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Link Posted: 1/16/2024 10:40:20 AM EST
[Last Edit: redleg13a] [#1]
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TN, CA and WV were some beautiful ships after their rebuilds.  Compact, look fast (they weren't, though lol) and ready to tear some stuff up.

And WV got a first salvo hit on Yamashiro at over 30k yards.
Link Posted: 1/16/2024 1:00:51 PM EST
[#2]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By redleg13a:
And WV got a first salvo hit on Yamashiro at over 30k yards.
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I can't think of many more impressive feats of naval gunnery than that. Seriously fine shooting.
Link Posted: 1/16/2024 2:36:53 PM EST
[#3]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By redleg13a:


TN, CA and WV were some beautiful ships after their rebuilds.  Compact, look fast (they weren't, though lol) and ready to tear some stuff up.

And WV got a first salvo hit on Yamashiro at over 30k yards.
View Quote

That's incredible!
Link Posted: 1/18/2024 12:08:27 AM EST
[#4]
Link Posted: 1/18/2024 12:13:15 AM EST
[#5]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History


That is really a Sad Sad Story.   Overflying the coast on a recipircal bearing deep into the desert.

Bailing out of the aircraft at night.

Stranded in the desert with only what they had on them.

What a hell to die in.

RIP Lady Be Good & Crew.



Bigger_Hammer
Link Posted: 1/18/2024 11:11:51 AM EST
[#6]
Link Posted: 1/18/2024 10:25:58 PM EST
[#7]
This made-for-TV movie was my first exposure to the Lady Be Good.
Twilight Zone-ish movie SOLE SURVIVOR (1970) review - William Shatner, Richard Basehart. Fantasy.
Link Posted: 1/18/2024 10:29:42 PM EST
[Last Edit: Mal_means_bad] [#8]
Link Posted: 1/20/2024 10:47:34 AM EST
[#9]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History


I have read that before.

heartbreaking what those men endured




Link Posted: 1/24/2024 9:59:13 AM EST
[#10]
Burning B-17 at Chelveston England, August 1943
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Firefighting foam being sprayed on engine, starter cart under the nose
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Bicycles used to get around airfields quickly
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Link Posted: 1/25/2024 9:36:41 AM EST
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History


Years ago, pre internet, I read that several other aircraft were suspected of making the same mistake in navigation  but those aircraft did not "land" as smoothly as Lady Be Good so their stories are lost to time.
Link Posted: 1/26/2024 10:53:25 PM EST
[#12]
B-17 almost makes it back from Schweinfurt, 1943
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Link Posted: 1/28/2024 10:11:12 PM EST
[#13]
"Lady Liberty", August 19 1943, falls after direct flak hit over Holland
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Link Posted: 1/29/2024 9:45:15 AM EST
[#14]
B-17 hit by flak over Merseburg, 30 November 1944.  The navigator and bombardier survived.
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Link Posted: 1/29/2024 9:51:43 AM EST
[#15]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:
B-17 hit by flak over Merseburg, 30 November 1944.  The navigator and bombardier survived.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/487th_Bomb_Group_B-17_shortly_after_bein-3111417.JPG
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Nightmarish. Those crew are in quite different spots; I wonder why the others could not escape.

Link Posted: 1/29/2024 11:27:45 AM EST
[#16]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Esterhase:


Nightmarish. Those crew are in quite different spots; I wonder why the others could not escape.

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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Esterhase:
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:
B-17 hit by flak over Merseburg, 30 November 1944.  The navigator and bombardier survived.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/487th_Bomb_Group_B-17_shortly_after_bein-3111417.JPG


Nightmarish. Those crew are in quite different spots; I wonder why the others could not escape.


I'm pretty sure those two were basically in the same compartment at the front of the aircraft and had a hatch in the floor.
Link Posted: 1/29/2024 1:51:25 PM EST
[#17]
The cockpit and cabin near the wing root probably ate a lot of shrapnel from that hit, many of the crew may have been incapacitated or killed instantly.  They were also forward of the fireball, which was streaming past the escape routes for the crew in the tail and could be entering the tail.
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Link Posted: 1/29/2024 2:02:34 PM EST
[#18]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:
"Lady Liberty", August 19 1943, falls after direct flak hit over Holland
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/b17_Lady_Liberty_goes_down_jpg-3111155.JPG
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It almost looks like there's a crewman in the back.
Link Posted: 1/29/2024 2:21:54 PM EST
[#19]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By JellyBelly:



It almost looks like there's a crewman in the back.
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Pilot and tail gunner are listed as surviving  - tail gunner Emil Radosevich must have one hell of a story. He came back from 22 months in POW camp, had kids, grandkids, retired as Chief of Operations in 1977 from Fort Wingate Army Depot, died in 2017 at 95.

"Lady Liberty" in formation over England on the day of loss
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Link Posted: 1/29/2024 8:27:16 PM EST
[#20]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:
The cockpit and cabin near the wing root probably ate a lot of shrapnel from that hit, many of the crew may have been incapacitated or killed instantly.  They were also forward of the fireball, which was streaming past the escape routes for the crew in the tail and could be entering the tail.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/bail_out_jpg-3111649.JPG
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I think their hatch was clearly visible in one of the photos earlier in the thread.

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/305thBombGroup364BSB17FFlyingFortressfir-3105714.JPG
Link Posted: 1/30/2024 7:26:04 PM EST
[#21]
Pics are not all of the same aircraft - walking away from a forced belly landing in a muddy English field
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Cranes or airbags were used to lift bellied planes and get their landing gear deployed under them
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Wherever flying out forced down bombers was possible mobile machine shops were dispatched to repair them
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"Twelve rockets mounted beneath the wings of a B-17 Flying Fortress of the US Army 8th Air Force aid this crash-landed plane to make a take-off short enough to clear obstacles at the end of a small ploughed English field... flak damage...  Captain Richard G. Holub... it's up after rolling only 372 feet, half the distance it would take without the rockets..."
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Smooth belly landing and airbag emplacement at an English airfield
B 17 BELLY LANDING AT PODINGTON 1944 WW 2. WITH SOUND TRACK


One wheel down was worse than none
Flying Fortress Crash Landing (1944)

Link Posted: 2/1/2024 2:26:18 PM EST
[#22]
On October 22, 1944, SSgt Houlihan was standing outside watching a formation of what turned out to be 305th BG B-17s returning from a mission to Hanover.  They were based at Chelveston approximately 15 miles (23 kilometers) from Thurleigh.  Near SSgt Houlihan was the Thurleigh base photographer TSgt Francis L. Waugh who was standing on the running board of an ambulance with his camera pointed up at the B-17s.  They saw two of the B-17s crash into each other.  The crews from both B-17s were killed.  Human remains and wreckage from the aircraft rained down from the sky over Thurleigh.

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Link Posted: 2/2/2024 7:03:41 PM EST
[#23]
Link Posted: 2/2/2024 7:38:59 PM EST
[#24]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Parked there for familiarization it seems, red paint on the muzzle brake for IFF.  Aside from being new, I suppose the muzzle brake and shape of the hull made misidentification as German more likely.
Link Posted: 2/4/2024 7:36:19 PM EST
[#25]
Fighter attack on a wounded B-17 falling from formation, 1943, Bremen
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Fatally wounded by defensive fire, Me 410 Hornisse with a monster BK5 50mm autocannon peels away from an attack
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Photo claimed to have been taken by B-17 gunner, but documentation is weak, I'm not swearing to it.  Flight sims and AI are pumping fakes online.
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Link Posted: 2/5/2024 6:51:10 AM EST
[#26]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:


Photo claimed to have been taken by B-17 gunner, but documentation is weak, I'm not swearing to it.  Flight sims and AI are pumping fakes online.

View Quote


Older than AI, posted the first time in 2021.

But could be a fake anyway.  
Link Posted: 2/5/2024 10:19:27 PM EST
[#27]
Raid on Bremen, winter of 1943
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Link Posted: 2/7/2024 2:24:22 PM EST
[#28]
German rocket narrow miss
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Lady-B-Good returns from Berlin damaged by Me 262 cannon
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Wing being replaced
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Link Posted: 2/7/2024 2:41:28 PM EST
[Last Edit: SemperGumbi] [#29]
It is really amazing how much damage the B-17 could take and still get the crew home. Awesome!
Link Posted: 2/10/2024 11:40:52 AM EST
[#30]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By SemperGumbi:
It is really amazing how much damage the B-17 could take and still get the crew home. Awesome!
View Quote



That ain't no shit!
Link Posted: 2/11/2024 10:35:53 AM EST
[Last Edit: Leisure_Shoot] [#31]
Great story. Great video.

In 2005 a guy converted his grandfather's videos from WWII to digital media, and finds a surviving pilot from one of the films, and then goes to interview him.


Link Posted: 2/11/2024 10:52:42 AM EST
[Last Edit: Rhino48] [#32]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:
Fighter attack on a wounded B-17 falling from formation, 1943, Bremen
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/109_attack_jpg-3118482.JPG

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/bf109_jpg-3118516.JPG

Fatally wounded by defensive fire, Me 410 Hornisse with a monster BK5 50mm autocannon peels away from an attack
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/brux_jpg-3118513.JPG

Photo claimed to have been taken by B-17 gunner, but documentation is weak, I'm not swearing to it.  Flight sims and AI are pumping fakes online.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/172926/me262_jpg-3118519.JPG
View Quote


My Uncle was a B-17 pilot, and among his possessions was an apparent reprint of the Victor Labruno picture in this thread. @CFII posted the picture long ago too, I think it was his profile pic. I messaged him about it, his grand dad I believe had it too, so he might have been the originator, or it was a pic that lots of crew got copies of.

Is there any way to research aircraft by "name" ? My cousin who has my uncles records is not good at sharing. I've been wanting more info but not sure where to look, of course his records were lost in the early 70's fire, so doubt I'd get much there.

All I have is that my Uncles Plane was "Jug's Juggernaut" (his nickname was Jug as his initials were JG)

@Mal_means_bad
@CFII
Link Posted: 2/11/2024 12:34:41 PM EST
[#33]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Rhino48:


My Uncle was a B-17 pilot, and among his possessions was an apparent reprint of the Victor Labruno picture in this thread. @CFII posted the picture long ago too, I think it was his profile pic. I messaged him about it, his grand dad I believe had it too, so he might have been the originator, or it was a pic that lots of crew got copies of.

Is there any way to research aircraft by "name" ? My cousin who has my uncles records is not good at sharing. I've been wanting more info but not sure where to look, of course his records were lost in the early 70's fire, so doubt I'd get much there.

All I have is that my Uncles Plane was "Jug's Juggernaut" (his nickname was Jug as his initials were JG)

@Mal_means_bad
@CFII
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B-17 Nose Art Directory

Not listed here.
Link Posted: 2/11/2024 1:22:20 PM EST
[#34]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Brundoggie:

B-17 Nose Art Directory

Not listed here.
View Quote

Holy crap, that's a pretty comprehensive list, seems odd it's not there. The pics I have of the aircraft are pretty unclear, I don't think any show numbers of any sort. now I gotta find them in my scans to double check.

Thanks for linking that though, that's great info!
Link Posted: 2/12/2024 9:49:39 AM EST
[#35]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By Rhino48:

Holy crap, that's a pretty comprehensive list, seems odd it's not there. The pics I have of the aircraft are pretty unclear, I don't think any show numbers of any sort. now I gotta find them in my scans to double check.

Thanks for linking that though, that's great info!
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Originally Posted By Rhino48:
Originally Posted By Brundoggie:

B-17 Nose Art Directory

Not listed here.

Holy crap, that's a pretty comprehensive list, seems odd it's not there. The pics I have of the aircraft are pretty unclear, I don't think any show numbers of any sort. now I gotta find them in my scans to double check.

Thanks for linking that though, that's great info!
There are a couple online B-17 databases.  I couldn't find Jug's Juggernaut, or Juggernaut, but crews are named whenever there was a crash or shootdown, so I'd try searching your uncle's name here:
https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/

The 8th AF museum is assembling a veterans database, not online yet, contact info:
"If you are researching an Eighth veteran and would like to see if his information is in the database, please contact the research center by calling 912-988-1838 or emailing [email protected]"
https://www.mightyeighth.org/veteran-database/

Good luck!

B-17 low pass off of USS Washington BB-56 circa July 1942.  
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Washington had been assigned to the British Home Fleet for convoy escort to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, Russia, past occupied Norway.  During the first joint operation in late June/early July 1942 she and the other escorts were ordered away from convoy PQ 17 by miscommunication and the mistaken belief of the Admiralty that battleship Tirpitz and company had sortied to attack.  The Admiralty ordered the unprotected merchantmen to scatter and they were leisurely massacred by German planes and U-boats while the warships, intercepting a phantom, appeared to flee without engaging the enemy.  The incident harmed the alliance with the Soviets and Admiral King withdrew Washington from Royal Navy command in a rage to be refit and sent to the Pacific.  This turned out to be fortuitous because Washington immediately became a lynchpin of the last line of defense for Guadalcanal until she blew the shit out of Japanese destroyers and battleship Kirishima in a decisive close range night battle off Savo Island in November 1942, which convinced the Japanese that the campaign was lost.
Link Posted: 2/12/2024 10:03:58 AM EST
[#36]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History


Interesting.  Lady Be Good was the B-24 that got lost and crashed landed in the Libyan desert and not discovered until the early 1960's.  I didn't realize there was a B-17 named Lady B Good.  Same name, different spelling.
Link Posted: 2/12/2024 10:28:51 AM EST
[#37]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By redleg13a:


Interesting.  Lady Be Good was the B-24 that got lost and crashed landed in the Libyan desert and not discovered until the early 1960's.  I didn't realize there was a B-17 named Lady B Good.  Same name, different spelling.
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Supposedly named after a 1941 MGM musical
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Link Posted: 2/13/2024 9:09:48 AM EST
[Last Edit: Mal_means_bad] [#38]
The tail of B-17 Julie Mae dimly seen through a cloud of debris at the moment it is severed by collision with the props of Silver Dollar above it on a raid on Stuttgart, September 1944
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Front half of Julie Mae falling.  7 KIA and 2 survivors
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No casualties on Silver Dollar, which returned to base safely despite being down one engine, tremendous drag from the shattered nose, and a severely damaged wing.  Note that the pilots were able to fully feather the sturdily built Hydromatic prop despite the shock of impact, she likely would have been forced down from the additional drag or vibration if they couldn't.  Silver Dollar was returned to service, survived the war, and was scrapped in the United States.
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Link Posted: 2/16/2024 8:54:35 AM EST
[#39]
Link Posted: 2/18/2024 7:17:21 PM EST
[#40]
Formation instruction
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Formation bombing
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Bombs pass dangerously through a B-26 formation
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Tail severed by falling bomb when formations drifted together
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Link Posted: 2/18/2024 10:22:08 PM EST
[#41]
Link Posted: 2/20/2024 10:24:49 AM EST
[#42]
German Stahlhelm manufacture and testing in 1941


Link Posted: 2/20/2024 11:36:51 PM EST
[#43]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History


And the first picture shows why the Norden bomb sight, even if it worked wouldn't allow for "precision" bombing. Now multiply that times 20 and you have some dispersion.
Link Posted: 2/23/2024 9:42:04 AM EST
[#44]
WOW!

Replacement Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses lined up on an airfield in England to replace squadron losses for the US Eighth Air Force - 1943/44
Original Color Photograph
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Archives


Link Posted: 2/23/2024 10:31:24 AM EST
[#45]
Not a photo but a short video about the man behind the name of the M1 tank, LtCol Creighton Abrams, as he leads his armor Bn into an attack on the Germans to releive the 101st at Bastogne. He was a badass commander

Snow & Steel: How Creighton Abrams' Tanks Turned the Tide at Bastogne
Link Posted: 2/25/2024 11:54:41 AM EST
[#46]
Not a photo, but on topic:

Link Posted: 2/25/2024 1:45:26 PM EST
[Last Edit: SiVisPacem] [#47]


The above image is of B-17 43-38771. During a mission in early 1945 (late January, early February, IIRC), a bomb from another aircraft went through the plane where the fuselage and wing met. The plane landed, was repaired, and returned to service three weeks later. My grandfather was the first pilot to fly her on a mission when she was returned to operational status.

My grandfather flew her on 10 of his 16 missions.
Link Posted: 2/25/2024 2:14:33 PM EST
[#48]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By 4xGM300m:


Older than AI, posted the first time in 2021.

But could be a fake anyway.  
View Quote View All Quotes
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By 4xGM300m:
Originally Posted By Mal_means_bad:


Photo claimed to have been taken by B-17 gunner, but documentation is weak, I'm not swearing to it.  Flight sims and AI are pumping fakes online.



Older than AI, posted the first time in 2021.

But could be a fake anyway.  

It certainly gives-off edited flight sim screenshot vibs. There's been many pics and gun cam footage/stills faked using IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles, specifically its Bodenplatte expansion from 2019 that included late-war western front planes.

It's disappointing. I'm constantly seeing new pics from WWII on Facebook group pages. Some are obvious sim/game screenshots or AI-generated. Others are not easily discernible. Now there will always be doubt if a picture is actually a new discovery or something computer-generated.
Link Posted: 2/25/2024 2:22:03 PM EST
[#49]
Link Posted: 2/26/2024 12:03:46 AM EST
[#50]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Originally Posted By MMcfpd:
Not a photo, but on topic:

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/113241/P47_size_comparison-3140899.jpg
View Quote



Good visual on how big the Jug was compared to her contemporaries.
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