B-17 'IRON MAIDEN' Pilot & POW strikes Hitler's Reich | Masters of the Air | Roland Martin
As a young man Roland Martin had dreams of becoming a commercial airline pilot. After the the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Martin knew his path to fulfilling his dream and joined the Army Air Corps.
Martin was assigned to a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and headed to England. Martin joined the 525th Bombardment Squadron, 379th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force flying the B-17 bomber, “Iron Maiden.” The airmen’s days were filled with missions targeting industrial sites and marshalling yards with bomb drops in Germany.
October 14, 1943, Martin and his crew were informed that they would participate in a run at the Schweinfurt ball bearing factory that had been bombed earlier in the year with heavy casualties. While over the target the "Iron Maiden" was met with accurate enemy flak and Martin was forced to crash land the bomber. For two weeks, Martin avoided capture behind enemy lines. He was eventually found, and sent to the Stalag Luft I camp. Near the end of the war, the German guards abandoned the camp, leaving Martin free to leave. It was then that he saw nearby a slave labor camp, witnessing its horror first hand.
Interview recorded on November 4, 2023
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As a veteran in my 80's i know where he in coming from and may God Bless Roland Martin and thanks from.... Old Shoe🇺🇸
I would like to let u guys know how important it is wat u guys are doing,if these stories don't get told they wil b lost to time forever,im am so greatful for w a t these men and women have done ,theres a reason why they call them the greatest generation, thank u for ur service
@American Veterans Center Does all channel generated revenue go toward helping veterans?
Only 120,000 or so WW2 vets are still alive today. Interviews such as these are truly priceless!
I would give anything to talk to my grandpa again. Bronze star with valor and 2x purple hearts. Served under Patton in the 3rd ID.
Didn’t think we had that many left
@kevdadd1976 I believe we're losing several hundred every day nowadays, which is why it's so important to do these interviews now, before the genuine knowledge and experience is lost to history
@@schoolofrockcary6625I've heard that before too, but that were losing ww2 vets in the high hundreds daily. But even if it's only 120 per day, at that rate it gives us 2 years and 9 full months. However there are outliers that live longer than the average so the rate will slow down as there are fewer and fewer until in about 3, 5, or 7 years you'll be able to count the remaining ww2 vets on your hands and their stories will only have continued to grow in historical value and societal import. Among other things they themselves deserve recognition and will garner more and more attention over time is my hope, and that they find peace now, then, in these times, and thereafter.. And that by sharing their stories they feel the same sense of wonder and awe that I sometimes feel by listening.
@@schoolofrockcary6625100% these guys are beyond "up in age" I'm glad this channel and others are getting every story possible, it's the best pro USA "propaganda" we can get. Hopefully more kids see it and take the opportunity... 4 years is better than 4 years of college and 100k in student loans.. no doubt in my mind these vets are the greatest generation... They're the most gangster of gangsters in this world. I'd imagine even at their age they'd still be f'ing stuff up
My Dad Nick Macri served with Roland on rhe Iron Maiden and was later a Pow. Ive had the privilege of speaking with this hero. So nice to see this interview. True heros
Thank you for commenting, I certainly have such core values in that generation and wish their fortitude were what is wide spread catchy rather than the cultural influences of this last generation today.
My father was on a B17 bubble, Battle Bulge, Hamburg 21 missions
My God..what a complete GIFT to be able to listen to Roland and hear about incomprehensible bravery, skill…and devout love of country. The Greatest Generation, and it’s not even close. I am in complete awe of our heroes who made life as we know it even possible. Thank you so much Sir. None of you will ever be forgotten. There seems to be so much ridiculous hero worship today…directed towards people who are just not even remotely in the league of great Americans like Roland Martin.
A couple of days ago Roland and I shared a room at the VA hospital in Palo Alto where, of course, I had the distinct privilege to get to know him. Fascinating man whose exceptional life is what I’ve come to expect from WWII vets. He was in the hospital for a procedure that should extend his life well past 100. As he is active and goes for long walks and hikes I except that maybe he’ll outlast me. Great clip of his account.
I grew up on a street next door to a WWII Marine across the street from a Sailor who was next to a B17 Pilot from the 8th AF and my father was a Master Sergeant in the 5th Air Force in the south Pacific. All hero's to me from the Greatest generation
My father was in B17 Battle Bulge, Hamburg, my uncle was in Pearl Harbor
Sir, Thank you for your service. My father, John Allan Martin, enlisted in the Army Air Corps (1942), age 18, and served as a gunner and radio operator on B-17s and B-24s. He was assigned to the 8th Air Force in England and flew 35 combat missions over Europe. Including one shown as "SECRET" on his papers. According to him, later while watching “12 O’clock High” on TV, he thought that it was very well done and he liked the show. He did say that instead of the large letter “A” in the show their planes carried a large letter “P” there. He served in the 487th Bombardment Group (837th Squadron). The records for many crew members were lost during a fire at Fort Benjamin Harrison. His brother, age 20, was a Navy aviator flying in the Pacific area: his plane was shot down . The bad news was wired to the family, who were surprised three months later when he walked in the front door in his Navy uniform. My father had left the service at the end of the war and worked as a TV/Radio engineer. He was called back to duty for the Korean conflict but didn’t have to deploy; and stayed with the new US Air Force. He retired in 1968 after 26 years of active duty and died in 1976. His brother also passed in 2005. My mother and her four sisters worked at a ball-bearing factory during WWII. My father, uncle and mother are all buried at Arlington National Cemetery. May all RIP Regards
My father was bottom gunner in a B17, Battle Bulge, fire bomed Hamburg,He said they droped bombs just above ground targets so germans could not fire on them
How good!! Flew the B-17 unpowered with pure muscle, now can only just unscrew the lid off a water bottle!! I love these guys attitudes so much, they are absolute legends.
Thanks to all our Veterans who served. Semper Fi.
Truly the greatest generation sir Thank you for your service!
These interviews are just so important. U can see how he was a sharp guy when he was young....hes still amazing for his age. A photo of him would have been good..
What an incredible story, and a brave man. Thanking him for his service.
My grandfather always said he would grab an extra flak vest to sit on when he could to at least feel safer. Had a story one time he offered a higher ranking individual his extra to sit on. (I want to say it was a general but been so long, must’ve been at least an officer tho). The plane did take fire and that vest ended up saving the persons life. I believe was still wounded but not nearly as bad as it Would’ve been.
I actually got a piece of flak that almost killed my grandfather. It had hit him on the head and either the helmet stopped it enough or it was just grazed the side of his head. Would talk about how quickly the blood would freeze up being exposed to the temps at the height the B-17s flew at.
Did you know that Ford and GM had factories in Berlin and after the war they demanded reparations for damage done by allied bombing raids They were all fighting for the same people all along War is a racket and nobody wins except money
More real stories like this should be told!
Undoubtedly, the greatest generation of all time. Thank you for your service, sir
These testimonies always break my heart in so many ways. One of which is being reminded that we have fewer and fewer of the greatest generation left every day. We're on the precipice of them all being gone and the world will be poorer for it😢🫡🇺🇲
Thank You for Your Service and Courage.❤️🔥🇺🇸💪
Imagine having this guy on your crew. The one man of 145 of the bravest people in that room. I think about the courage those people had all the time. I’m positive history will remember them and honor them.
This is the most ambitious man I've ever seen. What an absolute legend.
God bless our Greatest Generation!!! Thank you sir for your service!!!
Privileged to hear these stories. These guys faced their fate every time they got in the plane. Again and again and again, if they were lucky.
My father was in a B17 and took breaks at Pickadilly Square
Thank you, Sir, for your service. Fantastic gentleman. ❤
Could listen to All Day. Thank You for Your Dedication, Bravery, Service to Our Country. The Greatest Generation. and unending generosity, to Share Their Stories. For Our Children and Grandchildren, Thank You.
Just a remarkable story and gentleman.
How many 20-21 yr olds do you know now who would voluntarily subject themselves to the danger and hardship those boys endured?
A lot more than you think. But I also live in Texas
Good point! Where did these boys find the courage for all this? My Father in Law (RCAF) was a pilot flying Handley Page ‘Halifax’ four engine bombers from a base in Yorkshire, England. His tail gunner had just celebrated his 17th birthday when they flew their very first night mission. The whole crew survived the war.
As a 35 year old father this is the worst. But as a 20 year old South African myself and my mates would have jump at the opportunity of such adventure (yes this war was hell, but the kids those days also didn't know that)
Not many, mostly snowflakes now.
To be fair, they didn't know what they were getting into. Nobody did.
Love your interviews. I’m just so thankful to have you guys for saving their stories for posterity.
🇺🇲"God Bless Our Veterans and Active Warrior's!!!🇺🇲
Me and this veteran look similar i couldnt help but notice from the beginning but when he turned his head and he had a angel kiss on his right ear i gasped because i have mine on my left. God bless this man and all the vets this channel has interviewed. Semper fi 🙏🙏
🎖️🏆💪🙏❤️🎖️ Thank you for sharing
Thank you for your service ❤🇺🇸 God Bless you, family and friends 🇺🇸
Excellent tale of war time struggles. Thank you for your service sir.
I could listen all day.
I do
Thanks for your service Roland!! My dad and uncle were in army air Corp 1942 till end 1945 in south pacific. Mom was a Rosie the riviter at phila.navy yard working on airplanes same time period ww2 .rip.mom ,r.i.p.dad, rip uncle bill.!!! .***
Over 6ft, 195lb pure muscle: hauling his B-17 around without engines 😮 When they asked him why he wanted to be a bomber pilot, I'm surprised they thought they had a fighter big enough for him, let alone his massive balls 😅
Thank you for your service
I love seeing older folk who are still cognitively sharp. Gives me hope for myself lmao
I hope the rock group Iron Maiden has made you an honorary member with full royalties. God Bless your efforts. HONORS!
The singer, Bruce, happens to be a commercial pilot.
What a cool customer!! Amazing stuff. The torturer was “accomplished”. Good lord. Seriously brave. He must have been so young. Thank you for sharing his incredible story. A lot of the POW vets tell tbe same story, that their info was already known to SS. Has it been discovered how this was so? The clock in the mess hall 5 mins fast. There must have been plenty of spies.
Probably because every war that's ever been fought in the modern era war orchestrated and agreed upon for massive financial gain on both parts. Sad but true.
if anyone was aware of anything, it was the gestapo. The SS had nothing to do with Pilot interrogations. in this particular case, it was actually the luftwaffe (Auswertestelle West), near frankfurt. in fact, it might have actually been cpl. hanns scharff who did the interviews. He spoke perfect english, having grown up in S. Africa.
The question remains how they had such good individual intel. In another interview another vet stated the same - they had data on him down to his parents and siblings..
Yes. I doubt the allies knew so much about the German pilots & bomber crews.
@@epstonethey had excellent sources obviously. but the fact is, a lot of the intel they had, they got from the interrogations. Professionals can, over a period of time, extract lots of bits and pieces. You should read up on Hanns Scharf. By the way - back in the 30s and 40s, the US census data was likely easy to buy. That explains the detailed family info.
Him and his crew truly embodied: "to go up in fame or go down in flame, nothing can stop the US air force!"
The modern day 379th flies out of Al Udied. Some of our aircraft were modified with the triangle K logo. I felt pretty proud having a little connection with that history. It always felt cool seeing that triangle K logo as we climbed into the cockpit.
Very interesting. Thank you for your service and interview! Parts of the POW camp story at the end could have been the basis for Hogan's Heroes.
I'm lucky enough to know Roland and he's a class act. What an inspiration and example of how to live your life with purpose.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice sir
Wow, THANKS SIR FOR YOUR SERVICE! John P.
So many who went to fight in the air war and now so few left. So many stories now lost of those who fought on land, at sea and in the air. And the very young of today will know such a tiny portion of that history and the lives of those who served.
I was born just after WW2 and used to listen to the men tell stories like these as a child in open, mouthed wonder while in hiding because kids weren't supposed to overhear the horrors.
Just no way we’ll ever see the likes of this kind of American again. Though we may hope.
Wonderful interview! Thank you for sharing
I love the Greatest Generation and how they tell their stories like it was just another day. Amazingly strong back then. 🇺🇸
My dad was a waist gunner in a B-26 and shot down behind enemy lines. Two of his crew perished in the crash. He parachuted but was caught up in a tree with shrapnel wound to the back his head unconscious, but somehow survived despite being shot at in the tree. Armor picked him up and brought him back across enemy lines. Before this on a previous flight, he experienced flak traveling up through the body of the aircraft passing very close to his head. At this point he realized how precarious his situation truly was. I was sad to learn that fire destroyed his wartime service records at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973.
What can you say. A hero among heroes. No wonder this country became what it became. With men like this "greatness" was sure to happen.
I am reading the Masters of the Air book right now. They stated that some of the aviators who ended up in Swiss prisons were treated badly.
They were still prisoners of war. But they didnt face the possibility of getting tortured or killed. Food was scarce i Switzerland too etc. But yea, as a swiss myself i was surprised to hear how some experienced their time in captivity in switzerland.
My Grandfather was one of the one who went to a place called “Iwo Jima”. I really don’t know much about it but I’ve said this to a few people on occasion when they were wearing a Veteran hat that said it. Many times they profusely told me that he was a good man and that I should be very proud of him.
Better then Netflix!
Thank God for His graces and mercy.
in the end of 43 it was insane up there!
What a story, thank you for your service
Thank you Sir
Thank you for sharing your story.
What a guy!!!!💪💪💪
I ❤ this channel and everything, about it.
I love your guys stories!
Heck of a man
A Very interesting and enjoyable account of just some of His experiences 👍
Iron Maiden??? ...EXCELLENT!!!!
Can i just give my opinion.. the best b-17 name ever. What did the nose art look like i wonder
Legend
🇺🇸THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE SIR !!🇺🇸
Built a radio with nails for knobs. Could ours do this today?
Salute! 🇺🇲
Respect
The bit about seeing the slave labor camp after getting out of the Stalag POW camp was included in the last episode of Masters of the Air.
Iron Maiden. Great name for a metal band.
I’m curious about something. With the bombers in such a tight knit group, as you approached the target, and with fighters zipping in and out taking shots at you, did you ever get hit by friendly fire? When I see the pictures of guys taking shots with their gun at the German, I wonder how you could avoid other bombers while you were trying to hit those fighters coming in.
I've thought about that friendly fire question since I was a young aviation novice! Growing up with pellet guns we were taught very sternly about down range awareness. Naval battles seem quite dangerous under air attack especially...how many sailors were casualties of friendlies? Target fixation wastes a lot of ammunition...and unfortunate accidents.🇨🇦🙏
The mindset, the pure determination I’m sad to say American doesn’t have that anymore in men!
I'd love to of been there much love respected
Anyone know if he became an airline pilot after the war?
Did he ever become a commercial pilot?
Was flak smoke deliberately black?
Read “Masters of the Air”
Im was surprised to hear that the soviets held allied pows after the end of the war in this great story…. I fell into the rabbit hole and many US pows were held until 1946…1949… and some still a great number potentially held until death numbers ranging from the more common number of 500 US pows (known) to tens of thousands (speculative). Pretty terrifying untold history.
Well you haven't seen Masters of The Air Episode 9 , Rosie Rosenthal gets treated like a king and is flown back to England by the Ruskies. Your comment doesn't make sense. kzhead.info/sun/qNKAmJ2hmX16qX0/bejne.html Why would they hold US POW's ?
@@pvtjohntowle4081 In April, 1942, a few of the Doolittle Raiders had to make an emergency landing at the Vozdvizhenka base in the Soviet Far East. They were held by the Russians for 13 months, as was their B-25 bomber.
P-51D
Wow1
Interesting the prison quards knew about the radio.
I tried to get through this video
That's brutal. Imagine having hot shrapnel blow your balls off
FYI if if you have a KZhead enhancer extension in Chrome I use magic actions for KZhead it allows you to speed up the video If you speed this up to about 1.25 or 1.50 much easier to follow the conversation I'm going to miss those old timers when they're gone I got to tell you that though Semper Fidelis
15:18😂
And stated in such a dry way 😂
Thank you Roland Martin and so many others.
I wonder if pows were givin backpay?
Yes, and promoted.
How does a country that produces such men of courage and honour also produce the type of person that now wants to turn it's back on Ukraine? It's a continuation of the struggle...ever vigilant. Truth!
Because those ukrainians are followers of "Bandera" who was worse than the SS and Gastapo. And Your Victoria Nuland started this "Proxy" war . Its your War, you Yanks started this 💩 show. Wake Up. 👎🇬🇧
Frightening
❤😂🎉😢😮😅
🇺🇲
No reference to the RAF, as usual, where were the Yanks in the summer of 1940?
They were preparing to finish the war Britain and France started with Germany. You are welcome.
I wish he talked about what kind of medical attention he got.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's unimaginable what these men went through. I won't fly on planes anymore because guys like these aren't the ones at the helm anymore. Instead you get a diversity hire that rely 100% on automated avionics controls that wouldn't know what to do it they had to manually land a plane without auto pilot assistance.
I guess you don’t know much about pilot training. Also, if things are as bad as you paint them, why aren’t there more accidents? Statistically, air travel is incredibly safe.
@@craigaust3306 it's an over exaggeration. But if i see a lady at the controls, I'm getting off the plane. Is what it is.
@@billycole852So, if you had a daughter who became a pilot, you wouldn’t fly with her?
@@craigaust3306 i have two daughters, and no i wouldn't fly with them because they won't be pilots. Especially not now with the suspect construction and engineering oversights on all these new planes. They are blonde and pretty so i imagine they'll be housewives to strong men who can provide.
@@billycole852I asked you IF they became pilots, would you fly with them?
Hard to listen to this guy
The microphone too close to the speaker's throat produces extremely annoying and totally undesirable intrusive intimate swallowing sounds, this is enough to turn away a viewer in utter disgust. Revolting.
Can you show a fraction of the resilience of a man such as he is
My god this is an incredible story