Got an e-mail request today ...

[Mark Allen M]

... asking if I could post a few photos. It came from a WW2 bomber pilot in his 90's and sent from his grandson. Say's he likes my photo threads but that I don't post enough of what the real history of these old airplanes is all about. He wasn't upset but rather simply suggesting a point. I can't relate to any of these photos. All I can do is reflect and never forget.

I could post hundreds of these type photos. I think this is enough.


B-17(H8-S, 43-39163) Happy Warrior of the 835th Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group in flight with two engines aflame after being hit by flak and friendly bombs, 7 April 1945.






B-17 'Pat Hand' going down over Paris


battle damaged B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-31968) of the 100th Bomb Group

[Michel Lemieux]

Wow.......

Pretty dramatic......

Tks for sharing Mark and please give a huge thank you to the provider.....

Michel

[Zac Yates]

Thank you Mark, these have given me a major pause for thought and literally took my breath away. Truly sobering stuff.

[cooper9411]

Wow.......

Pretty dramatic......

Tks for sharing Mark and please give a huge thank you to the provider.....

Michel

+1

[Mark Allen M]

God awful experiences.


OFFICIAL CAPTION: "ENGLAND - In the narrow confines of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress radio room, Capt. Bryce P. Weldy, Flight Surgeon, of 3020 Shawnee Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana, watches the flow of blood plasma intently, as he battles to save the life of a critically wounded radio gunner. The gunner, hit by flak on a mission over Eisenach, Germany, was so badly wounded, that only after a two hour battle using oxygen and blood plasma transfusions in both arms simultaneously, was he able to be removed from the plane to a hospital. He is expected to recover."_


OFFICIAL CAPTION: "Photo taken from waist of the plane shows extremely cramped quarters in which flight surgeon Weldy and medical corpsmen had to work for more than two hours to save the life of the radio operator. ENGLAND."

[Mark Allen M]

Not to be morbid or disrespectful, but the first photo I posted is angled incorrectly. Second photo below should be the proper angle (and even more tragic)

Here's the actual history:

"B-17 (H8-S, 43-39163) ''Happy Warrior'' of the 835th BS, 486th BG in flight with two engines aflame after being hit by flak. It went down in Parchim, Germany. 4 crewman were KIA, 6 POWs, 7 april 1945. The aircraft was also believe to have been hit by fragmentation bombs from above, rather than hit by flak."

[Mark Allen M]

97th BG B-17's

[Invader26]

Mark, Thanks for showing these. Do you have anything on 815th BS 483rd BG? My late father-in-law's unit...

[Mark Allen M]

815th BS 483rd BG

I'll see what I can find.


B-17 42-38201 2nd Patches (483rd BG 815th BS 30 march 44, transf 99th BG 346th BS 31 march 44, 41 missions, crash take off 24 aug 44 (fold3)


B-17 42-107006 Ole Bird (483rd BG 815th BS 73 missions lost on Bleckhammer on 17 oct 44 with Peart crew mid air collision with 44-6379 (fold3)

[sdennison]

Wow!

[Duggy009]

B-17 Flying Fortress (BK-H, serial number 42-37781) nicknamed "Silver Dollar" of the 546th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group goes down after losing its tail.

[wendovertom]

Thanks Mark! Reminds me of "Serenade to the Big Bird" - there air war was pretty rough.

Tom P.

[Invader26]

My father-in-laws two birds...

He was WIA in Chief Wahoo...and his crew was shot down [see below shortly thereafter]

a/c 42-5418 Chief Wahoo 97th BG no Sqdn #. Assigned 20 Jan 43.Transfer
to 99 BG 14 Nov 43; flew 27 missions with 99 BG ; Transfer to 483rd BG 31
Mar 44. MIA Milan 30 Apr 44.... 815 Sq..damaged by flak.and attacked by
fighters; two engines out,crashed near Vanette; Hilmer Landholt crew;
Daniels; Kleiner; Bowles; Landwehr; Altgelt; Gatch; Conn; Davis ; Goddard.
Altgelt, Goddard evade to Switzerland ; Rest POW. (MACR 4612).

A/C 42-32023 Flak Happy 483 BG 815 Sq Original a/c. Transfer to 99 BG
31 Mar 44. To US 19 Jun 47.

A/C 42-32023 Flak Happy transfer from 483 BG 31 MAr 44; flew 87 missions ;
copilot Bentley from 483rd BG flew on the 5 apr 44 mission. Eadie and Wood
WIA 23 Jun 44; Transfer to depot 5 Feb 45 ; To US 19 Jun 47.


This is from "The Flying Fortress Story" by Roger Freeman and David Osborne.

a/c 42-5418 Del Tulsa 3/2/42; West Palm Beach 9/1/43; ass 97th BG Biskra
20/1/43 ; Chateau-du-Rhumel 8/2/43 ; Pont-du-Fahs 1/8/43 ;Depienne 15/6/43 ;
tran 99 BG 346BS/99BG Oudna 14/11/43 ; (27m/99) ; 815BS/483BG Tortorella
31/3/44 ; MIA Milan 30/4/44 ; w/Landholt ; flak & e/a ; cr Vanette ; 8POW.2
EVD to Switz. MACR 4612 ; CHIEF WAHOO.

A/C 42-32023 Del Cheyenne 14/1/44 ; Kansas City 1/2/44 ; McDill 5/2/44 ;
Morrison 9/3/44 ; ass 815BS/483BG ; Tortorella 12/3/44 ;tran 416BS/99BG
31/3/44 (87m) ;Ret US 121 BU Bradley 6/6/45 ;4104 BU Rome 28/6/45 ;Chanute
12/10/45 ;4168 BU Sth Plains 17/12/45 ;4136 BU Tinker 8/12/46 ; 4104 BU Rome
31/12/45 ; Recl Comp 19/6/47 FLAK HAPPY

[Mark Allen M]

A few 384th Bomb Group, 544th Bomb Squadron photos.
384th BG flew out of Grafton Underwood.

[Mark Allen M]

"389th BG B-24 shot down on January 7, 1944. The aircraft in this photo is 42-40747 flown by the Carl Mattson crew. The aircraft crashed near the village of La Chopiniere. The five crew members who were able to bail out landed in the open areas about 6-10km SE of the crash site. Four of the five were able to evade capture with the help of the French."