Schweinfurt - Witness-Reports
Continuance
A B-17 of the front group, the right Tokyo Fuel containers burned, fell about 200 m over ours raked back wing and had left in this position, lasting garrison members sift off, jumped. Four could delayed jump falls, one got out of the bow, opened, however, his parachute too early and missed the tail unit only by hair's breadth from the bomb bay. One could be fallen from the left middle MG hatch and opened his parachute first when he had won a safe distance. The rear gunner let himself be fallen from his hatch, obviously, however, pulled on the leash still before he was gone far enough of the aircraft. His parachute immediately opened, passed the tail unit just and gave him such a strong jerk that he lost both shoes. He hung motionlessly in the belt while the other moved just after opening her parachutes in the belt and signs of life therefore gave of himself. The B-17 then fell into a flat spiral - I couldn't see the pilots coming out. I only saw her right wing sank like more thousand feet under us in a yellow sea of flames before I lost her from the eyes.
After we had been permanent under fire for a good hour seemed rather for certain that our squadron didn't have any chance of survival. Seven of us had already been fired and further interceptors still climbed. It was only 11.20 hours and 35 minutes were still missing to the aim. No-one probably thought in the squadron that we would come much further without being worn out completely. The light strength of our squadron was already reduced by a third and the ammunition ran low slowly. Our tail guns had to be provided by other command posts with ammunition. The exhaustion was the marksmen written all over the face.
A B-17 fell out of the formation and lowered the landing-gear while the crew bailed out. Three Me 109 they orbited from the proximity, kept, however, under fire furthermore - obvious to make sure that nobody could fly the machine home. Shortly before the aim at 11.50 hours, one and a half hours after the first of at least two hundred interceptor attacks, the pressure eased a little although the enemies were still nearby. We turned off B-17 of our unit had left the 14, at 11.54 hours two were damaged heavily which towards the aim. After the two damaged machines had thrown her bombs, they broke loose from the formation and took line on Switzerland.
The weather conditions over the aim were ideal like on the complete flight. There were hardly anti-aircraft gun positions. The squadron would engage the bombs at the same time. When we changed course and took line on the Alps, saw I the rectangular smoke trail, of the aim which climbed and did a type feel furious satisfaction.
The rest of the flight was harmless unlike the approach. Some few interceptors got in our way on the way to the Alps. A lonesome useless salvo climbed from a place at the burner. We circled as long as the damaged machines then had caught up and made to us over Lake Garda, to us on the way to the Mediterranean. The view to have to land on water off the north-African coast because of fuel defect appeared to us virtually after the nightmare over South Germany as harmless.
The red lamps of the fuel display already shone at 8.15 hours - the B-17 seven were had left of our formation circled over a north-African aerodrome and landed. Our crew was intact. The only damage to the aircraft: a couple of air holes at the tail of the anti-aircraft gun and one 20 mm of storeys. We slept under the wing on the hard ground but one the earth felt as silk boxes."