The large indentation to the left of the main gun is the location of the gunner's sight. The laser warning module is located in the smaller indentation further to the left (with another on the opposite side), and the millimeter wave radar (for the Afghanit active protection system) is the flat panel just above it (with another on the opposite side, and two more on the turret corners to the rear.)
Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
The large indentation to the left of the main gun is the location of the gunner's sight. The laser warning module is located in the smaller indentation further to the left (with another on the opposite side), and the millimeter wave radar (for the Afghanit active protection system) is the flat panel just above it (with another on the opposite side, and two more on the turret corners to the rear.)
This was sent to me.
Well worth the read.
A real miracle — from WWII …
B-17 "All American" (414th
Squadron, 97BG) Crew
Pilot - Ken Bragg, Jr.
Co-pilot - G. Boyd, Jr.
Navigator -
Harry C. Nuessle
Bombardier - Ralph Burbridge
Engineer - Joe C.
James
Radio Operator - Paul A. Galloway
Ball Turret Gunner - Elton
Conda. (likely the worst position on the B-17 for several
reasons)
Waist Gunner - Michael Zuk
Tail Gunner - Sam T.
Sarpolus
Ground Crew Chief - Hank Hyland
In 1943 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 WW II.
An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out
of control, probably with a wounded pilot, then continued its crashing
descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Flying 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 two right engines were out and
one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the
rudder had been damaged, The fuselage had been cut almost completely
through connected only at two small parts of the frame, and the radios,
electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the
top that was over 16-feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest; The split in
the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner's
turret.
Although the tail
actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned
and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable
still worked, and the aircraft miraculously still flew!
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.
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. When they tried to do the same for the tail
gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The
weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he
went back to his position.
The turn back toward England had
to be very slow to keep the tail from twisting off. They actually covered
almost 70 miles to make the turn home. The bomber was so badly damaged
that it was losing altitude and speed and was soon alone in the
sky.
For a brief time, two more Me-109 German fighters attacked the All
American. Despite the extensive
damage, all of the machine gunners were
able to respond to these attacks and soon drove off the fighters.
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.
Allied P-51 fighters
intercepted the All American as it crossed over the Channel and took one
of the pictures shown. They also radioed to the base describing that the
appendage was waving like a fish tail and that the plane would not make it
and to send out boats to rescue the crew when they bailed out. The
fighters stayed with the Fortress, taking hand signals from Lt. Bragg and
relaying them to the base.
Lt. Bragg signaled that 5 parachutes and
the spare had been "used" so five of the crew could not bail out. He made
the decision that if they could not bail out safely, then he would stay
with the plane to land it.
Two and a half hours after being
hit, the aircraft made its final turn to line up with the runway while it
was still over 40 miles away. It descended into an emergency landing and a
normal roll-out on its landing gear
When the ambulance
pulled alongside, it was waved off because 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 the crew all exited
through the door in the fuselage and the tail gunner had climbed down a
ladder, at which time the entire rear section of the aircraft
collapsed.
This old bird had done
its job and brought the entire crew home uninjured.
Well worth the read.
A real miracle — from WWII …
B-17 "All American" (414th
Squadron, 97BG) Crew
Pilot - Ken Bragg, Jr.
Co-pilot - G. Boyd, Jr.
Navigator -
Harry C. Nuessle
Bombardier - Ralph Burbridge
Engineer - Joe C.
James
Radio Operator - Paul A. Galloway
Ball Turret Gunner - Elton
Conda. (likely the worst position on the B-17 for several
reasons)
Waist Gunner - Michael Zuk
Tail Gunner - Sam T.
Sarpolus
Ground Crew Chief - Hank Hyland
In 1943 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 WW II.
An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out
of control, probably with a wounded pilot, then continued its crashing
descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Flying 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 two right engines were out and
one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the
rudder had been damaged, The fuselage had been cut almost completely
through connected only at two small parts of the frame, and the radios,
electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the
top that was over 16-feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest; The split in
the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner's
turret.
Although the tail
actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned
and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable
still worked, and the aircraft miraculously still flew!
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.
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. When they tried to do the same for the tail
gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The
weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he
went back to his position.
The turn back toward England had
to be very slow to keep the tail from twisting off. They actually covered
almost 70 miles to make the turn home. The bomber was so badly damaged
that it was losing altitude and speed and was soon alone in the
sky.
For a brief time, two more Me-109 German fighters attacked the All
American. Despite the extensive
damage, all of the machine gunners were
able to respond to these attacks and soon drove off the fighters.
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.
Allied P-51 fighters
intercepted the All American as it crossed over the Channel and took one
of the pictures shown. They also radioed to the base describing that the
appendage was waving like a fish tail and that the plane would not make it
and to send out boats to rescue the crew when they bailed out. The
fighters stayed with the Fortress, taking hand signals from Lt. Bragg and
relaying them to the base.
Lt. Bragg signaled that 5 parachutes and
the spare had been "used" so five of the crew could not bail out. He made
the decision that if they could not bail out safely, then he would stay
with the plane to land it.
Two and a half hours after being
hit, the aircraft made its final turn to line up with the runway while it
was still over 40 miles away. It descended into an emergency landing and a
normal roll-out on its landing gear
When the ambulance
pulled alongside, it was waved off because 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 the crew all exited
through the door in the fuselage and the tail gunner had climbed down a
ladder, at which time the entire rear section of the aircraft
collapsed.
This old bird had done
its job and brought the entire crew home uninjured.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Catalinas in the Aleutians.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Kinda looks it, yeah.
Lovely shot. One gets the sense of the vastness and remoteness of the country, and yet in the middle of it, an orderly airbase, modern aircraft, and some of the trappings of civilization. Really well done, if you think about it.
Lovely shot. One gets the sense of the vastness and remoteness of the country, and yet in the middle of it, an orderly airbase, modern aircraft, and some of the trappings of civilization. Really well done, if you think about it.
Kinda looks it, yeah.
Lovely shot. One gets the sense of the vastness and remoteness of the country, and yet in the middle of it, an orderly airbase, modern aircraft, and some of the trappings of civilization. Really well done, if you think about it.
I'm betting that's on the mainland. Note the tie downs on the aircraft, notoriously windy in that part of the world. A lot of aircraft damaged or lost just from the weather. For comparison.
Grizz
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Learn something new every day. I didn't know the USAAF based B25s off of Mars back in the day...
I wouldn't have wanted to be flying out of the Aleutian Islands during WW2
They have some really harsh weather there, and airstrips were nothing to rave about either
All navigation by Mk1 eyeball and map, radio was a luxury
Lots of crazy crashes and missing planes up there
Plenty dangerous without the Japanese poking around that area too
They have some really harsh weather there, and airstrips were nothing to rave about either
All navigation by Mk1 eyeball and map, radio was a luxury
Lots of crazy crashes and missing planes up there
Plenty dangerous without the Japanese poking around that area too
I just finished reading "The Emperor's Sea Eagle" by Abe Zenji, Lt. Cmdr IJN. He led the dive bomber wing at Pearl Harbour.
He devoted two chapters to the Aleutian Campaigns I & II. They had just as miserable time there as did the Allies. They were just a smokescreen to cover the preparations for the Midway campaign.
Since the "Midway" movie is just newly released, the book is quite a timely read.
He devoted two chapters to the Aleutian Campaigns I & II. They had just as miserable time there as did the Allies. They were just a smokescreen to cover the preparations for the Midway campaign.
Since the "Midway" movie is just newly released, the book is quite a timely read.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Wolfsburg under construction before the war:
And more recently.
That whole Bauhaus look still works.
And more recently.
That whole Bauhaus look still works.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
And the guy helpfully adds that once buying this, you'd only be c. $600,000 USD away from having her fast and functional.
Damn shame Howard Hughes is gone. This sort of debacle would be right up his alley.
Damn shame Howard Hughes is gone. This sort of debacle would be right up his alley.
Donny Fenn1
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootenays
with air conditioning
USS High Point looks like a knock off of HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400)
HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) was a hydrofoil that served in the Canadian Forces from 1968 to 1971. During sea trials in 1969, the vessel exceeded 63 knots (117 km/h; 72 mph), making her the fastest unarmed warship in the world at the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bras_d'Or_(FHE_400)
http://www.forposterityssake.ca/Navy/HMCS_BRAS_D_OR_400.htm
HMCS Bras d'Or (FHE 400) was a hydrofoil that served in the Canadian Forces from 1968 to 1971. During sea trials in 1969, the vessel exceeded 63 knots (117 km/h; 72 mph), making her the fastest unarmed warship in the world at the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Bras_d'Or_(FHE_400)
http://www.forposterityssake.ca/Navy/HMCS_BRAS_D_OR_400.htm
Wolfsburg under construction before the war:
And more recently.
That whole Bauhaus look still works.
It actually did not become Wolfsburg till May 25 1945 and up till then was the largest auto factory in Europe but got distracted in building airplane wings, torpedoes, etc instead of cars.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Didn't know that - I thought it was always Wolfsburg. Thanks for the info.
I've heard it's still the largest auto factory in the world. If it ain't, it must be really close.
I've heard it's still the largest auto factory in the world. If it ain't, it must be really close.
Great pic of the factory today and one can see why the site was chosen for the factory that at the time (1939) was Stadt des KdF-Wagen bei Fallersleben . Fallersleben was the town that workers moved to for the factory, Wolfsburg was the local castle and the owner of the land was none to happy to have his lands seized for the future factory site that was chosen because of good canal and rail connections. The factory just made 55% of it capacity as a good amount of the machinery slated for it was diverted for the looming war effort to other factories. In the spring and summer of 1944 the 8th Army Air Force "visited" the factory. During the second attack on 29/4/1944 factory flak guns shot down a fully loaded bomber that crashed directly into the main production hall and exploded causing a large part of the factory to collapse. On the 18/8/1944 attack the production line for the Typ166 was damaged to the point that schwimmwagen production was ceased. Albert Speer ordered production of the Schwimmer to cease on 19/10/44 as a move to focus production on a key number of vehicle types, but damage to the welding jigs, presswerkes and paint baths by bombing had made that call hollow. The reason the KdF factory had not been bombed prior to 1944 was it had gone largely unnoticed due to its being a new from the ground up factory after the summer of 1944 the 8th Air Force had written it off as a target for future visits as its service routes (canals and rail lines) had been severed and been 60% destroyed, what the allies did NOT know was only 1.5% of the machinery was knocked out and while production slumped after each bomber attack the Germans where able to recover and continue production.
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