 Here's the dawn, the dawn of men we once knew. Dawn, August 17, 1943, England, on the first anniversary of their operations against Fortress Europe, the Eighth Bomber Command prepared 376 B-17s for the two most critical targets on their list, the Bull Bearing Plants at Schwanfurt and the Messerschmitt Aircraft Factory at Regensburg, both deep in Germany. What an anniversary. Just a year ago we flew that first mission to Rouen, 12 B-17s flying 56 miles to Tarkov. Now we were taking 376 fortresses 500 miles into Germany. Never had we prepared for so rough a mission. In 1943 the AAF was still growing up. The Luftwaffe had already reached its peak. Our boys taking their battle folders knew it. By the time we turned in our personal stuff it was well understood that the projected double header would bring on a large scale and costly air battle. In chapels all over England, most of the men turned to their ministers, rabbis or priests. Getting into the trucks we didn't dream that August 17th was being written into air history. Not only because of us, there were other soldiers in the skies. This was the same day that Sicily fell to the Allies. The same day that the RAF bombed Pinamunda, the V-2 rocket plant. The same day that General Kenny's B-25s destroyed 200 Jap planes that we whacked in eight minutes. And this day our double mission involved the deepest penetration ever attempted into Germany and the largest bomber force to be dispatched to date. We knew that as we went further into Germany we'd hurt her more. But we also knew we'd have to pay a higher price for admission. And now the last briefing is the pilots rechecked the details of the mission with our crews. Individuals no longer existed. We were now 10 man teams and on our teamwork would depend our success and perhaps our lives. Action against Schreinfurt got underway. The Regensburg task forces had just hit their target. A vast and intricate machine of destruction had been set in motion. Behind these modern warriors were weeks of high command planning. Now crewmen took care of routine duties. Ahead of us were four hours of rugged action. Our guns were going to be especially important today. At the briefing they told us we'd have help from short range fighters and ate their support mediums. The fighters were supposed to take us about halfway. The mediums were to bomb diversionary targets. But for the worst part of the trip we'd be on our own. Finally after a few hours delay due to bad weather 2300 men counted the seconds. So far American bombers had never been stopped. Although German defenses had stiffened American formations had not been prevented from reaching their objectives once they responded to the green takeoff signal. As always each thundering ground was an epic of suspense until 30 tons of globs, plane and men were lifted from the earth. The leader of the first wing Colonel William Gross swept in a huge circle around the field. Gradually the second and third bombers etched into position. The sky quickly filled with stately fortresses sliding through space. But as soon as they got into formation over the British fields they were picked up by German radar. Across the channel the tentacles of the enemy's locator system having touched the flying fortresses now pinpointed them in space. Luftwaffe experts accurately plotted the American course, altitude and speed and promptly informed their fighter control. Immediately a dozens of Nazi airdromes from as far north as Denmark to down around Paris, German fighter units began to send up everything they had. Their order was intercept and destroy the oncoming fortresses. The answer to the increasing Allied bomber offensive was this stepped up German fighter strength. Waves of opposition screamed off the map of Europe. In spite of the Luftwaffe Allied planners selected our targets according to Allied Air Force priorities. That's why merely three hours after the fourth bomb wing had paralyzed the Nazis Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg we in the first bomb wing were on our way to strike Schweinfurt in the face of an aroused enemy. As we began to run into flak our gunners could feel the entire German Air Force warming up. Flying in enemy territory we felt like goldfish in a bowl waiting for the attack. Strict radio silence was maintained while trained eyes searched the sky. The Luftwaffe unleashed every trick. The B-17 suffered the most savage blows since the war began. Although Jerry knocked 20 bombers out of the sky on the road to Schweinfurt we never broke formation. Despite the porosity of the attack which extended all the way to and from the target we pressed forward. Our guns kept burning the enemy out of the sky. Approaching the bomb run began the most critical defensive period. Now we divided into smaller groups sacrificing our mutual defensive firepower to bomb the target most efficient. The crucial moment. The moment around which the entire mission revolved was now in the steady hands of our bombardiers. Each bomber was now committed. No more evasive action until bombs away. At this time the formations were most vulnerable to attack. It didn't matter. We had a job to do on Schweinfurt. We had 400 tons of high explosives to deliver. After getting 80 hits on the two main ball bearing plants we could defend ourselves again. At least to the extent of evasive action against black and fighter attack. But the main idea now is to get home fast. At the British landing fields word on the sky battle was out. Red flares were expected. That meant wounded aboard. These planes had priority in landing. Many of the fortresses themselves were crippled. A few came in with feathered props or with knocked out landing gear. After struggling home at House Top Altitude one B-17 with wounded aboard was committed to a crash landing. The name of the ship was my prayer. The anniversary battles lost us more men and aircraft in a single day than the 8th bomber command had lost in our first six months of operations over Europe. We who carried the war 500 miles to the enemy's industrial heart knew better than anyone how expensive it was. We had lost 60 bombers and their crews. What happened this 17th day of August year 1943 was a testament to American men with modern weapons and the very old idea fighting for freedom. On this day high altitude bombers engaged in their greatest and from the point of view of loss their most disastrous air battle to date. Nonetheless the results justified the price we paid. Out of these trials by fire there did emerge from the struggle one of the most polished and powerful instruments of warfare ever assembled. This force of men and planes, this accumulation of skill and experience became the power and might of the United States Air Force.