Warbird Information Exchange

There's a much seen video showing a B-17 exploding in mid-air in very slow motion. I won't post a link because I don't want to offend anyone if it is indeed a combat mission, but I have looked at it several times and for some reason I wonder if it maybe a test of some sort and someone remotely exploded it. I guess you would have to see it to determine for yourselves. If anyone is interested, I'll search for it and post it in the Theater section. I believe it was posted here recently under video's looking at 8th air force action in Europe. I believe it was 5 video's from the old "World at War" series. Which I may add, were extremely well done back in the 70's.

If its the one where the '17 is coming apart, losing engines, exploding before impact, I think it was a remote controlled test. It still hurts to watch it.


Steve G

Thereis a filmed incident were a B-24 take a flak burst in the bomb bay and flames, wings collaspe and explored in a few seconds. Very shocking a sad. It should be required viewing !

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Don't touch my junk!!

I think the footage you are refering to is of a drone B-17 used during the Bikin Atoll tests. If you look closely you can see some square shapes under the wings of the filters used to collect samples of airborne debris.


I think this bird was blasted out of the air after they where all done with it.

Yes Jack, I have seen that one many times and it's just heartbreaking. Those poor guys didn't have a chance. In fact, I've seen it so many times, it almost becomes numb to watch. No disrespect, just some footage has been played so many times, it becomes hollow after a while, but we sometimes forget much of the footage we see is of good people losing their lives. I remember seeing gun camera film of a P-47 straffing trains, and at one point a train explodes violently and takes out a P-47 in front of the one straffing the train. The thunderbolt took the full force of the explosion and banked to the left and piled into the ground. Talk about flying low. The pool pilot didn't have a chance either.

I think maybe? the B-17 footage we're talking about was a Bomarc test shot on the White Sands Range. I know some QB-17s were expended during those tests, and if the footage is the same as I think it is you can make out the red and white paint scheme they applied to the QB-17.

The B-24 that we're talking about was supposedly struck by a bomb from another aircraft above it. I've seen some heated discussions on other forums about how you can see the bomb if you stop-frame the footage--I have studied it and think that is what may have happened. Lots of fuel comes out of the wing root before it folds up and the fire really takes hold. Either way, ten young men went to their maker, and it's hard to watch that clip without thinking of them.

Yes, unfortunately, the Lib was a fire trap and usually couldn't take the pounding a B-17 could, although there are pictures of 24's that had some awful damage and still got home. One huge problem with the 24 is the fact that it used 1 inch diameter glass tubes on the bulkhead behind the co-pilot as fuel quantity indicators!
Several months ago there was a thread about a PB4Y that crashed as a fire bomber and the accident report stated the aircraft had 'no fuel gauges' and a few folks got wigged out about that, apparently not knowing that the factory never installed any sort of mechanical fuel quantity indicators in any model of B-24 or it's derivatives. Oh, yeah, the fuel transfer system used a putt-putt mounted on the bomb bay bulkhead just about directly under those glass tubes-

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Here's a link to the B-17 video on archive.org; it's a Nike Ajax missle test so no pilots or crew were harmed in the making of this motion picture:

http://www.archive.org/details/nike_ajax_web_1

The plane carries the code letter "N" under the wing and on the vertical stabilizer. (The film is reversed so the "N" is backward.) The bomb bay doors are painted with four black and white squares. Look closely and you can see some small (JATO?) rocket motors mounted in pairs under the wings; probably to give a stronger heat signature for the missile to lock onto?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

it should all be required viewing. history, while painful & an interest is not considered entertainment by those on this forum.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Its also shown in the opening sequence of " Some of our Airmen are no Longer Missing"