How A B-17 Bomber Took on 8 Zeros

This is the story of a B-17 called “My Lovin Dove,” which heroically took on eight Japanese Zeroes, ultimately crash-landing and leaving its crew lost at sea for 16 days.

My Lovin Dove

“My Lovin Dove” was a B-17 bomber delivered to the Pacific theater in July 1942. In February 1943, “My Lovin Dove” embarked on her most memorable and final mission.

She took off from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal for a reconnaissance mission over Naru Island.

This mission was particularly perilous as it involved a single bomber without fighter escort or large formations, making it even more dangerous than a typical bombing assignment.

The Interception

During the mission, “My Lovin Dove” was intercepted by eight Japanese Zeroes.

The Zeroes dove in on the lone B-17, peppering it with machine gun fire.

Remarkably, two crew members managed to down two of the attackers, sending them plummeting toward the ground, and claimed two additional probable kills.

For over an hour, sporadic attacks from the Zeroes continued until they ran low on fuel and had to turn back.

The Crash

“My Lovin Dove” sustained significant damage, and all nine crew members were injured.

As the plane’s engines began to fail, the captain had no choice but to make a belly landing in the sea below.

Within seconds, the plane sank, but miraculously, the entire crew escaped and made it to two life rafts they had inflated and tied together. They were now stranded 450 miles from the nearest land.

Aftermath

For 16 days, the crew floated in the open ocean. Fortunately, they had enough time to prepare, managing to radio their airbase and gather sufficient supplies to last for days.

On the 16th day, they reached the shores of Buka Island in Papua New Guinea. Local islanders helped them, and they eventually contacted their home airbase.

Sixty days after their mission, on April 10th, a PBY Catalina rescue plane arrived, rescuing all nine crew members. Both the pilot and co-pilot received the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions.