The Mighty Eighth Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Fighter Escort: The P-51 Mustang Jun 02, 2024

Just how much of a game changer was the North American P-51 Mustang fighter plane in the battle for air supremacy in the skies over Europe?

We find out in this episode, with a visit to Bottisham Airfield Museum – home to the 361st Fighter Group in Cambridgeshire.

We look at the development of the Mustang – and how an American airframe matched with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine helped change the face of the air war.

We tell the story of 361st FG commanding officer Colonel Jack Christian, great-grandson of American Civil War General Stonewall Jackson.

And we discover what life was like for fighter pilot Edward Marevka, who was shot down, captured and taken prisoner of war – with his family back home wondering about his fate.

With very special thanks to podcast guest Jason Webb, chairman and trustee of Bottisham Airfield Museum, which is well worth a visit.

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Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.com

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk

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Night of the Intruders Apr 28, 2024

In this episode, we tell the story of the Night of the Intruders, when Luftwaffe fighters followed a stream of American B-24 Liberator bombers back to England and shot them out of the sky as they tried to land.

It was a disastrous end to Mission 311, which took place on 22 April, 1944, less than two months before D-Day.

The raid saw 824 Mighty Eighth bombers target the nerve centre of the Third Reich's railway system at Hamm, in Germany's north-east Ruhr.

We experience the mission through the eyes of George Glevanik, of the 448th Bomb Group, stationed at Seething, south-east of Norwich.

We visit Seething Church of St Margaret & St Remigius, which includes a memorial to the 448th BG; and Seething Control Tower Museum, which includes artefacts from the Night of the Intruders.

We examine what went right – and what went wrong – and why the Mighty Eighth attacked Hamm in the evening, rather than sticking to its tried-and-tested strategy of bombing in broad daylight.

Our special podcast guest is author, historian and aviation archaeologist Ian McLachlan, whose book 'Night of the Intruders' is published by Pen & Sword.

Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.com

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk

Follow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpod

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Target Berlin Mar 07, 2024

In this episode, we tell the story of the first American daylight bombing raid over Berlin, which took place on March 4, 1944.

The mission was led by the 95th Bomb Group – the only Eighth Air Force Bomb Group to receive the Distinguished Unit Citation three times.

We visit the Red Feather Club at Horham in Suffolk – including the Blue Lounge dance hall, Brad's Bar and the 95th Bomb Group museum.

We find out why the 95th Bomb Group pushed ahead with the Berlin raid – despite a recall order which saw other planes turn back.

And we discuss the strategy behind the mission – and how it helped the Allies achieve air supremacy, paving the way for D-Day three months later.

Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.com

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk

Follow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpod

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Battle of the Bombers Feb 14, 2024

In this episode, we visit the American Air Museum at Duxford for a hotly contested debate: which was the best WW2 heavy bomber?

Was it the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress or was it the Consolidated B-24 Liberator?

The museum is home to the biggest collection of American military aircraft on public display outside the USA.

And it is the only place in the UK where you can stand side by side between a Fortress and a Liberator.

We discuss the merits – and sometimes fatal flaws – of both iconic planes with museum curator Dr Hattie Hearn.

We debate their armaments, their bomb loads – and the ability of each aircraft to successfully complete a mission and return home.

And we find out what it was like for the crew during combat – including inside the ball turret.

The museum stands as a memorial to the 30,000 American servicemen and women who died while flying from Britain between 1942 and 1945.

Their names appear on a special digital Roll of Honour, which draws names and photographs from the museum archive into the exhibition space.

Please do subscribe to the Mighty Eighth Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts – and if you like what you hear, please do leave us a review.

To contact Johann and Mike, please email johann@ruralcity.co.uk.

You can also contact us via our website at www.mighty8thpodcast.com and on X at www.twitter.com/mighty8thpod.

With very special thanks to the American Air Museum for welcoming us and allowing us to record this episode.

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Masters of the Air Jan 21, 2024

The 100th Bomb Group is probably the most famous bomb group of them all – and the focus of the Stephen Spielberg / Tom Hanks TV mini-series Masters of the Air.

Nicknamed the Bloody Hundredth, it had a 'bad luck' reputation, sustaining heavy losses of men and planes on numerous disastrous missions.

But just how unlucky was the 100th Bomb Group? What is myth? And what is the truth?

In this episode, we visit Thorpe Abbotts – the airfield in eastern England which was home to the 100th during World War Two.

We climb to the top of the control tower and look out across what was a huge military airbase.

We talk about the missions of 1943 which gave birth to the legend of the Bloody Hundredth – and look at the evidence to support the claims.

We learn about the real-life characters Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal, John 'Bucky' Egan and Gale 'Buck' Cleven – all of whom feature in Masters of the Air.

Do subscribe to the Mighty Eighth Podcast on whichever podcast platform you listen to – and if you like what you hear, please do leave us a review.

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk.

With special thanks to the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum for welcoming us and allowing us to record this episode.

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'Everything that will fly' Dec 22, 2023

The 'maximum effort' mission on Christmas Eve 1944 was the biggest ever by the Eighth Air Force.

This was the Mighty Eighth's 760th mission – with 2,046 heavy bombers and 853 fighters taking to the sky.

It meant "everything that can fly, will fly" as the USAAF entered the Battle of the Bulge to protect Allied troops from the Nazi war machine.

It was the biggest air armada ever seen – a bomber stream more than 300 miles long described as the greatest day in the history of aerial warfare.

In this episode, we visit Lavenham airfield (USAAF Station 137), home to the 487th Bomb Group to examine the strategy behind the mission.

We visit the Airmen's Bar at the Swan Hotel in Lavenham, and pay tribute to Brigadier General Frederick W. Castle, who led the mission.

And we speak to an 85-year-old village resident who as a schoolboy attended a Christmas party hosted by the Mighty Eighth in 1944.

Thank you for listening to the Mighty Eighth Podcast.

Mighty Eighth Podcast episodes are co-hosted, written and produced by Johann Tasker and military historian Mike Peters.

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk or visit our website at www.mighty8thpodcast.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter at Mighty8thPod and Facebook.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pathfinder Mystery Nov 25, 2023

In this episode, we visit the crash site of a top-secret B-17 Flying Fortress which went down soon after take-off in November 1943.

The B-17F Flying Fortress 42-5793 was among the most secret aircraft of its kind – one of the first American bombers fitted with a new type of radar.

The plane crashed only minutes into what should have been a flight from Thorpe Abbots, in Norfolk; to Alconbury, near Huntingdon, in the East of England.

All 13 crew were killed.

So too were four people on the ground and their horse.

Relatives spent decades trying to find out why the plane crashed – a mystery which remained unsolved for years.

We speak to family of the crew – and visit a newly unveiled memorial to the plane and those killed.

This episode is co-hosted by Johann Tasker with military historian Mike Peters and podcast guest Steve Andrews.

To contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.uk.

Featuring interviews with John Price Jr. (grandnephew of of pilot Arthur Reynolds); and Vickie Tregner (niece of radar mechanic Herman Kolousek).

With very special thanks to Clive D. Stevens.

Thanks also to Tarkey Barker; Maggie Aggiss; Ian McLachlan; 100th Bomb Group Museum, Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk; the Oaksmere Hotel, Rectory Road, Eye, Suffolk.

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Schweinfurt-Regensburg - August 17, 1943 Aug 17, 2023

It was the Mighty Eighth's most ambitious mission yet: a twin-strike into the heart of Nazi Germany.

This dual-pronged raid on August 17, 1943, saw more than 350 B-17 bombers despatched to bomb the cities of Schweinfurt and Regensburg.

The goal was to strike a major blow against the Nazi war machine by taking out three ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt and the Messerschmidt factory at Regensburg.

In this episode, we discuss the reasons behind the mission, the strategy and the experiences of those who took part – both in the air and on the ground.

We discuss what went right – and what went wrong – through the eyes of the 381st Bomb Group based at Ridgewell, Essex, about 50 miles north-east of London.

In particular, we follow the experiences of two men: Group lead navigator Leonard Spivey and Ridgewell chaplain James Good Brown.

To contact podcast hosts Johann and Mike, please email johann@ruralcity.co.uk.

The book mentioned in this episode – Bomb Group: The Eighth Air Force's 381st and the Allied Air Offensive over Europe – by Paul Bingley and Mike Peters is available to order from Amazon and all good bookshops.

This episode was recorded on location courtesy of Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Museum.

The introduction for this episode includes an excerpt from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat Following the Declaration of War on Japan (December 9, 1941).

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The Ultimate Sacrifice Jun 10, 2023

In this episode, we pay tribute to the thousands of Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War Two while fighting for freedom.

We do so by visiting Cambridge American Cemetery in eastern England, which commemorates almost 9,000 American personnel.

We tell the stories of some of those men and women who are buried here – and those listed on the Wall of the Missing.

We also tell the story of the cemetery itself.

Are the headstones really laid out in the shape of a baseball field, with the 72ft flagpole flying the Stars & Stripes representing the home plate?

People featured in this episode include Thomas “Tommy” Hitchcock Jr, Peter G Lehman, Emily Harper Rea, Leon R Vance Jr, Catharine Price, and Porter M. Pile.

Planes featured in this episode include the B-17 Flying Fortress; B-24 Liberator; P-47 Thunderbolt; P-51 Mustang and Douglas C-54 Skymaster.

Places featured include Omaha Beach, Brookwood American Cemetery, Duxford airfield, Boscombe Down and Madingley Hall.

Bomb Groups and Fighter Groups include the 398th BG (Nuthampstead); the 4th FG (Debden); the 489th BG (Halesworth); and the 445th BG (Tibenham).

With our thanks and gratitude to our very special guests: 'Mighty Eighth” historian Malcolm Osborn and ABMC cemetery associate Tracey Haylock.

Co-hosted, researched and written by Johann Tasker and military historian Mike Peters. Recorded and produced by Johann Tasker.

To contact Johann and Mike, please email johann@ruralcity.co.uk.

Instagram: instagram.com/mighty8thpod

Twitter: @Mighty8thPod

Website: mighty8thpodcast.com

Recorded with the kind permission of the American Battle Monuments Commission on location at Cambridge American Cemetery, Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK.

The introduction to this episode includes audio from:

United States Army Eighth Air Force, Wyler, W., Paramount Pictures, I. & Kern, E. (1944) The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

Excerpt from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat Following the Declaration of War on Japan (December 9, 1941).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anatomy of a Mission Oct 27, 2022

Just how do you put hundreds of B17 Flying Fortresses into the sky, send them on a bombing mission over occupied Europe – and then bring them home again?

In this episode, we find out during a visit to USAAF Station 153 (Framlingham) – home to the 390th Bomb Group during World War Two.

We visit the Control Tower – home to Parham Airfield Museum, which commemorates the 390th and other Allied airmen based throughout East Anglia.

We discuss the mission procedure – from the sending out of the initial Field Order to the formation of a protective bomb group – or Combat Box – of aircraft in the sky.

We do so with the help of the museum’s rare collection of recovered aircraft engines, artefacts and memorabilia.

We visit the museum Nissen Hut, which houses a recreated barrack room, showing how the airmen lived.

Archivist Jennie Smith explains the museum’s Faces of the Fallen project.

And we pay our respects in the Chapel Room which houses a Veterans Wall, where returning airmen from the 390th have signed their names.

For a selection of photos taken while we recorded this episode, please click here.

This episode of the Mighty Eighth Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and military historian Mike Peters.

With very special thanks to Parham Airfield Museum and archivist Jennie Smith.

The introduction for this episode includes an excerpt from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat Following the Declaration of War on Japan (December 9, 1941).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bomb Run Sep 25, 2022

Welcome to the Mighty 8th Podcast – the podcast about the people, planes and places of the United States Eighth Army Air Force.

In this very first episode, we visit Grafton Underwood – where B-17 bombers took to the skies for the very first America-led mission over occupied Europe in World War Two.

The first American-led mission using USAAF Flying Fortresses targeted the railway marshalling yards at Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France, on August 17, 1942.

We stand in the middle of what was runway Number One at Grafton Underwood airfield – where a granite memorial remembers those who flew on the raids that followed.

We visit Grafton Underwood church – where a stained glass window depicts a Flying Fortress bomber in memory of everyone who served.

And we take a walk to the airfield operations room to discuss the different bombing strategies employed by RAF Bomber Command and the United States Army Air Force.

For a selection of photos taken while we recorded this episode, please click here.

Co-hosted by Johann Tasker and military historian Mike Peters. With thanks to Neill Howarth.

The introduction to this episode includes audio from United States Army Eighth Air Force, Wyler, W., Paramount Pictures, I. & Kern, E. (1944) The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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