Over the Wire: A Canadian Pilot's Memoir of War and Survival as a POW by Andrew

[s2184]

Anyone who wants to become a pilot in RCAF should read this book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN97w4ADK1U

Book Details: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2777787&R=2777787

If anyone already read this book, please provide your feedback about this book/its contents. 

Thanking you!

 

[s2184]

I read this book couple of months ago when I was preparing for my interview.

I was shocked to learn that we lost around 9000 aircraft and 35,000 airmen in WWII.

This book significantly changed my view about being a pilot in RCAF.

This is a very interesting book.

 

[mariomike]

I was shocked to learn that we lost around 9000 aircraft and 35,000 airmen in WWII.

Are you referring the number of Canadian aircrew who died?

 

[s2184]

It was from the book and the term 'airmen', was used to describe the casualties. If I correctly recall from my memory another around 55,000 airmen were seriously wounded.

 

[s2184]

and Yes, It was Canadian casualties. That is why I was surprised.

 

[mariomike]

If I correctly recall from my memory another around 55,000 airmen were seriously wounded.

55,000 - from all services combined - were wounded.

17,393 members of the RCAF died.

"During the Second World War, approximately 709,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in the Canadian Army, 200,000 in the Royal Canadian Navy and 250,000 in the Royal Canadian Air Force, 55,000 were wounded and 44,093 lost their lives: 24,531 served in the Army, 17,393 in the Air Force and 2,269 in the Navy."
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/001056-130-e.html

 

[s2184]

Mariomike, thanks for your information. I am not sure about the accuracy of the numbers. Today once again I put a hold on this book to borrow from the library, once I receive it I will just quote as what it exactly said in the book about the casualties.

 

[Rifleman62]

See:  http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r_m_g.varley/Strategic_Air_Offensive.html

Casualties from all elements (aircrew and ground crew) and all countries who where in Bomber Command were 55,573 KIA. The USAAF VIII Bomber Command, which was the heavy bombardment arm of Eighth Air Force, had 26,000 KIA.

Movie actor Jimmy Stewart flew B-24's with the Mighty Eighth. Credited with 20 missions and he flew numerous uncredited missions as a staff officer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command

Bomber Command crews also suffered an extremely high casualty rate: 55,573 killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew (a 44.4% death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. This covered all Bomber Command operations including tactical support for ground operations and mining of sea lanes. A Bomber Command crew member had a worse chance of survival than an infantry officer in World War I. By comparison, the US Eighth Air Force, which flew daylight raids over Europe had 350,000 aircrew during the war and suffered 26,000 killed and 23,000 POWs. Of the RAF Bomber Command personnel killed during the war, 72% were British, 18% were Canadian, 7% were Australian and 3% were New Zealanders.

 

[s2184]

Rifleman62, Thank you for your information.

Actually it was my mistake in the retrieval process from my brain.  :facepalm: I got the book today and I quote the whole paragraph from the book as is. 

Pages XI & XII (Preface) follows...

My Friend, Harry Levy, another pow and sole survivor of a Wellington bomber shot down in 1942, sent me a book called RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War by W.R. Chorley that provides a picture of those terrible days. During the five and a half years of a war from 1939 to 1945, Bomber Command flew over 300,000 sorties. Over 125,000 aircrew served in the various units and, of those, over 55,000 were killed and 18,000 were either wounded or taken prisoner. In addition to the enormous human cost, over 9,000 aircraft were lost. A simple calculation shows that over 40 percent of all Bomber Command aircrew who flew on operations were killed.

 

[mariomike]

Regarding the above, I have read that their chances of survival were comparable to the German U-Boat service.
http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/commandlosses.html

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The book gentlemen. Review the book.

The numbers tangent should end, or start another thread.

---Staff---