The Roar of Flying Fortresses

Many of the battles that have been mentioned took place because of the air campaign of the allies. The air campaign over Berlin that was aimed at weakening Germany’s industry took place throughout most of the war; this provided (in the long term) the Allies overwhelming air superiority, giving them almost complete control of the skies, which helped in ground victories as well.

                There were many planes that took part in the battles in the skies, some very recognizable such as the B-17 “Flying Fortress”, a primary bomber of the Allied force that was littered with guns, including its iconic “ball-turret”. “Over 12,000 of the B-17’s were built throughout WWII, [as the need for them in the war was high.]” –(Bombing Mission).  In fact the numbers were so high that “in a single formation there could be upwards of 21 bombers” and there could be multiple formations in a single combat flight mission. –(Close Encounter). Also taking part was the B-24 “Liberator”, which is commonly mistaken with the B-17, although they share many similarities. At the beginning of the war the bomber’s had to go into German territory alone because their fighter escorts did not have the range to follow them into German skies, leaving the bomber dangerously vulnerable to German fighter attacks. However later in the war the bomber squadrons would gain a friend of a fighter known as the P-51 Mustang, which had the range necessary to follow the bombers and could outperform the German fighters as well.

                The crews of these bombers faced death every combat mission, facing not only determined German fighters but a fierce system of anti-air defenses. As well as the German ingenuity, such as the German ME-262; the first jet aircraft fielded in combat, which was ahead of its time like many of the German war machines. But the crews still went in, even with the poor odds they faced. However, the battle for Berlin didn’t take place only in the air. There would be a hard fought battle on the ground as well…

Image Source’s:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/B-17G_formation_on_bomb_run.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/B-24D%27s_fly_over_Polesti_during_World_War_II.jpg

Sources:

(Bombing Mission). Perkins, Paul. Patterson, Dan. Bombing Mission. 5/6/11. Article.

(Close Encounter).  Neely, William. Close Encounter. 5/6/11.