Meanwhile, in Suffolk...

[FlyTexas]

Saw this today on Facebook.


"Two Suffolk farmers living next to a former bomber base used GPS to draw the shadow of a B-17 Flying Fortress onto one of their fields that lay under the base' former flight path, then ploughed it with a tractor to create this striking temporary artwork!!"

Brian

[Paul K]

More info;

https://www.dissexpress.co.uk/news/giga ... 1-7038708/

My mum knew Eye from her wartime WAAF days. She used to go to dances there, and at Fersfield.

[Nigel H-J]

What a wonderful commemoration to those brave airmen, I have read the book Volume 2 We Were Eagles with recollections of former American Aircrew and after reading those accounts and of the losses one can never thank them enough for their contribution in helping to end a terrible war.

Regards
Nigel.

[FlyTexas]

"Overpaid, oversexed, and over here" is my favorite comment about the US soldiers in England. Hopefully our boys were on their best behavior...but I doubt it.

Brian

[Paul K]

"Overpaid, oversexed, and over here" is my favorite comment about the US soldiers in England.

The American response, particularly in the lead up to D-Day, was "The British are underpaid, undersexed...and under Eisenhower". No escaping that one, I think.

Yes, your boys were on their best behaviour, Brian. Somewhere I have a small childhood memoir written by a late family friend, describing his childhood in East Anglia during WW2, and the 'friendly invasion' by the Eighth Air Force. I shall dig it out and transcribe it here in due course.

Their overgrown runways and crumbling control towers are everywhere in this part of Britain. We won't forget them.

[Nigel H-J]

Yes, your boys were on their best behaviour, Brian. Somewhere I have a small childhood memoir written by a late family friend, describing his childhood in East Anglia during WW2, and the 'friendly invasion' by the Eighth Air Force. I shall dig it out and transcribe it here in due course.

The Americans were extremely friendly towards children who lived near the bases especially at Christmas with parties laid on for them in the messes. Also one person who was a child in those days wrote that they used to cycle to the bases and watch the bombers returning and were very upset when their favourite aircraft did not return.

Nigel.

[Airspeed]

Not diminishing aircrew bravery in the slightest, but IMHO brave applies to just about everyone involved in war.
B17s might have been large, but there is video on the net, showing what a MK103 30mm cannon did to them; a thin skin of aluminium was no protection.