1st Lieutenant Si Spiegel DOB: 28 May 1924 Place of Birth: New York, NY Inducted: September 1942 Discharged: December 1945 United States. Army Air Forces World War, 1939-1945 United States. Army Air Forces. Air Force, 8th United States. Army Air Forces. Bomb Group, 490th United States. Army Air Forces. Bomb Squadron, 849th 2/4/2003 Tarrytown B-17 Boeing Flying Fortress Spiegel, Si I. 33 Missions Pilot Two interviews, both by the NYS Military Museum 2003 interview is 01:32:08 (youtu.be/B73ezkyq00M) 2010 interview is 28:47 (youtu.be/Bsm6OBUSIAw) Veteran oral history interview published by the New York State Military Museum. The State of New York, the Division of Military and Naval Affairs and the New York State Military Museum are not responsible for the content, accuracy, opinions or manner of expression of the veterans whose historical interviews are presented in this video. The opinions expressed by those interviewed are theirs alone and not those of the State of New York.
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danmanjones (Old Spike)
33 missions is a decent effort for a B-17 fliying fortress crewman. Pity about the message.
Edit: Hey I can still edit my comment after Baby replied to it. That could be abused :p
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BabyDuckling (Long Spike)
"Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. As a measure of the hazards they would encounter, it is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing his tour of duty."
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/b17.htm
"The planes were unheated and open to the outside air. The crew wore electrically heated suits and heavy gloves that provided some protection against temperatures that could dip to 60 degrees below zero. Once above 10,000 feet they donned oxygen masks as the planes continued to climb to their operational level that could be as high as 29,000 feet. Nearing the target, each crew member would don a 30-pound flak suit and a steel helmet designed to protect against antiaircraft fire. Parachutes were too bulky to be worn all the time, but crewmen did wear a harness that allowed them to quickly clip on their parachute when needed."
Comments
(Long Spike)
1st Lieutenant Si Spiegel
DOB: 28 May 1924
Place of Birth: New York, NY
Inducted: September 1942
Discharged: December 1945
United States. Army Air Forces
World War, 1939-1945
United States. Army Air Forces. Air Force, 8th
United States. Army Air Forces. Bomb Group, 490th
United States. Army Air Forces. Bomb Squadron, 849th
2/4/2003
Tarrytown
B-17 Boeing Flying Fortress
Spiegel, Si I.
33 Missions
Pilot
Two interviews, both by the NYS Military Museum
2003 interview is 01:32:08 (youtu.be/B73ezkyq00M)
2010 interview is 28:47 (youtu.be/Bsm6OBUSIAw)
Veteran oral history interview published by the New York State Military Museum.
The State of New York, the Division of Military and Naval Affairs and the New York State Military Museum are not responsible for the content, accuracy, opinions or manner of expression of the veterans whose historical interviews are presented in this video. The opinions expressed by those interviewed are theirs alone and not those of the State of New York.
(Old Spike)
33 missions is a decent effort for a B-17 fliying fortress crewman. Pity about the message.
Edit: Hey I can still edit my comment after Baby replied to it. That could be abused :p
(Long Spike)
"Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. As a measure of the hazards they would encounter, it is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing his tour of duty."
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/b17.htm
"The planes were unheated and open to the outside air. The crew wore electrically heated suits and heavy gloves that provided some protection against temperatures that could dip to 60 degrees below zero. Once above 10,000 feet they donned oxygen masks as the planes continued to climb to their operational level that could be as high as 29,000 feet. Nearing the target, each crew member would don a 30-pound flak suit and a steel helmet designed to protect against antiaircraft fire. Parachutes were too bulky to be worn all the time, but crewmen did wear a harness that allowed them to quickly clip on their parachute when needed."
its a pretty good read.