B-17s over the target The sky over the English Channel at mid-day on July 28, 1943 was partly cloudy, an early indicator that the past week of clear weather over northwestern Europe was coming to an end. Fifteen miles west of the Dutch coast, the 40 olive drab and grey, white-nosed P-47 Thunderbolts of the 78th Fighter Group eased their slow climb out of England behind them to 23,000 feet and leveled off to cross into enemy air space ahead. Each big fighter carried a bulbous tank attached to its belly beneath the semi-elliptical wings. Standard Operating Procedure was for the fighters to make their entry into the enemy’s air at 29,000 feet, above the flak. But this time, 84th Fighter Squadron CO Major Gene Roberts - who led the formation - was attempting something new. He recalled, “We started with the usual 48 fighters - three squadrons of 16 fighters per squadron. However, two of the pilots reported mechanical problems and had to abort as we crossed the English Channel. In each case, per our standard procedure at that time, I had to dispatch the aborting airplane’s entire flight of four to provide an escort back to base. That left us with 40 fighters for the mission by the time we reached Holland.”
Amen Dave. Great read always on any topic. Great selection of photos too! Now I'm addicted to TC's WW II books! The hook was the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club!
You know the writing is good when it reads just as well the second time.
Thanks, Dave.
Amen Dave. Great read always on any topic. Great selection of photos too! Now I'm addicted to TC's WW II books! The hook was the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club!
Which is Vietnam :-)
Wow, I was holding my breath while reading most of this!
Another great story, TC.