Posted on Jan 27, 2018
8th Air Force Battles Over Wilhelmshaven (1943)
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27 JANUARY 1943
(Eighth Air Force) VIII Bomber Command Mission 31: The Eighth Air Force makes its first raid on Germany. The 1st and 2d Bombardment Wings dispatch 64 B-17s and 27 B-24s against the primary target, the Wilhelmshaven, Germany Naval Base; 53 B-17s hit the target between 1110 and 1113 hours local dropping 137.5 tons of bombs; two other B-17s attack the submarine base at Emden at 1135 hours as a target of opportunity; the B-24s are unable to locate the target due to bad weather and a navigational error and return to base. Mission stats: we claim 22 enemy aircraft destroyed, 14 probably destroyed and 13 damaged; 1 B-17 and 2 B-24s are lost; 32 B-17s and 11 B-24s are damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 30 MIA.
https://www.8thafhs.org/combat1943.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmshaven
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc wayne LTC Wayne Brandon @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ capt tom Capt Tom Brown @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher B. @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ ssg robert SSG Robert Webster @ sgt randy Sgt Randy Wilber @ sgt jim SGT Jim Arnold @ sgt david SGT (Join to see) @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ cpl dave CPL Dave Hoover @ spc margaret SPC Margaret Higgins @ po1 chip PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
(Eighth Air Force) VIII Bomber Command Mission 31: The Eighth Air Force makes its first raid on Germany. The 1st and 2d Bombardment Wings dispatch 64 B-17s and 27 B-24s against the primary target, the Wilhelmshaven, Germany Naval Base; 53 B-17s hit the target between 1110 and 1113 hours local dropping 137.5 tons of bombs; two other B-17s attack the submarine base at Emden at 1135 hours as a target of opportunity; the B-24s are unable to locate the target due to bad weather and a navigational error and return to base. Mission stats: we claim 22 enemy aircraft destroyed, 14 probably destroyed and 13 damaged; 1 B-17 and 2 B-24s are lost; 32 B-17s and 11 B-24s are damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 3 WIA and 30 MIA.
https://www.8thafhs.org/combat1943.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmshaven
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc wayne LTC Wayne Brandon @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ capt tom Capt Tom Brown @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher B. @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ ssg robert SSG Robert Webster @ sgt randy Sgt Randy Wilber @ sgt jim SGT Jim Arnold @ sgt david SGT (Join to see) @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ cpl dave CPL Dave Hoover @ spc margaret SPC Margaret Higgins @ po1 chip PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Posted in these groups: 
WWII World War Two
World History
Military History8th AFNational Archives and Records Administration
WWII World War Two World History Military History8th AFNational Archives and Records Administration
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 3
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Well thanks for sharing SGT John " Mac " McConnell even though it was propaganda we did get some truth from PO3 Donald Murphy
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SGT John " Mac " McConnell
Video is from the national archive and record administration. The main post came from the 8th Airforce historical society. I do not believe that all is propaganda. Some is for sure. Thanks Sgt Randy Wilber .
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PO3 Donald Murphy
Prop has good and bad sides. Prop showed the Germans that they were being bombed which affected *their* morale. Showing us bombing, gave a back slap to the allied war effort and would hopefully convince tons more young men to join the nation's call. Once bombs in general started falling on the German homeland it became difficult for Goebbels to keep his grip. It would also convince the English (or more of them) to tolerate the "invasion" of their countryside, take over of towns and villages, etc.
Now...my big gripe is that following the 1975 classification revews, (admitting we were reading German codes), the movies should have been pulled and redone (like BBC's "World At War" and "Victory At Sea" were).
Now...my big gripe is that following the 1975 classification revews, (admitting we were reading German codes), the movies should have been pulled and redone (like BBC's "World At War" and "Victory At Sea" were).
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It was a good display but that's about it. The accuracy was nowhere near stated. Sadly, the German fighters engaging us had American gas in their tanks... Sadly also, the "stuff" we destroyed, was made good by American business the next week. By now the British knew what our goals in life were, so they wisely allowed us to kill ourselves. "No...you Yanks are doing great! You go America! Boy I sure wish we could do that daylight bombing..." Losses were also higher than reported.
Spycatcher - Peter Wright
Trading With The Enemy - Charles Higham
Flying Fortress - Edward Jablonski
Impact! - USAF
Spycatcher - Peter Wright
Trading With The Enemy - Charles Higham
Flying Fortress - Edward Jablonski
Impact! - USAF
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PO3 Donald Murphy
Of course. We were not going to admit to the British that they were right and we definitely were not going to admit that our loss of life was pointless. So post-mission newsreels were sent home and played to mom and pop in the movie theaters. Coordinated bombing (Brits at night, Americans at day) would bring the full receipe of attrition war to brew on the Germans, but not until fighters joined the bombers would the missions be strategically successful. Losses were reported "low" for morale purposes but that only worked when Eaker and Arnold forbade units from mingling. So the 9th bomb group at Upper Heyford was not allowed to party/visit with the 12th bomb group at Mildenhall. Neither were then able to say to each other "holy shit, we lost a hundred guys yesterday..."
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