World War II. Sept. 27, 1944. 35 B-24 Liberator bombers. 150 German Fokke-Wulf 190 and Messerschmitt 109 fighter planes. 6 minutes. 25 bombers shot down. Over 30 fighters lost. World War II's most spectacular air battles was also one of its most unusual, in that 45 years later the combatants on both sides got together and dedicated a monument with the names of all of those who died in the battle. This podcast is dedicated to presenting the little known history of that battle.
After the Kassel Mission air battle, pilot William R. Dewey reached an emergency landing field at Manston, England, with a crippled B-24 that had the worst damage for a returning plane that an Air Corps photographer had ever seen. He went on to become a lead pilot in the 445th Bomb Group. This is his story as related by his daughter.
World War II's most spectacular air battle was also one of its most unusual. In this episode we explain some of the reasons why. George Collar, a bombardier and former prisoner of war, dedicated his life to looking up survivors and next of kin and documenting the details of the battle so they would never be forgotten. In this episode George's son Doug Collar, Linda Dewey and Aaron Elson discuss George's perseverence, and what it was like growing up as the child of a survivor of the battle.
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Oral historian Aaron Elson and Linda Alice Dewey, whose father, Bill Dewey, co-founded the Kassel Mission Memorial Association, talk about one of World War II's most spectacular air battles, its aftermath, and why there's a need for a Kassel Mission podcast.
