# Awesome picture!



## LimaOscarSierraTango (Apr 8, 2012)

I just saw this on reddit. Taken during a WWII bombing run. Absolutely amazing!



The actual pic above was scanned to 2937x2203 in case you were interested in a high res version.


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## CDG (Apr 8, 2012)

Wow..... That is incredible!


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## mike_cos (Apr 8, 2012)

I seeing double and I seem to see the tail gunner in a relaxed position


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## TLDR20 (Apr 8, 2012)

I didn't know the US did a lot of night bombing.


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## AWP (Apr 8, 2012)

Okay, what is wrong with the tail on the -17 in the foreground? It resembles a D model, but even those were more angular and the tail markings on the foreground look weird. Cool photo, but some things in it don't look right. The horizontal stab. on the a/c in the background is WAY out of proportion. The chin turrent on the first aircraft also looks off.

Neat photo though. I like the incendiary bomb.


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## JBS (Apr 9, 2012)

Very cool pic.

I brightened it up w/photoshop:

http://i40.tinypic.com/iehyr6.jpg


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## talonlm (Apr 11, 2012)

Freefalling said:


> Okay, what is wrong with the tail on the -17 in the foreground? It resembles a D model, but even those were more angular and the tail markings on the foreground look weird. Cool photo, but some things in it don't look right. The horizontal stab. on the a/c in the background is WAY out of proportion. The chin turrent on the first aircraft also looks off.


 
Chin turrents weren't intoduced until the G models, though I believe a few of the F models were retrofitted. All but certain these are 'G' model aircraft, though what series I couldn't begin to guess.  The color of the top of the rudder may make the plane in the background look a bit off.  The finflash 'S' is curious to me; could be a bird from the 493d BG, but there's not a lot of information available in that picture.  Could also be the 34th, but the 'S' doesn't look right for that.  Hard for me to tell.  Somebody better read on the subject could probably figure it out.  Just about has to be the ETO, though, as I don't think G-model B-17s were used in the PTO in any great numbers (mostly B-24s and -29s there, range issues) and the MTO only had six groups, all of those marked with a 'Y' looking thing on the top of of the rudder.  Obviously, there were other users out there, but none I think would match up here.

It is a cool picture, though,


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## AWP (Apr 12, 2012)

talonlm said:


> Chin turrents weren't intoduced until the G models, though I believe a few of the F models were retrofitted. All but certain these are 'G' model aircraft, though what series I couldn't begin to guess. The color of the top of the rudder may make the plane in the background look a bit off. The finflash 'S' is curious to me; could be a bird from the 493d BG, but there's not a lot of information available in that picture. Could also be the 34th, but the 'S' doesn't look right for that. Hard for me to tell. Somebody better read on the subject could probably figure it out. Just about has to be the ETO, though, as I don't think G-model B-17s were used in the PTO in any great numbers (mostly B-24s and -29s there, range issues) and the MTO only had six groups, all of those marked with a 'Y' looking thing on the top of of the rudder. Obviously, there were other users out there, but none I think would match up here.
> 
> It is a cool picture, though,


 
You're correct. Some of the very late F models had the chin retrofitted and all of the G's. That is the 34th BG for the plane in the back ground, I'm looking at the one in the foreground. I've seen various "touch ups" by users on Reddit and I can't see anything denoting a unit on the tail of the one in the foreground. The lack of stripes (not invasion, but red in the case of the 34th a/c) would probably (key word) place this as the winter of 44 early 45 because by Mach 45 that BG has a single red stripe on the wings and horizontal stab.

To me the tail on the a/c in the foreground looks funny.


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## The91Bravo (Apr 12, 2012)

Great pic LOST


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## talonlm (Apr 12, 2012)

I think I see what you're looking at; is the picture mirrored?  Some of the distortions could be from the contrails the engines were pulling and the simple lack of camera focus (not like the camera man wasn't busy with anything else!), but the finflash looks a bit odd to me, as well.


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## AWP (Apr 12, 2012)

Honestly, the first thought I had was "Who 'shopped a He-111 tail onto a B-17?".

Side note: if anyone ever wants to walk through a B-17, Fantasy of Flight in FL has one as a static display. When you walk into it you'll see how miserable the air war was. I still think 12 O'clock High is one of the best movies ever made.


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## Red Flag 1 (Apr 19, 2012)

Freefalling said:


> Honestly, the first thought I had was "Who 'shopped a He-111 tail onto a B-17?".
> 
> Side note: if anyone ever wants to walk through a B-17, Fantasy of Flight in FL has one as a static display. When you walk into it you'll see how miserable the air war was. I still think 12 O'clock High is one of the best movies ever made.


 
Just the temperatures were amazing. The crews had electrically heated flying suits along with the heavy insulation; they still froze their tails off up there. There was nothing easy about WW II bomb runs over Central Europe. Every crew that went up was a hero in my book.

RF 1


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