He didn't think too much of the Hollywood "Memphis Belle". The B-17 movies he regarded the best are:
Memphis Belle (1944)
12 O'Clock High
The War Lover
It's pretty sad that living memories of B-17 crews are gone now.
Some comments I can make based on long conversations with my dad about his combat experience:
1. The strain on the crews was terrible. They knew the odds against living through their tour were heavily against them. The airmen dealt with their fear in different ways, and it broke some of them. My dad just expected to die. The actors in MotA looked like they were having fun.
2. The odds of surviving the first 5 missions were about the same as surviving the rest of the tour, i.e. The crews learned. The series presented it as simply randomness in a shooting gallery. I'd like to have seen some bits about how the crews handled it and learned.
3. The show didn't really show much of any airmanship. Nor any of the variety of techniques the Luftwaffe used to penetrate their defenses. Such as the Luftwaffe pilots would aim for the B-17 cockpit. Nor anything about the aircrews fighting to bring home their damaged airplane and wounded crew.
4. Nothing much was said about how the crew coped with 60 degrees below zero and the lack of oxygen.
Some things are just lost knowledge. My dad would bring along two flak jackets. He didn't wear them, he put them on the floor and squatted on them. This is because the flak was designed to explode below the aircraft and shred it from below. I expect other crews did that, too, they weren't stupid.
He summed it up saying he wouldn't trade that experience for anything, and would not do it again for anything.
But still, the detail of the aircraft and beautiful photography made this a worthwhile series. Well recommended.
