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LESSON 3 Significant Aircraft of World War II

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LESSON 3 Significant Aircraft of World War II ORREST LEE “WOODY” VOSLER of Lyndonville, Quick Write New York, was a radio operator and gunner during F World War ll. He was the second enlisted member of the Army Air Forces to receive the Medal of Honor. Staff Sergeant Vosler was assigned to a bomb group Time and time again we read about heroic acts based in England. On 20 December 1943, fl ying on his accomplished by military fourth combat mission over Bremen, Germany, Vosler’s servicemen and women B-17 was hit by anti-aircraft fi re, severely damaging it during wartime. After reading the story about and forcing it out of formation. Staff Sergeant Vosler, name Vosler was severely wounded in his legs and thighs three things he did to help his crew survive, which by a mortar shell exploding in the radio compartment. earned him the Medal With the tail end of the aircraft destroyed and the tail of Honor. gunner wounded in critical condition, Vosler stepped up and manned the guns. Without a man on the rear guns, the aircraft would have been defenseless against German fi ghters attacking from that direction. Learn About While providing cover fi re from the tail gun, Vosler was • the development of struck in the chest and face. Metal shrapnel was lodged bombers during the war into both of his eyes, impairing his vision. Able only to • the development of see indistinct shapes and blurs, Vosler never left his post fi ghters during the war and continued to fi re. • the development of transports during the war The heavily damaged aircraft struggled to stay airborne. Vosler volunteered to be thrown from the plane to lighten the load—this selfl ess request was denied. He crawled back to his position at the radio and desperately tried to send out a distress signal. While the pilot was preparing to ditch the plane into the sea, Vosler, now completely blind and using only memory and sense of touch, managed to fi x the radios and send the distress signal while rapidly fading in and out of consciousness. 160 CHAPTER 3 The Evolution of the Early Air Force LESSON 3 Significant Aircraft of World War II As the aircraft began sinking into the sea, Vosler made his way onto the wing just in time to save the injured tail Vocabulary gunner from falling off into the frigid waters. He held • dinghy him there with one hand, both men bleeding out and • Soviets on the brink of death, until other crewmembers assisted • bomb load them into the dinghy. A dinghy is a small rubber raft that • fl a k is used by people escaping from a sinking boat or aircraft. • bombardier Both men survived. • kamikaze Vosler was awarded the Medal of Honor by President • drop tanks Franklin D. Roosevelt. • fl ame out • self-sealing “The extraordinary courage, coolness and skill he • transport displayed in the face of great odds, when handicapped by injuries that would have incapacitated the average crewmember, were outstanding,” Vosler’s Medal of Honor Citation. He was also promoted to technical sergeant. Following his lengthy recovery period, Vosler was discharged from the military and went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree. He served more than 30 years with the Veteran’s Administration in Syracuse, New York. He counseled other veterans and performed community service. Vosler died in February 1992 at the age of 68. Technical Sergeant Forrest L. Vosler Courtesy US Air Force LESSON 3 Signifi cant Aircraft of World War II 161 Broadly speaking, pilots fl ew three major kinds of aircraft in World War II: the bomber, the fi ghter, and the transport. Both the Allies and Germans also employed gliders to land troops behind enemy lines. This lesson will look at some of the most signifi cant aircraft that participated in the confl ict. The Development of Bombers During the War The US and Britain developed a full range of heavy, medium, and light bombers for both strategic and tactical operations. The Soviets, Germans, and Japanese, however, generally focused on smaller bombers to support ground or antinaval operations. (The Soviets were the people and especially the political and military leaders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—the offi cial name of the Soviet Union.) Germany’s failure to develop a four-engine strategic bomber is often cited as an important reason it lost the Battle of Britain. US Bombers Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Flying Fortress is one of the most famous airplanes ever built. It served in every combat zone. But it’s best remembered as the workhorse of the American daylight bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Although few B-17s were in service on 7 December 1941, production quickly sped up after the United States entered the war. Almost 12,800 of the bombers were built by the time production ended in May 1945. A B-17 Formation bombing Dresden, Germany on 17 April 1945 Everett Historical/Shutterstock 162 CHAPTER 3 The Evolution of the Early Air Force The Evolution of the Early Air Force The B-17 carried a crew of 10 and a bomb load of 6,000 lbs. A bomb load is the total weight of bombs a plane can carry. Its top speed was 302 mph, and it could fl y more than 2,000 miles. The B-17’s crew did not fl y in comfort. While the plane could fl y higher than 30,000 feet, it was not pressurized. The men sat cramped for hours in terrible cold and often suffered from altitude sickness. While the aircraft bristled with 13 defensive machine guns, the Germans found its weakness was a front-on attack. But the plane was so well built that it could often make it back to base despite serious damage to wings, engines, the fuselage, or the tail. Fortunately, American workers could produce two B-17s for every one that was shot down. By the end of the war, more B-17s were ready for action than ever. Consolidated B-24 Liberator The B-24 Liberator was in production by 1941. It had a 2,850-mile range and could fl y 303 miles per hour (mph). It carried a crew of 12, had 10 machine guns, and could carry 8,000 lbs. of bombs. Some 18,000 were built during the war, more than any American aircraft in history. An Army Air Forces (AAF) report from 1944 nicely expresses the reasons for designing the B-24: The Liberator was the result of the Army Air Forces’ desire for a long-range running mate for the Flying Fortress. In football language, we sought a good ball carrier who was just as good at long end runs as he was at off-tackle smashes. We thought of the B-24 in terms of patrol and transport as well as bombardment, and it has performed all three functions splendidly. The B-24 was employed in every combat theater during World War II. Because of its great range, it was well suited for such missions as the raid from North Africa against the oil industry at Ploesti, Romania, on 1 August 1943. This also made the airplane suitable for long over-water missions in the Pacifi c. The B-24’s drawbacks were that it was physically diffi cult to fl y and much more vulnerable to enemy fl ak than the B-17. Flak is fi re from anti-aircraft artillery. B-24s in fl ight over Italy during World War II Everett Historical/Shutterstock LESSON 3 Signifi cant Aircraft of World War II 163 North American B-25 Mitchell The B-25 medium bomber was the type used by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle in the 1942 raid on Tokyo. First fl own in 1940, the B-25 had a range of 1,200 miles and could fl y as fast as 275 mph. It carried a crew of six, 13 machines guns, and a bomb load of 4,000 lbs. By the end of the war, North American Aviation had built a total of 9,816 B-25s. B-25s saw duty in every combat area. American, Dutch, British, Chinese, Soviet, and Australian pilots all fl ew the Mitchell. Beside its use for level bombing from medium altitudes, it was often used B-25 Mitchell bomber in the Pacifi c for bombing Japanese airfi elds and Everett Historical/Shutterstock beach emplacements from treetop level. It was also effective at strafi ng and bombing enemy shipping. During its long career, the B-25 was modifi ed several times. The fi rst major change occurred with the G model, which included a 75-millimeter cannon and two fi xed machine guns in the nose. In the J version, the most numerous type, the aircraft returned to its initial arrangement as a level bomber, with a transparent nose that included one fl exible and two fi xed .50-cal. guns. Driven by requirements in the Pacifi c, J model was changed further to feature a solid nose that housed eight fi xed machine guns for low-level attack. This allowed the B-25 to devastate vehicles and shipping with up to 14 forward-fi ring guns. Martin B-26 Marauder The B-26 Marauder, another medium bomber, fl ew mostly in Europe and the Mediterranean. It was particularly effective before D-Day in attacking bridges and transportation targets. It could fl y 1,100 miles at a top speed of 285 mph. It carried fi ve crewmembers and up to 3,000 lbs.
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