Everett Ernest Blakely
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Lt. Col. Everett Ernest Blakely | |
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| File:EverettBlakely1943.jpg | |
| Born | July 1, 1919 Elgin, Illinois |
| Died | September 21, 2004 |
| Resting place | Old Mission Cemetery, San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Education | BA University of Washington .. MA University of Notre Dame |
| Spouse | Margaret Ann Blakely |
| Children | Six |
Everett Ernest Blakely (July 1, 1919 – September 21, 2004)[1] was a career officer of the United States Air Force. He was a highly decorated B-17 pilot with the “Bloody Hundredth” Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force in Europe during World War II. He received eleven medals for his service including the Silver Star for “gallantry in action”, the Distinguished Flying Cross for “heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight” and the Air Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters. Blakely and his crew of their plane “Just A Snappin” long held the record for the most enemy aircraft shot down on a single mission.[2] [3]He also received his Pilot Wings with 3 stars from the Colombian Air Force.
In the Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced Apple TV mini series "Masters of the Air" Blakely is portrayed by actor David Shield.[4][5]
Biography
Everett Blakely was born on July 1, 1919 to Everett Palmer Blakely and Gottleiben (Libby) Shellenberger in his family home in Elgin, Illinois. Blakely had one brother, Robert Blakely (October 1, 1920- November 26, 2013) who served with distinction as an infantry officer and helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, until his retirement as a major.
Blakely was a graduate of the University of Washington and from 1942 until 1969 served as an officer in the United States Air Force. Blakely was one of the original B -17 pilots of the 418th Bombardment Squadron of the 100th Bomb Group.[6][7] The 100th Bomb Group became known as the “Bloody 100th” [8]because of the many early losses they suffered during the beginning of the US bombing campaign in Europe.[7] He served not only as a Command Pilot but was also the group commander of the 418th Bombardment Squadron and Station Training Officer[9] stationed at Thorpe Abbots Air Field in England.[10]
Notable missions
VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 75[11]: Trondheim, Norway
On July 24, 1943 the 8th Bomber Command sent heavy bombers to multiple targets in Norway[11]. The 100th Bomb Group flew to the sub pens in Trondheim, Norway.[10] This was a 1,900-mile mission and the longest to date.[10] It required over 12 hours in the air. When flying over water, the B-17s flew at low altitude to conserve oxygen. The 100th BG had no losses for this mission and were credited with two enemy fighters destroyed.[10] The 100th BG had good results from their bombing. Blakely received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions on this mission.[10]
VIII Bomber Command Mission 84:[11] Regensburg, Germany
One of the most famous air battles of World War II came next for “The Bloody 100th. On August 17, 1943 the 100th Bomb Group joined other heavy bombers from the 8th Air Force on a historic two-pronged attack on Schweinfurt-Regensburg. This mission marked the deepest penetration into Germany to date. Captain Blakely in Just A Snappin was the 100th Bomb Group lead pilot for this mission.[7]
The lead ship was piloted by Captain Everett E. Blakely[12][13], with the team of Crosby and Douglass as navigator and bombardier, respectively.[12] The 100th was in low position, tail-end Charlie-the least desirable spot in any formation for it was a favorite attack point for German fighters.[14]
The entire 8th AF sent 146 B 17s to Regensburg.[15] 100th Bomb Group sent 21 B-17s on this mission.[15] Fourteen of those planes hit the target. Nine planes of the 100th were listed as missing with 17 men killed, 59 men became POWS, and 10 airmen ended up interned in Switzerland.[10] The Americans met over 300 Luftwaffe fighters that downed 24 planes and a loss of over 200 men. The 100th Bomb Group lost 9 aircraft. [10]The execution of the plan to bomb two major targets did not go as planned. The 100th Bomb Group was sent to Regensburg to bomb a Messerschmitt Aircraft factory.[12] After hitting the target, this group headed out over the Alps and on to Algeria.[12] Every important building in the complex at Regensburg was damaged[12]. Colonel Curtis LeMay was group leader on the Regensburg mission.[15] The 100th Bomb Group received its first Presidential Unit Citation for this mission. The complete mission to Africa took the 100th BG over 11 hours.[12] On September 29, 1943 Captain Blakely received the Distinguished Flying Cross from Curtis LeMay for his valor on this mission.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 111:[11] Bremen, Germany
The primary target of the 100th BG on October 8, 1943 was the town of Bremen.[11] This was Blakey's 18th mission. Blakely and the crew of Just a Snappin were chosen to lead the entire Third Combat Wing on this mission.[7] Seven aircraft of the 100th Bomb Group were lost on this mission.[10] On this mission the 8th Bomber Command used, for the first time, airborne transmitters (Carpet equipment) to jam German radar.[11] On this day, the crew of Just A Snappin was credited with shooting down nine Nazi fighters - still a record today for a single plane on a single mission during this war.[2] Two of Just A Snappin's engines were knocked out.[16] The plane lost altitude and almost had to ditch in the North Sea. Staff Sargent Lester Saunders, the waist gunner, was sadly killed in action on this mission. 22 planes from the 100th Bomb Group flew this mission. Just A Snappin was heavily damaged, and crash landed at an unused RAF base in England.[17] Five crew members were injured and received purple hearts. The salvage crew counted over 800 holes in the B-17 from flak, machine gun bullets and 20 mm cannon shells[7]. Everett Blakely received our nation's 3rd highest medal for valor, the Silver Star for his bravery that day.
Following the harrowing mission to Bremen, Blakely was promoted to Major and became the 418th Bomber Squadron Commander from October 1943 to April 18, 1944.[2] Later in 1944, Major Blakely became the Group Training Officer.[9] Returning to the States, he was preparing to fight in the Pacific theater of war when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending the war.
After the War
Blakely continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force until 1969.
He passed away in San Luis Obispo, California on September 21, 2004.
Awards and citations
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Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation
American Defense Service Medal , American Campaign Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Medal |
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References
- ^ "Everett E Blakely (1919-2004) - Find a Grave..." www.findagrave.com. 2004. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ a b c Bowman, Marvin (1942). "Bowman Diary - 100th Bomb Group (Heavy) Foundation". www.100thbg.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help); Check date values in:|archive-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Varian, Horace (1979). The Bloody Hundredth: Missions and Memories of a World War II Bomb Group. 100th Bomb Group. p. 49.
- ^ "David Shields". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
- ^ Masters of the Air (Drama, War), Amblin Television, Apple Studios, Playtone, retrieved 2022-01-27
- ^ Le Strange, Richard (1989). Century Bombers : The Story of the Bloody Hundredth. James R. Brown. Thorpe Abbotts, England: 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum. p. 1. ISBN 0-9515159-0-X. OCLC 22091950.
- ^ a b c d e Jablonski, Edward (1965). Flying Fortress : The Illustrated Biography of the B-17s and the Men Who Flew Them ([1st edition] ed.). Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company. pp. 173, 178, 186–195, . ISBN 0-385-03855-0. OCLC 1350031.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ Coffey, Thomas M. (1977). Decision over Schweinfurt the US 8th Air Force Battle for Daylight Bombing. David McKay Company. p. 247. ISBN 0-679-50763-9. OCLC 643671629.
- ^ a b Callahan, Frank (1947). Contrails, My War Record; a History of World War Two As Recorded at U.S. Army Air Force Station #139, Thorpe Abbotts. [J.F. Callahan Associates]. p. 98. OCLC 504104.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Crosby, Harry H. (1993). A Wing and a Prayer : the "Bloody 100th" Bomb Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force in Action Over Europe in World War II. New York: iUniverse.com. pp. 20–22, 29–31, 17–31, 103, 105, 111, 115, 120, 149–159. ISBN 0-595-16703-9. OCLC 47921750.
- ^ a b c d e f Carter, Kit C.; Mueller, Robert (1991). "U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. Combat Chronology 1941-1945:". Fort Belvoir, VA: Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, Air University: 188, 202, 227. doi:10.21236/ada529766.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Miller, Donald (2007). Masters of the Air: The Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. Simon & Schuster. pp. 193, 195, 198, 200. ISBN 978-1-4735-8316-0. OCLC 1192317980.
- ^ Middlebrook, Martin (1983). The Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission : American raids on 17 August 1943. London: Lane. pp. 49, 128. ISBN 0-7139-1522-6. OCLC 60052278.
- ^ Jablonski, Edward (1974). Double Strike: The Epic Air Raids on Regensburg-Schweinfurt, August 17, 1943. Garden City, N.Y.,: Doubleday. pp. 41–43. ISBN 0-385-07540-5. OCLC 866038.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ a b c Middlebrook, Martin (1983). The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission : American Raids on 17 August 1943. London: Lane- Penguin Books. pp. 53, 54, 56. ISBN 0-7139-1522-6. OCLC 60052278.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Barton, Fred (April 1944). "Death Was Our Co-Pilot". True, The Man's Magazine. Fawcett Publications. p. 45-49.
- ^ Bailey, Ronald H. (1979). The Air War in Europe. Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books. p. 122. ISBN 0-8094-2496-7. OCLC 3730620.