How many B 29s were shot down?
B-29 gunners were credited with shooting down 27 enemy aircraft. In turn 78 B-29 were lost; 57 B-29 and reconnaissance variants were lost in action and 21 were non-combat losses.
How many Allied bombers were shot down?
Out of 291 bombers dispatched, 257 actually entered German airspace. Sixty were shot down, just over 20 percent of the total number. Two hundred twenty-nine B-17s reached Schweinfurt and dropped their bombs. Only 197 returned to England.
Why was the B 24 called the flying coffin?
Officially designated the “Liberator,” the square shaped B-24 could easily turn into a death trap. It was hard to fly with its stiff and heavy controls, and so earned its name by its crews as the “Flying Coffin.”
Is the 8th Air Force still active?
8th Af Mission Headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base in the communities of Bossier City and Shreveport, La., Eighth Air Force is one of two active-duty numbered air forces in Air Force Global Strike Command.
Was the B-24 better than the B-17?
But, the record of the two types indicates that, of the two, the Liberator design was more versatile and considerably more advanced than that of the Flying Fortress. The combat records of both types contradict the assertions that aircrews flying B-17s were “safer” than those in B-24s.
What was the flying coffin?
A World War II aircraft unofficially known as a “Flying Coffin” has been found in Italy. The heavy bomber Consolidated B-24 Liberator earned its nickname when crew members found it difficult to fly, thanks to its “stiff and heavy controls,” Discovery News reports.
How many Army Air Corps died in WWII?
US Military Casualties in World War II
| Branch | Killed | Wounded |
|---|---|---|
| Army and Air Force | 318,274 | 565,861 |
| Navy | 62,614 | 37,778 |
| Marines | 24,511 | 68,207 |
| Coast Guard | 1,917 | Unknown |
How many B-17s were shot down in World War 2?
In a single 376 plane raid in August 1943, 60 B-17s were shot down. That was a 16 percent loss rate and meant 600 empty bunks in England .. In 1942-43 it was statistically impossible for bomber crews to complete a 25-mission tour in Europe .
How many Allied bombers were lost in WW2?
The Allies lost 12,000 heavy bombers to the Germans during WW2. There were 1.4 million British and American air and ground crews who dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on German targets. It took German fighters an average of 12,000 rounds to bring down one plane; it took an average of 12,000 88mm rounds from ground crews to bring down one plane.
How many Allied bomber crewmen were killed over Europe in?
It took German fighters an average of 12,000 rounds to bring down one plane; it took an average of 12,000 88mm rounds from ground crews to bring down one plane. On average the Allies put up 3000 planes every day over German targets while the Germans could only field, on average, 400 fighters.
How many people were lost in the bombing of Berlin?
Daniel Oakman makes the point that “Bomber Command lost 2,690 men over Berlin, and nearly 1,000 more became prisoners of war. Of Bomber Command’s total losses for the war, around seven per cent were incurred during the Berlin raids.