The Worst Possible Way to Lose a B-17

This is the tragic story of B-17 Flying Fortress "Miss Donna Mae" and how she would be destroyed by a friendly bomb. Made using IL-2 Sturmovik and War Thunder. #Shorts #WW2History #WarThunder
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[@KingslayaJ]

Dying by friendly fire has to be one of the worst and most frustrating ways to die

[@bacoon6499]

well in this case they likely didn't know what had hit them, but i'm sure other cases of friendly fire in world war one and two would have been frustrating for both parties

[@damndirtyrandy7721]

Worse than a death spiral? 🤔 oh, you don’t know what a death spiral is? 😂 thought so. It is called a death spiral because the centrifugal forces of the fall make it impossible for the crew to move and bail out, meaning you have plenty of time to complicate your mortality before impact.

[@bacoon6499]

@@damndirtyrandy7721 no one asked randy and no one cares you know about the death spiral

[@CaptainCutlerCat]

​@@damndirtyrandy7721 Oh stfu know it all. They know that. They are right, friendly fire IS the worst and most frustrating ways to die.

[@noth1ngtoseehere]

You cant be talking. You choke your men with the Force.

[@MrRennen]

The guilt of killing a comrade or a friend must have been painful

[@DeFunnyGuy1]

You need to also mention the rest of the crew that died how dare you

[@75732]

@@DeFunnyGuy1wdym how dare you everyone in that squad was was probally friends so when he says lost a comrade it refers to everyone

[@jono.pom-downunder]

Yet the keep doing it

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

​@@DeFunnyGuy1... how dare you make such stupid comment?

[@aisaxonawiat6484]

​@@DeFunnyGuy1....idiot

[@catfish252]

I feel terrible for the crew that dropped that weapon on the Miss Donna Mae, I'd hate to have to live with that memory.

[@SEPK09]

war will always have human error

[@jhardycarroll]

The bombsight decides when to drop the bombs, not the bombardier

[@wllwll-zh7ig]

They probably didn't. War is Hell on earth. Unfortunately politicians love it and make fortune after fortune. America must pay close attention and do our duties as freedom loving citizens and make damn sure government is afraid of doing anything less than what is right for the country and the citizens who employ them. Criminals have hyjacked America government because the people failed. Government can't be trusted and need majority of citizens babysitting them. America is in for very hard times and politicians and their friends all live like royalty off of citizens debt.

[@billymadison8574]

​@@jhardycarroll...huh? The "bombsight" is just the tool to measure ground speed & calculate impact location. Bombadiers were the literal "bomb aimers" who targeted & controlled their Norden sights & the release of muntions.

[@LeydenAigg]

​@@jhardycarroll"Look, Ma! It's a rawgabbit!"

[@jwhoward182]

My father was a WW2 combat veteran in the 15th AF. He did not want to talk about missions he flew until the last few years of his life. The horror of this issue was one thing he did tell me about.

[@Gwaithmir]

I can understand why. I served in Vietnam for 2½ years. I can't talk about some of my experiences to this day.

[@bluskytoo]

my father was also in the 15th AF on B-24s , he had nightmares every single night of his life.

[@liesenden]

I"m also cannot tell my experience to you all because its a secret,so I will keep it secret in my secret folder.

[@earlhester825]

Mishaps like this are part of war. Its sad but true. War is horrific on all levels. I feel for the pilots and bombardier that dropped those bombs

[@scottpasse4420]

My dad was a crew chief in a photo reconnaissance squadron of the 15th, in Italy

[@TJ3]

Also, meant to say "Horizontal Stabilzer" here! Sorry.

[@amppari_234]

Isn't it the vertical stabilizer, as it stabilizes the vertical axis?

[@User2o2]

@@amppari_234 No, because the stabilizer is horizontal to the tail. The vertical stabilizer is the one that goes up and down and holds the rudder.

[@Fox2-Videos]

@@amppari_234 It’s kind of confusing lol. User2o2 explained it pretty well

[@amppari_234]

​@@User2o2oh, ok.

[@brianjob3018]

​@@User2o2 You mean back and forth, not up and down.

[@tehscope9422]

I'm really surprised that didn't happen more often considering how many planes took part in each sortie.

[@iblockpuncheswithmyface1490]

And how many bombs were flying around.

[@SirDaffyD]

It did happen more often. It just happened that a camera was filming from the offending bomber at the time.

[@Dilley_G45]

It did happen a bit, not always on film. It was one of the concerns the RAF had when introducing the bomber stream but they calculated it as negligible

[@ericmccaffer6113]

.. that is why they fly in strategic formations..

[@tehscope9422]

@@ericmccaffer6113 I think they flew in formation foe better protection against German fighters.

[@afmoney161]

Sadly this was really common early on in the war. Bombardier's would be so focused on keeping the norden bomb sight on the target that they would drift on top of other aircraft and drop. They started having only the lead aircraft sight the target and all the other bomber would drop on that que. Reduced them having to all adjust in formation, saved alot of lives.

[@riccicrozzie8204]

Norden*

[@afmoney161]

@@riccicrozzie8204 Good catch stupid autocorrect!

[@greenwave819]

actually it wasn't very common

[@afmoney161]

@@greenwave819 So tell me why the procedure changed?

[@briwire138]

I thought the lead aircraft of the flight carried out the aiming and the remaining aircraft released their load when they saw him drop his bombs.

[@nickhaynie5980]

Unfortunately, there's also footage of a similar accident involving a B-24 Liberator. A bomb dropped from a bomber above tore the left wing off the B-24 causing it to fall from the sky

[@davidschaadt3460]

A real close up view also ,really sad(Horrific).🙏🪖🙏

[@TheGodParticle]

Yeah I've seen that, all the fuel starts spraying out, I don't think the crew escaped that sadly.

[@fleebee3639]

If I remember correctly that was a low level bombing mission on a Ploesti, Romanian refinery or oil field. There was a stream of bombs falling in front of the B24 and one went right through the left wing between the inboard engine and wing root. It instantaneously burst into flames as the wing folded.

[@Surfingaliens65]

Pathe News claimed the B24 was hit by enemy fire. Why is friendly fire covered up? It happens regularly in most wars truth be known.

[@jeffreyyucel9373]

@@fleebee3639 Yes, it was the bombing raid on the oil fields at Ploiesti where that footage is from. And those were just the unlucky few who had cameras on them filming. Think about how many more happened that didn’t get caught on camera. Especially when flying in the box formation and taking hits from the flak guns drifting you over the top of another B-17 four stacks beneath you. Or getting moved out of position from incoming bogeys hitting you with 20mm cannon rounds.

[@12yearssober]

This sort of thing happened in Vietnam as well. My uncle and his navigator were flying an F105 when another jet released its drop tank and it struck my uncles plane. They were able to eject but his navigator was killed during the ejection. My uncle was confirmed as being alive and captured however he passed away while being held prisoner.

[@cardinalbob1]

Punching out can be dangerous! Even under so-called good conditions. Bless his soul.

[@jmjones7897]

RIP. Hell of a way to go

[@av8va]

FYI, an F-105 carried an Electronic Warfare Officer, not a Navigator. The 2-seat versions were made for detecting and destroying SAM sites. Called by their mission designation, they were known as Wild Weasels. Weasels brave and aggressive crews, heroes all.

[@12yearssober]

@av8va Thanks for the information. This is their story if interested. Accounted For 06/27/1983 Name: Larry William Biediger Rank/Branch: United States Air Force/O4 Unit: 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron Date of Birth: 23 April 1933 Home City of Record: LA COSTE TX Date of Loss: 28 January 1967 Country of Loss: North Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 215800 North 1052500 East Status (in 1973): Missing in Action/PFOD Category: 2 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D Missions: Other Personnel in Incident: Claude Silva, missing Refno: 0586 Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action Combat Casualty File. 2020 REMARKS: REMAINS RETURNED 06/03/83 CACCF CRASH/PILOT KNOWN CAPTURED/VERY ILL APRIL 1967 DIED No further information available at this time.

[@duartesimoes508]

The North Vietnamese prisons were at least as horrible as if run by the Gestapo or NKVD. That people like MacCan were able to withstand such savagery and survive is breathtaking. My sincere condolences.

[@RonaldHawes-sr3cr]

My stepfather was the sole survivor of his B-17 crash. Tail number 911. he was 23 years old on his 23rd mission flying over Austria out of Italy.

[@GeorgeLucas1138]

What position was he in?

[@BarkerVancity]

my grandfather survived a crash in a bristol blenheim. crashed it in the desert after germans sabotaged it. was considered missing in actions for a few weeks till he was able to contact base. had burns all over his body, but the didnt look to bad. survived the desert because a random caravan with camels found him

[@Outlaw_j84]

And my step father was General Patton

[@robertjensen1048]

@@BarkerVancityWas he the airman who hid his injured girlfriend in cave and then went for help?

[@abelis644]

​​@@BarkerVancity My Dad was a small French kid, born in Tunisia, living on a farm during WWII. There was an Allied airfield nearby. My Dad had 5 older sisters, in their late teens and the Spitfire pilots, Canadians and Americans, would often visit, have dinner, hang out. One day a Spitfire crash-landed in the field behind the farm. My Dad ran up to see. The pilot was fine thankfully but the plane was toast. The pilot decided to give my Dad the altimeter off his plane & unscrewed it. A Jeep arrived just as the pilot was giving my Dad his new "toy"... but it was quickly grabbed by a superior officer. Instead, they gave my Dad the little back tire! 😂😂😂 My poor Dad bemoaned that Altimeter decades later! I've looked for the names of the pilots he would talk about but he didn't speak English as a child back, so I'm not sure if the names were right. I also don't know if these were first or last names. There was a Marshall, maybe Martial, a Cohen, a McDuff... Marshall may in fact have been one perdon, Marshall Cohen, I'm not sure... I know they flew Spitfires. I think the airbase was near Le Kef in Tunisia. I wish I could have found these men for my Dad years ago, but we didn't have the internet then. Incidentally, the reason I'm Canadian today is thanks to those wonderful fighters who made such an impression on both my Mom & Dad that they decided to immigrate here. I thank my lucky stars everyday for their choice! Thanks for listening!😊 Isabelle, Victoria British Columbia.👋🇨🇦🌠

[@heathhalfhill6401]

Over 30,000 airmen died in WW2. Such heroic and brave very young men. Greatest generation imo ever. Respect💯

[@damedusa5107]

Over 30000? You are way off. Lots lots more than that.

[@Domdeone1]

55,000 approx & 18,000 injured or taken POW

[@thepeanut2681]

​@@damedusa5107 note the "over" part

[@damedusa5107]

@@thepeanut2681 if you want to get technical, USA, British, allied ??? He doesn’t state. But if it’s allied the numbers are well over 150000

[@samwilliams4176]

Fun fact that photo was taken from the bomber Kismet. I knew the belly turret gunner, Wilbur Richardson, he was on that flight and remembered when that happened.

[@zachlukman5766]

That was fun 😮

[@randybackgammon890]

Yea some fun that

[@Outlaw_j84]

Well why didn’t he say anything?? He just watched it happen?

[@samwilliams4176]

@@Outlaw_j84 he was a belly turret gunner. There isn’t really a way to communicate to other planes from his position. Let alone in the middle of looking for enemy fighters. The plane that dropped the bombs was above his airplane too. However being suspended underneath his airplane doesn’t really give him the best view of what’s happening above.

[@robertjensen1048]

The cat my wife owned when I met her was named Kismet. That cat hated me and I hated him in return.

[@coolhand1964]

All those .50's firing in the air when under attack, hundreds of aircraft trying to form up, sometimes at night, before flying to the target, damaged aircraft flying into others, allied or axis. It all occurred, there is numerous interviews and written documents on it. It was just not spoken about, on either side of the war.

[@ivansanta-maria1328]

I always wondered about that like when they were flying in those formations stacked on top of each other if that could happen if bombs from another bomber could accidentally drop on someone underneath probably happen more than once

[@jadenhumphrey8778]

Yeah same

[@georgielancaster1356]

It did happen quite a bit, even worse in the 1,000 bomber raids. Also, Fighters on same side, sometimes flew into each other - or into an enemy fighter - though there are several recordings of fighter pilots unable to bring down a German bomber, out of ammunition, deliberately flew into the bomber, to stop it. One was definitely a Polish fighter pilot. Plus a number of bombers flew into each other - horrifying. I think a RAF fighter pilot deliberately flew into a German bomber, aiming for Buckingham Palace, and the King of England. He planned it to try to survive himself, and he did. Can't remember his name. But he became an instant hero.

[@Codename_Horizon]

@@georgielancaster1356hè found the tail section of the German bomber to be inviting

[@exceptionalanimations1508]

yea I think there are pictures even of a bomber that got a bomb straight through the fuselage, but it survived

[@jonnyharris2612]

​@@georgielancaster1356 i think there were a lot of great Polish pilots that flew for the Allies

[@Thedogwithnoname677]

The mission restarted because “Friendly Fire will not be tolerated”

[@AbnRgr]

My dad was a B 17 bombardier. Said what scared him the most was knowing the hundreds of aircraft all jinking around for position were mostly flown by young 20 something's like himself. So many accidents.

[@AbnRgr]

The AF won the sky, which controlled the ground which won the war. The horrors of trench warfare were avoided but many thousands of brave flyers died.

[@yankeecornbread8464]

Not to mention the sad destruction of those on the ground. Sometimes parents receive word that their son has fallen. Sometimes it’s the soldiers who get the notice.

[@olderthanyoucali8512]

Every death in Wartime is Tragic!

[@StrategicBomberEnjoyer]

Indeed

[@randybackgammon890]

Those who send you have an odd opinion on that one

[@Name-ps9fx]

I was fortunate to have spoken with a WW2 bomber vet a few times before he passed away...he mentioned all the deaths he and his crew had caused, men, women, and children. It was just so overwhelming for him. I don't know if it had finally caught up to him, or if he'd had those regrets all his life post-war. RIP to all vets and civilians who had to experience war.

[@jordannewsom4578]

The bomb hit the horizontal stabilizer not the vertical stabilizer.

[@cdncitizen4700]

Came here looking for anyone else who spotted this error.

[@Outlaw_j84]

👍🏼

[@robertjensen1048]

The worst accidents are caused by hitting the 45-degree stabilizers.

[@Svannuta]

​@@robertjensen1048wait till you damage the destabilizers

[@_Pawel_]

War Thunder is very good for record videos type. 👍👍 Good work

[@chargelead9429]

Sick pfp

[@William-guy]

Damn that'd be the most pain in war thunder

[@icekidMEMER]

yeah

[@kismitgonewild]

too bad, this is real life incident, no respawn.

[@user-rp3sv2ok5f]

They need more spawn points

[@treylem3]

Depicted in this animated vid, that was the Horizontal Stabilizer that was damaged by the bomb dropped, not the "vertical stabilizer". However, the Vertical stabilizer likely broke off afterwards, as aerodynamic loads were exceeded. ✌️

[@Astonman]

It’s a miracle that this sort of incident did not happen more often. The crew who dropped must have been mortified. Affected them for life. Incredibly sad for all.

[@StevenBaer-zv6lq]

Death by friendly fire is actually the worst thing ever.

[@shawnhierlihy3690]

My uncle was a Lanc pilot in WWII. On one mission they dropped the entire load (about twice that of a B-17 on normal raids) on a lanc below them. The plane was disintegrated. My uncle's comment, "the stupid bastard was out of formation". War is hell.

[@StrategicBomberEnjoyer]

Rest in peace to the poor crewman ❤

[@DeFunnyGuy1]

Your Uncle is a bastard for not respecting the crew

[@thethirdman225]

It happened to Flt Lt Bill Reid, V.C. too, though his aircraft was on the receiving end.

[@randybackgammon890]

The formation was as much too blame.Impossibly tight to prevent such unfortunate occurrence happening .Especially at night.Your uncles reaction sounds callous but war can do that to a man.Its a bad thing at the best of times.✌️

[@YTlovesPedos]

“We fought the wrong enemy” - Gen. Patton

[@JoeMun]

No they did not, are you actually serious?

[@1allanbmw]

Patton was referring to the Russians.

[@JoeMun]

@@1allanbmw no he wasn’t..

[@tonyweaver2353]

​@@1allanbmwPatton was actually referring to ourselves hence the friendly fire

[@therooster1339]

​@@JoeMun yes he absolutely was. You shouldn't make seething comments since you obviously have zero knowledge of historically accurate history, and only regurgitate zionist supremacist propaganda

[@lordhue]

Fratricide is a reality in all warfare, even with the modern weapons and equipment of today. It’s something we work hard to avoid, and I’ll admit that every time I’ve had to release ordinance under direction rather than direct visual confirmation I had concerns about this reality.

[@bermandonahue5234]

RIP …god bless those men

[@StrategicBomberEnjoyer]

Indeed, RIP ❤

[@hanskanns1710]

I bet there have been a lot of friendly fire by the gunners as well. Bullets don't stop after 500m

[@limemason]

"Did we hit the target?" "Well, uh, not exactly."

[@johnwtobin156]

"Friendly Fire" really sucks. 😢

[@jamesdavide6744]

Long time ago I read an article surmising that something similar may have happened to Glenn Miller. It is quite possible that his plane was below the clouds while above a formation of bombers returning from a scrubbed mission salvoed their bombs in the English Channel

[@garry358]

Apparently that's how Glenn Miller was lost, his aircraft was underneath a bomber which had to jettison its payload and that was that.

[@bad74maverick1]

Glen Miller disappeared in 1944 aboard a civilian transport. He was trying to get to France after his flight was cancelled for bad weather. He obtained a seat on a transport through an officer friend of his. Because it wasn't allowed he didn't report to his chain of command he was leaving in a civilian transport and took off with another Lt Colonel aboard and were never seen again. He was missing for days before army command knew about it, the day after he disappeared the battle of the bulge began and the army was scrambling. There was no one who saw them after take off, there was no one who reported seeing the C-64 Norseman he was in. No one reported hitting an aircraft after jettisoning their ordnance. he simply disappeared, and nobody new for days.

[@jonashellsborn7648]

​@@bad74maverick1aaaand I read about this some months ago, that a gunner or similar reported "hey, theres a plane down there". Note that your argument is _technically_ correct as this guy didnt identify serial number nor nationality markings. This jettison zone was allegedly in the waters south of England.

[@bad74maverick1]

@@jonashellsborn7648 Edit: I said "Cite your sources for the "hey theres a plane down there" and how it's attributed to the Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman carrying Miller. Surly there is a date also attributed to your source that would put the bomber crew in the same area, at the same day, at a reasonable time." I realized you were citing Shaw's comment he made about what he thought happened in a return to base mission. Sorry about that. It's been a while since I studied this great mystery. The RAF Training Unit at Twinwood Farm, where Miller left from, had cancelled flights because the weather was so bad before he left anyway. They would have also been passing each other in opposite directions as Miller was heading toward France and the bomber would have been heading home if jettisoning bombs making hitting it almost impossible especially if not using bomb sights, maps and topography (to intercept it) and randomly dropping bombs as they passed one another at the exact same traverse. Also if it was in southern England it wouldn't have been miller as Twinwood Farm is closer to central England north of London which means Millers plane would have been heading south east to Paris from northern England and not in southern England. If you are referring to Shaw's interview and description, which I assume you are, not only were they off course, but the weather was so bad he wouldn't have seen the plane from the height they were at. In fact a navigator/observer in the same flight refuted what shaw said “Considering that we were jettisoning from an altitude of 3,000 feet with almost nil visibility, in my opinion it’s a ridiculous claim from any observer.” Dennis Spragg an investigator backed that up "The lowest altitude any Lancaster reported for a jettison was 5,000 feet,” he told the Guardian in 2017. “The recommended jettison altitude was 6,000 feet. One mile is 5,280 feet. A Norseman flying almost one mile below would have looked like an indistinct flyspeck.”. Shaws account was originally backed up by several other accounts but the other two didn't describe a monoplane and one account said the plane was flying in the same direction. It was also described as a kite, something the RAF used as markers, and they were flying in an official jettison area. Of the 100 plus bombers many indicated that they could barely see their wingtips, let alone so far below. Given the testimonies, I'd say there is little to no chance miller was in that area and that far off course. I would say it's most improbable.

[@bad74maverick1]

@@jonashellsborn7648 KZbin keeps deleting my replies to you. I will try to send them in sections. YT seems to hate discussions with facts and accounts involved.

[@bad74maverick1]

​@@jonashellsborn7648 I believe the account you are referring to is Shaws account of that day. shaw stated that they saw a plane (kite) way down below as they jettisoned bombs in the south channel, where the zone was to dump them. Miller left RAF Twinwood Farm when they had grounded their training flights because of bad weather. Miller broke protocol and took a civilian transport which wasn't allowed and didn't inform his chain of command. From Twinwood Farm to Paris is central England north of London would mean flying in a southeast direction. To get to southern england they would have been far off course and since they took off from near london they would have known when and where they hit the coast.

[@mariano7699]

Bedroom rivals eliminated in comprehensive styles

[@christianifechukwu9865]

The screaming after the uncomfortable silence finally broke me....😂😂😂😂

[@alexwilkins4410]

It has been theorised that bandleader Glen Miller may have died the same way by flying under a formation of bombers while dropping their bombs

[@stoneman8387]

Very dramatic. Funnily enough, it happened more often that one bomber put its load in front of or on the nose of the other. This happened even at night (no formation flight) more than 23 times.

[@dukecraig2402]

Given the scope of the bombing campaign it's a wonder it didn't happen a lot more than that.

[@benr.9628]

I couldn’t stop laughing as I read that

[@terrydaniels8460]

Amazing this is the kinda story that should have been lost never known. But it wasn't lost these poor souls story was told With a picture as proof Amazing

[@robertknight4378]

Soldiers have been dying from Friendly Fire for years in several Wars it's sad☹

[@user-hg6pq3rg9z]

Poor soldiers.Even 80 years later I feel nothing but sorrow.

[@TJ3]

Woooo, love this guy.

[@adenmitchell7633]

You forgot to switch accounts

[@X-380_ZD]

​@Aden Mitchell that's the joke einstein

[@exceptionalanimations1508]

@@X-380_ZD that's the joke, einstein

[@X-380_ZD]

@@exceptionalanimations1508 Wasn't a joke hellen keller

[@exceptionalanimations1508]

@@X-380_ZD that's the joke, einstein

[@NathanCoady]

My great uncle died in WW2 he flew a smaller plane

[@guaporeturns9472]

What plane?

[@NathanCoady]

@@guaporeturns9472 I forget but it was a big British plane

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@NathanCoady You just said it was a smaller plane..? 🤔 Please start making sense.

[@NathanCoady]

@@guaporeturns9472 mb but it was a Lancaster

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@NathanCoady Gotcha.. thanks for clarifying. Lancaster is a cool plane. They have one in some museum in southern Alberta I visited years ago.. was a big, beautiful plane.

[@Am_in_the_horto]

The way he said 'unfortunately perished' got me for a sec

[@Roadking556]

With friends like this who need enemies

[@larry-5561]

I'm Sorry for the Men and their Families who gave their lives for their country! GOD BLESS ALL WHO DIED IN ALL WARS!!

[@StrategicBomberEnjoyer]

God bless ❤

[@thethirdman225]

If there was a god there would be no wars.

[@MP-16productions]

Bro forgot to turn off friendly fire

[@DeFunnyGuy1]

Haha funny, but they have many people in these B-17's it is serious

[@HaseebIhsan]

okay nerd they deserved it @@DeFunnyGuy1

[@KayHoundZ]

​@ISee1994 how?

[@KayHoundZ]

​@@HaseebIhsanhow?

[@Monarchist94]

@@KayHoundZ because they killed innocent civilians. Duh

[@craigoliver8712]

"When the British are bombing the Germans duck,when the Germans are bombing the Allies duck,when the Americans are bombing EVERYONE ducks"

[@ImGoingSupersonic]

That would be crazy having 1000s of feet to think about your guaranteed death.

[@jebby16]

Friendly fire runs rampant in war.

[@RockaRollaSteel]

And bombing civs still happens to this day. War never changes.

[@realstraightedgepunk1191]

2nd worst way*

[@hazmatt3250]

😞😞😞

[@lukehutchens4778]

Such a tragedy... You know the crew responsible for accidentally hitting them with their bombs was absolutely devastated. Poor guys never wanted to hurt their fellow brothers in arms. Peace and Love To All ✌️

[@johnheart6890]

Oh Lord! That was so bad for the men that died, but can you imagine how bad the survivors felt after that catastrophe?

[@topphatt1312]

“This is B-17 Flying Fortress Miss Donna Mae” Me: no that’s War Thunder

[@DeFunnyGuy1]

How Cruel

[@PIFFthePUFF420]

bombing innocent civilians at Dresden.. some call it Karma

[@DannyBoYfutube]

Every single country did it

[@mizzyroro]

Kraut.

[@DannyBoYfutube]

@@mizzyroro your poop 💩 is made of kraut

[@deadon4847]

Like the innocent civilians in Guernica, Spain in 1937 and Warsaw in 1939 or millions dying in the concentration camps?

[@tonbopro]

drifting over friendlies is the one thing that scares us when the payloads are dropping

[@deanottinger1616]

I remembered a documentary on the History Channel (When it aired real actual documentaries.) that was about Bombing Raids of WWII. There was old footage of B17s flying in tight formations for protection during missions. On several records, Historians had to go over and inspect closely as some unfortunate crews had either got shot down by flak or friendly fire. Then there was the Churchhill Raids.

[@saxybeast128]

Sure the officers on that plane got promoted and the enlisted saw jail time.

[@stevewilliams2560]

God bless there souls🙏❤️

[@DeFunnyGuy1]

Finally someone actually respects the crew, everybody keeps making jokes, I have to admit they were funny but they never realize these are multiple people in there

[@raydrexler5868]

My wife’s grandfather was a belly gunner in a 17 after he was in a 24 hunting U-boats. I don’t know how he made it through over 50 missions but I am glad he did.

[@andrewbranch4075]

I saw footage of that happen to a B24. The bomb went right through the port wing root and she burst into flames. It was a sickening pointless thing to watch and I never found out if anyone got out.

[@metalcoffin6667]

Love it how you used war thunder to make this video

[@just_violet]

Damn recreating this incredible event in War Thunder must have been fun

[@StrategicBomberEnjoyer]

But for the crew irl, not so fun Rest in peace ❤

[@just_violet]

@@StrategicBomberEnjoyer Fr..

[@Daniel-wd4jg]

Mr. Bachman taught Biology @ Benson Tech Portland Oregon. B17 tail gunner. I was young and immature and never really appreciated the sacrifice and courage of this awesome Man.

[@TonyGator78]

Research has shown that the same thing may have been responsible for the loss/death of Glen Miller. He was traveling in a smaller aircraft when a returning bomber jettisoned its unspent munitions over the sea before landing. Glen Miller’s plane happened to be flying beneath it, unseen at the time and was struck and crashed into the sea.

[@mikescarlett4704]

Very peaceful, Thanks for sharing!

[@dietmarfinster3176]

War is hell, even if you experience it at your own hands

[@Codi500]

Never trust your team mates

[@B61thermonucleargravitybomb]

My grandpa had a similar experience, ye was flying a b24 liberator with napalm when an unscheduled b17 group flew underneath his group and got firebombed. It scared him for life and he eventually even wrote a book about it

[@rogerrendzak8055]

"Her vertical stabilizer would, break off". But, what we're seeing is, a horizontal stabilizer, disintegrating.

[@AMCguy]

Vertical because it controls axis maneuvering and stability.

[@Mister.Nobody337]

Fun but not so fun fact - due to repetitive incidents like this during WW2, the US Army Air Force adopted the "Combat Box" which was used by British Lancasters, where only the lead bomber would utilize its Norden Bombsight. All other bombers in formation would blindly release their payload at the same time as the lead bomber. For context, the pilot would hand over control of the aircraft to the bombardier, who utilized a form of autopilot that worked in tandom with the Norden Bombsight and the sight picture that the bombardier saw, was not directly below them but used mirrors to direct their scope forwards around 45 degrees.

[@justsomeguy6240]

Imagine being responsible for that. I’d never sleep again.

[@tperry5117]

I read an account of a gunner who said a huge amount of losses were from friendly fire from fellow gunners and mid air collisions. He stated that the losses were staggering from friendly fire or incidents. Especially at the first part of us entry

[@novakradakovic4752]

Horrible way to go. R.I.P. to all those men in that B17. And all those that never got back.

[@securitycameras6054]

No many made it to the 25th mission where they came home. That crew that did this most likely suffered a horrible fate themselves...

[@TheGrievousReviews]

Peace to those who perished in Miss and those of Trudy who have to live with that memory.

[@The_Curious_Cat]

I can only imagine how guilty the bombadier of the bomber that dropped the bombs must have felt. Since the B-17 had a system that the bombabier would take control of the aircraft when it was time to release the bombs.

[@glenwoodriverresidentsgrou136]

It has been theorized that this is how Glenn Miller’s aircraft was lost while he was being transported across the channel in a Lysander. A group of RAF bombers that had been unable to find their target due to weather jettisoned their bombs over the channel on the return leg of the mission so as to avoid having to land with them. Though the wreckage was never found, some people think one of the bombs struck the Lysander which was in the area at the time.

[@jerrychase4177]

Not many know this! "And now you know the rest of the story."

[@davidschaadt3460]

I've heard that account also.

[@jpol3808]

It's sad but still yet it is war history that needs to be told so it's crew is never forgotten.

[@duartesimoes508]

Compositor Glenn Miller died like that. A Lancaster formation was returning from an aborted mission over France without having been able to bomb. Over Germany you could get rid of your bomb load virtually everywhere, but not over France or any other occupied country. They had to be dropped over the Channel. When the formation dropped their bombs, Glenn Miller's Norseman was sighted at sea level. By then it was too late. I guess that formation did not land "In the Mood", that day...

[@stevedavis5704]

My uncle had a book off photos from WWII put out by Readers Digest. One of the pictures was of a B-17 on a mission. In the picture another plane got under it as it released its payload. The picture shows a bomb striking the plane right on the wing by the fuselage and then the wing beginning to break off. No names were given but the affected bomber was lost.

[@LewisTheFly888]

It is very sad. Bomber raids organised out of Britain could lose 3-6% of their planes after takeoff as they met and got into formation before flying to Germany. Tragic. But they collided. No electronic aids in those days.

[@peterfranks6243]

They say that's the way Glenn Miller got it, he was crossing the English channel when a bombing patrol ditched it's unused cargo over his plane

It’s estimated that up to 20% of all combat casualties are ‘friendly’ fire.

[@entropyalwaysincreases.6867]

My father, who was in WW2, always used to say When the Germans fired the British ducked. When the British fired the Germans ducked. When the Americans fired everybody ducked.

[@mixter7x7]

The VERTICAL stab is the part holding the RUDDER. The HORIZONTAL stabilizer is the part holding the ELEVATORS controlling the nose up / down " pitch " of the aircraft. The bomb hit the HORIZONTAL stab shearing off the stab and elevator. The aircraft should have been able to fly with a missing stab. The bomb must have damaged / jammed part of the pitch control. Added - the aircraft might have been more controllable had they dumped their payload weight.

[@Rolfツ]

"Is friendly fire on?" moment

[@shoofly529]

I think this is actually shown in the movie 'Twelve O'Clock High'. Near the end of the movie, live footage of a bombing mission is used & a plane with that exact damage is shown flying-then a few secs later, & for only for a split second, that plane is shown diving out of control.

[@KrautGoesWild]

I remember seeing the photos in the manual to 'Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe' for the first time.

[@diminaband]

I hate “liking” these videos cause of the tragedy, but I am liking your work keep it up.

[@frankblosse119]

There's a lot of family Guy back in those days I hope those guys rest in peace God bless them

[@Project_Atlas7]

The Bomber normally takes a look before release and inform the pilot to head home after release.

[@joemueller4738]

This type of accident happened more than once during the war,as well as many midair collisions between bombers in formation

[@LudosErgoSum]

Well, the never lived long enough to learn the lesson of the "high ground".

[@IainJohnston-kf7mr]

I feel terrible for the innocent people on the ground who suffered from this barbarism.

[@kellybreen5526]

I remember seeing these photos in “Air Wat Over Hitler’s Germany” which was published by American Heritage. I remember the caption reading that the crew bailed out. It is good to see the record set straight, even if it is not the ending that I would have hoped for. There are quite a few photos of bombers that made it home after getting hit by a “friendly” bomb.

[@Sole-tx9cx]

I cannot even imagine how that bombardier felt.

[@tryarunm]

I can't imagine the trauma that the bombing B17's crew must have felt then and for the rest of their lives. They might have known some of the lost crew personally, but even if not, that crew were still comrades. RIP all.

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-FINDER2525]

We forget how quickly we trained these airmen in some cases and how young some of them actually were. This is more than just an unfortunate accident. They knocked a hole are crew out of the sky and kill them. If this happened and later War the gentlemen's of the bomb dropping plane with her face stiff penalties. But there is nothing that can be done to bring these men back when they lost their lives because of this situation. I'm trying to word my statement carefully without bringing any more miss me any family members that may still be around to read this. 😭

[@flymachine]

Horizontal stab - the vertical is the fin (obviously) and has nothing to do with pitch, she pitched over because of a strike to her vertical stab which reduced Potch stability and sent her in to a dive.

[@user-yb1sh1px8n]

The crew of Trudy is unfortunately suffering from survivors guilt. Well not now obviously. But as a Marine that kind of guilt sucks worse than most people can imagine