Special Duties Pilot: The Man who Flew the Real 'Inglorious Bastards' Behind Enemy Lines

John M. Billings was born to fly, taking his first plane ride in 1926 and joining the US Army Air Force in 1942. He flew Consolidated B-24 Liberator long-range bombers and was assigned to the 885th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) (Special), which specialized in flying top secret, low-altitude missions at night in support of the OSS and the Special Operations Executive. His most eventful mission was his assignment in February 1945 to clandestinely insert a three-man OSS team, code-named Greenup, into Austria, which was the inspiration for the feature film _Inglorious Bastards_. After the war, Billings flew with Trans World Airlines and Eastern Airlines and flew more than 300 Angel Flight airlift missions.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 248 pages
\n Publication date: 30 July 2021
\n Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
\n

If there was ever a man who was born to fly, it is John M. Billings. He took his first plane ride in 1926, began taking piloting lessons in 1938, and joined the US Army Air Force in July 1942. After training, he was assigned to fly Consolidated B-24 Liberator long-range bombers. He joined the 825th Bombardment Squadron of the 484th Bombardment Group. After flying fifteen daylight strategic bombing missions, Billings was selected for assignment to the 885th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) (Special). As its designation suggests, the 885th was no regular bombing unit. The 885th specialized in flying top-secret, low-altitude missions at night in support of the clandestine operations of the OSS and the Special Operations Executive. The unit's covert missions included parachuting OSS and SOE agents and supplies deep inside German territory. The most eventful and dangerous of Billings' thirty-nine secret missions with the 885th was his assignment in February 1945 to clandestinely insert a three-man OSS team, code-named "Greenup," into Austria. The drop zone selected for the "Greenup" insertion was located on a glacier in a valley surrounded by mountains in the middle of the snow-covered Alps. Billings and his crew finally found the weather in the Alps clear enough to spot the drop zone, slip their unwieldy B-24 between the mountain peaks and descend to an altitude just a few hundred feet above the moonlit snow. On Billings' signal, the OSS agents parachuted right on target. The insertion of this OSS team was the inspiration for the feature film "Inglorious Bastards." However, Brad Pitt's vengeful character was far removed from the leader of the "Greenup" team, Fred Mayer, who achieved success by infiltrating enemy ranks to gain vital intelligence. After the war, John Billings flew with the 825th Bombardment Squadron in the Pacific Theater, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. He retired from the Air Force in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel. John M. Billings was a true American hero, a man who was born to fly and who dedicated his life to serving his country in the most dangerous and covert operations of World War II. His bravery and skill in the air were instrumental in the success of the OSS and the Special Operations Executive, and his legacy continues to inspire generations of Americans today.

\n Weight: 440g\n
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 21 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781526786265\n \n