What was the life expectancy of a B-17 crew?

What was the life expectancy of a B-17 crew?

He was not alone in that conviction. Nothing in the peacetime lives of thousands of young Americans had prepared them for the violence that lay ahead. Although such statistics were not circulated among Army Air Forces crews, the average life expectancy of an Eighth Air Force B-17 in late 1943 was 11 missions.

How many American bomber crews died in ww2?

The U.S. suffered 52,173 aircrew combat losses. But another 25,844 died in accidents. More than half of these died in the continental U.S. The U.S. lost 65,164 planes during the war, but only 22,948 in combat.

How many fighters did B-17 shoot down?

The USAAF claimed they shot down 179 Luftwaffe fighters, broken-down as follows: B-17 gunners claimed 97 and their fighter escort claimed 82. German records show that 66 fighters were lost. The Luftwaffe claimed that they shot down 108 bombers and 20 fighters.

What was the average life expectancy of a ww2 pilot?

Life Expectancy The average life expectancy of a spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain was an astonishing four weeks. During the battle, 544 British RAF pilots died.

How many crew members does a b17 have?

nine crew members
Operation. Similar to the Avro Lancaster, the player does not directly control anything in the aircraft, but instead controls the actions of the nine crew members to operate the aircraft. The crew consists of a Pilot, Flight Engineer, Navigator, Radio and Radar Operator, Bombardier, and four Gunners.

Was the b24 better than the B-17?

The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. This wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range. Compared to the B-17 it had a 6-foot larger wingspan, but a lower wing area. This gave the B-24 a 35% higher wing loading.

How much ammo did a b17 carry?

Additional armament included an additional dorsal turret in the radio room, a remotely operated and fired Bendix-built “chin turret” directly below the bombardier’s accommodation, and twin .50 in (12.7 mm) guns in each of the waist positions. The ammunition load was over 11,000 rounds.

How many Luftwaffe pilots died in WW2?

Both sides suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Britain – 544 pilots, which was about one in six, from RAF Fighter Command were killed and 2,500 Luftwaffe airmen lost their lives.