Western Museum of Flight – Celebrity Lecture
3315 Airport Dr. Torrance, CA – June 20th
Steve Snyder
Grim determination in the face of terrible odds characterized many American fighting units in WWII, but there were few, if any, who faced worse odds than the US 8th Air Force, flying missions in the deadly skies over German-occupied Europe. Grim determination, indeed, was indispensable to the bomber crews who had to face the vicious onslaught of massed anti-aircraft artillery and skilled, equally determined Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Of the many 8th Air Force units carrying the fight to the enemy, none had tougher assignments, facing worse odds than the 306th Bomb Group. On each mission, the aircrews faced one-in-ten odds of being shot down. And they flew a lot of missions. Each day that they were sent out could easily be the day they die. For one B-17 crew, that day came in February of 1944, over the French-Belgian border. Luftwaffe fighters set their sights on the Susan Ruth, and this proud Flying Fortress plunged to the earth in flames. But the story didn’t end there. Of the ten-man crew, those who didn’t die outright faced a grueling ordeal. Some became POWs, some were captured later and shot as spies, and a lucky few made it home, with the help of the Belgian underground. It’s a compelling story, told by someone who learned it at first hand. Author Steve Snyder will share this fascinating saga with us. He knows it well, having learned it from his father, pilot Howard Snyder, one of the lucky few who lived to tell the tale. Join us; it’s quite a story. Submitted by Cyntha Macha, GPS OPS.
