Bomber photos - Veteran's Day

[dwaugh]

My son and I went to a fly-in a few years ago that featured a few planes from the Collings foundation based in Stow, MA. (Link) I just rediscovered these pics on my computer and figured I'd share them in honor of Veteran's Day. The show featured two B-25s, a B-17 and a B-24. The Mitchells were flying so no pics of those, just the Fort and Liberator.

These are truly beautiful machines and impeccably restored. Climbing aboard one makes me so glad I never had to fly one in combat. They look big from the outside but are very intimate inside, and so seemingly fragile. The guys that flew them in the war had some mighty big cahoonas. I am truly in awe of both the machines and the men.

[Daev Larrazolo]

Great pics and amazing history.

[pinnacle-project]

I'm sure there are quite a few vets on this site. Thank-you to all of you for your service.

[storzman]

yes - we should all be proud of our vets, my dad was airforce but not during war time.

Two of my favorite pieces - six in this set - I only have two

Love the Jap flags on the fighter

The pass the ammo is on ebay now

[Clarkston1]

I just had my Grandfathers V-J Day Detroit Free Press paper framed this week,
It has some deterioration due to being saved folded but has held up reasonably well for the last 69 years.

[dwaugh]

I just remembered this thread...the original post has photos I took of the B-17 that recently crashed in Connecticut. It's my avatar too. I got to fly in it a couple of years ago (long after these pictures were taken), when my wife got me a flight for my birthday present. Was the same pilot, too. What an unfortunate tragedy.

[Alaska Chris]

My grandfather " Charles Stankiewicz " flew 35 missions over Germany during WWII in a B-17 plane. They were shot down once and the whole crew parachuted out of plane before crashing. They all parachuted over France and landed in friendly hands. He spent a few weeks in a Florida hospital before going back to complete his 35 missions. I asked him if he ever shot down any German planes. He said he does not know. They flew past so fast he only saw them for a few seconds at a time.