The Real History Behind the 'Masters of the Air' Bombing Campaigns in WW2

My uncle was a b17 pilot in England. He survived barely, came home and never got into a airplane again. Drove a RV everywhere. I never understood it but it was his service photos hanging on the wall that had me intrigued so today I fly planes for work and think about him often. There was a price paid by these men, even the ones that survived.

Grandfather flew in a B24 as a ball turret gunner and I will never forget the massive hole in his back from flak that ripped through his body. The stories and pictures of him at the bases I will never forget! Miss you and love you gramps❤

My great uncle was a radio man in a B17. The only time, and the only thing he said about the war, was that people have no idea how horrifying it is to hear your friends falling 5 miles down and usually on fire. He said that they usually screamed out for their mothers. You could see that he always had it on his mind by how he would stare vacantly at nothing. That being said, he was a gentle and kind man. I miss him, and hope that he now has peace.

Deeply disturbing. My dad flew B-17s in this horrific war. 52 missions. No wonder he became alcoholic. Most certainly in order to SLEEP. He, like so many of his fellow flyers, was not allowed to grieve his traumas. Wasn’t “manly” to cry. May we never again allow such atrocities to besmirch Mother Earth and her children.

My grandfather was a navigator on a B17. He was 19 and the oldest member of the crew was the Pilot who was 21.. absolutely wild.

Dan should have mention that about 45-50% (50-57000) of the RAF bomber crews were killed in these raids. I salute their sacrifices for our freedom.

My best friend's mother used to tell her stories about running through the rubble of London when she was a young girl. She said she was constantly scared and lived in the dark most of the time underground. We can't imagine today can we?

My father flew 48 B17 missions as Radio Op.never flew again in his life,,"no odds left"

My uncle was a tail gunner in a B 17 Flying Fortress he was shot down in the raid on the ball bearing plants he spent the rest of the war as a POW I always loved him for his bravery and honor

My great grandfather was the navigator of the b-17 Memphis belle but unfortunately I wasn’t old enough to hear his stories this show allows me to have a somewhat clear idea of what he and many others witnessed it’s incredible and terrifying

Our freedom is so dearly payed by so many, in so many ways. I am a grateful Dutchman, and I Salute all of them. That we NEVER forget !!

My dad went into the US Army Air Force after the first semester of his junior year of college. After going through training as a bombardier (he was 20 years old), he was sent to England and was stationed at Deenethorpe with the 401st BG in England. Their crews participated in many bombing missions. Their worst mission was on Politz, Germany in October 1944. That was one day after they participated in the second attack on Schweinfurt, Germany. The 401st were attacked by fighters and the flak was very heavy. Five crews didn't make it back to England, including my Dad's unit. His crew and one of the other crews flew to Sweden and were there for the rest of the war. The other 3 had been shot down. Only one of them had evidently had some guys get out by parachute. The rest of them probably were either killed when it crashed or ended up POWs. Those who saw the planes go down saw damage around the bomb bay area. Since that was my Dad's position, I suspect that my father was very lucky that he wasn't killed that day. A lot of our dads didn't talk much about what it was like on those bombing missions they went on. There were too many men that didn't make it back or were killed. Most of them were in their early 20s. Unlike a lot of others here, my father rejoined the USAF after he finished his engineering degree and worked as a civilian for a year. He served 28 years all together. He decided that he wanted to go into the Aeronautical Systems Division of the Air Force and they sent him to MIT to get training in aeronautical engineering, and they used his experience as a bombardier in WW2, as most of his projects involved precision bombing. Dad flew his entire time in the Air Force, especially afther he married and had a family, he wanted the extra money to support us.

Don't forget that the British Bomber Command alone suffered 44% casualties - 55,000 out of 125,000 aircrew who served, and then add the USAAF crews to that total as well - these British and Commonwealth airmen flew night after night (or day after day for the USAAF) and well-knew the terrible odds facing them! Yet they alone, out of all the Allied personnel involved in WW2, were denied a Campaign Star or even a clasp on their Air Crew Europe Star medal!

This is really not about the background behind "Masters of the Air" It is about the battle of Britain, followed by the night bombing by Bomber Command over Germany. There is little about the 8th Airforce bombing over Germany.

My Dad piloted Halifax bombers in 10 Sqdn Bomber Command for over 1500 hours, often flying deep into Germany. Dad was awarded the DFC for sustained action against the enemy. He and his crew were demobbed, and the very next time his plane went on ops, it failed to return, its entire crew lost in action. Very sad, yet incredibly fortunate for my father.

Dan, the reason you could do this documentary in English is the very reason this was necessary. It’s very easy to look back and condemn those who, at the time were fighting for their lives. If actions then, looked like an inappropriate use of force,when faced with an enemy who had no regard to the regulations of war. It’s the only way to victory. Those men and women served the nation with pride.

My great nans house on portsdown hill, Portsmouth still stood after the houses either side had been struck directly by German bombs during the blitz. She used to make ammunition for the war effort. This was the house that I used to visit as a child

Almost 80 years after the end of the WW2 in Germany we still struggle with the bombs. In 2022 there were found 1443 bombs (2021: 2135) only in Northrhine-Westfalia. Because bombs with acid detonators are particularly dangerous, all bombs have to be defused on the day they are found. All residents within a one kilometer radius of the site must be evacuated before defusing can begin. Most of the time the detonator can be removed, if it is too dangerous it has to be blown up. Already this year, 3 bombs were found in my hometown of Duisburg, not far from my apartment. I don't know how often I crossed the place, where two of them were found...

My father was a Navigator on B-17's with the 100th Bomb Group. I think the the pictures of what sort of devastation the bombers left in their wake is probably why he rarely talked about actual missions.

I read the book at least three or more times. The thought of 25 and then 35 missions to complete your tour of duty, must have seemed an impossible task, to those brave and talented men. Thank you for helping save the world from fascism.