http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Im086TCu3IHeroic American Crew Fought off 17 Enemy Planes in ‘Cursed’ B-17 Bomber “Old 666”
When you see the number “666” on the tail number of a plane, it is entirely understandable if you opt to stay on the ground. That number is as superstitious as a black cat walking under a ladder and given the reputation of this particular plane for returning to base shot to pieces; it becomes impossible to distinguish fact from superstition.
But that didn’t stop an insubordinate and audacious crew from taking a chance on her. And that strategic bet at the cost of much blood and steel would earn two of its crew the Medal of Honor and the rest the Distinguished Service Cross. This is the tale of the most heavily armed B-17 of the Pacific Theatre which took on 17 Japanese fighters alone and limped home victorious.
Fortune Favors the Bold
Previously known as “Lucy,” a name the heralded crew would never embrace, the 666 was known as a cursed bomber. The B-17 didn’t look all that different from the rest, but it had a remarkable ability to return back to base all shot up to pieces.
As a result, no crew wanted to fly her, and she was towed to the end of an airfield in the Pacific where it was expected to be cannibalized for scrap. But that is where fate would take a remarkable turn as this B-17 was getting ready to fly into history.
For at Port Moresby Airfield in Papa New Guinea, there resided a feisty Captain who led a crew ready for a fight, but was not too fond of Garrison rules and regulations. Held back by what command deemed to be a lack of discipline, this crew was on the back end of a waiting list for a new B-17 bomber.
More:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/heroic-american-crew-fought-off-17-enemy-planes-x.html/2
