B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 42-97655

History of
B-17 42-97655

B-17 42-97655 Details

I was flying as pilot in aircraft number 1392. We were flying on right wing of aircraft #655. We were on the bomb run when about one before bombs away, I saw the nose of ship number 655 explode scattering in small pieces from the leading edge of the aircraft forward.

That is all I saw, and no parachutes were visible to me.

2Lt. Leo A. Dennison

I was bombardier on aircraft number 1392, flying right wing of the Colonel’s aircraft number 655. I only got a quick glimpse of the aircraft just as it was hit.

It seemed as though it was a direct hit in the cockpit. The nose from the leading edge of the wing forward just seemed to fall off and just seemed to disappear.

I saw the right wheel fall off and an oxygen bottle roll out of the flight deck. I saw no parachutes come out at all. It was hit just about a minute or a minute and a half before target time. I didn’t see his bombs fall so I don’t know if they were salvoed or not.

2Lt. Charles W. Caudill

I was the left waist gunner in aircraft #1392, which flew right wing to aircraft #655. About a minute before target time I was busy helping the other waist gunner dispose of the carbage [sic]. As I reached back for another box of carbage [sic] I happened to glance out of the window and saw the vertical stabilizer going down. I stood up and saw the aircraft going straight down. Just before aircraft #655 got down below my gun I saw what looked like a large hole starting about the co-pilot’s position and number 3 engine. I did not see any parachutes come out of the aircraft.

S/Sgt. Fred E. Schenner

While in the bomb run over Wiener Neustadt, my plane received a direct flak hit, the shell exploding in the plane. The nose and both wings were broken off and I was blown out of the plane. I do not know the fade of those listed as MIA, but believed they were all killed. I later saw the two men marked RD. I saw now parachutes in the air following the explosion.

Col. Jacob E. Smart
Pilot 42-97655
16 May 1945

Source: MACR 4722

B-17 42-97655 Crew