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Anticipation was not a foreign feeling aboard Aluminum Overcast.
Decades before in the upheaval of WWII, young men clad with weapons
rather than smiles had likely been filled with fear-tinged
anticipation for the flight ahead, the enemy who lay in wait, and
the gravity of the mission at hand.
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May 10, 2017 - A fully-restored B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed
Aluminum Overcast sits on the runway at the Olympic Flight Museum in
Tumwater, Wash. Members of the media had the opportunity to fly on
the historic aircraft and speak to veterans who either worked on, or
flew the B-17 during WWII ... The B-17 had a crew of 10 men, a
maximum speed of 287 miles per hour, and a maximum ceiling of 35,600
feet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt.
Whitney Amstutz)
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Members of the local media were given a larger-than-life history
lesson when they flew aboard the fully restored B-17, May 10 in
Tumwater, Washington, and spoke with WWII veterans who either worked
aboard, or piloted the aircraft during its heyday.
Despite
the harrowing circumstances, many of these veterans welcome the idea
of embarking upon the Flying Fortress once again, as if being
reunited with an old friend.
“In combat it was always a
blurred line between being excited and being afraid,” said
94-year-old Dick Nelms, 447th Bombing Squadron B-17 pilot. “It’s
just exciting to see this aircraft today, knowing I’m going to fly
in it again.”
According to the Liberty Foundation, B-17s
dropped more than 640,000 tons of bombs on European targets and
downed more enemy aircraft per thousand raids than any other
aircraft in the United States’ arsenal, making it the champion of
the American aerial campaign during WWII.
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May 10, 2017 -
A fully-restored B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed Aluminum Overcast flies
over the skies of Olympia, Wash. The B-17 had 13, 50-caliber M2
Browning machine guns for defense. The long range capabilities of
the B-17 meant they would often fly missions without fighter plane
escort. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Amstutz)
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Even so, the cost of victory was high. Of the 12,732 B-17s
produced between 1935 and 1945, 4,735 were lost in combat.
“I
flew to Berlin [Germany] three times,” Nelms said. “I watched B-17s
being shot down, many of them carrying my friends. We had to learn
to control fear, and I did. That’s why I’m able to sit here and talk
to you 74 years later.”
While millions of men like Nelms were
serving a grateful nation in Europe, women on the home front were
fighting the good fight as well.
“I bucked rivets in ’44
while I was in college,” said Betty Lausch, who laid eyes on a
fully-operational B-17 for the first time May 10. “My husband worked
on B-17s during the war, but I haven’t seen a completed one until
now. It’s better than anything I could have imagined and I’m so
grateful for the chance to fly in it.”
For many, the B-17 is
not just an aircraft, but a symbol of the generation who carried the
United States through one of its most turbulent eras with unwavering
resolve.
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May 10, 2017 -
A 77-year-old B-17 nicknamed Aluminum Overcast flies over Olympia,
Wash. During WWII, the B-17 had a crew of 10 men, a maximum speed of
287 miles per hour, and a maximum ceiling of 35,600 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Amstutz)
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“I’m glad it was these guys who were there to answer the call,”
said Tom Ewing, present-day B-17 pilot. “The more you learn about
what they were asked to do and what they did, the more you’ll
understand why they are called the ‘Greatest Generation’. These are
true heroes and it is a very lucky thing that you see these men
standing here today.”
As the Flying Fortress burst through
the cloud bank and the Puget Sound came into full view through the
glass bubble traditionally occupied by the bombardier, passengers
couldn’t help but ask WWII veteran and B-17 crewmember, Fred Parker
how one might ever get used to a view like that.
Parker
didn’t miss a beat.
“You never get used to the view,” he
said. “You stay scared.”
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Whitney Amstutz
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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