Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 10/4/03 1:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:
ArtKramr wrote:
Subject: Aircrew casualities
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 10/3/03 11:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:
ArtKramr wrote:
snip
Just curious. Did Freeman actually fly missions with the 8th?
Nope, he was an English kid who lived near one of the bomber bases during
the war, and spent a lot of time hanging out there (the ground crews let
him). Since then he's become unquestionably the foremost historian of the
8th AF, although his aviation interest extend somewhat beyond that -- do a
google or amazon.com search on Roger A. Freeman. ISTR that he's also
involved in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library in Norwich, England -
http://www.2ndair.org.uk/new%20pages/library.htm
Guy
In a previous post you quoted Freeman on how parachutes were handled in the
eigth. The descriptions you gave were in direct contradiction to my
experiences
in the 9th. I never flew with the 8th, so I won't comment, but the idea
that
aircrews flew with their harnesse and chutes off and, "had to go look for
them
before bailing out" defies logic as well as my expereinces. We flew with
our
chutes on for the full length of the missions. Would never think of flying
otherwise. That is why I asked if he actually flew missions with the
Wait a minute Guy. This last post gives a different impession than the first
post. n this last post everyone seems to have worn their harnesses and it was
just a question of snapping on the chest pack OK that makes more sense. I can
buy that. In this post you never mention no harnesses, they all had hanresses
on and snapping on a chest pack takes all of two seconds. It takes a long time
to get onto a harness unaided and some guys can't do it alone. My waist gunner
always needed help. Your first post is rather different than this post. BTW, I
almost always wore my harness and chest pack under my flak suit.If not I had
it right next to me and could snap it on in a secnod after I took off my flak
jacket off. I never had to go look for it. Safety first every time. It was
dangerous up there. You might be interested in reading, "Sgt Greigos Flak
Jacket" on my website.
Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer