pendennis

The movie was, and is still, one of my favorites. I thought that Gregory Peck was just a tad over the top. But the star of the movie was Dean Jagger. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and was most deserving of the honor.

And the "zero-to-hero" award goes to Hugh Marlowe, as Lt. Col Ben Gately. To this day, I still get a bit misty-eyed when he's lying in the hospital bed, and the nurse tells him he's a special patient.

The movie is one of the great studies in command and leadership. I believe it's still used at the Service Academies.

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Thank you for that info; I will try to find it.

Dodie

bw79st Loc: New York City

My stepfather, Bill Mulholland, flew 29 missions in the Eighth Air Force as a gunner in B24s. He was in the 44th Bombardment Group (Flying Eightballs) stationed in Shipdham, England. In 1950, when I was seven, he took us to see the film, "Twelve O'Clock High." Near the end they show actual combat footage of a B17 group mission. They use actual intercom audio in the film and at that point I sensed something in Bill so I looked over and he was gritting his teeth and tightly gripping his armrests. Many years later I asked my sister, who was ten years older than me, if she remembered that. She said yes and that he never spoke a word that night after we left the theater.

I saw a bomber pilot interviewed on a PBS documentary being asked what it felt like to fly one of those missions over Occupied Europe. He said, imagine you are standing on the railroad tracks and looking at a speeding locomotive inches away from squashing you. Take that feeling and stretch it out for the time it took to fly from the French Coast to the target and back, and that's what he experienced every time he flew.

My stepfather thew up on every mission when they came down from altitude and were crossing the English Channel.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, I remember that. Good series.

pendennis

We had a visiting professor in military history while I was getting my degree in the 70's. He had been a B-17 pilot during WWII in the 8th AF (don't remember the squadron/wing). One of the statements he made during a discussion on the air war was this (paraphrasing): The air war casualties were the most under-reported of the war; not the actual number, but the percentage of losses. Each B-17/B-24 had ten crew-members; therefore each plane lost was a factor of 10x men. Had any infantry unit suffered that level of casualties ongoing, the commanders would have been sacked and/or court-martialed. The fellow you shared quarters or meals with one morning was gone by that afternoon never to be seen again. He likened the bomber raids to those of Napoleonic warfare, massed attacks in rigid formations.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Flying any pane on either side was not good for longevity.

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Thank you for sharing the info about your stepfather and the PBS documentary. What a terrifying experience it must have been! Bless them all for having the courage to perform their duty over and over again.

if your stepfather is still with us I wish to thank him for his service.

It's a shame that the children of today are not taught what true heroism is.

Dodie

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Yes it is!! I am really enjoying it. There are so many actors that i've forgotten about but am seeing again on that show. Thanks for looking and commenting, Jerry!

Dodie

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Thank you for sharing this, pendennis! They were truly brave men!! As I've been watching this show I wonder how they were able to keep supplying the units with men and planes. I can't imagine the psychological toll of losing so many comrades. Absolutely heartbreaking!!

Dodie

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

I agree with you. One bullet, one piece of shrapnel and it was all over. Such a shame that wars are fought and so many have to lose their lives.

Dodie

bw79st Loc: New York City

I posted Bill Mulholland's combat diary many years ago and since then Rootsweb has closed me off from updating it. Some of the links are no longer active.

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~bwickham/genealogy/diary.htm#1

sjb3

Google the 1943 daylight bomb runs over Schweinfurt. The losses were appalling.

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

I will look that up. Thank you for sharing that info!!

Dodie