A bit of WWII aviation history & miracle.

[John Schmidt]

This story is in Elmer Bendiner's book, "The Fall of Fortresses"
 
Elmer Bendiner was a navigator in a B-17 during WW II.  He tells this story of a World War II bombing run over Kassel, Germany, and the unexpected result of a direct hit on their gas tanks.  "Our B-17, the Tondelayo, was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns.  That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit."

"Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a 20 millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple."  On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. 
The crew chief told Bohn that not just one but 11 shells had been found in the gas tanks. Eleven unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky.  It was as if the sea had been parted for us. A near-miracle, I thought.  Even after 35 years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.

He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused.  The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up.  They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer.  "Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge.  They were as clean as a whistle and just as harmless."  Empty?  Not all of them!  One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper.  On it was a scrawl in Czech.  The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech.  Eventually they found one to decipher the note.  Translated, the note read:
"This is all we can do for you now… using Jewish slave labor is never a good idea"

[Oss]

he who saves a life it is as if he saved the whole world

great story John

[Tx Bohemian]

That is a great story!!

My dad served in the European theater during WW II.
Very very seldom did he talk about the war.  (He wouldn't even allow us to watch War movies).

I do remember him talking about how the Czechs would sabotage the artillery when they built it for the Nazis. Taking a huge chance because if they got caught it probably would be a death sentence.

Couple of years ago one of the History channel shows I was watching had a guy (allied) talking how he and his buddy were a few feet apart when a German shell hit between them and bounced on by instead of exploding.
 He said they looked at each other and said "musta been made by a Czech"!

[Patrick]

That is a good story !  There are many stories from such people. Getting most of them to talk can be be difficult.

[Rams]

My own father had three Sherman tanks blown out from under him, one during the landing on D Day and one during the Battle of the Bulge, not sure about the other one.  Saw a pic of one where the turret had been blown off.   He named me after a Major he served under.   He wouldn't talk about it but, based on the little information I could get, the Major pulled him from a burning tank before it went up in flames.    Those were some brave men who we owe for what we are and have today.

THANKS TO ALL THAT HAVE SERVED!   

Dad's gone to his next unit, I'm sure he's doing well.

[Firefighter]

My Dad was a Marine in the Pacific. Told me a can of gun oil saved his life. Said he was walking a trail on Guam when he came across a can of gun oil, he said he stopped for a minute to pick it up and look at it, then a mortar shell exploded on the trail ahead where he estimated he would have been had he not of stopped.

I could not get him to talk much and when a war documentary was on he would never finish it, usually leave the room crying. I sure miss him.

[da prez]

  Remember the movie Schindler's List. He told one of the Jewish prisoners that he better never make a bomb that works.  That was a V E R Y  interesting bit of history.

                                     da prez

[czuch]

My neighbor when I was growing up was a Naval Officer in WWII.
He was in the pickets off Okinawa.
First ship went down by Kamakazi. They swam for a while, then got rescued.
Second ship got sunk by Kamakazi. They swam for a while, then got rescued.
Third ship comes by, They tell the rescuers they are bad luck and should just go on.
Third was the charm. They all made it home.