S1E2: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW2: Part 2 - 1st Lt Jack Mathis, USAAF, B-17 Flying Fortress bombardier

The Aviation Medals of Honor

Part 2 of 4 on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the 8th Air Force. 1st Lt Jack Mathis was a bombardier with the 303rd Bomb Group killed in action on 18 March 1943. He was the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in the 8th Air Force and in the European Theater of Operations. This episode also covers Carl Norden and his Norden M-series bombsight, a cornerstone of the Army Air Forces strategic bombing campaign.

Selected readings:

Bombardiers' Information File, USAAF Office of Flying Safety, 1945

The Secret Weapon, Don Sherman, Air & Space Magazine, February/March 1995

The Mighty Eighth series by Roger Freeman

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