1:54 | Clyde Mathe describes the precautions his B-17 crew took to make sure they got enough warmth and oxygen during their flights in the non-pressurized aircraft. He also recalls an incident during one mission when he became disconnected from his oxygen line.
Keywords : Clyde Mathe Air Force B-17 radio relay oxygen waist gunner
On his very first mission as a waist gunner on a B-17, Clyde Mathe's crew found themselves lost over the Atlantic Ocean. After getting low on fuel and hit by artillery fire, they had to make a crash landing on the water.
Clyde Mathe remembers a close call with flak shrapnel, and how nearby aircraft could disappear from flak damage in the blink of an eye.