A B-17 Was Riddled and On Fire — This Man It Home Alone (Medal of Honor) скачать в хорошем качестве

A B-17 Was Riddled and On Fire — This Man It Home Alone (Medal of Honor)

On April 11, 1944, First Lieutenant Edward S. Michael lifted off from Chelveston, England, bound for Stettin, Germany. It was his eighteenth mission. Before reaching the target, German fighters tore his B-17 apart—cannon shells killed his copilot, shattered his right thigh, and severed the rudder cables. Two engines were gone. Nine crewmen bailed out over enemy territory. One could not jump; his parachute had been destroyed. Michael made a decision that defied every calculation. Alone at the controls, bleeding heavily, fighting an aircraft that wanted to spiral into the earth, he flew more than four hundred eighty miles across Germany, the Netherlands, and the North Sea. He lost consciousness at least once during the final approach. He woke just in time to flare the aircraft and crash-land in an English field, four hundred yards short of the runway. All three men still aboard survived. For this act of extraordinary resolve, Edward Michael received the Medal of Honor. He never called it heroism. He called it flying until he couldn't fly anymore. The mathematics said he should have died. The mathematics were wrong. If you enjoyed this story, please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments below. #WW2 #WWII #WarHistory #NavalAviation #USNavy #CarrierAviation #HistoryDocumentary #WarStories