The 384th Bomb Group B-17F "Damn Yankee" piloted by
ship commander Lt. Bruce G. Sundlun is on its’ 13th mission,
a raid on Solingen, Germany. Over the target planes of the 384th
encounter intense flak and "Damn Yankee’s" #4
engine is hit and the propeller begins to windmill. Losing speed
and altitude "Damn Yankee" falls behind the group into
the dreaded 'straggler' position. Navigator, Lt. Reino O. Jylkka,
gives the heading for England when suddenly tail gunner Sgt.
Frank Lekas, calls out "enemy aircraft at six..." but
had no chance to finish. Focke Wulf 190s, from Jagdgeschwader
(JG 26), assault the "Fortress" from 6, 7, and 8 o’clock
destroying the left horizontal stabilizer and tail gunner’s
cabin, killing Sgt. Lekas. One 500 pound bomb, caught in the
bomb bay since the bomb drop, is released by bombardier, Sgt.
George C. Hayes, who is killed by gun fire while in the doorway
of the bomb bay. On the intercom an agonizing cry is then heard,
ball turret gunner, Sgt. Harry F. Cologne is mortally wounded.
The fighters continue firing and the #2 engine is hit and begins
smoking. Attempts to feather the propeller fail. The situation
is now desperate, with the tail now shot to pieces, the rudder
useless, the intercom out, the fuse box shattered and oxygen
leaking freely. Diving and losing altitude fast, "Damn Yankee"
reaches cloud cover but it does not provide sufficient cover.
Fighters again assault the stricken bomber hitting the control
cables, instrument panel, and automatic flight control equipment
while severely wounding radioman Sgt. Charles L. Snyder. Gunners
in the B-17 fire back a constant stream hitting two 190s, disintegrating
one. At 5000 feet the #2 engine is on fire and partial control
of the aircraft is maintained. With the ball turret crippled
and the top turret gun jammed, the FW 190s shoot out both waist
guns killing gunners Sgt. Chester P. Snyder and Sgt. Mike J.
Cappelletti.
Under extreme duress, pilot Lt. Sundlun and co-pilot Andrew V.
Boles struggle valiantly to maintain control of "Damn Yankee".
With hope of reaching England now gone and the ship in danger
of exploding, the crew is ordered to bail out. Navigator Lt.
Jylkka and top gunner Sgt. William M. Ramsey are the first to
bail out through the nose hatch, and, after sending an S.O.S.,
Sgt. Charles Snyder bails out. As the ship rapidly descends from
1800 to 1200 feet any notion of a crash landing is abandoned.
With barely enough altitude, Lt. Sundlun and Lt. Boles bail out
over Jabbeke, Belgium. The crippled, out of control, B-17 rolls
over in a sharp 180 degree left turn and crashes into a turnip
field at 1240 hours. Of the five surviving crew members who had
bailed out safely, only pilot Lt. Sundlun avoids capture by escaping
to Switzerland. |