The Mighty Eighth Podcast

It was a mission which started just like any other: but it ended when the B-17 Flying Fortress "Little Boy Blue" crashed into a farmer's field in Suffolk, England.Eight of the ten air crew were killed that day – and 80 years on, we join their families in that very same field to honour their memory.We speak to Brian Cracknell – one of the last remaining eye-witnesses of the Little Boy Blue air crash just outside the village of Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds.We’re also joined by archaeologists who have been excavating the crash site and local farmer Stephen Honeywood to unveil a memorial to those who served.Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.comTo contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.ukFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Facebook - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Instagram - @mighty8thpodFollow Mike on X - @mikehistorianFollow Johann on X - @johanntasker

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.Please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Visit the Mighty Eighth Podcast website: mighty8thpodcast.comTo contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.ukFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Facebook - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Instagram - @mighty8thpodFollow Johann on X - @johanntaskerFollow Mike on X - @mikehistorian

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.comTo contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.ukFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Facebook - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Instagram - @mighty8thpodFollow Johann on X - @johanntaskerFollow Mike on X - @mikehistorian

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.comTo contact Johann and Mike, email johann@ruralcity.co.ukFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on X - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Facebook - @mighty8thpodFollow the Mighty Eighth Podcast on Instagram - @mighty8thpodFollow Johann on X - @johanntaskerFollow Mike on X - @mikehistorian

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.

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.