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A modicum of hope

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M

maynard

Yoda
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Just saw the movie Pressure. Excellent, But what gives me a little hope were the coming attractions. 2 WWII movies coming out. Jimmy about James Stewart in WWII, and another Lucky Strike. Three movie about patriotic Americans.
 
Ike - the fate of the civilized world on his shoulder. Will the storm continue, or will it end? Pressure!

Eisenhower D-Day.jpg


Jimmy:

Stewart.jpg


Lucky Strike - trapped behind German lines at the Battle of the Bulge:

250px-Lucky_Strike_2026_Film_Poster.jpg
 
After he did his first tour and required flights as pilot of a B-24, Jimmy Stewart wanted to do a second one. This was stopped by the 8th AF commander, they felt if he was stop down and captured or killed it would be used by Germany as a propaganda move.
 
mikephillips said:
After he did his first tour and required flights as pilot of a B-24, Jimmy Stewart wanted to do a second one. This was stopped by the 8th AF commander, they felt if he was stop down and captured or killed it would be used by Germany as a propaganda move.
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Which is very likely what would have happened.
 
True, flying one 25 mission tour was exceptional and if the Luftwaffe identified his aircraft I'm sure they would have ganged up on it just to get an American celebrity and pilot. Instead he ended up on General Dolittle's 8AF headquarters staff.
 
Check out the story of BOAC Flight 777.

And - why was it shot down in 1943.
 
I have seen that some think he was accidentally brought down by a British bomb group that aborted a mission and dumped their ordinance on the bay area at the same time his plane was to be passing through. Nothing physical it seems but who knows.
 
That's the common thread through all these sad events ... "Who Knows?"
 
We can't forget Clark Gable in this conversation. He flew B-17 missions and wasn't allowed to complete his tour. He was Hitler's favorite actor and as a result a bounty was put on him. I believe he was about halfway through his tour when the USAAF decided he must be reassigned in a non-combat role.

Edit: He also flew one of the deadliest runs of the war over the Ruhr valley.
 
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Technically Gable wasn't allowed to fly combat missions, he was there as a gunnery instructor and to watch them over England as they practiced gunnery. But he sort of sneaked on a number of true combat missions as "observer" until higher ups intervened to stop him.

And one other that reportedly tried to enlist but was denied was John Wayne. It was said he felt guilty seeing so many Hollywood folks, known and unknown, enter the service. He tried to enlist but was rejected, supposedly because the head of Republic pictures was a friend of the Secretary of War and requested that if Wayne tried, he should be rejected since Republic didn't want to lose him like so many others when making films during the war.
 
mikephillips said:
Technically Gable wasn't allowed to fly combat missions, he was there as a gunnery instructor and to watch them over England as they practiced gunnery. But he sort of sneaked on a number of true combat missions as "observer" until higher ups intervened to stop him.

And one other that reportedly tried to enlist but was denied was John Wayne. It was said he felt guilty seeing so many Hollywood folks, known and unknown, enter the service. He tried to enlist but was rejected, supposedly because the head of Republic pictures was a friend of the Secretary of War and requested that if Wayne tried, he should be rejected since Republic didn't want to lose him like so many others when making films during the war.
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I believe the sneakng aboard missions started after the bounty was put on Gable and it was deemed too dangerous for him to fly.
 
Maybe, can't say for sure either way myself. But I do know when he flew as a gunnery instructor he wasn't allowed to leave British skies. And he wanted to venture over occupied Europe so one way or another, I presume with the help of crews of the aircraft he "snuck" onboard for some actual combat missions.

Anyway, he didn't have to expose himself to potential harm/death so I respect the fact that he wanted to share in the danger with the young guys.
 
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