Boeing BF " Lucky Thirteen ". Airion Oise. Monday 6 th September : a strategic airstrike on an unprecedented scale was preparing to be launched into the heart of the Reich by the 8 th Bomber Command. No less than Flying Fortresses of different Bomb G roups got ready to take off from their bases which scattered throughout the S outh of England. Main target of the day was the city of Stuttgart in southern Germany, and its industrial and aerospace complex of primary importance.
Among the crews assigned to this long and distant mission was that of the B " Lucky Thirteen " of th Bomb Group. It was the 6 th operational mission of the crew of the B- 17F " Lucky Thirteen " :. Take off for the aircraft was between and am. The imposing a ir force assembled in compact formations in the skies above England and then headed towards France.
The coast was reached towards 7 am around Berck- sur-Mer, in accordance with the flight plan. But on entering French territory, the weather deteriorated rapidly. Thick clouds then fog forced the bomber formations to split up. Some aircraft began to break their formation and to disperse. This deterioration of the weather however did not lead to the cancellation of the mission. The consequences will prove disastrous for the 8 th Bomber Command. The hundred or so escort fighters , still with a limited range at this stage of the war, turned around and flew back to England , leaving to its fate the huge armada which continued its flight the East, in the direction of Germany.
The Luftwaffe soon appeared in the sky. The fighters of JG 2 and JG 27 climbed to meet the bomber formations and the fight began. The American gunners fought back with all their weapons, but many Flying Fortresses were hit and shot down, resulting tragically in the loss of their crews.
Around am , only about aircraft including the Lucky Thirteen , managed to reach Stuttgart or its surroundings. Some flew beyond their main objective and turned away to secondary targets. At about 22, ft , the aircraft were aligned repeatedly for the final bombing run , searching desperately to identify their target through the clouds that hid the city.
