"THE MIRACLE STORY" TOLD BY JACK SPRATT WORLD WAR TWO B17 BALL TURRET GUNNER HE WRITES ALONE OVER NO MAN'S LAND OUR CREW FACED PERHAPS THE MOST CRUCIAL DECISION OF THEIR COMBAT CAREERS,DAMAGED BADLY BY FLAK, OUR B-17 CHRISTENED "THE HOMESICK ANGEL" WAS FORCED TO DROP OUT OF THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF THE FIRST BOMBARDMENT DIVISION FORMATION PRIOR TO THE TARGETS OF A MERCEDES COMPLEX AND SINDELFINGER AIRCRAFT ENGINE FACTORY AT STUTTGART, GERMANY. IT WASN'T A DECISION ABOUT WHETHER TO BAIL OUT OR NOT, RATHER ,IT WAS SIMPLY A DECISION OF WHEN AND WHERE TO BAIL OUT. ALLIED/GERMAN LINES WERE CHANGING DAILY, IN SOME CASES HOURLY, IN SEPTEMBER 1944 LT,GEN, GEORGE PATTON'S THIRD ARMY HAD BEEN STEADILY PUSHING BACK THE GERMAN'S. HOMESICK ANGEL'S NAVIGATOR, LT, S, J, ABELMAN, DETERMED A HEADING THAT WOULD TAKE THEM BACK IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF ALLIED LINES. JACK AND HIS CREW ARE ARE AWARDED THE BRONZE STARS BY GEN PATTON.
10 сен 2024