Here's an interesting fact about American losses in WW2

Yep, they just sent the bombers in daylight raids, and at first the existing fighter escorts had not enough range to fly with the bombers and protect them all the way to Germany... (the bombers well "well armed" and supposedly able to "defend themselves", but that wasn't the case) So the escorting Allied fighter's would have to come back half way (no in-flight refueling those days) and the bombers would be at the mercy of the German fighters... Losses were brutal... By 1943, if I'm not mistaken, long-range P-51 Mustang started escorting bombers all the way to Germany, and things improved a bit... (I'm writing this from memory, apologies if I got some facts wrong...)

Thanks for sharing this.

The sacrifices and losses were staggering in all theaters, all branches. All sides of the war.

In one of my previous lives I had the fortune of flying with many of the then old timers who had been pilots and crew members during the war. Many who had served during the war and survived, and returned to civilian lives, had their lives again disrupted when they were called back into military service for Korea and/or the cold war. With the wars and the add-on service, some were half-way to retirement and chose to hang on until retirement.

They were a part of the greatest generation ever. To listen to their experiences as they pointed out where they almost died, or saw their friends die, or where they had to bail out was a peek into the heart and soul of bigger than life heroes. One still carried a picture of himself standing on a ladder, and through a 4 foot round hole in his wing. As impressive were the stories of the gut wrenching fear of another mission, and another, and another as the odds of survival shrank. A few had bailed and became POWs. One was 85 pounds when he was released, and recounted the experience of watching fellow POWs willing to kill one another over a slice of bread.

God bless them.

The P51 had a revolutionary wing design which reduced fuel cosumption by almost half.It's why the Mustang had such a long range.Also the Mustang had the British Rolls Royce Merlin engine.

Well, Luttwaffe during that period was not an ordinary air force. So nothing surprising in that deal toll.

Very interesting post. My dad was a WW2 Vet, served in France but always spoke highly of the USAAF 8th AF and The RAF. And I believe many of the Bombing runs over Germany and Enemy territory by B-17 crews and others were protected by the "Red Tails", aka "Tuskegee Airmen." Great aviators...all of them!

Another interesting fact. Over 2/3’s of all deaths in WWII were civilians.

I love the collaboration on this post.

well that sucks.

Understandable