John "Lucky" Luckadoo was eager to get into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and enlisted alongside his college classmates early in 1942.

Luckadoo would complete flight training and go on to serve in the 8th Air Force in one of the first units to take the fight to Germany, the 100th Bomb Group, known as the "Bloody Hundredth" based at Thorpe Abbotts, England.

Lucky would serve as pilot and copilot aboard a B17 Flying Fortress and fly 25 deathdefying combat missions over France and Germany from June to October, 1943. He was among the first of the American bomber boys to survive 25 missions.

On March 16, 2023 John "Lucky" Luckadoo celebrated his 101st birthday. He is among the last living WWII pilots from the "Bloody Hundredth," the outfit portrayed in Masters of the Air.

Interview recorded on November 3, 2023



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Video Credits:
Interviewer Greg Corombos
Director of Photography Jon Hambacker
Editor Daniel Taksas