My experience in 99th Bomb Group B17 WW2

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by jhor9, Apr 10, 2006.

  1. jhor9

    jhor9 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I was a B17 pilot in ww2, N.Africa-Italy 99th BG 50 missioins July 43 - Feb 44

    I will answer questions if I can Re B17
     
  2. morse1001

    morse1001 Very Senior Member

    B17 pilot ww2 N.Africa-Italy 99th BG 50 missioins July 43 - Feb 44

    I will answer questions if I can Re B17

    Hi Jhor9, nice to see a vetern join the forum, I am sure there are many who will be ready with questions for you.

    What models of B17 did you fly?
     
  3. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    You have my respect dude. Post some of your memories and stories for us like Sapper has. Please?
    Kitty
     
  4. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Welcome jhor9.

    Look forward to your participation.

    Spidge.
     
  5. Pte1643

    Pte1643 Member

    B17 pilot ww2 N.Africa-Italy 99th BG 50 missioins July 43 - Feb 44

    I will answer questions if I can Re B17

    Ah! The old 15th AF "Diamondbacks".

    Please... What BS were you assigned to?

    To answer Morse's question... Presumably the B-17D.
     
  6. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Jhor,

    Welcome to the Boards Sir! Glad to have you on board and looking forward to reading about your exploits in the B-17 :)
     
  7. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Welcome aboard, Jhor9...and thank you for your service to your country. :patriot[1]:
     
  8. jhor9

    jhor9 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Ah! The old 15th AF "Diamondbacks".

    Please... What BS were you assigned to?

    To answer Morse's question... Presumably the B-17D.

    At B17 transition school I flew in C, D. and E models.
    I flew an F from U.S. to N.Africa. My crew joined the 99 BG, 348 sqdn as a replacement, most of my 50 missions were flown in Fs, I flew Gs a few times.
     
  9. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    jhor9,

    Thankyou for your service..

    Often seen it written that the US Army had a bad time of it and not highly thought of my other Aliied infantry during the North African Campaign, being relitive newcomers and inexpereinced. Though myself I think its a credit to the US Army and Airforce that it grew so quickly and reached such a high standard in such a short time, I find it fascinating how the 'Yanks' got up to speed so quickly. Did you find the same thing in the airforce? Did you find it hard at first? Did you have much contact with other Allied aircrew?

    Regrds

    Kev
     
  10. jhor9

    jhor9 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    jhor9,

    Thankyou for your service..

    Often seen it written that the US Army had a bad time of it and not highly thought of my other Aliied infantry during the North African Campaign, being relitive newcomers and inexpereinced. Though myself I think its a credit to the US Army and Airforce that it grew so quickly and reached such a high standard in such a short time, I find it fascinating how the 'Yanks' got up to speed so quickly. Did you find the same thing in the airforce? Did you find it hard at first? Did you have much contact with other Allied aircrew?

    Regrds

    Kev

    Kev,
    I rarely had contact with other allied airmen. Our problem in the Med theater during my tour, was to get replacement planes and personell,
    everything was going to grioups in the UK
     
  11. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    To US and British forces in the UK?

    What postion did you fly? Did you have much contact with the Italian air force, what did you think of them. Most accounts Ive read site them a pretty well skilled but lacking modern tactics and aggression/determination??
     
  12. 39thmilitia

    39thmilitia Member

    The problem with the Italians was that most Italians wanted to be on the Allied side and only fought to survive, not win.
     
  13. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    Could you blame them?
     
  14. jhor9

    jhor9 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    To US and British forces in the UK?

    What postion did you fly? Did you have much contact with the Italian air force, what did you think of them. Most accounts Ive read site them a pretty well skilled but lacking modern tactics and aggression/determination??

    I was the pilot A.C. (the boss). The only time I saw Italians was on my first mission. He flew in just far enough to get a few bullet holes and then left.

    My personal opinion is that the Italian people are among the warmest people that one could find. Two years ago I was invited to come to Italy as a guest of the Historical Society of Reggio Emilia (city) because I bombed their city in Jan 1944
     
  15. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    Nice of them, i think. As i understand it the RAF crews always considered Italian targets to be Milk Runs. Was that the same for the USAAF?
     
  16. jhor9

    jhor9 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Nice of them, i think. As i understand it the RAF crews always considered Italian targets to be Milk Runs. Was that the same for the USAAF?

    We had some of both. We had Wellingtons based at our field that flew at night, ask some of their crews. I met some of their people and was told that they had heavy losses,
    My crew and 2 other crews were replacements for 3 out of 6 planes in my sqdn that were shot down. My group of 28 planes were bombing an airfield in Sicily. They destroyed 20 planes on the ground, in the area of the target they were attacked by over 100 190s and 109s, they got credit for shooting down 49 and damaged/some probables 22 more. This is from official records. I wouldn't call missions to Foggia , Naples, Mestre near Venice and Bolzano area plus others as milk runs.
    Also, any target worth hitting was very well protected wuth flak batteries, my personal opinion is that flak was worse then fighters
     
  17. jimbotosome

    jimbotosome Discharged

    We had some of both. We had Wellingtons based at our field that flew at night, ask some of their crews. I met some of their people and was told that they had heavy losses,
    My crew and 2 other crews were replacements for 3 out of 6 planes in my sqdn that were shot down. My group of 28 planes were bombing an airfield in Sicily. They destroyed 20 planes on the ground, in the area of the target they were attacked by over 100 190s and 109s, they got credit for shooting down 49 and damaged/some probables 22 more. This is from official records. I wouldn't call missions to Foggia , Naples, Mestre near Venice and Bolzano area plus others as milk runs.
    Also, any target worth hitting was very well protected wuth flak batteries, my personal opinion is that flak was worse then fighters
    Did they have to modify the seats in bombers so that people with "big ones" who flew them, could sit down? Hats off to you bomber guys. Man, where do people like you come from?:patriot[1]::ukflag[1]:
     
  18. jhor9

    jhor9 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

     
  19. jimbotosome

    jimbotosome Discharged

     
  20. jimbotosome

    jimbotosome Discharged

    jhor9,

    Where you there when General Doolittle was heading it up and if so did you ever meet him?

    Did you guys fly with the escort of the Tuskeegee airman?

    I attended a presentation of our flying club from a couple of the local Tenn pilots from the 15th (I don't remember the groups but they did fly the B-24s) They gave a presentation on the Ploesti raids. Ploesti might have been the singlemost devastating asset to lose in WWII for the Germans. If I am not mistaken, I don't believe there was a single target that could compare to its importance, not even the fighter factories.

    It has been about 10 years now but I seem to recall he had mentioned how the initial raid on Ploesti had a navigation problem so not all the groups found the target but it woke the Germans up about the risks to the Romanian fuel production and caused the Germans to bring in flak defenses out the ying yang trying to protect it from subsequent raids.

    Glad you are here. The 15th AF never got the fame or glory the 8th AF did but had just as profound affect on the Luftwaffe and ETO air supremacy because of what it did to the German fighter factories in spring 44. That was a real back-breaker.
     

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