I don’t know who did the write-up or when, but they didn’t know what they were talking about. This aircraft was damaged over the port of Tunis. That’s in Tunisia, on the coast of North Africa. They didn’t come from England and they certainly did not return there.
The 97th Bomb Group was reassigned from the 8th Air Force to the 12th Air Force in November, 1942. At the time of this mission, they were stationed in Algeria, and the damaged aircraft returned to their base after the collision. Take a look at the pictures, not exactly the English countryside.
I hadn't noticed that until someone pointed it out upthread. I've got to agree. That one element of the story can't possibly be correct, although I don't think it detracts from the meat of the report.
The Boeing B-17 is still one of the toughest war birds ever built.
http://usmilnet.com/smf/index.php?topic=11523.0;wap2
Is a more plausible account. BTW, I believe that the B-17 owned by the Collings Foundation, of Stow MA (about 10 miles from where I sit) is another B-17, renamed and renumbered in honor of this veteran, not the same airframe.
The B-17 waist gunner also acted as photographer and was supposed to take pictures of anything interesting that he saw.
BTW, this waistgunner http://www.harvardpress.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Print.aspx?tabid=2190&tabmoduleid=7735&articleId=8853&moduleId=3353&PortalID=0
saw an FW-190 fly in formation with his B-17 on his first mission, he snapped a picture of it, then proceeded to shoot it down. A strange war.
I saw that pic when I was in grade school & the caption said that the ME-109 pilot was already dead before it hit the B-17.
But I also heard accounts of German pilots ramming B-17s and intending to survive, and did so.
And did the military archbishop of U.S. forces declare that if we were invaded, American fighter pilots who rammed enemy planes would not be committing suicide?