Terror In the Skies – The Tragic Story Behind the Downing of the B-17G ‘Wee Willie’

As the Second World War approached its conclusion, the Allies intensified their strategic bombing campaigns against Germany, focusing on disrupting its industrial capabilities and diminishing civilian morale. On April 8, 1945, tragedy befell the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Wee Willie during one of these missions. Struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire, the tragic incident was documented through a series of photographs that starkly portray the bomber's destruction.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Wee Willie

Wee Willie - B-17G-15-B0, serial number 42-31333 - marked the 302nd B-17G Flying Fortress to roll off the assembly line at Boeing Airplane Company's Plant 2 in Seattle, Washington. The heavy bomber was delivered to the US Army Air Forces in Cheyenne, Wyoming in October 1943, before being transported to RAF Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.

Upon reaching the UK, Wee Willie was assigned to the 322nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force.

At the time of its loss, the bomber was the longest-serving aircraft within the 91st and was one of the very last to be lost to enemy action before the German surrender .

Preparing to bomb German railroad facilities

On April 8, 1945, the B-17G Wee Willie took off from Air Force Station 121 at RAF Bassingbourn on what was either its 128th or 129th mission, with conflicting sources. 1st Lt. Robert E. Fuller of the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) led the mission, accompanied by combat crew members Sgt. Le Moyne Miller, 2nd Lt. Woodrow A. Lien, Staff Sgt. James D. Houtchens, Tech. Sgt. Francis J. McCarthy, Staff Sgt. Ralf J. Leffelman, Staff Sgt. Wylie McNatt Jr., and Staff Sgt. William H. Cassiday.

Operating as part of the 332nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), they were part of a 73-bomber group tasked with bombing the repair facilities at the railroad marshaling yards in Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Despite overcast conditions, the aircraft used H2S ground search radar to pinpoint their targets while navigating through moderate anti-aircraft fire from below.

Downing of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Wee Willie

During the mission, German anti-aircraft fire caused minor damage to 13 Allied bombers and significantly damaged another four. Among the 73 aircraft involved, only two were lost entirely, including the B-17G Wee Willie , which suffered a direct hit from an 88 mm flak shell between its #2 engine and bomb bay, leading to a sudden vertical dive.

An eyewitness described the scene: "The fuselage was on fire and when it had dropped approximately 5,000 feet [1,524 meters] the left wing fell off. It continued down and when the fuselage was about 3,000 feet [914.4 meters] from the ground it exploded and then exploded again when it hit the ground."

Wee Willie carried a crew of nine, but only Lt. Fuller survived. He was reportedly ejected from the cockpit by the initial explosion, deploying his parachute and landing safely. Sadly, he was captured by the German forces shortly after landing and other details of his fate remain unknown.

The entire event was documented on film by the automatic strike camera mounted on another B-17, beginning with the release of the first bombs and continuing until the camera reached its film limit.

Loss of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Times A-Wastin'

The second bomber lost during the air raid was the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Times A-Wastin' , a B-17G-50-B0 with the serial number 42-102504. It belonged to the 401st Bombardment Group (Heavy), and was piloted by Lt. Peter Pastras.

The aircraft's demise was witnessed by Lt. Mike Fodroci, a navigator serving aboard another B-17. According to Fodroci, Times A-Wastin' sustained hits from German flak in its open bomb bay, leading to the suspected immediate death of Pastras.

"The ship pulled up and veered to the right, climbing directly over our ship," he recalled . "Captain Shelby put our ship into a dive so steep that I was thrown up against the astro hatch of the ceiling of the nose - seems I hung there for a brief second or two. I also observed that a bad fire was burning on the aircraft's forward bomb bay area and that the co-pilot was trying to climb out of the small window with his back pack on. Somehow, we saw three chutes emerge from #504 as she spun toward the earth."

Of the occupants of Times A-Wastin' , all but two perished. The survivors, radio operator Bob A. Smith and flight engineer/top turret gunner Lyle Jones, met a fate akin to Lt. Fuller's, being captured as prisoners of war (POWs) by the Germans.

Despite the loss of two bombers, the mission was deemed a success

Despite the loss of the B-17Gs Wee Willie and Times A-Wastin' during the Stendal raid, the mission was a success. As reported by the 322nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), the bombs successfully hit their intended targets at the railroad marshaling yards.

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The April photos have immortalized the memory of Wee Willie . To many people, the depiction of the B-17G with its left wing severed still stands as among the most remarkable images from World War II, illustrating the danger Allied soldiers faced as they battled for victory against Germany.