Accidents and losses (1 Viewer)

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gekho

Master Sergeant
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Jan 1, 2010
Spain
According to the AAF Statistical Digest, in less than four years (December 1941- August 1945), the US Army Air Forces lost 14,903 pilots, aircrew and assorted personnel plus 13,873 airplanes --- inside the continental United States. They were the result of 52,651 aircraft accidents (6,039 involving fatalities) in 45 months. Almost 1,000 Army planes disappeared en route from the US to foreign climes. But an eye-watering 43,581 aircraft were lost overseas including 22,948 on combat missions (18,418 against the Western Axis) and 20,633 attributed to non-combat causes overseas. In a single 376 plane raid in August 1943, 60 B-17s were shot down. That was a 16 percent loss rate and meant 600 empty bunks in England. In 1942-43 it was statistically impossible for bomber crews to complete a 25-mission tour in Europe. Pacific theatre losses were far less (4,530 in combat) owing to smaller forces committed. The worst B-29 mission, against Tokyo on May 25, 1945, cost 26 Superfortresses, 5.6 percent of the 464 dispatched from the Marianas.

On average, 6,600 American servicemen died per month during WWII, about 220 a day. By the end of the war, over 40,000 airmen were killed in combat theatres and another 18,000 wounded. Some 12,000 missing men were declared dead, including a number "liberated" by the Soviets but never returned. More than 41,000 were captured, half of the 5,400 held by the Japanese died in captivity, compared with one-tenth in German hands. Total combat casualties were pegged at 121,867. US manpower made up the deficit. The AAF's peak strength was reached in 1944 with 2,372,000 personnel, nearly twice the previous year's figure. The losses were huge---but so were production totals. From 1941 through 1945, American industry delivered more than 276,000 military aircraft. That number was enough not only for US Army, Navy and Marine Corps, but for allies as diverse as Britain , Australia , China and Russia. In fact, from 1943 onward, America produced more planes than Britain and Russia combined. And more than Germany and Japan together 1941-45. However, the Axis took massive losses. Through much of 1944, the Luftwaffe sustained uncontrolled hemorrhaging, reaching 25 percent of aircrews and 40 planes a month. And in late 1944 into 1945, nearly half the pilots in Japanese squadrons had flown fewer than 200 hours. The disparity of two years before had been completely reversed.

Source: An Airman's Story - Blog, News, & Informations - An Airman's Story

In general, the loss rates fluctuated according to developments, such as when older types were being decimated, then phased out, and new types were brought in. As the strategic offensive grew, losses increased as the more heavily defended and more distant targets were attacked. Tactical and electronic measures and countermeasures also caused the numbers to fall and then rise again. For example, the literature describes an improvement in the loss rate but then came a realization of a significant increase with the advent of Schrage musik but it was only identified later as the cause. Even in the later period, as the Luftwaffe started to pull back, loss rates could suddenly spike up. The rates fluctuated between double-digit percentages to less than one per cent throughout the war.

Numbers:

China: Total losses of the Nationalist Air Force were 2,468 (According to Chinese and Taiwanese Sources).
Finland: Reported losses during the Winter War totaled 67, of which 42 were operational, while 536 aircraft were lost during the Continuation War, of which 209 were operational losses. (Overall 603).
France: From the beginning of the war until the capitulation of France in 1940, 892 aircraft were lost, of which 413 were in action and 234 were on the ground. Losses included 508 fighters and 218 bombers.(Overall 892)
Germany: Estimated total number of destroyed and damaged for the war totaled 116,875 aircraft, of which 70,000 were total losses and the remainder significantly damaged. By type, losses totaled 41,452 fighters, 22,037 bombers, 15,428 trainers, 10,221 twin-engine fighters, 5,548 ground attack, 6,733 reconnaissance, and 6,141 transports.
Italy: Total losses were 5,272 aircraft, of which 3,269 were lost in combat.
Japan: Estimates vary from 35,000 to 50,000 total losses, with about 20,000 lost operationally.
Netherlands: Total losses were 81 aircraft during the May, 1940 campaign.
Poland: Total losses were 398 destroyed, including 116 fighters, 112 dive bombers, 81 reconnaissance aircraft, 36 bombers, 21 sea planes, and 9 transports.
Soviet Union: Total losses were over 106,400 including 88,300 combat types.
United Kingdom: Total losses in Europe were 22,010, including 10,045 fighters and 11,965 bombers. (This figure does not include aircraft lost in Asia or the Pacific.)
United States: Total losses were nearly 45,000, including 22,951 operational losses (18,418 in Europe and 4,533 in the Pacific).

Source: Equipment losses in World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Some pictures of Ju-87 s accidents
 

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Crash site showing two dead crew Sukhinichi area Kaluga July 1943
 

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crash landings
 

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Ju-88s shot down
 

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Dornier Do-17/217
 

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The first picture shows an Bf-109 E-1 shot down during the Battle of England
 

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Officers at the Taman Division posing in front of a Junkers W-34
 

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And more than Germany and Japan together 1941-45. However, the Axis took massive losses. Through much of 1944, the Luftwaffe sustained uncontrolled hemorrhaging, reaching 25 percent of aircrews and 40 planes a month. And in late 1944 into 1945, nearly half the pilots in Japanese squadrons had flown fewer than 200 hours. The disparity of two years before had been completely reversed.

Source: An Airman's Story - Blog, News, Informations - An Airman's Story

The LW losses in late winter/spring 1944 was 40 per aircraft per day
 
More pics
 

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More pics
 

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Picture 12.- The Avenger flown by pilot William F. Chamberlin crashes when hitting the deck of USS escort carrier Solomons (CVE-67). The crew would survive to die a month later when they attacked a German U-boat
 

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Astounding (and a little gruesome) images, although the second in the Do 17 set is a Do 217 and the first and third in the Dauntless thread is an SB2C Helldiver.
 
Iwo Jima - Base of B-29s

Located south and west of the midpoint between Tokyo and Saipan, the island of Iwo Jima was needed by the United States Army Air Force Twentieth Air Force as an emergency landing facility for its B-29 Superfortress strategic bombing campaign against the Empire of Japan. United States Marines landed on Iwo Jima February 19, 1945. The first day saw 2,400 American casualties. During the battle U.S. Marines, sailors and soldiers killed an estimated 20,000 Japanese and captured over 1,000 prisoners. On March 25 the Battle of Iwo Jima was declared over and the island secured, although mopping up continued until July. United States Army units, including the 147th Infantry also participated in the battle. North Field was one of three Japanese airfields built on Iwo Jima. North Field (Japanese Motoyama No. 2) was repaired and lengthened by American forces to accommodate B-29s making emergency landings. Central Field (Japanese Motoyama No. 1) was also used by the Americans for that purpose, and both airfields handled over 2,400 emergency landings by American aircraft. A third Japanese airfield (Motoyama No. 3) 24°47′37″N 141°19′29″E was not used by the Americans after its siezure, instead it was used for revetments and munitions storage in support of the other two airfields.

Although the island was used as an air-sea rescue base after its seizure, the traditional justification for Iwo Jima's strategic importance to the United States' war effort has been that it provided a landing and refueling site for American bombers on missions to and from Japan. As early as 4 March 1945, while fighting was still taking place, the B-29 Dinah Might of the USAAF 9th Bomb Group reported it was low on fuel near the island and requested an emergency landing. Despite enemy fire, the airplane landed on the Allied-controlled section of the island, without incident, and was serviced, refueled and departed. In all, 2,251 B-29 landings on Iwo Jima were recorded during the war. However, there were amny accidents, like the ones we show here.
 

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Picture 1.- Wrecks of B-29 after a serious accident. Pacific Islands (1945)
Picture 2.- B-29 shot down over the Pacific. It can be seen as a crew member climbs on the wing
Picture 3.- The Kee Bird was a United States Army Air Forces B-29-95-BW Superfortress, 45-21768, of the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron, that became marooned after making an emergency landing in northwest Greenland during a secret Cold War spying mission on 21 February 1947. Although the entire crew was safely evacuated, after spending three days in the isolated Arctic tundra, the aircraft itself was left at the landing site. It lay there undisturbed until 1994, when a privately-funded mission was launched to repair and return it. The attempted recovery resulted in the destruction and loss of the airframe by fire on the ground.

Source: Kee Bird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

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Flak damage completely destroyed the nose section of this Boeing B-17G-80-BO S/N 43-38172 "Lovely Julie", a 601st Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group aircraft flown by 1Lt. Lawrence M. Delancey over Cologne, Germany on Oct. 15,1944. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Crew for this aircraft on this mission was:
Pilot - 1st Lt. Lawrence Delancey
Copilot - 2nd Lt. Phil Stahlman (on his last mission)
Navigator - 2nd Lt. Ray LeRoux (WIA)
Togglier - S/Sgt. George Abbott (KIA)
Engineer/Top Turret - T/Sgt. Ben Ruckel
Radio Operator - T/Sgt. Wendell Reed
Ball Turret Gunner - S/Sgt. Al Albro
Waist Gunner - T/Sgt. Russell Lachman
Tail Gunner - S/Sgt. Herbert Guild

A direct hit by a 88 shell that creased the nose turret and exploded in the nose compartment, killed Sgt. Abbott instantly and knocked out and wounded the navigator, Lt. LeDoux.
The pilots flew home with no instruments and the windshield partially covered with debris from the remains of the nose section. The blast also took out the radio and intercom, broke the oxygen lines, and burst a hydraulic line under the cockpit which meant they would have no brakes when they landed. The navigator stood between the pilots and gave them the headings from memory once they found some landmarks. They had to drop down to a lower altitude due to the lack of oxygen and had to deal with some ground fire, but fighters were not a problem due to two P-51's that stuck around to provide some cover. Lt. Delancey, amazingly, made a perfect landing at the 398th's home field in Nuthampstead.
 

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