Air Force paid high price in World War II

During World War II, many lost their lives; estimates ranged from 40 million to over 60 million people, depending on the site you look up. 

Deaths were the result of direct combat, civilian deaths from bombing, etc. These figures include Europe, Russia, China and Japan. 

The following facts that I am going to mention are about the 8th Air Force, stationed in England that were bombing France and Germany during the war. They started bombing in August 1942, flying mostly B-17s, B-25 Liberators, and later B-29s. They had to fly 25 missions and then they were finished. However,this comes from books and a now-deceased friend of mine who was a World War II pilot, Cliff Rankin. who lived to be 98. 

Initially, they hardly any made 25 missions, the Germans were in full force with anti-aircraft guns and their air force. Later in the war in late 1944 and 1945, the mission requirement was increased to 35, that is how many Cliff flew. In their missions, they would have hundreds of planes sent over Europe to bomb factories and other sites. However, they bombed from high up and thus thousands of civilians were killed. He was one of the lucky ones, he survived.

However, the final price for the 8th Air Force was staggering for the American 8th Air Force. 4300 B-17s and B-24s were shot down and failed to return to England, nearly 21,000 men bailed out and were taken prisoner and a further 17, 650 were killed in action. 

I had asked Clif what made him join the Air Force. His reply was, "I wanted to sleep in sheets every night, not in a [darn] fox hole!" Cliff was a great person, and they say, part of America's Greatest Generation.

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran and business owner in Priest River.