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| Michigan shoreline seen from the nose of the B-25 |
Uniberp took a flight on a B-25 with Air Adventure. He reports:
You can't see it in this picture, in fact that's not the Muskegon channel at all, but as we were flying over the flight officer painted down out the window and said "submarine" pointing to the USS Silversides at dock. Sitting duck.
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| USS Silversides in the Muskegon Channel |
Since he didn't get a shot of the sub, I thought I'd take a look using Google Maps.
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| B-25 Rosie's Reply |
In case you didn't know:
The B-25B first gained fame as the bomber used in the 18 April 1942 Doolittle Raid, in which 16 B-25Bs led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle attacked mainland Japan, four months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. - Wikipedia
In 2008 I took a ride in a B-17 Liberty Belle. We flew from Westchester, PA, airport around southeast PA for about an hour. Got a chance to look out the side and tail gunners ports, the cockpit and the bombardier’s bubble in the nose. Noisy, high vibrations, if an engine stopped everyone on the plane would know immediately. I think I paid $420 back then.
ReplyDeleteI went because my Dad flew on b24's in the Pacific in wwII. He never shared his experiences with me other than to say he felt a sense of national mission. He did not glorify his service to me and did not encourage me to serve. Of course as kids we were fascinated with the trappings of war, the vehicles, the decoration, the stories. Kids do that, I didn't pry for details. I think he tried to live a peaceful life and set that example, however hard that might have been with 4 boys. I already knew a bit about the plane from books, but to get a sense of what formed him as a young man I went on this loud metal ride, looking from the same aspect as so many young men who went to war, wondering how such an experience, coupled with a serious threat of death or pain, might alter their view of life. It was only a half hour, but I took a couple minutes just to stare at a couple rivets, as one would do if locked in a cramped space for hours on end, possibly repeatedly. I remember being young. I'm still kinda stupid. I went to my cottage after and cut a wood doorframe, patiently and precisely, knowing a little bit more how appealing a modest quiet life might be, at least by comparison.
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