Great WWII B-17 story in the NY Post

Good Lord! "When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great that it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane."

"The two waist gunners stood up with their heads sticking out through the hole in the top of the fuselage to aim and fire their machine guns. The tail gunner had to shoot in short bursts because the recoil was actually causing the plane to turn."

"The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart. While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target."

And there were hundreds and hundreds of such stories of true valor, unbelievable courage, the unwavering commitment to continue to complete their mission til the last possible moment, the loyalty to one another, the focus, the determination under the worst of all odds, the unselfishness, their sense of duty and they accomplished what was thought to be impossible and improbable. Many of them, just mere boys, a world away from home and their loved ones. I have said it before and I'll say it again, this is the mark of a man and of a hero. Each and every one of them. We owe them what can never be repaid.
 
One of my great disappointments is that nobody in my family recorded their experiences in World War II.

I know my paternal grandfather was with Patton's 3rd Army at Bastogne, yet he would never talk about it until very shortly before his death almost 20 years ago.

My maternal grandfather was a Liberty Ship engineer, but his oldest brother was a test pilot who died at Pax River in a Corsair, and his next oldest brother was a damage control officer on the Yorktown at Coral Sea and Midway. Yet thanks to some family dispute they never talked, and the stories have been lost.

Years ago I had an opportunity to talk with a distant cousin who had been a B-25 nose gunner in the Pacific, but his hearing was so far gone it was impossible to really converse. He talked about running missions 50 feet off the deck because that was the only place they were safe from flack.

It pains me to think these stories are permanently lost now, but it also gives an even greater appreciation for the photos and stories that have survived.
 
"While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target."

Unbelievable. Aircraft is moments from potentially plummeting to Earth, and those guys still pressed on. I've read quite a few books on WWII and Vietnam, mostly the ground side of the war though. I would def like to read about the guys in the air. If anyone has recommendations please share!
 
A coupe I've enjoyed...
"The Wild Blue" by Stephen Ambrose
"The Rescue of Streetcar 304" by Kenny Fields
 
I've finished a few good ones on my nook:

Masters of the Air
Tail End Charlie: In ole # 605 < guy gets shot down on first mission, escapes in Europe
Hell Hawks
 
I had to leave most of my books with my parents when we moved last year, but two of my favorites that I kept with me are

"To Fly and Fight" - Clarence "Bud" Anderson
"Dauntless Helldivers" - Harold Buel
 
"Everything but the Flak" is another good read. It takes place after the war when three B17's are restored an flown across the pond to England for a movie.

My grandfather was a top turret gunner on a B17. Like most of his generation he didn't talk about it much. Unasked him once how he got up every day knowing there was a good chance he wouldn't come back. He answer was we had a job to do for the greater good. We just did it. I considered him a hero but in his and many other minds they were just kids doing their job and patriotic duty. That was much more prominent then then it is now. I think he flew a total of 28 missions. One of these days I'm gong to contact the records office and see what information I can get on the missions he flew.

He also told me that he would fly as well for the pilot as the missions were long and tiring. I can't imagine flying in formation for 10-12 hours. Not to mention getting shot at as well.
 
KDoersom said:
"Everything but the Flak" is another good read. It takes place after the war when three B17's are restored an flown across the pond to England for a movie.

My grandfather was a top turret gunner on a B17. Like most of his generation he didn't talk about it much. Unasked him once how he got up every day knowing there was a good chance he wouldn't come back. He answer was we had a job to do for the greater good. We just did it. I considered him a hero but in his and many other minds they were just kids doing their job and patriotic duty. That was much more prominent then then it is now. I think he flew a total of 28 missions. One of these days I'm gong to contact the records office and see what information I can get on the missions he flew.

He also told me that he would fly as well for the pilot as the missions were long and tiring. I can't imagine flying in formation for 10-12 hours. Not to mention getting shot at as well.
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I will dig up the info as I contacted them to research Dads unit. You need to group number and squadron. Most of it is on microfiche but they will sell you a CD containing PDFs of the fiche. It's not exactly cheap and you need to buy the roll, can't pick and choose what docs you want. Anyway, you send them an email with the info and period of time you are looking for and they will send you back what rolls you need and an order form. Takes them 4-6 weeks to get back to you from first email, so be patient.

Basically a roll will be a months of data or less.
 
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