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 the Flying Fortress All American, piloted by Lieutenant Kendrick R. Bragg, 414th Squadron, 97th Bomber Group.
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 and 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; the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner’s turret.
Continue reading “A Flying Fortress Miracle”
