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Re: Boeing B-52H Stratofortress 

By: Zimbler0 in GRITZ | Recommend this post (2)
Sun, 16 Mar 25 3:51 PM | 12 view(s)
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Msg. 05539 of 05565
(This msg. is a reply to 05534 by De_Composed)

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Hey De,
You have heard about WWII B-17s coming back with parts shot off haven't you?

>>>
“I Fell 4 Miles And Lived” – B-17 Tail Gunner’s Declassified Survival

http://worldwarwings.com/i-fell-4-miles-and-lived-b-17-tail-gunners-miraculous-declassified-survival/

Sgt. James Radey was the tail gunner of “Skippy,” B-17 42-3098 and 301st Bomb Group, 253rd Bomb Squadron. One fateful day would leave him the only surviving member of his crew.

On January 11, 1944, 21 B-17 bombers ran into a huge problem on their route over Greece. It wasn’t the enemy; it was the weather.

The clouds swallowed up the formation. Visibility was not much beyond the wingtips and it was impossible for the bombers to see each other. In an effort to create space, the trailing squadrons followed procedure and flew off course for two minutes.

Disaster struck. In an impossible sky, two 97th Bomb Group B-17s collided nearly head on with the 301st formation. It was utter chaos.

James Raley’s Fall

Sgt. James Raley had no way of knowing what had happened. All he knew was that he was falling.

##
“I knew we were spinning around because flashes of blue, green and brown kept flashing past…. I thought the whole ship was intact by the way it was twisting around and the time it was taking us to get down. I was praying, too. I was telling myself in another few minutes I’ll be dead.” -Sgt. James Raley
##

But then he landed and he was still alive. In fact, he was in surprisingly great shape for having fallen nearly four miles.

Miraculously, the bomber’s tail that had ripped off the B-17 with Raley inside had just the right lift and weight distribution for it to “float like a leaf” and land relatively softly. A clump of pine trees also helped.

The disastrous accident destroyed eight B-17 and claimed 64 of the airmen. There were 17 survivors from those eight B-17s. Raley was the only one to survive without a parachute.
>>>

(A quick internet search reveals all kinds of interesting stories about B-17's and miraculous stories.)
Zim.




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The above is a reply to the following message:
Boeing B-52H Stratofortress
By: De_Composed
in GRITZ
Sun, 16 Mar 25 7:52 AM
Msg. 05534 of 05565

Boeing B-52H Stratofortress after losing its tail, 1964 in severe turbulence.

Approximately 83-85% of the vertical stabilizer had been torn off, leaving the B-52H essentially flying without a tail.

To stabilize the bomber, the rear landing gear was deployed, and the crew set course for Wichita. After testing airspeeds between 200 and 220 knots, they determined that 210 knots provided the best control and maintained an altitude of 12,000 feet.

Due to poor weather in Wichita, the crew diverted to Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. As they approached, they first lowered the wingtip landing gear, followed by the forward landing gear. The aircraft then descended to 10,000 feet at 160 knots, maintaining this speed throughout the landing, which was successfully executed.








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