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| Stories Stories about WWII aviation. |
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02-07-2009, 12:22 AM
| #1 |
| Junior Member  Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: California
Posts: 5
| Funny story in bombing Bonn I'm going to quote this from the book I read it from: ...Harry Crosby was unable to sight his primary target through a thick cloudbank. Both backup targets were socked in as well, freeing the squadrons to bomb a "target of opportunity," an Air Force euphemism for anyplace that could be conveniently creamed. Sighting a large German city through a clearing in the clouds, Crosby gave the OK sign to the pilot. Just as he heard the bomb doors opening, he looked down at his map and discovered that the city was Bonn. He immediately hit his mike button. "All positions from navigator, I have another target. We can't bomb Bonn." "Command to navigator. Why not?" "That is where Beethoven went to school." Crosby happened to know this because he had read it on the cover of the phonograph record he had played in his room the night before the raid, Beethoven's 5th, a fitting musical prelude, he thought, for a mission into Germany. He had also read on the cover that Bonn was a university town, one of the most picturesque places in Europe. After an outburst of "Oh, ****s" from the crew, the pilot went along with Crosby and sixty-three Forts passed over the city, some of them with their bomb doors open. Minutes later, they found a marshaling yard in the Ruhr and obliterated it. There. Not meaning to offend any Germans, it's from the book I'm reading...
__________________ "No training, nothing. I was sent someplace to buy a uniform. Next thing, I put on this uniform that didn't fit and walk down the street with my cigarette, my briefcase, and here comes a general. Jeez, what do I do? Swallow the cigarette, throw the briefcase away? I threw away the cigarette and saluted. The general saw me and laughed." - William Wyler |
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02-08-2009, 01:43 PM
| #2 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: antwerp
Posts: 204
| lol i would hate to be that navigator when they got back at base
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02-09-2009, 08:12 PM
| #3 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hurst, Texas
Posts: 2,827
| Heh. At least he had a good marshalling yard to back up his passing over Bonn! Still, I can understand why he'd want to bypass such a place if he didn't have a specific target set out for him to clobber. Indiscrimiate bombing would've given Hitler alot of publicity to exploit.
__________________  Pillage, then burn. Argue not with dragons, for thou art crunchy and go well on toast. |
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02-09-2009, 08:17 PM
| #4 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Abingdon, VA.
Posts: 2,300
| If I may ask, what book are you reading Shootingstar? |
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02-11-2009, 09:51 PM
| #5 | |
| Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: California
Posts: 5
| Quote:
__________________ "No training, nothing. I was sent someplace to buy a uniform. Next thing, I put on this uniform that didn't fit and walk down the street with my cigarette, my briefcase, and here comes a general. Jeez, what do I do? Swallow the cigarette, throw the briefcase away? I threw away the cigarette and saluted. The general saw me and laughed." - William Wyler | |
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