Roy's Participation in Normandy
Roy Eisele took part in two missions regarding Operation Overlord, one on D-Day -1, and another on D-Day. Both missions were relatively uneventful in terms of enemy aircraft. Cloud cover did prove itself to be a problem in both missions.
Combat Mission # 171 - June 5, 1944 - The mission took a total of five hours and twenty minutes to complete. The target of the mission was to destroy and disrupt gun emplacement in the Azeville, Lassey and Caen, France area. Azeville is located along the Utah Beach landing zone, while Caen was the objective for the British on Sword Beach. Lassey, located on the Atlantic side of the Cotentin Peninsula, was a critical objective because it meant cutting the peninsula off from the Germans, since Cherbourg provided a well developed harbor and would allow the Allies to bring in much needed supplies. Thirty-eight crews were dispatched including Roy's and each plane had 12 x 500 lb G.P. & 5 S.A.P. bombs. Eisele and his crew flew in B-Group (Low) formation. The mission only had a moderate success due to cloud cover. Even with meager flak, all B-17s returned undamaged with no casualties.
Combat Mission # 174 - June 6, 1944 - Eisele flew in the third mission of the day and likely observed the invasion in progress from the skies above. Many mission reports from personnel in his flight mission group reported seeing barges, destroyers and battleships on the Channel and flashes of the firefight below lit up the clouds in the surrounding area. Flying in B-Group (low) once more, Eisele's target was Vire, France, which was another pivotal location to cut off the Contentin Peninsula and cut German reinforcements off from the Normandy coast. Vire was also along the main route to Caen, a major German strong point in the Sword Beach landing zone. 36 crews were dispatched, including Roy's. Each plane carried 96 500-lb RDX, 6 1,000-lb M44 and 36,500-lb M43 bombs. Bombs were dropped visually but cloud cover prevented the bomb group from reporting accurately on the results.
The Crew of a B-17
The crew of B-17 included ten members, a pilot, co-pilot, engineer, bombardier, navigator, radio operator, and four gunners. As pilot, Roy would have become close to his crew and were likely seen as his home away from home. The jobs of each crew member were very specific:
The Pilot: The job of a pilot included many things. The first and most obvious one was to fly the plane, but a pilot was also in command of his crew while not in the air; he had to train and discipline them when on the ground.
The Co-Pilot: The co-pilot has maybe the most varying, and longest list of responsibilities. The co-pilot must be able to fly the plane in all conditions, be able to operate and know the engine, radio, and all other equipment on board. The co-pilot is in command when the pilot is not around.
The Engineer: The engineer is to know more about the plane than everyone else on it. His job is to keep the plane in the air and make any fixes to the plane in flight and out of flight. The pilot and the engineer must be in close communication because the pilot needs to know in what way the plane will react to the way he plans to fly it.
The Bombardier: The Bombardier is in charge of the plane while over the bombing zone. He takes complete command, even over the pilot while over the bombing zone. He is responsible for the bomb site, bomb doors, and any other bombing equipment. The bombardier must be able to account for various factors which will affect the accuracy of the bombs hitting the target such as altitude, wind speed, ground speed, time of fall, etc.
The Navigator: The Navigator's job is to tell the pilot where to fly. The navigator must be familiar with each of the locating techniques: pilotage, dead-reckoning, celestial, and radio (see button below for a more detailed description). The Pilot and the Navigator must coexist in a smooth, pre-ordained pattern in order to fly the plane. The pilot must make it easier for the navigator to do his job by smoothly flying the plane with no drastic course changes, while the navigator must plan out where it is that the pilot needs to fly in order to get to the bombing site.
The Radio Operator: The job of the Radio Operator is exactly as it sounds; he operates the radio, and helps out the navigator when he is in need of assistance. The radio man is also a gunner.
The Gunners: The Jobs of the Gunners were to ward off any enemy fighters. Each must be familiar with each gunning station, especially his own. They must be able to strip and clean their firearms, as well as know the range and effectiveness of said weapon.
The pilot, co-pilot, navigator and bombardier are all officers, while the engineer, radio-operator, and all gunners are enlisted men.
Below, you can watch my student briefing on the Flight Crew of a B-17. Courtsey of Ms. Andersen
The Pilot: The job of a pilot included many things. The first and most obvious one was to fly the plane, but a pilot was also in command of his crew while not in the air; he had to train and discipline them when on the ground.
The Co-Pilot: The co-pilot has maybe the most varying, and longest list of responsibilities. The co-pilot must be able to fly the plane in all conditions, be able to operate and know the engine, radio, and all other equipment on board. The co-pilot is in command when the pilot is not around.
The Engineer: The engineer is to know more about the plane than everyone else on it. His job is to keep the plane in the air and make any fixes to the plane in flight and out of flight. The pilot and the engineer must be in close communication because the pilot needs to know in what way the plane will react to the way he plans to fly it.
The Bombardier: The Bombardier is in charge of the plane while over the bombing zone. He takes complete command, even over the pilot while over the bombing zone. He is responsible for the bomb site, bomb doors, and any other bombing equipment. The bombardier must be able to account for various factors which will affect the accuracy of the bombs hitting the target such as altitude, wind speed, ground speed, time of fall, etc.
The Navigator: The Navigator's job is to tell the pilot where to fly. The navigator must be familiar with each of the locating techniques: pilotage, dead-reckoning, celestial, and radio (see button below for a more detailed description). The Pilot and the Navigator must coexist in a smooth, pre-ordained pattern in order to fly the plane. The pilot must make it easier for the navigator to do his job by smoothly flying the plane with no drastic course changes, while the navigator must plan out where it is that the pilot needs to fly in order to get to the bombing site.
The Radio Operator: The job of the Radio Operator is exactly as it sounds; he operates the radio, and helps out the navigator when he is in need of assistance. The radio man is also a gunner.
The Gunners: The Jobs of the Gunners were to ward off any enemy fighters. Each must be familiar with each gunning station, especially his own. They must be able to strip and clean their firearms, as well as know the range and effectiveness of said weapon.
The pilot, co-pilot, navigator and bombardier are all officers, while the engineer, radio-operator, and all gunners are enlisted men.
Below, you can watch my student briefing on the Flight Crew of a B-17. Courtsey of Ms. Andersen