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pj.ladd(at)btinternet.com
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 Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:46 am Post subject: Great Weekend |
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The first ( pic)on the ground, and the 2d about 1000' over eastern PA.
(look past the Norton bombsight...>>
Hi Charlie,
nice pics. Lucky guy. The undernose gun turret (which makes it a B-17G) was
added to deter German fighter pilots who were breaking up the USAAF box
formations by attacking head on. A pretty gutsy manouvre if you ask me.
The bombsight, with which the USAAF boasted they could `drop a bomb in a
pickle barrel from 20,000ft` was the NORDEN not Norton. Picky, picky.
Incidentaly they couldn`t. In fact they were no better with bombing accuracy
than the RAF which was pretty awful until quite late in the war. That is
apart from the specialist low level Mosquito squadrons which flew up the
main street and tossed a bomb through the front door of the SS Headquarters
in the Hague to destroy their records. They also pinpointed some bombs onto
the Prison at Amien in `Operation Jericho`. They blew up the German guards
mess hall, blew open the cells and knocked a hole in the prison wall through
which dozens of prisoners escaped. Including one Resistance leader who knew
the invasion date, which was why the raid was laid on . I saw the repair in
the prison wall when I went past the prison on a visit to the trenches and
few years ago.
The Canadian Lancaster is painted in the colours and markings of a plane
which flew from an airfield about 10 miles from my home. She was delivered
to the airfield as brand new on D-Day, 6th June, did about 7 raids into
France and was shot down around the 20th. She had a crew of Canadians
including Mynarski, the upper turret gunner. During her bombing run the
plane was hit and caught fire and the bale out order was given. Mynarsky
came down from his turret to bale out and found the rear gunners turret had
jammed, trapping the gunner. The turret had to be aligned fore and aft for
the gunner to enter or leave. Hydraulics were out and the turret couldn`t be
turned. Mynarski went through the flames to try to get the gunner out but
failed. The gunner told him to get out while he could and he eventually went
back through the flames and jumped out. Watchers on the ground said he came
out in a ball of flame.
All the crew died in he crash, except the rear gunner, whose turret detached
and he survived.
The Canadian Lanc is maintained as a memorial to all the Canucks lost in the
air war in Europe.
In the UK we have the only other flying Lanc in the world as part of the
Battle of Britain Flight, which also includes a Spit and a Hurricane.
We also have J for Jane which is a Lanc which cannot fly as she needs a new
main spar (1 Million pounds sterling) but does taxi runs . I managed to get
on one of those a couple of years ago. In fact it isn`t so much a `run` as a
creep but being inside the fuselage with those four Merlins roaring just
feet away is certainly thrilling.
Forgive the non Kolb post but I think most flyers are interested in flying
generally, not just what pertains to their own type of machine.
Cheers
Pat
do not archive
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Earl Zimmerman
Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 35
Location: Elizabethtown, PA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:33 am Post subject: Great Weekend |
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Charles Davis wrote:
| Quote: | Well, I didn't pilot, but I got to fly...if the pictures come through,
they are of the nose of a B17. The first on the ground, and the 2d
about 1000' over eastern PA. (look past the Norton bombsight...). We
also got to see a Canadian Lancaster fly, one of only 2 in the world.
I see in Sport Aviation that it'll be at Air Venture, and I would
recommend it.
To keep this Kolb related: on the to the way to the Reading, PA WWII
Weekend Airshow, we stopped at KPTW for the EAA chapter's annual
pancake breakfast, and were pleased to find Homer enjoying the food
and the sights. He confirmed that he is tinkering with some designs
for multi-engined single and 2 place planes, but only for his own
enjoyment.
Chuck
Malvern, PA
Firefly
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I was flying on Sunday and the B17 past me on the way back to Reading.
He was flying at 2000 MSL. ~ Earl
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Ralph Hoover
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 206
Location: Central Ohio
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| Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:14 am Post subject: Re: Great Weekend |
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Pat Ladd wrote:
All the crew died in the crash, except the rear gunner, whose turret detached and he survived.
Now Pat, that is really an aussome story. Thank you.
So is the mess hall bomb. I know how much der Germans like their crout und pork! YA?
Half German, half Itilian Ralph of Ohio....Now you all know TOO MUCH!
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