when they came back to earth. Not sure if the War Office held statistics on the number of deaths caused by these UXOs. For German 88s there must have been similar "friendly" fire incidents. I fell down a rabbit hole with that question
Who knew it was a thing, after late 1943, German ack-ack shell came with a self-destruct to deal with the problem. Sprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger
My hunch is that in the initial explosion, shrapnel is like a very powerful shotgun/grenade in that small fragments are moving with an incredible amount of force over a short distance. However, such small pieces when falling down onto someone’s head from that height would be like hailstones, will leave a mark, can injure and under rare instances “may kill” but using my shotgun analogy, if a shotgun pallet from a shotgun round was dropped from a plane and eventually hit your car bonnet for example, I would expect a loud bounce but no penetration or significant dent. If the pieces were much larger then it would definitely kill on impact when dropping.
In most air raids, people are in cover or bunkers etc so there might be a lack of data to back or counter my view due to the lack of opportunities for this to occur but hope my thoughts helped :)
@@Maxrodon it appears that due to air resistance slowing gravitational forces a coin sized frag will reach a terminal velocity of about 12 miles an hour (19km) far from lethal. Although wearing steel helmets was advised outdoors during air-raids, just in case falling roof tiles rained down.
This is often at best an overlooked unpleasant side-effect and at worst, a coverred up secret because of the numerous civilians death one's own side is inflicting.
Despite the other comments suggested either physics or technology mitigated the problems it didn't/doesn't. The Germans with their very siginificant flack defences managed to kill many of their own as did the British during the Blitz. There, originally the AA was actually located in the London and other cities. But because of shrapnel rain they moved the AA out of urban areas. In London's case into a more rural belt south of the city. Such that their debris mostly landed in the Sussex and Kent countryside not the London city suburbs.
For some reason 40,000 German deaths sticks in my mind from some source - but this could be completely a wrong recollection. What was very obvious to all contemporarily was that these deaths were but a fraction of the overall numbers and thus, upto a point irrelevant as the greater good was to deter or defeat the incoming bombers with flak/AA.
If sharpnel rain wasn't a problem I doubt you would see numerous photos of German city flak crews wearing helmets. Most famously on screen with the Hitler Youth in "Der Untergang/Downfall" (2005).
damn.rosenthat would turn in his grave to what his descendants are doing now
Square D.
Shows how little consideration was made for the men’s safety that it took pilots jerry rigging their own helmets before the military actually started making any.
Very strangely edited.
6:00 Why would they have bear skin on a pl... ohhhh, I got it.
That should be "is" getting their own TV show. LOL!
Truth is literally all of these airgroups could have their own show and people would watch.
That bomb group "almost" got their own show. LOL