Files in this item
| Files | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
mary-ruth.pdf
(10MB)
|
Description
| Title: | "Mary Ruth" Memories of Mobile... We Still Remember: Stories from the 91st Bomb Group |
| Author(s): | Getz, Lowell L. |
| Subject(s): |
World War II
91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force United States Air Force B-17 |
| Abstract: | The Eighth Air Force flew a total of 264,618 individual bomber sorties out of England during World War II. The 91st Bomb Group (Heavy), alone, flew 340 missions. Although many missions were routine, with little action, all too many were anything but routine. Formations often were subjected to continuous German fighter attacks, especially during the early months of the war. Anti-aircraft batteries sent up clouds of flak over most targets. Losses of planes and lives were severe. Many of the returning planes were so badly damaged that they barely were able to struggle back to their bases in England. Causalities among the crews were heavy. Even the "milk runs" were far from uneventful. Assembling the complex formations in the murky skies over England and flying the long distances at subzero temperatures to and from the target in aging, war weary planes was wrought with danger. Each mission presented its own unique drama about which any number of stories could be told. Unfortunately, only a few accounts of the events transpiring on specific missions have been recorded. The trauma, the terror, the manner in which the airmen responded to the situations are disappearing with the participants. We owe these men such a debt of gratitude, however, that an attempt should be made to record as many of the incidents of the time as possible. It is only through such accounts that later generations will understand and appreciate the dedication and sacrifices of the men who flew in the Eighth Air Force. In this short compilation of stories, I have put together just a sampling of the events of the time. |
| Issue Date: | 2001 |
| Citation Info: | Originally published on: http://www.maryruth.org/ |
| Genre: | Other |
| Type: | Image Text |
| Language: | English |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2142/184 |
| Publication Status: | published or submitted for publication |
| Peer Reviewed: | not peer reviewed |
| Rights Information: | Copyright owned by Lowell L. Getz |
| Date Available in IDEALS: | 2007-01-15 |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
-
Illinois Research and Scholarship (Open Community)
This is the default collection for all research and scholarship developed by faculty, staff or students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Item Statistics
- Total Downloads: 5683
- Downloads this Month: 11
- Downloads Today: 2