Yeah, because with a flick of a switch you personally have started the dropping of around 2,000,000lbs of high explosive on the enemy. Quite a lot of burden to shoulder for a young gentleman.
My grandfather was a Navigator on a B-17. He told me that when he watched this movie in the theaters and saw the horror in each man's eyes reminded him of a mission he went on over Sicily. He told me that he went on a bomb run over a city in Sicily and after he saw the bombs hit, total sorrow covered his face, when he landed at the airfield he cried in the bomb bays. He sadly past away in 2017.
One you should be very proud I'm there a crew member and no mission is a safe mission honestly I did 35 of them to Iraq as an air crew member so I know that feeling God bless your grandfather I'm sure he's up there flying with the angels now
@@matthewnewland3791 Thank you so much for your service. My dad flew C-130s over Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the middle east. He's stationed in Germany right now
A bygone way of waging war ; inaccurate weapons- from the machine gun to the bombs dropped-causing perhaps so much unnecessary suffering and misery. But war is in itself not only the glorious undertaking of the valiant that some young men think it is ; but rather brutal , ruthless inhumane destruction that affects the victor as well as the vanquished. Im blessed to know that brave people like those in your family exist who answer the call to defend freedom and I thank your grandfather and all of those who served towards that end.
@ron Phipps a “bygone way of waging war”- tell that to the Russians in Ukraine, or especially the Ukrainians. See what their response is- bet you they both laugh their asses off, bitterly. What happens when the PGMs fail, are run out of, or their guidance is broken or jammed? Evidently, they still get launched, and at least on the Russians’ targets, the civilians usually pay at least as big a price as the military.
Final bombing run has to be one of the most stressful actions ever. You fly straight and narrow through thick enemy flak and whatever happens you cannot move.
My Great Uncle was the turret gunner in a b-24 liberator, and on his 13th mission, he and his crew was shot down by flak. He lived, and his story went into the newspaper, and I have a copy of the newspaper now. They went through a lot of shit. He said that he "gave up" twice. Once while parachuting down and having flak explode around him, and again when an enemy bullet hit the corn stalk next to him and then a mound of dirt next to his shoulder. Thankfully, the Germans took him as a prisoner...
@@CramcrumBrewbringer Those may have been warning shots to get him to surrender, either that or they were just two grunts who didn't know better, but were immediately ordered to cease fire by someone who did. Fortunately for him it did work out, and from what I've understood, the Luftwaffe did try to take good care of the Allied Airmen that they did capture (knowing that back in Britain and the US, we were doing the same to their guys), however SS run camps were not as... nice...
While the bomb bay doors were open and one lucky piece of flak ripping through the HE could turn you (and probably the planes nearest you) into mist. The Brits used to carry a 4000lb bomb they called the "Cookie" - it was notoriously sensitive and there are instances where it blew up from being jostled the wrong way.
@@pbdye1607 The "Cookie Bomb" is AKA the Blockbuster. And yeah, notoriously finicky and were called Blockbusters for a good reason. But this thing pales in comparison to the 22,000lb Grand Slam. As you might know it was so big that it required removal of the Bomb Bay Doors and well, it was a big freaking target for enemy fighters to hit.
when i saw this scene as a kid, i was amazed how they finally made it to drop the bomb, now i realized that this is nothing more than a horrific scene to watch
I was 12 years old watching this movie and chewed every nail off my fingers. As i've studied wwii in all forms, this was a composite story of what bomber crews in general experienced in worst case scenarios. This leaves the audience thinking "how did anyone survive 1 much less 25 missions?" The reality - it was tough duty and death/wounding/and capture was always lurking in the background. My own great uncle was a B-24 ta gunner and was shot down/captured during the raid on Ploesti. But keep in mind too - there were a lot of guys that volunteered to do it all over again. There were a great many co-pilots that wanted their own command and volunteered to to back and do it as a captain. There were a lot of captains that came back and went in to fighters. About the only thing this movie has in common with the real Memphis belle is: They used the name and they used B-17s. That's about it. The real 25th mission of the memphis belle was normal with no casualties or damage onboard.
Fantastic movie, the B17 is one of my favorite aircraft because of tbis movie. I've seen one at an airshow on Amarillo TX when was passing through, the sound of the engines when it buzzed the field was amazing, there's nothing like it.
You should try riding in one some time. I did during an air show, from Ft. Myers to Punta Gorda, both in FL and only a 20 minute ride. I'm amazed the damn things stayed in the air, what with 1930's engineering and 1940's technology! The electrical system was naked wires from one end of the plane to the other, with glass beads for insulators at critical junctures! I don't pray, but I was tempted to, and if I'd been flying one against ME 109's and flack, I definitely would have!
We were fortunate enough to meet Robert Morgan years ago when he was at The MAPS AIR MUSEUM in N. Canton, Ohio during a small air show. He was there along with Paul Tibbets. Of course we bought a picture for each one to autograph and it was well worth it, especially getting to meet these two guys at the same place on the same day. Sadly they are no longer with us as so many other vets of WWII each passing day.
I flew in the B-17 "Sentimental Journey" a few days ago and it was loud, shaky, and there was a little turbulence as we flew around. It opened my eyes to a small part of what the young men in WWII experienced. A day I will always remember!
My Mom and I saw this movie. When we were leaving told me my Dad's brother flew and lost his life while flying in this type of airplane. Brought a whole new appreciation and sadness for the loss of Uncle Leslie to Grandparents, siblings and fellow airmen.
When I was a kid I watched this move like yes! They did it. Now I know they must have felt so many emotions knowing their lives they were taking. Ugh. What a sacrifice.
@@Frankensteins_Highboy Yes there was, and odds are the school had likely let out prior to the first run on the target, and the kids were already in bomb shelters, so even if some bombs hit the school, odds are it wouldn't have killed anyone in it as they simply wouldn't be there.
@@Tank50us Don't deceive yourself. Literally tens of thousands of bombs were dropped on Lorient alone over the course of several air raids, with 90% of the city being destroyed. You really think that went off without civilian casualties?
Amazing that these guys would fly for *hours* through hell to find the target obscured by clouds. Even if they dropped blind they knew the BDAs would eventually show that they missed and they would be sent right back over the same place
fun fact. The Norden bombsight was so secretive during the second world war that bombardiers had to actually take an oath of secrecy on how to operate it. And they were ordered to if the bomber was going down destroy the bomb site. The bomb site was one of the most valuable things on the bomber aside from its crew. And that was one piece of technology that the Germans absolutely desire the most. They didn't care about anything else they just wanted the bomb site. Thankfully none fell into the hands. this is partially why the bomb sites were not used by the Doolittle Raiders. Not only were the aircraft not expected to survive but they were going to be flying too low for them to be useful. So instead of risking the bomb site falling into the hands of the Japanese and potentially at a certain point the Germans they took them out.
ultrajd believe it or not the Germans KNEW of the norden bombsight since 1938! a German national working in the top secret norden program revealed it to Hitler they were so stupid that they never did anything with it because as they confessed they had no desire for a strategic heavy bomber force
Greg Walker it was a sort of primitive computer with high magification. It calculated wind speed/altitude/velocity to put the crosshairs on the etched glass over the target at a time that the bombs would hit it with some accuracy. The claim was that crews could drop thier bombs in a barrel from 10,000 feet. While not entirely an exaggeration, the sites' inaccuracies were accounted for by having hundreds of bombers drop thousands of bombs all in the same time at the same Target to ensure it was destroyed.
I remember back in 1990 I came back home from being stationed in South Korea for a year. Came home all my friends were gone, drove around my home town full of dozens of memories I had with those friends but now completely alone. Bored one fall afternoon I drove over to the new theater off Noland Road and bought a matinee ticket to see Memphis Belle. Back then I would always go see the new releases like this. A couple hours later I walked out back into the later afternoon sun, wondering what to do next. Sobering experience but that's what watching this scene reminds me of.
I had a friend that I sang barbershop music with that was a B 17 pilot in World War 2 named John Lynn. He and his buddies got together every year after the war was over. He passed away around 10 years ago. I've seen the Memphis Belle at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and think of John every time I see it there.
Enjoyable film.saw it on the cimema as a child. even though it bears no resemblance to the real Memphis Bell final mission and the luocrous suggestion they could avoid bombing a school next to the target. Still told a good story of the what the crews went through
My uncle Peter was a tail gunner on a Lancaster bomber, the RAF equivilant of the B17. He hardly ever spoke about his wartime experiences, but during a short holiday I deliberately got him drunk in the hope that he would open up. He did, and the stories he told me have stayed with me to this day 40 years later. These were young men risking everything for our freedom. Let us remember them.
My grandfather BUILT the Norden bomb sight during the war. He was a machinist. Before he died he said the 2 things he was most proud was that, and being able to join up in late 44 after he trained enough women how to build them. He was considered a vital defense worker, was in his 30s and had children and was draft exempt. He still joined... He said he was ashamed the war ended before he could get shipped overseas but I told him he did enough. While it wasn't combat, at least he served and who knows how many Allied lives he saved by helping to destroy nazi and Italian war material... He wouldn't tell me but I think he felt guilt about enemy civilians killed in the raids....
He should not have felt sorry about something he has no control over. My Dad was too old to join, taught school and worked repairing army jeeps summers, my uncle was a physicist who helped build the Atom bomb and saved a million lives. Point of view people, war is hell. America didn't start it but we sure finished it.
They went around a second time do as not to hit he neighboring buildings but only the lead plane used the sights to drop bombs. The rest just dropped when the lead did. Given how spaced out they are, they definitely hit the surrounding buildings.
It wasn't so much that they were worried about hitting the surrounding buildings. It was that any bombs that hit the wrong buildings don't hit the factory. If I remember right, this was an aircraft or ball bearing factory, and was critical to german industry. If they didn't destroy it, they knew that they would have to come back. And this area was one of the most heavily defended areas of Germany.
Yes I seem to remember a line in the film in which someone says they need to avoid a school next door to the factory. Nonsense of course as someone points out all of the neighbouring aircraft were also bombing from different positions. Still as a kid this was a great film at the cinema :)
@@Seabass3920 Yeah, I remember that 6 years ago I literally downloaded this clip and removed voices in Audacity because it wasn't on the soundtrack. I still hope that one day it will get an extended release.
@@user-ud7du2pb4v excuse me but most of the bombings conducted by the allies are strategic and primarily targeted on military or strategic targets. Dresden, for example, was a huge junction for the military and is an important supply line to keep the Eastern Front supplied. Did many die of the bombings? Of course but the deaths in Dresden are far from the deaths caused by the Germans. The Germans mostly killed for ideological reasons and not strategic. In fact there ethnic cleansing has no strategic value whatsoever and it actually hindered their war machine so *STFU*
@@user-ud7du2pb4v politeness aside, he's not wrong. Why don't you answer his argument about ethnic cleansing? Of course the Russians were doing things like that in Eastern Europe, but nowhere did the US or Britain commit systematic mass murder on a genocidal scale against civilians.
They are a sitting target on the bomb run they can't deviate till bombs are dropped one of the scariest part of the mission the antiaircraft guns get there hight and range at this point
Tim Keeley O well I never was a good speller it was never my forte we can’t all be perfect I’ve had 49 thumbs up and they have not mentioned it [ how does that read ] there is a little thing called dyslexia you may not have heard of well you have now ok
@@superheavyxd2684 Hi superHeavyXD i think if they Were hit in the Bombay they would soon now about it hopefully the Bombay doors are not open for to long on the bombing run I think its part of the risks they take on the mission
Can we acknowledge the fact the whistle sound of the bomb might be the worst nightmare and the last thing a lot of people heard right before they died?
Even with him getting right on target, all of the other planes that drop on his command are all spread out and some are going to hit the surrounding areas.
Precision bombing is a complete misnomer, those bombs were set to drop about 400 yards apart and with all of those bombers dropping that many, they covered a square mile. That school next door got it.
well, hitting an entire factory complex vs trying to level an entire city which is what the British were trying to do. Though, to be fair, factories, rail yards, fuel production plants, etc... they take up quite a bit of real-estate, so to ensure the destruction you'd have to saturate the area with bombs anyway. Sure a lot of people talk about how "JDAMs and LGBs can do what with one bomb what it took formations with hundreds to do" but that's only if you're aiming at a specific, comparatively small, building (like a bunker). Hitting an entire factory complex is going to take multiple aircraft, and a lot of bombs to get the job done... and odds are they're going to be dumb bombs as they're cheaper.
When bombs are released from a plane it will rise, sometimes quite suddenly and steeply. The plane will not maintain level flight as shown in this film.
There was no need for Dresden to be destroyed , there was only light industry there very little arms industry there. I think it was a case of brutality and barbarism. I went to Dresden back in the 70s and there was still a lot of bomb damage but as they rebuilt Dresden they purposely left a church in it,s bombed state to remind people what war does there no winners in war.
Dresden had a vital trainhub that was supplying the German armed forces in Budapest, along with multiple factories that were incredibly vital to the German war effort. The destruction of Dresden was vital to the quashing of national socialism in Europe and saved more lives than it took.
It’s from WW2 by the quality and proof. In the credits they got that footage form the US government archive and those specific reels are form the bombing campaigns in WW2 over Germany and Italy
Going around again with that many bombers (hundreds of bombers) wouldn't be an option or possibe without it being nothing but a huge mess and a disaster. With the clouds they would either drop the bombs where they thought the target was or have a second target.
Other then the wonky use of models in a certain shot(Ahem when a B-17 is struck and it’s split in two) the graphics are okay. But yeah the dialogue can be improved
Knowing my size and weight you best believe bomber command would of groomed me for that ball turret in the day, the most vulnerable gun position. Robert at 68.
First time I watched this movie I loved it yet at the same time I was point out unrealistic things hear and there, the main one being taking off their oxygen masks at high altitudes, and especially the bombardier taking off his gloves to drop the bombs, at the normal B-17 formation altitude (20’000 feet) you had to keep your gloves on otherwise whatever metal you touch at that altitude your hand would freeze to it and I ain’t joking
Details like the names and backgrounds of the crew were wrong. The plane getting shot up that bad were also inaccurate. Scenes look as though they were actually filmed inside a real B-17. They even used the proper subvariant.
Yep, the B-17 was more of a gunship than a bomber, very small bomb load given the aircrafts physical size, the much smaller Mosquito could carry the same bomb load faster and with more accuracy with only two crew.
@@Michael-cf9cj bad design then, not reliable and could only carry a tiny bomb load over any distance over 500 miles, usually 4000 Lb, more B17 were lost due to mechanical failure than enemy fire.
@@georgebarnes8163 It was the design we had and it did its job. It wasn't a tiny bomb load, but it did sacrifice bomb load for range. Comparing it to a F-4 Phantom is hardly fair unless we're going to compare the B-17 to the Snoopy's Sopwith Camel. Even comparing it to the Mosquito isn't really fair because they have different roles. Proper comparisons would be to the Lancaster or the B-24, both of which had advantages and disadvantages.
To ALL of the Men and Woman who have Defended our Beautiful God Blessed USA, Especially My Father A Korea and Vietnam Veteran. Thank You For Our Freedom as USA Citizens.
My great Uncle flew as co pilot then pilot on B 17s in WW II. A great man. A hero. And that quiet confidence that most from that generation always seemed to have.
They just didn’t show the whole process to calculate the aim, even during the bomb run thr bombardier complains about the flak ruining his calculations with all the turbulence, and when they turn around he even stated how it has to he a big turn around to ensure he has time to recalculate the aim
@@dustypluskrat7423 Yeah but the bombs are not manually released. The target must be visible at the start of the bomb run, there has to be visibility to some degree over the target. The bombs are automatically released by the targetting computer.
That look on the bombardier's face after the bombs are finally dropped. Priceless.
We can't tell because of the oxygen mask.
@@Frankie-O : Sorry mate, what was that? I didn't quite catch it :-P
Ya puts his glove back on like badass
Yeah, because with a flick of a switch you personally have started the dropping of around 2,000,000lbs of high explosive on the enemy. Quite a lot of burden to shoulder for a young gentleman.
What’s the time stamp?
My grandfather was a Navigator on a B-17. He told me that when he watched this movie in the theaters and saw the horror in each man's eyes reminded him of a mission he went on over Sicily. He told me that he went on a bomb run over a city in Sicily and after he saw the bombs hit, total sorrow covered his face, when he landed at the airfield he cried in the bomb bays. He sadly past away in 2017.
My condolences. War is hell
One you should be very proud I'm there a crew member and no mission is a safe mission honestly I did 35 of them to Iraq as an air crew member so I know that feeling God bless your grandfather I'm sure he's up there flying with the angels now
@@matthewnewland3791 Thank you so much for your service. My dad flew C-130s over Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the middle east. He's stationed in Germany right now
A bygone way of waging war ; inaccurate weapons- from the machine gun to the bombs dropped-causing perhaps so much unnecessary suffering and misery. But war is in itself not only the glorious undertaking of the valiant that some young men think it is ; but rather brutal , ruthless inhumane destruction that affects the victor as well as the vanquished. Im blessed to know that brave people like those in your family exist who answer the call to defend freedom and I thank your grandfather and all of those who served towards that end.
@ron Phipps a “bygone way of waging war”- tell that to the Russians in Ukraine, or especially the Ukrainians. See what their response is- bet you they both laugh their asses off, bitterly. What happens when the PGMs fail, are run out of, or their guidance is broken or jammed? Evidently, they still get launched, and at least on the Russians’ targets, the civilians usually pay at least as big a price as the military.
My father was a tailgunner of a B-17 and he and his crew made it back. Few did. This movie honor them.
This one is just one of those movies you need to have on the top shelf next to Das Boot
Ahhhhh Das Boot. The undeniable German masterpiece.
Das Boot was great !!
I wanna watch it but isn’t it long?
Combo’d with run silent run deep for a trifecta.
agreed..... Das boot, Memphis Belle and can we add Dunkirk?
Final bombing run has to be one of the most stressful actions ever. You fly straight and narrow through thick enemy flak and whatever happens you cannot move.
My Great Uncle was the turret gunner in a b-24 liberator, and on his 13th mission, he and his crew was shot down by flak. He lived, and his story went into the newspaper, and I have a copy of the newspaper now. They went through a lot of shit. He said that he "gave up" twice. Once while parachuting down and having flak explode around him, and again when an enemy bullet hit the corn stalk next to him and then a mound of dirt next to his shoulder. Thankfully, the Germans took him as a prisoner...
@@CramcrumBrewbringer Those may have been warning shots to get him to surrender, either that or they were just two grunts who didn't know better, but were immediately ordered to cease fire by someone who did. Fortunately for him it did work out, and from what I've understood, the Luftwaffe did try to take good care of the Allied Airmen that they did capture (knowing that back in Britain and the US, we were doing the same to their guys), however SS run camps were not as... nice...
While the bomb bay doors were open and one lucky piece of flak ripping through the HE could turn you (and probably the planes nearest you) into mist. The Brits used to carry a 4000lb bomb they called the "Cookie" - it was notoriously sensitive and there are instances where it blew up from being jostled the wrong way.
@@pbdye1607 The "Cookie Bomb" is AKA the Blockbuster. And yeah, notoriously finicky and were called Blockbusters for a good reason. But this thing pales in comparison to the 22,000lb Grand Slam. As you might know it was so big that it required removal of the Bomb Bay Doors and well, it was a big freaking target for enemy fighters to hit.
And before and after that, the bombardier was just another gunner.
1:09 When you're sat in an engineering exam and remember the correct formula
lol
oh hey there Halberstram
1:15 When you're sat on the toilet, taking a dump
lol...one of the most underated comments ever.
0:05 you paused, and look on the ground
when i saw this scene as a kid, i was amazed how they finally made it to drop the bomb, now i realized that this is nothing more than a horrific scene to watch
I was amazed when they dropped the bombs, then I remembered they just bombed my hometown.
They bombed the target. they made a point to not hit the school
@@GrosvnerMcaffrey it was total war. Entire cities were targeted. There was no other path to victory. As it is said often “War is Hell”
@@TheKep there's no argument there
@@TheKep There are always other ways
I was 12 years old watching this movie and chewed every nail off my fingers. As i've studied wwii in all forms, this was a composite story of what bomber crews in general experienced in worst case scenarios. This leaves the audience thinking "how did anyone survive 1 much less 25 missions?" The reality - it was tough duty and death/wounding/and capture was always lurking in the background. My own great uncle was a B-24 ta gunner and was shot down/captured during the raid on Ploesti. But keep in mind too - there were a lot of guys that volunteered to do it all over again. There were a great many co-pilots that wanted their own command and volunteered to to back and do it as a captain. There were a lot of captains that came back and went in to fighters. About the only thing this movie has in common with the real Memphis belle is: They used the name and they used B-17s. That's about it. The real 25th mission of the memphis belle was normal with no casualties or damage onboard.
Fantastic movie, the B17 is one of my favorite aircraft because of tbis movie. I've seen one at an airshow on Amarillo TX when was passing through, the sound of the engines when it buzzed the field was amazing, there's nothing like it.
You should try riding in one some time. I did during an air show, from Ft. Myers to Punta Gorda, both in FL and only a 20 minute ride. I'm amazed the damn things stayed in the air, what with 1930's engineering and 1940's technology! The electrical system was naked wires from one end of the plane to the other, with glass beads for insulators at critical junctures! I don't pray, but I was tempted to, and if I'd been flying one against ME 109's and flack, I definitely would have!
“We done job for Uncle Sam,now we fly for ourselves “
I really like this sentence
We were fortunate enough to meet Robert Morgan years ago when he was at The MAPS AIR MUSEUM in N. Canton, Ohio during a small air show. He was there along with Paul Tibbets. Of course we bought a picture for each one to autograph and it was well worth it, especially getting to meet these two guys at the same place on the same day. Sadly they are no longer with us as so many other vets of WWII each passing day.
Who else agrees that sound the bombs make as they fall is haunting.
That whistling is blood curdling. Especially when interspersed with actual footage of bombs being dropped.
I flew in the B-17 "Sentimental Journey" a few days ago and it was loud, shaky, and there was a little turbulence as we flew around. It opened my eyes to a small part of what the young men in WWII experienced. A day I will always remember!
1:08 Germs under the microscope
That is Flak Fire not germs and also that is not a microscope its a Bomb sight
@@notnile1062 r u that dumb
@@notnile1062 it’s a joke
My Mom and I saw this movie. When we were leaving told me my Dad's brother flew and lost his life while flying in this type of airplane. Brought a whole new appreciation and sadness for the loss of Uncle Leslie to Grandparents, siblings and fellow airmen.
One of the best movies I have seen.
Valter Santanna Virgin
@Hrvoje Tonkovac it’s the United States
@Hrvoje Tonkovac actually you ruined it because mine was also a joke but you didn’t get it...
Same here.
Wow that shot at 1:38 is epic it's fantastic this movie was amazing start to finish.
When I was a kid I watched this move like yes! They did it. Now I know they must have felt so many emotions knowing their lives they were taking. Ugh. What a sacrifice.
crooney82 I watched it wen I was a kid to
I havent watched it in a long time
Wasn't there a school nearby?
@@Frankensteins_Highboy Yes there was, and odds are the school had likely let out prior to the first run on the target, and the kids were already in bomb shelters, so even if some bombs hit the school, odds are it wouldn't have killed anyone in it as they simply wouldn't be there.
@@Tank50us Don't deceive yourself. Literally tens of thousands of bombs were dropped on Lorient alone over the course of several air raids, with 90% of the city being destroyed. You really think that went off without civilian casualties?
@@DevSolar Yeah but this was Bremen, a different city
In reality most formations dropped bombs through 10/10 overcast if they thought they were over the target
But the captain of the Memphis Belle wanted it right in the pickle barrel.
And that bomber missions have a secondary target in case they didn't believe they where over the primary target in an overcast.
I love this movie I just forgot the name and now I found it! THANK YOU
Amazing that these guys would fly for *hours* through hell to find the target obscured by clouds. Even if they dropped blind they knew the BDAs would eventually show that they missed and they would be sent right back over the same place
fun fact. The Norden bombsight was so secretive during the second world war that bombardiers had to actually take an oath of secrecy on how to operate it. And they were ordered to if the bomber was going down destroy the bomb site. The bomb site was one of the most valuable things on the bomber aside from its crew. And that was one piece of technology that the Germans absolutely desire the most. They didn't care about anything else they just wanted the bomb site. Thankfully none fell into the hands. this is partially why the bomb sites were not used by the Doolittle Raiders. Not only were the aircraft not expected to survive but they were going to be flying too low for them to be useful. So instead of risking the bomb site falling into the hands of the Japanese and potentially at a certain point the Germans they took them out.
ultrajd wow. good to know. 🍻
ultrajd HA! You got that from the weapon hunter.
ultrajd believe it or not the Germans KNEW of the norden bombsight since 1938! a German national working in the top secret norden program revealed it to Hitler they were so stupid that they never did anything with it because as they confessed they had no desire for a strategic heavy bomber force
Greg Walker it was a sort of primitive computer with high magification. It calculated wind speed/altitude/velocity to put the crosshairs on the etched glass over the target at a time that the bombs would hit it with some accuracy. The claim was that crews could drop thier bombs in a barrel from 10,000 feet.
While not entirely an exaggeration, the sites' inaccuracies were accounted for by having hundreds of bombers drop thousands of bombs all in the same time at the same Target to ensure it was destroyed.
ultrajd That's actually really interesting. Thank you for that.
as soon as he said that's it bombs away my watch started beeping
I remember back in 1990 I came back home from being stationed in South Korea for a year. Came home all my friends were gone, drove around my home town full of dozens of memories I had with those friends but now completely alone. Bored one fall afternoon I drove over to the new theater off Noland Road and bought a matinee ticket to see Memphis Belle. Back then I would always go see the new releases like this. A couple hours later I walked out back into the later afternoon sun, wondering what to do next. Sobering experience but that's what watching this scene reminds me of.
Did you ever see those friends again?
@@jerry5876 Unfortunately never again. That was the day I realized my youth was over.
Wow man. This is probably one of the most poignant comments I’ve ever read. Thanks for your service and I hope you’re doing well.
I had a friend that I sang barbershop music with that was a B 17 pilot in World War 2 named John Lynn. He and his buddies got together every year after the war was over. He passed away around 10 years ago. I've seen the Memphis Belle at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and think of John every time I see it there.
We don't know them all, but we owe them all.
"Put a cork in it, Zane!"
It's a flyoff, a flyoff lol.
1:11 me when I know the answer to a question on a test
Enjoyable film.saw it on the cimema as a child. even though it bears no resemblance to the real Memphis Bell final mission and the luocrous suggestion they could avoid bombing a school next to the target. Still told a good story of the what the crews went through
One of the best scenes in the movie
My uncle Peter was a tail gunner on a Lancaster bomber, the RAF equivilant of the B17. He hardly ever spoke about his wartime experiences, but during a short holiday I deliberately got him drunk in the hope that he would open up. He did, and the stories he told me have stayed with me to this day 40 years later. These were young men risking everything for our freedom. Let us remember them.
A very underrated film.
My grandfather BUILT the Norden bomb sight during the war. He was a machinist. Before he died he said the 2 things he was most proud was that, and being able to join up in late 44 after he trained enough women how to build them. He was considered a vital defense worker, was in his 30s and had children and was draft exempt. He still joined... He said he was ashamed the war ended before he could get shipped overseas but I told him he did enough. While it wasn't combat, at least he served and who knows how many Allied lives he saved by helping to destroy nazi and Italian war material... He wouldn't tell me but I think he felt guilt about enemy civilians killed in the raids....
He should not have felt sorry about something he has no control over. My Dad was too old to join, taught school and worked repairing army jeeps summers, my uncle was a physicist who helped build the Atom bomb and saved a million lives. Point of view people, war is hell. America didn't start it but we sure finished it.
They went around a second time do as not to hit he neighboring buildings but only the lead plane used the sights to drop bombs. The rest just dropped when the lead did. Given how spaced out they are, they definitely hit the surrounding buildings.
It wasn't so much that they were worried about hitting the surrounding buildings. It was that any bombs that hit the wrong buildings don't hit the factory. If I remember right, this was an aircraft or ball bearing factory, and was critical to german industry. If they didn't destroy it, they knew that they would have to come back. And this area was one of the most heavily defended areas of Germany.
Yes I seem to remember a line in the film in which someone says they need to avoid a school next door to the factory. Nonsense of course as someone points out all of the neighbouring aircraft were also bombing from different positions. Still as a kid this was a great film at the cinema :)
I did laugh when I heard that line about the school, you are lucky if your bombs Landed within half a mile of what you're aiming for...
My uncle was a dive bomber during WWII. He watched his best friend die when his plane exploded right beside him. 🇺🇸
This was a fantastic movie great cast and directing
The pilot went on to fly a B-29 named "Dauntless Dottie" in the Pacific theater.
One of the most satisfying scenes in a movie.
1:22 to 1:24 his face is so chill
But those eye brows tho
COMMANDER Knockout welp it’s billy zane when he was younger
We can't tell because of the oxygen mask.
Funny thing is all of the crew agreed that the navigator was the bravest of them all.
They were so young, so great.
Such a beautiful aircraft the B-17
Nah, it was crude looking but did its job. Crude but reliable (mostly).
@@paulallen8109 very unreliable, the engines were rubbish with more B17 lost to mechanical failure than enemy fire.
Nice that they used actually films from the real events capturing the mission
My dad was top turrets gunner in a b52 bomber during world War two
1:17 love that score :)
So do I, but I can’t find it on UA-cam anywhere unfortunately
@@Seabass3920 Yeah, I remember that 6 years ago I literally downloaded this clip and removed voices in Audacity because it wasn't on the soundtrack. I still hope that one day it will get an extended release.
1:59 great line!
Full cocaina in his eyes
It must have been very satisfying to finally see those bombs go off after going through all those perils
The airwar over Europe and also in the Pacific was as horrifying as the war in the trenches.
Top 10 of my favorite movies
1:40 Let those bastards suffer. If Göbbels wants total war, he's going to get total war.
"Okay boys, we've done our job for Uncle Sam, now we're flying for ourselves"
My hard goes out to ALL the brave man and woman.
the brave man and woman are thankful for your hard.
1:10 Val Kozlowski: that's it That's It THAT'S IT BOMBS AWAY
The Russians defeated the Germans on land.
The British at sea.
The Americans in the air.
@@user-ud7du2pb4v because they pale in comparison to that of the Germans and japanese
@@user-ud7du2pb4v I would say that in many cases of allied brutality it was required in order to ensure victory
@@user-ud7du2pb4v I guess thats a possibility but we will never know
@@user-ud7du2pb4v excuse me but most of the bombings conducted by the allies are strategic and primarily targeted on military or strategic targets. Dresden, for example, was a huge junction for the military and is an important supply line to keep the Eastern Front supplied. Did many die of the bombings? Of course but the deaths in Dresden are far from the deaths caused by the Germans. The Germans mostly killed for ideological reasons and not strategic. In fact there ethnic cleansing has no strategic value whatsoever and it actually hindered their war machine so *STFU*
@@user-ud7du2pb4v politeness aside, he's not wrong. Why don't you answer his argument about ethnic cleansing? Of course the Russians were doing things like that in Eastern Europe, but nowhere did the US or Britain commit systematic mass murder on a genocidal scale against civilians.
1:16 Bombs Away!
The old motto; If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going!
They are a sitting target on the bomb run they can't deviate till bombs are dropped one of the scariest part of the mission the antiaircraft guns get there hight and range at this point
Not as scary as your spelling, mate.
Tim Keeley O well I never was a good speller it was never my forte we can’t all be perfect I’ve had 49 thumbs up and they have not mentioned it [ how does that read ] there is a little thing called dyslexia you may not have heard of well you have now ok
I wonder if any bomber has ever been hit in the bombs before they are dropped?
@@superheavyxd2684 Hi superHeavyXD i think if they Were hit in the Bombay they would soon now about it hopefully the Bombay doors are not open for to long on the bombing run I think its part of the risks they take on the mission
Can we acknowledge the fact the whistle sound of the bomb might be the worst nightmare and the last thing a lot of people heard right before they died?
It was no different for the British during the blitzkrieg, so what's your point?
Even with him getting right on target, all of the other planes that drop on his command are all spread out and some are going to hit the surrounding areas.
Precision bombing is a complete misnomer, those bombs were set to drop about 400 yards apart and with all of those bombers dropping that many, they covered a square mile.
That school next door got it.
Yep. The pickle barrel got destroyed and so did everything around it...
@Robert Aegidius LoL can't really argue with that...
well, hitting an entire factory complex vs trying to level an entire city which is what the British were trying to do. Though, to be fair, factories, rail yards, fuel production plants, etc... they take up quite a bit of real-estate, so to ensure the destruction you'd have to saturate the area with bombs anyway. Sure a lot of people talk about how "JDAMs and LGBs can do what with one bomb what it took formations with hundreds to do" but that's only if you're aiming at a specific, comparatively small, building (like a bunker). Hitting an entire factory complex is going to take multiple aircraft, and a lot of bombs to get the job done... and odds are they're going to be dumb bombs as they're cheaper.
Not one side was innocent in WW2. One of humanity's darkest periods.
GemCat but yet Hollywood and certain US historians like to make believe one side was innocent.
Was still a great movie.
Now were flying for ourselves !
I would suggest that you all watch the original William Wyler 1944 documentary
Can't believe it has been 26 years.
Liked the scenes with real b17s in this movie
Eeeee
Many hit the target some didn’t, some didn’t even explode and where found later by bomb squads.
STILL we have to search for your Grandfather’s presents!
All these young men going face first into death almost every day to preserve our liberty....one and only word.......respect.
By killing civilians?
@@Alumann543 its funny causes he actually believes it. 🤣 Completely delusional patriotism.
When bombs are released from a plane it will rise, sometimes quite suddenly and steeply. The plane will not maintain level flight as shown in this film.
James Collinson makes sense since the plane just suddenly lost a good chunk of weight.
I have met "MEN" who did this in WW II. The greatest generation!!! Amen!
There was no need for Dresden to be destroyed , there was only light industry there very little arms industry there. I think it was a case of brutality and barbarism. I went to Dresden back in the 70s and there was still a lot of bomb damage but as they rebuilt Dresden they purposely left a church in it,s bombed state to remind people what war does there no winners in war.
Dresden had a vital trainhub that was supplying the German armed forces in Budapest, along with multiple factories that were incredibly vital to the German war effort. The destruction of Dresden was vital to the quashing of national socialism in Europe and saved more lives than it took.
@@idontlikecommunists9677
Utter Bullshit!
UK director and production team did a great job.
The B17 aircraft is based still a regular flyer at Duxford
Fun Fact: The cast was so dedicated to the realism of this film, that they actually bombed Germany...
Best war movie ever
Sadly during the war, many of those bombs were dropped on American soldiers as well.
I read that the producers wanted this to be a movie about the RAF and a Lancaster bomber crew...But there were no flyable Lancasters available.
The bombing footage is from Vietnam
Du idioten
Wow they wend from ww2 to Vietnam?
That's amazing!
It’s from WW2 by the quality and proof. In the credits they got that footage form the US government archive and those specific reels are form the bombing campaigns in WW2 over Germany and Italy
Going around again with that many bombers (hundreds of bombers) wouldn't be an option or possibe without it being nothing but a huge mess and a disaster. With the clouds they would either drop the bombs where they thought the target was or have a second target.
El cielo fué su vida y allí estará, porque es su sitio y donde debe estar
Better than Masters of the Air.
They need to remake this movie and eliminate the cheesy graphics.
They need to remake it without the cheesy dialogue.
Other then the wonky use of models in a certain shot(Ahem when a B-17 is struck and it’s split in two) the graphics are okay. But yeah the dialogue can be improved
Knowing my size and weight you best believe bomber command would of groomed me for that ball turret in the day, the most vulnerable gun position. Robert at 68.
beautiful.
Always wondered what those bombs landing would look and sound like at ground level from a reasonably safe distance, say, maybe Calgary.
First time I watched this movie I loved it yet at the same time I was point out unrealistic things hear and there, the main one being taking off their oxygen masks at high altitudes, and especially the bombardier taking off his gloves to drop the bombs, at the normal B-17 formation altitude (20’000 feet) you had to keep your gloves on otherwise whatever metal you touch at that altitude your hand would freeze to it and I ain’t joking
My Grandfather seconds that. He was a Belle crew member. Flew all 25
Brave men...
Details like the names and backgrounds of the crew were wrong. The plane getting shot up that bad were also inaccurate. Scenes look as though they were actually filmed inside a real B-17. They even used the proper subvariant.
1:15 read later in the war they had a sighting device called (the pickle barrel) because it was so accurate you could it a barrel of pickles with it)
It was the Norden sight and that was an exaggeration
Its weird to think that a F-4 jet can carry more bombs than a B-17
Yep, the B-17 was more of a gunship than a bomber, very small bomb load given the aircrafts physical size, the much smaller Mosquito could carry the same bomb load faster and with more accuracy with only two crew.
Yeah it's pretty odd :)
@@georgebarnes8163 The B-17 was designed to have range, durability, reliability, a bomb load, and a defensive armament.
@@Michael-cf9cj bad design then, not reliable and could only carry a tiny bomb load over any distance over 500 miles, usually 4000 Lb, more B17 were lost due to mechanical failure than enemy fire.
@@georgebarnes8163 It was the design we had and it did its job. It wasn't a tiny bomb load, but it did sacrifice bomb load for range. Comparing it to a F-4 Phantom is hardly fair unless we're going to compare the B-17 to the Snoopy's Sopwith Camel. Even comparing it to the Mosquito isn't really fair because they have different roles. Proper comparisons would be to the Lancaster or the B-24, both of which had advantages and disadvantages.
This is like a flock of angry Bald eagles
1:35 Those first blasts were your bombs gentlemen.
To ALL of the Men and Woman who have Defended our Beautiful God Blessed USA, Especially My Father A Korea and Vietnam Veteran. Thank You For Our Freedom as USA Citizens.
We watched this in my class today
Whats the point of Nordon bombsight it didnt precise dropping at exact spot while entire formation is in spread out
Did they think of the people they were dropping a bomb on??
It's a war. They dropped the bombs on a weapons factory.
Great movie. America needs to know how brave these men were. So many didn't come back.
Bombing women and children in german citys. Thank you for your service.....
My great Uncle flew as co pilot then pilot on B 17s in WW II. A great man. A hero. And that quiet confidence that most from that generation always seemed to have.
That's not how the norden bombsight worked, that's not how it worked at all
They just didn’t show the whole process to calculate the aim, even during the bomb run thr bombardier complains about the flak ruining his calculations with all the turbulence, and when they turn around he even stated how it has to he a big turn around to ensure he has time to recalculate the aim
@@dustypluskrat7423 Yeah but the bombs are not manually released. The target must be visible at the start of the bomb run, there has to be visibility to some degree over the target. The bombs are automatically released by the targetting computer.
I Remember that About the War Comrade. 👮
This guy's actually
1:17 what is this for a Thing
War Thunder bombing be like: