A Harrowing Experience (B24 story)
joey
"Tom Brenholts" <tho...@intergrafix.net> wrote in message
news:3BF728DC...@intergrafix.net...
> Enjoy.
>
> Mosca
>
>
> BY JAMES H HENDERSON
>
> [Image]
> Standing L/R: Lt. R. Wegert #318, Lt. S. Kassa #367, Lt. G. Thorpe, Lt.
> E. Koczera. Kneeling: Leo Evens, Jim Henderson #387, F. Wade, Joe
> Nagrabski #589, Bert Robinson #386, Bob Snyder.
>
> Pilot Steven Kassa and Co-Pilot Richard Wegert had a harrowing
> experience along with Engineer T/Sgt. Joe Nagrabski and crew on the way
> to bomb the marshalling yards in Vienna, Austria.
>
> Up to the IP everything was going good and then the trouble started.
> They noticed #3 engine supercharger acting up. Then #3 engine quit; #l
> engine went dead cold and then #2 engine caught fire and had to be
> feathered. The plane wheeled over right side into a steep dive. As the
> needle quivered at 275 MPH the Liberator vibrated and shuttered from the
> strain. They suddenly realized they still had the bombs on board. They
> pulled the salvo lever and let the two and a half ton bomb load go
> through the bomb bay doors. As they passed 13,000 feet, # 1 engine
> caught again and the thirty-ton Liberator gradually came out level at
> 10,000 feet. Realizing the strain on the two engines, the order to throw
> everything out was given. The flapping bomb bay doors were presenting a
> tremendous drag on the plane. The pilot asked the engineer to check and
> see if anything could be done to fix them. Sgt. Nagrabski and the
> bombardier tried but couldn't reach the doors from the catwalk. They
> needed something to grab them, so the bombardier went back to the nose
> and broke off the longstemmed navigator's lamp. Using this, they hung
> out into space from the catwalk and started grappling for the doors. The
> two worked on this, but the slip-stream caught a chute and that billowed
> out behind them. They grabbed for the bomb racks to keep from going
> overboard. It was then that the others realized they needed help, so the
> navigator went to their rescue. After about 45 minutes work, they had
> the doors held together with the wiring from their electric suits.
>
>
> Meanwhile, the pilots were working on the engines to get a little more
> power. Soon they had #3 back in use with about half-power. Even with
> half-power, this engine was important as it controls the landing gear,
> flaps, and brakes. About 10 minutes later, they sighted a friendly
> emergency field where they could set her down. They came in nice and
> easy and then applied full brakes. The plane came to a stop with the
> nose wheel at the end of the mnway.
>
> And a note from James Henderson:
> This photo was made sometime before this harrowing experience in
> January, 1945. Not long after this our plane was shot down over
> Nazi-occupied Hungary and surviving crew members became POWs. Gordon
> Thorp was not on the mission due to illness. Thomes E. Bowd served as
> bombardier in his place. Eddie Koezera was killed by machine gun fire
> and never parachuted out.
>
> Five crew members are still living:
> James H. Henderson Steven L. Kassa
> Richard Wegert Thomas E. Boyd
> Butt Robinson
>
>
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
> Enjoy.
> Mosca
>
>
> BY JAMES H HENDERSON
>
>
> Standing L/R: Lt. R. Wegert #318, Lt. S. Kassa #367, Lt. G. Thorpe, Lt. E.
Koczera. Kneeling: Leo Evens, Jim Henderson #387, F. Wade, Joe Nagrabski
#589, Bert Robinson #386, Bob Snyder.
>
> Pilot Steven Kassa and Co-Pilot Richard Wegert had a harrowing experience
along with Engineer T/Sgt. Joe Nagrabski and crew on the way to bomb the
marshalling yards in Vienna, Austria.
>
> Up to the IP everything was going good and then the trouble started. They
noticed #3 engine supercharger acting up. Then #3 engine quit; #l engine
went dead cold and then #2 engine caught fire and had to be feathered. The
plane wheeled over right side into a steep dive. As the needle quivered at
275 MPH the Liberator vibrated and shuttered from the strain. They suddenly
realized they still had the bombs on board. They pulled the salvo lever and
let the two and a half ton bomb load go through the bomb bay doors. As they
passed 13,000 feet, # 1 engine caught again and the thirty-ton Liberator
gradually came out level at 10,000 feet. Realizing the strain on the two
engines, the order to throw everything out was given. The flapping bomb bay
doors were presenting a tremendous drag on the plane. The pilot asked the
engineer to check and see if anything could be done to fix them. Sgt.
Nagrabski and the bombardier tried but couldn't reach the doors from the
catwalk. They needed something to grab them, so the bombardier went back to
the nose and broke off the longstemmed navigator's lamp. Using this, they
hung out into space from the catwalk and started grappling for the doors.
The two worked on this, but the slip-stream caught a chute and that billowed
out behind them. They grabbed for the bomb racks to keep from going
overboard. It was then that the others realized they needed help, so the
navigator went to their rescue. After about 45 minutes work, they had the
doors held together with the wiring from their electric suits.
>
>
> Meanwhile, the pilots were working on the engines to get a little more
power. Soon they had #3 back in use with about half-power. Even with
half-power, this engine was important as it controls the landing gear,
flaps, and brakes. About 10 minutes later, they sighted a friendly emergency
field where they could set her down. They came in nice and easy and then
applied full brakes. The plane came to a stop with the nose wheel at the end
of the mnway.
>
> And a note from James Henderson:
> This photo was made sometime before this harrowing experience in January,
1945. Not long after this our plane was shot down over Nazi-occupied Hungary
and surviving crew members became POWs. Gordon Thorp was not on the mission
due to illness. Thomes E. Bowd served as bombardier in his place. Eddie
Koezera was killed by machine gun fire and never parachuted out.
>
> Five crew members are still living:
> James H. Henderson Steven L. Kassa
> Richard Wegert Thomas E. Boyd
> Butt Robinson
>
>
>
>
>
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You can email me at wi...@yahoo.com.
Bill