"Mary Ruth" Memories of Mobile... We Still Remember: Stories from the 91st Bomb Group

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.