Diary From 'Masters Of The Air' Hero Describes Horrors Of Famous Mission | EXCLUSIVE
A diary entry from Piccadilly Lily crew member S/Sgt Albert C. Davis shines a light on the absolute insanity of the famous Schweinfurt–Regensburg Raid during WWII.
"Masters of the Air" is currently taking the country by storm as it shines a light on the Bloody 100th bomber crews and their heroic actions during WWII.
The newest episode dropped Friday and covered the raid that hit Nazi infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities. It came at an incredibly high and bloody price.
The Eighth Air Force was tasked with flying through heavy flak and German fighters to hammer the ground, and the episode covering the carnage is absolutely harrowing.
S/Sgt Albert C. Davis fought in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg Raid on a B-17.
Well, it was even worse in real life. A family member of Davis showed me his diary entry from the raid when he served as a machine gunner on the Piccadilly Lily.
"1943- Left England at 0845 and I passed over a little bit of Denmark and into Germany where we ran into about 150 or 200 fighters. All kinds," Davis wrote in his diary about the mission. On the next page, he notes that the Piccadilly Lily made it to Africa and it appears to state only nine of 24 bombers in the group arrived as planned. It's a bit hard to tell for sure.
The diary entry from the August 17, 1943 raid also talks about flying in formation while battling fighters. Check out the incredible image below.
A diary entry from S/Sgt Albert C. Davis after the famous Schweinfurt–Regensburg Raid describes the insanity of the mission. (Credit: Albert C. Davis family)
Davis survived the war after completing 25 missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.
Tragically, the Piccadilly Lily was shot down October 8, 1943 over Bremen, Germany. It was the very first day Albert C. Davis wasn't on it, and his family member told me he carried that with him the rest of his life. The reason why he wasn't on the mission was because he'd volunteered for a single mission to fill a short-staffed B-17. That go him to the mandatory 25 mission minimum.
The loss of the Piccadilly Lily also motivated Davis to return to WWII and fly another 25 missions with the 15th Air Force.
S/Sgt Albert C. Davis. (Credit: 100th Photo Archives and Davis Family)
The actions of Davis and the rest of the Piccadilly Lily are an incredibly important reminder of the sacrifices made by American heroes in WWII.
Being on a bomber was incredibly dangerous. Many ended up being killed or taken prisoner. Davis survived the war, earned several medals and went on to live a great life. Many of his former teammates died when the plane went down over Germany. Life can be brutal and cruel at times, and "Masters of the Air" puts that fact under a spotlight.
I appreciate the Davis family for reaching out and sharing the incredible story of Albert C. Davis and the Piccadilly Lily with the OutKick audience. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.