Just put up a video of my B-17 Pilot dad up on youtube

[jjb17463rd]

I thought that you guys perhaps would like to see it.
This video was made in 1985 so it is kind of old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOP53TkGtA

And in case you haven't seen the combat missions of my father here is a list of them with the names and serial numbers of each B-17.

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post ... id=1784972

I am still in the process of learning specifics about each combat mission.

Plus I'm still looking forward to this strategy game when it is released

[Rebel Yell]

Good stuff.
 
We owe him a great debt of gratitude.

[harley]

Thats great, son-of-JJ...

What happened to Berlin Sleeper III after the forced landing. Your dad didn't write her off, did he?

Good to see some of the birds he flew popping up right through the 6 months he was flying...

[jjb17463rd]

Well it is a long story(I'll make it short) but Dad was transitioning to be the Pilot of his regular crew.
So he was the copilot on that one(his 3rd).The replacement crews usually were transitioned up to their 5th combat mission(sortie).What happened is that the Pilot crashed the ship at the Celone Base after a short flight from the RAF Pescara base and he was sent home after his 44th combat mission.Pescara was where they had to land after an emergency(They had to dump the ball turret,.50 caliber machine guns etc. because of losing altitude).The RAF chaps at Pescara repaired the engines and fueled the ship up.
Apparently combat was too much for the Pilot.The losses were pretty high on earlier missions of the 463rd BG.I won't mention his name so as not to embarress him.Dad became the Pilot after that mission with his regular crew.
Berlin Sleeper III 44-6194 was apparently repaired but was lost on a mission on
Aug 19,1944 I think over the Ploesti refineries.I have a picture of Berlin Sleeper III after the crash landing.Her nose was pretty smashed up.I think there were some bent propellers too.
It's kind of nice having this video of my father because its one of the few videos I have of him with his voice in it.Plus it's pretty neat that it is about a B17 too and a little about his service in the USAAF.