The Most Damaged Flying B-17 You’ll Ever See

A Fortress That Refused to Fall

On April 29, 1944, a B-17 Flying Fortress named Queenie set out on a mission to Berlin with the 322nd Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group. What followed became one of the most punishing damage stories of the air war over Europe.

Over the target, German flak tore into the bomber with devastating effect. Engines number three and four were knocked out in quick succession, followed by fire and severe structural damage. Fuel tanks ruptured, shrapnel ripped through the fuselage, and control systems were compromised. Under normal circumstances, the aircraft should have fallen out of the sky almost immediately.

It did not.

Despite the damage, Queenie remained airborne long enough for the crew to assess their situation and prepare for the inevitable. The B-17 struggled onward, scarred, burning, and barely controllable, a testament to the Fortress design and the men inside it.

Eventually, the damage proved too severe. The bomber crashed at Kladow, just outside Berlin. Five crew members were killed in action. Five others survived and were taken prisoner.

Delivered only months earlier, Queenie had seen little service before its final mission. Yet in those last moments, it fulfilled its purpose.