This Film Will Make You Feel Like You Flew a WWII Fighter Escort Mission Yourself!

The film “The Thunderbolts:  Ramrod to Emden” portrays the effort and determination that went into a typical long range escort mission (known as a ramrod mission) flown by the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) VIII Fighter Command. The particular mission in the film was flown on October 2^nd 1943. The mission planning and preparation process, beginning with the call from VIII Air Force Headquarters the previous day and moving forward all the way through field orders and preparation of the Republic P-47D Thunderbolts and Lockheed P-38H Lightnings that will fly the mission, is depicted in the film. The film was uploaded to YouTube by airailimages.

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The film also includes a smattering of combat footage and the return of the fighter groups to their bases in England. The P-47Ds appearing in the film belong to the 334^th, 335^th, and 336^th Fighter Squadrons of the 4^th Fighter Group Flying Eagles and the 61^st, 62^nd, and 63^rd Fighter Squadrons of the 56^th Fighter Group Zemke’s Wolfpack. The P-38Hs were assigned to the 38^th, 338^th, and 343^rd Fighter Squadrons of the 55^th Fighter Group Fightin’ 55th. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers appearing in the film belonged to the 95^th and 96^th Bombardment Groups of the 4^th Bombardment Wing. Among the many notable fighter pilots who flew this escort mission were future Thunderbolt aces Robert S. Johnson and Francis S. Gabreski, who was then in command of the 61^st Fighter Squadron.