Over Regensburg the fresh new raiders found cloud-totally free skies and you can profile of more than twenty-five miles, perfect weather to own an attack
“We watched a couple competitors explode not far below, vanishing during the sheet sets off tangerine flames, B-17s losing in most of the condition out-of distress, from motors burning to control surfaces test out, friendly and challenger parachutes floating down and you may, on the eco-friendly carpeting far below all of us, several funeral service pyres off smoking off dropped routes, marking the walk.”
The three electric batteries regarding 88-mm guns organized in the address did their utmost in order to disturb this new bomb runs, although best bomb organizations applied the habits out of bombs precisely. Then, as always taken place while in the a huge attack on a single target, soil and you will smoke in the explosions and fireplaces blurred the fresh aiming issues, and then bombing are less perfect.
Immediately following bombing the mark, the latest B-17s proceeded south. Two busted bombers leftover the newest formation and you may lead for simple Switzerland. 7 even more damaged airplanes went down on the way to Algeria.
Of one’s 146 big bombers which had put down to have Regensburg, 7 turned back, and you can 139 entered the Dutch coastline. Twenty-four of these had been lost.
The Schweinfurt raiding push, comprising 230 B-17s, launched their assault later in the day. They as well sustained greatly about German competitors and you may flak, losing 30-half a dozen bombers.
The second “new” weapon try the brand new 21-cm rocket, an effective German Military infantry gun modified to possess air-to-air fool around with
Therefore, of your own 376 B-17 Traveling Fortresses that set out regarding The united kingdomt so you can bomb the fresh new a couple of important aim, 60 was missing. Which was not the final prices. When the Regensburg push returned to The united kingdomt seven days later, fighting a keen airfield close Bordeaux along the way, it actually was as opposed to other fifty-four flights, that has been damaged beyond quick fix, and you may around three alot more were shed during the go back trip. 자세히 보기
