Great history here. Great men of the Greatest Generation!
"An 18 year-old just out of high school was trained to take pictures of damage done to German targets by B-17s. He flew in a British Spitfire fitted with extra fuel tanks where the guns were. In other words, he flew over Germany unarmed...
WWII American Spitfire Pilot
This is probably one of the best WWII film clips out there. Stored for 61 years in two suitcases of 16mm home movies that were inherited by filmmaker William Lorton from his great uncle who served as a Flight Surgeon. Those suitcases contained 3 hours of war footage that included a compelling crash landing of a Spitfire in 1944.
Filmed in a 2005 interview with the now 83 year old pilot and seeing the expression on his face when he realizes it is him in the cockpit, is something you won't soon forget.
At 18 years old, he was all alone, behind enemy lines, with no guns, no escort, and he gladly did it. They just don't make them like that anymore. It was truly the greatest generation and we owe them so much."
"An 18 year-old just out of high school was trained to take pictures of damage done to German targets by B-17s. He flew in a British Spitfire fitted with extra fuel tanks where the guns were. In other words, he flew over Germany unarmed...
WWII American Spitfire Pilot
This is probably one of the best WWII film clips out there. Stored for 61 years in two suitcases of 16mm home movies that were inherited by filmmaker William Lorton from his great uncle who served as a Flight Surgeon. Those suitcases contained 3 hours of war footage that included a compelling crash landing of a Spitfire in 1944.
Filmed in a 2005 interview with the now 83 year old pilot and seeing the expression on his face when he realizes it is him in the cockpit, is something you won't soon forget.
At 18 years old, he was all alone, behind enemy lines, with no guns, no escort, and he gladly did it. They just don't make them like that anymore. It was truly the greatest generation and we owe them so much."
We were in his barracks and there were some other airman there and one was totally silent and looked troubled. I asked him what was up with him. Turns out he had just experienced what they called a "field goal". Turns out these guys flew around the base trying to draw enemy fire. They go up in a multi body type aircraft, (skydog would know what the aircraft was called) and one lucky guy hangs out the back of the center fuselodge attached by straps, the plane flys around low and slow hoping to draw fire, when it does there is a companion gunship above that will swoop in to blast the exact spot that the fire came from, that was this guys job to relay the location(aka spotter). In this case a "field goal" was a rocket that was fired at them that came so close it went between the twin outer bodies of the plane and between him and the tail wing. So in other words the ground to air missle came about 5-10 feet from his face. Young and dumb.
Sure he is okay now.
