To the left is a photo of a B-26 shot in the right wing. As you can see the right engine is completely shot off. The photographer managed to get a fantastic photograph!

Click the picture to see a larger image.

One of my Lucky days

by Captain Lew Case

Captain Lew Case Story

Captain Lew Case revealed details about an unforgetable mission early 1944 and was not permitted to discuss it until after the war.

The sky approach to the target, a heavily defended railroad bridge northwest of Paris, as expected was shrouded with flak. While on the bomb run, in the midst of bursting flak, we were all surprised to see the flak barrage suddenly stop just as we dropped our bombs.

Then 6 German Me109s flashed through the formation, shooting down 2 B26s. Our right engine was knocked out from a 20mm canon and we peeled off turning back towards the coast as we lost about 5,000 feet of altitude. One Me109 followed us and kept lobbing 20 mm shells at us while staying just out of range of our 50 cal machine guns. We slowly kept losing altitude and were down to 3,000 feet when the Me109 stopped shooting and seemed to be sliding up to our left side while rocking his wings back and forth. I sensed he was trying to signal us and told the gunners not to fire.

He moved up wingtip to wingtip and slowed to our speed. The top turret guns and waist guns were aimed at him as he flew alongside and could have easily shot him down at point blank range. I could plainly see the Pilot’s smiling face as he waved a “good luck” thumbs up. I thought “this is unbelievable” for a few moments, it seemed we were at peace and two friends were greeting each other. I waved a, “thank you and good luck” thumbs up back at him. He smiled and saluted just before diving away from us back towards Paris leaving me in a state of amazement. The rest of the crew was dumbfounded and in shock.

We crossed the channel with barely enough altitude to clear the cliffs of Dover before crash landing in a British farm field. All escaped injury except for a few scrapes and bruises. Later, after a blistering debriefing by the G2 Intelligence boys and being criticized for not shooting down the enemy, we were instructed to not discuss the part about the Me109. This did not make any sense at all and the logic is the ultimate insanity of war. After the threats of a court martial for revealing the part about the Me109 we all kept the secret… until war’s end. "Even in wartime, kindred spirits of good people will emerge between combatants."

- - Captain Lew Case