 | -=Reports of aircraft that were F.U.B.A.R. yet kept flying=-| Aviation Discuss -=Reports of aircraft that were F.U.B.A.R. yet kept flying=- in the World War II - Aviation forums; This topic is related to the topic "Robert S. Johnson, 56th Fighter Group" that spawned a spirited disagreement ... |
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03-15-2005, 10:48 PM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 715
| -=Reports of aircraft that were F.U.B.A.R. yet kept flying=- This topic is related to the topic "Robert S. Johnson, 56th Fighter Group" that spawned a spirited disagreement about the claims of devastating damage to his aircraft. Can you share reports (verified or not, borne out by reliable evidence or not) of aircraft that sustained serious damage yet kept flying?
I find this subject really fascinating.
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03-16-2005, 12:51 AM
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#2 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 12,880
Country: | Is this for any aircraft? If so, I know of one that is a doozy.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. |
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03-16-2005, 01:01 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 715
| Sure. Why not.
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03-16-2005, 01:21 AM
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#4 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 12,880
Country: | Okay, here is the story:
A B-17 from the 414th squadron of the 97th bomb group has a mid-air collision with a German fighter (Don't remember off the top of my head, but I think it was a FW-190, please correct me if that is not the case). The German fighter goes down. Miraculously, the B-17 still flies, making it home. After landing and the crew got out, the back finally broke in 2. The picture tells the story though. Testament to the Forts durability, and the crew's luck. Brave guys to stay with it when it was that bad!
Photos courtesy of the USAF Museum collection website.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. |
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03-16-2005, 01:22 AM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 527
| Update.
Last edited by GT : 03-29-2006 at 10:45 AM.
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03-16-2005, 01:27 AM
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#6 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 12,880
Country: | Here is some info from another website: A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943 between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area became the subject of one of the most famous photographs of World War II. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded or dead pilot. It crashed into the lead aircraft of the flight, ripped a wing off the Fortress, and caused it to crash. The enemy fighter then continued its crashing descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Fortress named All American, piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th Bomb Squadron. When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress and left elevator were completely torn away. The vertical fin and the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut approximately two-thirds through, the control cables were severed, and the electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. Although the tail swayed in the breeze, one elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still flew-miraculously! The aircraft was brought in for an emergency landing and when the ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off for not a single member of the crew had been injured. No one could believe that the aircraft could still fly in such a condition. The Fortress sat placidly until three men climbed aboard through the door in the fuselage, at which time the rear collapsed. The rugged old bird had done its job. http://pink.lady.free.fr/story.html
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. |
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03-16-2005, 01:31 AM
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#7 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 12,880
Country: | GT, that last shot STILL amazes me! That thing must have flown like a brick. Not to mention that poor pilot looking down at that .50 caliber staring him down from the nose! That had to be one cold ride home. Did any of the guys in the nose survive?
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. |
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03-16-2005, 01:56 AM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 527
| Update.
Last edited by GT : 03-29-2006 at 10:46 AM.
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03-16-2005, 02:31 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 715
| This one comes to us courtesy of RG_Lunatic. He posted it on the
"Robert S. Johnson, 56th Fighter Group" thread. http://368thfightergroup.com/rife.html
Sort of leaves you speechless.
I recall a documentary where a fighter pilot said that if you wanted a nice picture to send to your girl back home, you wanted a P-51. But if you were going into combat and wanted to get back, you wanted a P-47.
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03-16-2005, 03:04 AM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 527
| Update.
Last edited by GT : 03-29-2006 at 10:47 AM.
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03-16-2005, 08:59 AM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 699
| I don't know if this counts, but it's still impressive...
A B-17 over France got attacked by several fighters. The rear-gunner shot one of the attackers down, but then heard a loud bang in the fuselage behind him. He tried to radio up to the pilot, but the radio was dead. After about 15 minutes, there plane landed and slid to a stop. The rear-gunner crawled up towards the main body of the plane, only to find that it wasn't there! The plane had been broken in two when it was attacked by the German fighters.
The only reason the rear-gunner survived was that there was enough of the rear of the aircraft still intact to let the stabilizers act as wings, allowing the whole tail to glide into Allied territory, while the front of the plane plummeted to the ground.
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03-16-2005, 09:55 AM
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#12 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
Posts: 3,001
Country: | Must have been a bit of a shock to the guuner
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When you realise that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually an oncoming train, you know it's time to run for your life |
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03-16-2005, 10:55 AM
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#13 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,959
Country: | the same thing happened to a whitley, and i can't remember where i read it but i read of a Stirling that actually came back to base with a telgraph pole in it's wing!!
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"Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." |
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03-16-2005, 04:10 PM
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#14 | | Konfused with a 'K'
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Turin, Italy
Posts: 20,412
Country: | Those shots are amazing!
__________________ with my one last gaping breath id apologise for bleeding on your shirt... |
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03-17-2005, 04:18 PM
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#15 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,959
Country: | man the one that shot at the last P-47 there must have had one hell of a shot, almost through the middle of the star............
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"Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." |
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