WOW - B-17

[Weasel]

Just stumbled upon this story of a B-17 that collided with an ME-109 and survived to do the bomb run and return home, amazing read.

http://aerotoons.com/blog/2013/01/02/a-m...val-story/

[Mr Grumpy]

Thanks for sharing that, I have an old B17 base only a mile from my house, so I am always interested in stories like this, the B17 had a well deserved reputation for its ability to sustain damage and stay in the air, a reputation founded on stories like this one.

[Compass Rose]

Good Stuff. Thanks for sharing!

[Scud]

I read a book years ago that had tons of stories like that one. The most memorable one, for me, was a story a tail gunner told. His B17 had been badly hit and was in a horrific spin that was preventing him from putting on his chute and bailing out. Periodically, on the way down, he'd feel the plane leveling out, he'd try to put his chute on again, but then the plane would go back into a spin. Finally, just before hitting the ground, he felt everything level off and the plane crash landed. Upon exiting the tail he found there was no plane. The tail had been shot off the plane completely and he had ridden the tail all the way down.

Pretty sure this was the book, but I read it years ago. Tons of great stories: http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conserv...03932.html

Dave

[Weasel]

I read a book years ago that had tons of stories like that one. The most memorable one, for me, was a story a tail gunner told. His B17 had been badly hit and was in a horrific spin that was preventing him from putting on his chute and bailing out. Periodically, on the way down, he'd feel the plane leveling out, he'd try to put his chute on again, but then the plane would go back into a spin. Finally, just before hitting the ground, he felt everything level off and the plane crash landed. Upon exiting the tail he found there was no plane. The tail had been shot off the plane completely and he had ridden the tail all the way down.

Pretty sure this was the book, but I read it years ago. Tons of great stories: http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conserv...03932.html

Dave

Wow, that is amazing too. I know of another story like that but a Lancaster. The plane was hit and the crew were told to bail out, Flt Sgt Andrew Mynarski (a Canadian) was moving to the side door to jump out when he noticed the tail gunner stuck in the turret (the turret had to be traversed to the side to fall out). Mynarski grabbed an axe and crawled through burning hydraulic fluid to try and chop the gunner out but after several minutes the gunner just waved Mynarski off. Mynarski crawled back to the door and, with his clothes on fire, saluted the gunner and bailed out. The gunner observed Mynarski's chute on fire on the way down, killing Mynarski shortly after impact with the ground. Anyway, the gunner rode the burning Lancaster all the way down, survived the bomb load going off and impact with a tree as the explosion blew him out of the turret; Mynarski was awarded the V.C.

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Don't you find it strange that the pilot was decorated for this? I also like that the tail gunner acted like the tail on a kite, weighting the ass end and keeping it steady.

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

Did anyone else find anything wrong with the narrative that went along with the pictures? If you were bombing the Tunis docks in 1943 I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have been returning to England and I don't think P-51's were available in February, 1943. I've read this story before but I don't think the details in this narrative are correct.

[BBrus]

I agree. This doesn't look like England to me:



Moreover, the article says:

Two and a half hours after being hit, the aircraft made its final turn to line up with the runway

It was hit, released its payload over the target and went back to England in two and a half hours? That'd mean the aircraft was flying at around 450kt, that's a the cruise speed of a Boeing 737, heh!

About the P-51, I believe they were already available by late 1942, the early versions, though.

Edit: There you go: http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-arti...ction.html

[Sgt Jasper]

The true story is exciting enough, for Pete's sake!
http://www.waterlandblog.com/2012/09/21/...-american/

[Weasel]

If you look at the picture it says "somewhere over North Africa", I would put the error on the writer, not the B17. I am sure that if they were bombing Italy or Tunis or whatever they would have bailed out, but because base was so close, in NA, that they figured they would try. BTW - the P51B was available in 42 but it was a dog.

Here is a better site with actual after action report:

http://www.reddog1944.com/414th_Squadron....htm#Bragg