Laurence Rees: Clarence Roundtree was an American who served in Britain with the US Eighth Army Air Force – the bomber group that made hazardous daylight raids on enemy targets. Germany's casualty statistics: By D-Day, 35% … After every mission he looks round, sees how many planes were lost, and recalculates their odds of survival. An Operational tour for a bomber crew consisted of thirty (30), non-aborted, operational sorties. It was not uncommon for a rested crew member to volunteer for a second bomber tour. This was a far higher rate of casualties than any other service in either the First or Second World Wars. Bomber crew survival rates during the war. 3 years ago. 434 Squadron in fact was known as the unlucky squadron for having had far higher casualty rates than the other squadrons. As the crew worked feverishly to keep the bomber from ripping apart, the pilot continued toward his target and successfully released his bombs. To use the term working conditions in the context of War is of course horribly inappropriate. Joined: Sep 6, 2011 Train and personalise your own Bomber Crew. I understand how the formation was formed and the 6 positions of the craft, and how each was numbered. A merica joined Britain's strategic air campaign designed to destroy Nazi Germany's industrial capacity soon after her entrance into World War Two. The SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber, also known as the Douglas SBD Dauntless, performed the roles of both scout plane and dive bomber for the United States military during World War 2 from 1940 through 1944. You can contrast this with the fact that during the Battle of Britain , 500 pilots were killed over the whole period of the battle, comprising the summer months of 1940. Some Airmen used a stimulant Agent called Benzedrine to cope. Choose your Crew! Procedurally-generated names, skills and back stories means a unique experience for everyone, but be careful, as death is permanent. WWII Bomber Survival Rate? From November 1943 to March 1944 Berlin was repeatedly bombed, the loss rate of the heavy bombers (predominantly Lancaster’s) was 5.1%, for the Mosquito it was 0.5%. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II.From 1942 onward, the British bombing campaign against Germany became less restrictive and increasingly targeted industrial sites and the civilian manpower base essential for German war … Operations in WW2: 82,773 (73,312 as bomber) Losses: 2.232 (37.08 ops per loss) Bomb tonnage on targets: 224,207 (3.06 tons per bomber op) Survival rate for night bombing missions: average of 20 night bombing-missions in c.6 weeks. About 50% bailed out from B-17s and B-24s. The first five missions for a new crew were the most dangerous ones, where about 40 per cent of all planes were lost. The rear turret was a very lonely place on the plane as Hector was completely shut off from the rest of the crew. See Lancaster Bomber emergency exits. Here are a few quick yet informative stats about American's most famous bomber, the B-17 Flying Fortress. I have always thought it would be pretty low if I giant shell pierced the armour and exploded inside the tank but apparently a lot did survive. WW2 Jobs with the lowest survival rates. In John Hersey's fiction novel, The War Lover, about a B-17 crew, the navigator is a math prodigy. Every time, it is consistently 24%. The doors on a Halifax were slightly bigger? Upon completion of their tour, the crew would normally be broken up and rested by being assigned to various Conversion or other non-operational units as instructors. At an operation on Nuremburg, on which I luckily was not flying, we lost some 650 men in one night. The casualties suffered by the Eighth Air Force were about half of the U.S. Army Air Force's casualties (47,483 out of 115,332), including more than 26,000 dead. The first two Australian squadrons were formed in 1941 (No 455 and No 458), but by 1942 No 460 Squadron and 467 were the only RAAF squadrons with Bomber Command. He joined them in 1944 and on his very first mission came under heavy enemy fire. Throughout the war the amount of time spent on training decreased for all air forces. It's interesting that you mention the odds of survival at 24%. By D-Day the Germans had 1.5 million railway workers operating 988,000 freight cars and used 29,000 per day. Best Regards, MB_Avro. This was a significant accomplishment for these airmen as RAF bomber losses in WW2 were staggeringly high with records indicating bomber command having suffered 51% casualty rates. Launching Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" and Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" from bases in England's eastern countryside, the Americans bombed their targets during the day while the British attacked at night. Survival rate two tours Bomber Command Has any member seen any figures relative to the chances of air crew surviving two complete tours of operations in WWII I am looking at a Pilot serving mid 1940 to late 1942 periods. When the pilot opened the bomb bay doors, the instability of the B-17 and the wind turbulence was so great that it propelled one of the midsection gunners into the broken tail section. The losses were extrodinary. Memphis Belle’s crew completed 25 missions May 17, 1943 (without any loss of life). Apart from the fact that their oxygen lines could freeze in the cold temperatures of high altitude, they were also the number 1 target for enemy fighters. The conditions under which a Bomber Crew had to operate were Spartan. Any more information regarding WW2 aircraft? 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