The Regensburg-Schweinfurt mission was carried out on August 17, 1943, and was - as described by author Donald Miller - "the biggest, most disastrous American air operation up to that time." Major Gale Cleven's cool-headed actions under intense fire during the raid were of particular significance, and would be documented in a Saturday Evening Post article (written by Lt. Col. Beirne Lay) published later that year. Austin Butler, who plays Major Cleven, was born 48 years to the day after the Regensburg-Schweinfurt mission, on August 17, 1991.