11/10/2023 0 Comments Flightgear missions![]() He had completed 23 missions when the requirement was raised, so he wound up completing 30. Krause discusses that when they first arrived in theater a crew had to complete 25 missions on a tour of duty, but that number was later raised to 30 prior to being lowered back again to 25. He describes very heavy enemy fighter activity and a lot of flak, so much of both that as the airplane was on the return leg of the mission the crew had no idea how they had survived. The bomber crews were all eager and excited, but also realized that the Germans would put up a stiff defense. Joseph Krause recounts that the purpose of the raid was to demonstrate to the Germans that the Americans could strike their main city. His experiences made him feel like, "it was just a matter of timeā¦" before his plane was shot down. They did have four crew members killed, but each casualty was while flying with another crew on another airplane. He recounts that they never suffered any losses on their plane. Krause comments that if enemy fighters were attacking in large numbers their plane would stay in the formation if flak was the bigger threat, his pilot would maneuver the plane towards the back. His intent was to fly in the back part of the formation where he felt he'd have a better chance to maneuver the aircraft. On that flight, he again saw heavy flak and comments that "everywhere you looked, you'd see a B-17 explode." His pilot had earlier assembled the crew and told them that he had no desire to fly in the lead position. On his second mission, he was in the top gun turret, which he had never learned to operate. He didn't want to act scared, so he became the flight engineer. Once he recovered, he was told the the flight engineer, who also operated the top gun turret, refused to fly anymore and so he was appointed to replace him. He got so sick on the flight that he had to be carried off the airplane. On his first mission, he was assigned as a waist gunner and thought he had been hit by flak, but hadn't. He lost a lot of weight while overseas, both from the stress and fear of the missions and the heavy drinking afterwards, which often caused him to miss his evening meal. He comments that when they returned from a mission they were offered as much Scotch as they wanted, and that led to he and his buddies sharing all manner of stories. He describes that his entire crew was brand-new the only thing that kept him from quitting was not wanting to embarrass himself or his family. ![]() He remembers feeling like he'd never return home, particularly after his first mission. He returned to New York where he boarded the Queen Elizabeth to go overseas. While at home, he decided he wouldn't return to his base, but his mother talked him out of it. His companions took up a collection for him and he was granted a three-day pass to attend services. While on this trip, he received word that his father had passed away in Detroit, Michigan. After completion, he took a train across the United States to the embarkation port of New York. He was assigned to Moses Lake, Washington, where he and a childhood friend, Al Horton, were split up for the first time since they had begun their training together. Joseph Krause was stationed in Washington State while he continued his training to be a B-17 aerial gunner. He describes the air-to-air gunnery training as flying in the back cockpit of the AT-6 and shooting at a sock that was being pulled behind another AT-6. He was also scared during his training flights, which were in an AT-6 trainer. He speaks very candidly about being scared every time he flew, so much so that later in the war, when he was recruited to fly the B-29 Superfortress, he refused. When he landed from that mission, the crew's flight engineer, who also served as the top turret gunner, refused to fly any more, so he became the flight engineer. He recounts that he was originally put on a B-17 Flying Fortress crew as an assistant mechanic and manned a waist gun, but that was only for his first combat mission. Following that, he went to Arizona for gunnery training, during which he flew for the first time in an airplane. After completing basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas he remained there for aviation mechanic training. They went across the street and enlisted in the Army Air Force. ![]() Still wanting to be a Marine, he and Horton went to downtown Detroit where they discovered the Navy and Marine Corps recruiting office to be closed. He had received his initial draft notice, but it was another two years before he received his actual report notice. He and a childhood friend named Al Horton shared many activities, and they both had planned on going into the Marine Corps. He recalls an enjoyable childhood where he played games, sports and had two paper routes that gave him some spending money. ![]() Joseph Krause was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1923. ![]()
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