Banged up bombers...

[Scott Rose]

The subject of this thread is damaged bombers, and how they made it home... barely.








B-17F Flying Fortress/41-24406 97th BG hit by Flak and rammed over Tunis Feb. 1943


B-17F Flying Fortress/42-31335 battle damaged 1943

[Dan Johnson II]

301st BG B17G headed home February 15, 1945

[pjpahs]

The photo with the caption 42-24406 is actually tail # 41-24406, B-17F after a collision with FW190 over Tunis as per Joe Baugher. 42-24406 , per Baugher is a C-47. The photo shows the tail number 124406, meaning 41-24406.The other tail no.s can be looked up thru Joe Baugher and going thru the list it's heartbreaking to read the demise of so many aircraft and crew. 41-24406 was actually repaired and flew till wars end, amazing.

[Taigh Ramey]

Wow, what is the story here? Aircrew still in their flying gear along with ground crew frantically working on the tail. I'm guessing they are trying to extricate their tail gunner who is trapped in the wreckage?

There is a reference online to this aircraft having a midair collision. I wonder if this was that encounter? The top of the tail smashed down would be consistent with a midair

Quite the photo for sure.

B-17F Flying Fortress/42-31335 battle damaged 1943

[Flat 12x2]

92nd BG RAF Podington

[Dan K]

The classic pic...






And the story:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/flattop ... -t238.html

[lucky52]

Where was the exit for the turret gunner?

[Taigh Ramey]

He could drop the bottom of the turret seat and go out through the normal entry hatch on the right aft lower side of the fuselage. He also had a hatch on the aircraft left side or the aft facing gunners right side of his turret. It looks like that circular hatch might be missing on this photo.

[TheBigBadGman]

The subject of this thread is damaged bombers, and how they made it home... barely.








B-17F Flying Fortress/41-24406 97th BG hit by Flak and rammed over Tunis Feb. 1943


B-17F Flying Fortress/42-31335 battle damaged 1943

I’m game. Let’s see what we have here.

The first bomber is Hang the Expense (Easy-867, 100BG, 8AF). Flak hit over Frankfurt on 24 January 1944. Tail gunner SSGT Roy Urich survived the blast and was taken prisoner. Aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.

The second is Thunderbird II (42-41142, 308BG, 14AF). Runaway propeller on #2 engine during takeoff near Kunming, China.

The third is Sweet Pea (42-38078, 2BG, 15AF). Flak hit over Debrecen, Hungary on 21 September 1944. Waist gunner SSGT Elmer H. Buss and tail gunner SSGT James E. Totty killed. Radio operator TSGT Anthony Ferrera severely wounded.

The fourth cannot be identified but can be narrowed down to three possibilities since this photo is regularly identified as a 97BG aircraft: Little Bill (41-24400), Dottie (41-24411), or Virgin Sturgeon (41-24419). Little Bill and Dottie were both heavily damaged during the 21 October 1942 strike against the sub pens of Lorient (the last raid before the 97BG was transferred to North Africa). While there are claims that these aircraft were damaged beyond repair, records show no such write-offs for this day’s action. Virgin Sturgeon was damaged beyond repair during a Luftwaffe night raid against its base at Biskra, Algeria on 1 October 1943.

The fifth is Honky Tonk Sal (X-Ray 335, 385BG, 8AF). Midair collision with B-24 (44-50084, 448BG, 8AF) on 12 May 1945.

92nd BG RAF Podington

This is Snake Hips (Tare-713, 92BG, 8AF). Flak hit over Merseburg on 24 August 1944. Ball turret gunner SSGT Gordon Westcott killed. Film footage of this aircraft is readily view-able online.


And any discussion of battle-damaged bombers would not be complete without these two:





All American (41-24406, 97BG). Midair collision with Bf-109 on 2 February 1943 after its pilot, Feldwebel Eric Paczia (JG53), had been killed by top turret gunner SSGT Joe C. James.





Lovely Julie (Peter-172, 398BG). Flak hit over Cologne on 15 October 1944. Toggler SSGT George E. Abbott killed. Shockingly, navigator 1LT Raymond J. LeDoux survived and managed to guide the bomber back to base.


-G
http://www.GBlume.com

[Spitty]

Five pages of battered B24,s here..
http://b-24.weebly.com/bent-and-battered-birds.html