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“Verity - the quality
or state of being true or real; Balderdash – nonsense.”
Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Verities & Balderdash
WWII B17
Survival Story
Edited by Bob Robinson
This was sent by a reader. It has not been verified. From my
perspective, I’d simply like to “believe.” Belief… faith… is something
we are short on these days. I know men like this existed once. My
father was one of them. And I know men and women like this exist today.
My nephew is one of them. We need to honor them all and thank them for
their service… past, present and future.
A made in America story…
Wouldn't it be 'nice' if our esteemed politicians had the military
training it takes to make such brave, wonderful men... we'd be in
better shape today!
I call these men "the real deal"...the one in the tail section has
nerves of steel and then some.
WW II B17 Survival Story
B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97BG) 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
B-17 in 1943
A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German
fighter over the Tunis dock area, became the subject of one of the most
famous photographs of World War II. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th
Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot
then continued its crashing descent 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 the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut almost
completely through connected only at two small parts of the frame and
the radios, electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also
a hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4 feet wide at its
widest and the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top
gunner's turret.
Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted
when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except
one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still flew -
miraculously! The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor
connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail
gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute
harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two
sides of the fuselage from splitting apart. While the crew was trying
to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb
run and released his bombs over the target.
When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great
that it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It
took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from
parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane. When
they tried to do the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping
so hard that it began to break off. The weight of the gunner was adding
some stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position.
The turn back toward England had to be very slow to keep the tail from
twisting off. They actually covered almost 70 miles to make the turn
home. The bomber was so badly damaged that it was losing altitude and
speed and was soon alone in the sky. For a brief time, two more Me-109
German fighters attacked the All American. Despite the extensive
damage, all of the machine gunners were able to respond to these
attacks and soon drove off the fighters. The two waist gunners stood up
with their heads sticking out through the hole in the top of the
fuselage to aim and fire their machine guns. The tail gunner had to
shoot in short bursts because the recoil was actually causing the plane
to turn.
Allied P-51 fighters intercepted the All American as it crossed over
the Channel and took one of the pictures shown. They also radioed to
the base describing that the empennage was waving like a fish tail and
that the plane would not make it and to send out boats to rescue the
crew when they bailed out. The fighters stayed with the Fortress taking
hand signals from Lt. Bragg and relaying them to the base. Lt. Bragg
signaled that 5 parachutes and the spare had been "used" so five of the
crew could not bail out. He made the decision that if they could not
bail out safely, then he would stay with the plane and land it.
Two and a half hours after being hit, the aircraft made its final turn
to line up with the runway while it was still over 40 miles away. It
descended into an emergency landing and a normal roll-out on its
landing gear.
When the ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off because not a
single member of the crew had been injured. No one could believe that
the aircraft could still fly in such a condition. The Fortress sat
placidly until the crew all exited through the door in the fuselage and
the tail gunner had climbed down a ladder, at which time the entire
rear section of the aircraft collapsed onto the ground. The rugged old
bird had done its job.
I love stories about America 's past.......
pass this on to someone you know will appreciate this story.
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