I got a chance to walk thru a B-17 and a B-24 about a month ago. It must have been like flying a box full of hangers and coffee cans. When the bomb bay doors were open on the B-24, to get from front to back you walked along a 10 inch wide cat walk with nothing below you but planet Earth for about 24 feet.
I was talking to crew of the B-17. This thing was completely open to everything. They'd fly at 30,000 ft + wearing leather jackets. It gets 30 degrees below zero at 30,000 feet. Not to mention high velocity air blasting through the aircraft. A wind chill of a million below everything. I dress warmer than that when it's 30 degrees. Just flying a mission was an amazing hardship.
I lost my flying status after losing a canopy seal and blowing out my eardrums. A frickin' canopy seal! I felt like such a puss compared to these guys. They were warriors. They signed up for 25 missions. The Memphis Belle (piloted by Asheville's Robert Morgan) was the first to actually complete 25 missions and they were rock stars JUST FOR BEING ALIVE).
Gawd Almighty those guys were warriors.
