In my never-ending search for interesting paper, I came across this Boeing advertisement in a 1945 National Geographic. I was -- and am -- astounded as to the amount of damage this B-17 took over Germany in World War II.
A bit of Internet search took me to a very interesting site (www.daves'warbirds) in which the survival accounts of many B-17 are reported and shown.
The site says:
"The B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97the Battle Group) flown by Lieutenant Kenneth R. Bragg, its tail section almost severed by a collision with an enemy fighter, flew 90 minutes back to its home base, landed safely and broke in two after landing.
SOURCE: Flying Forts by Martin Caiden."
The website offers a couple additional photos of the plane after landing.
The advertisement adds a little color:
"This slashed-in-two Flying Fortress theoretically should not fly. There had been stiff fighter opposition. In the melee, a Messerschmitt, crazily out of control, crashed into it.
"The German plane was destroyed upon impact. The Fortress's fuselage was ripped diagonally from top to bottom. Control surfaces were carried away. The tail gunner, suddenly imperiled in his wabbling section, crawled forward onto the narrow floor structure that held the parts together. And the Fortress flew steadily -- back to her base for a perfect landing."
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