Luftwaffe Gun camera footage

[Mitch Rapp]

Fascinating stuff, but kinda hard to watch. My Grandfather flew a Liberator, hard to imagine how any of them survived.

[video=youtube_share;vfYMtSiFuIc]http://youtu.be/vfYMtSiFuIc[/video]

 

[gl55]

My father flew 35 missions over Germany as a bombardier in a B17. Those were some brave men that went up in those planes knowing what they would be facing on a mission. Seeing their buddies being blown out of the sky every time they went up.

 

[Perplexed]

Most interesting footage! Judging from the Luftwaffe models listed in the videos, these were filmed during the latter half of the war. The bombers in the videos also appear to have fallen out of formation, otherwise the German pilots might not have been so bold with their slow-and-steady approach runs, especially with the B-17's. I wonder if the planes being attacked had run out of ammo or had injured gunners?

But you do realize you've poked the sleeping OSA bear, don't you? Were any swastikas or other Nazi markings visible in the videos?

 

[Nimaro]

As a big history nerd, thanks for posting man! Most interesting

 

[jakeman]

Thanks for posting.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

But you do realize you've poked the sleeping OSA bear, don't you? Were any swastikas or other Nazi markings visible in the videos?

HA!

I almost didn't post it, the first B24 that takes obvious cannon rounds into the cockpit almost get me choked up. Better men than us.....

 

[gl55]

HA!

I almost didn't post it, the first B24 that takes obvious cannon rounds into the cockpit almost get me choked up. Better men than us.....

Most of them were really kids. Might be why they seemed so fearless.

 

[mapcon1941]

Thanks for the post, my uncle was a Liberator crew member also. I believe his missions were flown out of Africa.

 

[cjjtulsa]

The bombers in the videos also appear to have fallen out of formation, otherwise the German pilots might not have been so bold with their slow-and-steady approach runs, especially with the B-17's. I wonder if the planes being attacked had run out of ammo or had injured gunners?

Wasn't uncommon for fighters from all of the air forces to single out strays; breaking up bomber formations was the best way to go about shooting them down. It's also how we got kills on their Me262s - our P51s typically lurked around their bases, then attacked the jets as they slowed on approach to land. Very few were ever shot out of the air in a traditional dog fight, despite the bravado you'll hear on the History Channel. If it works, do it.

 

[Perplexed]

It's also how we got kills on their Me262s - our P51s typically lurked around their bases, then attacked the jets as they slowed on approach to land. Very few were ever shot out of the air in a traditional dog fight, despite the bravado you'll hear on the History Channel. If it works, do it.

Not just on landing, but also on take-off as well. The Junkers Jumo turbine jet engines on the Me-262 were so finicky that they required gradual changes in throttle setting to keep from flaming out, hence the inordinately long take-off and approach method. Jagdverband 44, the Germans' ace squadron of jet fighters in late 1944 to 1945, had its own Fw-190 Dora-9 squadron for dedicated airbase air cover during the jets' take-offs and landings, and the 190's were forbidden from pursuing Allied aircraft leaving the area of the airbase.