“I noticed a couple of competitors explode not far below, vanishing inside sheet sets from orange fire, B-17s losing in all the state of stress, from engines ablaze to handle surfaces try away, friendly and you can adversary parachutes drifting off and you can, towards environmentally friendly carpeting far below you, numerous funeral pyres from cig away from fell aircraft, marking all of our path.”

The three batteries regarding 88-mm firearms positioned within address did their very best so you can disturb the bomb works, although top bomb teams placed its habits off bombs accurately. Up coming, as ever happened while in the a huge attack on a single address, dirt and cigarette regarding explosions and you can fireplaces blurred the new setting out points, and you may then bombing was quicker appropriate.

Immediately following bombing the target, this new B-17s continued south. One or two broken bombers remaining the fresh new formation and you will going having basic Switzerland. Seven alot more damaged planes took place on the path to Algeria.

Of one’s 146 heavier bombers that had establish getting Regensburg, eight turned-back, and you can 139 entered the new Dutch coast. Twenty-five of them was basically forgotten.

The latest Schweinfurt raiding force, comprising 230 B-17s, launched its attack in the evening. They also suffered heavily regarding Italian language competitors and you may flak, dropping thirty-half a dozen bombers.

The second “new” weapon is new 21-cm skyrocket, a German Military infantry gun adjusted to possess air-to-sky fool around with

Hence, of one’s 376 B-17 Traveling Fortresses you to definitely lay out from The united kingdomt to help you bomb brand new two important goals, sixty were lost. Which was not the past costs. […]