James Lee Hutchinson

B-17 Memories: from Memphis Belle to Victory James Lee Hutchinson

The Memphis Belle, completed 25 missions and became the symbol of Eighth Air Force success in the air war over Europe. Its national tour rallied support and encouraged citizens enduring rationing and sacrifices for victory. Heavy bomber aircrews proved their value with precision bombing. My writing is based on memories, diaries and interviews of other veterans and my teenage experiences as an Eighth Air Force B-17 radio/gunner on twenty combat missions with the 490th Bomb Group (H). This fourth book presents short stories of boys on B-17 Flying Fortress crews flying deadly missions to destroy German and Italian military targets. Twenty-six thousand airmen died and thousands more were wounded. The sky was our arena and we paved the way for Infantry and Armored Divisions slogging through heat, rain or snow to preserve our freedom. Many B-17 gunners were teenagers who enlisted or were drafted, trained and sent into combat before they could legally vote or buy a drink. They saved our freedom and came home to build the USA into the most powerful nation in the world. I self-publish because I am 89 and my time is limited. I thank God that I have been able to record more than 350 stories of my generation. "WW II veterans are fading into History - less than two million of the sixteen million who served are left to tell their stories" See my interview online at "Wings over Europe my Smithville"