[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Iris7. You were first one in today!!!

I didn't know that the figures of loss were so high on WWII submarines. I do know that the B-17 bombers we were flying in Europe had high odds of loss. They needed to complete 25 missions yet odds were against them. Sam and I just watched the History Channels Heavy Metal show on B-17's. I know he will know more about the 8th Air Force than I do. This is what I found.

"Some interesting facts about the 8th Air Force. The average life of a B-17 bomber and crew was 15 missions. From August 17, 1942 to May 8, 1945, the 8th Air Force had the following statistics:

Personnel missing in action: 39,007; personnel killed in action: 2,818; B-17s lost: 4,754; B-24s lost: 2,112."

[SAMWolf]

Morning Snippy. I wish we could have finished watching the program on the Fletcher Class Destroyers. :-(

[Iris7]

Those are bad odds the B-17 guys faced, if the average life expectancy was 15 missions. This means half were lost in fifteen missions, very roughly, or 50% divided by 15, or three and a third percent per mission. About the same as the British per mission. The Americans were done with one 25 mission tour, I think (?), giving them better odds than the British.

The statistics, as I recall, indicated much higher than average loss for crews on their first few missions. Apparently a learning curve involved, as one would expect.

As far as submarine patrols against Japan, if I recall correctly the boats were lost in six patrols or less. Top of my head I cannot remember any American boats lasting more than six patrols. The submarine service became incredibly aggressive, following the lead of Morton's Wahoo. Wahoo was lost in the Sea of Japan.