Maj. John 'Lucky' Luckadoo, U.S. Army Air Corps, Bloody 100th Bomb Group

Veterans Chronicles - A podcast by Radio America - Wednesdays

John 'Lucky" Luckadoo wanted to join the war effort against Nazi Germany even before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He and a friend hatched a plan to join the service in Canada until Lucky's father refused to allow it. But his friend went through with it. After Pearl Harbor, while in his first year at college, Luckadoo joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. Before long he was assigned to be a co-pilot in the "Bloody 100th" bomb group. He would be one of the few to survive 25 missions early in the war and earn a trip home.In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," 101-year-old Lucky Luckadoo takes us into his ups and downs of flight training to the challenges of co-piloting a B-17 bomber. He tells us about the mission where he nearly lost his toes to frostbite and his most harrowing mission after losing an engine while under intense anti-aircraft fire.Luckadoo also shares how he advanced from co-pilot to pilot to operations officer, the evolution of using fighters to keep the bombers safe, what he sees as the legacy of the Bloody 100th, and the tragic conclusion of his friend's service in the war.

Visit the podcast's native language site