Pistol Packin' Mama (1991)

• 72%
• 1991
• Documentary
• Tom Jenz

Five crew members of the B-17, Betty Boop/Pistol Packin' Mama, tell what it was like in the grim early days of daylight bombing beginning in July 1943. As members of the 390th Bomb Group flying out of Framlingham, England, they often led their squadron, their group, and sometimes the entire 8th Air Force into action. The life of a bomber crewman is described as never before . . . the strain and cold, the fear, the sense of death and loss, the bond of camaraderie. Enhanced by stunning footage and personal photos, this is how it was battling fighters and flak over Hitler's Germany. After surviving 25 missions, the crew was reassigned, some to return home, some to take on other missions. The plane itself was shot down shortly after a new crew took over. Airmen interviewed were Pilot James Geary, Co-Pilot Richard Perry, navigator Gus Mencow, engineer Shirl Hoffman, and ball-turret gunner Clifford Puckett.