Comparative Study of B-17 vs B-24

[Erich]

vielen Dank für der Schwarze Man Adler ! 8)

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i think he's talking to you adler

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

vielen Dank für der Schwarze Man Adler ! 8)

Warum der Schwarze Man, Erich? Ich verstehe dich jetzt grad nicht.

 

[Erich]

Was ist das ?

ok Adler you had them work for you as well. the black men or mechanics due to the black overall appearance of their coveralls,,,,,, inseperable from a successful crew.

Klar ?

 

[Erich]

nasty shit coming at the bombers and fighters of the US AF

close-up of the 3cm Mk 108 fuzes

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Was ist das ?

ok Adler you had them work for you as well. the black men or mechanics due to the black overall appearance of their coveralls,,,,,, inseperable from a successful crew.

Klar ?

Ach Ja jetzt verstehe ich!

 

[Erich]

I thought you'd get it 8) A B-24 gets it's ass kicked by Minen rounds

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It took a while but I figured it out.

Nice pic there.

 

[P38 Pilot]

Yeah. Great shot right there. B-17s and B-24s were often the prey to several German fighters.

You had to have guts being in a B-17 or -24 if you could take rounds like that.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah I deffinatly would not have wanted to be a bomber fighter but later in the war when there swarms of "Little Friend" flying around it got a little better.

 

[Erich]

a nasty hit from a SturmFw of II.Sturm/JG 4 in the fall of 1944

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Neat how you can see the Engine and probably fuel in the wings going up.

 

[Lunatic]

Neat how you can see the Engine and probably fuel in the wings going up.

That's exactly what your seeing - the inner wing fuel tank is exploding.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Neat how you can see the Engine and probably fuel in the wings going up.

That's exactly what your seeing - the inner wing fuel tank is exploding.

Yes I was able to figure that out. Maintaining aircraft kind of gives me an idea of the anatomy of an aircraft. Thanks anyhow though.

 

[Erich]

3 other lethal hits were given and the B-24 went down under the guns of the Fw 190A-8/R2 pilot on 27 September 1944, confirmed by other members of the 445th bomb group that the Germans had attacked.....

E

 

[Lightning Guy]

I was considerably better for 8th and 15th AF crewmen in the later stages of the way. Towards the end of 1944 and all of 1945 a large number of bomber gunners were completing their tours without ever having fired their guns in anger. But flak was also dangers and as lethal as the Mk108 and Mk103 were, the 88mm was even worse. I am and always will be deeply impressed by the bravery of those bomber crews (regardless of what they flew in).

 

[CurzonDax]

On the other hand both of these planes, especially in the first years of the war, probably until '43/'44, gave the JAF pilots fits. Sakai hated going up against 17s even though I think he shot down several.

:{)

 

[Lightning Guy]

Even the German pilots weren't wild about attacking a formation of Libs or Forts. Formations were often attacked by fighter equipped with rockets. If conventional fighters attack a formation that always did it in mass. Note also the Luftwaffe strategy of picking off the stragglers.

 

[Erich]

rockets were used in 43 early 44 and then banned until march of 45 with the Me 262, JG 7 unit. LG, the Mk 103 was never used on the bombers except as an experimental installation which failed due to ballistic characteristics and the long rod barrels which through off aerodynamics. Several prototypes on the Fw 190A were used as experiments but never flown on ops. Mk 108 on the other hand used on the 262, Bf 110G's, Bf 109G, K's and the Fw 190's, Me 163 Komet, besides the hosts using 2cm Mausers

 

[Lightning Guy]

Either way the basic point remains true. The Luftwaffe did realize there was an inherit danger in attack a massed formation of bombers. One way another (where by rocket barrage or sheer mass of fighters) the formations needed to be broken up.