02/17/2024
Upon completion of Part Five of MASTERS OF THE AIR (Apple TV); I am reminded of how the odds were stacked against these bomber crews. How it was possible for any of these airmen to survive the sustained missions and relentless air defenses of Germany during WWII is remarkable. Last week in Part Four, during the bar scene when MAJ Egan tells "Rosie" Rosenthal to try to make 11 missions - and then he would beat the odds (or not) - he was referring to the statistic that a B-17 Flying Fortress lasted 11 missions. In other words, statistically, the "lifespan" of a B-17 was 11 missions. How many missions did these guys fly? 25 missions, then 30, and some of these men flew over 50 missions. If you ever met an airmen from WWII, you met a LIVING MIRACLE... because, even if they just flew 25 missions, they were already (statistically) dead, twice over.
