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The B-17 tail that carried on Fighting 

FlakAlley
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One of the strangest mysteries to this day. The Story of the Ghostly B-17 tail that managed to land safely with one on crew board, after being shot off a b-17 flying fortress bomber. NOTE : The Footage and Thumbnail of this video is the best closest representation to what happened. It is not the actual footage.
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Background history on the Bomber
www.britannica.com/technology...
B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. The B-17 was designed by the Boeing Aircraft Company in response to a 1934 Army Air Corps specification that called for a four-engined bomber at a time when two engines were the norm. The bomber was intended from the outset to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating deep into enemy territory by flying above the effective range of antiaircraft artillery. Turbo-supercharged radial engines (a uniquely American development) were to give the necessary high-altitude performance, and heavy defensive armament was to provide protection against attacking fighters. Accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. The Norden consisted of a gyroscopically stabilized telescopic sight coupled to an electromechanical computer into which the bombardier fed inputs for altitude, atmospheric conditions, air speed, ground speed, and drift. During the bomb run, the sight was slaved to the automatic pilot to guide the aircraft to the precise release point. In the hands of a skilled bombardier, the Norden was a remarkably accurate sight. The first prototype bomber flew in mid-1935, and the B-17 entered small-scale production in 1937. Early versions proved to be more vulnerable to fighter attack than anticipated, but, by the time the B-17E version began to go into service shortly before the United States entered the war in 1941, the plane was equipped with turrets in the upper fuselage, belly, and tail. All but the last turret were power-operated, and each mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre (12.7-mm) machine guns. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. The basic element of a typical formation was a squadron “box” of 9 or 12 aircraft; three squadron boxes staggered vertically and horizontally formed a group, and three groups in trail formed a combat wing. In the event, the need to keep such tight defensive formations over Europe compromised the accuracy of the Norden bombsight, since individual bomb runs were not possible without breaking the formation. Whole bomb formations had to drop their loads on the lead bombardier’s command, and the inevitable small differences in timing and heading led to dispersed bomb patterns.

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27 фев 2021

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Комментарии : 2,7 тыс.   
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 13 дней назад
Have you seen this strange story ? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jUXwpdgwbvQ.html
@mousepointer12
@mousepointer12 3 года назад
Germans: shoot the plane Tail: keeps flying Germans: this is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them!
@DoomedandFuzzed
@DoomedandFuzzed 3 года назад
You know the guy who shot that plan in half had to be some kind of amazed that the tail section still was flying.
@sonictailsandsally
@sonictailsandsally 3 года назад
Best comment! 🤣
@codynichols411
@codynichols411 3 года назад
If I was at German who shot that plane in half of the tail kept going I've been like you know what I'm done I'm done
@janwitts2688
@janwitts2688 3 года назад
Hydra?
@Interdictiondeltawing
@Interdictiondeltawing 3 года назад
Me-109: IM SORRY W H A T
@Interdictiondeltawing
@Interdictiondeltawing 3 года назад
Flying Fortress: *gets blown in half by flak* The Tail Section: I have no such weakness
@howlinghunter4478
@howlinghunter4478 3 года назад
I think it was actually sawed in half by a BF 109
@howlinghunter4478
@howlinghunter4478 3 года назад
Oh necer mind😅
@thedepression950
@thedepression950 3 года назад
@@howlinghunter4478 thats another story
@howlinghunter4478
@howlinghunter4478 3 года назад
@@thedepression950 I noticed
@thedepression950
@thedepression950 3 года назад
@@howlinghunter4478 oh ok
@shadownerd9701
@shadownerd9701 2 года назад
So let me get this straight- Survived being shot multiple times by aircraft Survived a plane crash in just the tail segment Survive 18 Months DIRECTLY after his surgery as a POW by a country infamous for this mistreatment of such men Came back to the United States and served a decade as a firefighter and 3 as a Fire Warden And survived a heart attack in 2013? He's only dead because he got tired of living. Just saying
@spartanonxy
@spartanonxy 2 года назад
Naw Captain Evans of the USS Johnston invited him to visit hell to help torment the demons.
@skub8527
@skub8527 2 года назад
@@spartanonxy lol. Thank you for the laugh. My uncle Gene
@digitaal_boog
@digitaal_boog 2 года назад
Jesus this guy just kept giving the grim reaper the wrong address
@keganboddy8598
@keganboddy8598 Год назад
And he raised 9 children! Could a country ask for more?
@daver00lzd00d
@daver00lzd00d Год назад
comment is old but he then did TWO decades being a firefighter, and another three as warden. man was never not serving it seems
@Rev_Oir
@Rev_Oir 2 месяца назад
I see why they never made a movie of his story. It's almost completely unbelievable, a combination of dumb luck, superhuman strength, inconceivable suffering, and astronomical odds that seem cobbled together from old Captain America comic books, childhood fantasy, and complete insanity. Good work, both of you.
@Smileyface-qi2ie
@Smileyface-qi2ie 3 года назад
German AA gunner: *Gets critical hit but no kill* *He looks up* WHAT THE FU-
@4thmonitorion731
@4thmonitorion731 3 года назад
The tail gunner and the tail was so stubborn, It literally refused to die
@Reragi
@Reragi 3 года назад
There's a beast inside...
@ItzFoxUwU
@ItzFoxUwU 3 года назад
*falls down while shooting the gun*
@Reign1020
@Reign1020 3 года назад
Gunner: fcking hacker
@benjaminjansen4448
@benjaminjansen4448 3 года назад
GOD mode
@thorinth3079
@thorinth3079 3 года назад
The amputated b17 tail didn't repeatedly flip over because Eugene's massive balls balanced out the craft, allowing him and the tail to glide to safety into a tree, where Euegene would absorb the essence of his badassery to survive the 18 months of torture that he would endure.
@eugeneoliveros5814
@eugeneoliveros5814 3 года назад
Eh? Someone mention me?
@toobad55
@toobad55 3 года назад
Take it easy. Leave something to the imagination for Pete's sake.
@user-vp1sc7tt4m
@user-vp1sc7tt4m 3 года назад
My Dad was a tail gunner in a B17 and was part of many raids over Germany. He never talked about it but I learned about what it was like and who he was during the war when I was a young teem and appreciated his contribution to our country and family immensely.
@chrisb9960
@chrisb9960 3 года назад
I’m not gonna lie. I’m fairly sure I would’ve peed myself a little bit while falling in that tail section.
@davemck1887
@davemck1887 3 года назад
Probably the best comment I have ever read, pmsl 🤣🤣😅
@jcrotea
@jcrotea 2 года назад
In 1998 I asked my father, a 10th Armored veteran who fought in Metz and Bastogne, if he wanted to go see Saving Private Ryan. A good Catholic who never swore, he said, “Why the f*** would I go see that? I’ve seen enough of that for a lifetime.” Only after he died in 2001 did I discover what he experienced in Bastogne, the Saar-Moselle Triangle and liberating Landsberg, a sub-camp of Dachau. These men deserve to be remembered for the courage, honor and valor they displayed in combat and recovery after the war. May they Rest In Peace.
@Shanniereb
@Shanniereb 2 года назад
My Paw Paw, a US Navy WWII vet, never ever had anything that bothered him BUT when he started watching the movie he hollered out “turn it off, turn it off I was there! I saw those men die”! He never watched another war movie with me again!
@GrumpyIan
@GrumpyIan 2 месяца назад
I sadly never met my grandpa, he didn't talk much from his experience in WW2. However given how he spoke English and German and being in the 101st Airborne I can piece together he saw some horrible stuff. He also flat out refused to be buried with honors and yelled at anyone that asked him why.
@tomm1109
@tomm1109 2 месяца назад
Amazingly half of America is ready to throw away the freedom they fought for and elect a dictator because he promises cheap groceries.
@p1xelgalaxy563
@p1xelgalaxy563 2 года назад
Hello, I live in Boscobel Wisconsin, close to Soldiers Grove where he lived. My last name is Moran (more-an). Eugene was my Great Uncle and I think about this story every day. It's very unfortunate he died before I even met him, in 2013. Thanks for sharing this story of my uncle! Very appreciated, not much people talk about these type of things. Thanks FlakAlley! :)
@patriciapiper6294
@patriciapiper6294 9 месяцев назад
P., wow!!!😮😮 what does one say to this kind of nightmare event. How would he respond?? I mean deep down, the horror of all of it. Compare him to the nuckle heads pretending to be tough in the movies!! They should be ashamed. Love to your uncle where ever he may be. ❤. And love to you❤
@Atomicarz
@Atomicarz 3 года назад
His grandchildren be: "hey grandpa, my RC plane tail broke off" Him: *Flashback*
@paulgodwin9425
@paulgodwin9425 3 года назад
p t s d
@MrCarjackerX
@MrCarjackerX 3 года назад
Nah. We all grew up to be hardasses. We didn't have RC planes. We had bb guns and climbed hills and shit. The flashbacks came from being the one that survived. This is not a cheesy hollywood movie. Don't get me wrong, I get the humor. Just kinda low hanging fruit buddy. Like a guy that makes a prison rape joke in the comment section of any video where somebody's going to jail. Cheers!
@mantan9400
@mantan9400 3 года назад
Someone should build a RC model of aircraft that tail falls off and glides to the ground.
@jirivorobel942
@jirivorobel942 3 года назад
@@mantan9400 I remember there being a discussion on a modelbuilding forum a couple of years ago. Someone proposed making a glider in the shape of the tail of a B-17; the calculations seemed promising, but I think the idea was ultimately abandoned out of respect to the folks in the rest of the plane who didn't make it. I think S/Sgt. Moran was still alive at that time.
@philipmcniel4908
@philipmcniel4908 3 года назад
@@MrCarjackerX Wait, you're one of his grandkids?
@davidclark3304
@davidclark3304 3 года назад
This is why they're called the Greatest Generation.
@patrickthornton5053
@patrickthornton5053 3 года назад
Straight up facts!
@germen343
@germen343 3 года назад
While brave, fighting a brother war isn't great.
@jasonthomad2322
@jasonthomad2322 3 года назад
Imagine the weight on those crews facing that.
@DanielMartinez-dg8is
@DanielMartinez-dg8is 3 года назад
Yea what an amazing future greatest gen has left for us.
@goosegaming5171
@goosegaming5171 3 года назад
@@DanielMartinez-dg8is is this a joke?
@NinjaBlade420
@NinjaBlade420 2 года назад
I met a tail gunner who had bailed out of his aircraft after the plane had been cut in half. He fell five miles without a chute and lived. Landed in a snow bank suffering only a broken leg and minor injuries. Shortly after he was captured and put in a pow camp only to be liberated a few months later. All before he was 20 years old. Greatest Generation for Real!
@carolramsey6287
@carolramsey6287 Год назад
His name was Nicholas Alkemade. He was a tail gunner in a Lancaster and bailed out over Germany at 18,000 ft without a parachute. The Germans didn't believe him when they found him then found his parachute still in the wreckage halfway along the fuselage where it was kept because there wasn't room for it in the gun turret.
@jujuteuxOfficial
@jujuteuxOfficial 11 месяцев назад
correction: not even a broken leg, only a sprained ankle! that's just completely mind boggling apparently him crashing through tree branches helped a lot
@zaxmaxlax
@zaxmaxlax 11 месяцев назад
Jeez, this is just incredible. 5490m freefall.
@Ukraineaissance2014
@Ukraineaissance2014 11 месяцев назад
I was saying this the other day, it was suprisingly common for airmen or paras to survive those drops without a parachute opening, either due to snow, tree canopy or just extreme luck. Theres around 100 cases of it happening.
@carolramsey6287
@carolramsey6287 11 месяцев назад
@@Ukraineaissance2014 I wonder if any of them flee with Ryanair?
@vikingmedic8107
@vikingmedic8107 3 года назад
This is exactly why I am patient with elderly people in traffic. We've pretty much lost the WW2 vets but there's plenty of Korea and Vietnam vets out there. The old man slowing me down in traffic could have quite possibly displayed more badass than you or I could fathom at some point. He totally deserves to drive a little slowly.
@gjf984
@gjf984 2 года назад
Right on brother I read lots of the comments on this and yours is my favorite. I hope other people read it and remember to give the old fogies a break in traffic ...And the same goes for old man who are alcoholics or drug addicts you never know what they've been through and a lot of them are probably veterans
@jeffbosworth8116
@jeffbosworth8116 Год назад
Here is an example of what you mean: Around 30 years ago my brother was working in a Safeway when one of the other employees made some rude comments making fun of the old man servicing the rent-o-vacs. The "old man" was our father. My brother told him that "old man" jumped in Normandy with the 82nd Airborne where he earned a Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and a Purple Heart; fought in the Battle of Bulge and did another combat jump into Germany, where he earned a second Purple Heart. "Now, why don't you tell me about your dad." All that other employee could do was hang his head in shame and walk off.
@pelle571
@pelle571 Год назад
Love this comment ❤️❤️❤️❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥💪🏽
@oldjarhead386
@oldjarhead386 Год назад
If you are lucky you might get to be old too. It happens faster than you can comprehend.
@monke12354
@monke12354 11 месяцев назад
Majority of old people did not serve lol, but do what u want
@warrenchambers4819
@warrenchambers4819 3 года назад
Wow I knew Eugene. He told me this story and it was in the paper here back in the 90s. Something he said you left out was his pilot had just said to him "Genie watch out for close aircraft back there" as they were dodging flak and in a formation that's kinda dangerous. He said "Just then as the pilot said that I saw a wing go by not realizing it was ours" Eugene was a hell of a man. I've still got the news paper article he was in. Met him at the opening of the 8th A.A.F. Museum in Pooler Savannah GA. Ck it out awesome place.
@brycemorrill1078
@brycemorrill1078 3 года назад
What was his last name? I couldn't quite understand the narrator.
@fotobug46
@fotobug46 3 года назад
@@brycemorrill1078 Moran. The narrator was mispronouncing it. THe current photos (before he passed away) were taken by me, along with an interview of him. I'm from his hometown of Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin.
@p1xelgalaxy563
@p1xelgalaxy563 3 года назад
@@brycemorrill1078 Moran, he was my great uncle so I know his last name, and how to pronounce it.
@PL-rf4hy
@PL-rf4hy 3 года назад
What happened to the rest of his crew?
@sora2534
@sora2534 3 года назад
I didn't know Savanah had such a neat place, I must check that out at some point, I only live a short 4 hour drive from there
@BAD_HOBO
@BAD_HOBO 3 года назад
B-17: **Fails to bomb target** B-17's Tail: Fine I'll do it myself.
@ComRed_
@ComRed_ 2 года назад
Look at me. I AM the bomb now.
@richardstewart6900
@richardstewart6900 11 месяцев назад
My late Dad was a Despatch Rider in the Western Desert, got taken PoW by the Germans, handed over to the Italians at Benghazi then shipped over to PoW Camps in Italy. He escaped at the Italian Armistice: he and many, many other Allied escapees were given much help by the Italian people, at great risk to themselves. He kept several notebooks of those times, one of them containing a comment which about sums it up - "There's going to be some strange tales told when this lot is over". The story in this video about sums it up! Respect!
@kato64
@kato64 2 года назад
What an amazing story. Left on the mission in a B-17, landed in a B-8.5. Fantastic to know he lived to a ripe old age.
@Izeru45
@Izeru45 3 года назад
B-17: *Gets split in half* B-17 Tail: **Im a glider now.**
@kaito1213
@kaito1213 3 года назад
B-17 Tail: **Im Me 163**
@Izeru45
@Izeru45 3 года назад
@@kaito1213 Thats a jet?
@jameshathaway5117
@jameshathaway5117 3 года назад
Nah man it was gunpowder and lead powered. He just ran out of fuel 😆.
@Izeru45
@Izeru45 3 года назад
@@jameshathaway5117 *It was air powered*
@Pgb633
@Pgb633 2 года назад
@@Izeru45 The me-163 is rocket powered
@GaryDenning
@GaryDenning 3 года назад
My father was a B-17 Waist Gunner in WWII and back in the early 90's before he passed I took(talked him into) to going to one of the initial showings of the Memphis Belle 1990 movie about a WWII B-17. We left the theater early because he was shaking and upset from the realistic sound of the Flak (anti-aircraft fire) and the other sounds of flying in a B-17 under attack in WWII. It wasn't until I got back from Iraq in 2006 and 2007 that I really understood the effects of PTSD and was so depressed that I had talked him into going to that movie in 1990.
@tfogelson3139
@tfogelson3139 3 года назад
Gary, my father was flight engineer and upper turret gunner, took him to the movie and when he was asked what was unrealistic about the movie, his response was "the flak was not thick enough".
@mrchickenfeathers9184
@mrchickenfeathers9184 3 года назад
God Bless your father.
@aor7899
@aor7899 3 года назад
You shouldn't feel depressed about your realisation. The fact you now recognise the symptoms might explain other parts of his life you didn't understand. God be with you
@pgh1all1
@pgh1all1 3 года назад
PTSD is not a new phenomenon tied to recent wars,it was not talked about back in WW2 or WW1 because it's effects were not immediately recognized then. It was called shell shock,battle fatigue etc. WWII vets like my dad did not talk about it and if you sought help or cried due to the nightmares or "triggers" during waking hours,you were considered weak and labeled a whiner or complainer,expected to toughen up and get on with your life as soon as you returned from combat and mustered out. That's why so many became alcoholics and turned violent. You were just supposed to turn it all off and move on when you seen carnage too horrible to talk about and your buddies shot to hell or blown to pieces. Thankfully we recognize the syndrome today(sadly,still not enough is done about it) and there are many outlets for vets today to take advantage but the old timers just had to tough it out and live with it. I bow to them for maintaining my ability to be free and for their extreme sacrifice,for without them we would be speaking another language or be under a different regime(although our current US govt is heading straight into communism) we own them our very lives!! I am an early gulf vet but i cannot imagine what those men went through fighting the Germans and Japanese in a world conflict. I want to thank the few that are remaining for mine and all US citizen's freedom. You certainly are NOT forgotten!!!
@melianduarte9848
@melianduarte9848 3 года назад
But dont forget,you were a volunteer soldier,while your father wasnt.
@founderoftheempire8589
@founderoftheempire8589 2 года назад
B-17: *Gets tail blown off* B-17 Tail: *"Fuselages are over rated I'm taking my own path now."*
@Diabne
@Diabne 2 года назад
My dad was a B17 tail gunner and I remember him telling me a story of a tail floating down gently towards the ground. Wow.
@Luke_Skywalker1836
@Luke_Skywalker1836 11 месяцев назад
Your dad? hmm your dad must be 100 years old now and you should be 100 has well💀
@Brokenrocktail
@Brokenrocktail 11 месяцев назад
No, they could be in their 60s and their dad would have been near 100 if he was still alive
@Luke_Skywalker1836
@Luke_Skywalker1836 11 месяцев назад
@@Brokenrocktail if he’s in his 60 then how does he strength to type a comment that was made by a 14 year old
@gjkdshgkjshjkgdfg
@gjkdshgkjshjkgdfg 11 месяцев назад
​@@Luke_Skywalker1836being 60 years old does not strip you of the strength to literally tap a few keys.
@Luke_Skywalker1836
@Luke_Skywalker1836 11 месяцев назад
@@gjkdshgkjshjkgdfg I think he’s 80 or lieing because there needs to be a time to be born and it happend 1940s
@DWS1435
@DWS1435 3 года назад
My father was a tail-gunner on a B-17. Many tail-gunner had a very short life span. It was miracle Eugene made it through that whole ordeal. My father received a bronze star for his service. He passed away in 2013 at 89 years old.
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
Don’t care.
@Miniaturehorseexpress
@Miniaturehorseexpress 3 года назад
God bless him and all the Allied airman. My grandpa was a LH waist gunner & flew 50 missions on B17's outta fogia Italy. Those guys were truly the greatest men that ever lived
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
@@Miniaturehorseexpress Honestly don’t give a shit.
@Does_it_come_in_black
@Does_it_come_in_black 3 года назад
@@crippleabatteries5031 nobody likes you 🙂
@dcooper4166
@dcooper4166 3 года назад
Rip hero
@KokkiePiet
@KokkiePiet 3 года назад
I wonder what happend to the Serbian doctor who saved him.
@nickpaine
@nickpaine 3 года назад
He's in Heaven. ( Edited : I don't actually believe in Heaven and only capitalize it because of custom. I simply meant he was a good man.)
@t.a.ackerman4098
@t.a.ackerman4098 3 года назад
And the rest of the crew.
@John.McMillan
@John.McMillan 3 года назад
@@nickpaine Good thing you know he was Christian somehow. Edit- Sorry for being an ass here, I almost non fucking stop hear "God bless", "God's plan", "Thank god" and it does genuinely piss me off, Stop giving that asshole imaginary friend credit for the deeds of man, Gotten to the point any mention of god or heaven annoys me.
@comradekenobi6908
@comradekenobi6908 3 года назад
They were actually cousins and decided to go bowling
@TheSanityInspector
@TheSanityInspector 3 года назад
@@John.McMillan For Serbs, that's the way to bet.
@zmaxdudeonline7854
@zmaxdudeonline7854 2 года назад
B-17: *gets blown in half* Tail section: "And I took that personally"
@memirandawong
@memirandawong 11 месяцев назад
I had read about this story years ago but this video really filled in the details. Over the years I've net a few sailors, infantry and airmen who fought in some of the major battles in WW2. Their stories are unforgettable. Thank you for this video!
@nexus4151
@nexus4151 3 года назад
Airplane: _loses tail section_ The tail section: _continues to fly and returns fire_ The AA Gunner: *AY YO WHAT THE FU-*
@ComRed_
@ComRed_ 2 года назад
Player Eugene_1943 has been accused for hacking.
@p1xelgalaxy563
@p1xelgalaxy563 2 года назад
@@ComRed_ Dude 😐can you not
@ComRed_
@ComRed_ 2 года назад
@@p1xelgalaxy563 Chur, bud, I'm not gonna listen to you :D edit: Ah I see, a toxic Fortnite player, cool :)
@p1xelgalaxy563
@p1xelgalaxy563 2 года назад
@@ComRed_ ye cause fortnite has to do with a meme about my uncle almost dying
@ComRed_
@ComRed_ 2 года назад
@@p1xelgalaxy563 Ah, I'm sorry about that, although I didn't know your uncle had a near miss, and also, cool pics ya got ;)
@VosperCDN
@VosperCDN 3 года назад
Just amazing the combination of random "things" that had to happen for this to occur. Any change in wind direction, or location of the shell hit, or even the tree (or no tree) could have meant he was just another name in a record of fallen airmen. This is not even counting that he ended up in range of a doctor able to perform the surgery that would save his life.
@MORAMAX
@MORAMAX 3 года назад
when God wants something, he is capable of doing anything
@AmenYeshua
@AmenYeshua 3 года назад
A God-incidence!!
@untrainedmechanic
@untrainedmechanic 3 года назад
@Philip Dennis im glad someone gets it
@dsandoval9396
@dsandoval9396 3 года назад
Crazy, the butterfly effect. A bird cutting a fart would've probably changed the outcome.
@noahcarlton4625
@noahcarlton4625 3 года назад
There are several kinds of people in this comment thread.
@waynecampbell9107
@waynecampbell9107 2 года назад
This tailgunner was one of the toughest men who ever fought for the United States! Having survived that insane fall, and go down fighting, he should have received the Medal of Honor! It's this indomitable spirit that deserves the country's highest award for gallantry! You just don't find anyone nowadays who gets near crippling injuries, and decides at that critical moment that if they're going to go down, they're only going out fighting! Most people, even in combat, in the present time, would take no notice of the fact that the entire front of their plane was gone,and failing to exit the shattered tail section of an aircraft with no chance of a survivable landing without power, would seek a way to get the hell out of what could only be considered their enormous, olive drab, steel tomb! Instead, this young sergeant makes the conscious decision to inflict as much damage as his .50 caliber machine gun and his aim,and determination, would allow, on the several prolonged minute, inevitable, entirely uncontrolled descent , of the tail section of his doomed aircraft, and ends up fighting with several German aircraft all the way down from 28,000 feet! Think about it ! (On a personal note, I hated learning how to "helocast," which is , for lack of a better description, some insane officer's idea of a cool method of "dropping in on an enemy! " Cool? Jumping out of a helicopter in full combat gear, approximately 30 feet off the deck, (sea level), no parachutes or other equipment to slow one's descent, into water which is obviously home to creatures no one would ever want to meet up with under the best of circumstances, like sharks of all sorts, rays , eels, barracuda, jellyfish, sea snakes, and the occasional alligator or crocodile species that chased some type of food source from it's swampy home into the coastal region of the ocean! When you're in your teens, and early 20s, that kind of a drop doesn't seem too bad, - when you're jumping into a quarry while showing off for your friends! But, then, you're not diving in full combat gear, into waters you've never swam in before, with a host of creatures that would just love to ruin your day by nibbling on an arm, or a leg, or perhaps your entire intestines, or every bit of flesh on you, in case you jump into an entire school of hungry piranha which just happened to materialize out of the brackish waters near the mouth of any river south of the United States! These are the things you end up thinking of in the few seconds it takes dropping the 30 or so feet from the perfectly good helicopter you've just jumped out of, and your mind is buzzing with after you've hit the surface of the ocean, and start swimming toward the shore! FOCUS! Yes, you've got to focus to get your scared ass swimming in the right direction, and not out to sea! You've got to focus in order to avoid all sorts of sea creatures that want nothing better than to ruin your day by feasting on your corpse! And you've got to focus in order to avoid getting caught in random rip currents that pop up out of nowhere, and ruin your day by dragging you out away from your platoon, and everyone who could save your ass from drowning! This is getting way to long, so suffice it to say, Helocasting really sucks, and, after doing that a few times when you're a young, strong guy who thinks he can take on the whole world, - when you watch a video like this, and try to understand how this young sergeant felt as he fell 28000 feet to his inevitable death, - you realize that just surviving that fall was a feat that should have gotten the man the medals the Army Air Corps should have given him,- and for his unbelievable feat of fighting back with the enemy on the way down,- HE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE MEDAL OF HONOR! Personally, I doubt like hell that I'd have gone back to fighting ever again if I had survived a fall like that, that crushed my skull and got me shot multiple times! That Airman was a true American Hero!
@simonkg6728
@simonkg6728 2 года назад
This also happened to a b-17 on June 13 1943, the tail gunner was witnessed continuing to fire at a fw 190. The account is in the book B17s over Berlin by Ian L Hawkins
@furytheshadow9044
@furytheshadow9044 3 года назад
„He could feel his skull move around” that made me flinch
@davelowe1977
@davelowe1977 2 года назад
Me too. I'm watching this an hour after having 2 teeth extracted. In retrospect this wasn't an ideal move.
@kinkane5566
@kinkane5566 2 года назад
My man is all that is... man.
@brianbishop4753
@brianbishop4753 2 года назад
That stuff doesn’t really bother me and I still got those chills on my neck when he said that.
@CorePathway
@CorePathway 2 года назад
I dislocated my shoulder recently but I’m going to shut the hell up about that.
@kinkane5566
@kinkane5566 2 года назад
@@CorePathway 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@ozarktheshark8931
@ozarktheshark8931 3 года назад
"There is a beast, deep inside you. It will not die, it will fight back."
@yourstonersensei1907
@yourstonersensei1907 3 года назад
Nice war thunder reference
@wilescattington
@wilescattington 2 года назад
bruh
@c4sualcycl0ps48
@c4sualcycl0ps48 2 года назад
I was wondering how far I would have to scroll to see this...
@americanpatriot8528
@americanpatriot8528 2 года назад
“A true pilot can fly any thing even things not meant to fly “ Gajin
@danwalker9999
@danwalker9999 2 года назад
My father-in-law did 50 missions over the South Pacific as belly gunner in a B-17. He would talk to me for some reason about the war but not his own kids. I asked him how he handled it mentally. He said "I wrote myself off and that I wasn't going home alive". Well, he made it.
@jonathancermin7005
@jonathancermin7005 3 года назад
I have an interview with Wes Borgeson, who was one of three B-17 tail gunners in WWII to survive free falling/floating down to earth in a severed tail. It is an amazing story.
@paolotriolo6196
@paolotriolo6196 2 месяца назад
Who was the third tail gunner, apart Eugene Maron and Wes Borgeson?
@petrihaikio7002
@petrihaikio7002 3 года назад
Thor sinks his hammer into the cockpit. Then he hears a whisper from behind. "You should have gone for the tail..."
@VexingVelvet
@VexingVelvet 3 года назад
Bruh...
@logicss2893
@logicss2893 2 года назад
@@VexingVelvet bruh...
@kurtlianddemesa6028
@kurtlianddemesa6028 2 года назад
@Logicts bruh...
@logicss2893
@logicss2893 2 года назад
@@kurtlianddemesa6028 bruh....
@evolve117
@evolve117 2 года назад
@@logicss2893 bruh
@davidhobson7652
@davidhobson7652 3 года назад
It's truly outstanding that miracles like that can occur, first such i heard of was about Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade a rear gunner on a Lancaster that fell 18,000 ft without a parachute and he woke up on the ground with just a sprained leg
@davidhobson7652
@davidhobson7652 3 года назад
@MichaelKingsfordGray possibly true that he was awake that entire time, it was almost 15 years when I first read about it, and that info was little brief, it never mentioned the air gunners name at time only what saved his life after the fall (pine tree's and snow)
@dunruden9720
@dunruden9720 3 года назад
@@davidhobson7652 trees
@Depreuz
@Depreuz 3 года назад
@MichaelKingsfordGray so the nazis would check if a free-falling guy survived? I don't know of this story but I think the nazis would have trouble even noticing him. and even if they did, why would they check on him? I'm not denying his survival, I just don't think any nazis would come
@charlesdickens6706
@charlesdickens6706 3 года назад
@@davidhobson7652 ....American volunteer firefighters coming to help out for the Australian fire season were under the impression they could parachute into Australian forests like they do back home . The trees are different though .
@alastairbrand5821
@alastairbrand5821 3 года назад
@@Depreuz They checked on his story because initially they did not believe it. The way I heard it, there was some speculation he could be a spy. So to back his story he was forced to provide details of the aircraft id. When they found it, with the remains of his chute in the wreckage they were able to verify the events. With the suspicion against him now gone, they were able to treat him as a standard pow.
@akimotosenpai9587
@akimotosenpai9587 3 года назад
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate this hero💜
@lukenewton3862
@lukenewton3862 2 года назад
That’s my best friends papa!
@easternhotrodder
@easternhotrodder 2 месяца назад
Thanks for making this video. My grandfather flew in the 8th AAF, 94th bomb group. I cherish the few stories he shared with me.
@sithlord2225
@sithlord2225 3 года назад
"Not a problem, we're still flying half a ship"
@user-wn3yl3fm2i
@user-wn3yl3fm2i 3 года назад
*not to worry,
@tacogamer8740
@tacogamer8740 3 года назад
@@user-wn3yl3fm2i we almost got all the nazis we just need the grammar ones
@seandouangaphaivong94
@seandouangaphaivong94 3 года назад
@@tacogamer8740 Send in the B-17 tail gliders!
@cmelton6796
@cmelton6796 3 года назад
@@seandouangaphaivong94 More like B-1T
@danielawesome36
@danielawesome36 3 года назад
"Another happy landing."
@tommckibbin8444
@tommckibbin8444 3 года назад
I grew up going to Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin to visit my grandmother and can still recall Gene's distinct voice talking at her bar. RIP Gene! A true American hero!
@skub8527
@skub8527 2 года назад
Lol. I remember his distinctive voice. I am J. Moran. Gene is my uncle.
@tommckibbin8444
@tommckibbin8444 2 года назад
@@skub8527 I am Marlies Meier’s son! I spent summers at Rilling Ground with my mom and grandparents!
@madcow-ip2rk
@madcow-ip2rk 2 месяца назад
Eugene is special one of a kind. We need more people like this to show the country .what is important and to be a American hero .. 🙌 thank you all. ..a man to give thanks too...big love
@craigwall9536
@craigwall9536 3 года назад
"rapid drop in pressure that indicated he was losing altitude quickly.." EXACTLY BACKWARDS, GENIUS.
@peterwallace9764
@peterwallace9764 3 года назад
He was one lucky airman. His Guardian Angel was with him that day........and period. Salute you mate.🇺🇸🇦🇺🇺🇸🇦🇺
@joeverna5459
@joeverna5459 3 года назад
You got that right.
@timonraccoon
@timonraccoon 3 года назад
Hell yeah 🇺🇸🤝🇦🇺
@georgepantazis141
@georgepantazis141 3 года назад
Something was watching over him.
@thelegacyshow4248
@thelegacyshow4248 3 года назад
Yes sir, We salute him for his sacrifice to the free world. 🇺🇲🇦🇺🇺🇲🇦🇺
@theprinterwithnoink4912
@theprinterwithnoink4912 3 года назад
I feel like he would be a guardian to a guardian angel.
@bobhagopian888
@bobhagopian888 3 года назад
They are called "The Greatest Generation" for a very good reason, which this brave tailgunner embodied. God rest his courageous soul!
@ProjectMotive
@ProjectMotive 3 года назад
They were sadly still racist. Sad.
@TangSooTerp
@TangSooTerp 3 года назад
@@ProjectMotive What? Where did THAT come from? And how many of them were "racist," anyway? Are you saying the entire generation of people who fought WWII were racist? WTF?
@kacknoobdeluxe
@kacknoobdeluxe 3 года назад
look at the USA nowadays. what a mess.
@ProjectMotive
@ProjectMotive 3 года назад
@@TangSooTerp the military was segregated. white american soldiers forced my grand father give up his seat for german pows. bblack soldiers were constantly attacked and harassed by whites. look into the history
@UserName-us1nm
@UserName-us1nm 3 года назад
@@TangSooTerp maybe it came about because it's one of the biggest issues with "the greatest generation". If you're talking about the merits of a generation, nobody can force you to sing only their praises. Maybe a balanced perspective would be healthy, instead of blindly glorifying them.
@skttnm
@skttnm 2 месяца назад
My mom told me about this story. She was born in Soldier's Grove shortly after this event. Cool that this popped up in my feeds.
@knotgiven2u84
@knotgiven2u84 2 месяца назад
Had an uncle that was in the RAF. One of the American volunteers. Flew the P-51 mustang. Successful pilot, would talk how other pilots would fire from too far away wasting ammo. How he developed a technique of holding fire until you were right on they're six. Then opening up guns wild. Feeling the breaking power, from the recoil of the guns. A selfless man, Even in passing, during the time of covid and high fuel he insisted there was no ceremonies.. no funeral.. no family memorial get together. He was a man of another era. Cut from good metal.
@DemetryRomanowski
@DemetryRomanowski 3 года назад
For anyone wondering, Eugene P Moran (Tail Gunner Obviously) and, Jessie Orrison (Navigator) where the only survivors. According to the American Air Museum.
@noble6339
@noble6339 3 года назад
So you telling me this guy survived all that.... Well I’d be glad to call him a Spartan
@JM-cv7nv
@JM-cv7nv 2 года назад
Thank you for your service noble 6.
@CS_247
@CS_247 2 месяца назад
Now that is one tough bastard. Wow, RIP Legend.
@surroundedbyjaggoffs
@surroundedbyjaggoffs 11 месяцев назад
That is one tough SOB, respectfully with the utmost admiration and gratitude!!!! I salute you Sir!!!!!
@iamatransporter
@iamatransporter 3 года назад
My mother riveted tail sections of B-17s during the war.
@michaeldvorak5556
@michaeldvorak5556 3 года назад
Lots of women built and assembled war equipment. Riveting, welding, metal forming sheet metal into what ever was needed using English wheel. Amazing skills.
@kiwi_comanche
@kiwi_comanche 3 года назад
Rosie!!!! 💪💪💪💪
@lonewolf211
@lonewolf211 3 года назад
Might have missed a few rivets on this particular bird
@michaeldvorak5556
@michaeldvorak5556 3 года назад
@@lonewolf211 back in 1974, one of my electronics instructors in the USAF was a B-17 tail gunner. Lots of great story's. One was his crazy pilot rolling his B-17 to prove a point and for kicks. Popped a lot of rivets.
@latouselatrec
@latouselatrec 3 года назад
@@lonewolf211 why do you say that
@MustangMedic
@MustangMedic 3 года назад
I love your channel. Here come some props.
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 3 года назад
Thankyou!
@ugiszvejnieks419
@ugiszvejnieks419 3 года назад
@MichaelKingsfordGray tf is your problem
@nekogibson2679
@nekogibson2679 3 года назад
Was the a plane pun? "Props" lol
@dutchvanderlinde2636
@dutchvanderlinde2636 3 года назад
@@ugiszvejnieks419 what did he say?
@ugiszvejnieks419
@ugiszvejnieks419 3 года назад
@@dutchvanderlinde2636 he randomly said "Coward" for some reason and thats it as weird as it sounds
@tonib5899
@tonib5899 2 месяца назад
This man is more than a man, he’s a superhuman, he’s more than tough, he’s indestructible and a true hero. Thanks for your service Sir, mere words can’t measure how incredibly grateful we are.
@kevinwilson2082
@kevinwilson2082 2 месяца назад
My Dad piloted a B-17F the last year of the war. The Greatest Generation for sure. And if he was alive today I have no doubt what he would think should be done with the Crooked, Spineless Thieves that make up our government today. Rest In Peace Dad, we WILL take care of things. Lock and Load America. Kevin
@lambastepirate
@lambastepirate 3 года назад
What luck to land close to a doctor when minutes counted what a tale of survival against all odds!!
@828enigma6
@828enigma6 3 года назад
God wanted him to live for a purpose unknown.
@johnathansaegal3156
@johnathansaegal3156 3 года назад
... and if he had landed in an empty forest or hillside, survived the fall, but not in that particular prison camp with that particular Serbian doctor... he would have died. The odds were vastly stacked against him and he pulled three royal flushes in a row. 1 - He survived the wounds and fall 2 - He landed inside a POW camp where there were medical supplies 3 - He happened to be found by a prisoner who was also a doctor Any other combination without one of those three rare coincidences and he would not have lived.
@johnathansaegal3156
@johnathansaegal3156 3 года назад
@@828enigma6 - to have all those children after marrying his life-long love. There's a great purpose... and then how many people did he save working as a firefighter? God's grace had a plan for him.
@rickc303
@rickc303 3 года назад
You mean, what a tail of survival 😁
@dannyboy2750
@dannyboy2750 3 года назад
Some call it luck' while others call it Gods will
@baldeagle1337
@baldeagle1337 3 года назад
"Last man standing" 4:36 with skull crush and still alive..
@mrmemer8094
@mrmemer8094 3 года назад
Hello fellow american i need oil or else
@blite2471
@blite2471 3 года назад
You're right man..... Give me heart please😣🙏🏻
@liamskywalker6591
@liamskywalker6591 2 месяца назад
No point in making this into a movie, its just so unbelievable that he survived. What an incredible story 👏 God bless those men in their flying machines.
@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists
@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 3 года назад
And thus the inspiration for Star Trek Next Generation fighting hull. ..... on a serious note" A heart felt sense of honor and thankfulness for Eugene
@DanLoadan
@DanLoadan 3 года назад
The tail: my job is to keep the plane in the air and I'm not quitting.
@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112
@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112 3 года назад
My father told me that he worked with a man that was a tail gunner on a B-17, and that he'd survived a similar fate of the tail being shot off the plane and him riding it down. He spent time in a POW camp until the end of the war. Beyond that I don't know the details about the man, who he was and what unit he flew with. I also don't know which camp he was kept. I was just a teenager when he told me about him. My father is no longer with us, and I'm going to assume that the man is also gone now too.
@5roundsrapid263
@5roundsrapid263 3 года назад
Sounds like it was the same man.
@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112
@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112 3 года назад
@@5roundsrapid263 I think his tail landed in a hay stack and not a tree.
@goochfitness26
@goochfitness26 3 года назад
@@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112 a haystack is definitely better than a tree tho that’s fs 😂😂
@skub8527
@skub8527 2 года назад
Gene hit a tree. I am J. Moran. Gene is my uncle
@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112
@ronkrueger-capt_koron6112 2 года назад
Considering how many B-17's flew and were shot down, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there weren't more than one that had a tail that landed with the gunner still alive. I looked it up and there were 4,735 B-17s that were shot down in combat. There was one guy named James A. Raley that I just read about that also survived a 4 mile fall while riding the tail down. He also landed in trees.
@bubbakushingtonIII
@bubbakushingtonIII 2 года назад
Subbed because this is history that this guy is telling and from the sound of it he loves American WW11 and other war planes. Keep it up man.
@jblockman_59nunyabidnis68
@jblockman_59nunyabidnis68 3 года назад
Imagine being the tail Gunner, you hear the crew communications cut off, feel the jolt, and turn around and see there's empty sky behind you.
@carryfreak5059
@carryfreak5059 2 года назад
Uh-oh....
@sgtbender1335
@sgtbender1335 3 года назад
I read a similar account, but the gunner was captured immediately by the crew of a nearby Anti-aircraft battery. The Commander of the battery wrote a short statement confirming the events, and allowed him to carry it with him to the prison camp because, "No one would believe you without this" (close as I recall). Pretty incredible story when you read the gunner's own account.
@eshanjadhav265
@eshanjadhav265 3 года назад
Literally the toughest man on the earth !!
@Gigalisk
@Gigalisk 2 месяца назад
Recently the gate at Osan Air base holding his name was closed and demolished. It is good to hear the story of this ridiculously tough as nails Airman.
@theguywhoaskedandcares5576
@theguywhoaskedandcares5576 2 года назад
This man has more Plot armor than Rey from Starwars.
@Hallands.
@Hallands. 3 года назад
0:45 A drop in pressure does _not_ indicate loss of altitude! It’s the opposite...
@therealuncleowen2588
@therealuncleowen2588 3 года назад
Yes, I'm sure he could feel a change in pressure. Just not a drop in pressure.
@davecc0000
@davecc0000 3 года назад
Yes. He may have noticed a rapid *increase* of pressure (pressure is higher at lower altitudes). If this was a pressurized plane (the B-17 is not) a crew member would notice loss of pressure when a large hole is made in the plane.
@trentonarney6066
@trentonarney6066 3 года назад
He could mean the drop in pressure from his oxygen mask. Seeing as the supply line would of been severed with the tail.
@Hallands.
@Hallands. 3 года назад
@@trentonarney6066 That's right! But it still wouldn’t have to do with lowered altitude as he said in the video...
@ABaumstumpf
@ABaumstumpf 2 года назад
Nah, it was a magical world where air-pressure increases with height.
@acem82
@acem82 3 года назад
We would never believe this sequence of events if they were in a movie. But, again, truth is stranger than fiction.
@frmarquis
@frmarquis 3 года назад
Thanks for providing this miraculous account. The brevity of your post-production work, coupled with solid content, is impressive and very much appreciated!.
@markhuebner7580
@markhuebner7580 2 года назад
Awesome window into WW2 aerial combat and the after-effects! Thanks!
@edisoncambod8335
@edisoncambod8335 3 года назад
The military should design an iron balls medal with gold wool for bush.
@joeverna5459
@joeverna5459 3 года назад
Lol. Thanks
@Alan-in-Bama
@Alan-in-Bama 3 года назад
They have one ...it's called the Medal of Honor, but no "balls or bush." lol
@kenegerton7512
@kenegerton7512 3 года назад
The ironballs award! YES! Second the motion.
@mikeznel6048
@mikeznel6048 3 года назад
Thays a pretty good idea.
@mikeznel6048
@mikeznel6048 3 года назад
@@Alan-in-Bama There's Valor, then there's blazingly ballys.
@SpaceDogGlobalEntertainment
@SpaceDogGlobalEntertainment 3 года назад
I don’t know how you get all these stories, but they are amazing! That was a miracle that the tail gunner survived those wounds
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 3 года назад
Lots of Research through the WW2 Archives, however this incident is quite well recorded and we had a lot of information available to us. Thanks!
@WhoisMyut
@WhoisMyut 3 года назад
No I recognize this exact story. I swear I watched this same video last week. I remember the crashing into the tree and the doctor pow. And the skull part. I remember the coughing section. I swear you posted this video before Edit: wth I remember seeing the last picture of the guy and his wife
@jacksarson9230
@jacksarson9230 3 года назад
Same Mickel Dupont
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 3 года назад
@@WhoisMyut hmm
@TheOriginalFreak
@TheOriginalFreak 11 месяцев назад
grew up only a few miles from Soldiers Grove and only just now heard his story... Thank God the Interwebs are still good for some things.
@SirFloofy001
@SirFloofy001 11 месяцев назад
We need every aviation expert available to figure out how the hell that tail continued on flying with all that weight in it
@robbiemckenzie7822
@robbiemckenzie7822 9 месяцев назад
God or someone like him
@michaelwatson7364
@michaelwatson7364 9 месяцев назад
His MASSIVE titanium balls kept the tail section evenly balanced while it kept gliding.
@seikibrian8641
@seikibrian8641 3 года назад
0:37 "...his ears could feel the rapid drop in pressure, which indicated that he was losing altitude quickly." No, air pressure *increases* as altitude decreases. Air gets "thinner" the *higher* you go.
@worldcure7883
@worldcure7883 Год назад
Simple mistake they pop regardless of your altitude if you made sudden changes in it.
@seikibrian8641
@seikibrian8641 Год назад
@@worldcure7883 No one said your ears don't pop with changes in altitude. I said the presenter was wrong in saying that pressure drops as altitude decreases. That's backwards; pressure drops as altitude increases.
@sora2534
@sora2534 3 года назад
War Thunder I'm looking at you, Tail Cut Loose will not be an excuse anymore, its merely an unintentional escape pod
@RNJuiceable
@RNJuiceable 3 года назад
This "Continuously Fighting Tail" and "Old 666" need to be upgrades in War Thunder
@wojtekpolska1013
@wojtekpolska1013 2 года назад
I like when these stories have happy ending. he lived rest of his life peacefully and died at the ripe old age of 89. Usually these stories end with sth sad like dying of starvation in POW camp or sth
@JayHeartwing
@JayHeartwing 3 года назад
This is the original living PLOT ARMOR. Salutes to this man~
@bradleon1926
@bradleon1926 3 года назад
Holy wow. This happened a lot more than I thought. They should have just used the tails and the tails only as fighters or something.
@bradleon1926
@bradleon1926 3 года назад
@MichaelKingsfordGray me-163 sweats nervously
@eldritchmorgasm4018
@eldritchmorgasm4018 2 года назад
B-17: 😏 "Fools... this isn't even my final form!"
@shdwbnndbyyt
@shdwbnndbyyt 2 года назад
Tough man, like my late father. My dad at age 19 was in the US Navy on the San Francisco which was doing convoy missions from what I understand. This was before the USA actively entered the war. He was running messages at night during blackout conditions, up to the bridge... a grate had been removed or loosened, he went falling, Put his arms out in front of him to break the water, so he could swim away before getting sucked into the propellers... SMASH, he hit the small wooden deck instead (which saved his life, as he would have never been noticed overboard at night). He ends up in the military hospital with his arms, head and neck immobilized. Doctors told him about his broken elbows, wrists and arms, never tell him about the broken neck and back (he finds out in the 1970's when he gets x-rayed after hurting his back). Gets a medical discharge. The San Francisco gets sent to the Pacific theater, most of the people at my father's duty station handling munitions end up killed. My father spends several months wandering the country, heads home. Dec 7th, my father was the very first one in line at the recruiting station, getting up long before dawn. Navy refuses him saying he would be a risk for them due to his previous injuries (they STILL do not tell him about his back and neck), the Army accepts him limited duty. He spends several months on bases, setting up targets for tanks and artillery, destroying expired munitions, etc. After no complaints from him about back pain, a pencil line is drawn through the "Limited Duty" stamp, and he is sent to Africa. He and his oldest brother (18 years older) pass within ten yards of each other, on opposite sides of a hedge, my dad getting off the ship, my uncle heading on to go home after fighting in Africa and Sicily. My dad fights up through Italy, a little man carrying the machine gum and supplies by himself, a "chickenshit corporal" as he called his rank. Finally in Northern Italy, sleeping on the cold ground with the machine gun in his arms to keep it from freezing, makes his previously injured arms turn black and blue and swell. He had been sniped at, his backpack shot more than 30 times (of course it had been propped against a tree while he was in his foxhole nearby).... But the cold did him in. Medical discharge. He did not want to leave, but had requested that he be sent to somewhere warmer so his arms would not get cold and swell.
@UraniumWolfy
@UraniumWolfy 2 года назад
Nice! You got a heart!
@LonersGuide
@LonersGuide 2 года назад
@@UraniumWolfy Tough man indeed.
@johnathansaegal3156
@johnathansaegal3156 3 года назад
Several channels showed the Lancaster tail incident, but this was the first I heard of this man and his tail. Thank you for uploading! (now if people would read the description to understand you are not using the exact photographs/film of this specific incident, that you are using many different clips to explain what happened).
@oledahammer8393
@oledahammer8393 3 года назад
It is truly hard to believe sometimes how ANY of those men\boys made it home alive. My Uncle was 82nd Airborne in D-Day and Bulge...how he got home is nothing short of a miracle. But THIS guy! Makes my Uncles perils seem like child play! SHEESH!
@FirebirdJim
@FirebirdJim 3 года назад
My uncle, Cpl. James A. Poulos, didnt make it home, he was a gunner on a B-24, on 5-11-44, he the plane and crew went MIA, to this day.
@davecc0000
@davecc0000 3 года назад
The 8th AF, flying in the Europe theater in WWII had the highest *per-capita* casualty rate, higher than being a Marine in the Pacific theater. 26,000 lost.
@FirebirdJim
@FirebirdJim 3 года назад
@@davecc0000 Very true, my other uncle was a Marine in the fight with the Japanese, a few tuneup islands and then on to Okinawa, the largest land battle we had with them. Out of 54, if I remember correctly, in his unit, he was one of 12 that werent killed or wounded. I have his Japanese flag that he wrote all the names and dates of the KIA or WIA. I was lucky to have one uncle survive that war.
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
My dad was arrested for sex offenses :D
@carlosugarte1450
@carlosugarte1450 2 месяца назад
I don't know why I got a video from three years ago but I'm glad I did. Amazing story.
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 2 месяца назад
Thanks for the comment and support on the channel Carlo, This was one of the earliest productions when the channel was tiny! RU-vid seems to think people would enjoy it as of late
@carlosugarte1450
@carlosugarte1450 2 месяца назад
@@FlakAlley you nailed it. Keep up the good work.
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 2 месяца назад
@@carlosugarte1450 Truly means a lot, thank-you. Have a wonderful rest of your day!
@engineeringartist4801
@engineeringartist4801 11 месяцев назад
Man o man! Best perseverance story ever. Now that's a hero for ya.
@lordsledgehammer1998
@lordsledgehammer1998 3 года назад
The man deserves all the awards he was given. I salute my brother in arms
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
I served in the Middle East. Just so I could use excessive force on people in poor villages.
@bryanwolfe9350
@bryanwolfe9350 3 года назад
Absolutely incredible the B-17 was such a well engineered aircraft to think that the tail section could glide on its own is absolutely amazing. God clearly had his hand on this young airman, fantastic story, thank you for posting.
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
Actually that was the severed hand of the other gunner.
@keithhallam6643
@keithhallam6643 2 года назад
The position of the break-off point was absolutely critical, to the inch! Any further forward or further back near the tail would affect the stability and it would have tumbled over and over completely out of control. I wonder where his guardian angel went next?
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 2 года назад
Absolutely
@andyxfish
@andyxfish 2 года назад
Those men had bravery that moved beyond human limitations.
@stevenspaziani9159
@stevenspaziani9159 3 года назад
What an incredible story, and then to survive it all, he must have been one tough man. Rest in peace>
@AZAce1064
@AZAce1064 3 года назад
When I was a kid I delivered the daily newspaper in Phoenix to a tail gunner that survived a fall from bombing altitude in the tail of a bomber. I thought this video was about him but this man in this video had it much worse I think. Bless them all and I thank them for my freedom.
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
I don’t recall asking.
@Luke_Skywalker1836
@Luke_Skywalker1836 11 месяцев назад
bro you must be old
@AZAce1064
@AZAce1064 11 месяцев назад
@@Luke_Skywalker1836 Yes I am
@chr0min0id
@chr0min0id 2 года назад
“Franz, what do you think that is? It has no propeller...” “I don’t know, must be some sort of new attack glider...”
@VectorMedia001
@VectorMedia001 2 года назад
Great work. This video goes to show no matter how much we think we know about WWII alone there are countless other stories out there. Thanks and keep up the great work!
@steadilsr
@steadilsr 3 года назад
This is a great memorial to one of America's Toughest soldiers of WWII. Its totally amazing that Eugene survived the downing of the plane in just the tailsection. Thank you FlakAlley for producing this video. I m a fan of the B-17, one of the best aircraft ever made.
@potatoslayer69420
@potatoslayer69420 3 года назад
Imagine being an enemy of this thing "Hanz, vhat iz zhat?" "It iz probably a new earcraft madez by ze british" "But, itz zo zmall?" "I know, vut, ve muzt zhoot it down" Okay this comment is cringe
@TyrDrum
@TyrDrum 3 года назад
*Witnesses the glory of Allied engineering.* "Hanz?" "Yes?" "Are ve zhe baddies?"
@mountainguyed67
@mountainguyed67 3 года назад
@@TyrDrum You spelled American wrong, it’s not spelled “British”.
@TyrDrum
@TyrDrum 3 года назад
@@mountainguyed67 lol, I thought I was still on a documentary on the Lancaster.
@dieseldog1272
@dieseldog1272 2 года назад
This ain't cringe its quality bruv
@jeffstevens156
@jeffstevens156 2 года назад
Amazing man. My Dad was that kind of man. A three War Veteran. I miss You Dad.
@userhandle3378
@userhandle3378 3 года назад
Jaw dropped before the narrator made it to the 1:30 second mark. This is insane, where is the movie? This would actually make an amazing level in one of the next battle field games
@danbenson7587
@danbenson7587 3 года назад
Same happened to a British Lancaster tailgunner. Tailed severed by flak, flutters to the ground. The turret pops out and gunner walks away. I read the story 40 years past, cannot remember more details. Cheers
@FlakAlley
@FlakAlley 3 года назад
Perhaps you have seen this? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ub3WJVi-LjY.html
@timyoung3229
@timyoung3229 3 года назад
Something like this happened to my grandfather. The tail of his B17 was broken off when another B17 collided with his. He was also a tail gunner.
@crippleabatteries5031
@crippleabatteries5031 3 года назад
Don’t recall asking.
@cameronscheer5371
@cameronscheer5371 2 года назад
@@crippleabatteries5031 nobody asked for your opinion
@Retronyx
@Retronyx 2 месяца назад
@@cameronscheer5371i asked
@Pete4Flags
@Pete4Flags 2 месяца назад
What a tale .Thank you 🙏 And RIP Eugene ❤
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