Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Waffle on October 18, 2003, 08:59:41 PM

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: Waffle on October 18, 2003, 08:59:41 PM

Lots of photos and good stories


http://www.b17sam.com

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: Replicant on October 19, 2003, 04:43:49 PM

Cool website, had a quick looksee.  I'd like to try and find that photo of a B17 with a 109 imbedded in the tail, know the one I mean?

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: davidpt40 on October 20, 2003, 06:26:14 AM

I know of a B17 which had a 109 nearly slice the tail off.  "All American".  The tail broke off after it landed.

Not sure if any B17s made it back with a 109 intact lol

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: Replicant on October 21, 2003, 08:22:28 AM

That must be the one.... it's a pic I saw years ago so it is very sketchy.... but anyway, do you know where you can get a piccie of that?

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: 2stony on October 21, 2003, 03:30:40 PM

Quote

I know of a B17 which had a 109 nearly slice the tail off. "All American". The tail broke off after it landed.

     We sell that print here where I work. The name of the print is "Close Encounter" and it happened over Tunisia.

:)

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: Guppy35 on October 21, 2003, 04:21:36 PM

The B17F was named "All American" and was from the 414th BS, 97th BG, flown by Kenneth Bragg.  A 109 with the pilot probably killed, sliced through the fuselage and took off the left elevator.  The pilot was able to get the bomber back to Biskra after the mission over Tunisia in early 43.

I got a copy of that photograph from a guy who worked in an army photo lab during the war.  He had it in a scrap book.  It's not the cropped version that shows up in the books.

Dan/Slack(http://[img]http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/ah_169_1066771552.jpg)[/IMG]

Title: Cool B17 site
Post by: Guppy35 on October 21, 2003, 05:06:04 PM

Just to prove it wasn't a one time deal.  I got this photo from a 301st BG co-pilot who lives locally.  I was researching a 301st BG crew that went down in February of 45.  This isn't of that crew but of another B17 that was hit by flak in the waist gun area.  It killed one of the waist gunners and took off the left elevator as well as leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage.  The tail gunner managed to crawl past the hole into the radio room.  The pilot couldn't tell the extent of the damage but others in the formation told him to stay with it as they were over an area or Yugoslavia where aircrews were getting killed if they bailed out.  Somehow the 17 held together and managed to get home to Italy.  

The guy who took the photo was using color film for the first time and managed to get this dramatic shot that as far as I know has never been published.

Dan/Slack

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/ah_169_1066773723.jpg)