That Cherished Book

By Mark W. Danielson

I dare say that everyone has a book they cherish for one reason or another.  When I was a kid, I loved airplanes and never missed an episode of 12 O’Clock High, so it's no surprise that Edward Jablanski’s book, Flying Fortress was mine.  I loved that book, and not one single page was ever nicked or bent – until my mother loaded it out without asking.  Granted, not many kids cherish books, so what’s the harm?  I was crushed when my book came back severely damaged.  I pleaded for Mom to make the kid who damaged it replace it, but that never happened.  As you can see, I still have the book and its memories.

Not long ago a dear friend sent me his cherished book, which ironically is about another World War II bomber.  In fact, Bomber is Len Deighton’s title, featuring a Royal Air Force bomber’s last flight over Germany on June 31, 1943.  In this case, the book is in shambles because it’s been read so many times, but its words and message remain as powerful today as they were the day it was published.

That’s the beauty of words.  For those willing to take the time, they evoke meaning far beyond the pages of which they were written.  Bomber and Flying Fortress both take their readers to the flak infested skies over Germany, letting them feel the fear as bullets and shrapnel rip their airplanes apart.  And after the raid, fighters swoop down from the sun before to pick off the less fortunate stragglers.  For the bombers that made it back, meat wagons await them to haul off the injured and dead, then the planes are hosed out and patched up for their next mission.  The photos in Flying Fortress validate the stories in the book.  I am still in awe of the scope of World War II.  

While every novelist strives to create meaningful work, it often gets lost in translation.  Sometimes authors try so hard that not a word gets written that day.  Some call this writer’s block, but the fact is not everything works.  Whenever I reach that point, I stop and take a break.  Picking up a good book can provide great inspiration to get me back into writing.

Now, consider your favorite book – the one you cannot part with.  Which one is it, and why does it stick with you?  Was there an experience that went along with the book or were the words that compelling?  To this date I cannot explain why Flying Fortress is still so important to me or Bomber is to my friend, but I shall always cherish them. 

Angel Flight

 

Posted by Mark W. Danielson

This is not an article I wrote, but rather one I felt was worth sharing.  As a kid, I never missed an episode of Twelve O’Clock High – the World War II series based upon the B-17 movie of the same name.  I loved the Flying Fortress, and frequently flipped through the pages of my book of the same name.  In this book, I remember seeing an amazing photo of this B-17 that was torn in half by a German fighter, but I never knew the full story until this article was passed on to me.  I cleaned it up slightly, but full credit goes to the unknown crewmember that wrote the article.  I hope you find it equally fascinating.  I salute every airman of WWII.

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A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area resulted in one of the most famous photographs of World War II.  It was there that an enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot, and crashed 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 two right engines were out and one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and rudder had both been damaged, the fuselage, which had nearly been cut completely through, was connected only at two small parts of the airframe.  The radios, electrical and oxygen systems were also damaged.  The hole in the top of the fuselage stretched 16 feet to the top gunner’s turret, and was four feet wide at one point.

Although the tail bounced and swayed and the fuselage twisted when the plane turned, it miraculously flew on only one surviving elevator cable.  The tail gunner remained at his station as there was no floor to get back to the main fuselage.  While the plane lumbered on, the waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses to lash the tail and fuselage halves together while the pilots coaxed All American to her target.

When the bomb bay doors opened, the inside wind force was so great it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section.  In several heart-stopping minutes, four crew members were able to pass parachute ropes to him and haul him forward.  When they tried doing the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping hard.  Figuring that the gunner’s weight was adding stability, he quickly returned to his position.

Because their one hundred eighty degree turn had to be very gentle, they covered almost 70 miles before they were heading home.  Even worse, their B-17 was so badly damaged that it kept losing altitude and speed.  Soon, they were alone and easy prey for two more Me-109s.  Refusing to go down without a fight, All American’s crew responded with guns blazing, the waist gunners with their heads through the hole in the fuselage, and the tail gunner’s recoil turning the airplane.  Thankfully, the fighters retreated without instilling further damage.

Allied P-51 fighters intercepted All American as she crossed the English Channel, snapped this inflight photo, and then radioed to base that the bomber’s empennage was waving like a fish tail, that the plane would not make it back, and to send rescue boats to retrieve the crew when they bailed out.  But Lt. Bragg quickly signaled that bailing out was not as option as they had used six parachutes to keep the plane together.  Earlier, the crew decided that if they could not all bail out safely, then they would stay with the plane and attempt a landing.  The Mustang pilots could only watch in amazement.

Two and a half hours after her mid-air, All American made her final turn to line up with the runway that was still 40 miles away.  Remarkably, she held together and rolled out on her landing gear.  When the ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off because not one crewmember had been injured.  As people swarmed around the aircraft, no one could believe All American made it home.  She could have given up, but instead sat placidly while the crew exited through the fuselage door and the tail gunner climbed down a ladder.  Soon after, her aft section collapsed as if she knew she had done her job.

 

All American crew:  Pilot- Ken Bragg Jr., Copilot- G. Boyd Jr., Navigator- Harry C. Nuessle, Bombardier- Ralph Burbridge, Engineer- Joe C. James, Radio Operator- Paul A. Galloway, Ball Turret Gunner- Elton Conda, Waist Gunner- Michael Zuk, Tail Gunner- Sam T. Sarpolus, Ground Crew Chief- Hank Hyland

I love stories about America 's past.......pass this on to someone you know will appreciate this story.