How tough was a B-17?

Nice!! That's an amazing pic!

 

WOW thanx for the post... AND your service...

 

A rocket attack blasted open the radio room of B-17 #42-31968 LN on the Lechfeld mission of March 18, 1944. Despite this damage the aircraft was brought back safely and landed at Raydon.

This B-17 took a direct flak hit in the waist over Debrecen, Hungary which killed three crewmen and wounded two others. Threatening to come apart in mid-air the pilot nursed it home to a safe landing, but the weakened fuselage collapsed on touchdown.
Text and photo source: Air Classics magazine, July 1972​

The B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97BG) flown by Lieutenant Kenneth R. Bragg, its tail section almost severed by a collision with an enemy fighter, flew 90 minutes back to its home base, landed safely and broke in two after landing.
SOURCE: Flying Forts by Martin Caiden


The same B-17 as above, now on the ground.


A third shot of the damage to the "All American".​

SOURCE: The Mighty Eighth by Roger A. Freeman

 

This B-17 was hit in the bomb bay, where the wing joins the fuselage. (Details unknown.)




What happened here? Duel For the Sky (by Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr.) states that an Me-262's heavy cannon tore open the side of this Fortress, but according to the Mighty Eighth War Diary (by Roger A. Freeman) the B-17 was hit by an 88mm shell , blasting a special radio operator and the ball turret gunner in his turret out of the aircraft.


The B-17 flown by Lieutenant Kenneth R. Bragg, its fuselage and tail almost severed, made its way home.
SOURCE: B-17 Flying Fortress by William Hess
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German flak batteries always set their aim on the lead aircraft of a formation and often hit them. A shell struck this 91BG lead while bomb doors were open and radome extended. Despite the gaping wound the bomber was brought back for a safe landing at Rackheath, November 6, 1944.
Source: Mighty Eighth War Diary by Roger A. Freeman


A ground launched rocket missile caused this damage to 388BG's "Panhandle" during an attack on a V-weapon site, June 15, 1944. The missile struck number 3 engine, ricocheted into the fuselage and exploded, leaving Sgt Biggs, the top turret gunner, with nasty burns. Despite extensive damage to various control lines Lt McFarlane brought the bomber down safely at Manston.
Source: Mighty Eighth War Diary by Roger A. Freeman
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Nice additions JCF! Makes you wonder what, or who was holding them together!!

 

You don't see as many pics of such heavily damaged B-24 aircraft. I admired the B-17 for its ability to come back with all kinds of damage.

 

This one always disturbed me, because you know the guy was in there.

 

it was not so tough considering the 30mm Minengeschoss being fired which vaporized nearly anything it touched if given numbers. A horrific piece of ammo the vets from both sides can tell you............there are several mis-placed you-tube videos showing such attacks from the rear with huge amounts of debris falling, I own several captured films showing the terrifying images of wings being torn off and tails literally exploding to nothing when hit by 1-2 rounds

 

And how many B-17s were taken out by those as opposed to the other weapons?

 

believe it or not but hundreds ..........

 

LOL Besides getting hit by those it looks like the B-17 could still take alot of damage and be able to fly back home. . A tribute to the designers at Boeing.

 

Amen.

 

LOL ? what so funny about getting creamed in the air JC ? not sure of your comment

the Fort and Lib did what they had to do, I know many former crewmen/pilots of both A/c they were scared to death just like their opposing foe in the air battles over the Reich skies. The US a/c were finely constructed there is no question just as the Bomber command heavies. aluminum is aluminum, it is quite allergic to being hit by explosive substances. One of the nasty things the LW techs did was to be able to cause the 3cm Minen round to actually go through the skin of the fuselage and explode causing terrible damage along with fire. the rounds were incidently to be fired by the SturmFw pilots into the engines and fuel tanks of the USA bombers to insure the destruction of said A/C but it did not matter as 3-4 hits were enough to cause demise ............ ugly

 

well i think whatever was shooting at it, it was indeed a very tough aircraft. as shown by the many photos.

 

"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.
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Thru Hel'en Hi Water returned to base after a direct hit on the tail. The tail gunner was uninjured, fortunate that he was checking the tail wheel when the shell hit.
SOURCE: Game manual for Microprose's "B-17 Flying Fortress" game, submitted by Paul Varn

Fighter attacks killed a gunner and shattered much of the tail section of Reluctant Dragon, a B-17 of the 96th BG. Six men bailed out, but the remaining three returned with the plane to the base at Snetterton Heath.
SOURCE: The Mighty Eighth by Roger A. Freeman
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A flak hit removed the tail gun position from this B-17. That's all the info I have. Anyone out there have more data on this incident?
SOURCE: contributed by "Troy"


Inspecting cannon fire damage inflicted by German jet-powered fighter planes. Wing control surfaces were damaged but the fuel tanks remained intact as the pilot brought the B-17 back from the raid on Hamburg. ​

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Nothing funny about the actual destruction but that regardless of the statement that 30mm took out many aircraft quite a few still made it home after suffering massive damage as the photos attest..