Author Topic: Battle-damaged B-17s Real Photos (Read 513 times)

Hades55 · « **on:** May 31, 2002, 03:02:51 AM »

This site gives a good example for what these mens
had to face up-there.
And what a realy good aircraft means.

http://www.ixpres.com/ag1caf/B-17/contents.htm
Give it a look, it worth it.

SOB · « **Reply #1 on:** May 31, 2002, 05:13:00 AM »

"'Hang the Expense Again III' was seen heavily damaged, going down over France. The pilot, however, was able to bring it out of a dive and struggled back to his home field. The blast damage blew the tail gunner out of the aircraft but he survived the incident.
SOURCE: Flying Forts by Martin Caiden, additional material by Ray Cary"

WOW!

SOB

Toad · « **Reply #2 on:** May 31, 2002, 06:38:40 AM »

Obviously overmodeled.

Masherbrum · « **Reply #3 on:** May 31, 2002, 06:45:52 AM »

Balls, Cojones, choose your acronym, all B-17 crewmen had 'em.

Masher

Kanth · « **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2002, 07:16:31 AM »

"A rocket fired by an enemy fighter inflicted this damage on The Sack, a B-17 of the 379th Group. A 14-inch fragment of the rocket tore the pants off of the turret gunner without hurting him.
SOURCE: Target: Germany by Life Magazine and The Mighty Eighth by Roger A. Freeman"

DmdKanth

Innominate · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2002, 07:26:48 AM »

Where ARE your pants?!

Animal · « **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2002, 08:07:44 AM »

Quote

The blast damage blew the tail gunner out of the aircraft but he survived the incident.

How the F?!?!?!?!

Tac · « **Reply #7 on:** May 31, 2002, 08:10:00 AM »

This is the most impressive IMO

The B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97BG) flown by Lieutenant Kenneth R. Bragg, its tail section almost severed by a collision with an enemy fighter, flew 90 minutes back to its home base, landed safely and broke in two after landing.

Innominate · « **Reply #8 on:** May 31, 2002, 08:21:02 AM »

I'd like to see what was left of the fighter..

Tac · « **Reply #9 on:** May 31, 2002, 08:23:41 AM »

I think a piece of it is shown falling below the b17 in the first pic

Creamo · « **Reply #10 on:** May 31, 2002, 08:40:32 AM »

"HAP" had the flak stick in his chute.

Central Reports

Cool dude to talk to.

Nefarious · « **Reply #11 on:** May 31, 2002, 08:57:33 AM »

I used to have a picture of an artist print called "piggy back" or something along that line.

The painting illusrated a heavily damaged B17 with only 1 engine hitching a ride with a slightly damaged B17, I mean it was riding on top of the other one!!! I think both aircraft made it back to England and the crews safely bailed out. I think the pilot got the CMOH.

If anybody has a pic or link to this picture I would really like to see it.

Mister Fork · « **Reply #12 on:** May 31, 2002, 09:23:13 AM »

What I find interesting is how much fuselage and tail damage the B-17 can take and still fly back home.

There are NO pictures of missing wing parts, mostly flaps, alerons, and missing props.

Am I right in assuming that the B-17 as a bomber can withstand a lot of damage to the body and tail, but little to the wings?

Fork

Toad · « **Reply #13 on:** May 31, 2002, 09:58:48 AM »

The morning after. The "City Of Wanette"'s officers pose behind her flak-shattered right wingtip.
Source: Half A Wing, Three Engines, and A Prayer by Brian D. O'Neill

Back at base a crew marvels at the hole in their wing. According to Hal Landaker, who was the radio operator on this aircraft (the B-17 "Sugar-Jo", assigned to the 385th bomb group, 550 squadron, 8th Air Force), the damage was received on a mission to Hannover Germany on Dec. 6, 1944. The hole was caused by a direct hit with an 88 mm.anti-aircraft shell. The 88 went completely through the wing severing one of the main spars and exploded above the plane.

On one occasion the Germans tried dropping bombs from a captured B-17 onto a formation attacking the Rhineland. Luckily, the bombs didn't explode as they crunched through this 331st Bomb Group B-17's wing trailing edge.

Inspecting cannon fire damage inflicted by German jet-powered fighter planes. Wing control surfaces were damaged but the fuel tanks remained intact as the pilot brought the B-17 back from the raid on Hamburg.

......the wing pictures are out there too.. just takes a tiny bit of searching on Google.

Vector · « **Reply #14 on:** May 31, 2002, 10:19:09 AM »

Nah, just scratches!
Look at this one:

"B-17G-80-BO 43-38712 Buddy Buddy of the 710th BS/447th BG somehow managed to return to base after having most of its nose blown off in a combat"
There's .50 cal mg still hanging from the fort!

From book "Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress" by Michael O'Leary