The Drop Tank Germany Never Matched — How a Paper Fuel Tank Carried the P-51 to Berlin

On the twenty-eighth of July, nineteen forty-three, American fighter pilots went to war over Germany carrying a fuel tank made of glued paper. The ground crews filled it only halfway, and above 22,000 feet it stopped feeding fuel at all — below the altitude the bombers of the Eighth Air Force had to fly. 00:00 - Paper tanks over Germany, July 1943 00:55 - The 205-gallon kraft-paper tank under a P-47 Thunderbolt 03:16 - Second Schweinfurt, 14 October 1943 06:15 - Colonel Cass Hough and the Air Technical Section 07:35 - The pressurized 75-gallon steel tank, August 1943 10:07 - British kraft paper, Bowater-Lloyd, and the Atlas Lace Paper Company 15:15 - Sergeant Donald Marner at Leiston with the 357th Fighter Group 17:26 - The P-51 Mustang, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hitchcock, and the Rolls-Royce Merlin 19:50 - Escort range: 475, 650, and 850 miles 21:40 - Lieutenant General James Doolittle takes command 23:19 - Big Week and Operation Argument, February 1944 25:09 - American fighters reach Berlin, March 1944 26:30 - The 6 March 1944 Berlin mission 28:00 - The 357th Fighter Group over the capital From East Anglia the early tanks bought about 260 miles of escort — across the North Sea to the German frontier, and no farther. Kassel, Schweinfurt, and Regensburg lay beyond that line. Doctrine had said the bomber would get through. General Henry Arnold and Lieutenant General Ira Eaker wanted long-range fighters, but supply lagged. At Bovingdon in Hertfordshire, Hough’s section pressed the problem. Mark Bradley’s 85-gallon fuselage tank, two 108-gallon paper tanks, and the Fourth Fighter Group under Colonel Don Blakeslee changed the arithmetic. On the first week of March 1944, single-engine American fighters made the round trip to Berlin. Major Tommy Hayes and Captain Bud Anderson were among those who took Mustangs 560 miles from their runway and brought them home. Welcome to Warfront Stories. Every war has a story. Every hero leaves a legacy. At Warfront Stories, we bring World War II to life through immersive storytelling inspired by real historical events. From forgotten heroes and secret missions to legendary battles and extraordinary acts of courage, each episode reveals the human side of history. If you enjoy authentic WWII stories, military history, and unforgettable wartime moments, subscribe and join us for new stories every week. #WW2 #WorldWar2 #MilitaryHistory #WarStories #WarfrontStories #WWII #WW2History #EighthAirForce #P51Mustang #P47Thunderbolt #DropTanks #Schweinfurt #Berlin1944 #BigWeek #CassHough #DonBlakeslee #357thFighterGroup #ArmyAirForces #Luftwaffe #Documentary #MilitaryHistory #AviationHistory #HistoryChannel #WW2Aviation #OperationArgument