Tribute to Robert D. Cookson Sr. and B-29er's of the Marianas
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    • Uncle Bob's Letters 1944 & 1945 >
      • January 1944
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      • Last letter mailed home- __06 March 1945__
      • Last letter found in his belongings after his death-not mailed
  • Uncle Bob youth images
  • Uncle Bob Training/Becoming Radar Operator
  • Uncle Bob KIA
  • KIA - The Flight and Collision
  • KIA - The Aftermath
  • Returning Uncle Bob's Remains to the U.S. 1948
  • Z Square 8 CRASH SITE PHOTOS
  • POWs in Hyogo Ken eye-witness accounts, crash of the Z Square 8
  • Visit to Crash Site/Memorial. April 2015
  • Osaka Kempeitai Execution of Nelson and Augunas
  • Aircrews/Missions
  • 500th Bomb Group
  • Z-6 "Draggin' Lady"
  • Z-6 "Booze Hound"
  • Z-7 "Hell's Belle"
  • Z-8 "Mission to Albuquerque"
  • Z-9 "Nina Ross"
  • Z-10 "Punchin' Judy"
  • 1st Incendiary Raid report, Tokyo, 9 March 1945
  • Incendiary Raid Reports, Kobe, 17 March 1945. Z-8 crew lost.
  • Photo Galleries (5 galleries)
  • Unofficial History of the 73rd Wing Book
  • Algy Augunas of Z-8, "Mission to Albuquerque", Radio Operator, POW/Executed
  • Erwin A. Brousek of Z-8 "Mission to Albuquerque", Bombardier
  • Herschel W. Connor of Z-8 "Mission to Albuequerque", Flight Engineer
    • Connor War Diary
  • Robert E. Copeland of Z-8, "Mission to Albuquerque", Pilot/Co-Pilot, KIA
  • George Lucas of Z-8, Crew Chief
  • Richard A. Field of Z-6, "Draggin' Lady", Pilot
  • Richard Dodds of Z-6, of "Draggin' Lady", Pilot-Co/Pilot
  • Douglas F. Bulloch of Z-6, "Draggin' Lady", Left Gunner/Spotter
  • Charles R. Maples of Z-6, "Draggin' Lady", Radio Operator
  • Romeo "Raymond" Rendina of Z-6, "Draggin Lady", Tail Gunner-secondary crew, Engle.
  • Harry Gerson of Z-6, "Booze Hound", Radar Operator-replaced Bob Cookson
  • Francis J. Merrick of Z-6, "Draggin Lady," Navigator
  • Jack L. Heffner of Z-7,and Z-11, "Hell's Belle" and "Holy Joe", Radar Operator
  • Jack Lebid of Z-7, "Hell's Belle", Radio Operator
  • Edwin Lawson of Z-22, "Leading Lady", CFC "Ring" Gunner
  • James R. Farrell of Z-34, "Frisco Nannie", Aircraft Commander
  • Jack V. Arterburn of Z-34, "Frisco Nannie", Flt.Eng.
  • Harold Arbon of Z-36, "Lil Abner," Aircraft Commander
  • Harold Arbon Saipan photo collection
  • Ray "Hap" Halloran of V-27, "Rover Boy Express", Navigator-survived war
  • Billy J. Burgess of E Triangle 27, "Good Deal", CFC Gunner
  • John L. Wright, Circle X 39, "Indiana," CFC Gunner, KIA
  • Nicolas V. Van Ness of Block "O" 15, "Green Hornet", Bombardier
  • Gerald J. Murphy of Aircraft #42-6379, Tail Gunner
  • John R. McNamara Jr., 499th Bomb Group
  • Junichi Ogata of the 56th Sentai, Capt., Fighter pilot
  • Meeting Capt. Ogata's Daughter April 2015
  • Z-8 Scale Tribute Build
  • Tribute Show Car - "Reverence" - Dodge Challenger
  • Misc Mission Reports/Documents of Interest
  • Color Photos on Saipan
  • Mariana Islands Aircraft Designations
  • WWII Surrender Chaplain Observation
  • The B29 Aircraft
  • WWII War Aircraft Facts
  • Comemorative Air Force's B-29 "FiFi"
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This piece is worth saving in hard copy...
 

Below is a summary of the effort required in WWII. It focuses on the American side of things, but the British, Germans and Japanese expended comparable energy and experienced similar costs. Just one example for the Luftwaffe; about 1/3 of the Bf109s built were lost in non-combat crashes. After Midway, the Japanese experience level declined markedly, with the loss of so many higher-time naval pilots.

Most Americans who were not adults during WWII have no understanding of the magnitude of it.
This listing of some of the aircraft facts gives a bit of insight to it. 
276,000 aircraft manufactured in the US ...43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat. 
14,000 lost in the continental U.S.  

The US civilian population maintained a dedicated effort for four years, many working long hours seven days per week and often also volunteering for other work. WWII was the largest human effort in history.
Statistics from Flight Journal magazine.

THE PRICE OF VICTORY (cost of an aircraft in WWII dollars)
B-17 - $204,370.    
P-40  - $44,892.
B-24  - $215,516.    
P-47  - $85,578.
B-25  - $142,194.    
P-51  - $51,572.
B-26  - $192,426.    
C-47  - $88,574.
B-29  - $605,360.    
PT-17 - $15,052.
P-38 -  $97,147.    
AT-6 - $22,952.


PLANES A DAY  WORLDWIDE
From Germany's invasion of Poland Sept. 1,1939 and ending with Japan 's surrender Sept. 2, 1945 --- 2,433 days
From 1942 onward, America averaged 170 planes lost a day.

How many is a 1,000  planes? 
B-17 production (12,731) wingtip to wingtip would extend 250 miles. 
1,000 B-17s carried 2.5 million gallons of high octane fuel and required 10,000 airmen to fly and fight them.


THE NUMBERS GAME
9.7 billion gallons of gasoline consumed, 1942-1945.
107.8 million hours flown, 1943-1945.
459.7 billion rounds of aircraft ammo fired overseas, 1942-1945.
7.9 million bombs dropped overseas, 1943-1945.
2.3 million combat sorties, 1941-1945 (one sortie = one takeoff).
299,230 aircraft accepted, 1940-1945.
808,471 aircraft engines accepted, 1940-1945.
799,972 propellers accepted, 1940-1945.

WWII MOST-PRODUCED COMBAT AIRCRAFT
Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik - 36,183
Yakolev Yak-1,-3,-7,-9, - 31,000+
Messerschmitt Bf-109 - 30,480
Focke-Wulf Fw-190 - 29,001
Supermarine Spitfire/Seafire - 20,351                  
Convair B-24/PB4Y Liberator/Privateer - 18,482      
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt - 15,686                          
North American P-51 Mustang - 15,875                    
Junkers Ju-88 - 15,000                                              
Hawker Hurricane - 14,533                                        
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk - 13,738                                 
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - 12,731                         
Vought F4U Corsair - 12,571                                      
Grumman F6F Hellcat - 12,275                                  
Petlyakov Pe-2 - 11,400                                            
Lockheed P-38 Lightning - 10,037                              
Mitsubishi A6M Zero - 10,449                                    
North American B-25 Mitchell - 9,984                        
Lavochkin LaGG-5 - 9,920                                         
Note: The LaGG-5 was produced with both water-cooled (top) and air-cooled (bottom) engines.
Grumman TBM Avenger - 9,837                                
Bell P-39 Airacobra - 9,584                                        
Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar - 5,919                                    
DeHavilland Mosquito - 7,780                                   
Avro Lancaster - 7,377                                              
Heinkel He-111 - 6,508                                              
Handley-Page Halifax - 6,176                                      
Messerschmitt Bf-110 - 6,150                                    
Lavochkin LaGG-7 - 5,753                                         
Boeing B-29 Superfortress - 3,970                            
Short Stirling - 2,383                                                   
**See many of these aircraft noted above at the bottom of the page.Click on them to enlarge.

Sources:  Rene Francillon,  Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific war; Cajus Bekker, The Luftwaffe Diaries;  Ray Wagner, American Combat Planes; Wikipedia.
   
According to the AAF Statistical Digest, in less than four years (December 1941- August 1945), the US  Army Air Forces lost 14,903 pilots, aircrew and assorted personnel plus 13,873 airplanes --- inside the continental United States. 
They were the result of 52,651 aircraft accidents (6,039 involving fatalities) in 45 months.

Think about those numbers. They average 1,170 aircraft accidents per month---- nearly 40 a day. 
(Less than one accident in four resulted in totaled aircraft, however.)
It gets worse.....
Almost 1,000 Army planes disappeared en route from the US to foreign climes.  But an eye-watering 43,581 aircraft were lost overseas including 22,948 on combat missions (18,418 against the Western Axis) and 20,633 attributed to non-combat causes overseas.

In a single 376 plane raid in August 1943, 60 B-17s were shot down. That was a 16 percent loss rate and meant 600 empty bunks in England .  In 1942-43, it was statistically impossible for bomber crews to complete a 25-mission tour in Europe .
Pacific theatre losses were far less (4,530 in combat) owing to smaller forces committed.  The worst B-29 mission, against Tokyo on May 25, 1945, cost 26 Superfortresses, 5.6 percent of the 464 dispatched from the Marianas .
On  average, 6,600 American servicemen died per month during WWII, about 220 a day. By the end of the war, over 40,000 airmen were killed in combat theatres and another 18,000 wounded.  Some 12,000 missing men were declared dead, including a number "liberated" by the Soviets but never returned.  More than 41,000 were captured, half of the 5,400 held by the Japanese died in captivity, compared with one-tenth in German hands.  
Total combat casualties were pegged at 121,867.

US manpower made up the deficit. 
The AAF's peak strength was reached in 1944 with 2,372,000 personnel, nearly twice the previous year's figure.
The losses were huge---but so were production totals.  From 1941 through 1945, American industry delivered more than 276,000 military aircraft. That number was enough not only for US Army, Navy and Marine Corps, but for allies as diverse as Britain , Australia , China and Russia .  In fact, from 1943 onward, America produced more planes than Britain and Russia combined.  And more than Germany and Japan together 1941-45.
However, our enemies took massive losses.  Through much of 1944, the Luftwaffe sustained uncontrolled hemorrhaging, reaching 25 percent of aircrews and 40 planes a month.  And, in late 1944 into 1945, nearly half the pilots in Japanese squadrons had flown fewer than 200 hours.  The disparity of two years before had been completely reversed. 

Experience Level:
Uncle Sam sent many of his sons to war with absolute minimums of training. Some fighter pilots entered combat in 1942 with less than one hour in their assigned aircraft.
The 357th Fighter Group (often known as The Yoxford Boys) went to England in late 1943 having trained on P-39s. 
The group never saw a Mustang until shortly before its first combat mission. 
A high-time P-51 pilot had 30 hours in type.  Many had fewer than five hours.  Some had one hour.
With arrival of new aircraft, many combat units transitioned in combat. The attitude was, "They all have a stick and a throttle.  Go fly `em."
When the famed 4th Fighter Group converted from P-47s to P-51s in February 1944, there was no time to stand down
for an orderly transition.   The Group commander, Col. Donald Blakeslee, said, "You can learn to fly `51s on the way to the target."  

A future P-47 ace said, "I was sent to England to die."  He was not alone.  Some fighter pilots tucked their wheels in the well on their first combat mission with one previous flight in the aircraft.  Meanwhile, many bomber crews were still learning their trade: of Jimmy Doolittle's 15 pilots on the April 1942 Tokyo raid, only five had won their wings before 1941. 
All but one of the 16 copilots were less than a year out of flight school.

In WWII flying safety took a back seat to combat. 
The AAF's worst accident rate was recorded by the A-36 Invader version of the P-51: a staggering 274 accidents per 100,000 flying hours.  Next worst were the P-39 at 245, the P-40 at 188, and the P-38 at 139.  All were Allison powered.

Bomber wrecks were fewer but more expensive.  The B-17 and B-24 averaged 30 and 35 accidents per 100,000 flight hours, respectively-- a horrific figure considering that from 1980 to 2000 the Air Force's major mishap rate was less than 2.
The B-29 was even worse at 40; the world's most sophisticated, most capable and most expensive bomber was too urgently needed to stand down for mere safety reasons. The AAF set a reasonably high standard for B-29 pilots, but the desired figures were seldom attained. 
The original cadre of the 58th Bomb Wing was to have 400 hours of multi-engine time, but there were not enough
experienced pilots to meet the criterion.  Only ten percent had overseas experience.  Conversely, when a $2.1 billion B-2 crashed in 2008, the Air Force initiated a two-month "safety pause" rather than declare a "stand down",
let alone grounding.

The B-29 was no better for maintenance. Though the R3350 was known as a complicated, troublesome power-plant, no more than half the mechanics had previous experience with the Duplex Cyclone.  But they made it work.

Navigators:
Perhaps the greatest unsung success story of AAF training was Navigators.  The Army graduated some 50,000 during the
War.  And many had never flown out of sight of land before leaving "Uncle Sugar" for a war zone.  Yet the huge majority found their way across oceans and continents without getting lost or running out of fuel --- a stirring tribute to the AAF's educational establishments.

Cadet To Colonel:
It was possible for a flying cadet at the time of Pearl Harbor to finish the war with eagles on his shoulders. 
That was the record of John D. Landers, a 21-year-old Texan, who was commissioned a second lieutenant on December 12,
1941.  He joined his combat squadron with 209 hours total flight time, including 20 in P-40s.  He finished the war as a full colonel, commanding an 8th Air Force Group --- at age 24.

As the training pipeline filled up, however those low figures became exceptions. 
By early 1944, the average AAF fighter pilot entering combat had logged at least 450 hours, usually including 250 hours in training.  At the same time, many captains and first lieutenants claimed over 600 hours.

FACT:
At its height in mid-1944, the Army Air Forces had 2.6 million people and nearly 80,000 aircraft of all types. 
Today the US Air Force employs 327,000 active personnel (plus 170,000 civilians) with 5,500+ manned and perhaps 200 unmanned aircraft. 

The 2009 figures represent about 12 percent of the manpower and 7 percent of the airplanes of the WWII peak.

IN SUMMATION: 
Whether there will ever be another war like that experienced in 1940-45 is doubtful, as fighters and bombers have given way to helicopters and remotely-controlled drones over Afghanistan and Iraq .  But within living memory, men left the earth in 1,000-plane formations and fought major battles five miles high, leaving a legacy that remains timeless.


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