Podcasts History Odin & Aesop Serenade to the Big Bird

Serenade to the Big Bird

Published: Sept. 26, 2021, 11 p.m.

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The U.S. entered the Second World War in December 1941 when the Japanese attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.\\xa0 In January 1942, the United States established the 8th Bomber Group.\\xa0 By February 1942, the 8th Bomber Group had a detachment in England, its first combat units arrived in June, and it launched its first raid on July 4th, 1942 as the 8th Air Force.\\xa0 The 8th Air Force was the centerpiece to the U.S.\\u2019 precision daylight bombing campaign against Germany.\\xa0 By the middle of 1944 it had over 200,000 people.\\xa0 During World War Two the 8th Air Force conducted over 440,000 bomber sorties over Europe and dropped 697,000 tons of bombs.\\xa0 All this came with a price.\\xa0 47,483 members of the 8th Air Force were killed.\\xa0 A very small cog in this big machine was B-17 co-pilot Bert Stiles.\\xa0 He arrived in England in March 1944 and flew with the 91st Bomb Group.\\xa0 He wrote \\u201cSerenade to the Big Bird\\u201d while doing it.

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