Masters of the Air Then & Now. A B-17 Flying Fortress on finals to land at Station 167, Ridgewell, in Suffolk, home to the 381st BG with wounded men onboard.
God bless all of the men and women in the U.S. military. Those who are still with us and those who are no longer with us. Thank all of you for your service it's greatly appreciated. You all are in my prayers.
In case nobody knows......Station 139 now has a small, but very well presented museum dedicated to the 100th Bomb Group. A portion of the old base was acquired by some very grateful , dedicated, and skilled people to present to the world......their Memorial to the " Bloody Hundredth".....and the personnel stationed there. The control tower has been fully restored from decay.....and the museum is FULL of information, stories, exhibits, uniforms, artifacts, maps, photographs, and aircraft parts recovered from the old airfield....or donated. All the main characters, and some not so main characters from the show are represented at the museum via a fantastic collection of artifacts and exhibits. These volunteers run this museum in a very respectful, and honouring way that i think the departed servicemen would be proud of. The volunteers are highly knowledgeable about the base, the people that were there....and the aircraft that flew. They've got bombing routes plotted out, and a scale model in the control tower of the whole base in 1942-45. The sheer size is unbelievable to the imagination. I've been there a few times now, and feel humbled that I'm here because THAT GENERATION were a different calibre of hero. It should ALSO be noted....that this museum has not sprung up overnight because of the Masters of the Air show. It's been here for a good many many years now, honouring these young men of the 100 BG, preserving their memory, and keeping their story alive. One volunteer i spoke to has been going there for 46 years....rebuilding the derelict site......long before the show became popular. That's how much the American servicemen are still revered in East Anglia. The 100 ARW based at RAF Mildenhall still display the white "D" on their aircraft, and trace their history back to the 100 BG. The respect of the volunteers is such.....that every time a veteran of the "Bloody Hundredth" passes away in America.....the US flag is flown at half mast on the Thorpe Abbots base flagpole, in England. 🇺🇸🇬🇧
It’s a wonderful museum and I was lucky enough to visit again last Sunday for their last open day of the year. Walking the ground there is always a privilege.
@@WW2Wayfinder NO WAY 😁.....that's when i went too. Sunday 27 October.....we probably passed each other at some point mate. I went for the same reason.....last visit before winter closure. Every time I go i always see something new.....or that i didn't notice before. I even got to sit in the B 17 Pilot seat this time. The yellow chequered "follow me" jeep was a nice, if only temporary addition i thought. Would be nice if it could be there regularly. Wouldn't it be good if they could get some USAAF reenactors, doing some "Base Duty work" for visitors to watch.....to give a better idea of base life. Maybe a guard on the gate, with rifle. I think the whole place is great, and they've all done a fantastic job keeping the 100th BG alive. You also do a great job on here. Cant wait to see what you upload next. Keep up the great work👍.
Masters of the Air Then & Now. A B-17 Flying Fortress on finals to land at Station 167, Ridgewell, in Suffolk, home to the 381st BG with wounded men onboard.
Sends a shiver down the spine that's for sure.
Здорово!!!!!🛬✈️🇷🇺✌️
Thank you!
God bless them and their generations abundantly.
God bless our heros
God bless all of the men and women in the U.S. military. Those who are still with us and those who are no longer with us. Thank all of you for your service it's greatly appreciated. You all are in my prayers.
My Dad was qualified as an engineer on B-17's but flew B-24's in the 15th USAAF.
Oh wow, do you know which BG? I’ve got a keen interest in the 15th as they had it tough trying to fly over the alps to strike the enemy
Awesome thank you
My pleasure!
So so many never came home. So sad.
Fantastic!
Many thanks!
Love the theme music❤
Blake Neeley’s score for Masters of the Air was perfect t wasn’t it!
@ indeed, tears to my eyes when I hear it!
In case nobody knows......Station 139 now has a small, but very well presented museum dedicated to the 100th Bomb Group.
A portion of the old base was acquired by some very grateful , dedicated, and skilled people to present to the world......their Memorial to the " Bloody Hundredth".....and the personnel stationed there.
The control tower has been fully restored from decay.....and the museum is FULL of information, stories, exhibits, uniforms, artifacts, maps, photographs, and aircraft parts recovered from the old airfield....or donated.
All the main characters, and some not so main characters from the show are represented at the museum via a fantastic collection of artifacts and exhibits.
These volunteers run this museum in a very respectful, and honouring way that i think the departed servicemen would be proud of. The volunteers are highly knowledgeable about the base, the people that were there....and the aircraft that flew. They've got bombing routes plotted out, and a scale model in the control tower of the whole base in 1942-45. The sheer size is unbelievable to the imagination.
I've been there a few times now, and feel humbled that I'm here because THAT GENERATION were a different
calibre of hero.
It should ALSO be noted....that this museum has not sprung up overnight because of the Masters of the Air show.
It's been here for a good many many years now, honouring these young men of the 100 BG, preserving their memory, and keeping their story alive.
One volunteer i spoke to has been going there for 46 years....rebuilding the derelict site......long before the show became popular.
That's how much the American servicemen are still revered in East Anglia. The 100 ARW based at RAF Mildenhall still display the white "D" on their aircraft, and trace their history back to the 100 BG.
The respect of the volunteers is such.....that every time a veteran of the "Bloody Hundredth" passes away in America.....the US flag is flown at half mast on the Thorpe Abbots base flagpole, in England. 🇺🇸🇬🇧
It’s a wonderful museum and I was lucky enough to visit again last Sunday for their last open day of the year.
Walking the ground there is always a privilege.
@@WW2Wayfinder
NO WAY 😁.....that's when i went too. Sunday 27 October.....we probably passed each other at some point mate.
I went for the same reason.....last visit before winter closure.
Every time I go i always see something new.....or that i didn't notice before. I even got to sit in the B 17 Pilot seat this time. The yellow chequered "follow me" jeep was a nice, if only temporary addition i thought.
Would be nice if it could be there regularly.
Wouldn't it be good if they could get some USAAF reenactors, doing some "Base Duty work" for visitors to watch.....to give a better idea of base life. Maybe a guard on the gate, with rifle.
I think the whole place is great, and they've all done a fantastic job keeping the 100th BG alive.
You also do a great job on here. Cant wait to see what you upload next.
Keep up the great work👍.
100th bomb group had such courageous men flying those missions.
They were an incredible generation and walking the ground at the old airfields of the 8th USAAF is always a privilege.
Would love to visit
My grandfather was stationed at the air base in Watton. I believe its still a functioning airfield with a few wwii era buildings standing IIRC.
Watton is now in use by the British Army I think. Fingers crossed some of the war time buildings are still in use!
@@WW2Wayfinderwill you be visiting there?
FICARAM AS LEMBRÂNÇAS 🤔 🇧🇷
❤😂🎉😂❤😂🎉😂❤😂🎉😂❤
Great stuff, gave me chills. 🫡
Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve got a few more airfield then and now’s to come!
Medics ready to Help..pltmedic kontom VN.