On display at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum outside of Savannah there is on display a restored B17. The Smithsonian has one. A bit of history:
"From May 1942 to July 1945, the Eighth planned and precisely executed America's daylight strategic bombing campaign against Nazi-occupied Europe, and in doing so the organization compiled an impressive war record. That record, however, carried a high price. For instance, the Eighth suffered about half of the U.S. Army Air Force's casualties (47,483 out of 115,332), including more than 26,000 dead. The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. The Eighth's combat record also shows 566 aces (261 fighter pilots with 31 having 15 or more victories and 305 enlisted gunners), over 440,000 bomber sorties to drop 697,000 tons of bombs, and over 5,100 aircraft losses and 11,200 aerial victories."
26,000 airmen dead. I bet not a single member of their KIA's families shed a tear over the loss of the plane. I bet the survivors who bailed out only to learn that others in the plane didn't survive didn't proclaim it was more terrible to lose the plane than the men. While not in a B17, but a B25, I can assure you my mom didn't mourn the loss of the plane her brother Tom was in when it was shot down over Wewak, New Guinea on October 16, 1943. Losing a 75 year old B17 doesn't diminish the loss of those who served in WWII nor does it diminish the terrible loss suffered by the families of the recent crash. It's a strange argument to insist that the greater tragedy was the loss of a 75 year old B17 and the fighter plane that hit it rather than the loss of the 6 men who died flying the planes. Yes, some perspective would be helpful, but not for whom you think needs it. Rule of Holes: When you're at the bottom of a hole and you can't get out, don't keep digging. Gil