“We spotted one or two competitors burst not much underneath, vanishing in sheets from lime flame, B-17s losing out in all condition off distress, from engines ablaze to handle surfaces shot away, amicable and you will challenger parachutes floating down and you may, for the green carpeting far underneath all of us, multiple funeral service pyres out of cigarette smoking regarding fallen routes, marking all of our walk.”
The 3 batteries off 88-mm weapons positioned within the target did their very best so you can disturb the brand new bomb operates, nevertheless leading bomb organizations put their models of bombs correctly. Next, as usual taken place through the an enormous assault on one target, dirt and you will cigarette smoking regarding explosions and you will fireplaces blurred this new setting out activities, and you can next bombing is smaller exact.
Immediately following bombing the target, the fresh B-17s continued southern area. A few busted bombers kept this new formation and you can going having simple Switzerland. Eight far more broken airplanes took place on the road to Algeria.
Of your own 146 big bombers which had set-out getting Regensburg, 7 turned-back, and you can 139 entered the fresh new Dutch coast.