Yep over 1300 bombers were lost, along with many crew members.
I think for a period the 8th Airforce had about 80% casualties fighting the Nazis. Alone, without fighter support, those American kids fought off the best the Krauts had, with only a few .50 cal machine guns (and a lot of guts) against heavily gunned waves of Nazi fighters. You want underdogs to cheer for? Man those Lancaster and B-17 crews were out gunned, outnumbered, and over enemy territory from the minute they left English shores. And they delivered the goods, hammered the Nazi war machine, and killed those 190 and 109 pilots in front of thier girl friends. Man thats what I call a Hero.
Thousand of Americans died in the B17s, but she was still a great tough bird.
And thousands of Brits and Canadians died in their Lancasters. But in the end we pounded those Nazi slimeballs into the dirt. With our British and Canadian buddies we blasted thier goose stepping LuftWaffe from the skys, and and with the Russians great army, kicked the SS and Vermacht butts all the way back to Berlin.
Like it or not, the Memphis Belle kicked butt at a time when an average B-17 made about 8 missions. They were great airmen flying a great bird.
[This message has been edited by AKFokerFoder+ (edited 08-25-2000).]
