How to Shoot Down B-17 on “Masters of the Air” with Glenn Flickinger @ 7pm ET
Experts Colin Heaton and Joe McCarthy join Glenn Flickinger to discuss the tactics of aerial combat in World War II, focusing especially on how the Luftwaffe attempted to bring down B-17 formations, and the defenses those formations used to get through to their targets. Glenn will also discuss his thoughts on the finale of the Apple TV mini-series “Masters of the Air”
During World War II, the German Luftwaffe executed various strategies to counter the formidable threat posed by B-17 Flying Fortress squadrons, the iconic American heavy bombers.
Fast and maneuverable fighter aircraft, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190, surrounded the B-17s on all sides, making it challenging for the American bombers to defend themselves. The German pilots aimed to exploit the vulnerable areas of the B-17, such as the unescorted belly and rear positions, as they were less heavily armed.
To counter these attacks, B-17 crews developed defensive formations and tactics. The Flying Fortresses were equipped with multiple .50 caliber machine guns, strategically positioned to provide overlapping fields of fire. The most common defensive formation was the “combat box,” where B-17s flew closely together, forming a defensive wall of firepower. The concentration of defensive armament in these formations made it difficult for German fighters to penetrate without facing intense opposition.
Furthermore, B-17s often employed the “fighter weave” maneuver, where adjacent bombers would take turns moving to the front of the formation to engage attacking fighters. This coordinated defensive maneuver allowed the B-17s to present a continuous front, making it harder for the Luftwaffe to exploit weak points.
To enhance survivability, B-17 crews also utilized electronic countermeasures, such as radar jamming and chaff deployment, to disrupt German radar systems and evade incoming enemy aircraft. Finally, the introduction of long-range fighter escorts, like the P-51 Mustang, significantly increased the B-17s’ chances of reaching their targets and returning safely by providing protection deep into enemy territory.
In summary, the German Luftwaffe employed agile fighter aircraft and strategic formations to attack B-17 squadrons during World War II. In response, B-17 crews developed defensive formations, tactics, and utilized electronic countermeasures, contributing to the overall success of the Allied bombing campaign in the European theater.
Joe McCarthy’s father, Maurice Joseph “Joe” McCarthy, served as a Flight Engineer in the 91st Bomb Group, and 322nd Bomb Squadron. His duties included using rad deflection gunsights and a special Sperry targeting computer, crucial for accurate shooting during missions. He flew a ship nicknamed Ack Ack Annie, which completed an impressive 143 missions.
McCarthy’s 25 missions included bombing targets in Schweinfurt and marshaling yards, encountering dense flak and near misses. His role as a Flight Engineer required him to fix any damage to the plane and fly it home if needed. He faced challenges like manually lowering landing gear mid-flight, a skill featured in the “Masters of the Air” series.
Surviving these perilous missions, McCarthy participated in Operation Revival in May 1945, a humanitarian effort ordered by General Dwight Eisenhower to rescue Allied POWs from German camps now under Russian control. McCarthy’s squadron played a crucial role in the evacuation, flying specially modified B-17s with skeleton crews to bring prisoners home.
McCarthy’s squadron’s missions included freeing French and British POWs near Mauthausen concentration camp and rescuing American POWs from Stalag Luft 1 in Barth. The crews faced challenges, with POWs crammed into every available space on the planes. The mission’s success meant a swift return for the rescued soldiers to Camp Lucky Strike near Paris.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Traveling in Vietnam on VBC Happy Hour @ 7pm ET
In November and December last year, 21 of us—including five veterans who had served in-country during the war—traveled to Vietnam, from Hanoi and Halong Bay in the North to Saigon and the Mekong Delta in the South. Vietnam is a beautiful and often bewildering place, ancient in history and now yoked to American culture and memory. The country presents to the traveler more than can be absorbed. Tonight, we’ll talk with those who traveled with us and gather their impressions of the country, the people, and what they’ve learned from the trip.
One of our travelers was Vietnam veteran Jerry Augustine who remembers almost every aspect of his harrowing service. Jerry captured his story in his memoir, Vietnam Beyond. Jerry served in 1966-1967 with B Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. We’ll hear from Jerry what he thought of Vietnam and how it may have changed his view and understanding of his service.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
How to Research Family Veterans in Military Records
Beth Reuschel is a professional military records researcher who helps families discover their legacies of service. She conducts research for people and also coaches them to do their own detective work. Through her expertise and guidance, dozens of people have tracked down service records of veteran parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, as well as brothers and sisters.
Beth joins VBC Happy Hour to give us “Military Records Research 101” briefing. She’ll offer tips and tricks to guide family history seekers through their own research journeys. If you’ve ever been curious about your veteran ancestors or family members, you’ll want to join us to talk with Beth and ask questions about how to start or get past the obstacles in your way.
Beth is planning a major research trip to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis this spring.
Submit your research questions ahead of time to Beth, and she’ll try to answer them on the program.
The VBC is raffling the opportunity to have Beth conduct research for you. Click the ticket image below to buy a raffle ticket.
Beth’s own path to archives began with a search for her grandfather, Jack Perz, who died before Beth was born.
An airman in Europe, Jack spoke little of the war. He even threw away his uniform in 1945. It was a black hole in her family history.
By asking questions and digging into archives, she discovered a picture of his crew, his original Certificate of Discharge (DD-214), his ribbon bar, even his Individual Flight Record. She eventually traced him a B-24 tailgun position in the 766th squadron, the 461st Bomb Group, 15th Army Air Force in Italy.
Researching his unit both online and at the National Archives II, she was able to compile a complete list of every single combat mission he flew—all 36 of them– including the target, mission number, accuracy rating, and, for some, the number of the aircraft the crew flew that day.
With a little more work, Beth then discovered the Holy Grail for any military researcher: the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). The OMPF is the official administrative records of a service member’s military career. It tracks where they trained, what they qualified to do, where they went, how they performed, what trouble they got into, and most other highlights and lowlights along the way.
She requested Jack Perz’s OMPF through the National Archives website. She was prepared to be disappointed. Up to 80% of all Army OMPFs were destroyed in the NPRC 1973 fire.
It turned out, Beth’s grandfather’s records were scorched, to be sure, but not totally destroyed. She received 60 pages of his file. And the stories she learned about her grandfather’s service provided her relatives, including her grandmother, a source of pride and love for a long lost family member.
This first experience taught Beth her biggest lesson in military records research:
Don’t give up.
There will be obstacles and seeming dead-ends. They can seem insurmountable. But the paths to discovery are many, and there’s almost always a workaround.
Even brick walls can be climbed.
Join us to share your questions and our research story! And learn more about Beth’s work at reuschelresearch.com.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Open Conversation on VBC Happy Hour @ 7pm ET
Did the Viet Cong use elephants in the Vietnam War? What is the “smoking lamp,” and do ships still have them? What in the world would anyone volunteer for bomb disposal (EOD)? If you had to do it over again, what would you change?
These are the types of questions we’d like to pose to our veterans tonight, during VBC Open Conversation. The idea is to encourage veterans to share whatever stories or insights they have about their service and the branches in which they served. What did you like or not like? Is it better to be officer or enlisted? What would you tell a young person joining today?
We want to explore, understand, and learn about military culture, especially those areas that civilians have a hard time grasping. What are common misconceptions about the military? What do the movies get wrong? What made your type of service special or unique?
Join us for Open Conversation, and please let us know if you have something you’d like to ask, a topic you’d like to discuss, or a story you’d like to share. Email Todd at todd@veteransbreakfastclub.org and let him know!
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
American POWs in World War II on “Masters of the Air” with Glenn Flickinger @ 7pm ET
World War II POW and Eighth Air Force expert Marilyn Walton talks about the experiences of prisoners in Germany with Glenn Flickinger. Marilyn will comment fact and fiction in the depiction of POW camps in the Apple TV mini-series “Masters of the Air”
During World War II, United States Army Air Forces personnel faced the harrowing experience of becoming prisoners of war (POWs) after being captured by German forces. These airmen were detained in various camps known as Stalag Lufts, where they endured challenging conditions and organized themselves for survival amidst enemy captivity.
The German system segregated officers from enlisted men upon capture and sent them to different camps, each administered by the German Luftwaffe and Abwehr. Once inside the confines of these camps, the captured airmen, affectionately referred to as “Kriegies,” found themselves among their comrades. Leadership roles varied among the camps, with senior American officers or elected representatives assuming authority in different compounds.
Life within the POW camps was marked by the segmentation of living quarters into compounds, each containing barracks that housed dozens of men in cramped conditions. As the number of captives increased, overcrowding became a significant issue, forcing many to sleep on floors. The harsh realities of captivity were exacerbated when, in early February 1944, camps faced evacuation due to the advancing Russian forces, leaving tens of thousands of prisoners “On the Road” for extended periods, enduring immense hardships until liberation.
One crucial aspect of the POW experience was the interrogation process at facilities like Dulag Luft. Located in Oberursel, this complex consisted of interrogation centers, hospitals, and transit camps, where captured airmen underwent questioning and evaluation before being transferred to permanent POW camps. Despite being designed to accommodate a limited number of prisoners, overcrowding was common during peak periods, with solitary confinement often enforced.
Stalag Luft I, situated near Barth, Germany, housed Allied prisoners, including American and British officers and enlisted men. The camp, located on the Baltic Sea, saw its first prisoners in July 1940 and was evacuated by 8th Air Force B-17s in May 1945. Similarly, Stalag Luft III, located southeast of Berlin, housed American airmen and became the largest American officers’ camp in Germany by January 1945.
Stalag Luft IV, located in Gross Tychow, Pomerania, witnessed a significant influx of prisoners, swelling its ranks from 1,500 to nearly 10,000 airmen by January 1945. Stalag Luft VI, situated outside Hedekrug, Lithuania, initially held prisoners from Belgium and France before receiving British, Canadian, and American airmen, reflecting the diverse nationalities of POWs held by the Germans.
As Germany’s collapse neared, camps like Stalag VIIA in Moosburg became final gathering points for thousands of Air Corps officers and enlisted men from other camps. The overcrowded conditions and constant influx of prisoners posed challenges for camp administrators, with protests against overcrowding falling on deaf ears.
Despite the adversity, the resilience and resourcefulness of Allied airmen in German POW camps underscored one of the most overlooked chapters in American history.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!