B-17's that took a beating

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seesul said:
Just to continue- Francis Flynn bailed out through the bomb bay. One of the 20 mm shells that exploded in the cockpit wounded him badly on his back.
He landed near the small village Petruvka, some 3 miles away from Slavicin and stood unconscious. Local people found him there. They saw also another parachute falling down so the ran this direction to find the friend of badly wounded American. They found him in the woods. He was hiding there as he didn´t know it the people are Germans or Czechs. This airmen turned to be my friend Joseph P. Owsianik. The people somehow told Joe that there´s his friend very close that needs a help so Joe gave up escape to the east and went with the people. When met Francis Flynn he asked the people for the stretcher. People brought the stretcher from the fire house: Joe loaded Flynn on the stretcher and with the help of the people they brought him to the fire house. There Joe opened the escape maps and asked the people for the location. At the same moment a German officer entered the room and yelled : Raus! Raus! (get out). All the people dissapeared and only Joe, Francis and the German soldiers stood there. Germans stripped Joe off and were trying to find out if he is a Jew. If so, the would execute him.
Then they gave some clothes back to Joe and escorted him to the jail in Slavicin. Francis Flynn was transported to the hospital in Brno where he was operated. Later he underwent several opearations in Germany before the WW2 was over.
Francis Flynn has visited Slavicin in 1994 with another crew members, since that there are no news about him.
Today I´ve found interesting information about him. It seems that he sent a letter to Gerge Bush with his experience from visit of Slavicin...
Biographical information: Francis Flynn Collection: Veterans History Project (American Folklife Center, Library of Congress)
Photoalbum,correspondence and even video interview Francis W. Flynn: Veterans History Project (Library of Congress

I´ve never sen that before!
Click to expand...

I said there are no news about Fran Flynn since 1994 when he visited my born town but it´s not true anymore since yesterday!
One friend of mine found his children and they told us Fran is still living which is really amazing news! He lives in rest home close to Orlando, Florida. We found the correct phone number and Loy Dickinson (former 2nd BG vets assn president and Fran´s navigator form that fateful day) called him yesterday!
Looking forward to additional news and will send a letter to Fran as soon as possible.
Sooo happy!
 
That's brilliant news Roman! After 65 years, to know these people are stll with us, and still hold dear their memories of Slavicin and the people and area around it, is very heart warming.
 
It really is. And futhermore, last August there were 8 'Mission 263' survivors. One of them passed in Dec 4, 2009 so the number was reduced to 7. I got in touch with him 2 weeks before he passed away...
Now is 8 again. I would never belive it!

Anyway, we will start to work on our website project in February so I hope in May it will be finished. If not, August is the deadline!
 
Hi, Flakhappy, I read one of your post saying that you were there when Sweet Pea made her way home. I am a daughter of co-pilot Thomas Rybovich, and
wondered if you might remember him? Sweet Pea was not his regular plane, but we know nothing about his plane or crew. I have a lot of his records, including missions, but he was not a man for talk, so little else. Is there anyone around still that might know? Also wonder why no one talks about Shot at and Missed, by Jack R. Meyers, which has lots of these missions, I can find 6 that match Thomas'. Really, I would be happy to know most anything about those days. Thanks
Debby
 
seesul said:
The 2nd Bomb Group

Plane 38078 on Mission 279

to Debrecen, Hungary

Marshalling Yards on

Sept. 21 1944.



The Flight Crew Story



This raid produced one of the great flying fortress survival stories of the war 2nd Lt Guy M. Miller and crew of "Sweet Pea" were approaching the target when an 88mm antiaircraft shell slammed into the plane's mid-section. exploded, and nearly tore the Fortress in two. Huge sections of the waist on both sides instantly disappeared, control cables were cut, electrical and communications systems went powerless and silent.

Half of the bombs fell out of the bomb bay, the lower turret was jammed with the gunner inside, and the explosion blew deadly debris in all directions. The left waist gunner, Elmer H. Buss was killed instantly. The right waist gunner James F. Maguire, had multiple wounds but was saved by his back pack parachute, serving as a flak suit, saving his life. The tail gunner , S/Sgt. James E. Totty, was mortally wounded and died on the airplane. The radio operator, S/Sgt Anthony Ferrara was peppered like buckshot with shrapnel fragments in the chest.

The stunned crew started its battle for survival. Lt. Miller and his copilot Lt. Thomas M. Rybovich struggled for control of the airplane and begin assessing what they had left to do it with. Most of the control cables were cut and his major control was through use of the engines, which miraculously, were undamaged.

Lt. Miller thought about ordering bail out, but decided against that when he learned he had one dead, three wounded, and one stuck in the ball turret.
The wounded were gathered in the radio room for first aid. The bombardier/
gunner S/Sgt Robert R. Mullen came back from the nose section and helped
Sgt. Gerald McGuire, UTG, bring the mortally wounded S/Sgt Totty from the
tail to the radio room. McGuire did finally succeed in freeing Cpl William F.
Steuck from the ball turret. Later it was learned that turret was resting on
three safety fingers which were all that kept the turret from falling out of the
airplane, with Steuck inside. There were still six bombs hung up in the racks
and Mullen climbed into the bomb bay and released them one by one with
a screw driver.

Against seemingly impossible odds. Lts. Miller and Rybovich now faced the reality of trying to nurse their mangled airplane and its battered crew across several hundred miles of enemy territory and almost 600 miles back to base. Navigator, 2nd Lt. Theodore Davich, plotted a course, and the pilots very gingerly set what was left of "Sweet Pea" on the long trek homeward. (This account is set out in "Defenders of Liberty" but I thought it such an outstanding achievement for this crew I would repeat it here.)

source: Second Bomb Group
Click to expand...

rybodeb said:
Hi, Flakhappy, I read one of your post saying that you were there when Sweet Pea made her way home. I am a daughter of co-pilot Thomas Rybovich, and
wondered if you might remember him? Sweet Pea was not his regular plane, but we know nothing about his plane or crew. I have a lot of his records, including missions, but he was not a man for talk, so little else. Is there anyone around still that might know? Also wonder why no one talks about Shot at and Missed, by Jack R. Meyers, which has lots of these missions, I can find 6 that match Thomas'. Really, I would be happy to know most anything about those days. Thanks
Debby
Click to expand...
Hi Debbie. I am Guy Miller's son. He was the pilot with your father, the copilot when it was almost destroyed. I have attached a rare photo on the web with the nose art of Sweet Pea and our fathers. Regards, Guy Miller.
 

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  • D13974F7-1CA0-4702-9A66-5208BB36A65B.jpeg
    D13974F7-1CA0-4702-9A66-5208BB36A65B.jpeg
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Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-25-DL 42-38078 Sweet Pea delivered Denver Dec 6, 1943, Savannah Dec 23, 1943. Assigned to 347th BS, 99th BG Jan 7, 1944. Transferred to 429th BS, 2nd BG at Amendola Mar 28, 1944. Named "Sweet Pea". Suffered direct hit by flak Sep 21, 1944 on mission to Debreczen, Hungary, killing 2 crewmen and wounding two. Pilot was able to bring it home and landed safely at home base at Amendola, Italy. Aircraft was repaired and flew again, ending its career as a hack aircraft. FortLog has the plane crashlanding at Bari, Italy Jun 1, 1945 and being destroyed by fire.

1571218203070.png


  1. http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=42-38078&content=
  2. B-17G 42-38078 "Sweet Pea" 2nd Bomb Group, 429th BS after direct hit by flak | World War Photos
 
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Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-25-DL 42-38078 Sweet Pea delivered Denver Dec 6, 1943, Savannah Dec 23, 1943. Assigned to 347th BS, 99th BG Jan 7, 1944. Transferred to 429th BS, 2nd BG at Amendola Mar 28, 1944. Named "Sweet Pea". Suffered direct hit by flak Sep 21, 1944 on mission to Debreczen, Hungary, killing 2 crewmen and wounding two. Pilot was able to bring it home and landed safely at home base at Amendola, Italy. Aircraft was repaired and flew again, ending its career as a hack aircraft. FortLog has the plane crashlanding at Bari, Italy Jun 1, 1945 and being destroyed by fire.

Fold 3
42-38078 Sweet Pea in the air. Apparently also flying shuttle raids to Russia. Assigned to 2nd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force -- crashlanded 21st Sept 44 (3KIA + 1WIA) ; repaired and flown as a hack plane but later crashed at Bari on 1st June 1945 and burned.

Mind boggling...The repaired it..... It flew again o_O

42-38078_01.jpg
 
Last edited:
Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-25-DL 42-38078 Sweet Pea delivered Denver Dec 6, 1943, Savannah Dec 23, 1943. Assigned to 347th BS, 99th BG Jan 7, 1944. Transferred to 429th BS, 2nd BG at Amendola Mar 28, 1944. Named "Sweet Pea". Suffered direct hit by flak Sep 21, 1944 on mission to Debreczen, Hungary, killing 2 crewmen and wounding two. Pilot was able to bring it home and landed safely at home base at Amendola, Italy. Aircraft was repaired and flew again, ending its career as a hack aircraft. FortLog has the plane crashlanding at Bari, Italy Jun 1, 1945 and being destroyed by fire.

1714125766077.png


1714125808995.png


1714125830570.png


1714126029900.png


1714126078699.png


  1. *WWII photo- 2nd BG- B 17 Bomber plane FLAK DAMAGE- DIRECT HIT (42-38078)*-3 | eBay
  2. *WWII photo- 2nd BG- B 17 Bomber plane FLAK DAMAGE- DIRECT HIT (42-38078)*-2 | eBay
  3. *WWII photo- 2nd BG- B 17 Bomber plane FLAK DAMAGE- DIRECT HIT (42-38078)*-1 | eBay
  4. WWII USAAF 429th Bomb Squad Original Veteran's Photographs N Africa & Italy 1943 | eBay
  5. WWII USAAF 429th Bomb Squad Original Veteran's Photographs N Africa & Italy 1943 | eBay
 
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