And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Lieutenant Edwin Wright of the 404th Fighter Group, shows the hole in the propeller of his P-47, October 1944
There are five holes in the propeller. Twenty one 20mm cannon hits, including 3 on his seatback armor plate. Several hundred .30 cal bullet holes covering the aircraft.
Robert S. Johnson. Thunderbolt! : The Extraordinary Story of a World War II Ace (p. 129). Lulu.com. Kindle Edition.
I guess the Germans had to count that as close, but no cigar.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
Lucky shot went through from the 6 or 5.
ReplyDeleteThat had to have been his lucky picture after that!
ReplyDeleteAnd the propeller stayed together... amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteand he was no doubt giving it the beans
DeleteThat plane brought more of its pilots home than any other fighter in the ETO. One of them was my dad.
ReplyDeleteImagine the vibration coming from that and flying it back to base... I bet he kissed the runway upon debarking his plane.
ReplyDeleteA bad day over Europe in a P-47:
ReplyDeleteThere are five holes in the propeller. Twenty one 20mm cannon hits, including 3 on his seatback armor plate. Several hundred .30 cal bullet holes covering the aircraft.
Robert S. Johnson. Thunderbolt! : The Extraordinary Story of a World War II Ace (p. 129). Lulu.com. Kindle Edition.