"Reveals the courage and terrors Eighth Air Force pilots encountered every day"
 - Wall Street Journal

Starring (interviews and footage): V.G. Alexander, Paul Haedike, Mort Kimmel, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, William Toombs, Al Villagran, William Wyler

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Very good people. As you know, at the beginning of the war they weren't too enamored by the Yanks comin' over. They said we were "overpaid, oversexed and over here", I remember that." - V.G. Alexander regarding what the Brits said about U.S. soldiers

Why watch this? A wonderful deep dive into the B-17 crews during World War II.

Plot Summary: This war documentary features newly restored, raw color 16mm footage captured in 1943 by filmmaker William Wyler and his crew during harrowing Eighth Air Force bombing missions over Germany. The film relies on the candid recollections of surviving veterans to narrate the intense danger, extreme cold, and emotional trauma experienced by young B-17 crew members.

Dad's Preview:  This recent documentary uses, as input, the results of an earlier documentary filmed by the great director William Wyler (The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben-Hur, The Children's Hour). Wyler's film crew went on actual bombing missions and one cameraman was killed in action. This also uses interviews with surviving 8th Air Force bomb crews. This will help you see how really dangerous these missions were - half the B-17s made were destroyed along with most of their crew members. This film is harrowing, very informative and hopefully an eye-opener for those seeking to learn. 

Erik Nelson, Peter Hankoff; HBO Films