Hauksbee

I*'ve heard it, or similar, used in some English films, and others set in Ireland, where somebody called out to get anothers attention. I'm assuming this is the same?

What is "cooee"?

As a kid, I recall seeing this picture many, many times. My sister found this account of what went on inside the "All-American". A mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area, became the subject of one of the most famous photographs of World War II. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot, then continued its crashing descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Fortress named All American, piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th Bomb Squadron. When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress and left elevator were completely torn away. The two right engines were out and one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut almost completely through connected only at two small parts of the frame and the radios, electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest and the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner's turret. Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft still flew - miraculously! The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart. While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target. When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane. When they tried to do the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position. The turn back toward England had to be very slow to keep the tail from twisting off. They actually covered almost 70 miles to make the turn home. The bomber was so badly damaged it was losing altitude and speed and was soon alone in the sky. For a brief time, two more Me-109 German fighters attacked the All American. Despite the extensive damage, all of the machine gunners were able to respond to these attacks and soon drove off the fighters. The two waist gunners stood up with their heads sticking out through the hole in the top of the fuselage to aim and fire their machine guns. The tail gunner had to shoot in short bursts because the recoil was actually causing the plane to turn. Allied P-51 fighters intercepted the All American as it crossed over the Channel and took one of the pictures shown. They also radioed to the base describing that the empennage was waving like a fish tail and that the plane would not make it and to send out boats to rescue the crew when they bailed out. The fighters stayed with the Fortress taking hand signals from Lt. Bragg and relaying them to the base. Lt. Bragg signaled that 5 parachutes and the spare had been "used" so five of the crew could not bail out. He made the decision that if they could not bail out safely, then he would stay with the plane and land it. Two and a half hours after being hit, the aircraft made its final turn to line up with the runway while it was still over 40 miles away. It descended into an emergency landing and a normal roll-out on its landing gear. When the ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off because not a single member of the crew had been injured. No one could believe that the aircraft could still fly in such a condition. The Fortress sat placidly until the crew all exited through the door in the fuselage and the tail gunner had climbed down a ladder, at which time the entire rear section of the aircraft collapsed onto the ground. The rugged old bird had done its job. B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97BG) Crew Pilot- Ken Bragg Jr. Copilot- G. Boyd Jr. Navigator- Harry C. Nuessle Bombardier- Ralph Burbridge Engineer- Joe C. James Radio Operator- Paul A. Galloway Ball Turret Gunner- Elton Conda Waist Gunner- Michael Zuk Tail Gunner- Sam T. Sarpolus Ground Crew Chief- Hank Hyland

Even with the historical corrections, it's still a pretty good story. (Engineers at Boeing, after seeing the photos, declared that it was impossible for that plane to fly). Interestingly enough, the 414th has been re-activated by the USAF and has kept the WWII jacket patch.

You're most likely right about the wheels being driven from the center, but I wonder how? The biggest chain drive in history? Or...a long drive shaft on each side? Then again, the rim of the wheel, at one point, is enclosed by the body of the tank. While I see no sign of gear teeth on the rim, (as you pointed out, but possibly they could drive the rim. The Russians were pretty clever about things like this. Strange blossoms, indeed. FlybyPC: I think it's interesting how the Germans were looking at tanks as fortresses. From an undouted lead in tank design, (with the exception of the T34), I think German Tank design lost it's way. In a way, I think you're right, but also, the nature of the fight had changed. In the early days of Panzer Blitzkreig, it was all about speed. The Pzkw Mk I only mounted two machineguns, and was considered a recon vehicle, the Pzkw II carried a 50mm cannon. The Pzkw III started off with a 37mm, later upgreded to a 50mm, then a 75mm. From these humble beginnings, I can see why they'd want something bigger and faster. But faced with artillery, and air power, and enemy tanks, the name of the game became survivabilty. I think it became a contest to see who could pack on the most armor. and we know where that leads

Another I'd never heard of, tho' it only got to the drawing stage. A friend stopped by yesterday and mentioned it. Speer canceled the project in 1943. The small graphic shows the respective sizes of the Ratte, Maus VIII and the Tiger tank. The Maus and King Tiger were famous for sinking into the Russian mud. I wonder how the Ratte would fare?

Same here. In the many times I've seen this photo, I've wondered how it ever held together, also assuming that the crew must have taken a terrible hit. It's good to know that they were all unhurt.

Too true. The B-17 was famous for being able to take massive damage and still keep on flying.

I don't recall ever seeing a Pfatz without a prop spinner.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/world-war-photos-found-inside-antique-camera-203437991.html A WWI-era camera has been found with eight recoverable photos, mainly showing destruction in the French countryside

I agree.

A short, but pretty, clip of the 1940 Flying Wing in all its bright yellow glory.

In large part, military spending is how we financially back tecnological advances. It's why all our airliners look like smoothed out B-52s. It's what built the Interstate Highway System. It built the Internet. It's the sole function of DARPA. The list goes on...

,,,Or perhaps more than one!

Argh! That was a cruel hoax, Lou. Accurate, I'm sure, but...

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and no WOFF. I've searched the house and re-checked all the old Christmas wrapping paper. No two ways about it: WOFF did not happen this year...and it's useless to kid myself about 'two more weeks'. Could the Devs throw us a hint as to when we might see WOFF in 2013? Not a set-in-stone certainty date, but maybe a we-think-if-the-river-don't-rise date. If not, then a few more screen caps would do the trick.

I remember it well. As I recall, we were all 100% wrong; thus this appeal to the Devs...rather like standing at the foot of Mt.Olympus and asking Zeus for a modest-sized lightning bolt.

More information than I needed on bombstrikes, but certainly a labor of love on somebody's part.

I thought it was about time for some new screenies to show up. I notice that while the planes have improved, the weather is still awful. I may have to transfer to the Italian Front.

74

Yup, that'a a 'muff'.

Very interesting. Thanks, Jim

Is this the one?

Thanks for the thought, Olham, but the picture won't load. Can you re-post it?

Superchargers? To be sure. But everything I've read on the Mustang gives full credit to swapping out the Alison engine for the Rolls-Royce Merlin.