Bombardier on a Flying Fortress
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2024
- John Keema was a bombardier on a B17 Flying Fortress in 1943 during WWII. He survived 25 harrowing missions including missions to Bremen and Munster, Germany. On another mission, he had to ditch in the channel as his plane was pursued by German fighters, which were driven off by Polish fighter pilots from the British 303rd. Keema is mentally sharp and descriptive: Q: How did the depression affect your family? A: "Lack of money". Q: Why did you become a bombardier? A: "The smart guys became navigators. The rest of us became pilots or bombardiers". Enjoy.
I have been watching these videos for days and love them. All of these brave men remind me so much of my grandad who was around the same age. He wasn’t in the forces but was the home guard in London as his father had died and he was supporting his large family. We will never see another generation like this. To go through so much at a young age and still remain as stoic and calm is remarkable. Without them we wouldn’t be here
The emotion in this man's expression is unmistakable. He and his buddies fought for each other. Brave men!
A wonderful interview. A good, humble and brave gentleman, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's nearly 3 am so I've got to shut down at the 33 minute mark. Hope to finish this tomorrow. Thank you for posting these Raymond. IMO, these are the best WWII interviews on YT.
I expect Mr. Keema has passed on by now, but he has my everlasting appreciation. Because of his generation, my generation got to live in relative peace. I'm Cdn, btw, so I didn't have to deal with Vietnam.
Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching. John passed on in 2018 at age 96.
From 1964 and Tonkin Gulf, my generation was concerned about the war and I was drafted out of law school in 1968. However, unlike WW II veterans, our generation of vets was treated with contempt by American society.
@@dstorm7752 I live on an island, very close to the state of Maine. As a teen, I often thought of how different my future would look if I had been born about 10 miles farther west.
I met a bunch of draft dodgers when I was hitch hiking. I felt bad for them needing to flee to avoid the hell of Nam. I have always had respect for them and for those who served. No young person should be put in a position like that where they have to make such a choice. The vets should not have been disrespected, only the war mongers who sent them there.
I hope you have found peace as you have grown older. Be well, brave heart.
My mum was a land army girl in WW2 and always spoke with much affection of the US service guys, brave, loud and polite was her constant term of phrase for them
Thank you for sharing your history as a B17 bombardier and for your service. You are part of the Greatest Generation, indeed.
The Lt. Colonel passed away in 2018 at 96. R.I.P. sir!
So courageous and humble. Thank you for your service. The greatest generation.
So many were shot down during this time and never made it home. It is amazing he survived and returned home. Thanks for another amazing interview!
Another wonderful interview. Thank you so much for these.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent!!! So glad you captured these moments in time with these heroes!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
thanks Ray ... among your many fine interviews, this was one of the best ... you've got quite a talent for interviewing combat veteran and pressing them just enough to relate the toughest part of their combat time ... well done.
Thanks for the nice feedback. Much appreciated. Ray
These first-person accounts, and the manner in which they're presented qualifies them as genuine historical gems.
Thanks for watching.
Wow. I've listened to hundreds of interviews and this is the first time I've heard of a nonstop trans Atlantic flight by a B-17 bomber crew.
I can't seem to get enough of these interviews. They're totally fascinating. My father served with USAAF in the CBI during WWII, that's where I got my interest in WWII aviation.
Thanks for your service
Sir we are proud of you and your heroic service…thank you!! And thanks Ray for another great video! Btw, I’m curious as to what happened to the Navigator’s body after the water landing in mission #2? Was there a protocol?
You'd have to research that one - I'm not sure. As always, thanks for watching.
Another fascinating video Ray.. Thank you 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Glad you enjoyed it
This was a very interesting interview. The man, himself was very interesting. He was articulate and told his story well. But I got the feeling that he was holding back a lot of details; maybe they were painful? Overall, this was one of the best interviews. I so much respect these guys. I had an uncle who was a B-17 pilot and was killed over Germany, but I was only five years old then and didn’t really know him or even really understand what it happened until years later. God bless him and hide colleagues. And thank you Raymond for doing all this work that preserves these men. By now they would all be 100 years old so they’re probably few if any still left. But the stories with Luanne, the pictures and the men. Thanks for doing it Raymond!
You're very welcome and thanks for your comment and for watching.
These are soo great hope this channel gets more views because these are truly amazing
God Bless this great generation. Rest is Peace sir, you are a true American hero!!
Another great interview! His story would have been lost to time if not for your interview.
Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for watching.
"Station 153 Then and Now" is another very interesting and informative video addition to Raymond's interviews of the 390th. Top work again Sir, Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Very good thank you
You're very welcome. Raymond
Great interview
hard to put into words the fear and anxiety elements...can see he is relunctant to tell the "whole truth
People haven’t a clue what this generation did for the greater good of of humanity.
P51 did not arrive in large numbers until ~6 months later (after Schweinfurt). AAF leadership refused to put drop tanks on 47s until hundreds of B17 air crew were lost.
listening to him is like reliving a "12 O'Clock High" tv show.
The reality was sufficiently horrible, with a huge number of deaths, that if “12 o’clock high“ and accurately portrayed it, nobody could’ve watched it. I respect that movie and I’ve watched it many times. But when one realizes that there were more fatalities amongst the members of the eighth Air Force then all of the Marines killed in the Pacific, it puts things into proper perspective.
Good guy.
Winds at altitude always out the west in the North Atlantic
so did the deceased Navigator get left in the plane and sink in the channel? or did they take him with them when rescued?
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Raymond, is my imagination? or are all of your interviews with crews of B-17's? I've watched dozens of these and don't recall a single B-24.
It seems all of the crews are the 390th bomb group who flew B-17s.
Yes, although we have interviewed WWII veterans from all of the branches of services, many are B17 crewmen from the 390th Bomb Group. In 2002 we wandered into the 390th Museum in Tucson. We were so impressed with the docents (John Day and Louis Hernandez) that we asked to tape them. They agreed and it took off from there. We taped one man who flew B24s and he is one of my favorite veterans: Clement Buzz Bertolino - here is a link to this video: ua-cam.com/video/sU32PTlVkXM/v-deo.html
Was this question ever asked?
Did incoming Flak upset enough that mission was aborted & bombs dropped on flak guns?
A big badass teddy bear.
Salutations.
Absolute legends…