B-17's that took a beating

evangilder said:

That myth has been circulating the web for a while. No, the plane did NOT make it back. All on board were killed when the plane went down, no one got out.

Battle-Damaged B-17 Flying Fortresses: Tail hits - Page 3

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thank you eric
yeah, I spoke about these pics.this b-17 never made it back...

Great stuff seesul,thanks for sharing it!

wilbur1 said:

Great stuff seesul,thanks for sharing it!

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Wilbur,
thank you for your attendance. There´s an icehockey match today, so tomorrow I´ll let ya know.

Cool its raining here so stuck inside again

Roman and his collegues should be praised and thanked for what they have done to make enemies friends again, thank fully even through the pain of both the German and US airmen with losses of close buds they have reunited as shown through several pics of Willy R. and Joe meeting and each other embracing. That to me says it all, forgiveness on both sides ? maybe, maybe not, but to even meet with one another sit at the same table and have a few biers and talk of times long ago says much to make a sure bond between adversaries............thanks for that Roman you all have done well and it is much appreciated I know from Joe and Will and others.
I think of friend Dr. Jan Zdiarsky another one who has put together a fine museum and brought together on the anniversary of a tragic air battle over the Erzgebirge on 11 September 1944 both sides to make things right and remember the fallen.
have also been apart of the KMMA for the US 445th bg as an outside friend who also has been able with German help present memorial to the fallen of their bomb group and to the SturmFw and Bf 109G pilots that fell on 27 September 44 near Kassel-Göttingen.

As to film clips of stricken US bombers I have plenty and have put some here on the site in the past months and years

Erich:
THANK YOU!

Click on damage for famous picture and information about damaged B-17. This is enlarged pic of your avatar.

After bailing out he fell down into the woods and was found by Czech people. One of them used to work in USA so could speak English. He persuaded Joe to follow them to their house. They brought him home (in nearby village Preckovice) and Joe stood there till the end of the war (from Aug. 29,1944 till the end of June 1945!) AT THE GREAT RISK OF WHOLE FAMILY. For sure if Germans found hime there, whole family would be executed, there´s no doubt...
Few times, when Germans entered the village, he had to ran into the woods and stay there for 1 or 2 days, then came back. Before the end of the war, when Germans were on they way to west occupation zone, each family in this village had to accomodate few Germans. So there were 2 Germans also at this family. Joe was so ''fresh'', that he acted deaf and dumb Czech, sat to the table with Germans and played cards with them
Anyway, he was so happy there that when the WW2 was over, he even wanted to stay there and didn´t want to come back home. No wonder when I´ve seen pictures that his sister sent me 2 months ago. All the girls around loved him and I guess he loved them all as well
At the end of June he had to leave as it wasn´t easy for an American to stay in Russian occupation zone. So came back to small village Lutrell, Knoxville county, TN. Died 1972 after long ilness. He had 2 sons and I have to write them yet, when there´s a time.

1st pic- Joe with local girls in Preckovice
2nd pic- Joe with his parents and sister after he got back home
3rd pic- Joe in uniform

good stories seesul keep em coming!

thank you Eagle, O.K., let´s go...

After bailing out he fell down on open field (3 miles away from my born town) and saw a lot of people yelling and running his direction. He didn´t know if they are Gemans or Czechs, so ran away into the woods and was hidding there untill all the people left. Because all the crews were on the pre-flight briefing informed that there´s National urprising agaist Germans in Slovakia since Aug. 29, he decided to go east. In fact all the machines that went down on that day, fell next to the Czech/Slovak border, most of them on Czech side, some on Slovak side. So he was lucky as after 1 hour of walking he was in Slovakia. After he met some local people there they brought him to town called Trencin. There he met another Americans from differnet crews that bailed out few days or weeks before. They all were accomodated in one house. Once German soldiers entered this house and captured all the Americans. There was only one that wasn´t captured- correct- Bob Donahue...Why? Very easy, he had to go to the toilet and while he was there doing his job, Germans captured all the other Americans
Then he met Slovak soldier (Jan Surovec) that spoke English and with his help he was able to reach Banska Bystrica, the centre of Slovak National Urprising.
On Sept. 17, 1944, 2 B-17´s with from 2ndBG with and fighter escort of P-51´s flew to Banska Bystrica as an famous OSS secret mission, B-17´s landed there on the field airport and toke 12 American crew members back to Amendola base. By the way there´s very good book called ''OSS tragedy in Slovakia'' written by Jim Downs describing also this event. I got an English version of this book, Slovak version is also available.
Robert used to work as postman after WW2 and died in 2003. I´m very sad that I wasn´t able to got in touch with him before...

1st picture- boxcar-has nothing do do but it´s a part of the pic bellow, sorry
2nd picture- from L-R Thayne Thomas (1st pilot of B-17 No. 096 ''Big Time'' that went down on the same day, Thomas was only one survivor and met Donahue in Banska Bystrica), Jan Surovec (Slovak soldier and interpreter) and Robert Donahue
3rd picture- group of waiting Americans on the field airport near Banska Bystrica waiting for 2 B-17´s. Bob Donahue is in the front row, 2nd from left
4th picture- the same group
5th picture- 2 B-17´s after landing on this field airport

Awesome stuff Roman, a great tribute to these guys...

Great addition to this site. Good stuff, Roman.

thank you friends!
only hope you understand my English
never learned English in the school...I´m self-taught person...

Great storys seesul, i recommend a book to you about the oss called sisterhood of spies, talks about that mission. keep the storys coming!

After bailing out he was hidding in the woods near Rudimov village. 2 young Czechs found him there and one of them brought him home. His name is Mojmir Baca. He´s as old as Loy and they became so good friends since that that they are still in touch today and Loy has visited our town Slavicin 5 or 6 times.
Back to the story- Loy stayed overnight in Baca´s house and on the other day he made a decision to give up to Germans as he didn´t want to bring Baca´s family into danger...
So he walked with Baca to Slavicin and gave up there. Till the end of the war as POW.
He´s past president of 2ndBG vets association (2004-2006).
He´s that one that got me in touch with Joe. In 2004 there was a big commemoration of 60 years aniversary of the battle over White Carpathian so Loy came to attend this event. After the offical part of the commemoration I asked him for a signature and my wife toke a picture of him with me. Loy gave me an adress of their websites Second Bomb Group, I´ve found his mailing address there and sent him a letter. He shared this letter with another vets from his crew that was shot down with him. After 2 weeks I got an e-mail from Joe saing. "hi, I was shot down with Loy, my name is Joe and if you wish we can stay in touch". Sure I wanted!!! I sent and got more or less 200 e-mails in 6 months (!) to and from Joe and then I asked him if he wanted to visit us. He told me:" maybe yes, but don´t jump too high yet". After 2 weeks I got a scanned copies of flight tickets and everything was sure
So Joe visited us here in August 2005, we visited him in 2006 and this year he visited us again... He calls me SON, which I´m very proud of...

Pic 1- from L to R- Mojmir Baca (Loy´s friend), me,Loy, Anton (my best friend)
Pic 2- from L to R- Mojmir Baca and Loy

Thanks, SeeSul, for posting an amazing story.

Just had a thought (I get one once in a great while now): I wonder what the predominant occupation/success rate was for B-17 crews, in post-war, civilian life. I would be willing to put some money down that damn few of them turned out to be street bums or criminals. Maybe it's just the romantic in me.

Thanks again for posting this history Roman, great stuff man...

Thank you Dan,

more tomorrow. Now I gotta make my children sleepy...

Make em sleepy????

Cute little bedtime stories???? Warm milk??? Alchohol based cough medicine???

Maybe some sweet stories of American Airmen falling from the skies???

lesofprimus said:

Make em sleepy????

Cute little bedtime stories???? Warm milk??? Alchohol based cough medicine???

Maybe some sweet stories of American Airmen falling from the skies???

Click to expand...

Good nite 4 2nite...