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re: I've seen some pretty amazing stories about the B-17 but....
Posted on 4/6/15 at 12:54 pm to Darth_Vader
Posted on 4/6/15 at 12:54 pm to Darth_Vader
Reading about the ball turret gunner being stuck while the others had to abandon and crash land the aircraft makes your hairs stand on edge.
1
Posted on 4/6/15 at 1:20 pm to CamdenTiger
Posted on 4/6/15 at 1:50 pm to Darth_Vader
upvote 
Posted on 4/6/15 at 1:53 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
LINK
Posted on 4/6/15 at 2:01 pm to ChewyDante
quote:
Reading about the ball turret gunner being stuck while the others had to abandon and crash land the aircraft makes your hairs stand on edge.
I've always been impressed at the level of bravery it took to crew a B-17, especially before the advent of long range fighter escorts. But of all the guys on these bombers, the dude in the lonely ball turret position strike me of having to be made from a special cut. Imagine not only being at over 20,000 feet in lumbering bomber having to fly straight and keep in formation while much faster and more maneuverable fighters raked your plane from every side. Then put of top of that, you're totally enclosed and isolated in this tiny ball so small you've got your knees up to your shoulders and you're slung underneath this massive plane. I mean, look at this.....
And yes, he's totally enclosed in there. Here's a view looking at the ball turret from inside the plane...
Doing what they did took some serious guts.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 2:08 pm to Darth_Vader
google the Pardo push
Posted on 4/6/15 at 2:20 pm to 777Tiger
quote:
google the Pardo push
Awesome story. Seems like I remember seeing an episode of "Wings" on the the old Military Channel a few years ago that discussed this.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 2:28 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
Awesome story. Seems like I remember seeing an episode of "Wings" on the the old Military Channel a few years ago that discussed this.
there was also a similar incident during the Korean "conflict" involving 2 F-100s, but it ended tragically because after successfully pushing the crippled Sabre to where the pilot could safely eject over water, the ground and air rescue crews got into a fight over whose turn it was to make the pick up, while they were bickering, the pilot, Joe Logan iirc, got tangled up in his parachute lines and drown
Posted on 4/6/15 at 3:26 pm to 777Tiger
Cool story about Pardo's Push. Ironic that it took 20 years for him to be awarded the Silver Star.
Jack Jacobs tells a story kind of similar about his evacuation and rescue in Vietnam. Jacobs was an ARVN advisor and his unit came under heavy direct and indirect fire. (Jacobs' MOH citation tells of him saving the lives of a US Sgt. and 13 ARVN soldiers.) He consolidated his wounded and called for MedEvac, but they wouldn't come in because of the heavy fire. (Apparently, US Army policy was no hot LZ medevacs at this point in the war, 1967. Same thing happened at Ia Drang.)
Jacobs is wounded badly, his Sgt. dying and he figured they're all screwed. Next thing he sees is a Navy UH-1 landing. The Navy pilot shuttled them all to a safer area, where MedEvac would land. He then flys away. Jacobs never knew his name.
While Jabobs was in the hospital recovering, a Naval officer in dress whites appears at his bedside and tells him he has some questions for him.
Questions about what?
I'm conducting an Article 32 investigation.
What did I do?
Nothing, but the pilot who picked you up is being investigated for hazarding his aircraft.
Jacobs says he went nuts, screaming at the guy about how the pilot saved all their lives and that he was so upset the nurses had to restrain him and the investigator left.
Twenty or thirty years later, he was at a Navy function and someone brought up the Army/Navy interservice rivalry. Jacobs tells that he loves the Navy. The Navy folks laugh. Jacobs tells them, "No, really. I LOVE the Navy!" and he proceeds to tell his story of being rescued. One of the people there had heard of the story and knew the pilot, Wes Weseleskey. He told Jacobs that not only was the investigation eventually dropped, but Weseleskey was awarded the Navy Cross and retired as a Captain.
Jack Jacobs tells a story kind of similar about his evacuation and rescue in Vietnam. Jacobs was an ARVN advisor and his unit came under heavy direct and indirect fire. (Jacobs' MOH citation tells of him saving the lives of a US Sgt. and 13 ARVN soldiers.) He consolidated his wounded and called for MedEvac, but they wouldn't come in because of the heavy fire. (Apparently, US Army policy was no hot LZ medevacs at this point in the war, 1967. Same thing happened at Ia Drang.)
Jacobs is wounded badly, his Sgt. dying and he figured they're all screwed. Next thing he sees is a Navy UH-1 landing. The Navy pilot shuttled them all to a safer area, where MedEvac would land. He then flys away. Jacobs never knew his name.
While Jabobs was in the hospital recovering, a Naval officer in dress whites appears at his bedside and tells him he has some questions for him.
Questions about what?
I'm conducting an Article 32 investigation.
What did I do?
Nothing, but the pilot who picked you up is being investigated for hazarding his aircraft.
Jacobs says he went nuts, screaming at the guy about how the pilot saved all their lives and that he was so upset the nurses had to restrain him and the investigator left.
Twenty or thirty years later, he was at a Navy function and someone brought up the Army/Navy interservice rivalry. Jacobs tells that he loves the Navy. The Navy folks laugh. Jacobs tells them, "No, really. I LOVE the Navy!" and he proceeds to tell his story of being rescued. One of the people there had heard of the story and knew the pilot, Wes Weseleskey. He told Jacobs that not only was the investigation eventually dropped, but Weseleskey was awarded the Navy Cross and retired as a Captain.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 3:54 pm to White Roach
quote:
Ironic that it took 20 years for him to be awarded the Silver Star.
they were talking about a court martial until the media got wind of it, said he should have left his wingman to save his good jet
Posted on 4/6/15 at 3:59 pm to lsubkd
I read the book about that German pilot escorting that B-17 a few months ago.
It's stories like that which give me hope for humanity.
It's stories like that which give me hope for humanity.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 4:22 pm to AUTimbo
quote:
I read the book about that German pilot escorting that B-17 a few months ago.
It's stories like that which give me hope for humanity.
The story of Brown and Stigler is quite amazing, even more so is their incredible, lasting friendship after they reunited with each other.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 5:32 pm to NWarty
My uncle was a navigator on a B-17. He was on a bombing run over Italy when his plan was shot down and crashed in the ocean. He was captured by the Germans and sent to a pow camp. He lost his hair and teeth from malnutrition. He was shipped to the camp in a cattle car that was so packed he couldn't even move. He spent 2 years as a pow. In some of his runs his gunner mate was sucked out his turret and my uncle was sucked out one time and his belt buckle got cought on the door and saved him.
Posted on 4/6/15 at 6:03 pm to Darth_Vader
FIL was a B17 pilot and told a story of his plane being the only one that returned after a mission. He cried every time he talked about his service.
RIP Fred and thank you.
RIP Fred and thank you.
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