How Many American Bomber Crews Died In Ww2

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How Many American Bomber Crews Died In Ww2?

Bomber Command aircrews suffered a high casualty rate: of a total of 125 000 aircrew 57 205 were killed (a 46 percent death rate) a further 8 403 were wounded in action and 9 838 became prisoners of war. Therefore a total of 75 446 airmen (60 percent of operational airmen) were killed wounded or taken prisoner.

How many tail gunners died in ww2?

Through the entire operation the Rear Gunner knew that the Luftwaffe fighter pilots preferred to attack from the rear and under the belly of the bomber so he was often 1st in line for elimination. During World War II – 20 000 air gunners were killed while serving with Bomber Command.”

What was the life expectancy of a ww2 bomber crew?

It had a crew of seven from the pilot to the gunners. Everyone had to play their part to stay alive. The Lancaster was one of the most dangerous places to be in the entire war – the life expectancy of a new recruit was just two weeks.

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Do b52s still have tail guns?

Fast-forward to the 1970s and the B-52 was Americans sole remaining heavy bomber. It was also the service’s last aircraft to even feature a tail gun whatever its utility might have been at that point. … A B-52H bomber with its tail gun still installed.

How many Lancaster bombers were shot down in ww2?

The Lancaster conducted a total of 156 000 sorties and dropped 608 612 long tons (618 378 tonnes) of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Only 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each and 3 249 were lost in action.

Did any RAF pilots survive the whole of ww2?

As six of the seven longest surviving veterans of the battle (Squadron Leader John Hart Flight Lieutenant Archie McInnes Flight Lieutenant Maurice Mounsdon Air Vice-Marshal John Thornett Lawrence Wing Commander Paul Farnes and Flight Lieutenant William Clark) died between June 2019 and May 2020 as of 8 May 2020 …

How many crew members does a b17 have?

nine crew members
Operation. Similar to the Avro Lancaster the player does not directly control anything in the aircraft but instead controls the actions of the nine crew members to operate the aircraft. The crew consists of a Pilot Flight Engineer Navigator Radio and Radar Operator Bombardier and four Gunners.

How many b52s were shot down in Vietnam?

30 B-52s

Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict.

How many b52s have crashed?

The destructive power of the new age of nuclear weapons was large enough to create a 100% kill zone within a radius of 8.5 miles of its detonation point. Since 1956 there have been more than 95 accidents involving a B-52 with the loss of nearly 360 air crew.

Is B-52 pressurized?

The skin expands and becomes smooth as the crew compartment is pressurised when the aircraft gains altitude. Boeing B-52 Stratofortress celebrated its 50th anniversary (first flight April 1952) in April 2002 and is the longest-serving combat aircraft in the world – a total of 744 were built.

What happened to all the Lancaster bombers after the war?

All the remaining 11 were all unceremoniously scrapped post war.

Which ww2 bomber had the heaviest bomb load?

Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster viewed as the best WWII heavy bomber could carry up to 14 000 pounds (6 350 kg) of bombs. A modified version could take on the heaviest bomb ever produced for Bomber Command the 22 000-pound (10 000-kg) “Grand Slam”.

What was the top speed of a Lancaster bomber?

Five top facts about the Lancaster bomber

– The performance of the Lancaster was simply outstanding. It could carry a maximum bomb load of 22 000 lb its maximum level speed with a full load at 15 000 feet was 275 mph and it could cruise routinely at altitudes above 20 000ft at a range speed of 200 mph.

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Which pilot shot down the most planes in ww2?

Erich Hartmann

While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II Erich Hartmann flew more than 1 400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills.

Was Douglas Bader a sailor?

Bader joined the RAF in 1928 and was commissioned in 1930. In December 1931 while attempting some aerobatics he crashed and lost both his legs.

Douglas Bader.
Sir Douglas Bader
Years of service 1928–1933 1939–1946
Rank Group Captain
Service number 26151
Commands held Tangmere Wing Duxford Wing No. 242 Squadron

How many planes did Douglas Bader shoot down?

Douglas Bader shot down a German Do 17 aircraft and damaged the rudder of a He 111 aircraft using his propeller. Douglas Bader was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

Did ww2 bombers have parachutes?

Generally speaking parachutes were mandatory for all bomber crewman during a bombing mission. Parachutes were considered property of the USAAF and individual crewman had to check out and check in their parachutes after each mission. This procedure applied to all crewman.

Why was the B-24 called the flying coffin?

The four-engine aircraft was notorious among aircrews. Officially designated the “Liberator ” the square shaped B-24 could easily turn into a death trap. It was hard to fly with its stiff and heavy controls and so earned its name by its crews as the “Flying Coffin.”

How many flying B 17s are left?

Today 46 planes survive in complete form 10 of which are airworthy and 39 of which reside in the United States.

How many US helicopters were shot down in Vietnam?

11 846 helicopters

According to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association a total of 11 846 helicopters were shot down or crashed during the war resulting in nearly 5 000 American pilots and crew killed. Of those servicepeople 2 382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois better known as the ubiquitous “Huey.”

How many helicopter pilots died in Vietnam?

Total helicopter pilots killed in the Vietnam War was 2 202. Total non-pilot crew members was 2704.

What was the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam?

between 13 and 30 days

The life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam was between 13 and 30 days.

How much does a B-52 bomber weigh?

83 250 kg

How old is the B-52 bomber?

The B-52A first flew in 1954 and the B model entered service in 1955. A total of 744 B-52s were built with the last a B-52H delivered in October 1962. The first of 102 B-52H’s was delivered to Strategic Air Command in May 1961.

How much does it cost to build a B-52 bomber?

Each B-21 costs around $600 million meaning the whole fleet could end up costing $60 billion for a hundred bombers or $84 billion for 140. The Air Force plans to deploy the non-stealthy B-52s as cruise-missile-shooters while the B-21s fly missions inside the range of enemy air-defenses.

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Do B-52 bombers have bathrooms?

With roughly 40 hours of constant flight a B-52 crew is likely to use the bathroom on missions. While many Air Force planes already have such privacy solutions or even private toilets not all do according to military.com.

Why do B-52 smoke so much?

There are a few reasons. The first is that the engines run more efficiently when the aircraft is moving. As the aircraft moves faster it’s easier for it to get more air into the engine which helps it run more efficiently. The second reason is even simpler: like most aircraft a B-52 only rarely runs at full throttle.

Does the B-52 have ejection seats?

The B-52G aircraft is a heavy bomber equipped with six crew stations. Each crew station has its escape hatch and ejection seat. … Each crew station has an independent ejection system that must be initiated by the crewmember. The ejection systems include an escape hatch for each ejection seat.

How many Lancasters took part in the Dambusters raid?

19 Lancasters

From 9.28pm on 16 May 133 aircrew in 19 Lancasters took off in three waves to bomb the dams.

How many Lancaster bombers survive?

17 Lancasters
Today 17 Lancasters survive around the world but only two are in flying condition. The Museum’s Lancaster Mk.

What was the range of a Lancaster bomber?

4 073 km

Why did Germany not have heavy bombers?

Eventually from the middle of 1944 the majority of the German long-range bombers were forced to remain on the ground: there was simply not enough fuel left to go round. The allied fighter bombers did the rest.

What US bomber has the largest payload?

The B-1B

The B-1B which became operational in 1986 has the largest internal payload of any current bomber. The US Department of Defense announced plans to cut its B-1B inventory from 92 to 67 as a cost-saving measure in July 2001. The first aircraft was withdrawn from service in August 2002.

How many heavy bombers does the US have?

America’s current heavy bomber fleet includes around 157 aircraft but a large number of those platforms aren’t ready to fly.

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