Had to Laff

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 2:32 pm

It was our first mission... "Big B" (Berlin)... a tough mission, lots of flak... but we finally landed. The crew left the plane and finally I staggered out, my face covered with blood, and collapsed on the ground. The pilot Don Hassig called the ambulance. As we waited, I could dimly hear the crew in the background saying that I had finished the mission… even though I had been wounded… implying I was a hero. Not so! I had put my hat on, stood up, hit the roof and drove the fastener that secured my insignia to my 50 mission hat right through my forehead!

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:27 pm

well, not one to laff at

Yes, we lost eight crews and aircraft out of the nineteen we started with that day. Of the fourteen dispatched by the 100th Bomb Group, they had only two aircraft make it back to England. The 95th Bomb Group lost five of the twenty they sent to war that day. The 13th Combat Wing had taken a real shellacking.

HMSWarspite · Post by **HMSWarspite** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:16 pm

I have a autobiog of a Nav in the 100th. They took several bad raids - acquired a bit of a rep for it (details on request)!

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:11 pm

well, that is why they called them the bloody 100th, but in the long run, they didn't even lose the most planes, other BGs had them beat

Micah Goodman · Post by **Micah Goodman** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:43 pm

One of the best books I ever read involving the 8th AF was (Harry?) Crosby's account of his time with the 100th Bomb Group. Great read. It was amazing that he survived the whole war with them. He ended up as the Group Navigator. Funniest part of the book was the part where after the war he got airsick on a flight to Corpus Christi causing everone else to get air sick forcing the plane to return to Houston. So much for the hardened combat veteran. LOL

BB57 · Post by **BB57** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:59 am

I've got a signed copy of "A Wing and a Prayer". I'm an associate member of the 100th Bomb Group Association and gave HS the link to their web site in a different thread. Did a little more snopping around the site. 77% of the original crews were casualties of one sort or the other most POW. I can't give a number but early 8th AF chances to finish a tour wasn't very good.

Other 100th info, they got mauled on 8 missions take those missions away and their losses were very average.

Steve

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:40 pm

[font="times new roman"]On or about 15 Nov 43 near Salerno, Italy.[/font] [font="times new roman"]Lt. Lowe from Oklahoma trying to take off one morning because of mud on his flaps could not gain flying speed and went through the fence at the end of the runway. His plane finally came to a stop in a cemetery. When Lowe stepped out of the plane he almost fell into a newly opened grave. The Lieutenant said a couple of Hail Marys and went directly to Mass

[/font]
[font="times new roman"]Destroyed landing Monte Corvino , Italy [/font] [font="times new roman"]My experience was even more traumatic. At least it was for me. I had no difficulty on take off. But when I attempted to land the mud on my flaps caused the plane to stall out about 10 feet off the ground. Fortunately the tip of the right wing hit the ground and prohibited the plane from doing a half roll. It pan caked in the mud on top of the 500 gallon belly tank. Needless to say I was out of the plane by the time it stopped moving.[/font] [font="times new roman"]Since this was the fifth P 39 that been totalled by me, I asked if I could be classified as an "Ace". To date no one has referred to me by that name.[/font]
[font="times new roman"]

Castelventrano (Italy) was 22 years old, a veteran fighter pilot who'd already crashed twice during the Allies' North African and Italian campaigns against the Germans, his engine quit on landing after a mission. Dr. Moore wrote that Dad "jettisoned his belly tank and made a dead-stick landing in the best place available. He tore three trees to pieces and damaged 15 others, plus tearing up a stone wall. The plane cart wheeled and landed on its back. Bartimus was unconscious about 30 minutes before a Sicilian farmer pulled him out of the wreckage." he was dispatched to a military hospital in Palermo, where X-rays revealed a "long linear fracture of the skull, with haemorrhage of the middle ear." Dad's war was over. He was shipped back to the States on medical leave and married my mother three months later. Two children followed, in 1947 and 1949.[/font]

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:09 pm

more to interesting then funny

In all, the 453rd had ten veteran B-24's with 100 missions or more

120 missions - "My Babs” of the 733rd Squadron.

117 missions - "Wandering Wanda" of the 735th Squadron.

116 missions - "Hattie Belle" of the 735th Squadron.

113 missions - "Arrowhead" of the 732nd Squadron.

111 missions - "Foil Proof" of the 735th Squadron.

107 missions - "Ohio Silver" of the 732nd Squadron.

103 Missions - "Century Queen" of the 735th Squadron.

101 missions - "Crows Nest" of the 734th Squadron.

100 missions - "Becky" of the 732nd Squadron.

100 missions - "Liberty Run" of the 735th Squadron.

Executioner Five · Post by **Executioner Five** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:55 pm

I had to laugh too. How about not telling us quite as much how great the game is and getting it out the door instead?

At this point I'll be playing DNF before I play this game.

sauro brusch · Post by **sauro brusch** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:34 pm

You are right.

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:47 pm

Guys, what do you want from me ?

I can sit back and keep quiet, like a lot of the other guys do, or I can try and show what is going on ?

if i released today, what I got, you may be happy for today, but by the end of the week, your going to be complaining about why we released it before it was finished

I am on Vaction this week, I got 25 hours of work in the first two days of the week, only got about 5 hours in today (makes it nice when it is 2 degrees outside)

Alfred · Post by **Alfred** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:59 am

Aha!  So Hard Sarge is on vacation this week.  That explains him visiting the WITP forum.  Just don't think of adding a what if B-19 to BTR.[:D]
 
Alfred

histgamer · Post by **histgamer** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:56 am

B-19s should be included as an option to be your main bomber.[8D] The plane is so pretty.[:D]

fochinell · Post by **fochinell** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:39 am

Guys, what do you want from me ?

Well, inflicting random physical abuse on Harley would be a good start. [:'(]

Seriously, there are plenty of us out here who aren't ranting about game release dates and how it all is some giant conspiracy against our colossal sense of entitlement. Just keep on working at it, and release it when you're ready. Just not until after I defeat Werner on the old OB. [:@] Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the updates posted here.

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:48 am

Hey, I am a big fan of Gary and Keith, and all of there games (have been since the Apple II days)

I go to the other fourms on the board and post in a number of them (also have been in the testing on some of them, and still am on others)

(I feel Honored that I am able to speak with Gary and Keith and Joel, I was even able to get Gary to track down what I thought was a bug, while my guys were busy, and he was able to find and pin point it out for my guys to work on when they get the chance)

has the flame war started on me over my replies yet ?

but, while doing reseach here, I know a little about what would of happened to a plane like the B-19

if you know anything about the background to the Steriling or the Manchester, you will follow my line of thought, both were good planes, but both had design limits designed into them, based on what was needed and what the RAF had, and those limits ruined both planes for combat

the He 219, by todays thinking, nobody can understand why the LW didn't build more of them, but according to Gen Schmid (Beppo, BoB fame for being the intell man behind the bombing plans) one of the main reasons, was there were only 7 Airfields that had a runway long enough for this plane to take off and land on

now look at the runway the B-19 would of needed, besides hangers, and while it has a impressive range, it does not have the range to fly to any target, if it can not fly from England or NA

and can you see a 88 firing at it, at 15 K and doing 130-140 mph during the daylight (even at night, it would be a sitting duck)

and for this game, I hate to say it, but I think I got some planes worse then the B-19 in already

histgamer · Post by **histgamer** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:33 pm

[:D][:D]

I love WITP and BTR and the B-19 should be an option in both. Sitting duck be damned its the sexiest plane out there.[:D]

Hard Sarge · Post by **Hard Sarge** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:29 pm

I will need to wait on some of the art modders to get to work, I don't have anywork for the B-19

the stats I could work out (not sure if it would say in the air long, it's cruise speed is going to be close to cripple speed)

joey · Post by **joey** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:39 pm

Wasn't the only plane that was slower than B19 was the Spruce Goose? I think even Germany flak gunners would have loved shooting at this mammoth.

histgamer · Post by **histgamer** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:55 am

Ahh but it flies at 80,000 feet and is stealth...[X(][X(][X(] At least the B-19B-2 that I developed.[8D]

joey · Post by **joey** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:06 pm

At 80,000 feet in the 1940's with radar in its infancy, steath was the easy part!

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