When Fists Flew Inside a B-17

On July 26, 1943, a formation of B-17s set out to bomb factories in Hannover. Among them was Second Lieutenant John C. Morgan of the 92nd Bomb Group, serving as copilot aboard the B-17F Ruthie II.

As the formation reached the enemy coast, the bomber came under heavy attack from Luftwaffe fighters and sustained severe damage. When the pilot was gravely injured and became incoherent, Morgan struggled to maintain control of the aircraft while fending off the pilot’s frantic grasp of the controls. His extraordinary determination and skill earned him the Medal of Honor.

On July 26th, 1943, in the cockpit of his B-17 Ruthie II was 2nd Lt. John Morgan and his good friend, Capt. Robert Campbell. They’re in the formation of 120 bombers on their way to attack Germany. However, they barely made it over the North Sea when they saw enemies up ahead. Swarming towards them are 150 German fighters.

Behind the pilots, Engineer Staff Sgt. Tyre Weaver climbs into the top turret, lining up his guns. The enemy flies in straight and level with the Flying Fortresses, and he’s the first to open fire. The Fw-190s soon shoot their 20mm cannons and machine guns, and German shells streak across the sky headed towards Ruthie II’s cockpit. Weaver cries out in pain as a 20mm shell strikes him on the left shoulder, and a single bullet finds its mark directly on the head of Capt. Campbell. As they passed through the box formation of B-17s, it seemed like the entire formation stirred to life as gunners tried to hit the passing Germans. Morgan is now on his own, and it’s his responsibility to get the crew home.

Morgan determinedly grasped the controls, bringing his Fortress into formation. However, he’s shocked as the yoke moves his hands. Morgan feels the controls move as the bomber banks hard to the left. He then looks over his captain.

Remarkably, despite the head wound, Campbell remains sitting straight and alert as he maneuvers the aircraft. As Fw-190s come screaming toward the Fort, Campbell banks hard to the right- the opposite of what he should do. The maneuver pushed them out of formation. Campbell suffered severe brain trauma; his skull was shattered, and he is bleeding. He doesn’t hear Morgan, throwing the plane into another aggressive maneuver.

Morgan knew that he had to get his captain off the controls, but Campbell still had the strength and immediately resisted, punching Morgan straight to the face. Campbell, on some deep level in his injured brain, is still in command, fighting for the lives of his crew. With intense fury, he repeatedly punched Morgan. Morgan covers his head with his arm, leaning as far from Campbell as he can, while gripping the yoke and maneuvering the aircraft back up towards the formation.

Meanwhile, Weaver decides to bail, knowing he wouldn’t make the four-hour flight to England with his injuries. Koske helps him bail on the German city below. At the rear, the gunners still fight, but the leaking oxygen tanks are running out. Their vision blurs, their balance wane, and one by one, they collapse. Everyone behind the bomb bay had fallen unconscious, except the ball turret gunner, who continued to fight, unaware of what was going on above him.

The Germans emptied the last of their ammunition at the Americans and broke off their attack. However, in the cockpit, the battle continues, and the B-17 drifts off course.

Eventually, blood loss and exhaustion weaken Campbell, and Morgan finally manages to pin him down. As he makes his way into formation, flak attacks their plane, punching through the wings, piercing one of the fuel tanks, causing it to leak right next to the hot engines. Fortunately, the bombardier manages to release the bombs on the target below, and they head home. Morgan is amazed that the B-17 is still flying and still answering his controls. The Germans turn away, once again, out of ammunition.

The remaining gunners in the ball turret and nose remain on high alert for another hour, until the sight of the English Channel comes into view. When Koske checks the pilots, he isn’t ready for what he sees. Morgan explained what had happened, and to land the plane, he needed to take the pilot’s seat.

Campbell once again resists, but is now too weak to push them off. It took the crew half an hour to move him from his seat. Morgan then aims to head for the closest friendly airbase. Also, despite spending nearly two hours without oxygen, the four men affected in the rear miraculously stirred awake. Apart from some frostbite, they were unharmed.

Some three hours after the start of the nightmare mission, Morgan brings Ruthie II to land safely in England. He has saved the lives of everyone on board, except one. Tragically, Robert Campbell succumbed to his injuries an hour after landing. Incredibly, Weaver also managed to survive. Thanks to Koske, he helped him bail out of the aircraft, and he managed to get immediate medical attention and became a POW. For his unwavering dedication, John Morgan earned the Medal of Honor for his actions.