Episode 2: B-24 Tail Gunner Don Fairbanks

[@pjb5757]

How can anybody dislike this video they do an injustice to all the young airmen who served during the war. Many of these men made the ultimate sacrafice and never came home. My great uncle was one of these he flew as an Observer with the RNZAF and was attached to 224 squadron RAF Coastal Command. He died aged 24 in a flying accident when his B24D (RAF Liberator Mk 3a) hit a barrage balloon whilst attempting an emergency landing. These men were all heroes and we owe so much to them.

[@veronicabrown4262]

My dad was a tailgunner in a B-24 from December 1944-till the end of the war.flew 25 missions and kept a very detailed diary.For every mission they flew at least 3 practice missions over England.These were polished professionals.shot down over occupied France and escaped the Nazis.Yeah he was my hero.Rest in peace papa I miss you everyday

[@331SVTCobra]

I knew a family and the young kids were always going 100 mph and not talking to their grandfather. The guy looked neglected, so I started talking to him and pretty soon we were talking about the radio compartment in a B-17. I worked a few test sentences in there to make sure he wasn't making it up. Pretty soon he was supper animated, telling about "the piece of the Messerschmitt" he got with the 50 cal. That was pretty cool. It's really sad when people look at an old person and dismiss them, as if they were never on the bleeding edge of "cool".

[@JimSpence]

My grandfather was a tail-gunner on a B24 Liberator, at the Eighth Air-Force group in Col. Albert J. Shower’s 467th bomb group, completing several missions right before the war ended. These guys are true hero’s in every way. They wouldn’t dodge what they went through for bone spurs on their feet :) thanks to everyone who keep these stories and history going.

[@flashers.5212]

I never tire of listening to his kind when someone manages to get them to talk about their war time experiences🇬🇧

[@Kitiwake]

I'm not surprised. The Brits LOVE war.

[@volks86]

That is my grandfather, wow I didn't know he was on youtube

[@bradmiller9507]

That's an Honor! I wish, I could shake His Hand.

[@pgroove163]

God bless him..amen

[@theygaveitallofficial]

We loved your grandpa, so so much.

[@scottboutin4781]

I would give anything I could to experience the absolute honor of meeting your grandfather! So wild finding out he trained in Casper wyo. I live in Rock Springs who. We ALL owe our very way of life, our freedom, our country and families to your grandfather and ALL that gave everything in ww2. Saddens me to no end how the youth of today hav no idea nor care what they gave, the bravery, and the fact they wouldnt be able to live their lives so blindly, with no care in the world, not even interested in what could have been had our greatest generation did for us. It's a travesty that these stories and experiences are not celebrated and studied more with much fanfare. I find all the stories exceptionally exciting and interesting. Thanks to all that gave and served! God bless you!

[@rwfairbanks]

We must be cousins

[@roberthartshorn5285]

My dad was a tailgunner in a B25. Shot down and captured, tortured by the Japanese. Suffered the rest of his life because of that. Great man. Miss him.

[@pgroove163]

wow...i say a prayer for your hero father !!!!...u must be so proud...he was blessed from Jesus

[@frankambrose878]

Swift journey to the other side for your grandfather Robert. Bless his soul.

[@reviewswithpappy8058]

Such cruel bunch scum bags the way they treated our boys shocking man

[@danielledykgraaf6483]

God bless your grandfather sir...like mine...had NO FRIGGEN CLUE what MEN it took.....Yours and mine. God bless their souls!

[@umpman04]

@@reviewswithpappy8058 well Lee they were getting bombed by them. When captured, ANYTHING can happen history tells.(vet's stories after liberation) If the enemy is pissed, you're gonna suffer! We weren't angels all the time ether if you look and get past all the propaganda baloney. Just sayin'..........

[@casualobserver2305]

These guys are so awesome, I don’t even have words to describe it. 🏆

[@BMF6889]

Thank you for your service in the Greatest Generation. My father flew B-17's and was shot down, spent nearly 2 years as a POW and stayed in the Air Force until he died.

[@joezavacky720]

Bravo Don and all the other tail gunners in WW2. Thank you for your selfless, courageous service. We owe so much to you for our freedom and way of life.

[@bradfordeaton6558]

My dad was a gunnery instructor at Casper, I wonder how many of these guys knew him. His name was Durand "Stretch" Eaton. He got pretty mangled up in a B-24crash, that didn't burn, and spent damn near a year in the hospital. His back and neck both were broken, his left shoulder smashed and face ripped off but he survived and went to have 4 kids. I guess a lot of people died in crashes there and later the maintenance chief was court martialed for it. The Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum is at the old Enlisted Club building at the old Casper Air Base, which is now the Natrona International Airport. It's unassuming on the outside but it is a really world class museum. If you're interested in military history, it is a must see museum.

[@CaesarInVa]

My grandmother lived in Casper. In the mid-70s, my brother moved out there to get away from the rat-race of Washington, DC. I went out to visit him one summer, sometime around '75 or so. He was working as a security officer at the old army air base. Apparently, the army had cleared out many years before and people lived there, but they weren't allowed to be out after something like 9PM. I rode along with my brother one night and he made a couple stops to remind people of the curfew. I thought that was really weird. I wonder if something else was going on there. Anyway, you could tell it was an old army installation, white one- and two-story clapboard buildings and all. I'm going back to visit him this summer and I'll make it a point to check out the museum.

[@willusa2927]

He's a very modest man took me a little bit to figure out what kind of mission they were flying but they were very dangerous missions going over at night dropping people and material to the resistance I'm pretty sure that's what he did hats off and thank you for your service

[@jehugo66]

My Great Uncle Bob Perry from Knoxville, Tennessee and was was a B-24 Ball turret gunner-he was very small. Back then he swore if he survived the war he’d never fly again. He did, and he kept his vow to stay grounded the rest of his life.

[@theygaveitallofficial]

Thank you for sharing!

[@crossthread42]

Correct, they were REQUIRED to be small, too fit inside the Gun turrets..

[@williamrieger9904]

Don Fairbanks was my flight instructor in the early 90’s. Robinson R22 N9015V. He was a great man!

[@tylergleason8954]

I came across this video and immediately my eyes opened real wide. The way this man explained his experience was incredible. My grandfather was a sergeant in the airforce during WW2 and he had been a tail gunner in a b24 liberator. Watching this video of this man explaining his story and remembering the way my grandfather told his just makes me extremely thankful for the time and effort these men and women have devoted to protecting our freedom. To the active duty and veterans who see this today. Thank you

[@tylergleason8954]

If any of you want to learn more about my grandfather's time in the war and his time as a prisoner of war you can email me @[e-mail]. there is also a book on it called Home From Siberia

[@AS-zk6hz]

My uncle did 49 missions in B17 as a waist gunner. He signed up for a second 25 missions cause they said he could be a gunnery instructor in the states but would then transfer you to fight the Japanese. He said the Germans were civilized compared to fighting the Japanese. He was shot down 3 times. The French underground hid him in a sub basement. Til they got him back to England. He was a real modest guy. I would sit with him he would tell me about his war experiences. It was fascinating. Flew in B 17 only He said it was very well built Better than the 24. And people in the B 24 planes were seeking transfer to the 17

[@defenestrationfan]

My dad flew in a B-24 in the South Pacific and I have to say I never heard him say that anyone wanted to fly in a B-17. B-17 is better built? The B-24 flew higher, farther, faster, carried heavier loads and did most of the fighting over the B-17 in WWII. Check the records. The B-24 aviators reply to this rivalry was the only thing the B-17 had over the B-24 was it had a great press agent.

[@beast8995]

The B17 could take more damage than a B24 that’s coming from American and German pilots ,from men who were tasked in shooting them down to save Germany so I would say they knew better than any historian.

[@redhedkev1]

My Dad, B-24 tailgunner used to go on about the B-24 flew higher, faster, further and carried a larger bomb load. Also the B-24 was not an elegant flying plane, in did not ditch in water well at all. The front cabin often broke and fell in.Downwards. The B-17 wing was below and it ditched much more safely.

[@BeachsideHank]

@@redhedkev1 My dad was a B-17 tail gunner, the reason the Fort got so much more press than the Lib was with their longer range the Libs were stationed further inland in England, the Fort bases were only a short train ride from London and that meant a quick story and back to the hotel for drinks. The Lib was also a more economical build, and because of that it lacked the system redundancy that the Fortress had, which meant survivabilty was better in a Fort.

[@dsnitris2007]

My dad joined the RCN at 17, and his best friend (Harry C) ended up as a tail-gunner in a Halifax. Back in the 90s they were visiting an RCAF museum on Vancouver Island and when the veteran at the desk asked Harry where they served, Harry declared that he had been at tail-gunner on a Halifax. The vet at the desk stood up, laughed, threw out his hand and declared that he had been a Halifax tail-gunner and thought that he was the only one that survived. Harry just laughed “So did I!” They shook hands and spent the rest of the afternoon swapping stories.

[@charlescompton4495]

I enjoyed this video especially because my Dad was a B-24 pilot who flew in the Pacific night missions. A great generation for sure! Greg

[@justinjacob508]

Had the privilege to know one. Great guy. Kenneth Blake. He passed 10 years ago at 90years old.

[@jimmieallen5096]

Thank you sir and salute!!.

[@andrewbencomo9101]

My dad was a Bombardier in that same bomb group! The Carpet Baggers. So cool!

[@chuckyt9083]

A great American hero, I'm grateful for his service. I never served, but if I had, I sure as heck would not have wanted to be in a small turret in the tail end of a B24! That really took some balls.

[@cdjhyoung]

My father also served in the 492nd as part of the 856 squadron. The 492nd had an interesting history. Besides the 801 night supply missions, the 856 squadron was dismantled shortly before 10 Aug 44 and its crews were disbursed to other squadrons in secrete, telling each crew that all the other crews had been lost on a mission. The reason for this was that the OSS used the bomber squadron designation as cover for their missions. My father passed away believing all the men in that group he had flown with had died in action, and suffered his own form of survivor's remorse for the rest of his life. He had flown 9 actual bombing missions to this point, and completed his tour of duty with his crew flying solo radar and radio jamming missions. He suspected his was one of the few airplanes in the air as the bad weather and Germany invasion that became known as the Battle of the Bulge commenced.

[@jamescole8049]

I was born and raised in mobile. I didn’t know we had a school like that during WW2. That’s awesome!

[@HappyFlapps]

Sir - Thank you so much for you service (Wow! THREE enlistments!)

[@douglasb5046]

Moist-Mike that’s so much a cliche. How about doing something for them than just being sanctimonious

[@stevefreeland9255]

What a great story… What a grand gentleman! What an adventure.

[@Querencias7]

Good story. Thank you sir / sirs for your valiant service! BTW, what in the world are the silly "Dislikes"!?! What did they expect from an interview like this, straight from a veteran that was there!

[@pellajoe]

All these men had big balls of solid steel

[@neilfoster814]

In my opinion speaking as a Brit, after the Lancaster, the B-24 was the best alied bomber of WW2. Decent bomb load, good defence and superb range.

[@bad74maverick1]

I flew in the B-24 Witchcraft. It was an experience of a lifetime. I couldn't imagine how they stayed in the air for so many hours. I could almost feel though, the memories of those who flew in her in the IAF.

[@bobapbob5812]

My father was wounded outside of Brest with the 29th Division. He said there was a tail gunner from a B-17 in his ward, 18 years old who had had his jewels shot off. He committed suicide.

[@deadendfriends1975]

I love the stories of the "other" air services ( Coastal, Photo Recce, Intruder missions, Special Ops etc.) There's more to the air war than bombers and fighters. I personally like reading about night operations.....it was the cutting edge of technology.

[@theygaveitallofficial]

They were a special breed... flying at night was extremely hazardous!

[@aghostofrazgriz5137]

I have the UTMOST Respect for the Members of the USAAC. Theres not a Combat Experience on EARTH that could re-create the total terror one must have felt in these massive machines... 65,000 airmen shot down within 15 missions. The Greatest Generation for a REASON. o7

[@dsbmwhacker]

My Father also flew "Carpetbagger" Missions after completing his 35 bombing missions. He flew a few missions into neutral Sweden as a "civilian" hauling supplies in April 1945.

[@theygaveitallofficial]

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

[@andrewbencomo9101]

Is your father still alive? My father was a Bombardier with that bomb group.

[@notmenotme614]

Sweden during WW2 is quite interesting. They were openly supplying both sides at the same time. I wonder if the Allied and German freighters ever passed each other.

[@jerrymyers1798]

Jesse J. Myers born July 20th 1923....Tail Gunner B-24 the Stonebraker....shot down by flak....8 month POW....lived till Jan. 20th 2001....my hero.

[@JoeNicks389]

Thank you, sir. JN

[@FSEVENMAN]

Much respect sir....

[@kellyosterlund7230]

my uncle Terry Breidenstien was the pilot of the "Winged Victory" . shot down and killed over Lintz Austria in '45.

[@antz6130]

God bless you sir and thank you 🙏🏼

[@BMF6889]

It's a shame that our schools no longer teach or honor our WW II, Korean War, Vietnam, or our more recent veterans. I was a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam and I've never met a young person who knows beans about Vietnam. The History of the world began when they were born. My father was a B-17 pilot. On his last mission, his plane was hit by flak killing several of the crew and damaging the aircraft so that it had problems keeping up with the formations. He made it to his target and dropped his bombs, but on the return to England 21 miles from the English Channel, he was a straggler and shot down by a German FW-190. Five of his crew were killed and five managed to bail out. My father spent nearly 2 years as a POW. After the war, he stayed in the Air Force, flew B-47's and B-52's during the Cold War. He died on active duty as a Colonel in the Air Force. He was not only my hero and role model, the best father (parents) a kid could ever hope for, but he was a member of the Greatest Generation. Think about it. The 8th Air Force flying bombing missions over Europe during WW II suffered more KIA than the Marines in the entire Pacific war. In the early days of daylight strategic bombing over Germany, a crew was lucky to complete for or five missions before being shot down. My father was shot down on his third mission. I wanted to be an Air Force pilot, but my eye sight was bad so that was out of the question. In 1967 I was in college with a history major which meant I had no draft exception. I knew I was about to be drafted because I had already been ordered to take the pre-draft physical. So I joined the Marine Corpse to avoid the draft. Best decision I ever made. Hard life, lots of close calls in three years of combat, after 21 years in the Marines I retired. My father did get to see me graduate from Officer Candidate School and to be commissioned a 2nd Lt. But he died in 1971 at the age of 51 and never got to see how successful I eventually became. Mother lived 30 years more. Greatest parents on the face of the Earth. Military life isn't easy, but I enjoyed growing up in the Air Force and my 21 years in the Marines were very special. After I retired from the Marine Corps, I became an independent consultant for DoD technology programs primarily for special operations and then training the military on the new technologies and being the technical adviser on their training exercises around the world on those technologies. I earned a mid six-figure compensation on an hourly wage for over 30 years. I think they would be proud of me today. Now I'm 73 and permanently retired. I have paid for rides in the B-17 Nine O Nine several times to experience the sights and sounds that my father would have experienced (without the flak and fighters). It broke my heart when the Nine O Nine crashed recently killing 7, including the crew, and 7 making it out alive but critically injured. I met the pilot of the Nine O Nine who had over 7.000 hours in the B-17 and over 22,000 hours as a military/commercial pilot. Great guy. With all of that time in the B-17, I have no doubt that whatever happened was something from which he could not have recovered. RIP for all those killed. My apologies for the diatribe, but sometimes stories and events bring back powerful memories.

[@markalley4810]

My dad and best friend was also a Marine with 33years of service to our country. He served in the Korean war and Vietnam. He passed away last year on 12 November at the age of 87. I miss him every day! Semper Fi 🇺🇸

[@reichstreu3362]

Sounds like a lovely story. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.... Until I stopped to think about what your dad was doing in that bomber of his. He was indiscriminately dropping bombs over cities. He was purposely trying to kill as many civilians as possible. It's a shame that so many people kid themselves and pretend like allied bomber crews were doing a noble thing. They weren't. They were killing old men, women, & children -noncombatants- ON PURPOSE. And why? Because "Hitler wanted to take over the world"?! Yeah fucking right. Give me a break with the BS propaganda. The "gretaest generation" were the greatest generation of useful idiots. They believed all the BS propaganda the media fed them and gleefully massacred millions of their kin for the benefit of the international bankers (who, incidentally, never ever had any skin in the game). I'm a veteran of OIF, but i realized I wasnt there fighting for "Iraq Freedom", Even though I had good intentions I realized i was a useful idiot being used for nefarious purposes by the same international bankers who duped your father. There is no shame in admitting the truth. We are all better off admitting the truth instead of kidding ourselves with BS fantasies about protecting freedom.

[@francisgerace943]

Thanks for all that you shared with us, as well for the service that your father and yourself gave unto our nation! I was born at Camp Lejeune and my father was a tank commander during Korea, and through 1963.

[@zimmerave]

HooRa Marine

[@WileECoyotey]

My Dad was shot down over Norway in 1943 in a B24 while bombing submarine ports , landed just over the Sweden border and spent the rest of the war interned in a Sweden ski resort .

[@theygaveitallofficial]

Thank you for sharing!

[@j4pp1n3]

Not the worst place to end up in a war. An other happy landing!

[@37Dionysos]

All honor to these guys. My Dad was nose gunner on a 15th AAF B-24. His crew flew their ship from Newfoundland to North Africa to combat base in Italy. Before they left, he told the navigator, "Be sure we don't miss our fuel stop in the Azores---because if we have to ditch in the sea, I'm gonna shoot ya before we hit the water." Multimedia stories of his whole 10-man crew at ancientlights.org/fifteenth.html .

[@nigel900]

God bless him...

[@robertgutheridge9672]

from one to another thank you for your service a different War a different generation but Brothers regardless

[@JScottDMC]

My Grandfather was a radio operator and gunner on B-24s in the 492nd 858th and later the 801st based out of Pickenham. He was part of the Taylor crew. They flew 32 combat missions including two on D-Day. Also flew a half dozen gas hauling missions and flew Carpetbagger missions with the 801st. Great site to research members of the 492nd is www.492ndbombgroup.com

[@charlieswearingen500]

Don Fairbanks went to gunnery school in Boise, Idaho. That's also where Jimmy Stewart trained men at Gowen Field.

[@reviewswithpappy8058]

Jimmy was real deal flew missions too brave men

[@HappyFlapps]

I was talking to a friend of my son's the other day (high school kid) and he didn't even know what WW2 was. What the HELL do they teach in public school these days?

[@juanequis6951]

NOTHING but what the Dept.of Educations common core (govt. crafted text books) tell them, which is obviously one major reason kids now a days are brain dead / dumber than a fish. Dept.of No Education's also a non-constitutional,dangerous Dept. since they control the crap that goes into these kids heads. Petition your Congressman/Representative to end that Depts existence NOW.

[@jehugo66]

“Diversity,” and to forget their own American and World History in lieu of the history of others which must be “Celebrated.”

[@thomassonnenberg1915]

That being gay is good for America

[@lonecrapshooter67]

Public schools are all about greedy teacher unions

[@pgroove163]

scary. i know...just keep the faith

[@loeb27]

more more more thanks you

[@theygaveitallofficial]

+loeb27 Thank you for following our WWII veteran work!

[@bradmiller9507]

Real stories stick w/ Ya... you had an important Spot. Never Forget That!!!

[@wellington-yh8rc]

I have so much respect for our Air crews who flew such deadly missions night after night with crude instruments and navigation equipment but time after time they got the job done and finding your home base in fog and bad weather of England is difficult at the best of times , plus the risk of collision on take off and landing was massive , My Dad flew 40+ missions in the R.A.F. in Wellingtons as a Wireless op and sometimes Gunner but never talked about his experiences and as a boy I never wanted to pry even though I was so in awe of what he had been through .

[@burtthebeast4239]

Thank you Sir. God bless you.

[@jeffsmith2022]

Well done sir, thank you...

[@robertvalderaz7329]

SALUTE!!!

[@alward9901]

My dad was a Sargent in the Air Force ground crew electrician in the war the greatest generation , and I think Jimmy Stewart flew the B24 and went on to the strategic Air Command .

[@scottmclaughlin5674]

Imagine that. Becoming a pilot straight out of high school.

[@WileECoyotey]

A lot ot pilots were farm boys who learned to drive tractors young and driving was a second natural . Today's pilots spend years learning skills that took months in 1940s

[@benr.9628]

WileECoyotey flying modern fighter jets is much harder. Much higher speeds and faster reaction time required.

[@1339LARS]

Great old guy !!!

[@jobucklandbuckland8031]

i lived just down road from the Carpetbaggers base at Harrington Northamptonshire , hardly anything left but there is a beautiful monument there

[@deanlates1020]

The up most respect from England

[@neilorourke3652]

And Ireland mate....god knows what state we'd be in had Hitler prevailed.

[@MauriatOttolink]

I'm afraid that time is getting the better of this noble gentleman's memory. dit dit dah is U. V is dit dit dit dah but no matter. He's a WW2 Hero. We in UK cannot calculate what we owe(d) him.

[@pgroove163]

God bless your nation...many, MANY heroes

[@theygaveitallofficial]

Yes, his memory was beginning to fade, but it was an absolute honor to spend time with him and learn about his WWII experience!

[@mds19238]

God bless.

[@duggiebader1798]

Harrington in Northamptonshire was the home of the Carpet Baggers. The museum there has to be seen.

[@DougRiggle]

Before the Carpetbaggers were renamed the 492 bomb group, the “first 492nd bomb group” was shot out of the sky and was only active for 89 days. The first group flew out of North Pickenham, a former RAF station just east of Swaffham, Norfolk, England The pilot was named Landry, and my father was a tailgunner in the "Night Knight." She had been shot up badly on their fifth mission to the Brunswick Marshalling Yard. Eight aircraft were lost and the mission resulted in 43 KIA and 34 POW's. On their 7th mission to bomb the Politz oil refineries northeast of Berlin, and while flying in the "Militant Mistress", Landry's crew was shot down on 29 May 1944, just 8 days before the D-Day. Dad had said that he backed out of the tail gunner position, when he saw flames from two engines streaming past the tail. His intercom was not functioning, and the only person still in the B24 was Landry when Dad bailed out. Dad was in German custody as soon as his parachute was on the ground. A week later, he found himself in StalogLuft 4 near Stettiin Poland. He was a guest of the Germans for 9 months. Allied troops were getting close to the camp. The 9000 POW's were divided into 4 columns planning to march separate routes toward Berlin. On the 4th day of the march, Dad jumped off a bridge and hid in the water until the column marched away. He was helped by a German farmer who provided food and warmth in his barn. He evaded until contacting allied troops. The 492nd became a Carpetbagger Group in Aug 1944, because the USA didn't want the Germans to know they had destroyed an American bomb group, according to my father. In 1956, he was back in Germany, and was stationed at Wiesbaden Air Base. His last posting was in Saigon and he arrived two week before the start of the TET Offensive. On his return, Dad retired in 1969. He considered himself lucky!

[@notmenotme614]

6:05 I couldn’t imagine being sent to another country and not knowing where you are and then never seeing outside the camp.

[@SunnyIlha]

It was Lonely back there. In the TAIL. Pre-D Day! Running Clandestine Top Secret spy and Resistance drop missions. He was 18 Years Young.

[@brucewiemer255]

My father and most of my childhood friends fathers served in the war. Obviously they survived or none of us would have been born. Some of the stories would curl your hair

[@soldat2501]

They didn’t know what they were doing back then. There was no epic music to accompany them when they climbed into those machines, just engine noise, machine noise, yelling, clanking. They climbed in because that was the job they were chosen for. So they did it and had no idea what the outcome would be. Life, death, it didn’t matter. Of course they wanted to live, who doesn’t. But they’d have heard of men dying by this time in the war. Maybe even a family member or friend. So they knew by this time, they might die. But they did it anyway. Cause it had to be done and if they didn’t do it, someone else would have to do it. And that person might die and they couldn't live with that. Someone else died because they weren't there. So they climbed in, mission after mission. To face the guns, cannons and bullets. Then they went on to build the greatest country the world has ever known. That’s why they were the greatest generation.

[@Logan-wb3yn]

Brad .M the greatest generation.

[@oldman9843]

My dad was a " Belly Gunner " on a B-24 , Ex Disabled POW . These men were true heroes .

[@johnpfeiffer3225]

One of my ancestors was apart of the Third Reich’s Paratrooper’s Second Division. Born in 1922, died in 1944. Recipient of the EK 2 (Iron cross) and the Jump Badge. I don’t know much where he was before 1943, or where he was buried, although I continue to search for more information.

[@bobbaran7350]

My grandpa Joe Wooten flew a B-24 with the 408th 22nd BG Red Raiders in the Pacific. I would love to figure out more info his plane and crew.

[@theygaveitallofficial]

We interviewed a gentleman in Cincinnati that was in the 22nd! He was his crew’s pilot. Did he ever mention his pilot’s name?

[@dhss333]

Probably Toome, Aldergrove, Nutts Corner or Ballykelly airfields.

[@ewanmacfarlane9195]

Astonishing. 18 year olds now are so ignorant they cant even bring their head from their phone to say hello.This man and others like him thank you.

[@thegreatdominion949]

A ball turret is of no use at night anyway (you can't see things flying below you in the dark).

[@bradmiller9507]

I Earned my Wings, on my own ... A&P ,P.P. & Avionics F.C.C. Gen.Rad.Tel .Ops .Lic.... Thank You. SIR.!!!

[@theygaveitallofficial]

And thank YOU for your service!

[@AS-zk6hz]

Young people have no idea about the depression or ww2. Or how our servicemen did their duty for their country. They would poop their pants if they were asked to serve.

[@umpman04]

They'd be doing more for their country if they just pooped their pants ! Everyone is a patriotic hero until they're in that foxhole freezing for real not just real cold, wondering how they got into their "Situation" ! ! "I'm dying for What ! ?! ?" Ford, IBM, Standard Oil, Thyssen and The Harriman Bros, Prescott Bush, Standard Oil, Dupont, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Krupp, Union Banking Corporation, American I.G. Farben, Wall Street, GE, Hay as long as the financiers got to start up that war and EVERYBODY made money, WHO CARES. BE PATRIOTIC and go get something blown off or maimed so you too can be called Patriotic. Thats kinda what Smedly Butler was saying in his book War Is A Racket. See who he is and what kind of dossier he has to be able to talk about war in the most sobering of terms. The Greatest Generation? Why, because they suffered so immeasurably? They should be called the Greatest Cheated Generation, cheated out of their lives for $$$$$$ ... That whole story of WW2 sucks even more when you start uncovering the politics of greed that orchestrated it........

[@17Scumdog]

When I joined up at age 17 in 2006, during wartime, most of the young men I served with were between 18 and 25. Only a few of us pooped our pants. Respectfully, you are wrong. I don't mean to be rude I just can't stand this attitude. Every generation has it's had apples, but the good dramatically out weigh the bad. The younger generation are the future, otherwise what was really worth fighting for? It will be up to is millennials to fix the country and world that the boomers, quite frankly, drove into the dirt. Look at the state of things today! I teach my son to be a good honorable man someday, that's what it's all about.

[@TheNextGoogification]

Does anybody know of anything that tells about what life was like immediately after the war? There that one fellow said right after the war it was pathetic, and a lot of gi's couldn't even find something to eat. They'll talk about the Nostalgia, lots of Johnny Come Marching Home type of stuff. I like to hear about the employment situation, and a lot of women got forced out of their jobs, keyword was force they didn't like getting kicked out at all

[@notmenotme614]

@3:56 looks like the ball turret was shot by another 30 cal.

[@richmerowitz5610]

The first picture of a ball turret is from a B-17.

[@theygaveitallofficial]

You’re correct. That was an error on our end, not his.

[@joelcordial]

Is Don Fairbanks still alive?

[@billfarnham1592]

B25 or B24. They are different, very different. Please get it right. It says a B24 gunner but his cap and more says B25. Which is it?

[@theygaveitallofficial]

He was a tail gunner on a B-24.

[@atomicpunk520]

When i watch these videos & listen to guys like D.F. talk i feel selfish and i know i really don't have a good reason to complain about a damn thing . If he didn't complain and get full of attitude after being told "sorry son" but you gotta fly 5 or so more missions before we can let you go.................Don is like "shucks".

[@drew65sep]

Ugh..."Tail Gunner." The first one to get shot at from any pursuing fighter. I remember my 7th grade math teacher back in 1978, Mr Zontini, related to the class one day that he did the same thing (I can't remember what theatre or unit he said he was in...guess I'm too "long in the tooth" lol). But, I do recall him saying that he only had one opportunity in which he fired his guns...and it was less than ten seconds. I suppose that was a good thing, because he obviously didn't get shot at...much anyway. I'm sure the same thing didn't hold true for the rest of the crew, or the plane. Even with me being in my mid-fifties, it's hard for me to wrap my brain around.

[@331SVTCobra]

Who in the world downvoted this?

[@theygaveitallofficial]

331SVTCobra crazy isn’t it?

[@bradmiller9507]

Papaw Shot Fokkres in W.W.1 TRENCHES

[@capnhagar9078]

dit dit dah is a U ; dit dit dit dah is a V

[@smug8567]

We had a funny guy in our outfit, a tail gunner. They blew his brains out all over the Pacific. Nothing funny about that!

[@robertgutheridge9672]

from one to another thank you for your service a different War a different generation but Brothers regardless

[@theygaveitallofficial]

Salute! Thank you for YOUR service!