35 Harrowing Combat Missions Over Nazi Germany | 8th Air Force | Vincent 'Bill' Purple
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Vincent "Bill" Purple joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Although Purple wanted to be a fighter pilot, he was assigned to multi-engine planes and trained on the B-17 and B-24 bombers.
At only 19-years-old Purple was sent overseas and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force, 379th Bomb Group based in Kimbolton, England. Purple would go on to Pilot his B-17 Flying Fortress in 35 combat missions, mostly over Germany.
For his actions Purple would be awarded the French Legion of Honor, the Distinguised Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
Interview recorded on May 26, 2024
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Video Credits:
Interviewer - Greg Corombos
Director of Photography - Jon Hambacker
Editor - Daniel Taksas
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These interviews are absolutely Gold! Thank you for bringing these wonderful stories and Servicemen to our
awareness. "GREATEST GENERATION? I THINK SO!!
At 19, Bill Purple captained a large 4 engine bomber & a crew in 35 COMBAT MISSIONS over Europe during WW2.....W O W !!!!!!
19 year old nowadays get anxiety over making a doctors appointment
he's pretty sharp for his age. My old man was in the 447th finished in Oct 44 also in the Mighty 8th. While getting on the ship to go home he found out his lil brother had been shot down near Bremen as a co- pilot. 7 months as a POW they both lived to get home and argue with each other into old age. Never got to ask grandma what it was like to have 4 kids in the war at the same time. Greatest Generation for sure!
This good captain is sharper than your president...😅
@@tveirken1 A bowling ball is sharper than our president..
19 years of age and flying after several months of training, and assigned to combat flying on arrival in the UK.
The greatest of respect sir and the best of a past. generation !!!!!
Peace always requires sacrifice. We should never forget those of recent that we benefit from.
@@chasbeeat least you got someone under 70 finally running
I met Vincent last year at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA, he is local to the area and came by for a talk with another veteran who was a tanker. I sat in the first row and he made jokes about running me over with his mobility scooter, since he was getting into position in front of me. It's cool to see his story here!
Amazing story of a B-17 bomber pilot at 19 years of age. Thanks to all our Veterans who served.
I don't let my 19 year old drive my car. Indeed an amazing story.
Nineteen year olds from his generation were not the mindless twits that today's nineteen year olds are.
@@thomaswhiddon7638 I have been saying same. But we have a ton of wounded vets from the War on Terror. We are still bringing Patriots up who answer the call of duty. The cause of their fight is irrelevant. Many 19 year olds have paid the ultimate price since our founding. Not arguing with your opinion. Just another thought.
Thanks for murdering German women, elderly people and children ? This guy is a war criminal. The air raids over German cities were a crime againts humanity, but if the US or UK murder innocent people, it’s ok. This guy is son of a bitch.
My dad (1920-2002) was a lead navigator in the 8th Air Force. He flew 30 missions on a B24. His squadron had 480 bombers. In one year they lost 980.
I love this guy. On fire, in combat..'Hey, what the hell..let's spiral the ship and put out the fire on #4'..the coolest of the cool and the bravest of the brave! An American icon and hero..Wow!
All that at 19! Amazing man...thank you for your service!!❤❤
Here in the UK, living in the heart of the 8th Air Force area, near Cambridge I thank you Sir, with all your colleagues and friends for your service. The nearby US War Cemetery at Madingley shows ample evidence of your bravery and sacrifice. God bless you.
These Men are Living History. 🇺🇸💪❤️🔥
My uncle did two tours - one for 25 in the early days when surviving 25 was a big deal, then re-upped for another full tour in '44 (35 or 50, can't remember now). Both tours with the 8th. B-17 top turret gunner: purple heart, bunch of air medals, 3.5 kills, three Distinguished Unit Citations.
I'm bragging for him, but what impressed me was that he never bragged or sought any thanks, ever. Just shrugged it off and said everyone did their bit.
Thanks. Just Thanks.
3.5 ? Can you explain how he got half a kill ? Just curious 😅
Someone survives the Great Depression. They feel fortunate they had some soup and a piece of bread to eat for dinner most days. They fought in a war to defeat a country that invaded about 10 other countries. Your uncle beat the odds and survived. They were well acclimated and not spoiled.
They did not shop like a billionaire, as capitalism encourages people to do now.
@@massengineer7582 you don’t know nothing
@@LemonHead-sq5ws thanks for the double negative. I know something. By the way what did your parents do during the 1930s and 1940s?
Love that he's wearing his old uniform. Still looks sharp on him!
Still handsome
Looking Good there Sir!
Punk kid indeed!
Big Salute of Respect & Honor to you sir. From another punk kid who joinied the USArmy at 17. Im 72 now, retired disabled veteran. I volunteered because men like you stepped up and volunteered and fought for America.
The men & women who gave so much to bring freedom to so many. I thank you for your service. Listening to your memories was just outstanding!
Your stories are epic in adventure.
God bless you sir.
U.S Army 69/71
Awesome man! My dad flew 52 combat missions in a B-17. Great people.
I live in a small village called Piddington in Northamptonshire UK.
20 miles from Kimbolton ❤️ Thanks for your service Sir 🫡
I grew up in Rushden. Amazing to hear these vets talk about bases/towns so close to home.
Kettering here lol
My mom was living in BERLIN. Born 1921. Dad 1922. He was a German PARATROOPER at 17. I was very BLESSED WITH THE BEST LIVING PARENTS.
WAR IS TERRIBLE. I THANK EACH OF OUR VETERANS. GOD BLESS YOU. 🇺🇸 🇩🇪 🇨🇦
MICHIGAN 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
“That’s a nice way to start the day, but whatever”😂 legend.
Love his humor! 😂
he reminds me of my great uncle who fought from 1939 - 1945, was at Dunkirk then later North Africa… smart, positive, humorous, brave.
A truly awesome story from a hero. His memory is better than mine, and I am half his age. Thank you guys for sharing his story.
Vincent is sharp as a tack
19 years old flying a b17 over Germany in 1944. This generation was absolutely incredible man, look at 19 year olds today. The internet has ruined humanity.
Yes. Today, 19 yrs old are staying with parents, on their health care plan. Not judging just stating.
That’s why they are call “The Greatest Generation”.
As did the printing press at one point, but so what? Are you a coward? Deal with it
Pretty much it did.
@@danam0228 Why would he be a coward? I'm sure he knows how to use the internet.
Thanks AVC for recording these stories and thank you Vince for sharing your story.
🎶 to these stories makes me happy that the Americans finally joined the conflict even though it took so long to happen. 😅
What a sharp looking guy with a great way of looking at things. If he walked up and said, "Let's go flying I probably wouldn't care what Aircraft or what condition I'd say you bet. Let's go. :)
So proud of these men that served when duty called they never hesit ated to go and serve there country.
Thanks to this gentleman and the others that fought for our country. God bless🕊
What an amazing flyer. They don't make Captain Purples any more, Its an honor to hear his history.
How great AVC interviewed Vince Purple!
My father was assigned to a AAA unit guarding the coast of England in 1943 and had great respect for the Army Air Corps pilots and crew who bravely flew their missions to Germany during that time. He told of one time watching a line of planes flying back from a 1000 plane mission while some were still heading over to drop their bombs. He said that he was transfixed watching a number of crippled planes limping back from a mission when one plane directly overhead exploded without warning. He said that he forgot himself in the haste of the moment and took shelter under the truck he had been driving,only to remember that it was a gasoline fuel truck and not the best place to be with flaming airplane parts raining down around him. He said that he lucked out and all the pieces of the airplane missed his truck, although some came pretty close. He said that he swore then never to be so foolish again, and his respect for the bravery of the Air Corps went up a lot.
Thank you Vince for sharing your story! Thank AVC I cherish every new video knowing how important/rare it is to get these guys out to talk.
The intro 😳 you sir are one heck of a pilot, wow. To do that with a cow of a B17.
What a legend and handsome rooster to boot in that uniform!!! Thank you Mr Vincent Purple for your service, we are incredibly proud of you also, without your efforts we may not have the world we live in today. Much love from down under 🇦🇺
An honest and interesting story, and still sharp as a tack, God bless 👍
Thank you so much for interviewing these brave soldiers. I think about it frequently, that time is passing and there aren't many of them left..... you're doing the Lord's work collecting these interviews so their stories can live on.
Thank you Vincent!
Thank you, Sir
SALUTE
Bless him! Thank you for your service to our country.
I live in Sebring Florida, im about five miles from the old airport, which is now the Sebring International Raceway, nown as the 12 hours of Sebring. 🙏🇺🇸🗽🇺🇸🙏
Today, (many) 19 year olds can't drive a stick shift. - It's amazing.
Who needs to know how to drive stick nowadays? I could fly an airplane at 19 but couldn’t drive stick and I feel like I turned out just fine.
@@SRJason747 CAN"T DRIVE A STICK??!!
I bet he could drive a stick too! I was 19 when I joined the army, but they sure as hell didn't give me a brand new bomber to pilot. I got a mop.
It’s not that they can’t, it’s probably because no one taught them. I made sure to teach my kids how, even if they didn’t need to know, and they all learned it with no problem.
A stick to most means a synchronized trans. Give them a non-synchronized and boom they can't drive a stick.
“You were petrified…..but there wasn’t a damn thing you could do about it…….our job was to go from point A to point B to point C”
And that’s how our boys won the war. That mentality.
Thank ypu sir. Much loved. ❤
I met Mr. Purple at 379th Bomb Group reunions. My Dad was a chief engineer in the 525th squadron. Bill is a very humble and well spoken man. It was a honor to meet get to know him.
Thank You Sir!
There has to be more of this man's story.
One of the best interviews. This man is smarter and more eloquent at his age than I have ever been.
Those "boys" knew they had an important job to do and they did it. Truly the greatest generation. This was so great to hear this man speak.
Keep it up great content
"Well, I'm here, fire went out at 15,000 feet..." thank you for sharing the vid
Thank you for interviewing these great men..... 19 years old....
a totally different human back then
If he was 19 in 1944, he would of been born in 1925!!!
Gen z... not even that old
@@Diemf74Not yet.
Great interview.
Thank you sir for your service. ❤
This brave man and his crew needed that Flying Fortress to carry their balls of steel, true American hero’s , God bless, Oorah!
Thank You so much for your services and lovely dedications to Our Beautiful USA Dear American Sir.🙏
My Dad served in the 384th Bombardment, Group H, Squadron 455 in the 8th Air Force. He was a top turret gunner of a B17 bomber and held the rank of Tech Sergeant. I love him years after his passing.
Thank you for your service
God bless you Bill.
Hats off to you, sir. Your bravery and sheer fortitude at such a young age are incredible.
Great interview with this fine officer. His shared memories are spell binding. A hero speaks. Donald Miller's Masters of the Air gives heart wrenching details from the very missions this B17 Captain navigated. Thank you for your brave contribution to a fight Americans need to remember and understand.
I heard of British Lancaster bomber pilots who could not drive a car because they were too young to have a diver license.
Thanks, and God bless him (and my late dad's) efforts and dedication in doing that. A lot of youngsters today just don't have a clue what sacrifice and work-ethic really means.
Thank you for your service.
You can just see the confidence in his eyes.
Struggling through the depression & trying to feed his American family.
He never doubted victory.
AVC: what are you mist proud of?
Vincent: I did my job...
Mic drop
This is the point that many overlook. The combatants of many sides in WW2 including the ones with the responsibilities of rank, were not long out of school.
Trying to imagine youngsters of today being in the same situation and dealing with it in a similar fashion really stretches the mind.
may God bless that 19 year old pilot and his crew.
My dad Andrew j Passero of the 9th flying knights squadron and served in the South Pacific as one of the mechanics who fixed the bomber planes and the fighter planes as a mechanic. although he signed up as a Gunner he could not because of his allergies so he was their mechanic when the plane broke down. He said they were the bravest man he's ever seen not knowing if they were coming home that day. God bless all our veterans...
Took the plane into a reverse spin to try to put out an engine fire...and it worked! I wonder how many times THAT happened.
My grandfather was in the 8th, I have his jacket from his uniform. Thank you for your service sir!
Pretty cool stories. Imagine being 19 and flying this monster plane. Amazing quick thinking about how to put out a fire with a 10,000 ft basically doing an Immelman.
We owe our veterans EVERYTHING. "I did my job." Sir, you helped save the world from unspeakable evil. 🤘🏼 You are an American badass. 🇺🇸
Amazing these old guys can still wear their original uniforms. No way in hell I could get back into mine.
My uncle was a nose gunner with the 487th Bomb Group (H), 839th Bomb Squadron, Lavenham, England.
He flew 35 missions, received the following citations: Presidential Unit Citation, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal w/ 4 Oakleaf Clusters, Europe/African/Mideast Medal w/4 Bronze Stars, Normandy Air Offensive Medal.
His most prized award: Member of the "Lucky Bastard Club". This was an unofficial award for completing (surviving) 35 Missions. All members of the crew signed the back of each others award. His entire crew survived without receiving an enemy marksmanship award (Purple Heart). He passed away in 2007 at the age of 83. Basically he was taken out by a birdbath (I'm not kidding) He was removing the top to a heavy concrete birdbath, tripped and fell with the thing landing on top of him in his lap. It fractured his hip. He later contracted pneumonia from being imobilized too long due to the severity of the fracture and died in the hospital. If this hadn't happened he could have easily lived to be 100.
My flight instructor was a B 17 pilot in the 8th Air Force. Shot down in 1943, lived to tell me about the times. ( Earl Sharpe, rip)....
I thought you had to be a college graduate to be a pilot. He's amazing.
He still smiles after all that he went through. He is part of the greatest generation.
It's difficult to even comprehend that in a matter of 80 years, we went from the greatness of these men to refusing to acknowledge that a man can't become a woman. One thing I'll say is I'm glad this generation didn't have to stay around to see what happened to us for too long before passing away.
The pride I feel listening to these men. Soon will be no longer hear from them directly. The men and women of this time were The Greatest Generation!! They are the reasons we need to protect our democracy and not let those we lost be in vain.
We forget how young these guys were - out fighting for there Country.
We've let these men down. Lazy parenting and a poisonous school system has destroyed America. I'm ashamed of what we've become. These men gave so much and I'm afraid it's been squandered.
I lay the blame largerly on the Boomers, too many of whom were raging leftists and spent their youth rejecting everything their parents taught them. Not all, obviously. But enough to steer the society into the ditch.
Be the change you want to see.
America is still a great place.
Your negative attitude is ruining it.
@@AndrewBlacker-t1dpretty sure its a bot account. 1st reply on the channel and it was right when the video was uploaded.
It’s not a bot. This country now versus even 30 years ago is wrecked. One of my proudest moments as an American was being 18 and standing in line with many many WW2 Korea and Vietnam veterans waiting to show my ID, sign the voting ledger and voting. All of these men and women were very serious and sincere because they knew first hand the cost of freedom. Mail in voting will destroy this country.
Salute for your service. They just don’t make men like this anymore
Such a brave, hero veteran! Amazing service for our country. Thank you for your service❤
You still look sharp in that uniform.
Diving spiral , with plane on fire.10- 15000 feet drop. To put the fire out. What a site that must have been. Someone saw it.
Capt. Purple was enlisting the same year Joe Biden was born. He sounds more coherent and has a better memory than Old Joey. He also has no need to make up stories of valor, he lives it.
The ultimate video game except no extra lives I don’t me to be disrespectful, I am an Air Force vet These men make me feel like a wuss
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Hello, is there a way to write some questions to Mr. Purple?
He has the Air Medal, but what is the big red one?
My dad was o maintenance team leader for the army air corps in Africa The corps transitioned to Air Force in ‘47 just prior to Korea. I hear these former pilots refer. to the Air Force often - so when did the corps become the force?
my dad was there in england as mech just buck srg told me many stories to old to be fighter ploit he was also a black smith before the war joined in 42 after pearl v bombs hit his tent luck he went bath room
The U.S. Eighth Air Force sent waves of B-17s over Germany in WWII - sometimes 1,000 at a time - and they suffered massive casualties until the P-51 Mustang came on the scene to escort the sitting duck bombers to German and back!
Never ever thought I would hear blah blah blah from a WW 2 pilot !!(
Legit !
Still sharp. :-) :-)
❤
My late father and some uncles were WW2 veterans. Their generation is nearly gone now. We need to collect the rest of their first person recollections while there's still time. This guy must be over 20 years older than Biden. Yet a lot sharper.
He is so inspiring. This, people, is who defeated fasicm. Regular joe who believes in freedom and democracy, not Orange Dictatorship
Fighting fascists... people let history repeat 😊
Very sad he was forced to kill men women and children...he was only 19 years old and did what he was told...
I've got to play devil's advocate here.
A lot of the details aren't adding up on this one.
Age considered, just the way he described things is... inconsistent with other testimonials.
Also, his name is not listed as ever being in the 379th, let alone being a squadron lead. No mission briefs, no formation charts, no roll call rosters....
There's a Vincent Piro... But no Purple. Of any rank (officer nor enlisted) in the entire 379th bomb group has his name.
His name was Vincent Joseph Piepol when he was in the service. He changed his last name to Purple later on.
@@flacobaracus5935
I was hoping it was something like that. Thank you.
I hate to be an arse...
However, that name isn't listed either.. in the 379th Bombardment Group.
National Archives has all the air crew in the entirety of the 8th air force, and every squadron of the 379th. Including the 18th Weather Squadron.
He's not listed anywhere. Every mission roster is listed by officer, aircraft tail number, name and crew.
If I'm missing something, please relay a link.
@@Matt-416🙄 look at who’s presenting this video.
The whole country has the same problem which no one ever talks about thanks to liberalism.
Total respect 🤝🫶this generation the greatest generation gave there lives for our freedom it an honour to here this fascinating part of our history from learning to fly B17s then straight into combat thank you 🫶🤝🙏🪽
put the pics from the time they where in.
Keep it up great content