[303rd-Talk] Question about crews and "assigned" planes

[rex pearce]

One of the more lucid and cogent explanations on this
subject from someone, who like me, has only book
knowledge on the subject.
Rex.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Van Pelt" <bvp6565 at yahoo.com>
To: "303rd Bomb Group Talk Forum" <303rd-talk at 303rdBG.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 5:08 PM
Subject: Re: [303rd-Talk] Question about crews and "assigned" planes


>
>    Bill:  I am not a vet but have studied the air war for many years and I 
> will give you what I know, but please take the word of the vets on this 
> forum over mine if they respond.
>
>  New crews were inexperienced and when they arrived on stations from 
> Combat Crew Replacement Centers, they usually flew the worst planes on 
> base, the thinkig being a new plane was more valuable and should be 
> assigned to more experienced crews.  New crews usually got the worst 
> locations in the air, too.  You have probably heard of Purple Heart 
> Corner.  Experienced crews were more valuable.  May seem harsh today, but 
> at the time there was a war to be won.  Most people my age don't 
> understand the concept of total war and the sacrifices that had to be 
> made.
>
>  A Group was usually made up of four Squadrons and on many missions, three 
> of the four Squadrons were assigned to fly, the Squadron that stood down 
> was rotated to give crews some relief, that is unless a Maximum Effort was 
> planned, in which case everything that could fly went up from all 
> Squadrons.
>
>  Keep in mind planes had mechanical failures and flak and fighter damage. 
> Sometimes if the damage was beyond the repair capabilities of the Group, 
> they were send to Base Air Depots (BAD) or Strategic Air Depots SAD) for 
> major work.
>
>  Sometimes a crew member had been wounded or was ill, and was assigned as 
> a fill in or make-up crew member on a crew needing that position.
>
>  The objective of all this was to put as many men into the air as possible 
> given the resources available.
>
>  If a crew had survived a number of missions, later in the war when more 
> planes were available, many crews got their own airplanes.  Even when 
> Squadrons were stood down, another crew from another Squadron might take 
> the plane of the Squadron that was stood down.
>
>  The only definitive thing I have learned from studying the Eighth for all 
> these years is that young men were killed in the thousands.  Outside of 
> thatr, there was/is an exception to almost any other fact or rule.
>
>  Hope this helps!
>  Bob
>
>
>
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