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00:00To be continued
00:30The idea for the consolidated B-24 Liberator came in the late 1930s
00:43when the Army Air Corps realized the need for a long-range heavy bomber
00:47that would not only be a counterpart to the older B-17,
00:51but would surpass it in performance.
00:54Flying faster with a wider range and with more bombs to deliver to the target,
00:58many thought that the designers of the B-24 had succeeded in their quest to make a better bomber.
01:05And on August 1, 1943, in one of the most important Allied air attacks of the war,
01:11the B-24 would get the chance to prove itself in the most difficult of conditions.
01:18176 consolidated B-24 Liberators carrying over 1,000 American aviators
01:24were to strike the oil refineries around Ploestin.
01:27It was an extremely tough target.
01:31There was a high concentration of anti-aircraft,
01:37both 88 and 105 millimeters.
01:40They had a large concentration of German aircraft,
01:45and I think they also had Romanian Air Force aircraft also.
01:50Oh, yeah, we heard a lot about it during training,
01:54and we were expecting to fly Ploestin when we got there.
02:00These targets supplied Hitler's war machine with almost 60% of its oil products.
02:06If Ploestin could be destroyed, the German Army could be stopped in its tracks,
02:11and the Luftwaffe's fighters starved for fuel.
02:13To General Louis Brereton, Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East Air Forces,
02:20and the man who ordered the attack,
02:2150% losses would be a small price to pay if such success could be gained.
02:31Brereton insisted that the bombers go in on the deck
02:34and bomb from 250 feet.
02:40The group commanders, as well as the commander of the Ninth Air Force,
02:43protested the order in writing.
02:45Brereton refused to relent.
02:47The mission, he felt, was too important.
02:51Ploestin had to be destroyed.
02:54For 2,400 miles, the bombers hugged the earth en route to target.
02:59Each group had one of the refineries and their targets.
03:06They were to stay at low level all the way across the Mediterranean,
03:13to stay out of radar contact,
03:16then cross over Yugoslavia into Romania.
03:22The mission began to unravel as soon as the Liberators took off
03:26from their Benghazi-area airfields.
03:28Nearby, watching the American planes get aloft and head out northward
03:32were three German spies.
03:37They would not be caught until April of 1944.
03:41So, on this day,
03:43their fervent warnings to German headquarters on Crete
03:45would doom hundreds of American airmen.
03:48The mission had been compromised.
03:52The Germans knew the Liberators were coming.
03:55And they'd be waiting.
03:58Over the Mediterranean Sea, things got worse.
04:01In the lead group, the 376th,
04:04a B-24 flown by Captain Glenn Flavel
04:07suddenly pitched up and out of formation.
04:11Wingo Wango, the name of the B-24,
04:14stalled, then fell into the sea with a tremendous explosion.
04:18Flavel's wingman disobeyed standing orders
04:21and turned back to the crash site,
04:23hoping to drop a rubber life raft to any survivors.
04:26They found none,
04:28and when the B-24 swung back round on course,
04:31the 376th was too far ahead to catch.
04:35Reluctantly, they turned for Africa,
04:37carrying with them
04:38the deputy lead navigator for the entire mission.
04:42That would not have been a critical error
04:44had not the mission's lead navigator
04:46gone down with Flavel's Wingo Wango.
04:49As it was, the two most experienced navigators
04:52who had been specially trained for this complicated attack
04:55were now out of the equation.
05:03Colonel Keith Compton,
05:05the 376th group's commander,
05:07now took over,
05:08navigating the raiders to Ploesti.
05:11Over Yugoslavia,
05:13Compton's pilots ran into heavy cloud cover
05:16as they neared a mountain range.
05:18As they climbed through the clouds
05:19to get over the peaks below,
05:21the B-24s briefly reached 16,000 feet.
05:25A nearby German radar set detected the bombers.
05:29Axis fighters from all over the Balkans
05:31were scrambled to stop beyond rushing liberators.
05:34Passing the mountains,
05:42Compton dove his group back down on the deck.
05:45As they reformed,
05:47just above the ground,
05:48the 376th was alone.
05:51Weather had scattered the other groups.
05:53The strike would go in piecemeal.
06:00The plan had called for the bombers
06:01to make their attack from the north,
06:03swinging around Ploesti
06:05before turning south
06:06to come in from the most unexpected direction.
06:14Compton, however,
06:15made a serious navigational error.
06:18His crew mistook the initial point
06:20and turned too early,
06:22hurtling the 376th not at Ploesti,
06:25but at Bucharest.
06:26Three of the other four groups
06:28also suffered some sort of navigational lapse.
06:31The remaining group,
06:38Colonel John Killer Cain's 98th,
06:40was the only one to fly the assigned route
06:43and get to Ploesti on time.
06:46Rather than one hammer blow,
06:48the Raiders dribbled into Ploesti
06:50from different directions.
06:52From 250 feet,
06:54the B-24s that reached their oil refinery targets
06:57were greeted by thousands of anti-aircraft bursts,
07:00scores of tracers from machine guns
07:02and placed near their targets
07:04and by 320 German, Romanian,
07:07and Bulgarian fighters.
07:12In the end,
07:13it was pure carnage.
07:15The Liberators dumped their 500,000-pound bombs
07:19on the vulnerable refineries.
07:21When they detonated,
07:22they blew huge chunks of debris
07:24hundreds of feet into the air.
07:26Onrushing Liberators
07:27had to dodge the flying cascade of metal
07:30as their bombardiers fought desperately
07:32to pick out a good spot
07:34to toggle their bombs.
07:36One B-24 was nearly swatted out of the sky
07:38by the top of one of the enormous oil storage tanks
07:42that had been blown off by a direct hit.
07:49Other B-24s followed on the heels of the first wave.
07:53All around them, flames and smoke
07:54were belching from blazing oil tanks and lines.
07:58Through the smoke,
07:58the Liberators emerged,
08:00sweeping around the 210-foot smokestacks
08:02as anti-aircraft fire savaged their ranks.
08:05Individually, they toggled their bombs,
08:08then dove back down to ground level
08:10and sped frantically for home.
08:17The Germans had a flat train at Ploesti,
08:20and the canny crew raced along the tracks,
08:23almost pacing the bombers.
08:28The flat trains were going around 50, 60 miles an hour
08:35as the planes came in at 150, 100, 60, 180, depending.
08:41And they were just paralleling.
08:43And as they came down the valley,
08:45the flat guns were just hitting them,
08:47and they became some pretty sharp targets
08:51for the flat gunners.
08:54The AA gunners had point-blank targets
08:57that required little lead.
08:59They couldn't miss.
09:04Bomber after bomber
09:05brewed up into brilliant incandescent explosions,
09:09shedding wings, engines, and tails
09:11as they billowed into the ground.
09:14Several times,
09:15Liberators were caught in the flames
09:17flaring up from the damaged refineries below.
09:20Colonel John Kane's B-24
09:22went right through one such funnel of fire.
09:25When the 98th came in,
09:28Kane turned at his proper place,
09:33went to his proper target,
09:35but he found his target was already in flames.
09:39And instead of aborting it,
09:42he said,
09:43we're going to go on,
09:44stay on our course,
09:46and just go in and go according to plan.
09:48So he brought his planes
09:53right in through the smoke
09:55and through the fire.
09:57Bombs were exploding,
09:59planes were going through.
10:01Out of the 98th,
10:02he lost 22 aircraft.
10:05So that's out of 40,
10:0740, 50 planes,
10:08he lost 22 alone.
10:09Last into Ploesti
10:23came the 389th bomb group.
10:26Smoke and fire
10:27almost totally obscured their targets,
10:29but still,
10:30they clung to their mission.
10:32Wrote Captain Philip Ardrey,
10:33a squadron leader in the 389th,
10:36already the flames were leaping higher
10:38than the level of our approach,
10:39and there were intermittent explosions
10:41lighting up the black paw.
10:43A gauntlet of tracers
10:44and cannon fire of all types
10:46made me despair
10:47of ever covering
10:48those last few hundred yards.
10:53Ardrey's wingman,
10:54Lieutenant Hughes,
10:55was hit in the left wing.
10:57From a gaping hole,
10:58fuel began gushing out.
11:00An instant later,
11:01the torrent caught fire
11:02and a tongue of flame
11:03blasted back from the wing
11:04and totally engulfed
11:05the fuselage and tail.
11:08Hughes held his Liberator
11:09on course.
11:10Soon,
11:11the entire left wing
11:12was ablaze.
11:13The B-24
11:14had only seconds to live,
11:16but Hughes' bombardier
11:17released their bombs,
11:19scoring direct hits
11:20on the refinery.
11:22The bomber came off target
11:24and Hughes turned
11:24for a nearby river,
11:26hoping to save his crew.
11:28But the plane began
11:29sagging toward the ground,
11:30and as they came to the river,
11:31Hughes was forced
11:32to try to climb over a bridge.
11:35The Liberator
11:35had no life left.
11:37And the maneuver
11:37caused it to pitch over
11:39and cartwheel
11:40across the river's muddy bank.
11:45With the 389th's attack
11:47complete,
11:48all of the B-24s
11:49were now racing for home,
11:51but they would not
11:52escape unharmed.
11:55Hundreds of German
11:56interceptors
11:57waded into them,
11:58and the exhausted gunners
11:59fought with all the intensity
12:00of trapped animals.
12:02It was not enough.
12:03More and more B-24s
12:06smacked into the Balkans'
12:07countryside,
12:08leaving a trail
12:08of burning wreckage
12:10from Ploesti
12:10all the way
12:11through Yugoslavia.
12:1273 B-24s went down
12:22on this Ploesti raid,
12:2350 alone
12:24over enemy territory.
12:26Another 55
12:27were damaged.
12:28Over 500 American airmen
12:30were killed or wounded.
12:32About another 100
12:33were captured.
12:33Five men,
12:37including Hughes and Kane,
12:39received the Medal of Honor.
12:45This raid over Ploesti
12:47really demonstrated
12:48the courage
12:49and the dedication
12:50that the American airmen
12:52involved in the mission
12:53possessed.
12:54And that did not go
12:55unrecognized
12:56by the high command
12:58in the Mediterranean.
12:58And in the end,
13:02there were five airmen
13:04on that mission
13:05who were awarded
13:05the Medal of Honor,
13:07which is America's
13:07highest award for bravery.
13:10And there has been
13:11no mission since
13:12and there was
13:13no mission before
13:14that garnered
13:16so many Medal of Honor
13:18winners.
13:19It really stands
13:20as a testament
13:20to not only
13:23the bravery
13:24of the crews,
13:25but also to
13:25the difficulties
13:27and that harrowing
13:28experience
13:29of what it was like
13:30in the inferno
13:31over Ploesti.
13:36General Brereton
13:37claimed 60%
13:38of Ploesti's
13:39production capability
13:40had been destroyed.
13:43In reality,
13:45while the destruction
13:46the raid caused
13:47had been heavy,
13:48Ploesti's refineries
13:49had not been operating
13:50at full capacity
13:51at the time of the raid.
13:55The Germans
13:57and Romanians
13:58mitigated the damage
13:59by bringing online
14:00previously unused
14:01sections of their facilities.
14:04Ploesti would go on
14:05pumping oil
14:05into the heart
14:06of the German war machine.
14:15Never again
14:16would the B-24s
14:17go in on the deck.
14:18For the next two years,
14:30Ploesti would be
14:31pounded time and again
14:32by the 15th Air Force's
14:34massive force
14:35of liberators.
14:43By the time
14:44the Russians
14:45captured the target,
14:46little was left
14:47but scorched
14:48and twisted metal.
14:49Far from one
14:50lightning stroke,
14:51it took scores
14:52of missions,
14:53360 lost B-24s
14:55and over a year
14:57to finish off
14:57Ploesti.
14:59In the meantime,
15:00to the airmen
15:00forced to attack it,
15:01the name Ploesti
15:03would be etched
15:03in their nightmares
15:04for the rest
15:05of their lives.
15:08They knew
15:08that Ploesti
15:09was one of the most
15:10heavily defended targets
15:11in the world,
15:12not just in Europe
15:13but in the world.
15:14with 128 millimeter
15:16anti-aircraft guns
15:17on rails
15:18plus the 88s
15:19plus the light flack,
15:21the medium flack
15:22if anybody came back
15:22at low altitude again.
15:24It was an inferno,
15:26it was a cauldron
15:27and we lost
15:28hundreds of bombers
15:30over Ploesti,
15:31lots and lots of men
15:32and so to the crews
15:35who flew those missions,
15:36it was
15:36one of the roughest things
15:39they probably experienced
15:40in their lives.
15:41The plane that the men
15:46rode into the inferno
15:47over Ploesti
15:48that day in 1944
15:49stemmed from
15:50a late 1930s call
15:52by the U.S. Army Air Corps
15:54for another heavy bomber
15:55that could complement
15:56the B-17.
15:58Consolidated's Model 32
16:00won the design competition
16:02and on December 29th, 1939,
16:06the first prototype
16:07took flight.
16:08Dubbed the XB-24,
16:11the plane immediately
16:12impressed the Army Air Corps.
16:14Fast, capable of carrying
16:16more bombs than the B-17
16:18over a longer range,
16:19the new bomber
16:20had the striking power
16:22that the Army covered.
16:24A lot of pilots
16:26didn't like the B-24s,
16:28but I loved it.
16:30I just thought
16:31the B-24Ds and E's
16:33were just a real good airplane.
16:36You had to fly them.
16:39It wasn't like a 17.
16:41A 17, you know,
16:42was a floater.
16:45It was like a C-47
16:46or such.
16:47It had a big wing
16:49and the B-24
16:52had what they called
16:53a Davis airfoil,
16:55which was a narrow wing.
16:57You had to have more speed
16:59for takeoff and landings
17:00while the 17 landed
17:02at a lower speed
17:03and so forth.
17:05And the B-24
17:05carried more bombs
17:07than the B-17
17:08and was faster
17:09than the 17.
17:11But the B-24
17:12was built
17:13during the war
17:16for the purpose
17:17like the Liberty ships.
17:18They were just for the battle
17:20and after the battle
17:21was over,
17:22they got rid
17:22of all the B-24s.
17:24But I liked the B-24.
17:26I felt comfortable in it.
17:34Indeed,
17:35the plane attracted
17:35so much notice
17:36that by 1940,
17:38both the British
17:38and French
17:39had placed large orders
17:40for it.
17:41Called the LB-30
17:43and RAF service,
17:44the bomber initially served
17:46with Coastal Command
17:47where it hunted
17:48German U-boats
17:49in the Atlantic.
17:52In 1942,
17:54the first B-24D variants
17:56survived
17:57to join operational
17:58U.S. AAF bomb groups.
18:00With a max speed
18:01of 300 miles per hour
18:03at 25,000 feet,
18:05the Liberator
18:06was some 20 to 30 miles per hour
18:08faster than the older B-17.
18:11Its four Pratt & Whitney
18:12R-1830 twin WASP engines
18:15produced a total
18:16of 4,800 horsepower.
18:1710 .50 caliber machine guns
18:26protected it
18:27from enemy interceptors
18:28while its mammoth bomb bays
18:30could hold up to
18:3112,500 pounds
18:33of ordnance.
18:36At first glance,
18:38the B-24 appeared
18:39to be the ultimate
18:40strategic bomber,
18:41one with which
18:42the Army Air Force
18:43could crush
18:44Nazi Germany's
18:45industrial base.
18:47For all its assets,
18:49the B-24
18:50had a number
18:50of very serious flaws
18:52that made it
18:52far less beloved
18:53by its crews
18:54than the B-17.
18:57Most serious,
18:58the Liberator
18:58could not take
18:59nearly the beating
19:00that the Flying Corpus could.
19:02It seemed to me
19:03that about half
19:04of our missions,
19:06we had malfunctions
19:07of one type
19:08or another,
19:10either caused
19:10by the combat
19:11or sometimes
19:13just happened.
19:15Get halfway
19:15to the target
19:18and one of the engines
19:20would go completely out.
19:21Oil would spur it out.
19:23No oil.
19:24You have to feather
19:25that engine
19:25and then turn around
19:29and come back
19:29rather than continue.
19:33So it was a problem,
19:35major problem,
19:36and they did everything
19:37they could
19:37to keep them going
19:40but as I said before,
19:44they had lost
19:45half of the planes
19:47that we had
19:47right into the board,
19:49one half.
19:50Incredible.
19:53While the B-24
19:54wasn't exactly fragile,
19:56it certainly
19:57was not in the same league
19:58with the rugged,
19:59tough machine
20:00that Boeing produced.
20:01All too often,
20:02Liberator missions
20:03turned into tragic tales
20:05of death and destruction
20:06at the hands
20:07of enemy fighters.
20:08B-24 pilot
20:10Bill Foster
20:11recalls
20:12just such a mission
20:13over occupied Europe.
20:15We lost an engine
20:16and there were fighters around
20:18but they weren't
20:19really attacking
20:20our squadron.
20:22But I don't know
20:23whether a stray bullet,
20:24maybe just a hose
20:25flew off or what,
20:26but we lost
20:27our oil pressure
20:27on one engine.
20:29And so we feathered
20:31the engine
20:32and we just couldn't
20:33keep up.
20:34We fell back.
20:35and we were the last one
20:36with a photographer
20:37on board.
20:38Then we lost another engine
20:40caught on fire
20:41and the fighters
20:42were attacking.
20:44That's when they
20:45really came in
20:46from all sides.
20:48Then they had this
20:49ME-110,
20:51a twin-engine
20:52fighter with rockets.
20:56I'd never seen a rocket
20:57or heard of one,
20:58but we could see
21:00them going by us
21:00and they were the ones
21:02that really did
21:02all the damage.
21:04They hit our waist
21:06and killed
21:07two or two fellows
21:08in the back.
21:09They shot all our engines
21:10off or they quit
21:11and all of a sudden
21:14my controls,
21:15my rudder controls
21:16just went out.
21:17I had no control
21:19of that at all
21:19and same way
21:21with the ailerons
21:22in them.
21:23So I yelled,
21:24let's go.
21:26We had to go up
21:26through the hatch
21:27and we're lucky
21:28our airplane
21:29had that top hatch
21:30because they all didn't.
21:31It was only
21:32two foot square about
21:33and that's where
21:35we went up,
21:36all of us
21:37on the flight deck.
21:39And just as I was
21:40standing there
21:41ready to go up,
21:42I see Pete,
21:43my navigator,
21:44coming up
21:45from the bomb bay
21:45and I got up
21:48on top
21:48and helped him up
21:50and we were the last
21:51two out of the airplane.
21:52My intention was
21:53to walk all the way
21:55back to the airplane
21:56on top of that
21:57fuselage
21:57and jump off the tail.
21:59But just as I started out,
22:01the plane lurched
22:02and I fell down
22:04on the right wing
22:06and rolled off
22:08through the flames.
22:09The whole trailing edge
22:11of the right wing
22:11was on fire
22:12and I rolled off
22:13through that
22:14and I must have
22:15passed out
22:16because I don't remember
22:17pulling the chute
22:18but I woke up
22:20and I was being lifted up
22:22in the air
22:23by the chute opening
22:25and the airplane
22:26was not too far off
22:28and I saw it crash
22:30just probably
22:31the city block
22:33from where we landed.
22:34One fellow
22:35early in the mission
22:37when we were first attacked
22:38he had his foot blown off
22:40and we issued morphine
22:44to him
22:44or I had to give that to him
22:46and we thought
22:49that he had been
22:50when we counted the chutes
22:51we thought he had been blown out
22:53but we found out later
22:55that he was
22:56they threw him out
22:57and he was alive
22:58when he went out
23:00but he landed in a tree
23:01and bled to death.
23:03The tail gunner
23:04was killed in the turret
23:05the ball turret down below
23:08he was killed
23:10just getting out
23:10of his turret.
23:12I don't know how he knew
23:13but the photographer
23:14told me
23:14that he took a
23:15he took a rocket
23:17right in the midsection.
23:19The worst one
23:19was the nose gunner
23:21who had
23:23he had his turret
23:25over to one side
23:26and it was
23:34shot out
23:35the controls
23:36were shot out
23:37the bombardier
23:38tried to
23:39wind him back in
23:40mechanically
23:40and he couldn't do it
23:41so
23:42he died screaming
23:44he was in the airplane
23:46when I left.
23:52Besides being
23:53less than durable
23:54the B-24
23:55with its narrow wing
23:56tended to wallow
23:57above 20,000 feet
23:59this made it
24:00a mediocre
24:00bombing platform
24:02and made
24:02tight defensive
24:03formations
24:04above that altitude
24:05impossible to fly.
24:09The controls
24:10were very mushy
24:11on a B-24
24:12extremely mushy
24:15that means
24:15when you're flying
24:16in tight formation
24:17you're constantly
24:19moving throttles
24:21and the rudders
24:22and the ailerons
24:24all the time
24:25just continually
24:25moving them
24:26it was hard work
24:27after we worked
24:2815 minutes
24:29a piece
24:30the pilot
24:31two pilots
24:31and after 15 minutes
24:34you're ready for a rest.
24:36Our best fighter cover
24:37this isn't a fact
24:40but it's the way
24:41we felt
24:41was B-24s
24:44they kind of flew
24:45this way
24:46it was tough
24:51for them
24:51to fly formation
24:52so if anyone
24:54if the fighters
24:54picked on anyone
24:55they'd go after them
24:56it wasn't as stable
24:58as the B-17
24:59so the B-24 guys
25:01couldn't fly
25:02as tight formation
25:03as the B-17s
25:05and so the Germans
25:06would see
25:06the looser formations
25:08flown by the B-24 groups
25:10and they would go in
25:11and wade into them
25:13launch their attacks
25:14at the ones
25:15who looked like
25:16they were straggling
25:16a little bit
25:17so tight formations
25:19had to be maintained
25:20even until the end
25:22of the war
25:22otherwise
25:23you were a target.
25:26To help offset
25:30the B-24's
25:31inability to fly
25:32tight formations
25:33consolidated
25:33equipped the J model
25:35with a nose turret
25:36that sported
25:37a pair of .50 caliber
25:38machine guns
25:39while the additional
25:40firepower helped
25:42it cut the liberator's
25:43speed down
25:44to 278 miles per hour
25:46and reduced
25:47its radius of action
25:48to around
25:49a thousand miles
25:50the B-24J
25:52was also a foot
25:53longer than the D model
25:54measuring 76 feet
25:56from nose to tail
25:57thanks to the new
25:59nose turret
26:00its empty weight
26:01had jumped
26:01from 32,000 pounds
26:03to almost
26:0440,000 pounds
26:06the B-24 also turned out
26:13to be hard to fly
26:14small pilots
26:15usually could not
26:16handle the liberator
26:17as the rudder controls
26:18were so heavy
26:19and taxing
26:20that they required
26:21a bigger man
26:22with strong lower back
26:23and leg muscles
26:24at times
26:25it took both
26:26the pilot
26:26and co-pilot
26:27working together
26:28to operate
26:29the rudders
26:30effectively
26:31flying formation
26:33it was real heavy
26:35on the rudders
26:36we all got
26:39what they call
26:39B-24 knees
26:40especially at altitude
26:42and I had
26:45a pretty severe
26:46case of that
26:46but it didn't last
26:48never loved
26:52like the B-17
26:53the liberator
26:54would nonetheless
26:54provide yeoman
26:56service
26:56in the U.S.
26:57Army Air Force
26:58never flashy
27:02but always capable
27:04of getting the job
27:05done
27:05the B-24
27:06equipped the entire
27:073rd Air Division
27:08within the 8th Air Force
27:09by mid-1944
27:11the 15th Air Force
27:13in Europe
27:13flew B-24s
27:14almost exclusively
27:16in the South Pacific
27:17the B-17
27:18initially served
27:19as the mainstay
27:20of the heavy bomb groups
27:21by mid-1943
27:23however
27:24the B-17s
27:26were giving way
27:26to the longer leg
27:27B-24s
27:29eventually
27:34the liberator
27:35entirely replaced
27:36the flying fortress
27:37in the Pacific
27:38by war's end
27:45the B-24
27:46had been produced
27:46in greater numbers
27:47than any other
27:48American aircraft
27:49no fewer than
27:5018,482 liberators
27:53rolled off
27:54of assembly lines
27:55throughout the United States
27:57including the famous
27:58River Rouge plant
27:59in the Midwest
28:01both the Army Air Force
28:07and the Navy
28:07used the B-24
28:08in a variety
28:09of roles
28:10a fact which
28:11made it more versatile
28:12if not more respected
28:13than the B-17
28:14liberators
28:15were employed
28:16as high and low
28:17altitude bombers
28:18night intruders
28:20skip bombers
28:20transport aircraft
28:22and for long range
28:23maritime patrol missions
28:25few aircraft
28:26in American history
28:27have been adapted
28:28for as many uses
28:29as the B-24
28:31its very versatility
28:33made it one of the
28:34great designs
28:35of World War II
28:36the B-24
28:38first saw action
28:40for the Army Air Forces
28:41with a secret unit
28:42called the
28:43Halverson Project
28:44number 63
28:45nicknamed
28:47Halpro
28:48this small group
28:49of 23 liberators
28:51and 231 men
28:52left Florida
28:54in May of 1942
28:55with orders
28:56to bomb Tokyo
28:58led by the loud
29:00and abrasive
29:01Colonel Harry
29:02hurry up
29:02Halverson
29:03the detachment
29:04flew from Florida
29:05down to Brazil
29:06crossed the Atlantic
29:07and then passed
29:08through the interior
29:09of equatorial Africa
29:10turning north
29:12Halpro's
29:13free spirit pilots
29:14landed at
29:15Khartoum Sudan
29:16where the British
29:17halted them
29:18German raids
29:19were hitting
29:20other airfields
29:21along the chain
29:21of strips
29:22Halpro planned to use
29:23to get to China
29:24where they had orders
29:26to operate
29:26from a series
29:27of primitive
29:28fighter bases
29:28in the Chekyang province
29:30The original mission
29:37of Miami Stan
29:38was to go to
29:40Khartoum
29:41and from Khartoum
29:42they were going to go
29:43to Chenkin
29:44China
29:45and then they were
29:47going to bomb Tokyo
29:48or Japan
29:49from Chenkin
29:50China
29:51but then
29:53Chenkin
29:54was overrun
29:55by the Japanese
29:56so
29:57that's what killed
29:59the Halproson project
30:03but the original group
30:06was to
30:06to go
30:07by way of
30:09Egypt
30:10over to
30:12Chenqing
30:13China
30:14then from
30:15there
30:15bomb Japan
30:16All of a sudden
30:21Halpro's entire purpose
30:23had been rendered moot
30:24they were orphaned
30:25in the middle of nowhere
30:27with no mission
30:28and no orders
30:30Halverson's intrepid
30:36little band
30:37ended up joining
30:38the British Desert Air Force
30:39in Egypt
30:40from there
30:41his remaining B-24s
30:43began flying
30:43tactical support missions
30:45for the 8th Army
30:46as it battled
30:47Rommel
30:48around Tobruk
30:49we didn't have any
30:51command over there
30:52at all
30:53we didn't have
30:53an Air Force
30:54command like
30:559th or 8th
30:56or anything like that
30:57we were just a group
30:58and the British
31:00were having
31:01problems with Rommel
31:03Rommel was knocking
31:05at the doors
31:06of Cairo
31:06and
31:07that's when the British
31:09asked for
31:10the B-24's
31:12support
31:12in bombing
31:13Rommel's
31:15supply lines
31:16and his ships
31:18bringing supplies in
31:19so that's
31:23we took our orders
31:25we got targets
31:26and orders
31:27from the British
31:29or at least
31:30Kane did
31:31and we were assigned
31:33missions
31:34on one mission
31:36Halverson's B-24's
31:37actually attacked
31:38an Italian
31:39surface task force
31:40composed of cruisers
31:42and battleships
31:43Malta
31:47was an ideal
31:48post out there
31:50that
31:50could pick up
31:51the
31:52convoys
31:53coming from
31:54Italy
31:55and Germany
31:56would have to
31:57bypass
31:57off the
31:58coast
31:59of Malta
32:00and
32:01when the
32:03information
32:04on convoys
32:05came through
32:06it was passed
32:08on to
32:09our bomber
32:10command
32:11group
32:12and we were
32:13told what to
32:14look for
32:15and where to
32:15find them
32:16or anticipate
32:17finding them
32:18so we'd go out
32:19after the ships
32:20in the middle
32:21of the Mediterranean
32:22it's not
32:23easy to hit
32:24a maneuvering ship
32:26because by the time
32:26you drop your bomb
32:27and that ship
32:28goes and changes
32:29course
32:30to a different
32:30direction
32:31your bomb
32:31isn't going to
32:32hit
32:32but we did
32:34get ships
32:34we did damage
32:36them or
32:37cripple them
32:37and then the
32:39British submarines
32:39in the area
32:40would finish
32:43them off
32:43if possible
32:44then in June
32:47of 1942
32:48the USAAF
32:49commander
32:50Hap Arnold
32:50came up
32:51with a new
32:52and dangerous
32:52secret mission
32:53for HALPRO
32:54instead of flying
32:56on to join
32:56the fight
32:57against the
32:57Japanese
32:58or staying
32:59in Egypt
32:59where they
33:00would continue
33:01to fight
33:01Rommel
33:01Arnold
33:02ordered
33:03Colonel
33:03Halverson
33:04to attack
33:04Ploesti
33:05originally
33:06HALPRO's
33:07pilots
33:08were supposed
33:08to fly
33:09from Egypt
33:09skirt
33:10Turkish
33:11waters
33:11then turn
33:12north
33:12to fly
33:13up through
33:13the Balkans
33:14to strike
33:14the oil
33:15fields
33:15then head
33:16back south
33:17as the
33:18navigators
33:18worked the
33:19course out
33:20they discovered
33:20that they
33:21probably
33:21wouldn't have
33:22enough fuel
33:22to get
33:22home
33:23instead
33:24the American
33:25officers
33:26who arrived
33:26to brief
33:27them
33:27told the
33:28crews
33:28to land
33:29in Iraq
33:29that
33:30shortened
33:30the flight
33:31to about
33:312,600 miles
33:33but still
33:34the B-24s
33:35could not
33:35possibly fly
33:36that far
33:37with the
33:373,600 pound
33:39bomb load
33:39they had been
33:40ordered to carry
33:41hurry up
33:44Halverson
33:44was not
33:45the kind
33:45of guy
33:45who was
33:46going to
33:47risk
33:47the lives
33:47of his
33:48men
33:48to
33:49satisfy
33:51some
33:51political
33:52decision
33:52or political
33:53need
33:53on the part
33:54of the
33:54allies
33:54so
33:55just before
33:56this mission
33:57was flown
33:58he walked
33:59in
33:59to the
34:00briefing room
34:01saw his
34:01crews
34:02and looked
34:02at them
34:03and said
34:03alright
34:05pointed at a
34:06map
34:06said this
34:07is the
34:08most direct
34:08route
34:09and he
34:09pointed
34:10across
34:10Turkey
34:10we're
34:11going to
34:11use it
34:12and so
34:13oh and
34:14by the way
34:14flying at
34:15low altitude
34:15that's not
34:17going to
34:17happen
34:17at either
34:18so
34:19they went
34:19up to
34:19their
34:20normal
34:20bombing
34:21altitude
34:21they crossed
34:22Turkey
34:23illegally
34:23they bombed
34:25Ploesti
34:25and came
34:26back
34:27across
34:27Turkey
34:28illegally
34:28but
34:29they did
34:30so
34:31and got
34:31back
34:32the ones
34:32that got
34:33back
34:33had actually
34:34enough fuel
34:34to get
34:35back
34:35there were
34:36some
34:36that got
34:37interned
34:37in Turkey
34:37and some
34:38one that
34:39ended up
34:39in Iraq
34:39but
34:40for the
34:41most part
34:42that decision
34:43probably
34:43saved
34:44many lives
34:47on that
34:47mission
34:47otherwise
34:48had they
34:48gone the
34:49route
34:49that they
34:50had been
34:50originally
34:50ordered to
34:51go
34:51and at
34:51the altitude
34:52they probably
34:53would have been
34:54shot down
34:54to the last
34:55plane
34:55or run out
34:56of gas
34:57on the way
34:57home
34:57to the
34:59pilot's
35:00relief
35:00Halverson
35:01knew
35:01that
35:01any
35:02other
35:02way
35:02into
35:02Ploesti
35:03would
35:03guarantee
35:04a suicide
35:05mission
35:05on June
35:0711th
35:071942
35:08the mission
35:09began
35:10Alpro's
35:11raid on
35:11Ploesti
35:12was the
35:12first
35:13American
35:13raid
35:14on the
35:14European
35:14continent
35:15and it
35:16was the
35:16first
35:17raid
35:17on the
35:17critical
35:18oil
35:18fields
35:18that
35:19would
35:19later
35:19absorb
35:20so
35:20many
35:20American
35:21bombs
35:2112
35:22B-24s
35:24made it
35:24over
35:24Romania
35:25where
35:25one
35:26bombed
35:26ships
35:26in a
35:27Black Sea
35:27harbor
35:28and the
35:28others
35:28hit the
35:29oil
35:29refineries
35:30around
35:30Ploesti
35:31then
35:31turned
35:32for
35:32home
35:32Alpro's
35:38first
35:38Ploesti
35:39mission
35:39never
35:39received
35:40much
35:40publicity
35:41and
35:41the
35:41low
35:42altitude
35:42strike
35:43a year
35:43later
35:43on
35:44August
35:441st
35:441943
35:45soon
35:46eclipsed
35:47the
35:47single
35:47pinprick
35:48raid
35:49Halverson
35:50himself
35:50landed
35:51in hot
35:51water
35:52for
35:52taking
35:52his
35:52men
35:53over
35:53neutral
35:53Turkey
35:54he
35:55then
35:55ended
35:55up
35:56destroying
35:56his
35:57career
35:57when
35:57he
35:57began
35:58arguing
35:58with
35:59his
35:59British
35:59superiors
36:00in
36:00Egypt
36:01after
36:04that
36:04first
36:04Ploesti
36:05mission
36:05Halverson
36:05locked
36:06horns
36:07numerous
36:07times
36:07with
36:08his
36:09British
36:09superiors
36:09who
36:10complained
36:10to
36:10Washington
36:11enough
36:11so
36:12that
36:12he
36:12eventually
36:13got
36:13recalled
36:14and
36:14that
36:14destroyed
36:14his
36:15military
36:15career
36:15he
36:16came
36:16home
36:16kind
36:16of
36:16in
36:16ignominy
36:17and
36:18ended
36:18up
36:18retiring
36:19from
36:19service
36:20as a
36:20colonel
36:20and
36:21didn't
36:21see
36:21any
36:21further
36:22action
36:22in
36:22World War
36:22II
36:23it's
36:23kind
36:23of
36:23a
36:23tragic
36:24end
36:24to
36:24a
36:24guy
36:24who
36:25was
36:25really
36:26loved
36:26by
36:27his
36:27airmen
36:28B-24
36:29Alpro
36:30had
36:30ceased
36:30to
36:31exist
36:31but
36:32in
36:32its
36:32short
36:32combat
36:33career
36:33it
36:34had
36:34proved
36:34the
36:34value
36:35of
36:35the
36:35B-24
36:36A year
36:37later
36:37hundreds
36:38of
36:38B-24s
36:39were
36:39operational
36:39from
36:40the
36:40North
36:40African
36:41desert
36:41to
36:41East
36:41Anglia
36:42to
36:42the
36:42frozen
36:43Aleutian
36:43Islands
36:44through
36:44to
36:44the
36:44jungles
36:45of
36:45New
36:45Guinea
36:45On
36:47every
36:47front
36:47where
36:48the
36:48Army
36:48Air Force
36:49saw
36:49action
36:49during
36:49World War
36:50II
36:50the
36:51B-24
36:52served
36:52as a
36:53key
36:53player
36:53in
36:53heavy
36:54bomber
36:58Kenney's
36:595th
36:59Air Force
37:00as
37:00both
37:01low
37:01and
37:01high
37:01level
37:02bombers
37:02One
37:03B-24
37:03group
37:04the
37:04380th
37:05flew out
37:06of
37:06Darwin
37:06Australia
37:07for
37:07much
37:07of
37:07the
37:07war
37:08where
37:08they
37:08struck
37:09repeatedly
37:09at
37:10the
37:10Japanese
37:10occupation
37:11forces
37:11of
37:12the
37:12Dutch
37:12East
37:12Indies
37:13The
37:14380th
37:15grew
37:15experienced
37:15at
37:16low
37:16altitude
37:16night
37:17anti-shipping
37:17missions
37:18as well
37:18as
37:18night
37:19intruder
37:19missions
37:20against
37:20ground
37:20targets
37:21Later
37:22the
37:22B-24s
37:23from
37:23the
37:23380th
37:24would
37:24strike
37:25at
37:25another
37:25key
37:26oil
37:26installation
37:27Balikpapan
37:28Sometimes
37:34called
37:35the
37:35Ploesti
37:36of
37:36the
37:36East
37:36the
37:37refineries
37:37around
37:37Balikpapan
37:38supplied
37:39Japan
37:39with
37:40most
37:40of
37:40its
37:41oil
37:41and
37:41aviation
37:42gas
37:42Initially
37:46the
37:46380th
37:47bomb
37:47group
37:47went
37:48after
37:48Balikpapan
37:49by
37:49itself
37:50in
37:50daylight
37:50and
37:51at
37:51night
37:51Unescorted
37:52its
37:53B-24s
37:54suffered
37:54heavy
37:55losses
37:55In
37:571944
37:58General
37:59Kinney
37:59the
37:59commander
38:00of
38:00Far
38:00East
38:01Air
38:01Forces
38:01in
38:02the
38:02Southwest
38:02Pacific
38:02felt
38:04that
38:04if
38:05his
38:05bombers
38:06if
38:06his
38:06heavy
38:06bombers
38:07could
38:07knock
38:07out
38:08Balikpapan
38:09Borneo
38:09and
38:10the
38:10oil
38:10fields
38:11and
38:11the
38:11refineries
38:12around
38:12that
38:13city
38:13that
38:15they
38:16could
38:16force
38:17the
38:17Japanese
38:17to
38:17surrender
38:18Balikpapan
38:20was seen
38:20sort
38:20of
38:20as
38:20the
38:21palesti
38:21of
38:21the
38:21east
38:22as
38:23the
38:23big
38:23holy
38:23grail
38:23target
38:24for
38:24the
38:25southwest
38:25pacific
38:26air
38:26forces
38:26and
38:28that
38:28was
38:28really
38:29wishful
38:29thinking
38:29the
38:29Japanese
38:30weren't
38:30going to
38:30surrender
38:30because
38:30they
38:31didn't
38:31have
38:31an oil
38:32refinery
38:33in Borneo
38:34with the
38:35arrival of the
38:3513th air
38:36force
38:36and
38:38and
38:38and
38:38and
38:38their
38:38B-24s
38:39he
38:39actually
38:39had
38:40enough
38:40bomb
38:40groups
38:41to
38:41actually
38:41make
38:42a
38:42sustained
38:44heavy
38:45series
38:46of
38:46strikes
38:47on
38:48B-24
38:48and
38:49he
38:49took
38:49advantage
38:50of that
38:50opportunity
38:50and
38:51he
38:51personally
38:51visited
38:52the
38:52bomb
38:53groups
38:53to
38:53try
38:54to
38:54buck
38:55up
38:55morale
38:55and
38:55get
38:55those
38:56guys
38:56behind
38:56this
38:57operation
38:57in
38:59the
38:59early
38:59days
39:00of
39:00October
39:00the
39:00bombers
39:01flew
39:01the
39:011200
39:02miles
39:02to
39:02the
39:02target
39:03and
39:03back
39:03alone
39:04in
39:05the
39:05process
39:06Japanese
39:06interceptors
39:07knocked
39:07down
39:08many
39:08of
39:08the
39:08Raiders
39:08Kenny's
39:09B-24
39:10groups
39:10couldn't
39:11withstand
39:11such
39:12losses
39:12short
39:13on
39:13crews
39:14and
39:14with
39:14few
39:14replacements
39:15in
39:15sight
39:16he
39:16had
39:16to
39:16figure
39:17out
39:17a
39:17way
39:17to
39:17protect
39:18his
39:18B-24s
39:19or
39:19he
39:20wouldn't
39:20have
39:20enough
39:20bombers
39:21to
39:21cover
39:21the
39:22coming
39:22invasion
39:22of
39:23the
39:23Philippines
39:23Fortunately
39:27his
39:275th
39:28Air
39:28Force
39:28fighter
39:28groups
39:29found
39:29a
39:29way
39:30to
39:30get
39:30their
39:30P-47s
39:31and
39:31P-38s
39:32from
39:33Moritai
39:33to
39:34Bleak
39:34Papan
39:34and
39:35back
39:35Starting
39:36October
39:3711,
39:381944
39:38the
39:39bombers
39:39went
39:40to
39:40the
39:40refineries
39:40covered
39:41by
39:41swarms
39:42of
39:42little
39:42friends
39:42The
39:43Japanese
39:44rose
39:44to
39:45greet
39:45the
39:45attackers
39:45and
39:46were
39:46massacred
39:47by
39:47the
39:47P-38s
39:48and
39:4847s
39:49Balik
39:54Papan
39:55was
39:55hit
39:55hard
39:55though
39:56the
39:56refineries
39:57were
39:57not
39:57totally
39:58knocked
39:58out
39:58The
39:59Balik
40:00Papan
40:00raids
40:00were
40:01the
40:01longest
40:01missions
40:02of
40:02the
40:02war
40:02in
40:02the
40:02Pacific
40:03for
40:03the
40:03fighters
40:04that
40:04accompanied
40:04the
40:05B-24s
40:06Some
40:06of
40:06the
40:06fighter
40:07pilots
40:07were
40:07airborne
40:08for
40:08over
40:08eight
40:09hours
40:09and
40:10landed
40:10with
40:10just
40:10a
40:10few
40:11drops
40:11of
40:11fuel
40:11remaining
40:12in
40:12their
40:12tanks
40:13The
40:14problem
40:15was
40:15the
40:16target
40:16was
40:16not
40:17really
40:18worthwhile
40:19the
40:20Japanese
40:20didn't
40:21have
40:21the
40:21shipping
40:21left
40:22to
40:23haul
40:23all
40:24the
40:24oil
40:24up
40:25to
40:25Japan
40:25so
40:27whether
40:28or not
40:28their
40:28production
40:29facility
40:29there
40:30was
40:30destroyed
40:30was
40:31really
40:31immaterial
40:32The
40:32reality
40:32was
40:33they
40:33couldn't
40:33get
40:33the
40:33oil
40:34that
40:34was
40:34even
40:34being
40:34produced
40:35at
40:35that
40:35point
40:35to
40:36Japan
40:37There
40:37just
40:37weren't
40:37the
40:38tankers
40:39left
40:39because
40:39the
40:39American
40:40submarine
40:40campaign
40:41had
40:41just
40:41ravaged
40:42Japan's
40:43sea
40:43lanes
40:43While
40:45Kenny's
40:45B-24s
40:46were
40:46pounding
40:47the
40:47Leak
40:47upon
40:47over
40:48in
40:48England
40:48the
40:48liberators
40:49of
40:49the
40:493rd
40:50Air
40:50Division
40:508th
40:51Air
40:51Force
40:51were
40:52being
40:52used
40:52to
40:52hit
40:53targets
40:53deep
40:53in
40:54Germany
40:54Early
40:57on
40:58operational
40:58experience
40:59showed
40:59that
41:00B-17s
41:01and
41:0124s
41:02could
41:02not
41:02really
41:03operate
41:03together
41:04as
41:04they
41:04had
41:04very
41:04different
41:05cruise
41:05speeds
41:06As
41:07a result
41:07the
41:088th's
41:08B-24s
41:09were
41:09separated
41:10into
41:10their
41:10own
41:11air
41:11division
41:11and
41:12were
41:12frequently
41:12used
41:13on
41:13feints
41:13and
41:14diversionary
41:14attacks
41:15this
41:16secondary
41:16role
41:17grated
41:17on
41:18the
41:18liberator
41:18crews
41:19who
41:19knew
41:19their
41:19aircraft
41:20could
41:20strike
41:20targets
41:21anywhere
41:21in
41:22Europe
41:22Finally
41:28the 8th
41:29began
41:29sending
41:30the 3rd
41:30air
41:30division
41:31on
41:31more
41:31meaningful
41:32missions
41:32always
41:33covered
41:34by
41:34hundreds
41:34of
41:34escort
41:35fighters
41:35the
41:36B-24s
41:37were
41:37still
41:38more
41:38vulnerable
41:38than
41:39the
41:39B-17
41:40and
41:40needed
41:41as
41:41much
41:41protection
41:42as
41:42possible
41:428th
41:48Air Force
41:48Liberators
41:49spent
41:491944
41:50and
41:5045
41:51hitting
41:52cities
41:52and
41:52factories
41:53deep
41:53in
41:53Germany
41:54Poland
41:54and
41:55Austria
41:55At
41:56times
41:57only
41:57the
41:578th's
41:58P-51
41:58Mustangs
41:59had
41:59the
42:00range
42:00to
42:00follow
42:01the
42:01B-24s
42:02to
42:02their
42:02distant
42:02targets
42:03and
42:03back
42:04across
42:05Europe
42:05losses
42:05continued
42:06to
42:06be
42:06heavy
42:07German
42:08fighters
42:08were
42:08becoming
42:09less
42:09of a
42:09threat
42:10but
42:10large
42:11concentrations
42:11of
42:12flak
42:12guns
42:12began
42:13to
42:13take
42:13their
42:14toll
42:14The
42:17plane
42:17was
42:17on
42:18right
42:18as they
42:21went over
42:21the target
42:21they got
42:24a direct
42:24hit
42:25right in
42:25the waist
42:26and
42:27when
42:27flak
42:28exploded
42:29or whatever
42:29it had
42:31been
42:31flak
42:31exploded
42:32inside
42:33the
42:33plane
42:33and
42:34it
42:34just
42:34looked
42:34like
42:35a
42:35little
42:35ruffle
42:35like
42:36kind
42:37of
42:37bulged
42:38out
42:38all the
42:39way
42:39around
42:40the
42:40plane
42:40and
42:41at
42:42that
42:42mission
42:43I
42:43was
42:43a
42:43fly
42:43in
42:43the
42:43waist
42:44and
42:44he
42:44was
42:45just
42:45right
42:46there
42:46you
42:46know
42:47where I
42:48could
42:48look
42:48right
42:49out
42:49there
42:49and
42:49see
42:49him
42:50and
42:51pretty
42:53soon
42:53where
42:55that
42:56expanded
42:57out
42:58the
42:59plane
43:00broke
43:00in two
43:01and
43:02the
43:02engines
43:03just
43:04tilted
43:05up
43:05and
43:05went
43:05straight
43:06into
43:06the
43:06ground
43:07and
43:08the
43:08tail
43:08piece
43:09went
43:10up
43:10over
43:11the
43:12plane
43:14behind
43:14them
43:15and ducked
43:16down
43:16and went
43:17down
43:17underneath
43:18the
43:18plane
43:18the next
43:19plane
43:19he just
43:20looked
43:20lucky
43:22not
43:23for them
43:23for the
43:25guy
43:25behind
43:26and the
43:26two
43:26planes
43:27behind
43:27him
43:27they
43:28were
43:29real
43:29fortunate
43:29not
43:31only
43:31did
43:31the
43:31air
43:32crews
43:32have
43:32to
43:33worry
43:33about
43:33flak
43:34and
43:34fighters
43:34but
43:34they
43:35also
43:35needed
43:35to
43:35be
43:36aware
43:36of
43:36more
43:36insidious
43:37less
43:38common
43:38ploys
43:39the
43:39Germans
43:39used
43:40to
43:40try
43:40to
43:40bring
43:41down
43:41the
43:41Allied
43:41Bombers
43:42one
43:44time
43:44that
43:44there
43:45was
43:46a
43:46B-24
43:47come
43:47in
43:48and
43:49tried
43:49to
43:49join
43:50up
43:50with
43:50us
43:50tried
43:52to
43:52get
43:53into
43:53our
43:53formation
43:54you
43:54know
43:54they
43:55had
43:55that
43:55top
43:56tour
43:56just
43:56going
43:56round
43:57and
43:57round
43:57trying
43:58to
43:58persuade
43:59us
44:00that
44:00they
44:00could
44:00come
44:00in
44:01you
44:01know
44:01and
44:02join
44:03up
44:03with
44:03us
44:03but
44:05we
44:07wouldn't
44:08let
44:08them
44:08because
44:09we
44:10didn't
44:10know
44:10because
44:13they
44:13had
44:13captured
44:14some
44:14of
44:14the
44:15planes
44:15and
44:16were
44:17flying
44:18themselves
44:18and
44:20so
44:20the
44:22engineer
44:22then
44:22put
44:24off
44:24a
44:24flare
44:24and
44:25they
44:25couldn't
44:25answer
44:26the
44:26code
44:27with
44:27the
44:28flares
44:28and
44:28so
44:28they
44:30backed
44:30off
44:30and
44:30that
44:31was
44:31the
44:31last
44:31I
44:32seen
44:32of
44:32them
44:32that
44:34was
44:34quite
44:34prevalent
44:35you know
44:35they had
44:36warned us
44:36about
44:36this
44:37that
44:38don't let
44:40a
44:40plane
44:40in
44:41unless
44:43you're
44:43absolutely
44:43sure
44:44and that
44:44was
44:44why
44:44the
44:45flares
44:45were
44:46supposed
44:46to
44:46acknowledge
44:48that
44:48that
44:49was
44:49one
44:49of
44:49our
44:49group
44:50if
44:51a
44:51captured
44:51plane
44:52were
44:52able
44:52to
44:52get
44:52into
44:53a
44:53tight
44:53formation
44:54of
44:54B-24s
44:55it
44:55would
44:55have
44:55the
44:56potential
44:56to
44:56do
44:57substantial
44:57damage
44:58in
45:00Italy
45:01the
45:0115th
45:01Air
45:01Force
45:02by
45:021944
45:03had
45:04been
45:04fighting
45:04a
45:04war
45:05of
45:05its
45:05own
45:05against
45:06the
45:06soft
45:06underbelly
45:07of
45:07the
45:07Third
45:08Reich
45:08the
45:0915th
45:10B-24s
45:11routinely
45:11hit
45:11targets
45:12in
45:12northern
45:12Italy
45:13Austria
45:14Eastern
45:14Europe
45:15and
45:15of
45:15course
45:15Ploesti
45:16in
45:191944
45:20however
45:20with
45:21the
45:21arrival
45:21of
45:21the
45:22P-51D
45:23these
45:23Mediterranean
45:24based
45:24liberators
45:25were able
45:25to
45:25strike
45:26Berlin
45:26from
45:27the
45:27south
45:27and
45:28have
45:28a
45:28protective
45:29fighter
45:29escort
45:29through
45:30the
45:30entire
45:30mission
45:31the
45:39Berlin
45:39raids
45:39were
45:40fiercely
45:40contested
45:41affairs
45:41and
45:42the
45:4215th
45:42B-24
45:43crews
45:43were
45:44hit
45:44by
45:44everything
45:45the
45:45Luftwaffe
45:45had
45:46left
45:46including
45:47the
45:47ME
45:47262
45:49jet
45:49fighter
45:49again
45:56losses
45:56were
45:57heavy
45:57but
45:58the
45:5815th
45:58kept
45:59up
45:59the
45:59pressure
45:59providing
46:00along
46:00with
46:01the
46:018th
46:01Air Force
46:01a
46:02constant
46:02one-two
46:03punch
46:03against
46:04the
46:04Reich
46:04in
46:18the
46:18spring
46:18of
46:181945
46:19the
46:19B-24
46:20groups
46:21in
46:21Europe
46:21took
46:21part
46:21in
46:22several
46:22highly
46:22unusual
46:23missions
46:24during
46:24the
46:24Allied
46:25effort
46:25to
46:25cross
46:26the
46:26Rhine
46:26the
46:26largest
46:27airborne
46:27assault
46:28of
46:28World
46:28War
46:28II
46:29was
46:29made
46:29by
46:30American
46:30and
46:30British
46:31paratroop
46:31and
46:31glider
46:32units
46:32fighting
46:36alone
46:37and
46:37isolated
46:38on the
46:38eastern
46:38side
46:39of
46:39the
46:39Rhine
46:39these
46:40men
46:40quickly
46:41ran
46:41low
46:41on
46:41supplies
46:42a
46:43massive
46:43effort
46:43was
46:44made
46:44to get
46:44food
46:45ammunition
46:45and
46:46medicine
46:46to
46:46the
46:46brave
46:47paratroops
46:47but
46:48the
46:48number
46:48of
46:48transport
46:49planes
46:49proved
46:50insufficient
46:50for
46:51the
46:51task
46:51liberator
46:54units
46:54all
46:54over
46:55East
46:55Anglia
46:55were
46:56then
46:56loaded
46:56with
46:56supplies
46:57and
46:57flown
46:58over
46:58the
46:58Rhine
46:58area
46:59battlefields
46:59at
46:59under
47:00a
47:00thousand
47:00feet
47:01where
47:01they
47:01dropped
47:02their
47:02precious
47:02cargoes
47:03to
47:03the
47:03desperate
47:04men
47:04below
47:04the
47:07liberators
47:08cavernous
47:08bomb
47:09bay
47:09turned out
47:10to be
47:10ideal
47:10for
47:11such
47:11missions
47:11but
47:12flying
47:12the
47:12huge
47:13B-24
47:13at
47:14such
47:14low
47:14altitude
47:15in
47:15the
47:15face
47:15of
47:16light
47:16and
47:16medium
47:17anti-aircraft
47:17guns
47:18could be
47:19exceedingly
47:19dangerous
47:20the
47:25American
47:26paratroops
47:27and
47:27glider
47:28forces
47:28really
47:28took
47:28a beating
47:29from
47:30German
47:30anti-aircraft
47:31fire
47:31and
47:32when
47:33their
47:33resupply
47:34B-24s
47:35came in
47:35they
47:36got hit
47:37by the
47:37same
47:38AA
47:38fire
47:38and
47:39many
47:40many
47:40B-24s
47:41were shot
47:41up
47:41going in
47:42that
47:42low
47:42they
47:43were
47:43a
47:43huge
47:43target
47:44they
47:44were
47:44badly
47:45shot
47:45up
47:45dropping
47:46supplies
47:46to
47:46the
47:46paratroops
47:47and
47:47they
47:47lost
47:47a
47:48dozen
47:48B-24s
47:49with
47:49many
47:50many
47:50more
47:50damaged
47:50on
47:52this
47:52mainly
47:53mission
47:53of
47:53mercy
47:53something
47:54that
47:54the
47:54B-24
47:55had never
47:55been
47:55designed
47:55to do
47:56really
47:56and
47:57it
47:58was
47:58one
47:58that
47:58inspired
47:59some
47:59bitterness
47:59among
48:00some
48:00of
48:00the
48:00crews
48:00as
48:02the
48:02war
48:03dragged
48:03into
48:03its
48:03final
48:04weeks
48:04the
48:04liberator
48:05played
48:05one
48:06last
48:06role
48:07one
48:07in
48:07which
48:08it
48:08would
48:08be
48:08long
48:08remembered
48:09by
48:09suffering
48:10Dutch
48:10civilians
48:11allied
48:12air
48:13planners
48:13received
48:13word
48:14in the
48:14spring
48:14of 1945
48:15that
48:16Holland
48:16was
48:17starving
48:17cut
48:18off
48:18from
48:18Germany
48:19the
48:19Nazi
48:19held
48:20sections
48:20of
48:21the
48:21Netherlands
48:21had
48:21run
48:21out
48:22of
48:22food
48:22and
48:22fuel
48:23the
48:24entire
48:24civilian
48:25population
48:25was in
48:26jeopardy
48:26of
48:26starving
48:27to
48:27death
48:27the
48:29eighth
48:29air
48:29force
48:29came
48:30to
48:30the
48:30rescue
48:31the
48:31B-17
48:32and
48:32B-24
48:33groups
48:33swarmed
48:34low
48:34over
48:34Holland
48:35dropping
48:35canned
48:36food
48:36powdered
48:37milk
48:37and
48:37sea
48:38rations
48:38by
48:38the
48:39ton
48:39on
48:40the
48:40grateful
48:40population
48:41as
48:42the
48:42war
48:42ended
48:43the
48:433rd
48:43air
48:44division's
48:44B-24s
48:45continued
48:46to fly
48:46these
48:47missions
48:47of
48:47mercy
48:47through
48:48their
48:48efforts
48:49thousands
48:49of
48:50Dutch
48:50lives
48:50were
48:50saved
48:51for
48:52the
48:52men
48:52who
48:52flew
48:52these
48:53supply
48:53runs
48:53they
48:54were
48:54the
48:54most
48:54rewarding
48:55missions
48:55of the
48:56war
48:56the
48:57ones
48:57they
48:57remember
48:57with
48:58the
48:58most
48:58pride
48:59they
49:00converted
49:01all
49:01our
49:01bombers
49:01every
49:02bomber
49:02that
49:02took
49:03part
49:03in
49:03the
49:03raid
49:03was
49:04converted
49:05we
49:05put
49:05wooden
49:06platforms
49:07in
49:08the
49:08bomb
49:08bays
49:08hinged
49:10them
49:10on
49:10one
49:10side
49:10on
49:11the
49:11bomb
49:12racks
49:12and
49:13fixed
49:13it
49:14so
49:14the
49:14bombardier
49:14could
49:15when
49:15he
49:15dropped
49:15toggle
49:16the
49:16bombs
49:16instead
49:17of
49:17bombs
49:18the
49:18doors
49:18came
49:19open
49:19these
49:19wooden
49:19doors
49:20and
49:20what
49:20we
49:21had
49:21stacked
49:21on
49:21the
49:22doors
49:22would
49:22fall
49:22out
49:23the
49:23Dutch
49:24civilians
49:25had
49:25marked
49:26the
49:26fields
49:29cross
49:29but
49:30I
49:30did
49:30hit
49:31the
49:31white
49:32cross
49:33one
49:33time
49:33you
49:34know
49:34it was
49:34kind
49:34of
49:34interesting
49:35because
49:35sometimes
49:36I can
49:37remember
49:37my
49:37commanding
49:38officer
49:38his
49:40airplane
49:40they were
49:40having
49:40trouble
49:41the
49:42doors
49:42open
49:42but the
49:44boxes
49:44didn't
49:44fall
49:44out
49:45so
49:46they
49:46also
49:47furnished
49:47a
49:47long
49:47stick
49:48in
49:49the
49:49airplane
49:50so
49:50that
49:50the
49:50person
49:52actually
49:52was
49:53a
49:53flight
49:53engineer
49:53could
49:54take
49:54the
49:54stick
49:55and
49:55poke
49:55at
49:55things
49:56so
49:57I
49:57can
49:57remember
49:57watching
49:58the
49:58commanding
49:59officers
49:59airplane
49:59going
50:00around
50:00and
50:01one
50:01box
50:02at
50:02a
50:02time
50:02falling
50:02out
50:03I
50:04could
50:04watch
50:04I
50:04remember
50:05one
50:05hitting
50:05a
50:05cow
50:06there's
50:07a cow
50:07down
50:07there
50:07and
50:08the
50:08cow
50:08just
50:08turned
50:08over
50:09I
50:10watched
50:10a
50:10couple
50:11go
50:11through
50:11the
50:11roof
50:11some
50:12houses
50:12that
50:12was
50:13home
50:13delivery
50:13just
50:14went
50:14right
50:15through
50:15the
50:15roof
50:15but
50:16I
50:16tell
50:17you
50:17the
50:17Dutch
50:18civilians
50:19really
50:20appreciated
50:21what
50:21I do
50:21I
50:21think
50:22that
50:22to
50:23them
50:23now
50:23it's
50:23like
50:24a
50:25holiday
50:25that
50:26they
50:27really
50:27celebrate
50:27the
50:28fact
50:28that
50:28we
50:28saved
50:29their
50:29lives
50:29with
50:31the
50:32end
50:32of
50:32the
50:32war
50:32the
50:32B-24
50:33disappeared
50:34from
50:34American
50:34service
50:35with
50:35surprising
50:36speed
50:36liberators
50:37in
50:38Europe
50:38were
50:38lined
50:39up
50:39by
50:39the
50:39hundreds
50:40in
50:40fields
50:40across
50:41England
50:41and
50:41Germany
50:41where
50:42they
50:42were
50:42summarily
50:43scrapped
50:43the
50:44few
50:44that
50:44returned
50:45to
50:45the
50:45United
50:45States
50:46were
50:46quickly
50:46mothballed
50:47in
50:47aircraft
50:48boneyards
50:49in
50:49Arizona
50:49and
50:50Southern
50:50California
50:51by
50:52late
50:521946
50:53hardly
50:53a
50:54B-24
50:54remained
50:55in
50:55flying
50:55condition
50:56while
50:57the
50:57B-24
50:58liberator
50:58outnumbered
50:59all other
50:59American
51:00heavy
51:00bombers
51:01of
51:01World
51:01War
51:01II
51:02its
51:02key
51:02role
51:03in
51:03the
51:03air
51:03campaigns
51:04against
51:04Germany
51:05and
51:05Japan
51:05has
51:06been
51:06eclipsed
51:07by
51:07the
51:07more
51:07popular
51:08and
51:08beloved
51:08Boeing
51:09B-17
51:10flying
51:11fortress
51:11never
51:12a
51:12plane
51:13to
51:13generate
51:13much
51:14passion
51:14with
51:14its
51:14crews
51:15the
51:15B-24
51:16nonetheless
51:17formed
51:17the
51:17backbone
51:23of
51:23the
51:24most
51:24important
51:24missions
51:25of
51:25the
51:25war
51:26liberators
51:27dropped
51:27more
51:28bombs
51:28than
51:28any
51:29other
51:29American
51:29heavy
51:30bomber
51:30during
51:30the
51:30war
51:31doing
51:31so
51:32while
51:32taking
51:32heavy
51:33losses
51:33from
51:34flack
51:34and
51:34fighters
51:35though
51:36it
51:36never
51:36became
51:37a
51:37true
51:37legend
51:37in
51:38aviation
51:38history
51:39as
51:39did
51:39the
51:40B-17
51:40and
51:41the
51:41B-29
51:41the
51:42liberators
51:43served
51:43as
51:44the
51:44army
51:44air
51:44force
51:45most
51:45versatile
51:46workhorse
51:46said
51:47one
51:47liberator
51:48pilot
51:48it
51:50was
51:50good
51:50enough
51:50to
51:50get
51:50the
51:51job
51:53you