The Myth of Strafing Flak Towers

Lightninglover · **Posted:** Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:18 pm

The Myth of Strafing Flak Towers

The photo below has been seen in many books and periodicals as depicting a P-47 strafing a German “Flak Tower”. This is not a flak tower but a water tower of the type that was and still is common in areas of Europe.
See the next photo for an example of a water tower (this one in Switzerland.)
Notice the small windows. Any type of flak gun would not have the ability to traverse and track any aircraft. Also, the Germans only built flak towers around airfields and other military facilities out of wood or steel. These were not like the huge concrete flak towers found (and some still exist) in some major German cities.
The drawings below (from a German wartime manual on fortifications) depict the type of flak towers that would be used on airfields, etc.

URL=http://s41.photobucket.com/user/P38lightninglover/media/LowDown85.jpg.html]

[/URL]

ignomini · **Posted:** Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:05 pm

I think it's less a myth, and more a question of the game of telephone. One source calls it wrong, and the next one doesn't do their own research but rather relies on what has already been said.

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:06 pm

So why shoot up a water tower? I'm guessing youthful enthusiasm? :twisted:

airnutz · **Posted:** Wed Apr 26, 2017 2:08 pm

Oh boy...here we go again...

Left Seat · **Joined:** Thu Feb 13, 2014 5:44 pm **Posts:** 151

ignomini wrote:

...it's... more a question of the game of telephone.

"A 'Benny' shaved, is a 'Benny' urned".

p51 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:46 pm

ignomini wrote:

I think it's less a myth, and more a question of the game of telephone. One source calls it wrong, and the next one doesn't do their own research but rather relies on what has already been said.

Exactly.
Just like this photo has for years been ID'd as a formation 'returning from a mission' when in fact it was a PR formation to get these photos (taken from a 91st BG B-17, the co-pilot was a friend of mine until he passed in 1999):

These things just keep getting repeated.

Dan K · **Posted:** Wed Apr 26, 2017 5:21 pm

p51 wrote:

ignomini wrote:

I think it's less a myth, and more a question of the game of telephone. One source calls it wrong, and the next one doesn't do their own research but rather relies on what has already been said.

Exactly.
Just like this photo has for years been ID'd as a formation 'returning from a mission' when in fact it was a PR formation to get these photos (taken from a 91st BG B-17, the co-pilot was a friend of mine until he passed in 1999):

These things just keep getting repeated.

Shouldn't those Mustangs be blue? :axe:

Stoney · **Posted:** Thu Apr 27, 2017 12:24 am

and what color are their gear doors:)

Aeronut · **Posted:** Thu Apr 27, 2017 5:19 am

Quote:

So why shoot up a water tower?

Just look at the countryside in the photo. That tower makes an ideal vantage point for an artillery spotter.
Also if you wreck the tank you reduce the water supply in the area, probably the reason my father used the cider they found in Normandy farmhouses for washing and shaving and even on occasions making tea!

p51 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:26 am

Aeronut wrote:

Quote:

So why shoot up a water tower?

Just look at the countryside in the photo. That tower makes an ideal vantage point for an artillery spotter.
Also if you wreck the tank you reduce the water supply in the area, probably the reason my father used the cider they found in Normandy farmhouses for washing and shaving and even on occasions making tea!

I thought that as well. If you somehow were able to figure out the real history behind the photo, I wouldn't be shocked to find out that maybe that Jug was taking part in a CAS mission for some ground troops, or told to rattle anything tall in the area, just for that reason.
I was a ground pounder in the Army myself, of course many years later, but if I'd been there, I'd for sure have asked the Jugs to give that tower a couple of bursts, just in case.

airnutz · **Posted:** Fri Apr 28, 2017 7:37 pm

Lightninglover wrote:

The Myth of Strafing Flak Towers

The photo below has been seen in many books and periodicals as depicting a P-47 strafing a German “Flak Tower”. This is not a flak tower but a water tower of the type that was and still is common in areas of Europe.
See the next photo for an example of a water tower (this one in Switzerland.)
Notice the small windows. Any type of flak gun would not have the ability to traverse and track any aircraft. Also, the Germans only built flak towers around airfields and other military facilities out of wood or steel. These were not like the huge concrete flak towers found (and some still exist) in some major German cities.
The drawings below (from a German wartime manual on fortifications) depict the type of flak towers that would be used on airfields, etc.

URL=http://s41.photobucket.com/user/P38lightninglover/media/LowDown85.jpg.html]

[/URL]

Lightninglover, is there another image that's supposed to be preceeding the Jug shooting up the tower?

JFS61 · **Joined:** Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:44 pm **Posts:** 305

This appears to be the original source of all the confusion:

Would be interesting if there are any additional photos in this sequence (maybe someone could take a look over at Fold3.com).

Would also be nice to know if they were indeed attacking these under the assumption that they were Flak Towers, or (as others have suggested), knew that they were water towers and attacked them in an attempt to further disrupt the German supply infrastructure.

Sadly, we may never know, as (in all likelihood) there may no longer anyone left alive who can answer our questions.

CraigQ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 29, 2017 9:18 am

JFS61 wrote:

This appears to be the original source of all the confusion:

Would be interesting if there are any additional photos in this sequence (maybe someone could take a look over at Fold3.com).

Would also be nice to know if they were indeed attacking these under the assumption that they were Flak Towers, or (as others have suggested), knew that they were water towers and attacked them in an attempt to further disrupt the German supply infrastructure.

Sadly, we may never know, as (in all likelihood) there may no longer anyone left alive who can answer our questions.

The P-47 in the picture was a 376th/361st P-47 flown by Capt. Wallace Franks. The gun camera film is from Lt. Cecil Laxtons P-47. Capt Franks ship was damaged by Laxtons gunfire when he (Franks) banked to the right. When talking with Laxton years ago at a 361st reunion ( 376th/361st was also my dads squadron/group) he told me a little about it but never described the tower as being a flak tower. The were shooting up any potential objects of use to the Germans. Despite the damage from Laxtons guns they did complete their mission and returned to base safely.

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Apr 29, 2017 9:55 am

CraigQ, did Capt. Franks mention where this excitement took place?

CraigQ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:22 pm

airnutz wrote:

CraigQ, did Capt. Franks mention where this excitement took place?

Not that I heard, at least Cecil Laxton didn't mention the exact area.

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The Myth of Strafing Flak Towers

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