[ARC5] Lady Be Good - more.

[David Stinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Hanz" <aaf-radio-1 at aafradio.org>

> Anyone who has had a chance to touch the side of a B-24 or its 
> PB4Y-*
> brethren know the fuselage is a *huge* mass with paper thin aluminum
> skin......

A story that was told at 8th AAF during the war:

   A B-17, on a mission over northern France, was hit by flak
   and the tail, complete with tail gunner, was blown clean off.
   The tail gunner, being a quick-thinking young man, grabbed the
   loose control cables.  Once he got the tail back in level flight,
   he headed back towards his base.  When he got in range,
   he called the tower and explained his situation, asking to
   be cleared for a direct landing approach.
   The tower called back:
   "Negative, B-17.  We've got a couple of B-24s that had
   to abort and are coming back with some *real* problems.
   You'll have to go around a couple of times."  Well, the
   young tail gunner was a little put-out, but he did as
   he was asked, actually going around three times before the
   B-24s could make it down.  While he taxied, the tower
   called again: "The rest of your bomber and crew are waiting
   for you at the end of the flight line.  They're already loaded
   and waiting on you so they can fly lead on the next run."

Hope they had some coffee for him.....