B-24 WWII photo

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:44 am

Found this photo in a collection that came across my desk this week. Is this the same B-24 photo that most of us have seen in books countless times, or is this a different one? I couldn't find the "usual" one for reference quickly. Either way, a sobering photo.

kevin

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:49 am

Amazing photo. A plane full of heroes!

Django · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:54 am

Looks like it could be the same plane, but I don't know for sure.

Shay · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:00 pm

Any guess' as to the altitude from the picture? Just curious if the crew has enough time to get out.

Shay
_____________
Semper Fortis

Mgawa · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:10 pm

What a terrible horror for crew inside...

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:18 pm

Shay, the bombbay doors are open, so they must have been on their run. How high were those usually flown? I thought usually 20,000 feet plus, but I know that it depended on the target. In this case, they look to be pretty high up. Since the B-24 is on its back and burning, I would think that it would be hard to depart the aircraft. The waist gunners and radio operator could probably get out the bombbay if it rolled back over, but if it's spinning or rotating than the g-forces would have made that pretty difficult. The ball turret is retracted, so the ball turret gunner might be in the waist as well. I looked at the original photo closely, and I don't see any guys or chutes.

kevin

Shay · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:44 pm

Thanks

With a sobering image like that. You want to hold out for some hope that the guys had a chance to survive.

That being said. Going down in your ship might be a blessing when compared the treatment they would receive if bailed out over Japanese held territory. I'm assuming this picture was taken in the south Pacific./?

Why would the the B/T be retracked over the target?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Django · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:50 pm

I think that is a different one than the famous photo. This one is NMF. The other one is OD.

Not PTO, IMO. Looks like the Rhine or Ruhr valley to me. I have a photo I took at about that altitude flying out of Germany last year. I'll try to post it tonight to compare.

Django · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:55 pm

Here's another one, in Australia.

Found here; http://www.oldcmp.net/lib1.html

gary1954 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:59 pm

When I see a photo like this I am struck initally with only one word............d a m n

mtpopejoy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:12 pm

I think the famous picture that kevin is refering to comes from this video where a PTO B-25 is hit in the wing root from a falling bomb. See the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLNESDqoZS4
I was thinking the same thing as soon as I saw the picture and I think it may actually be the same aircraft.
Just horrifying to think about what is going on inside that aircraft and the many others that had the same fate. Unimaginable, I actually feel queezy when I see pictures like this. Truly brave souls.
Regards,
Mark

Django · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:50 pm

Oh, that's right Mark. Thanks for the link. Sure looks like it could be one and the same.

Another from the 15th AF...

457th BG

.

Never Forget...

Steve Nelson · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:57 pm

Is this the famous photo you're talking about? I don't think it's the same incident. This photo was taken at high altitude over Europe, and the photo you posted appears to have been taken at low altitude over a Pacific Island.

SN

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:44 pm

Django and Steve,

I think those are the photos I was thinking of. I've seen both before, and I think I was figuring they were all one and the same. Now it looks like we've got at least 5 different incidents here on the page. Pretty sobering.

kevin

Ztex · **Posted:** Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:12 pm

Here's the stories behind some of these

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=241684#241684

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=241696#241696

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=113021#113021

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B-24 WWII photo

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