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    Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII
    Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII
    Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII
    Ebook59 pages47 minutes

    Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII

    By Major James J. Carroll

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    About this ebook

    Aviation physiology is a highly relevant field to flyers of unpressurized aircraft that flew at altitudes in excess of 25,000 feet. Crew members had to contend with severe environmental factors while flying long bombing missions during WWII. The limits of human physiology must be the main concern of any battle plan involving flyers and fatality/mortality rates should be the primary focus in evaluating the success or failure of such a plan. The purpose of this research project is to determine if human factors were overlooked intentionally or by accident. If they were overlooked unintentionally, then what was done to resolve the physiological problems of the aircrews? The project will also underscore the continued need to address the human machine during any plan in today’s demanding aviation environment.
    Chapter one explores whether or not the limits of the human being was taken into account when the WWII bombing planners developed AWPD-1. It provides an insight into why AWPD-1 was created without regard to the aircrew members, and how this neglect could have possibly been remedied. Chapter two examines the machines of the day, in particular the B-17, to see if it was ready to carry out the assigned missions envisioned by the war planners. The early wartime experience of the B-17 by the Royal Air Force was disappointing, but nevertheless it was looked upon by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as the ultimate bomber that could complete any assignment. This chapter also provides some insight into a “typical” mission the B-17 aircrew had to endure and the aircraft’s ability to carry out the assigned bombing missions. Chapter three deals with the physiological problems experienced by the aircrews and what was done to alleviate them. Chapter four focuses on the non-combat accident rates of the Eighth Air Force, what they meant, and how the leadership reacted to them.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLucknow Books
    Release dateAug 15, 2014
    ISBN9781782897897
    Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII

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      Book preview

      Physiological Problems Of Bomber Crews In The Eighth Air Force During WWII - Major James J. Carroll

      This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – picklepublishing@gmail.com

      Or on Facebook

      Text originally published in 1997 under the same title.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      PHYSIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF BOMBER CREWS IN THE EIGHTH AIR FORCE DURING WWII

      by

      Major James J. Carroll

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

      Preface 5

      Abstract 6

      Chapter 1 — The AWPD-1 Planners 7

      The Force Structure 8

      Chapter 2 — The B-17 In Action 11

      The Early Missions and the RAF 12

      Problems Encountered By The RAF 12

      B-17’s First Test In Combat 13

      RAF Solutions 13

      US Reaction to the RAF Experiment 14

      The Eighth Air Force and Its B-17 Experiences 15

      Chapter 3 — The Physiological Problems In The Bomber Force 18

      The Aviation Physiologists Emerge 18

      Anoxia 20

      Causes of Anoxia from 1942-1945 20

      Other Physiological Manifestations 21

      Crew Attire 21

      Chapter 4 — Aircraft Accidents In The Eighth Air Force 23

      Numbers and Rates 23

      Nature of the Accidents 24

      Accident Causes 25

      Chapter 5 — Conclusions 26

      REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 28

      Bibliography 29

      Primary Sources 29

      Secondary Sources 29

      Preface

      History books dealing with great air battles, often recount how aircraft target and destroy the enemy. What is often neglected in the history books is the how the aircraft crashes on final approach to its home base. The cause of the crash is an overworked and fatigued aircrew member expected to gut it out for the sake of the mission. During World War II high accident rates were prevalent and possibly misunderstood or overlooked by the U.S. Army Air Corps leadership and war planners. The main question to answer is why were the accidents overlooked or misunderstood? A possible answer was the incorrect employment of Aerospace Physiologists who are concerned about aircrew members and the hazards of high altitude flight. This career field has been in existence since the early forties, and the information about high altitude flight should have been available to the war planners of Air War Planning Document-1 (AWPD-1).

      The bomber aircraft of WWII, specifically the B-17, were formidable machines, but they were inadequate for the job envisioned by the war planners. High accident rates accompanied the bomber force throughout the war, and evidence strongly suggests that the accidents were perceived as the cost of doing business. Overall, the war strategists

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