ronasimmons
Recruit
- 1
- Dec 26, 2019
I saw an earlier note in this forum (
drgondog
) and would like more info from him / her or anyone on ground crews. Yes, those neglected men. I am writing a novel while a work of nonfiction is being processed for release in April 2020 by Kent State University -- also on unsung men and women in uniform. This time, I am trying to verify how they were assigned to aircraft once in England.
I know they went to a separate training program than pilots and that they could have spent 1/3 to 1/2 a year in training stateside before being shipped to their destination. Part of that time I understand they were in "unit training". My question here -- is that with a particular B-17 on which a flight crew was also training somewhere stateside. How long would that have lasted.
Then, the crew chief and his crew ... although I am not sure they really had a particular assigned group reporting to the crew chief before getting to their stations in England ... shipped out and the flight crew of the B-17 they were working on may or may not have gone at the same time, although the flight crew most likely flew a bomber to the ETO.
Once both the flight crew and ground crew got to their final destination in England -- would they have necessarily met up again or is it more likely the ground crew would just go to work on any new unassigned B-17 at their base.
Thanks for anyone's help. I would be very grateful for info.
drgondog
) and would like more info from him / her or anyone on ground crews. Yes, those neglected men. I am writing a novel while a work of nonfiction is being processed for release in April 2020 by Kent State University -- also on unsung men and women in uniform. This time, I am trying to verify how they were assigned to aircraft once in England.I know they went to a separate training program than pilots and that they could have spent 1/3 to 1/2 a year in training stateside before being shipped to their destination. Part of that time I understand they were in "unit training". My question here -- is that with a particular B-17 on which a flight crew was also training somewhere stateside. How long would that have lasted.
Then, the crew chief and his crew ... although I am not sure they really had a particular assigned group reporting to the crew chief before getting to their stations in England ... shipped out and the flight crew of the B-17 they were working on may or may not have gone at the same time, although the flight crew most likely flew a bomber to the ETO.
Once both the flight crew and ground crew got to their final destination in England -- would they have necessarily met up again or is it more likely the ground crew would just go to work on any new unassigned B-17 at their base.
Thanks for anyone's help. I would be very grateful for info.
