B-17 Survival story

This was e-mailed to me today. I have seen the photos of this airplane many times, but I had never read the story.

B-17 in 1943 A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area, became the subject of one of the most famous photographs of World War II. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot then continued its crashing descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Fortress named All American, piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th Bomb Squadron. When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress and left elevator were completely torn away. The two right engines were out and one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut almost completely through connected only at two small parts of the frame and the radios, electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest and the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner's turret. Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still flew - miraculously! The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart. While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target.

See the photos and read the rest at http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021117454

ho
lee
sh!t

B17s could take a damn licking and keep on ticking, that's for sure.

Looks like just the lower "spine" and a few ribs on the right side holding it on

The tail gunner must have E36 M3 his pants and the next two pairs he changed into...

Story is fabricated fantasy, but the pics tell enough of the real tale to be damn impressed.

Two longerons and the starboard skin if I remember the story correct. The truss rib, double skin construction of the B-17 made for an unususally strong bird.

http://www.howitflies.com/files/photos/wikiexport/a/ae/B-17_Damage_Cologne.jpg

I'm betting fabricated story.....but the damage those came back with sometimes was extreme......too many more didn't come back. Thank your "Fighter Ace" mentality for that one.

ScottRA21 wrote: Story is fabricated fantasy, but the pics tell enough of the real tale to be damn impressed.

I have seen that series of photos since I was a kid wasting time at the library. What is the true story?

Assuming Snopes is trustworthy, there's this story:

http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp

Different plane, maybe?

It brought the crew back alive. No machine could be expected to do more.

Why is this not a movie? Atleast a short film on YouTube or something.

This and Count Robert de la Roucefauld.

In reply to BoostedBrian:

Because we need more comic book character movies apparently.

pilotbraden wrote:

ScottRA21 wrote: Story is fabricated fantasy, but the pics tell enough of the real tale to be damn impressed.

I have seen that series of photos since I was a kid wasting time at the library. What is the true story?

Don't know, but there's the fact that you ain't flying a B17 to attack Tunisa, and then flying entirely across Europe, across the British Channel, to land in Jolly Ole Blighty.

And the pictures of it on the ground look suspiciously of the Desert.

Edit: Actually finding source for the photos, and more of the real story was rather easy thanks to the name of the aircraft being right there:

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

The allies were in North Africa for most of the war. The US arrived with the British via Operation Torch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Torch

One of the B-25 aircraft used in training of personnel preparing for Doolittle's little party crashed in a lake nearby and was recovered a few years back. Doolittle's folks trained in Columbia, SC. The History Channel (I think?) did a special on the recovery. Links to a couple of websites about it:

Story

Photos

aircooled wrote: The allies were in North Africa for most of the war. The US arrived with the British via Operation Torch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Torch

Oh, yes, I know the Allies were in North Africa. Very heavily involved in Africa. Had AFBs in Algeria though, rendering the idea that the plane flew "back to Britain" kind of ridiculous. Still an amazing tale (the less embellished one), and a crew that deserves to be remembered, and the plane.

ScottRA21 wrote:

pilotbraden wrote:

ScottRA21 wrote: Story is fabricated fantasy, but the pics tell enough of the real tale to be damn impressed.

I have seen that series of photos since I was a kid wasting time at the library. What is the true story?

Don't know, but there's the fact that you ain't flying a B17 to attack Tunisa, and then flying entirely across Europe, across the British Channel, to land in Jolly Ole Blighty. And the pictures of it on the ground look suspiciously of the Desert. Edit: Actually finding source for the photos, and more of the real story was rather easy thanks to the name of the aircraft being right there: http://www.reddog1944.com/414th_Squadron_Planes_and_Crews.htm#Bragg

Thanks for the clarification, I have sent it to the person I recieved the mistaken account from.