Armchair Dragoons Forums

The Reference Desk => History and Tall Tales => Topic started by: bayonetbrant on March 06, 2019, 08:42:23 AM

Title: The WWII Bombing Raid that shouldn't have happened
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 06, 2019, 08:42:23 AM
https://www.brownwoodnews.com/75th-anniversary-of-brownwood-heroes-daring-mission/


Quote
(https://i0.wp.com/www.brownwoodnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/MIKE-2.jpg?resize=950%2C567&ssl=1)

Joe W Blagg was the navigator on board a B-17 that was set to the first daylight bombing run over Berlin. The original order was for March 3rd, but weather scrubbed that plan. The weather was not great on the 4th either, but up they went any way.

History is a bit hazy at this point, but somewhere along the way the order to attack was rescinded due to the worsening conditions. The entire 1st Wing turned back, as did many members of the 3rd.

However, one “combat box” made up of 12 planes from the 95th, one Pathfinder Aircraft and a handful of planes from the 100th kept going. When questioned by the other planes, the commander officer of the group insisted that the order hadn’t been issued, or was a phony transmission.

Some say he wanted to be the 1st to drop bombs on the heart of Nazi Germany, but the case they pressed on regardless. One bombardier wrote “On we flew, courageously, brave, and scared as hell.”

After reaching their target and dropping 42 and a half tons of ordinance on the capitol, “two P-51 Mustangs appeared over the horizon like the cavalry coming over the hill” says Mike Blagg, whose navigator father was part of the mission.

The two mustangs escorted the B-17’s home to England, saving the lives of many men. As it was, four of the planes on the mission were shot down, with all but four who were killed in action captured as POW’s.

Those P-51’s were piloted by Brownwood native and WW2 ace pilot Jack Bradley, who was a personal friend of Joe Blagg, and future Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager.

The planes returned to find Air Force leaders waiting for them. Not with Court Martials or demerits, but with a Silver Star for the commanding officer and a unit citation for the 95th Group.

Title: Re: The WWII Bombing Raid that shouldn't have happened
Post by: bob48 on March 06, 2019, 03:20:22 PM
Nice find!