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Forrest Lee Vosler, was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress radio operator who was the second enlisted U.S. airman to receive the Medal of Honor. He also received the Air Medal and Purple Heart.
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Brian D. O'Neill is an American author and attorney, best known for Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer, a book about the U.S. Eighth Air Force and B-17 crews and missions in World War II. He is also the author of 303rd Bombardment Group, about the same subject.
Operational Training Units (OTU) and Replacement Training Units (RTU) were training organizations of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Unlike the schools of the Army Air Forces Training Command (AAFTC), OTU-RTU units were operational units of the four domestic numbered air forces along with I Troop Carrier Command and Air Transport Command, with the mission of final phase training new pilots or crews. Most were disbanded in the Spring of 1944 and replaced by combat crew replacement centers assigned to base units.
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Werner George Goering was an American bomber pilot who believed himself to be the nephew of the Luftwaffe leader Hermann Göring. During World War II he flew 48 missions over occupied Europe in Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.
The All American was a World War II Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress heavy bomber that was able to return safely to its base after having its rear fuselage nearly cut off by an in-flight collision with a German Bf 109 over enemy-held territory. The bomber's flight is said to have yielded one of the most famous photographs of World War II, and has been linked with the phrase "Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer." It inspired the 414th Bombardment Squadron's emblem, an image of a puppy praying atop an aircraft's tail section.
Everett Ernest Blakely was a career officer of the United States Air Force. He was a highly decorated B-17 pilot with the “Bloody Hundredth” Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force in Europe during World War II. He received eleven medals for his service including the Silver Star for “gallantry in action”, the Distinguished Flying Cross for “heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight” and the Air Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters. Blakely and the crew of his plane “Just A Snappin” long held the record for the most enemy aircraft shot down on a single mission. The crew of Just A Snappin was credited with 9 enemy aircraft shot down. He also received his Pilot Wings with 3 stars from the Colombian Air Force.
References
- ↑ Noble, Barnes &. "Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer". Barnes & Noble.
- ↑ "Weston Military History Group".
- ↑ "303rd Books and Media". www.303rdbg.com.
- ↑ "World War II History (WWarII.com)".
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