WWII in color: Rare photos from 1942 show Flying Fortress

MailOnLine ^ | 03/19/13 | Snejana Farberov

[Doogle]

Millions of poignant black-and-white photos have come out of the World War Two era, but it is not often that scenes from the deadliest conflict in human history can be seen in living color.

In 1942, LIFE Magazine sent Margaret Bourke-White, one of its four original staff photographers and the first female photojournalist accredited to cover WWII, to take pictures of the VIII Bomber Command, commonly known as the Eighth Air Force or The Mighty 8th.

The photographs, executed in brilliant hues that make them look almost like oil paintings, put on full display the massive American B-24s and B-17s - or Flying Fortresses - that rained terror on Nazi-control cities often in tandem with the Royal Air Force.

In the early stages of the war, the Eighth Air Force and the bombers under its command were praised for the 'fantastic accuracy' of the attacks.

But as the conflict dragged on, the Flying Fortresses and their crews would face heavy loses, the most dramatic of which came in October 1943 when 60 bombers were destroyed and 600 pilots perished in a single raid in Germany.

[BenLurkin]

I;m still trying to figure out how a B-17 “took part in the Warsaw uprising” as one caption claims.

[yarddog]

I think the B-17 was the prettiest bomber of the war. I also think the British Lancaster was probably the best including the B-29.

The Spitfire was the prettiest fighter tho the BF-109 and FW-190 were close. Also the P-40 had a good look to it. even the Zero looked nice.

[real saxophonist]

That is funny. My dad landed on Utah Beach, and he drove Volkswagens the rest of his life.

[windcliff]

ping

[Chode]

cool... i never understood why some were painted and some were not, was it a European vs Pacific theater thing???

and then, there were the Formation Ships...

yeah i know it's a B-24

[Windflier]

What in the world was up with those paint jobs?

[xrmusn]

10 guys get into a bomber... Fly at sub zero temps... For hours at a time....Drop six - thousand pounds bombs over Germany all the while talking heavy flak....

Turn around go home.... If you make it....
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Do that 25 times and you MAY get to go home....

As a pre teen, I had some crazy notion of being a belly gunner in a Bomber...

Thought that would have been cool, but my Uncle (tin can sailor Pac) explained what the 1st target may be, where the pee settles, what happens when the landing gear won’t engage etc etc etc.

Being a quick learner and even at that young age having a bit of common sense, I figured the USMC was the ‘safe’ place for me to be.

He never was able to get me to ‘give up’ the Brooklyn Dodgers though, no matter how hard he tried <: <:...

[Dysart]

Several years ago we boarded the B-17 “Liberty Belle” in Addison, Tx for a flight of a lifetime, but as it taxied down the runway the right outside engine began to spew plumes of white smoke and the bird began shaking...more so.. it’s a rough ride under the best of conditions. With us was an elderly gentleman, old enough to have been a WWII Vet, easily, and unmoved through it all. But not everyone was so stoic. Twin girls screaming, mother conforting them. Even I wondered if this was not such a great idea...(I wasn’t certain the pilot was aware of the problem)happily he aborted, turned around, and we deplaned and that was that. I have some pics around here somewhere and she was a real beauty.

[xrmusn]

began to spew plumes of white smoke
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Not to worry.

Obviously that meant a new Pope was selected.....

[crusadersoldier]

Agree ... that and the F4U Corsair

[SunkenCiv]

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[Vote 4 Nixon]

My family and I also had the honor to tour the liberty belle in Douglas Ga. A few months before she burned up. Got lots of pics and the kids loved it. We were all heartbroken when we learned what happened to her.

[Chode]

Formation Ships... when a group takes off, they have to form up, but with hundreds of planes in the air it was easier if each group had somebody easy to spot and form up on in the larger formation

each group had it's own color scheme

[Dysart]

I’m looking for my photos now. If I find them I’ll post some.

[Professional Engineer]

The Mighty 8th museum is awesome. Visited last year.

[tanknetter]

cool... i never understood why some were painted and some were not, was it a European vs Pacific theater thing???

The USAAC went to camouflaged aircraft late in the war after determining that the massive number of bombers plus the high altitudes they flew at plus the ability to escort them for the entirety of their mission (thanks to the P-51) made paint unnecessary, while it still added weight, drag and cost. However there were some instances where the camouflage was reapplied due to sudden changes in the combat environment (some fighter and attack planes readopted cammo following Overlord when they deployed to forward airfields on the Continent, as an example)

The B-29 for instance started out wearing cammo when first deployed to China. Then switched quickly to unpainted natural metal for the high altitude daylight raids on Japan from the Marianas. When LeMay switched to low-altitude night raids, B-29s started having their undersides painted gloss black.

Now that's all a major oversimplification. All sorts of books have been written on WWII aircraft camouflage and there always seems to be a new quirk or angle jumping out from historical sources ...

[tanknetter]

Duh, first sentence should read “uncamouflaged”

[Windflier]

Makes sense. Thanks for the history lesson, Chode!

[tanknetter]

Several years ago we boarded the B-17 “Liberty Belle” in Addison, Tx for a flight of a lifetime, but as it taxied down the runway the right outside engine began to spew plumes of white smoke and the bird began shaking... I have some pics around here somewhere and she was a real beauty.

Liberty Belle was destroyed in a fire a year or two back. From the first notice of smoke (while in the air) to the plane being on the ground (in a freshly-plowed field) and her crew and passengers deplaned was somewhere in the neighborhood of a minute or two.

Fire apparatus showed up in time to save her, but couldn't traverse the field to actually get to her. Absolutely heartbreaking.

She was a pretty special plane - sent to Pratt & Whitney as an engine testbed, had a massive engine (prop) installed in the nose that could maintain the aircraft in flight with the other four engines off and feathered. After being retired from P&W she went to the New England Air Museum, where she was heavily damaged during the 1979 Hartford tornado. She sat semi-crumpled for over 10 years (maybe close to 20) before she was bought and restored to flying condition.