War Stories III by Oliver L. North

Author:Oliver L. North
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Published: 2013-01-25T05:00:00+00:00

The strip on the Isle of Vis, where Lt. McGovern landed his “Dakota Belle”—nicknamed for his bride, Eleanor—was less than half the length of a B-24 runway. For his skill and courage in completing the mission and safely landing his crew, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. George McGovern went on to be elected senator from South Dakota and was the Democratic Party candidate for president in 1972.

By the time the war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945, more than 40,000 American airmen had been killed in action—a higher casualty ratio than that of any other branch of service in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Another 80,000 were wounded in action, or in accidents or training—25,000 of them in the United States. Over 65,200 U.S. aircraft were destroyed by enemy fire, accidents, and mishaps. Nearly half of those who took off from bases in England, North Africa, and Italy to take on the Axis didn’t make it back.

Though the idea that a war could be won by air power alone was invalidated during World War II, the contest did prove that air superiority was absolutely essential to victory. Whether they flew fighters, bombers, or transports—the pilots and aircrews who served in the European theater from 1941 to 1945 forged a legacy that persists to this day: that the United States could never again afford to be without the most advanced air force in the world.

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