"Gold Brick", a B-17G of the 100th Bomb
Group, 349th Bomb Squadron, was lucky enough to make it home to Thorpe Abbotts after the
mission to Buchen on April 7 1945 when flak claimed the right stabilizer. She was repaired
and late in the war flown home to the States sporting 100 mission symbols.
SOURCE: Castles In The Air by Martin W. Bowman
This B-17 had it's rudder and part of the tail removed by the
propeller of another B-17.
SOURCE: Duel For the Sky by Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr.
A badly wounded gunner is rushed from stretcher to ambulance, while daylight shows
through holes in the B-17's rudder.
SOURCE: B-17 Flying Fortress by William Hess
Right stabilizer and elevator blown completely away, rudder
shattered, tail gunner's compartment riddled, she brought her ten men home.
SOURCE: Black Thursday by Martin Caiden
"Hang the Expense Again III" was seen
heavily damaged, going down over France. The pilot, however, was able to bring it
out of a dive and struggled back to his home field. The blast damage blew the tail
gunner out of the aircraft but he survived the incident.
SOURCE: Flying Forts by Martin Caiden, additional material by Ray Cary
A 20mm cannon shell from an FW190 blew out a section of tail fin on "Sparky"
during the Berlin raid of May 19, 1944. 2/LT John Keys and crew brought the aircraft
safely back to Thorpe Abbotts.
Source: Mighty Eighth War Diary by Roger A. Freeman
View through the large hole in the right stabilizer made by cannon shells on July
13, 1944.
Source: B-17 Fortress At War by Roger A. Freeman
According to a visitor (Patrick), this is a B17G (build by Lockeed Vega in
California) 42-39988 QJ-A from the 96th BG, called "The Iron Ass",
flown by 1st Lt Paul Herring. She was damaged by FW190 during a mission to Brunswick on
the 21st February 1944. The crew member near the hole is Charles (Chuck) Haywood, the tail
gunner of this plane. He was shot down four days later, flying with another crew. The
Herring crew was shot down eight days later, flying B17F 42-30412 QJ-B "Mischief
Maker"; they were on their 15th mission.