212: The European Theater, 1943
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What events set the stage for the European theater in 1943?
It's early in the morning, October 14th, 1943. We're in Nettishole, England, where Eugene T. Carson, or Wing Dean as he's known, is seated in the mess hall with fellow servicemen of U.S. Army 8th Air Force's 388th Bombardment Group, choking down what he calls a usual breakfast of square eggs, spam, and S.O.S., That last item is creamed chipped beef on toast, what the whole US military calls SOS, short for shit on a shingle. A fair note of disapproval for a discerning small town Pennsylvania baker, even if that life is now an ocean and thousands of miles away. Here in England, he's a tail gunner and staff sergeant, hoping this morning's quote unquote crummy weather gets today's yet to be announced attack pushed off.
Suddenly, the curtain dividing the mess from the briefing room is pulled back. So much for a silver lining for today's clouds. And the news gets worse. Today's target is Schweinfurt, Germany. The room explodes with exclamations of shock and trepidation.
Oh, Jesus. No, not again. Holy mother of God. This is my last mission.
Yes, Schweinfurt, located in the heart of Nazi territory, in Bavaria. The town is home to factories producing the ball bearings so essential to German aircraft. When these daring airmen struck the city back in August, they devastated Nazi ball bearing production, which fell from 140 tons per month to 50. But it came at the steep cost of 20% of all participants. 370 airmen, friends to many in this room, did not make it back. With losses like that, statistically, an assignment to the 8th Air Force is a death sentence. And now, these airmen, many survivors of August's raid, are being asked to go back, to again fly their bombers, largely without escorts, right over Germany. It feels like a death sentence.
Yet, the briefing officer doesn't miss a beat. His voice bellows over the room's laments.
This is a very important mission. Germany's ball bearing works must be destroyed.
It's later that same October 14th morning. Eugene Wing-Ding Carson's B-17, nicknamed Tiger Girl, is soaring over France in a formation of 16 flying fortresses. As they fly, Wing-Ding is at the aircraft's tail turret, or a stinger, checking gear and test firing his guns. Something feels off, and then it hits him. His parachute is missing. Eugene sits at his gun in terrified silence. He knows that if he informs the pilot, Otis Ingebrigtsen, aka Dingle, he'll turn this flying fortress around. But between one B-17's takeoff-turned-crash landing, ironically, or wholly appropriately, a bird nicknamed Hard Luck, and other mechanical failures, their group has already downed six bombers. No, Eugene won't be the cause of yet one more American plane not flying today.
One fewer to drop bombs and fend off the Luftwaffe. He sits in panic. This is a death sentence. He prays. He hears a female voice say, trust me. What? That's insane. He checks his mask. Is he sure he's getting oxygen? Yes, he is. Okay then. With little other thought besides, oh Jesus. He accepts his fate and prepares to engage the enemy. crossing from Belgium into German air. Eugene watches as their fighter escorts, now at the limit of their range, peel off. And only minutes later, with his group of B-17s still 200 miles from Schweinfurt, the dreaded Nazi air force, the Luftwaffe, arrives. Across hundreds of miles of sky, some 500 aircraft, 229 American bombers, and more than 300 German planes exchange machine gun fire worse are the ju-88s these powerful twin-engine fighters launch 21 centimeter rockets from a thousand yards out rockets that don't just down bombers but incinerate them in the air
Black funnels fill the sky as wrecked planes fall, as airmen's parachutes open, taking some to safety, but in other cases, bursting into flames, leaving a young airman to fall to his death. To quote Eugene's later recollection, the scene was one of carnage beyond imagination. It was strangely not frightening. The intensity of the action left no time for alarm. However, despite my calmness, I was satisfied the end was near. Incredibly, Eugene's entire formation, all 16 flying fortresses, reaches Schweinfurt.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What events set the stage for the European theater in 1943?
0:10–6:33
2
How did the second Schweinfurt daylight raid impact American airmen?
6:33–43:00
3
Why was the loss of Eugene “Wing‑Ding” Carson’s parachute significant?
43:00–52:36
4
What were the strategic results of the October 14 1943 bombing of Schweinfurt?
52:36–1:04:24
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from History That Doesn't Suck
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