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Winston

Lorenzo von Matterhorn
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This story is confirmed in Elmer Bendiner's book, The Fall of Fortresses.

*Sometimes, it's not really just luck.*

Elmer Bendiner was a navigator in a B-17 during WW II. He tells this story of a World War II bombing run over Kassel, Germany , and the unexpected result of a direct hit on their gas tanks. "Our B-17, the Tondelayo, was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit."

Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a 20 millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple. On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck.

The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but 11 had been found in the gas tanks. 11 unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. A near-miracle, I thought.

Even after 35 years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.

"He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were as clean as a whistle and just as harmless."

Empty? Not all of them! One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. Translated, the note read:

"This is all we can do for you now. Using Jewish slave labor is never a good idea."
 
That is absolutely awesome! Left a huge lump in my throat. We are losing these great people who were youngsters with huge responsibilities beyond their years every day. A lot of these stories go with them. Not all war heroes were in service-as your story tells. My Scottish Grandad was an ambulance driver in WWI, while my German Grandfather was an Air Raid Warden in WWII. My own Dad would never talk about his WWII bombing raids and I respected his privacy, but he was a big hit with the pilots of Collins Aviation when they came thru with the B-24. He was a pilot for 26 years and we buried him with his USAAF ring. Support your local VA with time, money or donations. Thank you, Winston, for this story so much!
 
An account from the ground:

"I can tell you what my grandmother told me. She was a 17 year old Polish girl taken by German soldiers in Poland and sent as slave labor to work in the Reich at a armaments factory. She told me they routinely tinkered with everything possible so it wouldn't function properly. Especially artillery shells for 88mm. She said the older workers knew how to sabotage munitions so they passed inspections but would not function in the field properly."
 
A similar example came from the Dora concentration camp, next to the underground Mittlewerk V2 factory. Forced laborers routinely sabotaged V2 sub assemblies, resulting in serious quality and reliability issues. Of course, many paid dearly for their 'resistance'.
 
That is absolutely awesome! Left a huge lump in my throat. We are losing these great people who were youngsters with huge responsibilities beyond their years every day. A lot of these stories go with them. Not all war heroes were in service-as your story tells. My Scottish Grandad was an ambulance driver in WWI, while my German Grandfather was an Air Raid Warden in WWII. My own Dad would never talk about his WWII bombing raids and I respected his privacy, but he was a big hit with the pilots of Collins Aviation when they came thru with the B-24. He was a pilot for 26 years and we buried him with his USAAF ring. Support your local VA with time, money or donations. Thank you, Winston, for this story so much!

I hear ya Dave. My dad was a B-17 navigator and flew 26 missions, 1 more than the required 25. When not on the bombing run he manned the two 50 cals in the nose and shot down 4 German aircraft, 2 Faulk Wolfs, and 2 ME-109's. My pop never talked of his experiences till the last couple years of his life. I was at his bedside when he past away and he was talking incoherently and I only made out one word and that was ME-109. The hospice nurse said he was reliving one of those attacks. Those men and women of that era were truly the greatest generation.
 
As I recall in the movie "Schindler's List" Schindler was determined to make substandard parts with Jewish labor. I just got done reading the story of Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The book was much better than the movie, but the story ended like the movie. With only days to go before the fall of Berlin someone in the Nazi hierarchy was determined to have Bonhoeffer executed. So as he was being transferred with other prisoners out of Berlin to the south, two Gestapo agents were sent to bring him back and he was hanged the next day.
 
I hear ya Dave. My dad was a B-17 navigator and flew 26 missions, 1 more than the required 25. When not on the bombing run he manned the two 50 cals in the nose and shot down 4 German aircraft, 2 Faulk Wolfs, and 2 ME-109's. My pop never talked of his experiences till the last couple years of his life. I was at his bedside when he past away and he was talking incoherently and I only made out one word and that was ME-109. The hospice nurse said he was reliving one of those attacks. Those men and women of that era were truly the greatest generation.
Bill- I can't imagine the terror your father experienced, I'm glad to hear you were with him when he passed. I was with my Dad too, and it was the hardest thing I've ever gone thru in my life, but he was not alone. He was my hero and I miss him every day. I trust both our Dads are at peace now, having given up their own very early for ours today. Greatest Generation, indeed! Thanks for sharing, brother. May they never be forgotten.
 
June 2nd - June 4th, the Collings Foundation B-17 and B-24 are coming to my airport. I have been working to get them in Minden for two years, so I have already decided that I am going to bite the bullet and take a flight in the B-17.
Thank you for the great story!
 
June 2nd - June 4th, the Collings Foundation B-17 and B-24 are coming to my airport. I have been working to get them in Minden for two years, so I have already decided that I am going to bite the bullet and take a flight in the B-17.
Thank you for the great story!
Ck-I was extremely fortunate enough to ride in the B-17's nose while we skimmed my favourite fishing spots. Do it, buddy-you will never forget the experience!
 
Schindler did indeed do what he could to frustrate the Nazi war effort. The book 'last year of the Luftwaffe' also details slave labour sabotaging aircraft. The author pointed out that getting perfection in aircraft construction is very hard to do even when everyone in the orgnisation is working to that end. Once you have aircraft being built by people who hate you guts and everything you stand for getting a plane off the line thats flyable starts to get nigh on impossible. Syoried of aircraft leaving the ground only to have their wheels fall off, engines gilled with steel shavings and in some cases a flare were legion. Cant have been any fun being the factory pilot for sure, having to test fly an aircraft thats been built that way.

I consider it a privelege to have known two ex RAF pilots who had been there, and thankfully back. Neither ever talked much about it. My mums three brithers were all killed in WW2 and she never really got over it.
 
That story gave me chills. My dad was on a heavy cruiser in the Pacific, and he had some wonderful stories. He never really talked about the horrors he witnessed until the last couple years of his life. I was honored to be able to play Taps at his funeral. Hardest thing I've ever done, but the most gratifying at the same time. I miss you, Pop.
 
That story gave me chills. My dad was on a heavy cruiser in the Pacific, and he had some wonderful stories. He never really talked about the horrors he witnessed until the last couple years of his life. I was honored to be able to play Taps at his funeral. Hardest thing I've ever done, but the most gratifying at the same time. I miss you, Pop.

Your a better man than me Jim. I probably couldn't get past the first note for the huge lump in my throat. And Dave, to ride in the nose of a B-17 would be the greatest thrill of my life. I'd probably be balling my head off while smiling from ear to ear.
 
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