What was it like to fly
in combat in a B-17? Some men flew full combat tours without a scratch. Others
didn’t make it back from their first mission. The B-17 was a tough, durable
airplane, but it could only take so much.
Here are some examples.
This plane’s side was opened up, but it came home.
This Flying Fortress had its nose blown off by flak
over Cologne, Germany, but still made it back to base in England. The
bombardier was killed, but the rest of the crew survived, including, apparently,
the navigator.
Planes can't fly without a wing.
A direct hit from flak over Ludwigshafen, Germany made
this mission the last one for “Powerful Poodle.” None of the crew survived.
The tail gunner was lost. The plane may have stayed
steady long enough for the rest of the men to bail out.
Imagine flying in the plane alongside this one,
knowing it could so easily have been them.
Your books give plenty of descriptions of planes getting hit while over Germany. I can't imagine how those in the planes felt while under attack.
ReplyDelete