5/27/2023 0 Comments Life expectancy of ww2 bomber crew![]() Fittingly, the Americans named the day “Black Thursday.”įurthermore, although the bomber crews reported heavy damage to the ball bearing plants, they were back in production within six weeks. ![]() The Americans, on the other hand, suffered a 20 percent loss of aircrew, with 650 killed or taken prisoner, while many others were wounded.Īfter receiving reports of wrecked American bombers all over the countryside around Schweinfurt, an elated Hitler hailed the German response as a great victory for Germany’s air defenses. These losses amounted to 25 percent of the attacking force.Īlthough the Luftwaffe lost 38 fighters, many of the downed pilots bailed out and returned to duty. Of the 291 B-17s in the attack force, 60 were lost, 17 were heavily damaged and most of the others incurred some damage, but were repairable. Most aircraft in the attacking force suffered some damage. ![]() Once the attack began, German defenses devastated the American bomber force. After the American force entered Germany, it encountered the most intense German antiaircraft and aircraft resistance to date. Bad weather in England unraveled the Americans’ plan to mitigate German fighter resistance. 14 split into two groups to attack Schweinfurt’s ball bearing plants. The formation of the 291 bombers that launched on Oct. Eighth Air Force also increased the number of fighter escorts, but they still lacked the range to escort the bombers to targets inside Germany. For example, instead of dividing the force, the entire bomber force would be sent against Schweinfurt. Those losses led planners to develop new tactics to mitigate Luftwaffe fighter resistance. Although the attack on the ball bearing plants temporarily reduced production by 34 percent, the loss of 60 B-17s from the two raids delayed a follow-up attack on Schweinfurt until Oct. 17, 1943, Eighth Air Force launched 230 bombers to attack Regensburg and 146 bombers to strike Schweinfurt. It was only a matter of time before Eighth Air Force would select the Schweinfurt ball bearing plants for an aerial attack and contend with German air and ground defenses.īy July 1943, Eighth Air Force decided it had sufficient bombers to attack the Messerschmitt aircraft plants at Regensburg and Wiener Neustadt and the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt. However, AAF intelligence had overestimated the importance of the plants as Germany had stockpiles of ball bearings and could get additional stock from Swedish and Swiss factories.īy summer 1943, the intensifying bombing campaign by the AAF’s Eighth Air Force and Royal Air Force aircraft led the Germans to establish a new early warning radar line, increase the production of fighters and antiaircraft guns and build special “FLAK” (from the German flugabwehrkanone, or “aircraft defense cannon”) towers around select target cities. Army Air Force leaders believed the plants to be a key, or “classic,” target for strategic bombing. Located in eastern Bavaria, Schweinfurt produced most of the ball bearings used in many of Germany’s military and support vehicles and equipment, especially tanks and aircraft. 14, 1943, became known as “Black Thursday.” Because of the disastrous losses that day, Oct. Almost all of the other bombers suffered some level of damage. ![]() Of the surviving aircraft, 17 were so badly damaged that they were scrapped. German ground-based antiaircraft artillery and 300 fighters shot down 60 of the aircraft, with 600 crewmen killed or taken prisoner, the largest Army Air Force loss of the war to date. Seventy five years ago, 291 B-17F Flying Fortress high-altitude heavy bombers, each with a crew of 10, attacked the ball bearing plants around Schweinfurt, Bavaria.
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