B-24 Pilot's Mission Diary

Recreational Aviation Foundation ^ | 11/12/15 | Drummond

[WKUHilltopper]

for later

[Pontiac]

Came home and tent all ripped down and clothes burned because of a haystack fire close by.

That would kind of be the perfect end to a perfect day wouldn’t it?

Survive a ruff mission where you get your plane shot and loose an engine have to land for temporary repairs. Finally make it home and find your home burnt down loosing most of your meager possessions.

Tough kid though just a few matter of fact lines in his diary.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this. We have a stained glass window in our church donated by the family of a pilot killed on a raid over Ploesti Rumania.

May 31, 1944

Ploesti Rumania

Hit oil refinery on edge of Ploesti. Flak extremely heavy. B-17 pilot with 35 missions said there was more flak than all his missions put together. Hit target and oil spouted flames up to 18,000 feet. Four squadrons lost two planes apiece that we know of. Two planes made it to home field but were too shot up to land. Everyone baled out. Copilot of one jumped with unconscious engineer and pulled his rip cord then pulled his own. We were lucky as usual and only got one little hole in Aileron. Getting used to flack cause we get it on all raids but we are darn lucky, so I guess we will make it. This life is doggone hard on your nerves. 40 to go.

[olezip]

Thank you for sharing.

[LS]

A bomber, up until mid-43, was statistically the most dangerous place you could be---even worse than a Marine hitting a beach in the Pacific. It changed some after the fighter escorts came on board.

BTW, is it true the B-24 was not a very good plane?

[jmacusa]

There were giants in those days. God bless them. The B-24 was not an easy plane to fly and couldn’t take the damage the more rugged B-17 could. Still those guys— kids reall,y went up time and again.

[jmacusa]

Yes it's true. It was meant to carry a heavier bomb load greater distance than the B-17 so it's "T'' shaped design, with the wings level with the top of the fuselage meant more fuel storage capacity but it made the plane vulnerable if it was hit in the wing. Pretty much much any size flak hole or 20 or 30mm cannon shell in the wing and a B-24 was toast.

[VMI70]

Great post...Thanks.

Can you imagine? 23 years old and the oldest of his crew. That’s a helluva responsibility for that young of a man.

[Portcall24]

No words can express the respect and admiration for those who went before. The Nation’s finest.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

This was a great little read. Ploesti was a real bitch. Flying at treetop level has got to fry your nerves.

My father flew B24’s in the Pacific, the Snoopers squadron.

[MomwithHope]

Wow. My hubby’s dad whom I never got to meet was also a WWII B24 pilot and flew many missions in Europe. He’s got a great collection up of logs and letters. John Ehrlichman was one of his crew.

[sphinx]

I believe that if I were a college professor these days, I’d print this out, distribute it to the class, and give them a few minutes to read it. And then I’d announce that if there are any hypersensitivity cases in the room, they can either grow up right now, or take a hike.

[freeandfreezing]

Tough kid though just a few matter of fact lines in his diary.

I think the first day on the job toughened every one of those air crew members. When my dad arrived at their base in the Pacific their first job was to pack up the personal effects of the crew whose tent they were taking over - a crew who hadn't returned after their mission.

[Inyo-Mono]

Thanks for posting. My Dad was a bombardier in a B-24 in the Pacific Theater and he wouldn’t talk about it until just a few years before he died in 1988.

[razorback-bert]

My uncle was a navigator on 24’s and would never talk about it.

[Dartman]

Thank you for posting this. What a wonderful tale. Twenty-three years old, and the oldest of the crew. Wonderful.

[WKUHilltopper]

My wife’s uncle...flew B24s and had 3 shot out “from underneath him” in the Pacific. I knew a car dealer who was a waist gunner over Ploesti.

Amazing men...all of them.

[21twelve]

My uncle was a bombardier in Europe. We spent all of our holidays together. I didn't know that's what he was until his funeral!

[pabianice]

My crew in Vietnam, flying P-3s, wasn’t much older. I was 23 and the tactical coordinator/bombardier. The plane commander was 25 — the oldest guy on board. Ages ranged from 19 to 25. It’s a young person’s game.