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Masters Of The Air (Apple TV+)

June 23, 2024

A WWII American bomber crew is being remembered in France.


42-97084 "Spare Charlie"​

Missing in Action Tingry-Abbeville 22/6/44

During a mission over France, Spare Charlie sustained damage from flak in its #2 and #3 engines, leading to a fire. The aircraft went into a loop, broke up, and crashed near Abbeville.




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Didn't catch the show. But, saw this in the news about Canada's Lancaster,


The pilot of Canada's Lancaster had this to say,

"The Lancaster could carry 12,000 pounds of bombs to Berlin. The American B-17 would be pushing it to carry 4,000.”

The Lancaster fought the Battle of Berlin without long range fighter escorts, and a crew of seven vs 10 on a B 17.

Not that one aircraft was better than the other. Just different.
 
This is the anniversary of Mailly-le-Camp.

On 3–4 May 1944, the panzer training camp located a mile north of the town was subjected to a very heavy bombing. The attack was a part of the preparation for the Allied invasion at Normandy, (Operation Overlord). 346 Avro Lancasters of Bomber Command were sent to attack the panzer training center near the village of Mailly-le-Camp. The plan was for targeting aircraft to fly over at low level while the main force of Lancaster bombers orbited some distance away. Once the master bomber was satisfied with the marking the bomb force was to be called in. Although the target was accurately marked, the master bomber was unable to call in the force due to interference over the force's frequency with a USO broadcast and also by unnecessary chatting between nervous pilots. This led to a delay in the main force attack. While they were orbiting, fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe began to arrive and attack the main force bombers. 42 Lancasters were shot down, 11.6% of the force, resulting in the loss of some 300 aircrew. However 1500 tons of bombs were dropped on the camp, causing considerable damage to the weapons and equipment held there and heavy casualties. No French civilians were killed in the bombing, although there were a small number of casualties when one of the Lancasters shot down crashed on a house.
 
This is the anniversary of Mailly-le-Camp.

On 3–4 May 1944, the panzer training camp located a mile north of the town was subjected to a very heavy bombing. The attack was a part of the preparation for the Allied invasion at Normandy, (Operation Overlord). 346 Avro Lancasters of Bomber Command were sent to attack the panzer training center near the village of Mailly-le-Camp. The plan was for targeting aircraft to fly over at low level while the main force of Lancaster bombers orbited some distance away. Once the master bomber was satisfied with the marking the bomb force was to be called in. Although the target was accurately marked, the master bomber was unable to call in the force due to interference over the force's frequency with a USO broadcast and also by unnecessary chatting between nervous pilots. This led to a delay in the main force attack. While they were orbiting, fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe began to arrive and attack the main force bombers. 42 Lancasters were shot down, 11.6% of the force, resulting in the loss of some 300 aircrew. However 1500 tons of bombs were dropped on the camp, causing considerable damage to the weapons and equipment held there and heavy casualties. No French civilians were killed in the bombing, although there were a small number of casualties when one of the Lancasters shot down crashed on a house.

The Normandy invasion preparation by the air forces was a massive, and interesting, campaign in its own right...

D-Day and the Aerial Battle for Normandy​


In all, RAF and USAAF bombers carried out operations against 72 separate rail centres in France, Belgium and western Germany before D-Day - locomotive depots, repair facilities and marshalling yards. The 37 assigned to Harris’s force were all destroyed or seriously damaged. Bomber Command’s night attacks proved more accurate than American daylight strikes – a fact Harris was keen to trumpet. The rail yards at Juvisy and La Chapelle near Paris were completely destroyed after single attacks on each, with minimal collateral damage.

 
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