B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 44-6808 / Kraut Stomper

Geschichte der
B-17 44-6808 / Kraut Stomper

Delivered Hunter 18/11/44; Grenier 24/11/44; Assigned 863BS/493BG Debach 29/11/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 6/7/45; Sth Plains 8/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 28/11/45.

Zuletzt aktualisiert: 16. Oktober 2021

B-17 44-6808 / Kraut Stomper Details

Wurde am 18. März 1945 beim Einsatz nach Berlin, Deutschland beschädigt. Die rechte Tragfläche und das Heck wurde von der Flak schwer beschädigt. Eine Flak-Granate durchschlug das linke Höhenruder ohne zu explodieren.

44-6808 wurde repariert und flog am 03. April 1945 wieder Einsätze. Diese B-17 überlebte den Krieg und wurde in den Staaten verschrottet.

Zeitungsartikel

Identifizierung der Besatzung – Recherche und Informationen von Darren Jelley.

Notizen von Harvard C. Kniffen

They got us up again for a mission this morning at 0315. We briefed at 0430 for an all out mission on Berlin. Our bomb load was 18 100# G.P.’s and 8 M-17’s. we took off at 0800. It was 10/10 coverage all the way over until we reached the IP. Then it cleared off. we could see the flak coming up from the ground until it burst up at us. We had our bomb bay doors open and was one minute away from our primary target when we received a direct hit in our right wing and a shell through our left horizontal stabilizer. The entire interphone was out and no one knew what was wrong and was any one hurt. Right quick all the fellows from the radio room on back came up to the nose. All the oxygen was shot out from radio room on back. We are all thanking the Lord tonight that we are here. The direct hit in our wing put a hole in it big enough for two men to stand in. it made the fuselage look like a sieve. The hole in the stabilizer was big enough to put our head in it and look around. We sweated the whole ride back. Really no need for it as Lt Greene (Richard J Greene) did a swell job in bringing us back. He is quite capable of it. We couldn’t use our flaps to land, and we weren’t sure that we didn’t have a flat tire, so we were last to land in case we made a bad landing.

The other planes would be down and not have to wait for the runway to be cleared. I stood behind the co-Pilot for the landing. We landed rather fast because we didn’t have any flaps to slow us down, so we didn’t stop at the end of the runway. We just rode her out into the middle of a field. A crowd gathered fast and pictures were taken. Then the Colonel came out to see what happened.

B-17 44-6808 / Kraut Stomper Crew