The story of a group of American aviators during World War II will soon be portrayed in a television series featuring Hollywood star Austin Butler. But in the corner of East Anglia, England, where their B-17 crews began their bombing missions against the Third Reich, the men of the “Bloody Hundredth” have long been celebrated.
Over 40 years ago, the residents of Thorpe Abbotts in Norfolk County realized that the young Americans who arrived in June 1943 should not be forgotten. The villagers founded the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum in 1983.
Throughout the years, the museum has attracted thousands of visitors, including veterans of the 100th Bomb Group and their families, who have donated exhibits to the displays. However, now even more people will learn about the history of the 100th Bomb Group as “Masters of the Air,” executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, will be aired on Apple TV this Friday.
The museum board members have previewed “Masters of the Air” and expect the series to generate significantly greater interest in the 100th Bomb Group and increase the number of visitors.
“In the 1970s, we had concerns that what happened in Thorpe Abbotts was at risk of being forgotten,” explained Reg Wilson, chairman of the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum Board.
Preparations for the creation of the memorial were underway at the museum. Veterans flew in from the United States for the grand opening in 1983.
The aim was to honor these men and educate people about their accomplishments. The television series will surely tell their story to a much larger audience.
Wilson added, “I watched the premiere and was pleased with what I saw. The basic story is true. These were real people.”
The online military history of the United States recounts how in June 1942, the U.S. Army activated the 100th Bomb Group, almost three years after the start of the war.
The crews trained in Idaho and Utah, but their legend was born upon their arrival at the Thorpe Abbotts airfield a year later.
By the end of June 1943, the crews were already on their first combat missions – and soon the group was nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the heavy losses suffered.
“The 100th Bomb Group had several cases where they lost 12 out of 13 or 13 out of 15 aircraft on one mission,” explains the U.S. Air Force’s history. “Just two months into the war, the group earned its first Distinguished Unit Citation for an attack on a German aircraft factory at Regensburg on August 17, 1943.”
In that attack, the 100th Bomb Group lost nine crews.
Seven B-17s were lost in action after an attack on Bremen, according to the history.
Six out of eighteen bombers had to abort the attack on Münster and landed in the North Sea.
The crews completed their final combat mission on April 20, 1945.
“During the 22 months that nearly 7,000 men and a few women of the 100th Bomb Group operated from Thorpe Abbotts, the group flew 306 missions,” the USAF history adds. “The aircrews were credited with 8,630 sorties; they dropped over 19,257 tons of bombs and 435 tons of humanitarian supplies.”
The 100th Bomb Group is still active and has its base in East Anglia.
In 1992, the unit returned to England as the 100th Air Refueling Wing, with a base at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
Recently, American soldiers from the 100th unit joined volunteers to watch the premiere of “Masters of the Air,” with parts of the series filmed in the old town of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, and RAF Mildenhall.
“We have to remember these were very young men flying these missions,” said Wilson.
“Some went on many missions while still being teenagers.”
When we think about the problems we face in our daily lives, it’s hard to imagine what they had to endure and what they achieved.
The source of the article is from the blog lisboatv.pt