Sleeping in England and flying bombing missions into occupied Europe during
the day, five percent of these men were lost on each mission. Yet, they
continued to voluntarily get into these bombers day in and day out, to fight for
the freedom we each enjoy today.
Fly into Savannah Airport Friday afternoon, January 15th, where we will pick you up
and deliver you to your hotel to stow your belongings. Early this evening will
be the welcome reception at the Mighty Eighth’s Museum Rotunda. There you will
enjoy great food and wine while listening to a Veteran B17 flyer share his
experiences aboard one of the most famous airplanes in history and listening to
Glenn Miller’s hits of the 40’s. Then its “lights out”, as you try to get some
sleep before the big mission.
“Good Morning Fly Boys” will be heard at 6:00 AM Saturday morning. Breakfast
at 6:30 and then you will be whisked off to the Mission Briefing at 7:30. This
is where the men would learn whether the day would more likely be a “milk run”
with very little resistance from anti-aircraft or enemy fighters, or a much more
dangerous mission that may take them into the heart of the Third Reich, such as
Berlin itself.
After the briefing you will experience the Mighty Eighth’s state of the art
B17 simulation. You will join your buddies at 25,000 feet above Germany in
minus 50 Degree temperatures, with enemy fighters and flak all around you. This
theater is so realistic, that when the order for “Bombs Away” is finally
received, you will feel the rush of the wind as the bomb doors are opened. You
will then be able to spend time with a WWII B17 veteran, who will answer almost
any question you may have about the Flying Fortress and its role in World War II.
Lunch will be in served in an old English Pub, just like the ones that
peppered the English coast during the war. After lunch you will be driven to
the Savannah Airport to board “Your Ship” the Liberty Belle, the B17 that flew
64 missions against Hitler and his Nazis. One of only 8 fortresses still
flying; this aircraft is an icon of the Allied strategic bombing effort that
helped turn the tide of battle in World War II. Unlike reading a history book,
you will fly a one and a half hour mission back in time and feel the might of
this magnificent machine, just as those brave young men did more than 60 years
ago.
And just as the Red Cross volunteers did in the War, you will be welcomed
back down to earth with a peanut butter sandwich and a shot of whiskey. Later
that night, we will gather again to celebrate the Allied victory at the Mighty
Eighth’s Officer’s Club with dinner and cocktails.
The next morning, there will be a brief Sunday Service in the Chapel of the
Fallen Eagles, then breakfast and then off to the Savannah Airport to board the
flights home. You have survived your mission and now have a new perspective for what
our family friends and soldiers experienced in what has been called, the
"greatest battle of all time", World War II.
Price is $1,941 US Dollars
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