World War II Trivia "Twelve O'clock High," was a popular movie and TV series. However, the title was not chosen because it had a catchy ring to it. The Luftwaffe attacked from the front and above the bomber formations. Hence, "Twelve O'clock High" was commonly heard over Fort interphones warning of approaching planes. In this style of attack the pilot took his shot and then climbed over the formation. This minimized the ability of the bomber's gunners to track and hit an attacking aircraft. This also allowed the Luftwaffe pilots to regroup for a possible second pass on the formation. This method minimized the opportunity of the fighter to score a hit; however, the large size of the bombers gave the fighters the advantage. Inexperienced pilots would dive for the deck exposing their belly and taking themselves out of the fight. A study of the casualties of the 390th Bomber group showed that the ball gunner suffered the lowest casualty rate. The waist gunners suffered the highest casualty rate. German pilots during WWI were required to score 10 kills to become an ace (the allies required only 5). During WWII the term ACE was dropped and EXPERTE took its place. This title was bestowed upon pilots after demonstrating their prowess in the air, not for the number of kills achieved. During WWII points were awarded to the pilots for there kills. The amount of points was determined by the type of plane killed, and how it was killed. A pilot on the western front could earn the Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross after about 40 kills. On the eastern front the Knight's Cross was awarded after about 70 kills. The famous flyer's silk scarf was not for show. Its function was to protect the pilots neck from chaffing on the collar as he continuously rotated his head to check for bandits. High altitude missions were dangerous. O2 systems would fail causing Hypoxia. The pilot would soon lose consciousness and crash. Bomber crews also suffered from Hypothermia. The cockpit of the P-38 was not heated and was quite uncomfortable at high altitudes. The Me-262 had a lethal cannon mounted in its nose. One favorite tactic was to wait until the Bombers hit their IP (initial point of bombing run) and shoot into the bomb bay. At the IP the bombardier armed the bombs. One well placed shot would take out the buff. One Me-262 pilot destroyed 8 B-17s in this fashion in one pass through a bomber formation. The P-47 is called the JUG as a short form of JUGGERNAUT, and is not due to its performance or appearance. The Ju-87 is commonly referred to as the STUKA. However, that is not its official name. STUKA is a German acronym for any dive bomber: STUrzKAmpfer. The Ju-87 had a siren attached to the wheel pant (or spat). As the plane dove a propeller drove the siren giving it its characteristic scream. It was considered to have a big psychological impact on the victims below. The title of Ace was awarded to USAAF pilots scoring 5 kills in the air as well as on the ground. This was done to give all pilots a chance to "score a kill." Otherwise it was felt that pilots would abandon a mission to score an air kill. As the war progressed fewer German planes were encountered making 5 ACM kills very difficult to achieve. Many missions were also ground attack and didn't afford the pilot an opportunity to fight plane to plane in the air. The USAAF even awarded "Ace" status to several bomber gunners. The Department of the Navy wasn't so generous. Aces were made with 5 ACM kills only. Fighter nose art was typically done only on the left side. This saved time, paint and effort. The left side was chosen since this side was traditionally used by pilots to mount their aircraft. The USAAF filmed the crew of the Memphis Belle. The film was advertised as being filmed on the 25th, and final, mission of the crew. However, in truth, the film was made during the 24th run. Camouflage is typically used to mask an object from observation. This is often achieved by painting the object in colors of the terrain it will normally be observed in. However, for aircraft this was sometimes difficult. German U-boats would often spot attacking aircraft well enough in advance to dive deep and avoid an attack. The Navy's response was to mount headlights on the leading edges of the wings. Aircraft at long distances were visible as dark specs against a bright sky. The headlights actually made the aircraft blend in with the sky at long ranges. This made them more difficult to see, and the U-boats had less time to dive for safety. "Dazzle Painting" was another unorthodox camouflage scheme. It was impossible to hide a ship from a submerged U-boat. So, the idea was to paint a ship in blacks, white, grays and blues with angular patterns. The result would confuse the contours of the ship and make it difficult for the attacking sub to get a quick, proper firing solution. This kept the periscope up longer and increased the probably of detecting the sub. HORRIDO! Was a German cheer announcing a kill, or a visual sighting of an enemy formation. The term is derived from the patron saint of hunters and fighter pilots: ST Horridus. The kill call served two functions. One was the celebration of victory over the enemy. The second was to draw attention to the kill so the kill could be confirmed more easily by witnesses. The kill call served the same purpose in allied air forces as well. The term D-Day is a generic term, meaning the designated day an invasion will begin. H-Hour is the time it starts. The invasion we commonly refer to as D-Day was actually called Operation Overlord. The Americans call Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Triple-A. To the British, it was Ack-Ack. The Germans called it FLiegerAbwehrKanone (yes, one word!), FLAK. 281 Mustang pilots became aces. In October 1944 LT Urban Drew shot down 2 Me-262s while flying the mustang. 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