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Message
I've seen some pretty amazing stories about the B-17 but....
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:21 am
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:21 am
This one might top them all....
LINK
quote:
Capt. Glenn Rojohn, of the 8th Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group was flying his B-17G Flying Fortress bomber on a raid over Hamburg. His formation had braved heavy flak to drop their bombs, then turned 180 degrees to head out over the North Sea. They had finally turned northwest, headed back to England, when they were jumped by German fighters at 22,000 feet. The Messerschmitt Me-109s pressed their attack so closely that Capt. Rojohn could see the faces of the German pilots. He and other pilots fought to remain in formation so they could use each other’s guns to defend the group. Rojohn saw a B-17 ahead of him burst into flames and slide sickeningly toward the earth. He gunned his ship forward to fill in the gap. He felt a huge impact. The big bomber shuddered, felt suddenly very heavy and began losing altitude.
LINK
17
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:27 am to Darth_Vader
quote:
Several of them were interrogated at length by the Germans until they were satisfied that what had crashed was not a new American secret weapon.
"Well, you see, what had happened was....."
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:30 am to Darth_Vader
quote:
Movies have nothing on reality. Still perhaps in shock, Leek crawled out through a huge hole behind the cockpit, felt for the familiar pack in his uniform pocket pulled out a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and was about to light it. Then he noticed a young German soldier pointing a rifle at him. The soldier looked scared and annoyed. He grabbed the cigarette out of Leak’s mouth and pointed down to the gasoline pouring out over the wing from a ruptured fuel tank.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:31 am to Darth_Vader
wow - that is an amazing story - thx for sharing.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:34 am to Darth_Vader
My granddad was a bombardier on B-17s during the war. Thankfully he kept a journal that we still have, and was willing to talk about the experience while he was alive. Far and away some of the most fascinating stories I've ever heard
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:34 am to wadewilson
Loved that.
Get shot up, crash land in enemy territory, hop out of wreckage,
"hey I think I'll take a smoke break"
Get shot up, crash land in enemy territory, hop out of wreckage,
"hey I think I'll take a smoke break"
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:34 am to Darth_Vader
Wow, crazy story...
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:35 am to Darth_Vader
Good stuff, sounds like some Almighty luck right there. Bummer those two jumpers didn't make it.
Guess when you land a CF of a plane, you really don't care about the fiery death of smoking by gasoline.
Guess when you land a CF of a plane, you really don't care about the fiery death of smoking by gasoline.
This post was edited on 4/6/15 at 10:37 am
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:37 am to Darth_Vader
quote:
Movies have nothing on reality. Still perhaps in shock, Leek crawled out through a huge hole behind the cockpit, felt for the familiar pack in his uniform pocket pulled out a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and was about to light it. Then he noticed a young German soldier pointing a rifle at him. The soldier looked scared and annoyed. He grabbed the cigarette out of Leak’s mouth and pointed down to the gasoline pouring out over the wing from a ruptured fuel tank.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:41 am to 15sammy34
quote:
My granddad was a bombardier on B-17s during the war. Thankfully he kept a journal that we still have, and was willing to talk about the experience while he was alive. Far and away some of the most fascinating stories I've ever heard
My great uncle was a B-24 pilot in WWII and did 2 tours of duty, his stories were awesome. He used to make fun of my granddad (quartermaster in the army) because the only time he saw action was for 2 hours as his unit retreated during the Battle of the Bulge.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:48 am to Darth_Vader
Thanks for an awesome story 
My grandfather was a turret gunner in a B-26 and flew in the Battle of the Buldge. They were damaged and had to land in Belgium.....there is a book about he and his crew out there. In an early mission he had been hit in the head with flak on the way to earning 2 purple hearts.
I offered to drive him to his bomb group reunion in Dayton, OH in the early 90's and thank God I had that opportunity. I got to know the young man my Grandfather had been along with all of his buddies. Men of those times were something special.
My grandfather was a turret gunner in a B-26 and flew in the Battle of the Buldge. They were damaged and had to land in Belgium.....there is a book about he and his crew out there. In an early mission he had been hit in the head with flak on the way to earning 2 purple hearts.
I offered to drive him to his bomb group reunion in Dayton, OH in the early 90's and thank God I had that opportunity. I got to know the young man my Grandfather had been along with all of his buddies. Men of those times were something special.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:49 am to Darth_Vader
quote:Thank you for sharing that. Particularly timely as I spent a little time around a 17G last weekend.
Darth_Vader
Hell of a generation!
Posted on 4/6/15 at 10:54 am to Darth_Vader
That was a good read.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 11:05 am to CaptainsWafer
Yep, great stories. We buried Robert Hite this weekend in Camden AR, and these guys were something. Suicide mission with no gas to return. Landed after bombing Tokyo, and tortured after 3.5 years, and came out at 76 lbs, then went on to fight in Korea. The flew a B25 and three P 40's in missing man formation over Camden, and was very fitting for this guy, a true hero if you knew him, and if you didn't...LINK
Posted on 4/6/15 at 11:08 am to TrueTiger
quote:
Get shot up, crash land in enemy territory, hop out of wreckage,
"hey I think I'll take a smoke break"
And the German soldier is like -
"Hey, congrats on surviving a plane crash, that was pretty rad, now would you mind not blowing us up?"
Posted on 4/6/15 at 11:11 am to CamdenTiger
Another good read.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 11:17 am to Darth_Vader
That is pretty fun to read. Always loved the B17. Was a tough bird.
Old guy in our church was a radio operator, and was overseas for the entire war. Spent 4 years in Europe on transports. Then went to the Pacific on a B-29. He was on the last bombing run by American planes on Japan. Landed on Iwo Jima on the way back. He has some amazing stories. Said when he first got to England he felt like the pilot on his B-17 was too cocky and asked for a transfer to a transport. The plane he transferred off of flew one mission, and didn't come back. Has a lot of stories like that.
He is 96 and basically begging God to let him die. After everything he lived through and done, he can't stand being in such bad physical shape that he can't get around or escape pain.
Old guy in our church was a radio operator, and was overseas for the entire war. Spent 4 years in Europe on transports. Then went to the Pacific on a B-29. He was on the last bombing run by American planes on Japan. Landed on Iwo Jima on the way back. He has some amazing stories. Said when he first got to England he felt like the pilot on his B-17 was too cocky and asked for a transfer to a transport. The plane he transferred off of flew one mission, and didn't come back. Has a lot of stories like that.
He is 96 and basically begging God to let him die. After everything he lived through and done, he can't stand being in such bad physical shape that he can't get around or escape pain.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 12:11 pm to VaBamaMan
Posted on 4/6/15 at 12:21 pm to Darth_Vader
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing. 
Posted on 4/6/15 at 12:35 pm to wadewilson
quote:
quote:
Get shot up, crash land in enemy territory, hop out of wreckage,
"hey I think I'll take a smoke break"
And the German soldier is like -
"Hey, congrats on surviving a plane crash, that was pretty rad, now would you mind not blowing us up?"
I can personally attest, while I have never crashed a plane or done anything heroic, after a particularly bad wreck in high school, I lit a cigarette before climbing out. Muscle memory I guess. It definitely stopped my hands from shaking.
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