The Worst Possible Way To Lose A B-17 Bomber

A Tragic Loss

Losing a B-17 bomber during an air raid is already demoralizing enough. However, this particular B-17G Flying Fortress was lost in the worst way possible.

On May 19, 1944, B-17G Miss Donna Mae was a part of an aerial bombing run over Berlin when it mistakenly moved under another bomber.

Not realizing the other crew’s mistake, the B-17 let go of its 1,000-lb bomb from above, tearing Donna Mae’s left horizontal stabilizer that sent the plane into an uncontrollable spin. This resulted in the death of all 11 of its crew members.

Friendly fire has always been an issue during war. Though incidents like this could have happened on the daily, it still stings knowing this could have been prevented by either crew.